Epilogue: Constellations Part 2

A/N: The final final final final chapter is here!

I can't believe how far we've come. Before the chapter begins, I have to throw out a shout out. Thanks to everyone that followed this story up until this point, and a SPECIAL thanks to the people who have helped me write this story at one point or another: Amrun, itslulu42, Orlha, kakashisgf, CopyMistress, Cassieeeeanne, and last but certainly not least, Nxyako and TipsyRaconteur who have done most of the beta work since the midpoint of this story! (Gosh, I seriously hope that I did not forget anyone in this list!)

I hope you enjoy the ending! I've had all of this planned in my notes for over a year!

This was what she loved about her relationship with Kakashi.

Although it had been months since they'd really spoken to each other, and even longer since they'd shared their last kiss or intimate moments in bed, nothing ever felt truly rushed between them. Kakashi had always been able to provide her with some kind of calm and comfort, he'd always been able to bring in some kind of clarity even when things seemed as though they'd spin out of control.

She felt that it was very telling that she and Kakashi could move in and out of hot and heavy kisses, then end up cuddling a couch in comfortable silence, stealing sweet and tender kisses here and there with their jackets lying in a pile on the floor.

The transition from the roof to whatever secret Hokage room they were in was an interesting one. Naturally, the steam from their initial kiss dissipated, but the intensity of her giddy emotions never faded. She was reveling in the radiating sense of joy sprouting in her chest, but was grounded by Kakashi's calm demeanor.

Sakura's fingers were laced over his, his arm tucked beneath hers. His body was just as warm as she remembered it, and although his chest was firm upon her back, everything about him was inviting and cozy. His chin was slightly nestled between her shoulder and neck which made it easy for her to twist back and leave quick pecks on his cheek.

There were no windows in this room, and had Kakashi not turned on a little light in the isolated hallway outside of the door they'd left slightly ajar, she wouldn't have been able to see anything. Normally, she'd be quite interested in her unknown surroundings, but instead, she was much more focused on the man behind her, and a sense of happy disbelief over her reunion with him.

Sakura was cuddled up beside him on the couch with his arm under her head. He left a kiss on her head in response to the hand she'd laid upon his cheek and tucked his legs underneath hers. Although it was dark, she looked up at him and he returned her gaze with a gentle smile.

When he'd given her that small smile, her own automatically grew into a grin. Seeing his handsome face in this intimate setting brought everything back, and she just couldn't believe that she was back in his embrace.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked softly.

"Nothing, I just…" she began, then trailed off as her fingers caressed his cheek. She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. It was as though her feelings about this moment couldn't quite be defined into a coherent string of words. There were no words that would suffice.

Despite her incomplete response, Kakashi offered her a bigger smile as if he understood. He didn't urge her to say anything else, and it was fine with her that he didn't say anymore either. Instead, Sakura felt a magnetic desire to kiss him. As she drew her head towards his, Kakashi matched her movements and closed the distance.

Together, their lips moved in slow tempo. This time, she refused to break from him and felt that if she couldn't express how she was feeling in words, perhaps she could do so like this. As her lips glided across his, she slowly began toying with his lips with her tongue, asking for entry. He willingly obliged, opening his mouth to meet her halfway.

Naturally, the kiss began to pick up steam, and Sakura felt her entire body heating up. When his hand reached up to cup her face, when his mouth moved faster against hers, kissed her deeper, she felt a deep yearning in her abdomen, a tingling burn that only he could quell. Soon, she was pressing up on her elbows, pushing towards him as if doing so could bring their bodies any closer together.

In response to her movements, Kakashi pushed back and lifted himself out of the space between the couch and her body with his arms. Soon the legs that were underneath hers had tucked their way between them, and he had propped himself up above her.

It seemed as though her message had been received, that Kakashi knew how she felt through silent movements alone. All that could be heard was the creaking of the old wooden couch frame, and the stretching of worn leather under his knees.

The position that they had moved into made her body tingle even more. There was an anticipation unlike anything she remembered; it was not like the anticipation of discovering a partner for the first time, nor was it like the feeling of familiarity that one shared with a long time lover.

