I OWN NOTHING.

Please read the author's note before you start.

Edited: 3 Aug, 2015

A/N: So this is sort of a oneshot that just kind of...happened. I was in a hurry to upload it, so I glazed over the erroes. Maybe two days later, I erm...edited some sketchy parts after some feedback, thanks for that!

It takes place in an AU with time-travel. I really did this because I was trying to experiment with my writing skills and I wanted to test out the mood/character interactions or anything else that piqued my curiousity. I'm awful at writing romance or just something as condensed as a oneshot, so this was also practice.

So in this AU, here's the deal, Obito's dad is Kagami Uchiha, and yes I thought that those two might have a sweet interaction. Some of the "canon" elements are just purely in here to shamelessly compliment the character interactions or just flavor the genre. I'm sorry for being so shameless (not really). If you squint, you might see some romance. Yes, I'm one of those weird people who just can't get enough of crack-pairing Sakura in every direction and making it work.

I wrote this really late at night. And nothing I ever do late at night or at any ungodly hour after my bedtime, seems to contain any semblance of sanity. So I'm sorry, if I think of the Kyuubi as a giant titan because on that day Konoha received a grim reminder *snickers*. Finally ages, Kagami would be around 31, and Sakura around 25. Obito would be 12. Here's to the growing collection of Kagami and Obito fanfictions!

Haruno Sakura twitched an eyebrow impatiently, and scanned the forested area around her. The shudder of her shadow clone getting killed hit her, throwing her off concentration for a scant few seconds. She rubbed her throat warily as she glanced around again.

So there were two pursuers.

No problem, she mused, swinging off a branch onto the next one. Well they seemed like smaller chakra signatures anyways. Maybe she could take them. Slowly clattering to a stop, she waited and waited for them to show up.

A few moments passed, and she sighed, feeling them near but not willing to respond.

And not even bothering to mask their signatures, she added in an afterthought in exasperation, must be rookies.

But Sakura Haruno, as perceptive as she was, never saw that coming. Just as she was about to move out, a thing, rather something with white fur- (no, was that hair?) slammed her into to the tree bark bodily, a kunai painfully lodged against her neck.

"Eh…" she muttered staring at a familiar masked boy perched on her stomach. Kakashi-sensei? She thought mutely. And then groaned, okay well, there were three people and she got tricked...by three genins.

"State your intentions!" The boy yelled at her, in a surprisingly raspy, younger voice. Wow, Kakashi-sensei in puberty, she thought snickering to herself.

Unbeknownst to her, the poor boy in front of her was questioning her sanity, he wasn't exactly sure of what to do. She had a kunai at her neck and she was laughing. He turned to his team mates for guidance and they reluctantly plucked themselves away from the shrub they were hiding in- well in case the strange older lady made any funny moves. She had pink hair for kami's sake.

The crazy lady stopped laughing and sat up, pushing his kunai away lightly. She eyed the three of them merrily.

"Who are you!?" A boy with brown hair and goggles glared at her, attempting to puff out his chest and look intimidating.

She felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her, this one reminded her of Naruto, "Hmmm…depends who's asking."

Obito did not take too lightly to that question. With all the pomp he could muster, he placed his hands on his hips and barked out, "Konoha's future Hokage."

She sighed merrily and shook her head, before letting out another giggle. He was just so Naruto-like. Kakashi looked perturbed. She's definitely not right in the head, he thought, silently keeping his kunai straight at her neck.

"Are you laughing at my dream?" Obito glared at her. She let out another howl of laughter and thumped Kakashi on the back, who instantly shakily took a step away from her, lest he fall off the branch. She thought of Naruto again, oh sweet Naruto, bless his soul and his Hokage dream. Naruto, you should be here, you need to see Kakashi-sensei!

"Why you-!" Obito exploded and poor Rin beside him didn't exactly know how to respond to the situation. She bit her fingernails looking from Obito to a befuddled Kakashi.

Sakura pushed herself from the branch and crouched in front of the fuming boy. She grinned at the three of them with white gleaming teeth.

"So…" she started, "Where's your village?"

The three genin looked at each other.

"So…" the Sandaime raised an eyebrow at the sheepish pink-haired girl in front of him, who rubbed her neck self-consciously.

"Eh...," she giggled nervously, "You don't believe me?"

