***NOTES***
Ya'll...this is it. Please keep all hands, arms, and legs inside the vehicle at all times. There may be sudden drops, stops, and loop-de-loops. Here comes the ride.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or *any* Naruto media.
Chapter 7: I am your Lover
She felt his chakra flare before she saw his face.
He wasn't facing her. She couldn't see his single eye. But his back was forcibly languid. His posture was equal parts relaxed but very very tense. His signature laziness.
And his chakra—well, his chakra was out for blood.
Swallowing the room and everyone in it. Suffocating. Volatile. Vicious.
And everyone just sort of—stopped. Like time went still. And they were all waiting for a bomb to detonate.
So, she rose to her feet with her eyes on him like she was cornering a deadly animal. Half stumbling as she tried to burn the alcohol off as fast as she's ever attempted before.
Just to see what in hell Genma did that she had to go fix.
She only made it halfway across the room before she heard the distinct sound of cracked glass being dropped on the counter as he turned towards her.
Well, not her exactly. But the exit.
And—Oh no.
His face was blank—nothing but a sort of dead, vacant stare ahead. His jaw locked all the way from mandible to clavicle in a sharp rigid angle that strained under his mask.
He didn't look at her.
In fact, he walked right past her.
His footsteps made no sound. And the only reason everyone in the room knew he was gone, was because the door squeaked on his way out.
Sakura took one look at the broken sake cup and Genma's pale blood drained face—
—and she ran.
She burst through the door just as she heard Kurenai yell across the room to Genma—
"What. did you. do?!"
Sakura caught sight of him in her peripheral vision just as he was jumping up onto a rooftop across the street from the bar. She slammed her hands together and flooded her system with chakra.
She shushinned right in front of him.
"Kakashi, what—"
He vanished into leaves. Oh, hell.
She looked around for his shushin, and expanded her chakra to her senses. Maybe if she—
She caught his silver hair half a mile down the road. Interlocking her fingers without a second thought, she shushinned a little ahead of him.
"Wait, please—" He shushinned across the road and took off at full speed.
He was running. Running away from her.
Damn it, Kakashi.
So, she shushinned right after him.
Popping into existence just a few feet ahead of him before he would vanish again before she could even get words out.
On roofs. In the middle of crowded streets. On top of a telephone pole.
Over and over again—across half of Konoha. Pink and silver blurs at war.
And damn him—because he knew short range shushin like this was a colossal drain on her chakra. And what a waste.
And he was getting sneakier and sneakier to try to lose her. Even shushinning inside shops and restaurants.
By this point she was just going to go in to find him, punch him in face, and pin his ass to the ground—
…but when she rematerialized this time—
All was still.
No flash movement in the corner of her eye. No poof of smoke or leaves of another shushin.
Sakura suddenly realized they were on the roof of his apartment building.
And he was standing above her with his hands shoved in his pockets, on top of the barrier wall glaring down at her with a vengeance.
At some point during their shushin battle, he must have pushed up his headband. Because two eyes—one black as night, and another glowing red and swirling—were scowling at her.
Rage was rippling off him like waves.
But that's okay. She was mad too.
"Are you ready to talk now, Ka-ka-shi?"
***かかし***
Kakashi stared down at Sakura. She did not look happy with him. Good.
"You couldn't wait for five seconds so we could talk—"
He interrupted her. "Talk about what, Sakura?"
"Well, I don't know—but Genma obviously said something, or you wouldn't have tried to kill him."
The Copy-nin tried his best not to flinch at her wording.
…everyone here thinks of you as a friend.
Friend-killer-Kakashi.
"I didn't try to kill anyone," he bit out with suppressed venom.
"No, but you were thinking about it." She scoffed while crossing her arms over her chest with distinct ire and a sneer. "So, what was it? What got you so upset that—"
"Nothing—it wasn't important."
Her eyes narrowed. "Obviously, it was."
"No." His hand tightened in his pockets. "It was nothing."
"Come on, Kakashi—use your words." She snarled up at him. Emerald eyes flaring at him with a mocking tone. "It's like I always tell my son—'you have to be a big boy and talk about what's bothering you'. Are you going to be a big boy, Kakashi? Hm? Or are we preferring to act like a child today?"
I have two right now—a daughter and a son. We were planning to try for baby number three soon—
"I don't want to talk. And don't—don't bring your kids into this."
Her chin snapped up in a defiant thrust. "Why not? What's wrong with my kids? All I wanted was just to see if you were okay. But no—"
"Sakura…" Fuck. Please stop.
Obito's eye was throbbing now.
"—you just kept running away! For no reason—"
"Sakura." His voice didn't even sound like his own anymore—far too much like a wounded animal—somewhere between a whine and a growl.
"—what could have possibly been said to you, to make you act like that?"
His chakra flared without his consent again. He rematerialized in a swirl of leaves right in front of her.
Emerald met his own mismatched eyes.
"You want to know—?"He bared his teeth at her beneath his mask as his hand shot up towards her jaw.
She was so small that his hand engulfed half her throat and mouth. He forced her offending mouth shut and pulled her chin towards his own face in a violent jerk. His grip was tight but not enough to bruise or restrict air.
"Who is your husband, Sakura?"
The words floated in the air between them—weightless and heavy at the same time.
Then the haze disappeared, and regret flooded his veins as his stomach plummeted in disgust.
What was he doing? He hoped he didn't hurt her. Scare her. He didn't mean to—
But his rough panting nearly stalled when he finally noticed the look on her face.
The jade of her eyes was a slim, nonexistent rim around her blown pupils. Large, swollen, and shiny—pupils so dilated they were the size of small coins.
Her lips were parted in a sort of mix between that of involuntary surprise and a pleasurable sigh, that made his head tilt in curiosity. His eyes shifted from her dark eyes to her mouth in intense interest.
Back and forth. Each point of interest making his pulse race a little faster.
Her hand reached up to wrap around his. Their fingers entwined at her throat…
She trembled a bit beneath his touch—a rational part of his mind thought maybe it was fear. Or anger.
But a pleased snide little monster in the corner of his brain laughed darkly.
It said: You're fooling yourself.
…and her hand squeezed over his and made his own tighten around her throat. Her eyelashes fluttered. She licked her lips.
And—Oh.
Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck—
He understood her now. What she was saying about never wanting someone more than in that moment.
He wanted—and wanted. Want. Will want. Past, present, and future. All at once.
He wanted to devour her with his mouth. And burn every touch into his skin. He wanted to meld her scent into his own. And hear her voice every single day for the rest of his life.
He wanted to live with her. He wanted to die with her.
The dark little monster preened: Look at this beautiful creature. She was made for you.
The rational part of his brain's rapport: I just hope I was made for her too.