No, this was something in between. It was old and new at the same time. She knew him, she'd experienced him, yet the motions of their actions were excitingly unpredictable and predictable.

Almost as soon as he had moved to hover above her, he had dropped his head back down to kiss her again. The position they were in mixed with his deepened kisses sent electricity down her body, and she found herself arching her back in response.

This movement allowed Kakashi to run one hand down her clothed side as the other propped him up. Although he was above her, he maintained an inch or two of space between them. His kisses, his position, alongside his touch and even the distance between their bodies made her eager to find ways to bring him closer. So when his hand gripped her hip, Sakura's wrapped her legs around his waist and brought him down towards her.

Sakura could feel Kakashi's hardened desire for her almost instantly. When she pressed her core against his length, she couldn't help but gasp and throw her head back. The feeling of him laying right above the place she wanted him most, with just a few remaining layers of fabric between them, was all she needed to make the deep yearning in her core blaze into an addictive burn.

Within seconds, her breathing had hitched into ragged pants, and her chest had tightened so much that her cheeks were tingling with heat.

Instead of taking her labored breathing as an invitation to speed things up, he took it as an opportunity to slow things down, catching her mouth in his in a slow, drawn out kiss. He let go of the grip he had on her hip and had reached behind him to take her wrist in his, guiding it down to the side of her head on the couch. The grasp on her wrist slid upwards until his fingers were curling between hers to gently hold her in place.

The distance he maintained through propping himself up on his elbow suddenly disappeared as Kakashi laid his weight upon her for a second. Now, he moved the weight over to his side, leaning partly on the couch, and partly over her, his leg still between hers. As he kept her hand pinned, his newly freed hand almost trickled down her side to begin massaging the skin that was peeking out from under her shirt.

His warm calloused palm kneaded her hip just above the hem of her pants, her skin willingly melting into his touch. Before she knew it, his hand was sneaking into her shirt and causing jolts of pleasurable tingles to creep down her spine. Without lifting her shirt, his hand had tangled its way beneath her bra in the same way he'd done the first time they'd slept together. But instead of touching her there, his thumb grazed just beneath her breasts, never quite taking her into his hands like she'd hoped.

But she didn't live unhappily in her craving for his grasp because the suspense for his touch carried its own immense pleasure.

And thankfully, she didn't have to wait too long, because once she slid her own hands up and over his shoulders, once she buried her hands in his hair, his lips explored her neck with a sensual urgency and his hand pressed upward into her chest, cupping her breast in his palm and rolling it with gentle strength.

Sakura cooed beside his ear in response to him, resulting in a low, breathy growl in her neck, causing her body to tremble at the vibration that the sound of him sent through her.

She audibly shuddered once more, eyes rolling back as her mouth dropped open. The sound of his voice, the sight of his unmasked face, the feel of his bare lips were all secrets that he'd rarely shared with anyone, and tonight it was all for her. Again.

Suddenly, the desire to have him returned, to participate in this reclaiming of their bodies together. Up until now, she'd been receiving, following his lead. But she wanted him to hear all of the feelings she'd been keeping within her until now. She didn't want to tell him how she felt, she wanted him to hear it in her actions.

Taking advantage of the weight that Kakashi had put on his left side, she shifted herself out to the right as a signal that she wanted to switch places. For a second, Kakashi kissed her as she moved, but Sakura quickly broke it to focus on her movements. Instead, she locked eyes with his as she pulled away from him, then reached up to tuck her falling hair behind her ear as she straddled him on the couch.

With her hands on his chest, she peered down at him; he returned her gaze with parted lips, the side of his mouth quirked upwards in a slight smile. Thankfully, the light from the hallway peeked into the room just enough that she could make out his handsome face in the darkness. He allowed her to sit upon him, but he leaned forward ever so slightly to leave a quick peck on her chin, then leaned back with interest, settling his hands just beneath her shirt.

The look he was giving her paired with his affectionate display of love made her chest feel full and set her butterflies into flight.