"No, no," the Sandaime sighed looking at the scroll in front of him, it was a dated mission plan and letter from Tsunade including proof that only he would have ever known, "yeah, I believe you. Hmmm…What do you think, Minato?"

The blondie turned his head towards the woman and raised an eyebrow suspiciously, "Do I believe that she's from the future? I think she's trustworthy, well… besides than scaring my poor cute genin and calling me dandelion-head."

The Sandaime let out a snort, and Minato turned to give him a sharp look.

"Sakura-san, we'll have to place you under Minato's supervison. Minato, I suppose you have enough space in your apartment with Kushina-san?" The Hokage responded, twitching the side of his mouth.

Sakura balked at the thought of sharing an apartment with Naruto's parents.

"Oh Hokage-sama, I think honestly I can find some space for myself!"

The Hokage frowned, "Yes, that's right, Minato and Kushina might be too-", he paused for words and Minato turned red, "occupied? I think I've got a better apartment assignment, maybe one of the Uchihas?"

Sakura grimaced internally while smiling. How bad could it be?

"AHH!"

Sakura mourned the loss of her eardrums, and rubbed her temples slightly. She turned to look at the boy who was pointing at her face in obvious anger.

"Umm…" she frowned in thought, "Obito-kun!"

"The old lady who called laughed at my dreams to become Hokage!" He yelled again, causing the older Uchiha to smack his head. Obito frowned and rubbed his head, mumbling. Sakura scowled, okay well, she wasn't that old.

"Obito, don't be rude," he groaned before turning to Sakura apologetically. He had mousy black hair, just like his son, and a pretty face for a man, she noticed. Much like Sasuke's, a little more Naruto-ish on the jaw and awfully gorgeous sideburns. She then wondered, why on earth was she comparing everyone to Naruto and Sasuke? Was her social circle that limited?

"Sorry he's such a handful, we'll be delighted to have you here," he snapped her up from her musing.

"Thank you," she said bowing respectfully, "Haruno Sakura."

"Kagami Uchiha." The man bowed before her and she smiled warmly, "Sorry it's not much, I got a guest bedroom ready for you at the Hokage's orders." He led her through their slightly messy apartment, "Sorry there isn't much of a female presence here and his mother died early."

She dropped her smile, "My condolences."

He rubbed his neck sheepishly, "Thank you, it's been a long time. But I do suppose that Minato's would have sounded more appealing." She vaguely thought he was hinting at the fact that she didn't look too happy about housing with an Uchiha. Sakura waved thoughts of her future team-mate from her head.

She smiled at him again, a little more forcefully, "Oh no, this is perfectly fine, Uchiha-san. I certainly can help around the house."

He smiled carefully back.

She turned to Obito who was scowling dramatically, arms folded over his chest and staring at the side.

"Obito-kun, sorry about earlier," he looked up at her and perked up, "It's just that you reminded me so much of this other friend of mine who always said "I'M GUNNA BE THE BEST HOKAGE EVER!"' She added a loud dramatic effect to her voice to emphasize Naruto's loud sincerity.

The boy looked startled.

"It was just funny and nostalgic," she chuckled before tousling his hair, "My apologies, Hokage-sama."

The boy stared at her before his mouth split into a wide grin.

"No problem!"

"I'm surprised you got him to warm up to you," Kagami said coming up to her when Obito was out of earshot, saying something about a team-meeting.

She glanced at the ANBU captain, "I'm a medic, and I kind of… have to be good with children. Or they won't take their shots." And sometimes it's not just children, she mused darkly thinking of her team-mates and several notable basket cases of shinobi.

"Oh! A medic," Kagami perked up at the prospect of fewer hospital visits, "That's interesting, we don't have too many medics on ANBU."

She smiled at him, "If you or your boy ever need help or get injured, I'll be sure to help."

"Thank you, Haruno-san."

She was actually quite a skilled medic. Kagami noted, as she bandaged up Obito's wound. His knuckle-headed son had managed to break a few ribs on a mission. He watched for a few hours as she worked and slowly nodded off to sleep. When he woke up, Obito was standing in front of him in all his youthful glory while Sakura herself, had a blanket on her shoulders and had dozed off by his couch side, drool and all.

It was also extremely nice to have her around the house too, he realized. Since his late wife's passing away, he'd been kind of lonely. Sakura on the other hand, was company and a big help. He noticed that Obito was happier too, much happier than he'd been in days.