He caved. And leaned in; ready to rip his mask down and taste her. Mark her. Claim her.
But…
She shifted and pulled away—just out his reach.
The absence of her touch made his sight blur white—he was filled with such malcontent and an overwhelming sense of loss. Where there was once her warmth, was now just empty air.
His mind went blank. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and when he finally reopened them, he trailed her movement as she shifted a few steps back.
A coy little smile played on her lips. Her pupils were still blown and watching him like a cat.
"My husband?" she questioned airily. Her voice was titled with amusement. And a secret. His body reacted to the sound with a stirring between his legs.
He blinked slowly. Lazily. His own dilated eyes followed her eagerly. He stepped forward towards her compulsively.
"What's your name, Sakura?"The question rolled off his tongue like honey. Slow and dripping.
She smiled like a predator as she stepped back again. And clicked her tongue in a faux chastise. "Haven't we already been over this? Or do you still not believe me? I'm Haruno Sakura."
He huffed out an indignant puff of air. And took another step towards her. "Yes. But I think you may have another."
She cocked her head and brought her hand to her chin in an exuberant show of thought.
"You're right…" she flashed her teeth and leaned forward with a sneering smirk. The words sounded bitter and cruel on her tongue. "Haruno Sakura married and took her husband's family name. She became…Uchiha Sakura."
Everything in his body felt wrong. Like suddenly every vertebra was unexpectedly unaligned. A fictitious hole formed right behind his eyes, like a gaping chasm had established itself in his brain.
Kakashi felt something groan, creak, and then finally crack within him. Whatever it was that was last holding his hopes together finally broke off and shattered.
His vision blurred around the edges. He squeezed his eyes shut.
Fuck.
Part of him couldn't comprehend his folly. The other whispered 'I told you so' in his ear.
From there, he internally spiraled into a squall of equal parts self-reprimanding and despair. Because of course—of course—she didn't belong to him. How could she? How dare he hope—
His tongue swelled into a clot of sandpaper in his mouth. He was afraid to swallow; suddenly afraid he'd choke on his own tongue and ego.
He was drowning.
Kakashi didn't know how long it took to reorientate himself. By the time he noticed the silence, it could have been seconds or minutes at this point. When he was able, he slid his eyes up to finally look at her. It was painful and slow—filled with reluctancy and embarrassment.
And there she was—watching him.
With huge feline eyes and her lips slitted in a bitter smile that was as tight and as sharp as a knife. She was watching him with the utmost interest—like she set him on fire and was watching him burn.
She stepped towards him then, and he felt the sudden need to step back—they were moving around each other like magnets—attracting then repelling.
But her eyes were still glittering at him as if she couldn't look away.
"At nineteen, Haruno Sakura married her childhood crush and became Uchiha Sakura," she repeated as if he didn't hear it the first time. "It was her dream wedding. Her dream groom. So naturally at twenty, she gave birth to her first child—a daughter, Uchiha Sarada."
He nodded absently and took a step back. He cleared his throat, but it didn't do much to help the sound of his voice.
"I see. Of course…" he choked out.
She followed after him with another step.
"But she was anxious, and eager—so ridiculously impatient—to have what she thought was her 'fairytale ending' that she—" a frustrated sigh. "She didn't properly talk with her husband. She had expectations of their marriage; and he—well, he had his own."
"So she gave birth alone—well, not really, but she felt alone—and afraid. And the first time her daughter was placed in her arms she made a decision. Some would say it was rash, others would say she was distressed from giving birth—but she knew. I mean like a cord had snapped, she knew—right then and there—that she was done. It was over. And if she didn't change her life now…then she never would."
She blew out a nervous breath as she cocked her head a little and leaned a little closer towards him. Her feet shuffled like she was debating stepping into his space again, but something was holding her back.
"So, she ended the marriage the same week as her child's birth. And Uchiha Sakura, became Haruno Sakura once more."
Kakashi stood very still. Maybe the most still he had ever gone—in fact, if it wasn't for the sound of his heartbeat pounding in his ears, he might have even thought his heart had stopped.
"And—" she trembled a little and started chewing on her lip, before huffing like a child and straightening her spine to her full height. Her eyes, however, were nervously anywhere but on him now. "And—and—well, after a few years…she fell in love. And she married who she probably should have married all along, if she wasn't so dense."
She swallowed noticeably; eyes now trained on the ground. "So, then Haruno Sakura, took her new husband's name and became Hata—"
Kakashi moved. It could have been a shushin for all he knew as it was so desperate and fast, that he just seemed to materialize in front of her.
He needed—he needed to stop her.
So, he moved his hand on her jaw again in a soft, wretched kind of plea for her to be quiet, stalling the name from tumbling out.
Her eyes were shining and wide—unushered tears were building up in the corner. She let out a sort of pained cry like a wounded animal.
"You're upset—of course, you are. I'm sure it's disappointing—" she stumbled the words out. "It's a disappointing future, I'm sure. I mean you hate me, right now. How could you even think about marrying—"
Kakashi let out a growl that faded off lamely into the sound of a dying whimper. His head was swimming violently.
"I'm sure you wanted someone else—maybe someone prettier. Someone your own age, or at least someone you didn't hate—" she was rambling now in a hysterical flood of words.
The molasses-like pit of his brain thought: What is she saying?
Until her words and meaning fell into place like a knife in his heart.
Oh. She thinks—she thinks I wouldn't want her.
"I-I was going to tell you—I should have told you as soon you started to trust me—"
What? How…
"I'm sorry, Kakashi—I'm so so sorry. I was just so scared—" she whimpered.
Oh, fuck. In what world, should she be apologizing to me—
"There was no way you would have believed me. I just didn't know what to say. 'Hello, I'm Hatake Sakura. Your future wi—' "
An electric spark rippled through him so suddenly that he was almost afraid he unconsciously activated his chidori. His grip tightened on her on her jaw.
"Don't." He barked out. "Don't say you're mine—" His mind was overloaded, his words stalled. "—or I swear Sakura, I'll never fucking let you go again."
The words themselves came out as a snarl, but underneath it was a type of panic that felt intimate and visceral.
No, he thought. Don't let me believe I could have it all…
His hand slipped limply to his side, and shuttered his eyes tight shut again.
Everything he could have. Things he never knew he wanted. It was all at his fingertips—and he was scared…
But—
But something soft and warm was weaving itself around his fingers.
"Hatake Kakashi." she said softly. Fondly. "If you ever let me go, I will hunt you down and murder you myself."
He felt her warmth move into his space. A light brushing of her lip against his masked cheek. He thought he might break at the touch.
"Don't ever let me go, Kakashi." She sighed against his cheek. "I expect you to hold on and on and on …every day of your life. And if you die one day and leave me, I expect your ghost to be whispering in my ear." He heard the smile in her voice. A vow. "And I'll do the same for you."
