He walked slowly down the path that led to the entrance of Konoha. He was torn between sprinting down what remained and turning around with the intent on never returning. It had been years since they last saw each other. The children were born and it was all too possible that they had moved on even if he hadn't.

They were waiting for him. Three figures in the near distance, two coming up only to their mother's knees. One of the twins looked up, asking a question. Sakura nodded to the little girl, never looking away from him. He couldn't read her expression. When he was only a few feet away he noticed how much she had matured, making her more irresistible to him than ever.

"Daddy!" The girl was running to him, smiling widely. Her two silver pigtails bouncing against her back. She embraced his leg, hugging it so hard he began to lose feeling in it. Awkwardly he patted her head and pried her gently off. Her hand was so small compared to his that she could only really get a grip on one finger as she pulled him towards the others with what she believed to be her own strength.

He stopped in front of Sakura, waiting nervously for her to break the ice. He couldn't express in words how sorry he was that he left her alone. One question came to his mind that seemed drastically important.

"Who held your hand?" His voice was a hoarse a quiet from years of silence thought but she smiled up at him.

"Iruka."

"What?" He hadn't seen Iruka in years and they hadn't parted on good terms. Why would he have gone to her?

"I think he wants to make things right with you he's just not sure how. So he started with me. He baby-sits sometimes and the kids love him."

"I'll have to go see him."

He looked down at the boy on her left who was trying to hide behind her, eager to change the subject.

"Their names?"

"The little girl is Sora and this here is Ken'ichi. We never decided on the names and I couldn't go on calling them baby one and baby two forever."

"I like them, they fit."

Sakura nudged her son out from behind her until he was facing Kakashi, looking down at the ground. The twins, he noticed, were identical.

"Hey, I know I haven't been around but uh…" he cleared his throat, "I'm home now. For good."

Sakura placed a hand on his arm in encouragement.

To his surprise the boy reached up to him and after seeing Sakura's smile widen he picked his son up, instinctively knowing where to place his hands so as not to hurt him. They stared at each other for a minute before the small emerald eyes began tearing up. He was about to hand him to his mother when the small arms wrapped around his neck and the boy broke down sobbing in his shoulder.

Kakashi felt his throat close up and his eyes sting with the tears he refused to show. It had been so longed since he cried. A few managed to escape, running down into his mask. He looked up, hoping to hide them so as not to appear weak. It was all worth it. Every ounce of suffering had been worth this moment and he knew that he would do it all over again if it meant the three of them would never cry again. His family was something that nothing could take away from him. Not miles, not years, not even death. They were his and he was theirs.

"Mommy! Can we go home yet? I wanna show Daddy my bunny!" Sora was tugging impatiently on her mother's clothing. Kakashi hoped that it was a stuff animal and not a live rabbit for its sake.

They began walking silently into Konoha, his eyes instinctively diverting to the ground; he didn't want to hear the whispers or see the disapproving glares just yet. A tentative hand found his, giving in a slight squeeze of comfort.

"It's like I tell Ken'ichi, you can't see the stars if you're constantly looking down," he had missed her voice so much. He had missed everything about her, positively ached in ways he never knew he could when she wasn't by his side. She was confidant when he was insecure, brave when he hesitated, calm when he had a tornado of emotions inside of him. Kakashi knew it worked the same way with her. They were exact opposites, day and night, light and dark.

He squeezed her hand back and looked up at the scene in front of him. It was just a normal day, people rushing along to do what needed done, not giving the group a second glance. As if reading his thoughts Sakura smiled, laughing slightly as she spoke.

"Naruto threatened to kill the next person who had a negative opinion about us. As you can imagine…"

"I believe it," it would be just like his former student to make unrealistic threats. "He told me they almost didn't make it through their first night."

"They were so small. So…fragile I was scared to even look at them. And then Ken'ichi had problems breathing, he's the younger one."

"You've been through so much on your own," he was truly amazed with her. She had seemingly endless courage, even if she didn't believe it.

"Ya but that's all over now. I feel like I can finally focus on the future again."

He understood what she meant. When he had been locked up he couldn't even fathom the next day let alone the next week or month. Now that he had his freedom he could breathe again. He put his arm around her waist, drawing her close to him, and vowed never to let go. As if reading his mind she laughed, a sound he missed.

"I'm not going anywhere."
"I know. Neither am I."

Consequences, he decided, were funny things. Some of them led to happy endings.

And that's it! The end! I hope you've all enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Thank you for all the reviews and for putting up with me all this time! I know I'm not the fastest when it comes to updates.