A/N: I originally wrote this back in November, but I finally got around to editing it recently.

Massive thanks to TipsyRaconteur and cosipotente for beta'ing as always.

Sakura stirred in bed, unsure of why she'd woken up at first until she heard the sound of a door closing in the distance. She listened intently, and easily recognized the sounds that followed-a key being placed on the counter, shoes being kicked off haphazardly-and snuggled back into her pillow, wrapping the shuriken blanket tighter around her naked body as she settled down on her stomach to get a bit more sleep. She could feel the early morning sun on her face even with the winter chill in the air. She was curious about where Kakashi had gone so early, but she was more interested in utilizing her rare day off to make up for lost sleep.

She wasn't sure how long she was asleep for, but when she woke again the sun was warmer on her skin and there was a weight dipping into the bed beside her. She reached out blindly for Kakashi, finding him easily without needing to open her eyes at all, knowing that he would be sitting exactly where he always did. Sakura grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to her, silently asking for the cuddles she knew he would give.

Kakashi's arm draped over her back as he leaned to kiss the top of her head. The action made her sigh contentedly, feeling the covers lift and the bed sink more fully as he laid down beside her. Without thinking about it, she rolled onto her side and scooted closer to him so that her back was pressed against his chest. His warmth surrounded her and she relaxed into him, fully intent on falling back to sleep like this.

"Good morning," Kakashi murmured.

Sakura grumbled incoherently as a response and shook her head, which was much less effective than normal since she was laying down. He chuckled lowly and the sound raised goosebumps across her skin when she realized that his lips were right next to her neck. He kissed her just behind her ear as his hand slid slowly up her stomach, his fingertips teasing just beneath her breasts.

"Kakashi," she whispered breathlessly, still half-asleep.

"Hmm?" he hummed.

Sakura found that she couldn't respond as he gently nipped at her earlobe, his hand trailing up to ghost over her nipple. She whimpered when he swiped his tongue up her neck, rolling her nipple between his fingers as he shifted and pressed more fully against her. His skin was so warm against her back that it was almost enough to distract her from his hands and lips. Almost.

Kakashi's hand slowly moved back down her stomach and she automatically leaned into his touch. Her sleepiness only amplified the feeling of his hand running down her abs, over her hips and thighs, and then finally dipping into her pink curls. His fingers slipped between her thighs at the same time he nipped the back of her neck, just hard enough to be slightly painful, and she gasped as the early morning fog was suddenly replaced with a hazy lust.

Sakura rolled onto her back and reached up to grab his hair, taking a second to run her eyes over his naked body before pulling his face down to hers. Their lips molded into each other perfectly as she kissed him, sucking his lower lip into her mouth and then sliding her tongue out to play with his. He responded eagerly but kept the pace slow and sensual.

His fingers slid down to her clit and she moaned into the kiss, her fingers in his hair tightening. Her other hand gripped his hip just as she felt a little jolt of his lightning chakra between her legs and she gasped, arching off the bed as her eyes widened. He did it again, her body tingling as he rubbed her over and over until she was just at the brink.

Just before her orgasm could take her, Kakashi rolled on top of her and propped himself up, the covers falling behind him as her hand fell from his hair. The sudden chill of the winter air made her nipples harden and she whimpered, her entire body shivering pleasantly. Kakashi didn't give her long to get used to the cold and grabbed her hips, holding her in place as he slowly pushed into her. Sakura moaned as the feeling of him filling her flooded her senses.

Her fingers dug into his hips as he rubbed her clit again and she gasped, arching her back off the bed as she was suddenly brought back to the edge. He slowly pulled out and then thrust back into her suddenly before she could fully adjust to his girth. The delicious edge of pain overwhelmed her senses, and it only took a few thrusts before she was finally falling.

"Kakashi!" she cried out, her toes curling and vision swimming as she tensed, gripping the bed sheets and his hip hard, grasping desperately for anything to keep her grounded.

Kakashi grunted as his movements stilled, and Sakura could hear how labored his breathing had become through the haze of her orgasm. She felt him tense, and before she had the chance to fully come down from the high, he was thrusting into her again hard and fast. She was still so sensitive and every nerve in her body felt like it was on fire. Kakashi's hand that wasn't rubbing her clit held onto her hip roughly to keep her in place while his other hand occasionally let out little bolts of lighting, sending shockwaves through her.

"Legs on my shoulders," Kakashi groaned roughly as he stopped moving.

Sakura whimpered at the sudden loss of friction and quickly obliged, throwing her legs over his shoulders, locking her gaze onto his. Her breath caught in her throat as she let herself drink him in.

She wasn't sure that she would ever get over the sight of him like this; hair messier than normal, sweat beating on his brow, skin flushed and eyes so dark and filled with lust. Even after so many years, seeing him like this still sent a thrill through her. She licked her lips in anticipation and his eyes followed the motion, his body tensing before he suddenly thrusted into her again.

