*ALWAYS YOU*
SIX: EPILOGUE

20 years old - Kakashi
ANBU

Kakashi sat with his legs crossed on the floor of Sakura's room, his fingers trailing along the spines of the books on her shelf while she sat at her desk and poured over a medical textbook. He glanced at her and saw that her leg was shaking as she concentrated, with a small huff of annoyance she brushed her hair back over her shoulder and out of her eyes. He gave her a secret, fond smile before turning back to the books.

He noticed one of the books was just slightly more worn than the others and pulled it out carefully, knowing that Sakura was as particular with her books as he was with his own - it made him curious. He held it at the top with his fingers, and from the bottom, a small sheet of paper fell from it. He glanced at Sakura to see if she noticed anything, but she was absorbed in her book she hadn't noticed anything, and he slowly placed the book back in its place and then picked up the paper. He blinked in surprise when he saw his own name written on it, in a neat but obviously childish script.

Immediately his mind snapped back to four years earlier on that drunken night where she had spoken absolute nonsense during the night. Things started to click: this is what she'd meant when she said something about writing his name on a paper in a book. He wondered when she'd written it. Judging the script, probably while she was at the academy. That made him feel a little warm inside. He gave a low hum, drawing Sakura's attention.

"What's this then?" He asked, smiling and flashing the paper at her.

He enjoyed the way that her eyes went from annoyed to wide in shock and embarrassment.

"What? What are you doing with that?"

Her eyes darted to the book it came from.

"Oh, nothing," Kakashi replied. "Just wondering how old you were when you wrote this?"

She looked slightly alarmed for a moment before her face softened.

"It was the day you graduated," she replied, her eyes glazing for a moment with memory.

"What for? Something about me being a dream-goal?" Kakashi asked teasingly.

She frowned.

"What?"

"Oh, I suppose I never really told you about what happened that night when we were sixteen and you were drunk out of your mind," he teased lightly.

She tilted her head thoughtfully.

"Didn't you tell me I stripped?"

Kakashi raised a cheeky eyebrow.

"Maybe if you reenact it you'll remember."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Nice try," she chuckled. She held out her hand. "Can I have that? It's…important."

"Maybe."

"Maybe?" Sakura sighed. "So what do you want then?"

"Tell me what it is first," Kakashi insisted. He was very curious. "Maybe I'll tell you a secret afterward."

Sakura looked at him with interest.

"A real secret? Not a silly made-up story?"

He smiled coyly. She knew him too well.

"Yes, a real secret."

It was too much for her to resist, she nodded and then bit her lip.

"It's a reminder," she answered with some embarrassment.

She gave a little moan of self-consciousness and her face went pink.

"You were always so much better than everyone else. I wanted to be a great shinobi too. So -" she cleared her throat, "I wrote your name down to remind myself that one day I wanted to be good enough that you would see me as an equal."

She scratched her arm nervously and giggled.

"And do you still think that now?" Kakashi questioned.

She looked at him in surprise.

"Sometimes," she mumbled, looking away.

Kakashi took a deep breath.

"Sakura, how can you have so much doubt in yourself? I'm really not special at all. You're the one who has perfect chakra control, is a medical ninjutsu prodigy and has surpassed Lady Tsunade, one of the Sannin."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"And you're the son of the White Fang, who was just as strong as the Sannin."

Kakashi winced slightly, but he didn't say anything. He knew that Sakura and Obito thought his father was a hero, and slowly he was trying to see it the same way.

"And you're the student of the Yellow Flash - "

"So are you," he pointed out.

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"You graduated at six, Kakashi."

"You graduated at eight."

Sakura threw her hands up in the air.

"You're just… ugh."

Kakashi placed the paper on the top of her bookshelf and stood. She watched him as he moved toward her, pulled her to her feet and then wrapped his arms around her small frame.

"I used to watch you training in the forest in the academy," he whispered.

She jerked at his admission.

"I wanted to talk to you so badly, but I couldn't figure out what to say. I always thought you were brilliant."

She stiffened in his arms.

"You were spying on me?"

"It's always been you for me, Sakura," he breathed.