He stared at her. His eyes tracing the curve of her cheek; the shape of lips; the emotion in her eyes.
For the first time in his life—he wouldn't mind having a ghost follow him around if it was her.
He let out a sigh—a very fatigued and resolute exhale. Like he was resigned to his fate. She leaned back and met his weary eyes and chuckled lightly under her breath. Stepping back a little further, she scanned his expression thoroughly.
"You're…" she started hesitantly, "...you're not disappointed, then?"
He had half a mind to glare at her for saying the words, but he was slightly delirious and had no idea what he was doing.
Instead, he bent down and knocked his forehead into hers. A gentle, yet chastising head-butt. She didn't even flinch. She just rubbed the spot on her forehead, like that was a completely normal thing between them.
"I just thought…it would sound like a nightmare to you without the history and context. I come with a lot of baggage, after all." She bit her lip but was starting to smile. "A child that's not of your blood–although let me be clear: she is very much your daughter in every other way. And an ex-husband that is very much still part of our lives. I've had a few complaints about my temper—not to mention my brute strength. A work life balance problem—probably. Not a very good cook either."
Her smile was growing little by little.
"Did I mention the eight dogs?" she snorted. "The house is constantly loud and noisy and the dog hair—"
"Sakura."
"What—? I just want you to understand. It's not what you probably envisioned for yourself—not what you wanted."
Kakashi wondered if he hit her harder on the head with his, if it would somehow transfer on a cellular level.
"What could possibly make you think I wouldn't want you?"
It was silent for a moment. Her smile grew impossibly wider.
"Oh, no." Her breathless blissful tone didn't match her words. "You're even starting to sound like him."
He was startled that the statement didn't seem to scare him so much anymore. He chuckled lightly.
"I am him."
"Yes," she blinked up at him owlishly. "I think you are."
They were still standing close to each other—but he stepped in a little more. He tilted her face up to look at him, and the long stretch of her neck underneath his fingertips made his abdomen coil. His chest grazed her own, and he wondered if she could feel just how much he wanted her when his hip brushed hers.
The Copy-nin swallowed thickly but he was surprisingly not nervous. Eager, maybe.
He reached up—and tugged a finger under the lip of his mask.
He slid it down for her.
She let out a bark of a laugh with a huff following right behind it. And he suddenly felt cool fingers sliding against his unprotected skin. She was holding his face in her hands.
"Oh, you…" her wide shiny eyes were staring at him in wonder. "You absolute bastard. Fifteen years—and you've barely aged a day."
It was so shocking to him that this was the first thing she'd say after revealing his face, that he couldn't help but laugh too.
"Sounds like good news then—" he grinned, and her eyes flickered like they were taking a photograph. And her breath hitched involuntarily—It made him smile even wider. "I wouldn't want anyone thinking you were married to an old man."
She gave her head a little shake and then proceeded to pout like a petulant child. He was not shocked that he seemed to find this endearing.
"It's not fair—! Besides a few lines around the eyes, you look the exact same." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "We're going to have a chat about your nightly skin routine when I get back, because I'm inclined to think you've been holding out on me."
"You'll absolutely be disappointed, but I'm looking forward to it."
She let out another huff, but jade eyes kept darting around his face in awe. Slim fingers were trailing along his skin as she traced his temples, his cheekbones, his jaw, the mole on his chin, and lastly—the edge of his lips.
"Kakashi—" she mumbled while licking her lips. His eyes glued themselves to the movement. "—would it be rather rude if I kissed you? I've just—I've missed you so much. And—and this week being near you, but not—you know, near you—has been very very trying."
He leaned down half a foot to lessen the gap to her lips. She instantly shut up.
"You think I'd object?" He was obscenely close now. His lips almost brushing against her own.
"I think…" she stumbled like her mind lost track of the thought. "...I think you're not obligated to do any—" a swallow. "—any husbandly duties since it hasn't happened for you yet."
He could have laughed. Instead, he rested his forehead on hers. Looming over her.
"Sakura." The ridiculous, silly woman. "I'd happily be 'obligated'—I'd make it my life's mission if you want—to kiss you every day for the rest of our lives. Starting right now."
She smiled and he felt it against his lips.
"If it starts right now—does that mean when I get back—I get fifteen years of makeup kisses?"
"Deal. Best fucking deal of my life—" Apparently her patience finally ran out.
Kissing Sakura was like being reunited with a lost limb. Or like the eye that he had lost on Kannabi Bridge, was suddenly and inexplicably, back in his head.
He had been with other women here and there—only when he was wandering around as Sukea and no one knew who he was. He had kissed others.
But they had always been hesitant, questioning things.
As an inexperienced kid, thoughts popped up behind his eyelids: am I doing this right? Do I like this woman? Do I like the way she feels? The way she kisses?
As an adult and shinobi, the tone shifted: is she reaching for a kunai? Do I taste poison? Is the room secure? Where's the fastest exit point if this goes sideways?
For Sakura though, there were no questions.
Just her lips and his. Her breathing and his. Her tongue—and taste—and the feel of teeth lightly biting his lip—and his his his. His. She was his.
She slotted herself back into his skull like that missing eye.
She was his, and he was hers.
She kissed him like she owned him—like his name was written on her lips, and she was just doing the polite thing—and returning the lost item back to him.
She was much shorter—so she yanked him down by the collar of his vest—and leveled the playing field. It made him smile even if his back was protesting in strain.
Sakura had many different kisses; some that Kakashi had never experienced before—
She devoured him one moment—lips firmly meeting his own, and tongue curling around his—and then the next she would suddenly back off with an innocent peck. She'd leave a small trail of butterfly kisses along the corner of his mouth and jaw, before deciding it obviously wasn't enough—and went back to her unfinished meal of tongue and teeth.
He found that he liked all her kisses. In fact, he was growing more and more fond of it by the second.
And when his back finally gave out, and he went to straighten himself to get some sort of relief—he crept a hand behind her neck, and made sure her mouth came with him. She followed without protest (she obviously had done this before, it seemed) and hiked herself up his chest.
He couldn't help but grin as he felt her legs lock around his ribs and her arms wrap around his neck. She was sitting taller than him now, perching on his arms as he supported her, and he had to crane his neck up not break the kiss—but his back. His back thanked him profusely.
She was smiling against his lips as her pink bangs fell around their faces.
"Better?" she mumbled as she pecked that mole on his chin again and ran her fingers through his hair.
"The best," he sighed as he dove back into her mouth for a few more seconds. "Why didn't we start like this?"
She laughed as she nipped his bottom lip. "Because I thought it would be rude if I climbed you like a tree on our first go."
He pecked her on the lips in a lingering sort of way that he had never done with anyone before. The very first of its kind.