Sakura spent hours with his son's team under Minato's supervision for a month. And shortly after, Minato had reported her as non-threatening along with strong recommendations for anger-management sessions. She then started working on her own missions.

That was the month that they both rarely saw her. Kagami realized that she'd been on a lot more missions than deigned for a new member of Konoha. And truth be told, he felt kind of suspicious. But never felt comfortable confronting her about it. Not when their little family felt happier than it had in years. He and Obito hadn't even fought in a while.

Kagami was a very reasonable man, however. His new housemate had been more of a help than a hinder after all. He had no reason to suspect her unless his Hokage did.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, what are you doing?" Obito asked one day, while he was lazily sprawled on their couch. She looked up from her books and notes. Kagami noticed that she took a special interest in fuuinjutsu.

"I'm reading, chibi, I thought I told you to call me Sakura-sama."

The boy snorted and crunched at his apple.

"Why do you read so much?"

"Obito-," Kagami started reproachfully, hoping that his son did not start bothering his guest.

"Because reading is good for your brain, Obito," the female frowned and threw a book at him.

Obito looked at the cover before gagging, "This is ero-sannin's porn!"

Sakura burst into gales of laughter. The two Uchihas stared at her until she calmed her wheezing, holding onto the chair arm lightly.

"Oh man, I haven't heard anyone say that in a while. But I assure you, it is still literature," she said winking at the boy.

Kagami wasn't entirely sure if she'd just allowed his twelve year old to read porn or not, but judging from his son's face, who gagged at the book as if it was his least favourite vegetable. He decided it didn't matter.

He noted too, that she spent long nights awake, reading or spent days at the library. But oddly enough, when he came home tired from missions, she had had food covered in plastic wrap prepared for the two of them. It was comforting in its own way, someone who understood when he was just too tired to move.

"Where's Sakura-san?" He called out to his son, sensing the boy's chakra presence in the living room.

"Library, again, she said she'll be home late."

"I see," He said filtering into the room and caught his son reading a book. He blinked. In all of Obito's twelve years, his son repulsed the existence of text unless it was about some jutsu or training practice. Maybe Sakura's influence was rubbing off on him.

He also noted, that her missions were solo but he'd never considered her a medic-nin and a fighter. But this was evidenced when she returned from a mission, utterly exhausted and bloody. She walked up to the couch shakily as he helped her.

"Thanks Kagami-san," she looked calmly at his worried bleary eyes.

"Do I need to call a medic?" He asked quickly, "I can carry you to the hospital."

"No, that's fine," she replied evenly as she steadied herself and proceeded to heal the worst of her damage, slowly instructing him to bring her items she needed, "Most of the blood isn't mine anyways."

She was a field medic. He realized that, but he wondered why she wasn't suited for ANBU. ANBU could use more field medics lately.

"I don't think I'm suited for ANBU, Kagami-san," she said as she mended her battered shoulder and bandaged it. He helped her adjust the bandage and roll it over her arm, "I have also more pressing work on my back lately."

He couldn't resist his curiosity, "Do you mind if I ask, Sakura-san?"

She looked up at him hard-eyed, "Yes, Kagami-san."

He shrunk back slightly, "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have-."

Her gaze softened and swiftly cut him off hysterically, "No, I'm sorry! I'm just a little antsy. I'm just a little tired from my mission. But thank you, honestly, for putting up with me."

He smiled carefully again, not wanting to get in the woman's bad graces again.

"I'll let you rest then."

"That would be wonderful," She said and returned to her wounds.

Later that night, he felt her chakra signature leave their house again. He leant into his pillow worriedly, wondering how he could broach the subject about her overworking especially while she was injured. And without sounding like he was prying too. While he couldn't chain her down, he knew that she had responsibilities to their Hokage. And Kagami trusted the professor, and his years of experience, even if his clan-mates did not.

So he decided to talk to his cousin Mikoto.

"Eh?" She asked, picking up her son Itachi who was a cherub little thing staring at him with two beady shiny eyes, "You are worried about your housemate's health and she's the medic nin?"

"Erm…well…" Kagami rubbed his neck. Fugaku looked up from his paper disapprovingly at his fumbling behaviour.

"Her behavior does sound suspicious. You should be more cautious even if the Hokage does trust her," Fugaku responded easily, turning the page on his newspaper.