Slowly he felt Sakura arms raise into an embrace around his waist, and she held him tightly. He pulled back and kissed the diamond on her forehead, and saw her was a mix of embarrassed and pleased and disbelieving. He gave a low chuckle.

"You reached your goal a long time ago, Sakura," he said quietly. "I should be the one trying to reach you. Shinobi like me are everywhere, but there's only one of you."

She rolled her eyes, not quite believing him but pleased he said it and reached up on her tip-toes to kiss him softly on the cheek.

22 years old - Sakura
Jonin

Sakura was hyperventilating. She looked at the paper and shook her head.

"No." She looked up at Tsunade. "Not possible."

Tsunade gave her an unimpressed look.

"The longer you freak out, the more you're going to irritate me. The results are not wrong. Stop being a child."

"But - but, this is - "

"A blessing," Tsunade said quietly. "Sakura, you're pregnant, not dying."

Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat.

"But, Kakashi, he's - "

"If that boy doesn't man up, he'll have the entire village hunting him down," Tsunade said, cracking her knuckles in her palm. "Besides, he wouldn't know what to do with himself without you. It would be the biggest mistake of his life to leave in because of this, and he knows it."

Sakura gnawed on her bottom lip anxiously.

"Go home, Sakura. Tell him the good news."

"What does it mean for me?" She whispered. "I can work, right?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes.

"Of course you can. A baby doesn't mean your life ends."

A little breath of relief came from her and she nodded.

"Okay, okay," she looked down at her stomach and tentatively placed a hand on it. "I'm going to have a baby."

She looked up at Lady Tsunade with watering eyes. Tsunade gave her a surprisingly gentle look.

"Congratulations, Sakura."

Sakura finally allowed herself to smile. She didn't tell anyone for several days, and even then, it wasn't Kakashi that she told first. Her nerves got the better of her every time she saw him. It wasn't fair, she knew that, but for some reason, her throat closed up and her mind spun and all her insecurities rose and devoured her rational brain.

They'd been together, officially as a couple, for five years, but neither of them had spoken about a family before. They hadn't even spoken about marriage. Sakura loved him more than anything in the world, but she knew that Kakashi wasn't the kind of person that she could push those things on. He loved her, but he did things in his own way at his own pace. Obito's sacrifice had changed him in many ways, and for that she was grateful, but he was still Kakashi: a stubborn, idiot genius, who was slightly unpredictable and didn't like to be told anything. She had no idea if he'd be happy or not to find out he was going to be a father, out of the blue. Her distracted mind didn't register that she'd wandered all the way to a house that wasn't her own until she walked inside and heard a surprised voice greeting her.

"Sakura?"

Sakura blinked and looked up to see a woman she considered like an elder sister and her five-year-old son.

"Hey! Sakura!"

Naruto beamed at her and ran over to her. Sakura blinked in shock, patting Naruto's head distractedly as he hugged her legs.

"Hello Naruto," she said. "Hey, Kushina."

Kushina walked over to her, concern in her eyes but a bright smile on her face.

"I wasn't expecting you!" Kushina gushed. "What are you doing here?"

Naruto let her go and Sakura embraced Kushina in a quick hug, squeezing tightly.

"I just ended up here," she shrugged when she let go.

Kushina looked at her with thought.

"Hmm. Well, it looks like you could use some good company."

Kushina dragged her into the kitchen with Naruto following behind.

"Mama, mama, can I go play with Sasuke?" Naruto begged his mother.

Kushina glanced between Sakura and Naruto and nodded.

"Be back by dinner," she warned him. "If I hear you pulled any pranks, you'll be in big trouble, ya know?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yep! Okay. Bye Sakura!"

"Bye Naruto," Sakura waved.

The door slammed and Kushina sighed.

"He's got so much energy, ya know?" She laughed. "I love him to bits!"

Sakura grinned.

"He's just like you."

"So what's happened?" Kushina asked, picking up her ladle and stirring the pot she was cooking lunch in. "You look worried about something."

Sakura bit her lip.

"I - I - "

She took a deep breath.

"Kushina, I'm pregnant," she blurted out.