"I think I would have adapted alright. But next time, I'll get you a step stool."
She huffed out a laugh as he buried his face in her neck. The smell of strawberries and jasmine invading his senses. His nose picked up something else too—something subtle and heady.
Female arousal.
His mouth watered and he held back a groan.
"Sakura." He splayed his hands along the thighs wrapped around his torso. He trailed them slowly along the black fabric of her thighs, until they met their targets. He squeezed her ass firmly. She giggled. The smell grew a little stronger. "How mad do you think my Future-self would be if I brought you to bed right now?"
Sakura pulled back enough to see his face, her fingers still playing with his hair and raking his scalp.
Fuck, he liked that.
She grinned coyly, "Well, that depends."
She tapped his shoulder, and he released his arms as he allowed her to slide down to her feet. "Are we just sleeping in said bed? Or are we—"
He wasn't sure what possessed him to do it. Surely, it would be incredibly rude if it was anyone else, but he figured I can't have been the first time he'd done it to her.
He grabbed her pretty little hand, and placed it right on top of his cock. It was at full attention for her and jumped happily at the contact. Blown pupils wandered to where her hand was, as they grew impossibly wider with want.
"Oh." she breathed out. Her eyes were fond; her smile was positively lecherous. "Well, not much for sleeping then."
She chewed on her lip and he tried not to laugh. She cupped him through the fabric—just a little squeeze—before she backed away abruptly and cleared her throat.
"Mad," she choked out like it pained her to say. "You'll be mad. Because you're a ridiculously competitive idiot—even with yourself. Which is just—and I'd have to hear you whine and grumble about comparing—and even if I wanted too—and believe me, I want too—"
He took two steps into her space. He gently lifted her chin up again, but this time, he skimmed past her lips and inhaled at her neck again. A deep resonating breath before he licked the stripe of skin right where her pulse jumped.
He grazed it again with his lips. It was a sensitive spot for all shinobi—especially ANBU. A weak point in the human body.
And then because he's insane. And delirious. And a little bit high off the smell of her—
He opened his mouth and put her jugular in his jaws. His canines poised to pierce.
She didn't flinch.
Instead, she let out a warbled groan that died somewhere in her throat—right under his teeth.
He wanted her—fuck, did he want her. But—
"You're right," he said against her throat. He pulled back to straighten up, but he cradled her face in his palms. His thumb stroked from jaw to neck. "I'd hate it. There's some version of me, waiting for you to come home. To me. And our family. Probably worried sick– maybe his hair is even growing greyer by the second." She scoffed, but her jade eyes sparkled at him. "And I'd honestly hate having you in my bed while knowing that."
She blinked up at him for a moment, and then she lifted up on her tiptoes and pecked him on the lips again. He liked the pecks. The pecks might be his new favorite thing.
"I'm glad you agree," Sakura beamed up at him. "I'll make it up to you as soon as I get home."
"Yes. Fucking yes."
She laughed. "Between this and the fifteen years of make-up kisses, we might not be leaving the house anytime soon…"
"Sounds like ideal timing—baby number three will be here in no time."
"Yes, well, you always were efficient." He loved the salacious smirk on her face.
She kissed him again with a little smile hidden on the corner of her lips.
A sort of slow, adoring thing that made his insides melt. Like whispering 'good morning' after a night beside him. Or 'welcome back' after a long mission.
Ohayo—
Tadaima.
Okaeri—
A kiss of homecoming.
A kiss—Kakashi thought vaguely—of a wife kissing her husband.
***かかし***
He did end up having Sakura in his bed. Sort of.
She led him back to his apartment like a puppy on a leash. Just the pinch of her fingers on his sleeve, a small tug, and he followed her blindly. Probably anywhere, if he was being honest.
They showered (separately, to his dismay) and dressed for bed, quickly and quietly. And when it was all done, he sat her down and started to ask questions—real questions. Things that had piled up in the corner of his mind that he was finally brave enough to know.
Some of them she answered. Some of them she said were too revealing for him to know.
(Spoilers, she said.)
She was patient and kind. Quiet on some subjects—loud on others.
But she answered everything pertaining to them.
He found out about her prior marriage to Sasuke. And then how they came to be. He asked about when they first started courting. The reaction to it. Their life. Their family.
He asked about his adopted daughter—Uchiha Sarada.
How he had helped raise her from birth, as she wouldn't know her own biological father until years later. With her black hair and eyes, she physically took little from Sakura when it came to looks. But her personality was all Sakura.
At six years old, she loved to read. Her favorite color was red. She had trouble with target practice. Frozen grapes were her favorite dessert. Hated garlic. She was kind and smart and caring, but a little bit of a know-it-all and—
The very best older sister.
And he asked about his son. Hatake Saki—written as 'A blossom in a field'. Or hope.
When he balked a little at the feminine name, she laughed. But she insisted it was important to her. She wanted to honor just a little of the Haruno family's tradition. And after all, what was more natural than a field and flowers?
She talked about him. Their son.
With his dusty blush-colored hair that was darker and duller than hers—a perfect mix of their grey and bubblegum pink. And his charcoal eyes that looked just like his father. And at almost two years old, he was already showing a difficult personality and the intelligence to back it up. A trait that he probably received from both of them.
He wouldn't eat eggplant, even if his father begged him. He loved baths, and his favorite thing was jumping in puddles after it rained. He was learning his letters just fine but hated nursery songs. He slept throughout the night but only if one of the ninken were with him.
He loved his big sister.
She talked and talked and talked into the early hours of the night. Talking about their life. Like it wasn't some dream in the far off distance.
At some point, Sakura bundled herself up in a cocoon of his green shuriken blanket and fell asleep. He stayed awake a little longer, staring at the ceiling, before wrapping himself around her with his touch starved body.
He dozed in and out that night.
Nightmares might have come and gone. He didn't know.
There was a warmth in his arms. The sound of soft snores in his ears. And the smell of her hair on his pillow.
They must have chased everything else away.
But he would wake every once in a while, to make sure she was still there. And he'd stare at the curve of her hip or the faded freckles on her shoulder.
He was memorizing every detail—every ounce of knowledge he had gained about her. Them.
He hoped his Sharingan was up to the task.
Maybe he could sear her in the back of his brain—an unconscious thought that would not be forgotten.
Even if he did lose this memory—he hoped his mind still found her. A familiar flash of pink in the corner of his eye. A dream of a woman he didn't know.
He would fall asleep that night next to a woman that would become his family, and the names: Sakura, Sarada and Saki echoing in his head.
He wasn't ready to forget.
***さくら***
Sakura knew this smell—green tea and old books.
She knew these arms. And the feeling of him wrapped around her as he snuggled into her back. She even knew the feel of this outrageous green blanket (although it felt much newer).