"I don't want her to overwork herself to death," he confided with a sigh. Mikoto looked at him and smiled warmly.

"You know, Kagami-kun. From what I hear, she's a darling."

"You should bring her for dinner so we can inspect her for any questionable intentions."

Poor kind-hearted Kagami, in all his goodwill did not like the clan-head's suspicion for her. But he especially did not like that mischievous glint in Mikoto's eye any better.

"Oh," Sakura looked up at him from her work, when he'd returned home, "The clan-head wants to see me for dinner?"

"Yes," Kagami nodded slightly nervously. She broke into an understanding smile.

"Of course, why not Kagami-san?" She replied, "Tommorow? I think I'm free."

Kagami felt slightly relieved until they were actually at the table and Obito was being particularly restless. Sakura sent him a sharp glare to quieten him when he squirmed at the sight of tomatoes.

"So, Sakura-san, Kagami tells me you are very busy lately."

"Hai," she nodded before bringing her food that was captured deftly between her chopsticks politely to her mouth, "Hokage-sama usually has work for me."

"Oh Sakura-san, I hear you've been taking care of our Kagami-kun too."

Kagami felt slightly uncomfortable in his seat and observed his son try to push away the tomato to the edge of his plate only to be stopped by Sakura again who sent him a sharp pinch under the table.

When they were nearly done dinner, a poof of smoke suddenly appeared. Everyone at the table paused to look at the ANBU in their living room, his posture slightly apologetic.

"What is the meaning of this?" Fugaku demanded.

"I'm truly sorry, Uchiha-san. But Sakura-san is needed by the Hokage immediately."

"Eh?" Obito asked delightedly and forgetting the company he was in, "Bakashi? Is that you? You made it into ANBU?"

"Shut up," the young boy behind the mask muttered. Sakura got up and pulled one of Obito's ears causing him to scowl.

"Behave, you two," she reprimanded, "Kakashi-kun lead the way. I apologize for the intrusion, Fugaku-san, Mikoto-san." She bowed carefully.

And they were off in another poof of smoke.

Mikoto blinked, "She's certainly busy alright."

"When did Bakashi get into ANBU? What the heck? I'm gonna pummel that loser till he tells me how he bribed the examiners!"

"Obito," Kagami sighed at his twelve year old as Mikoto chuckled, "Not now."

After dinner, when Obito had been sent home, the adults congregated in the living room.

"Obito's certainly taken a liking to her, and she's certainly dealing with him well."

"Better than you'd imagine, we haven't fought in a while."

"Maybe," Mikoto started in, "You two could possibly…" She trailed off, but he blushed bright red. He could practically read the next few words off her smirk.

"Mikoto!"

"Sure! She's younger, slightly maybe five to seven years, no biggie. But think about remarrying sometime, Kagami-kun. Obito could use it. And," she grinned wider, "Sakura-san is very very very pretty, Kagami-baka. Some other man might come and just snatch her up under your nose!"

Fugaku seemed to be considering his wife's request thoughtfully.

"I think she'll be a good influence on your son's questionable behaviour. Not to mention, she is a talented kunoichi."

"I think she's a very responsible woman and also very busy for marriage, unfortunately, Mikoto." Kagami sighed, the woman would not be interested in him. She had far more important issues than marriage.

"Consider it, Kagami-kun," his cousin said wagging her eyebrow, "Sometimes you just gotta catch those cherry blossom before it falls from your fingertips." Her husband groaned and palmed his face at his wife's uncreative attempt at a quip.

Sakura returned that night, apologizing profusely to him. He responded that it was no bother, waving it off.

"What did Hokage-sama want?" He asked casually.

"I have a mission tomorrow to accompany Obito-kun to Kanabi bridge." She said quietly as she put down her jacket, "Also some more work in Kirigakure after that."

He blinked at the information. Did she just open up to him, even if it was a little information about her mysterious work? She smiled at him, before handing him a cup of steaming tea that she had just brewed.

"Ah I see, it sounds very tedious," he said receiving his cup of tea gracefully and thanking her. He furrowed his brow as he thought about the current condition rising outside the village.

"Hai," she said sinking into the couch beside him, "I think things outside are getting more tedious."