Kushina stared at her for a moment, and then her eyes brightened and her smile widened and her entire face lit up.

"Sakura! That's amazing! Congratulations!" She burst out.

Sakura gave a tight smile and Kushina frowned.

"Are you… not happy?" Kushina asked worriedly.

"No, I am," Sakura said. "I just - I - "

"Ooohh," Kushina said. "You haven't told Kakashi!"

Sakura shook her head.

"Why not?" Kushina questioned.

"I don't - What if - I'm scared," Sakura whispered, putting her face in her hands.

She suddenly felt Kushina's arms around her and Sakura leaned into the hug, trembling slightly with unshed tears.

"Oh, Sakura," Kushina soothed her, brushing her fingers through her hair. "I understand. I was a little nervous to tell Minato too, ya know?"

"Really?" Sakura sniffed.

Kushina nodded.

"Yep. But you know what I thought to myself?"

Sakura shook her head.

"I thought, this is the man I love, so I believe in him and the strength of our feelings together. Naruto was created with love, just like your little baby," she said with a smile.

Sakura gave her a grateful little smile.

"Thanks, Kushina."

Kushina turned her head slightly.

"Minato's home for lunch," she said. "Want to stay and eat with us? He'd be so happy if you told him the good news!"

Sakura hesitated.

"I should... maybe I should tell Kakashi first."

Kushina waved her hand dismissively.

"You know I'm going to tell him anyway, so why don't you just say it now?"

Sakura slumped in defeat, a small, exasperated smile on her face.

"For a shinobi, you're not very good at keeping secrets, Kushina," Sakura laughed a little.

"Tell me what?"

Both women turned to see Minato striding into the kitchen, still dressed in his white Hokage coat. Sakura and Kushina shared and glance and Kushina nodded encouragingly at her. Sakura took a deep breath, finding herself quite excited to tell her sensei and someone she looked up to almost like a father, or uncle or family. Minato's reaction was overflowing joy and a big hug. Sakura hoped that Kakashi's would be the same.

22 years old - Kakashi
ANBU

Kakashi frowned unhappily, sitting on a bench in the ANBU changing room, resting his elbow on his knee and his chin on his fist.

"Captain, you seem unhappy."

Kakashi pursed his lips.

"What gives you that impression?"

He turned to the youngest member of his team, Itachi Uchiha. Itachi tilted his head slightly to the side in the way he did when he was trying to figure out if Kakashi was serious or not. He'd been on the same team for almost a year now and had everyone else's personalities pinpointed except Kakashi's, something Kakashi was quite proud about considering Itachi's genius.

"It's quite obvious. Is it something to do with Miss Sakura?" He inquired, his eyes sparkling slightly with cheekiness.

Kakashi glanced at him, and then around.

"There's no one else here at the moment if that's what you're wondering," Itachi said easily.

Kakashi wondered if the Uchiha would mind if he locked their heir in a headlock and messed up his precious, perfect hair. He let out a sigh.

"Miss Sakura," he said using Itachi's title of his precious girlfriend, "is avoiding me, little Uchiha, and I'm not sure why. I don't suppose with all your twelve years of life you can explain the subtleties of women, do you?"

Itachi's lips twitched and he shook his head.

"I apologise, Captain. I do not know. Perhaps, flowers… or dango?" He said with a frown.

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow.

"Dango?" He smirked. "Oooh, is that how it is with that Uchiha girl Shisui told me about?"

Itachi's cheeks blushed red.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied evenly.

Kakashi grinned and he stood, patting Itachi on the head and Itachi grimaced with annoyance at the action.

"Sure you don't, kid," Kakashi chuckled. "Go home, Itachi. Your brother's waiting for you."

"Go home, Captain, Miss Sakura is waiting for you," Itachi muttered, half-serious, half-mocking.

Kakashi was surprised to see Sakura loitering out by the place he usually exited the ANBU headquarters from. He watched her for a moment, as she paced, looking anxious and upset. He frowned, feeling a tightening in his chest. Something was wrong.

"Sakura?" He called to her softly from the shadows of the alleyway he stood in.