She felt warm and safe—and something absolutely wonderful was rubbing up against her bum. Something thick, long, and hard—something she wanted to grind up against.
And maybe she would have.
…If she didn't peek open one eye—
To find Pakkun staring at her, only inches away from her face.
A silent yelp died in her throat.
"Boss-Lady." Pakkun panted with very little concern for her shock. "I just wanted to let you know—we are all very happy to have you join the family." A couple of lazy blinks focused on her from a few of the other dogs in the room. "Several of us have been waiting years for the Boss to finally give us some young pups to raise." The pug leaned forward and planted a wet lick on her cheek. "Welcome to the pack, Boss-Lady!"
Multiple dogs panted happily, as their tails wagged in approval of their leader's statement. Sakura blinked at the dog. Talk about déjà vu. She suddenly felt like she joined the mafia–the canine-mafia. Again.
"Thank you…?" she scrambled.
Behind her, she noticed Kakashi bury his face into the back of her head as his shoulders shook with silent laughter. She elbowed him in the ribs.
"As much as I'm sure you want the mating to begin," Sakura did not in fact, want the mating to begin with eight pairs of eyes on them. But she didn't interrupt the pug. "I thought I should let you know that two unusual scents are coming this way."
Seven dogs turned towards the door (Pakkun still continued to stare at Sakura).
A clang of metal and loud footsteps echoed up the staircase outside the apartment door. Behind it followed voices she would know anywhere.
"Naruto, you idiot—you're supposed to be a ninja. Stop making so much noise!"
"Shut up, teme! You're the one yelling now," a man whispered loudly. "Besides, I'm trying to concentrate. Her chakra is somewhere here."
Kakashi froze behind her–stiff as a board.
"Maybe your stupid 'sage-mode' got it wrong."
"Please. If you hadn't lost her in the first place, we wouldn't have to do this to begin with."
An angry scoff. "What is she even doing here? Have you been here before?"
"Nah, doesn't look familiar…but I can definitely feel her somewhere on this floor."
There was a moment of silence—Sakura knew this silence. One of them was going to do something stupid. She scrambled out of the bed in a scurry towards the door.
"Do we knock on every door?" the angry man asked with very little patience.
"Forget that. SAKURA-CHAN, GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE—!" The loud man screamed.
Sakura flung the door open.
"Damn it, Naruto! It's barely dawn and you're going to wake the entire building. Don't you have any respect—" she whisper-shouted.
"Sakura-chan! See? She can't resist yelling at us." The blond man rushed up to her and buried her in a hug. She pinched his side.
"You're an idiot." she said affectionately into his shoulder. "If you stopped doing stupid things—I'd stop yelling at you."
He grinned a bright fox-like smile. "Why would I do that? You yelling is the favorite part of my day."
The man behind him scoffed. She released Naruto and slunk around him to hug her ex-husband. He gave her a stiff one-handed hug that she knew was more affectionate than it seemed.
"Sasuke." She sighed, "Thank you for coming for me."
The Uchiha grunted, like that was somehow an acceptable reply.
"Why are you here, anyway?" Naruto asked with brilliant blue eyes.
"I don't know? Ask Sasuke! I just fell out of the sky to find out I was fifteen years—"
"No, not here. But here. This ratty old apartment build—"
The metal door behind them creaked open. Kakashi stood leaning across the door, his arms crossed at his chest and his expression blank. Not that they would know, since his mask and headband were back in place. (How did the man get dressed so fast?)
Silence filled the group awkwardly.
"Well, that explains it." Sasuke deadpanned. "Of course, he's here."
Sakura felt her cheeks flush. She suddenly realized how very little she was wearing in only Kakashi's undershirt.
"Sakura!" Naruto whispered agitatedly. "Why didn't you say someone else was here? I would have been more, yah know, incognito…"
Sasuke laughed darkly in response to his blonde friend, but his eyes narrowed on Kakashi. "Look at you, Naruto. Using the big words. I didn't think 'incognito' was part of your vocabulary."
"Shut up, you bastard—! "
Sakura stepped between them with a warning palm bearing down on each of their chests.
"It's fine." She bit out and tried to start again calmly. "It's fine, he already knows who you are anyway. And about where I'm from. Well, he knows most of it—" she explained. She turned towards the door but refused to meet the Copy-nin's eye. "Kakashi… meet my Naruto and Sasuke."
Kakashi didn't move for a second. Instead, he just looked them over, and all the men were suddenly sizing each other up. Sakura rolled her eyes. Finally, he gave a lazy two-fingered salute.
"Yo."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes further as he tsked violently. "Great. Good to know our Jonin-sensei had a thing for you since we were eleven."
"Sasuke!" She was blushing now. Probably as red as a tomato.
"Don't 'Sasuke' me." He mimicked her voice with a shrill falsetto. Sakura did not like it. He was in a mood. "We thought you might be locked up in a cell somewhere, and where do we find you?"
"—alright, Sasuke. Calm it down." Bless Naruto. The Great Mediator.
"Cuddled up with the pervert."
Sakura felt her eyes twitch. Naruto's lips sort of puckered in distaste. Kakashi suddenly looked very very tired.
"…for fuck's sake." She heard Kakashi mumble under his breath. He turned and disappeared into the apartment.
"Uchiha Sasuke." Sakura swallowed tightly. She deserved an award for restraint. "Just shut up—and get in the damn apartment before someone sees you."
He didn't move. Just stubbornly glared at her with his arms crossed haughtily. Naruto shifted nervously on his feet.
She crowded into his space. His Rinnegan peaked behind his bangs in a cautious defense. His eyes narrowed at her. She did not budge.
"Get. Inside. And I'll explain." She forced out through gritted teeth.
There was a moment of just heavy glares. Naruto was probably sweating at this point.
Finally—finally—he gave. And with a scoff and shoulder-check (very mature, Sasuke) he rounded her and stepped into the apartment. Naruto followed along behind him.
And Sakura—
Sakura was wondering why she was surrounded by such troublesome men.
She made her way into the small apartment to see that the ninkin had disappeared. She was left with Naruto sprawled out on the couch, hands clasped behind his head and grin in place. Sasuke perched grumpily on the arm rest next to him like an angry toddler.
And Kakashi—poor Kakashi—was leaning against the back wall with hands stuffed in his pockets, and his face up towards the ceiling like he was praying to whatever gods he worshiped to give him strength.
"Okaaay," she puffed out the word just to feel the air leave her lungs. "Okay." she said more resolutely.
"You two—sit. And wait, while I get dressed." She turned a pleading stare to Kakashi. "And you—just—try and play nice until I get back. Give me a minute."
Sasuke scoffed. Naruto gave her a dorky thumbs up. Kakashi looked like he was begging her not to leave him alone with the two idiots.