He tightened his hold on his cup, "Be careful Sakura-san, things are more dangerous out there. I don't feel safe about Obito himself going out for any mission, lately." He sighed as he worried silently about Obito. While Kagami was a skillful, careful ANBU captain and always knew how to master his emotions. His son was the opposite, and wore his heart on his sleeve, probably alerting several ninja camps to his actions in the process. He loved his son, but he feared losing him more.

She seemed to understand his sentiment and knelt in front of him, bringing his surprised eyes towards her own pretty green ones.

"I will keep your son safe, Kagami-san." She said her voice dripping with conviction and slapping her palm on the table in front of him for emphasis. It was then that he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time, a warm feeling emerging, like a hot air in his chest, rising to his cheeks. Her fierce green eyes capturing his eyes. He could trust those eyes any day.

He blinked and looked away happily, "Thank you Sakura-san."

But as he thought about it later, he wondered how she knew his son would be in danger. And he did not know how true her words would ring when he returned home from a mission later to find not only his son injured in the hospital, in fact the entire genin team injured and in hospital- bandaged and recuperating.

He made a beeline for the main reception and the lady pointed him in the direction of the boy's room. Mikoto had been in to visit in his stead.

"Obito!" He called into the room to see the boy sitting upright, pouring over Icha Icha Fantasy with rather reddened cheeks. The boy grinned cheekily, "Yo, Oyaji."

"Don't 'yo' me, what happened?" He reprimanded, while snatching the book disapprovingly out of his son's hands and smacking his already bandaged head.

"Well Rin-chan got captured, so we tried to save her," the boy mumbled looking at the book mournfully, "Sakura-chan saved our lives."

Kagami looked to the other genin in the room, who were both sprawled over their own beds, watching their team mate amused. Rin Nohara and Bakash- no Kakashi Hatake, if he recalled right. Frowning briefly because they'd been over far too often and he'd been catching onto his son's nicknames, and Sakura encouraged it.

"We got caught in a rockfall, and then it was about to collapse on us, and there were Kiri-nins all around us and then all of sudden, she came in like –boom. And she saved us, Oyaji. You should have seen her. She's so good at fighting, Rin-chan couldn't stop praising-," he glanced at the girl who reddened.

"Shut up, Obito-kun," the girl responded with a huff.

His father sighed, half listening to his son's babbling and drew the boy into a hug, "Just don't get into more stupid accidents in the future. And stop making me worry, while you are at." He would ask the Hokage or Sakura later for a better account.

The boy squirmed under his father's grasp while Kakashi and Rin looked on fondly. Kagami couldn't help but feel a little bit more worried for his pink haired saviour.

"Where's Sakura-san?"

"She said she had a mission, Oyaji." Obito said looking up at his father, frowning slightly.

Oh, he thought, yes, she had her own mission.

"That's true, she had extra work that she wouldn't tell us about," said another voice behind them.

"Minato-sensei!"

"Yo," Minato raised his hands in greeting at the three genin, "To be honest, I couldn't reach these three in time, but she did. Thankfully she did, or Obito would be crushed or dead." His son's teacher cast him a genuinely apologetic look.

"That's fine, Minato-san, as long as Obito's safe." Kagami said sighing in relief. It was to be expected in this line of work, but he couldn't handle another loss after his wife. He'd been so scared.

Sakura returned home a week later. It was late at night when she tiptoed into their residence. Kagami was awake at her signature and rushed into the hallway watching her take off her shoes, he looked her over, the former probably not noticing him. She had a few bruises on her, a few bandages there. But overall, she looked fine.

"Oh thank goodness you are safe!" He said enveloping her petite figure into a hug.

"Kagami-san?" She asked, her voice muffled through his sweater, slightly wincing at the pain in her shoulders. He pulled apart to look into her confused green eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-san, I've been so worried since Obito came home. He said you saved him. But, but, I'm so thankful to you for saving his life."

She smiled at him warmly, "I promised you, didn't I?"

"Are you okay?" He asked hurriedly, "You are injured slightly."

"Kagami-san!" She said with a slight laugh pushing him away, "Mhmm, no I'm fine, don't worry."

He sighed nervously, "I'm just really grateful, that you saved Obito's life."

She smiled at him warmly back, "I'm glad I could be of some help. Where is he anyways?"

"Hospital," the father replied tiredly.

She nodded before setting her pack down with a sigh, "I was ambushed on the way home."