Without breaking eye contact, Sakura's hands slid down his towards the place where their cores met. She could feel the ripples of his muscular torso beneath her heavy, dragging touch, and when both of her palms laid just above the hem of his shirt, she pushed her palms back up, taking the fabric of his shirt up with them and exposing his skin. The action had given her a peek of the deep lines of his lean muscles that lead to his groin.

Sakura's mouth almost watered at the sight, leading her mind to be consumed by what was to come from beneath those delicious lines. As if she were reigning in her hunger for him, she bit her lip as she squirmed over him, causing him to groan from the pressure of where their bodies met.

Once again, she could feel his hardness beneath her in full. Urged on by the sound of his pleasure, she placed her hands on top of his and guided his hands to the edge of her leggings, curling her fingers under the band and pushing downward. She wet her lips and ground against him to push forward into his hands, coaxing him to do the rest.

The look in his eyes was almost like a twinkle as he did just that, as Sakura continued to slowly rub herself up and down against the bulge beneath his pants. She drew herself onto her knees on the couch, lifting herself off of Kakashi's body so that she could reach down and unhook his pants as well.

Her body effectively served as a physical barrier, restricting her from doing what she wanted to the extent that she wanted to do it. But with the limited movement she had, she had managed to push his pants down just enough to expose his boxers, and remove one layer of thick clothing between them.

As she did so, Kakashi had taken the initiative to do the same. Her position limited how far down he could drop her pants, and thankfully, due to the stretchiness of her leggings, he managed to pull them down to her thigh, exposing the nude colored panties that she'd been wearing beneath them. While she peered down at him, she saw that his gaze was locked on her hips, likely drawn to the allure of the undergarments that had remained hidden until now.

In response, Sakura put all of her weight on her left leg, placed her arm on the top of the couch to hold her steady, then swiftly lifted her right leg to remove the leggings from it.

Now, as the leggings pooled around her left knee, all that was between them were their undergarments. They locked eyes again as she lowered herself to sit on top of his erection. When she made contact with him once more, she let out an "mmm…" The thin fabric between them allowed her to feel just how hard he really was, to glide over him as if nothing were between them at all.

When the tip of his clothed length bumped against her sensitivity, her mouth dropped open and her movements deepened. Not once did they break eye contact as she ground over him slowly, building up the heat and moisture that was already beginning to soak through the fabric. And with each glide, each point of contact between her clit and his cock, her breathing seemed to grow stronger, the yearning for him between her legs radiating throughout her body.

The tingle of each swipe rocked her body, causing her to release quiet moans while his hands remained firmly on her sides.

"Kakashi," she moaned, hoping that he'd hear from the tone of her voice that she wanted him.

But instead of responding to her, he slowly sat up on the couch and wrapped his arm under her. He rolled his forehead down hers before seizing her lips in a breathy kiss; not once did she stop grinding against him. Somewhere in the middle of all of her movements, he had picked her up, centered himself onto the couch so that his back lay against the cushion, so that Sakura could use the structure of the couch as support for the movement of her hips. His new angle made it so that his member pressed even more firmly against her, pressing impossibly harder into her clit.

They began to kiss deeply. As she moved, her nerves bundled within her more and more, her core aching for him, but she was all too carried away by what they were doing and her hips started to move in a quick frenzy.

The head of his cock was now fully drenched by her fluids, the fabric adding to the friction against her clit. She knew that grinding against his was affecting him just as much as it was affecting her because his breathing had picked up, he'd begun to buck against her and meet the movement of her hips, and his hand had made its way into her panties to grab onto her ass for leverage.

It felt like the two of them were lost to the rubbing of the other, the short, quiet moans of pleasure, the sounds of it drowned by the lips of the other.

Suddenly, Sakura could feel the walls of her core tightening, going towards the point of no return.

She figured that Kakashi could sense it from the break in her rhythm and the irregularity of her breathing. He had finally broken from their kiss, nipped at her jawline, then began to suck on her neck in a passionate fervor. Meanwhile, his hand lifted her off of his lap and had spread of opening of his boxers to free himself beneath her. He rubbed himself against her a few more times while pumping his hand up and down his shaft, his breathing ragged against her neck, sending hot air down her skin. Then, as if he couldn't be bothered to wait any longer, he reached down to move the bottom of her sticky panties to the side and pressed the head of his cock at Sakura's entrance.