She bolted for her clothes and slammed the bathroom door just as she heard Naruto say, "Soooo, how's life?"
Sweet Naruto. As if, Kakashi would willingly engage in small talk.
She scrambled as she undressed. She brushed her teeth while sliding her ANBU pants on and hastily braided her hair while simultaneously slipping her shirt over her head. She was as fast as humanly possible (even Kakashi had to be impressed).
By the time Sakura tumbled out back in the room after literal seconds—it was uncomfortably quiet.
Naruto was whistling quietly to himself while bouncing his knee nervously. Sasuke was squeezing the hilt of his katana while casting a glare at Kakashi. The Copy-nin was staring at the ceiling again, but now he had a kunai twirling on his finger, in a subtle threat.
She held back a groan.
"Lovely. Thanks for waiting, boys."
Kakashi visibly shuddered as soon as the word "boys" was vocalized. She ignored him.
"Now—what were we discussing?"
"You were explaining—" Naruto jumped in helpfully.
"The pervert. You were explaining the pervert."
Sakura narrowed her eyes on Sasuke.
"To answer Sasuke's 'concern'—" she spat that word out. Whoops. "Kakashi knows the gist of the situation. But he hasn't been sitting on this knowledge for fifteen years, he's going to forget it all."
Sasuke twitched. Naruto swiveled around to face her. "What!? What do you mean he'll forget? He'll forget all of this? That we were here? That you were here for a week?"
"Yep. Remember that week between when we went to the Land of Waves and the Chuunin Exam—and no one knew where he was? I'm pretty sure that's what this is."
Naruto sputtered a bit. Sasuke frowned. Kakashi was rubbing his temples.
"But how?" Sasuke huffed.
"I'm not really sure. Sandaime found some obscure Yamanaka secret scroll. It will allow me to seal all the memories pertaining to me." She glanced at Naruto. "When we get back, you really should take a look in that storage closet where you found the Kage no Bushin scroll." She explained flatly. "Kami knows, what else is in there."
"So, he'll just…forget? " Naruto was watching Kakashi now cautiously. "No harm done?"
"Yep. No harm done." She sniffed, "Well, theoretically. I guess we'll see when we get back."
"And you're okay with that, Kaka-sensei?" She tried not to notice the way Kakashi spasmed minutely at the affectionate name.
He shrugged, "She seems to think there is no other alternative."
"There's not." She concluded primly.
"Good. At least he won't be pining after her for years then." Sasuke sneered. "Glad to know our marriage hadn't been doomed from the start."
Sakura sighed. Kakashi ignored the taunt. Naruto— "No, it was just doomed right after that."
Sasuke bristled like a feathering duck. Naruto howled in laughter. Kakashi was staring longingly at the window.
"Okay! Grow up you two," she snapped. "Naruto, how—how are the kids?" She swallowed lamely, "...And him?"
Naruto grinned brightly. Wow, she missed that grin.
"The kids are fine, Sakura-chan! They're mostly at your parents. But Hinata helps when she can—even Ino is helping out every now and then." He patted for her to sit down on the couch next to him. "Besides, Sarada is a no-nonsense kind of girl. She knows when everyone is busy to help take care of her brother."
Sakura couldn't help it. She pouted. "Excellent. Good to know my six year old doesn't really need me."
Sasuke snorted. "She may not need you, but that one over there—" he shoved his thumb towards Kakashi abrasively. "He's having a meltdown."
"You always did like the dramatic ones…" Naruto mumbled.
No one in the room decided to acknowledge that with a reply.
Kakashi was suddenly more interested in a book he pulled out of nowhere. Were his ears slightly pink? Yes. Yes, they were.
"I'm not surprised." She desperately tried not to sound happy. "He's okay, though?"
"Yah, sure—I mean, if you consider the murderous threats, the sulking, and staring off into space constantly as 'okay '. The paperwork is piling up and no one wants to question it. Kiba accidentally asked where you were—and he snapped a pencil like it was a broken neck."
"Let's just say, everyone is giving him a wide berth. We had to send Sarada in with lunches, just to get him to eat," Sasuke added grumpily.
"He would come if he could, Sakura-chan. You know he would–but he's stressed out and being Hokage doesn't help—"
There was a harsh snap—the distinct sound of a book being slammed shut by angry hands. And Kakashi's head whipped up towards them.
Sakura groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Naruto!"
Naruto sputtered for a second. "You mean he doesn't know—? How did you keep that a secret—How was I supposed to know you didn't tell him?!"
Sasuke chuckled darkly. He smirked at Kakashi evilly. "Congratulations, Kakashi. You get to wear a stupid hat and have your ridiculous masked face on a mountain side—forever."
The Copy-nin's head dropped back with a thud against the wall and a sting of 'fuck me, fuck me, fuck me''s was spewing out of his lips in discontent.
She could smooth this over. "...Kakashi, it's not that bad—"
"Why is he not Hokage?" Kakashi interrupted her with an aggressive nod towards Naruto.
And Naruto—Blessed. Good.— Naruto.
He did what Sakura called 'The Smile'. With a hand scratching unassumingly behind his head, and his eyes crinkled shut in a genuine grin. And his mouth split open in a golden smile as bright as the sun. It was a little bashful. A little self-deprecating like he felt he was somehow burdening others. But affectionate—and so so endearing.
It melted hearts—it saved lives—it changed the world.
"Because you told me not to. At least, not yet." Naruto's smile grew a little wider. "You wanted to give me time. Said, I should enjoy having a young family. That you didn't want me ending up like my Dad…so you covered for me for a few extra years."
Kakashi blinked at him for a second, and then sort of deflated at that—like a sad, tired balloon. He had no way to argue against it, and Sakura was pleased she didn't have to fight her way out of this revelation.
Kami, she loved Naruto sometimes.
"Besides, you're retiring soon, and I'll take over from there. And then you can enjoy your family—I'm sure in a few years there will be a whole new clan of pink haired little shinobi running around Konoha."
"I doubt that." Sasuke snorted, "He's an old man."
Naruto burst out laughing. "You only think that because you've never caught them two in the office going at it like rabbits—"
"Naruto—!?" Nevermind, she hated Naruto. "What the hell!"
"It's not my fault you two don't know how to put up a silencing seal—"
Sasuke looked like he was going to puke. Sakura's face was on fire. Kakashi–what was Kakashi doing?
He crossed the room and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder in absolute seriousness.
"Naruto, if I'm Hokage—does that mean Genma is still my ANBU guard?"
"Yah, sure. Why?"
Kakashi's lone eye curved into such an absurd grin—it gleamed in perverse delight.
"The hat's worth it." He concluded while glancing towards Sakura. "I can't wait to make his life a living hell."