She waves his questions off with "Sorry Kagami-san, I can't tell you that", when he gets a little too curious. And Kagami realizes that she's going to play this evasion game with him. She looks stressed, he realized, very stressed. Like she's shouldering the weight of the world on her shoulder. Like she just needs someone to talk to, but she can't.

"Sakura-san, being an ANBU captain myself, I realize and understand the nature of this work," He said quietly. She looked up at him, "But if you need someone to talk to, I'm willing."

"Kagami-san, sorry," she said apologetically, "But I cannot tell you anything."

She's bound by her situation and her work but he can't help but feel concern, "I just have this feeling that what you are doing might be slightly dangerous. And I just want you to know, I'm here for you."

She smiles forcefully at him, "Whatever it might be, I assure you I will not fail. Please don't patronize me."

And with that, she left him for their bathroom quarters to clean up, leaving him dumbfounded, confused and exasperated.

The months pass by again, and both of them are very busy. He doesn't understand how well the time has passed by but he realizes some nights, when he's tired from yet another ANBU mission. He doesn't know when it's happened, but he's realized that that he's not sure what he feels for her. It's not gaga, not very mushy, just a sort of off and lots of self-denial. He does not feel like a teenager, he just feels like a grown man with a lot of feelings.

He has feelings about their relationship. He has feelings about the conversations between them two. Conversations between the two of them share a sort of understanding to some light banter. He notices that she has a loud laugh, a happy, deep bellied and it's also sort of contagious. And it's nice to have someone to talk to him too because he feels lonely sometimes. And Obito swears that she's the scariest lady he's ever seen, because he actually does his chores without being told.

She tends leaves traces around in her wake, when she leaves for her own work, like pencils or her litter of home-made medicine balms for them, or her notes that she's neatly piled up in the corner of the living room where she usually sits. Or perhaps it's the feeling he gets when he shouts, "I'm home," and he hears a slight contralto voice reply happily, "Welcome back!"

Or maybe it's her carefully wrapped delicious dishes that she makes out of goodwill that he finds himself longing for when he comes home to. Or maybe it's really just someone else to talk to, finally someone to honestly talk to, even if she does not tell him, her troubles- because she can't, he reminds himself patiently. Somewhere along the lines, the suffixes drop, and they start calling each other 'Kagami' and 'Sakura'.

He doesn't know what it is, but it makes him happier to be home. And he catches himself sort of watching her a little too long sometimes. And while she's healing his overused eyes, he realizes that Mikoto was right. She has the kindest yet prettiest face ever.

But he realizes that he'll lose her whether he has anything to do with or not, because one day over dinner, she announces that she's managed to secure her own living quarters.

He looks up. Obito is strangely quiet.

"Thank you for the meal," his son says in that same strangely pouty voice he has. And she's noticed it too. Because she watches him leave, slightly sad.

He's not sure how things have come to this turn. But he finds himself picked up and busy again with missions that the date when she leaves comes closer and closer. He finds himself slightly antsier as the day draws nearer, wondering if he could freeze time, if he could burn and commit to memory their last dinner together.

And just like that, she peppers them both with warm smiles and thank yous. Its formal, and he finds formalities easier to deal with than her leaving, so he accepts her gratitude politely. He finds himself lightly envious of the affections she pronounces upon his son, who gets an extra hug and a forehead kiss. Being the gentleman he is, he offers to help her move out and walk her back to her new apartment. And he realizes as he watches her retreating with an unhappy look, she's lonely too, but they are both very busy people too.

The house feels a lot bigger, but he tries not to think about it. And Obito's still pouty and quiet.

All until one day when his son comes up to him, he looks up from his mission report.

"Obito?"

"Oyaji, why did Sakura-chan have to leave?"

He blinks, once and then twice.

"Sakura was never permanently here."

"But we have plenty of space."

Kagami realizes that, but he tells his son, "I don't think Sakura-chan wanted to intrude on us anymore. Do you miss her?"

The boy doesn't reply. His boy is a sort of like him, he's thinks then. Extremely bad at hiding his emotions, he shuffles his feet and stares at the blank wall behind his father, flushing madly in embarrassment.

He smiles kindly, "I think you can still meet her."

"Yeah, but it's not the same." The boy mumbles in response. And Kagami silently agrees, he knows of what the distance will do to their relationship.

"Obito, it's not proper decorum for an unmarried woman and a man to inhabit a house without reason or relation," Kagami says reproachfully over his tea, and then realizes it's one of her favourite teas that she's left behind along with her balms.