She looked over at him, and stood still, waiting for him to come out. It was odd to see her there when she knew it was frowned on to do what she was doing.

"Do you want to walk with me?" She asked him quietly, looking at him with anxiety in her eyes.

He nodded and they fell in step together. He followed her lead, and silently they walked in the direction of the academy.

"Did you have a good day?" She asked, unusually timid.

"Yes…" he replied. "Did you?"

"I suppose," she said distractedly.

The academy grounds were occupied with groups of students, practicing or watching or talking.

"Have - have you thought much about the future?" Sakura asked him out of the blue.

Kakashi peered at her.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" He asked her, folding his arms over his chest. She looked at him in surprise. "You've been avoiding me and now you're asking weird questions. What happened?"

She gave a wry smile.

"We've never really talked about the future," she said slowly. "Not really."

"I suppose not," Kakashi replied, warily.

"I just, you know, I don't want you to feel like - like you're trapped or something," she said, looking down. "Because, well, I'm not trying to make you do something you don't want to do, and I mean, you could walk away at any time and I guess I'd just have to deal with that since it's not my choice it's yours, but I'd probably - no, I'd definitely be really upset and — "

"Sakura, slow down." Kakashi placed both his hands on her shoulders. "You're rambling."

Sakura blinked and gave a slow nod and took a deep breath.

"Sorry."

"It's okay, Sakura. Just, tell me what you're thinking, because you didn't make any sense to me at all," Kakashi said with a gentle smile.

She took another breath and he released her shoulders.

"Kakashi… how would you feel if in, about… five years and six months we have one of those things...here?" Sakura said.

Kakashi looked at her in confusion.

"What?"

She cleared her throat.

"Like… a kid. That belonged to us. Doing kid things."

Kakashi's eyes flickered behind her, through the academy fence at the kids in the academy grounds, and then back to Sakura.

"Five years and six months?" He asked.

"Approximately," she mumbled, her cheeks going pink.

He looked back at the kids and then back at Sakura. He kept looking at her and then his eyes fell to where her hands moved to hold her stomach, and then he looked back at her face. She was looking ay him with a small wince, almost apologetic, and it slowly dawned on him what she was trying to tell him.

"Five years and six months?" He repeated.

"Yes…" she trailed off. "Approximately."

Kakashi cleared his throat.

"There - There are other things to do before academy enrolment though, right?" He asked, feeling hot and itchy and strange, but also light and happy and nervous and happy.

"I…guess?" Sakura replied uncertainly.

Kakashi nodded.

"Yeah. Like… names." He said. "And, um. A house, and probably toys and a bed and birthdays."

Sakura looked at him.

"A house?"

He nodded again.

"Yeah, f-families live in houses," he stammered. "Together."

There was a little light in her eyes.

"Families," she repeated. "Kakashi," she whispered. "We're going to have a baby."

"We're going to have a baby," he copied automatically.

"Are you… okay?" She asked, that same nervous vulnerability was in her eyes and it made him annoyed at himself.

Kakashi suddenly felt like he snapped back to reality.

"Sakura. You're pregnant," he said, a smiling forming on his face. He scooped her into a big hug, surprising her and she yelped and laughed. "You're pregnant!"

And then, just as suddenly as he had lifted her up, he dropped her and stared at her seriously. Now was as good a time as ever, he quickly decided.

"We should get married."

Her jaw dropped.

"What?"

Kakashi swallowed.

"Well. I've been carrying around this ring for a few weeks," he laughed nervously, pulling out a ring from his jacket pocket.

Sakura stared at it dumbly.

"What?"

"So?" He smiled. "How about it?"

Sakura looked up at him and started crying. Kakashi was hit with a wave of confusion and worry and thoughts of failure and terror at what to do. Suddenly, she threw her arms around his neck and he stumbled slightly.

"We're going to get married!" She squealed in his ear. "And we're having a baby!"

Kakashi's shock faded as he held her in his arms.

"Of course we are," he nuzzled her neck. "You're my family, Sakura. It's always been you."

"Love you, Kashi," she whispered.

"I love you, too."