She promptly buried her hands in her face again. She hated all of them.
Naruto was scratching his cheek with his head tilted like a confused puppy. Sasuke was frowning with his eyes closed, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here.
"Okaaaaaay." She cleared her throat. Her cheeks were still hot. "Full conclusion—the future is great. The best. Swell. Let's not mess it up."
Sasuke had to scoff at this. Naruto gave another goofy thumbs up.
She stood and turned towards Kakashi, "Do you need to alert the Sandaime?"
He shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets while standing to his slouched height. "Already did. Pakkun should be on his way now."
Ah, of course he did. Always the good little soldier. She should have known.
"Well, then let's go." Sasuke stood with a frown and turned towards the door.
"Go? You mean—right now?"
"Well, yah Sakura-chan. We came. We got you. Time to go." Naruto stood and followed behind Sasuke.
Sakura bit her lip. "Shouldn't we wait for the Sandaime's approval?"
Sasuke snorted. "Why? It's his problem, not ours. We have our own deranged Hokage we have to report too."
"You can't leave from here?" Kakashi asked in a bored tone.
Sasuke stared back at him stupidly.
"Ah, he doesn't know anything about Kamui yet." Sasuke clipped. "No. If I bring us back here, who knows what's in this exact spot in the future. Could be someone else's apartment or a brick wall. Some unexpecting person. It's safer to move to the open field where we came in."
"Yah, we used field seven!" Naruto grinned. "Some things never change, ne?"
Sakura hesitated. She looked over at Kakashi. He was a solid slab of granite—unmoving and cold.
"I…I need a moment. You two, go ahead and I'll meet you there."
"...Sakura-chan," Naruto's blue cerulean eyes flickered over her. She knew that soft tone. He always did see through people. "It's time to say goodbye. We need to go home."
"I know, I know. I just…I just need a moment, okay?"
Sasuke snorted. He stared at her for a second–and opened his mouth like he was going to say something cruel but decided against it. With a tight jaw and huff of annoyance, he then turned abruptly towards the door and stormed out.
Naruto took a long moment gazing at her too. She met his eyes and wished she could convey all the things she was feeling. He grinned after a moment—but it was a twisted, brittle smile. Kind, but a little bit sad. Full of pity.
"See ya, Kaka-sensei." He called out with a half-hearted wave. "Try and be nice to your three little genin, ne?"
The blonde didn't wait for a reply. He turned and left to follow his teammate.
"I'll do my best." Kakashi answered to the closing door.
It slipped shut with a quiet clank and the room was filled with silence. Sakura took to staring at the floor. She traced a knot in the hardwood floor with her eyes over and over again.
She was desperately trying to organize her thoughts—there was so much she wanted to say.
She thought she would have more time. Why of all days, did the boys have to show up today? She wanted to have just one lazy morning, waking up to Kakashi in peace.
She thought they would have a chance to talk more. She could explain more. She wasn't ready.
"Well? What do you think?" she didn't dare look at him.
"They are…still Sasuke and Naruto—mostly."
"Don't worry about Sasuke. I know he was harsh today, but he's just in a mood and found an old scab to pick at. He's actually quite happy for us, and I'm happy for him—I actually think he'll be married soon again too."
Kakashi hummed quietly. She didn't know what else to say.
After several gut-wrenching moments of thought, she dragged her eyes up to sneak a peek at him.
Oh, Kakashi…she thought.
He was standing there shoulders back, posture straight, his stance squared. Like he was waiting for her to deliver the punch. His charcoal eye bore straight into her—hardened and anguished. And—
And it broke her heart.
Why did he always end up getting hurt? Why was he used to bracing himself against the sting of losing someone? She never, never, never wanted to add to the long list of people that left him behind.
Her fists compacted into tight coils against her thigh. She was so frustrated at herself—why couldn't she just leave him alone? She should have just let him be…
"Haruno…" His voice was like ice. Sakura tried not to flinch at the name. "You should go."
"Hatake." She forced out, but it caught in her throat. "My name is Hatake, and don't you dare try to take that away from me."
His gaze drifted away from her, but she saw the click of his jaw tighten.
"Sakura," he conceded. "...You need to go."
She stared at him for a long moment—her eyes stung, and her stomach was rolling. She was going to cry and then vomit—Or maybe vomit, and then cry—either way, she wasn't getting out of this unscathed.
"Yes," she whispered airily. "I do need to go."
She tried to swallow down whatever bile that was threatening to rise in her throat and steeled her nerves. She wiped her face vigorously with her hands.
She could do this. She could say goodbye the right way. Maybe—if she did this right—she could leave something behind so he wouldn't be alone.
She crossed the room to the little table by the entryway. There was a little pad of paper and pen with a scribbled out list of groceries on it. She tore that page away and began to draw on the next.
"Sakura…" his tone sounded like a warning, but it was pitifully half-hearted.
"Shhh. Let me think. Let me do this—" she scribbled furiously and bit her lip in concentration. When she was done, she tore away the little slip of paper and began folding it several times.
"What are you…?"
"Hush."
She taught Sarada how to do this a week ago—a fold here, a tuck there–And the little square paper turned into a simple origami shape—the face of a dog. She used the pen to draw in the nose and eyes and few added details.
When she was done, she slipped the small origami dog into her pocket and dropped the pen. Kakashi was nice enough not to ask anything more about her impromptu craft session. Smart man.
She could do this, she told herself. She's faced worse.
Sakura crossed the room with confident steps, and marched herself right up to him. His jaw tensed and his single eye narrowed at her in warning. She watched the bob of his Adam's apple—he was nervous.
Perfect, so was she.
She pushed at his shoulders lightly until he gave up and followed her as she guided him down to the couch. She sat him down and stood in front of him. Gently—as much her nervous fingers could manage—she slipped behind his head and untied his hitai-ate. Pulling it off, she placed it softly on the coffee table next to her knees.
His Sharingan spun slowly as she was met with both mismatched eyes.
Oh my, she was going to miss the mismatched eyes.
There was something telling about his Sharingan—it wasn't like Sasuke's controlled one—no.
Kakashi's Sharingan was expressive. It spun at different speeds according to his mood and it glowed with his emotions. It was an involuntary window into his thoughts—like a dog wagging his tail when happy.
She loved it dearly.
Next, she slipped a finger in between his mask and the skin of his cheek. She glanced up to ask permission, and he hummed lightly in response. Sakura pushed down the mask to his neck—and took in his small, mangled frown and his pained eyes. She placed his face in her hands.
Her Kakashi.
Her beautiful, intelligent, brave, loyal Kakashi.
Her eyes stung—now she was going to cry. Gods, she loves him.