Sakura gasped and steadied herself. She kissed his temples with such gentle force, and instead of bracing the couch, she wrapped one hand around the back of his head and whimpered.

"Kakashi," she breathed in approval, anticipating the pleasure that was to come.

But Kakashi seemed to be lost in her, his face buried in the hair that laid over her shoulder. He left messy kisses as their hard breathing matched the other.

"Fuck, Sakura…" he muttered, prodding himself ever so gently into her without truly entering her.

Sakura mewled above him, savoring the moment, continuing to press her lips on his temple.

She'd expected him to just take her, to sink himself in her without any warning or control, but instead, he breathed against her, prodding still before muttering in deep groans, "Sakura… ugh… fuck, Sakura… can I?"

The question had filled her with so much lust and affection all at once. No matter how far they'd gone into this venture, how much she'd been giving her body to him, he still wanted to know if she wanted this, if she was ready for him to take this step.

The gesture was sweet and sexy all at once. He wanted her consent, even if his body was raging in pure desire for her.

He was asking for her body, but he was also asking for her love, showing her his respect for her decisions.

Sakura smiled with her lips against his skin, let go of the couch and wrapped both arms around his neck, allowing gravity to do the talking for her.

Sakura sunk onto his length, the girth of him stretching her, filling her all the way until she met the very base of him.

She couldn't help it. Although she'd heard Kakashi groaning as she lowered herself, Sakura let out a low guttural moan, but he'd quieted her with his lips.

Kakashi had let go of her hips and wrapped his arms around her back, and Sakura had tightened her hold on his neck, balling the fabric of his shirt in her fist while the other hand moved to rest on the top of his head, her fingers grasping onto his silky hair.

Then the two of them continued their grind on each other. It wasn't an impatient push and pull, no. He remained deep inside her as her hips glided into him, their movements sensual and slow, matching the tempo of their lips.

God, he was so hot inside of her, her wetness slick and sticky between them, making it so easy for them to move mountains in their bodies with just the slightest of movements.

Sakura's walls began to clench around him. Kakashi groaned through gritted teeth. Sakura's grip on his hair tightened. Kakashi's hand drove into her shirt and held desperately onto the skin of her back.

Nothing had to be said. They could hear it all in their movements, in the intensity of their kisses, in how tightly they held each other as if their lives depended on it, as if they could get any closer than they were.

And before she knew it, the pressure of him inside of her mixed with the contact of his groin grinding against her clit had her wound up tight. Sakura began to pant above him between their movements. His fingernails began to dig into her back. She felt walls clamping impossibly tighter around him as she began to whimper, to hold her breath as her body grew taut.

"Oh my god… Kakashi…" she whispered, burying her face into his hair. She could feel the wave rising in her chest, threatening to overtake her.

But he said nothing, only increased the slow intensity in which he drove into her. He bit onto her shoulder, and with one strong jerk, Sakura felt herself growing completely rigid.

Her orgasm had her seeing stars. It was completely dark in the room, but it was as though everything had lit up in a bright light. She felt her body washing over with pleasure as she trembled, tears welling up in her eyes from the sheer magnitude of it. All she could hear were her moans that were muffled by his skin upon her lips.

And as she rode out her orgasm on his lap, Kakashi followed not too far behind her.

She felt the first gush of his warmth, the thought of it somehow intensifying everything she'd just experienced.

He groaned into her ear, jerking into her with sharp thrusts without ever having removed himself.

Then the two of them remained in each other's arms, panting, their mess and sweat between them, quietly reveling in the moment.

Before she knew it, Kakashi's lips found hers again and kissed away the stream of tears on her cheeks. Then they remained there in silence, taking each other in until Sakura suddenly realized she didn't know what she should do next.

As usual, her mind began to run away with her. As she pressed her cheek against his temple, she closed her eyes and breathed him in. Her fingers began to stroke gently at his hair while two conflicting thoughts were consuming her.