His son looks at him accusingly.

"You were in love with Sakura-chan." He says evenly, causing his father to splutter hot liquid over the table, "And don't deny it stupid old man, why don't you just tell her? Then she would stay!"

Kagami sighs and opens his mouth to answer but he can't. Because Obito is right, his son, just like him is very observant, and like his mother, always manages to hit the nail on the head. So he doesn't say anything and Obito sulks away in response, leaving the room. Because, it's a situation where he realizes that he's not nineteen and courting his sweet late wife, who he still misses dearly and his son still doesn't realize that relationships don't just get reciprocated just because you 'love someone'. And endings were usually never happy. And he also realizes, he truly doesn't know her own feelings towards him.

And he doesn't want to hurt his son's sweet pink-haired saviour, he doesn't want to ruin their friendship. He feels more at home with missions these days, its lot easier to deal with than conflicted feelings.

And when his son leaves the room, he collapses in his hands and lets out a heavy sigh.

Months pass, and father and son fall back into routine. Dinner is better these days, he realizes. Because Obito is less picky about his vegetables. He's seen her sometimes around the village and they share warm smiles and dammit he thinks something inside him clenches. But one day, while waiting for his team at the gates, he catches her returning from her own mission, she engages light hearted conversation with the guards as she writes down her name and then she meets his eyes.

They share another warm smile.

"How's the chibi hokage doing?" She asks jokingly.

"He's doing great, Sakura-san," Kagami responds feeling eons lighter, "He has more missions with his genin team. They were over the other day, and they broke your pot of plants."

Her face darkens for a minute and then sighs in exasperation, "Ah I guess, that's to be expected around those rambunctious monkeys."

They bid each other farewell. Months later, he learns she's missing from the village courtesy of her landlady who still hadn't collected her rent and the landlady decides to make a racket outside his house. So he decides to talk to the Hokage about it. The Sandaime too, looks very tired and he looks up at the man in front of him, a pained expression in his eyes.

"Sakura-san is…missing, Kagami-san."

He feels a wave of shock run through him.

"How?" He asks thunderstruck.

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure. I sent a search party out. But I'm certain she's..."

The Hokage leaves the rest of his sentence out quietly, but he knows what the Sandaime wants to say, but won't. That they don't know if she's alive, but she's most likely dead. And like that, he feels numb, numb with pain. And he's feels bitter, tired and angry.

So the years of being a hardened ANBU captain crumbles to the ground when he comes to an empty house. His son is not home. And he shakes with sobs. But he never realizes that the Sandaime Hokage just can't tell him somethings.

He doesn't even tell Obito about Sakura when his son comes home. He doesn't have the heart to. He just watches his son through pained smiles and nods at his noisy chatter quietly, adding in a word or two. He's not sure how Obito would take it.

The next time he sees the Hokage, it is confirmed. Haruno Sakura has dropped off the face of the earth. He also tells Kagami that he's invaluable to his village and he needs him in Konoha, and so does Obito, and he cannot, absolutely cannot go find her body.

The months pass, and he feels strangely hollow. But he handles the hollowness of absence in the same way that he handled it all those years before, with sake and more diligent work. And it does well to distract him.

He does not know how his son finds out, but there was a pained argument the night he does. Obito cried bitterly and Kagami felt bitter himself watching his sobbing son.

"You knew," his son hisses at him through trembling lips and bloody red sharingan eyes.

And they still had the balms left behind in the cabinets.

But it turns out, he was wrong. She was not dead.

It happens on the day the dreaded Nine-tails attacks. The battle was soon to be lost, he felt it prickle in the air as he smelt blood. But he'll never forget the feel of that surge of chakra and the flashing image of shocking viridian eyes in his head. He stops, and looks up while helping an injured man in a jolt of shock, and catches sight of her, in all her pink haired glory. She's vicious, but he realizes that she's distracting the Nine-tails from the injured, leading it away from the Yondaime and his infant child, the latter beginning a complex fuuinjutsu process. He watches with bathed breath. Her tiny form dancing gracefully with the titan whose roars echo through the dust, smoke and rubble.

She's powerful, he thinks, as she lands another earth splitting crack, and the monster lets out a roar that oddly sounds like laughter in his ears. She dodges its swiping paw swiftly, her feet skittering away from him.