"Kakashi…" she rested her forehead against his, and squeezed her eyes shut. Silver hair tickled her temples, and she wondered if she were Ino, could she just dump all her thoughts into his brain and walk away.
But no—she was not Ino.
She bumped her forehead against his like she was trying to banish the thought.
"There's so much I wish I could tell you…the moments you will face. The people you'll have to confront—I can't even—I'm sorry. I wish I could be there with you." I don't want to leave you. She took a deep breath. "But trust Naruto. He's smarter than any of us knew. Sasuke…it's going to be tough, but he will come around eventually. Don't worry about me—I'll be fine until later—then I'll need you. Be nice to poor Yamato. Just ignore Sai—"
Her chest heaved. Oh, hell—her eyes were watering. Vision blurred.
"The world's going to go to hell—but we'll come out alright. It's all going to be okay. Just keep going—don't stop. No matter what." She was sniffling and poor Kakashi—she couldn't even see him through her bleary eyes. "I'd tell you not to stress, but we both know that's impossible. Just make sure you eat, and get enough sleep—"
Ugh, that's not what she wanted to say.
"No." Sakura squeezed eyes shut as hard as she could manage. Tears were still slipping through. "That's not the point."
Her sweet, dear, adorable Kakashi kindly lifted his hands to her hips and gave her an affectionate squeeze as a comfort for her blatant desperation. He must think her crazy.
She pulled away from him just enough to take in his face. Sakura kept her hands tethered to his jaw and neck like a lifeline. She felt wrecked.
"I love you." She choked the words ungracefully, but it would have to do. "I'm so in love with you—it's stupid really."
How she thought she could do this without crying, was beyond her.
"If they took our love and laid it out on a scale—mine would outweigh yours so much, it should absolutely be worrisome. I'm confident that I love you so much more, than you love me. We are entirely unbalanced. And yet—"
Hell, she couldn't catch her breath—she was sobbing. At some point she registered that Kakashi was wiping tears from her face.
"And yet—" she tried again. "I will take anything you give me. Happily. Whether we have five years together or fifty—I will always choose you, Kakashi. Always. In this world, or any other."
She was kissing his hand now between her sobs—small pecks on his wrist and palm.
"You and me. I don't know what it is—but you've got something I need, Kakashi. I honestly think you and I must have been hurtling through the stars together as specks of dust—over and over again—we've come together. Hundreds or thousands of lives together. Past lives—future lives—but…I'm so glad we made it to this time now."
Ah, kami. She hoped he understood what she was trying to say—even through her broken words and sobs.
"You and me." She kissed his palm again. She couldn't stop. "Don't let the future scare you at all—don't be afraid, Kakashi—because even if the world falls apart, and we have nothing, we have us."
Oh. He was kissing her now. Sakura was doing her best to try not to whimper uncontrollably like a child. His lips pressed to hers and she could have died from the relief.
His tongue snaked its way into her mouth, and Sakura met it eagerly. (Oh boy, did she.)
Her face was still embarrassingly damp, and she could only imagine how puffy her eyes were. Her nose was dangerously close to running, and she could barely breathe.
She did not feel particularly beautiful. Or womanly. Or sexy.
But—
She thought it may have been one of the best kisses of her life.
And when it was done, he cradled her face in his hands and wiped away the last stray tears along her jaw.
"A thousand lifetimes sound great, Sakura. But even if we only get one life," he murmured firmly. "I want to live it with you."
Yes, she thought. That's exactly what I wanted to say.
He snuck his hand down until grabbed hers and he lifted it to the seal on her stomach. The seal's chakra flared underneath her fingers.
It broke her heart all over again.
She took a step back from him—and gave him one last look.
His right eye—his charcoal eye—was red rimmed, and she thought maybe he had a trail of tears of his own. His lips–red and swollen from their kiss. His silver hair was mused and sticking out in all the most absurd directions.
And—
He was still the most beautiful person she had ever seen.
She didn't say goodbye.
She touched her fingers to the five chakra points of the seal, and she pushed her chakra into it.
The seal glowed—and Kakashi crumbled.
He fell to his knees with his head in his hands, and a groan on his lips. She placed two fingers on his forehead with a muttered genjutsu—she watched him collapse onto the couch in sleep.
She had a few last things she needed to do.
Half an hour later—the room was clean and cleared of all of her presence. But she left what few things that she wanted to leave behind.
He groaned in his sleep again as she watched his face scrunch up in distress.
She didn't stay to see if he was alright. Sakura grabbed the tanto and fastened it to her back.
She didn't look back. She didn't stop. She ran as fast as she could to the edge of the town. And right before the tree line cleared and Training Field Seven opened up, she bit her thumb and summoned.
Pakkun poofed into life in front of her. He looked around wildly, as surely he was in shock from being summoned by someone who was not Kakashi.
"Pakkun…do you—" she struggled. "Would you happen to remember who I am?"
He looked her over–then his tail wagged. "Of course I do. You're the Boss's mate."
She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"Oh hell, thank you…It looks like the seal doesn't work for summons—you were probably in a different world when it activated, but Kakashi won't remember me anymore, okay?"
He bobbed his head in a canine nod. "Gotcha, we'll look after him for you."
"I was wondering if you could do me a favor—I wanted to leave him something. And I thought it would be best if it came from you. Would that be alright?"
Pakkun grinned—if dogs could grin—and strutted up to her happily.
"Here," she pulled out the little origami dog. She gathered her chakra and muttered a simple genjutsu on the paper. "Give this to him whenever you feel it's right—when it's not too suspicious, I mean."
She tucked the little letter into one of the pockets of his vest. After securing it safely, she bent down and pulled Pakkun's paw to her gently. Sakura rubbed the soft pad of his paw for good luck.
"Thank you, Pakkun." She petted him affectionately. "Please take care of him."
"Anything for you, Boss-Lady."
She smiled. As she turned to go to Naruto and Sasuke, the sound of a pop! echoed in the clearing as Pakkun left.
Naruto smiled. Sasuke grumbled. Sakura looked.
Sakura took in one last look—
The red Hokage building of her childhood, the mountain without her husband's or her Shishou's face on it.
Everything as it was. Once upon a time ago.
And with everything she came to this time with—
She left with as well.
***END NOTES***
FUN FACT#1: This entire chapter is inspired by the song Something I Need, by One Republic.
FUN FACT#2: The are many 11th Doctor(Matt Smith)/River Song vibes in this chapter. 'Spoilers'. 'That's not the point'. etc. are all Doctor Who references.
FUN FACT #3: Feminine names given to (especially manly) men is kind of a growing trend in Japan. A good example of this is Nanami Kento from JJK. But my husband is also a member of this club, years before it was growing popular lol and we have passed this on with our boys without really meaning too hehe. So, I wanted to have this for Kakashi and Sakura.