On the one hand, Sakura wished that she and Kakashi could stay like this forever. The feeling of having the person she had been yearning for in her arms again fulfilled a satisfaction that could only be enjoyed like this once. Nothing else was like it. But on the other hand, she felt slightly overwhelmed by a sense of awkwardness, of not knowing what to do or say next when they had said so little up until this point.

Surprisingly, however, whatever sense of awkwardness she felt in that moment, it could not compare to the gentle feeling of contentedness. She would not allow herself to destroy this moment, to let her mind consume her and ruin this reunion.

Opening her eyes, she could make out tufts of his silver hair in the faint light. As she stroked his locks with her fingertips, she pressed her other hand around the back of his head, cradling it in her palm, then shifted her hips to allow his warm member to slide out of her.

She heard him sigh beneath her and felt him shudder in her arms.

Sakura stood slowly, holding Kakashi's head as it slid away from her cheeks and rested on her chest. Soon, she backed away from him, keeping her hands on his shoulders as they locked eyes in the dark.

She smiled at him gently, taking a step back to urge him to follow before lowering herself on her knees to the floor.

Kakashi followed suit and scooted off the edge of the couch, lowering himself onto the floor with his back against the couch and his legs bent at a distance from each other. Kakashi rested both of his arms over his knees, and Sakura took it as an open invitation to crawl between them. Soon, she had turned so that her back could rest against his chest and his warm arms held her in an affectionate embrace.

Sakura couldn't help but coo as Kakashi buried his nose into her neck, holding her even tighter than before. His hot breath sent a chill down her spine; it was almost like a tickle that caused a playful giggle to escape her lips.

Her eyes almost fluttered shut, but her body instinctively curled inward and jolted to the side as a protective measure against his tickles. Then he placed his cheek on her temple and held her in blissful silence.

Once more, Sakura found herself observing her surroundings. Before this, she had been much too preoccupied by Kakashi and her overwhelming feelings for him, but now she was comfortably in his arms, ready to ask the questions she'd wondered on their way in.

Where was she anyhow?

"So are there any other Hokage secrets I should know about?" she whispered almost playfully, her voice gentle as if it were unwilling to disturb the peacefulness they'd established between them.

She could feel Kakashi's lips curl into a smile on her temple before his chuckle escaped him in a hot puff upon her skin. "Well," he began, pausing for a moment before he continued with the same tone of voice and volume. "There's actually a secret passage way to this room in the First's left nostril."

When she'd asked the question, she didn't actually expect to hear such a ridiculous answer. The vision of the First Hokage's stone visage came to mind, and she could picture almost a cartoonish version of Kakashi creeping his way into the nose like an insect.

"... Really?" she asked, maintaining her gentleness yet expressing a curious interest.

"Really," he concluded with a soft chuckle. "But now that you know our secret, I'm going to have to insist that you guard that secret with your life." Suddenly, Kakashi uncrossed his arms and slid a hand down her side, pressing against her rib to get another ticklish reaction out of her.

"Hey!" she squeaked quietly, jerking her body to the side in an attempt to escape. Clearly, however, Kakashi was in the mood to play around, and she was in the mood to entertain it. Besides, she loved how easily she and Kakashi found themselves slipping back into their routine comfort.

"You're not the Hokage anymore," she quipped, switching her head towards the right in a triumphant "hmph."

Even if she wasn't looking at him, even if she couldn't see him very well in the dark, she was almost sure that she could feel his stare and that he must've been smiling. "That doesn't mean I can't boss you around anymore," he joked, pulling her back into a soft embrace.

As Kakashi left sweet kisses on her cheek and jawline, Sakura tilted her head to give him better access. Although she wanted to giggle, she maintained a playfully stern tone. "And if I refuse?"

"I'll boss you around anyway."

Suddenly, his hands started to roam across her belly: one hand curled over and around her hip, and the other slithered its way higher as if to reach for her chest.

Sakura held her breath in anticipation, waiting for him to spark another heated interaction between them, but instead, he merely tightened his embrace on her body and pulled her impossibly closer to him.

The two of them sat in comfortably sweet silence as Sakura's hand glided upwards to strum her fingers over his forearm. She then leaned her cheek on his collarbone, resting her forehead on his cheek.