Sakura cried out wordlessly, her head falling back as her back arched, her entire body trembling. Kakashi leaned down and captured her lips in a bruising kiss as he started moving again. Every thrust was hard and fast and it didn't take long before she felt the heat curl in her belly again.

"Kakashi," she whimpered desperately against his lips, moving her hands to grip his forearms. He groaned, tearing his lips away from hers and pressing them to her neck.

"Come for me, Sakura," he growled, his voice low and thick beside her ear. The sound reverberated through her and she shuddered.

Kakashi nipped at her neck once before biting down hard, sucking on the skin caught between his teeth just as his fingers on her clit sparked with lightning chakra again. Sakura screamed as he rubbed in time with his thrusts, licking the fresh bruise on her neck, every nerve in her body singing as she was overwhelmed, climbing higher and higher before she suddenly crashed.

Sakura came hard, back arching off the bed again as she desperately gripped her fingers into his arms like they were an anchor, like they were the only thing keeping her in place. Her eyes rolled back and she found the breath she hadn't realized had stopped and cried out as her orgasm rolled over her in waves. Kakashi thrust into her again, over and over, until he finally tensed, a low growl escaping his throat as he spilled himself inside of her.

He collapsed beside her a moment later, his arm thrown over her waist just like it had been before. Sakura turned her head, smiling fondly as she watched his chest rise and fall heavily, marveling at how beautiful he still managed to look while flushed and out of breath. She reached out to brush his hair away from his forehead, leaning over to press a kiss to the salty skin there.

"Good morning, Kakashi," she said as she pulled away, and he looked up at her and smiled, his lips quirking slightly higher to one side. Sakura felt her heart beat even faster, and she wondered if she would ever get used to that smile of his without his mask to cover it.

"Good morning, Sakura," he responded easily, shifting so that he could kiss her shoulder.

They lay there for a while longer until Kakashi's stomach grumbled and they finally decided to get out of bed and start their day. Kakashi was the first to stand and he held out a hand for her. She crawled to the end of the bed and took it gratefully, knowing from years of experience with Kakashi that after an intense morning like that, there was a good chance that she'd have trouble keeping herself upright at first.

"I think I'll be okay," she said. Kakashi let her go and she started swaying, but was able to keep her balance. She was definitely a little bit off, but it was nothing she couldn't handle.

"I'll go put coffee on, then."

Kakashi leaned down and kissed her gently, his thumbs rubbing small circles on her hips before he pulled away. He shot her a quick smile that had her melting all over again before he turned to head toward the kitchen. Sakura stood there listening to him putter around and set up the coffee maker for a moment before finally moving into the bathroom.

After finishing her normal morning routine and blow drying her hair, Sakura stood in front of the mirror to inspect the bruise that would no doubt be on her neck. It was darker than she'd expected and she instinctively raised her hand to heal the mark. The morning light from the window glinted off of the engagement ring on her finger just before she began to push healing chakra into the bruise, and she stopped the chakra.

Healing the bruises and marks right after they'd had sex was a habit that still remained from when they'd been hiding their relationship, but they'd been public for over a year now, and there were only a few weeks left until the wedding. This was the man she'd be with the rest of her life, who she would hopefully have children with one day. There wasn't a need to hide the marks Kakashi left on her body anymore; she could let it linger, at least for a little while.

Sakura smiled and lowered her hand, inspecting the mark in the mirror one last time before moving into the hallway. The smell of coffee was already permeating through the house-their home, she mentally corrected herself-and after pouring herself a mug, she went to join Kakashi where she knew he would be in the living room.

As she'd expected, he was sitting in his normal spot on the couch reading Icha Icha Violence. His silver hair was still messy and he was drinking his coffee from the mug that she'd gotten him for his birthday the year before. Sakura smiled at the sight and felt a familiar warmth spread through her chest; was she really so lucky that this was going to be her life from this point on?

Sakura settled on the couch beside Kakashi, leaning against him as she sipped her coffee. For a long moment Sakura let her eyes wander around the room as they sat in comfortable silence, but then her gaze drifted to the coffee table where a small paper sat. It hadn't been there the day before, and it looked like it had a strange symbol drawn on it and nothing else.

As if sensing where her attention had shifted to, she felt Kakashi tense against her but he didn't say anything. Sakura tried to make out the drawing from her place on Kakashi's side, but her curiosity soon won out over her comfort. She leaned forward, placing her coffee down on the table and picking up the paper, and found herself even more confused than before.

The drawing looked almost like a symbol of some sort, but she'd never seen it before. The outside of it reminded her of her clan symbol with the two circles, but inside of the circles was a strange diamond that looked like it had several smaller diamonds within it. She knew that she recognized it, but she couldn't figure out where it was from.

Sakura turned to ask Kakashi what it meant, but he was very carefully not looking at her in his usual feigned-relaxed position. Most people wouldn't be able to see the slight tension in his body, but after so many years by his side, the change in his demeanor didn't escape her.

