A/N: I certainly didn't plan on this but inspirations are hard to ignore.

Epilogue

The eyes that blinked back at him mirrored his own, warm, like the color of chocolate but lighter.

He could see that so much love was oozing from those eyes, even though they still didn't know him, and him them, he knew that like him, they felt the same connection.

His blood, mixed with the woman he loved, was running in their veins now.

"They're beautiful."

Yes, they were. Like their mother.

One of them yawned and quickly drifted to sleep.

"Lazy."

Like their father.

"Time's up. My turn now."

He glared, not wanting to give up, hand any of them over. But the woman was stubborn, so she took the bundle of joy in his left arm, ignoring his protest.

His father joined his mother, and together they cooed over the still-awake baby.

A blonde appeared beside him and held out his hand. Not him too.

"Let me take care of the other one."

He didn't budge.

"I know you're tired, son."

Oh, yes. He was.

"And you should ask Sakura to look at those bruises."

Heal the proof of her strength during those long hours battling between life and death? No way. "It's okay."

"Have some rest. You need it when she wakes up."

He followed his in-law's glance and decided he was right, so he neared his mouth to the crown of his baby's head, where a soft cloud of dark hair rested, kissed him there before giving him up to the waiting arms.

"Thanks, Dad."

"No problem."

He took her hand then, held it against his cheek, and just watched her as she slept peacefully.

Yamanaka Ino was a sinner, true, but that didn't stop him from marrying her.

Even though she was consumed by lust when her hormones kicked in, valued her pride more than anything, envious by fear, greedy when it comes to spending, sometimes a glutton, an occasional sloth, and so scary when engulfed with wrath…

But at this moment, with no streaks of makeup on her pale face, long blond hair spread across the pillow like halo, she truly looked like an angel.

His angel.

Committing his life to her wasn't a troublesome thing.

It was a right decision all along.