"Come home with me," he whispered ever so quietly into her hair, leaving kisses on the crown of her head. She knew without hearing the words that he was telling her he'd missed her, and that he wanted to spend more time with her tonight. She smiled at his request, only to regretfully have to decline.

"I can't," she breathed, responding to his kisses with kisses of her own on his cheek. "Sarada will be home from the festival within an hour or two. She'll be expecting me…" In between kisses, Sakura added gently, "We're not in Takumi anymore."

"No, we're not," Kakashi replied with a reminiscent intonation to his voice, as if he were remembering fond memories of times spent together in a far off village. He reached up to stroke her hair gently in response.

"Besides," Sakura added playfully, hoping to decrease the sting of what may have seemed like rejection. "Don't expect me to just jump in bed with you again after all this time."

At that, Kakashi's hand paused on her head and he shifted off to the side so that he could look at her with a quirked lip and a raised brow.

"Not a bed," she countered, understanding the implication of his mischievous look. "That was a couch, Kakashi, and now we're on the floor."

She huffed flirtatiously as Kakashi continued to leave small pecks on her head.

"Then I guess I'll just have to woo you until I can get you to come back to bed with me," he remarked with amusement, as if he were promising things to come.

"Not a moment sooner," she replied, smiling as the hand that had been resting on his forearm slid higher to cup his cheek. The thought of Kakashi wooing her made her feel bubbly as there were so many possible ways that he could do that now, and there were so many other factors involved. She felt herself growing warm with the embarrassing giddiness of a young girl, which was foolish because Sakura was well in her thirties.

It was amazing how Kakashi had the ability to make her feel like love would always be brand new.

"I know it's dark but… I swear it's as though you're squirming right now," Kakashi hummed, peeking his head forward in an attempt to look at her. "You know how I feel about you when you get all shy. It makes me feel like it's the beginning again."

Sakura couldn't help but turn her head to hide from him. She knew she was blushing because her face was ridiculously hot, and she knew he couldn't see it, but she instinctively turned away from him.

"It is the beginning again…" she muttered quietly, pressing her cheek against his arm.

"Sakura?" he asked inquisitively, and the question made sense to her. After all, what had happened tonight was not the affair of first-time lovers.

"It's just that…" she began hesitantly. "How many people get the chance to fall in love with the same person twice?"

Suddenly, Kakashi began to chuckle in earnest behind her. She could feel his body tensing and releasing against her back, and she couldn't help but huff and pout her lips as he laughed at her embarrassing admission.

But then he quickly morphed back into the serious Kakashi, his voice deep and stern as if there were no other truth than this: "Sakura, I never fell out it."

Kakashi let go of his embrace on her and then rested his hands on both sides of her hips, urging her to turn slightly to the side so that he could look directly at her.

The tone of the conversation had shifted entirely with just those words. She could feel the change deep in her chest.

"I've loved you from afar," he continued resolutely. "Every day, I watched you become your own person, become a sensei, rediscover the leader you have always been…" Kakashi reached up to cup her face and ran his calloused thumb over her cheek. "I'm so proud of you, Sakura."

"Kakashi," she breathed in amazement, surprised by the affectionate praise he was giving her. She smiled gently, feeling the love in her chest ready to burst out of her. Soon, her mouth spread into a wide grin, and she couldn't contain the small quip of happiness that escaped her throat.

The world really had such a weird way of making things happen. To think… she had really tried to avoid seeing him tonight.

The thought had turned that small sound into a fit of gentle laughter.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked with a twinge of confusion.

"It's just that…" she breathed between giggles. "I wanted to see you all night because of the festival and I tried to avoid you… but…" and then she giggled even harder before cutting it off with a kiss on his jawline.

"I guess it was just in the stars," he mused as he leaned back against the couch.

Sakura thought back to all the events in the last two hours that she had blamed on fate, or a higher power, or whatever it might be. "I guess it was," she concluded with a dreamy sigh.

"Tomorrow," Kakashi said suddenly, but gently, jarring her from her thoughts about what could only be thought of as fate. Sakura blinked at him. "Meet me at Ichiraku at noon. Let's take it back to the beginning."