"Kakashi, what is this?"

He was silent for a moment longer before he sighed, one of his hands rubbing at the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, about that…"

Sakura tried to wait for Kakashi to figure out how to word it-she really did-but when he didn't continue his thought for almost thirty seconds, she couldn't stop herself from saying, "Well?"

"I went out this morning to visit your parents," he said, his voice deceptively calm as his eyes continued to scan the pages of his book as if he were still reading.

"My parents?" Immediately she was confused. They'd visited her parents a few times together, but this was the first time she'd heard of him going to visit them on his own. They loved him so it probably shouldn't have surprised her, but… "Why?"

He finally lifted his eyes and looked pointedly at the paper in her hands. Her frown deepened as she stared at the symbol on the page, trying to figure out what it could possibly have to do with why he'd gone to see her parents. Maybe the circles of her clan weren't a mistake and they'd given him permission to use it for whatever this was, but then what was it?

"Ah, well…" Kakashi trailed off again, as if he wasn't sure how to put his answer into words. He sighed again and snapped the book shut, his body tensing as if he were steeling himself. "You don't recognize the diamonds, do you?"

"I know I've seen it, but I don't know where," Sakura answered, watching him curiously and fighting back the urge to demand he tell her faster.

"It's my family's clan symbol, but I'm hoping that will change." At this, Kakashi's face flushed slightly and Sakura immediately straightened to look at him more closely.

"What do you mean by 'change'?" she asked as she glanced at the drawing, finally realizing where she'd seen the diamonds before. It had been in a book she'd read at the academy of all the different clan symbols.

Kakashi's eyes shifted to hers, and her lips parted in surprise at the serious expression she found there. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd seen him look like this.

"This was the reason I went to see your parents this morning," he started, clearing his throat before continuing. "And if you agree to it… when we marry, our clans will merge."

"What?!"Sakura balked, and Kakashi winced so slightly that she almost missed it. She quickly added, "Sorry, I'm just surprised."

She could see his relief in the way his lips quirked up for a second, as if he'd thought her shout was a rejection. He was quiet for a moment, seeming to contemplate his words before finally speaking.

"Sakura, when you agreed to take my name, you made it so that I won't die as the last Hatake, even though I'd always assumed I would. But unless your parents have another child, that means the Haruno clan will one day die with them."

Sakura blinked, her chest aching and her thoughts swirling around. Even though she was pretty sure she knew the answer, she asked, "What does that have to do with the drawing?"

"Once we're married, this will become the new symbol for the Hatake clan." He smiled and seemed to relax a little as he added, "If you allow it, of course. You're the last vote, and the most important one to me, so it's ultimately your decision."

"But… why?" she asked, her brows furrowing.

Kakashi took in a deep breath as if steeling himself. "If we do have children one day, the Hatake name and clan will live on. But it didn't feel right to let the Haruno clan disappear, especially when you, Haruno Sakura, are the only reason there's even a slight chance that mine might continue." Kakashi's voice was calm and unwavering, but Sakura knew from experience that it usually meant he was nervous.

Her mouth opened and closed a few times as she tried to find a response, but the words refused to come. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes as she looked down at the paper again. The Haruno circle was surrounding the Hatake diamonds as if it was protecting them, and somehow she had the feeling that it was done intentionally.

She sensed Kakashi move and snapped her eyes back to him. He was leaning forward now, his book laying forgotten on the arm of the couch as he reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her breath caught in her throat as he smiled, his eyes shining with affection that he only ever let her see.

"I thought it was near impossible to merge clans," she said, remembering what she'd read in that book so many years ago.

"Who's going to stop me?" he asked, and his lips quirked into a smirk despite how serious his voice still was. "I'm the Hokage, your parents gave their consent, and it's not like there's another Hatake around to throw a fit about it. And did I mention that I'm the Hokage?"

"That's an abuse of power," she said, laughing softly as she felt her chest swell and a tear finally spilled over her cheeks.

"Probably," he agreed, nodding his head. "But if I have to deal with the elders and petty diplomats and endless piles of paperwork, I should at least be allowed this much."

She couldn't bring herself to argue with that logic and just shook her head slightly with disbelief as she wiped the tears away with the back of her hand that wasn't holding the paper. She moved to wipe the other cheek but Kakashi beat her to it, cupping her face with his hand and wiping them away with his thumb.

"So, what do you say?" he asked, his nerves leaking into his otherwise calm voice. Sakura didn't even have to think about her answer as she put the paper down on the coffee table and grinned.

Sakura jumped toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck, managing to catch him by surprise as he fell back onto the couch. He chuckles beneath her as she nuzzled her nose into his neck, feeling lighter than she had in weeks as she leaned back enough to see his face.

She searched his gaze for the warmth that she knew would be there and then smiled when she found it. His hands came up to rest on her waist just before she whispered her answer against his lips in the same way she had when he'd asked her to marry him all those months ago.

"Yes."