There are cries of concern directed at her, but she doesn't listen to them because the titan is getting furious as he swipes at her. It glows with the red chakra and she just manages to land a chakra infused punch to the ground on which he stands, the force causing it to fall reel back. And they can feel the impact from that blow, from her slender knuckles and everyone's thinks she's another monster. Of course it's not enough to scathe the beast, but it's enough to distract him.

And right then, the Yondaime Hokage manages to work the seal, into his infant child. Panting slightly, he sways and looks up at Sakura who is now perched on the ruins of what would have been the hospital. Her green eyes take in the Nine Tail's sneer in her direction, his large canines grating at the floor as he is sucked in. And all the while, keeping his malicious gaze on her.

There are cheers and the process is completed as the fox roars at her in finality, and finally bitterly swearing her demise at his claws as he is sealed into the infant, his words echoing through the village. The injured man trembles slightly beside him. But she simply just watches it recede, unflinching, unshaken.

And he agrees with his son then, she's the scariest woman alive.

And when the Nine-tails is subdued into the seal. He watches her land in front of the Yondaime, bowing low. He see her tattered clothes and her longer yet disheveled hair. She sports scars and dirt on her face, it makes her look older. She looks at the baby infant before walking up to the Hokage, unwavering, but an unreadable expression etched on her face.

"Sakura!" He runs up to her, he can barely contain the hug that he bestows upon her.

"Kagami," she says pleasantly but tiredly, "How are you?"

"Eh?! Sakura-chan?" Obito blurts out, running towards them hardly daring to believe it, "Is that really you?!"

She waves at his son and knocks him on his head when he makes a comment about her age. Kagami sighs, and shakes his head at his sons antics when the boy envelops her into a big hug, crying bitter tears about how she's the "biggest baka ever". And she too, is half crying and half laughing and awkwardly thumping him on the back in response. And they are the noisiest, but happiest duo in the vicinity.

"What happened to you?" Kagami demands over his son, his own eyes slightly misty.

She looks up at him sheepishly as if she has words to say, but she is interrupted.

"Are you staying longer this time?" They both turn to the Sandaime who's looking at her as if she's his own daughter, with a sort of fatherly pride.

"I'm sorry," she shakes her head gravely, "There are still more problems left."

The Sandaime Hokage sighs, "Sakura-san, you are one of the many heroes today, if not for you, the Yondaime would never know about the alteration on that seal or we could not have sealed the Nine-tails today without grave sacrifices. But because of you, Naruto-kun has a better future."

The Yondaime Hokage nods wearily from the ground he is on, coddling his tiny crying infant and is absolutely exhausted yet he looks at his own son with pride. A pride that makes the scene feel victorious.

She crackles into a smile under the old Hokage's warm gaze and blushes happily. And he captures a glimpse of a younger girl inside, who'd just been told she'd gotten the highest mark in the class and praised for it.

"Do take some time to rest, for your tireless work to this village. You have saved many more lives because of your actions. We lost many, but we still managed to win." the man adds sorrowfully

"Sandaime-sama, thank you," she says happily, her green eyes still wet. They then turn determined, looking out of place with her disheveled appearance. "But as you and I both know, my work hasn't ended yet." The old Hokage nods his head in agreement sadly.

And like that, she looks back at him in the eye intensely, and he tries to read her expression. But she simply smiles in relief, pulls him into a group hug with Obito and bestows a soft but sweet kiss on either of their cheeks. They both look at her in surprise.

"Huh Granny?" Obito asks flustered. And if everyone in the vicinity has the decency to give them three their private moment.

"Take care of yourselves," she says fondly, "And eat your vegetables, chibi hokage. And I'll be back soon." He opens his mouth to ask her, Where?

But she gives him a reassuring look and like that, she's gone after a quick word with the elderly former Hokage and then a flurry of cherry blossoms and a grin, leaving him slightly befuddled again and very reddened. A very smug Mikoto crosses his mind for a moment. And he hears the former Hokage chuckling beside him. Obito is yelling at Kakashi, slightly red in the face, after the latter decided that a snarky vegetables comment was due. The baby infant is crying loudly in his happy father's arms. And everyone is alive, bruised yes, battered-yes but safe. And that word echoes in his head when he looks at the village he loves with new hopeful eyes.

And he feels an odd sense of happiness that he hasn't felt in a while.

Thank you for reading!