Sakura paused for a moment. Everything within her wanted to say yes. Everything in her knew that she was going to say yes, but for a second, there was a short nagging voice inside of her that couldn't help but ask herself: "What will everyone think about this?"

The silent pause was long and loud; she could almost feel Kakashi's tension in waiting for her to accept his invitation. And although the question felt wrong, she wanted to reveal the secret worry she'd been keeping inside of her all along.

But then, as if he could understand her concerns without words, Kakashi took her hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed her knuckles, leaving his lips upon her skin.

It was as though he was telling her that he'd be beside her through anything, no matter what challenge may come from their love.

And yes she was afraid. She had always been afraid. She always would be.

At first, she was afraid of Sasuke discovering her illicit relationship, then Sarada. But now, their relationship was no longer adulterous, but contrary to societal norms and it still scared her.

But as Kakashi held her hand, sending her silent support and comfort, as she battled her inner demons, she realized that her fears shouldn't matter and understood that the only real obstacle holding her back was herself.

Sakura had lived a life of danger, of feeling too weak, of being inadequate, of failing a mission, of losing the lives of loved ones. She had spent her entire marriage endlessly worrying about Sasuke's opinion, and the opinions of other people about her relationship. She instinctively knew that if she wanted her future relationships to work, she couldn't do that again.

There was no legitimate reason to fear living a life of happiness—no. The truth was that any fear she had about the opinion of others was rooted in the fear of not being able to be with the man she loved.

And as that realization was recognized, a grin crept up on her cheeks and the bubbliness in her chest returned tenfold.

Haruno Sakura deserved happiness, and Haruno Sakura was in love with Hatake Kakashi.

Smiling widely, Sakura accepted his invitation. "Okay, let's go to Ichiraku."

And as if she were accepting the equivalent of a marriage proposal, she could feel the relief and happiness radiating from Kakashi. He'd all but swooped her up in response, and kissed her deeply on the lips.

This kiss was unlike any of the kisses he'd given her before. It was both new and familiar. It was once more the recognition that she had spent years growing beside this man, knowing him as a sensei, friend, and lover. This time, however, it represented a different kind of freedom. It was an old revolution realized. It was once again their history, the right now, and what would be from this point on.

It felt like a promise of eternity that had passed in a blink of an eye.

They broke, holding each other in the dark, but surely smiling from ear to ear over the possibilities of the future.

Kakashi kissed her once more, placing his hands firmly on her back before leading her down to lay on the floor.

Before Sakura could register what he was doing, Kakashi had taken her hips in his hands and had flipped her onto all fours.

"Kakashi!" she yelped in surprise, pretending to be shocked at his forwardness.

"You said that you wouldn't jump in bed with me," he teased lowly, the register of his voice masterfully igniting her desire for him. She knew where this was going. "You never said anything about the floor… or the couch for that matter."

She giggled against him, holding herself up as he ran his hands over her and kissed her neck in playful nips.

"Until I can get you in my bed again… I'm going to have my fill of you right here."

She mewled his name again, giving into his touch with a giggle.

"Shhh…" he joked amorously, his hand creeping lower and lower until it found its way between her legs. "Your hokage has a very important mission scroll to deliver to you, and he thinks you want it. Bad."

Sakura burst into a fit of laughter and delight at the reference to their unresolved night in Takumi. Pressing her hips backwards and rubbing herself against his front, she playfully responded, "I do." Then she turned her head back to take the lobe of his ear into her mouth. "I want it bad, Hokage-sama."

"Of course you do," he replied with a frisky growl. "Come and get it."

A/N:I know that we didn't get a lot of the resolution that some people were hoping for like Sarada and Naruto's reaction, kakasaku babies, etc... but I felt like delving into that would have been anticlimactic AND contrary to the whole thing about Sakura just not caring what other people think about their relationship...

I want to leave all of that stuff to the imagination. I hope you understand!

Again, thank you for everything. I may rewrite some of the earlier chapters at some point, and I hope you'll come back if and when I start a new story!