Disclosure: I do not own Naruto. Sadly.

History

The days and weeks that followed Sakura and Kakashi had followed into a rhythm. On days she worked, they had lunch, or if something came up, they made time to see each other somehow. Days she was off work, she spent with Sarada, but if Sarada was at school or spent the night with friends, then Kakashi was there with another creative and subtly romantic date idea. Or not so subtle... really, Ino had been right to call Kakashi a romantic. Sakura was continually surprised at how thoughtful and sweet he could be. Even so, he still was a teasing, cheeky brat, but he was adorable so she lets him off.

Today was one of those days that Sakura was off and Sarada was at school, and so, Kakashi was lounging on one of the barstools in her kitchen.

Glancing at him from the corner of her eye, Sakura's face flushed, "What?" She asked a mix between flustered and agitated. He had been watching her flit around the kitchen for the past 10 minutes.

"What?" He grinned causing butterflies to take flight in her abdomen. He was stupidly handsome.

She purses her lips and shot him a glare, "You know what. You've been staring."

"Have I?" His even timber delivering his usual steady tone, but she knew better now.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" She huffed trying in vane to get her blush under control.

"Really, Sakura-chan," his grin grew as her eyes narrowed, "I have no idea what you mean."

Another huff followed by barely coherent grumbling as Sakura forcefully finished putting dishes away. Warm arms wrapping around her caused her to jump, only to meet the hard body of her cheeky boyfriend.

Warm breath ghosted her shoulder and neck before sending shudders from her ear to her toes. "Sorry, koi, I can't help it," she shivered as his endearment washed over her. He spun her around cupping her face between his palms. Her eyes fluttered as his thumbs brushed her cheeks and then her lips, "You are so beautiful when you blush."

A wet rag plopped to the floor as Sakura pulled him down by his shirt. They both sighed as their lips melded together. His warm, velvet mouth imploring hers to dance with his.

There was something about Kakashi's kisses. There wasn't a burst of fireworks or a zing to zapped throughout her being. His kisses were something more, almost overwhelming. He made her feel as though he had encompassed her throughly. She could feel him like a warm embrace all over. Kakashi's kisses were enveloping. She could almost bet that his very chi reached out and touched her own each time they kissed. And when he deepens the kiss?

Sakura's hand wrapped around his neck as Kakashi pulled her bottom lip into his mouth, gently sucking. Her knees warbled but he was there to catch her. Carefully, he gathered her up before carrying her to the living room to place her feet softly on the rug before the fireplace. It was their favorite place to cuddle.

Her eyes fluttered open in confusion as he pull away from the kiss, but he rose a hand before she could speak to ask him why.

"Just a second." Reaching behind the armchair, he pulled out a small, elongated box. It's paper was a beautiful watercolor cherry tree with greys and pinks, and it's bow was the same shade as her hair.

Blinking, she hesitated before taking it from his out stretched hand. "Kakashi, what-?" She began.

He just quirked that crooked smile, "Open it."

Holding his gaze a second longer, she carefully unwrapped the paper laying it to the side. It was too pretty to rip. The box was black and seemed to be made of leather. It looked old. She raised confused eyes to his.

"Go ahead," he was smiling at her now -a soft, endearing smile.

With a slight creak, the box hinged open. Inside laid a bracelet with silver the palest she had seen. On the bracelet there was only a single decoration, a black obsidian bead carved with a symbol. It was beautiful. Her fingers brushed over the tiny carving.

"It was my mother's," his voice softer but closer as he took the empty box, setting it down on the coffee table before carefully removing the bracelet from her hands. He turned her wrist around and clasped the bracelet closed before raising the back of her hand to stop before his lips. "My father gave it to her on the day they were married," his lips pressed to her skin and her breath caught. The endearing smile was back as he showed her the carved bead, "That symbol is the seal of my clan."

Sakura's mouth slacked. She didn't know Kakashi had a clan. Her eyes fell back to the carving. It was two rings interlocking. It was a symbol she hadn't seen before.

His smile turned wistful, "Hai, you wouldn't have seen it. Like my father and his father before him, I am the only Hatake living." He finger brushed over it once more before grasping her hand.

They moved to sit at their spot on her plush rug, lounging on pillows before the fire. Sakura laid her head upon his chest. His arm wrapped around her to hold her close. Their free hands laid upon his chest, fingers woven as his thumb lightly brushed the back of her hand.

"The Hatake family has been reduced to a single individual for three generations, but we once were decently sized. Never as big or as powerful as the Uchiha or the Hyuga, we tended to keep a quieter profile," his even, rich tone sent Sakura along for the ride as he gave her a brief history of his bloodline. An old clan, the Hatake's were from a long line of noble and honor-bound warriors. First samurai many ages ago, they trace their origins to the Heian Period when the nations were not yet formed and were controlled by smaller ruling tribes of clans and families. As these tribes grew to encompass more and more people's, and their laws and ways of governing more centralized, the Hatake clan was hired warriors sent to subdue rebellions and protect villagers from invading armies. With the transition of these smaller governed states into the nations that are more like today's, so to did the Hatake clan change. Still sticking to their code of Busido, warrior code of honor, it is said that they were among the first families to unlock the powers of chi, and thus, the samurai clan became a ninja clan. There was some family legend about this gift being given by a forest god in the form of a white wolf once he fell in love with one of the clan elders daughters. Their offspring explaining the families signature white chakra and genetic disposition of silvery white haired men. Nonetheless, as the samurai held a public and courtly role, now -as ninja- they served from the shadows. When the birth of Konoha came, it was the Hatake that made up the first ANBU, other families quickly being inducted into the secretive organization. It was due to the intense fighting of the First Shinobi War that left Sakumo's father and then Sakumo as the sole living heir to an old family tradition of loyalty and service.

"And that leads to me, I guess," He finished as even as he began.

Sakura's eyes fell to the onyx bead of her new bracelet. With all that history, it felt heavier somehow. And infinitely more precious. "Kakashi, thank you for sharing your clan's history with me."

His arm tightened around her as his lips brushed the crown of her head.

Her eyes trained on the bracelet she felt a bit unworthy of such a gift, "This was your mother's?"

He hummed in assent catching onto her train of thought, "She would have wanted you to have it."

"But Kakashi," she sat up on her elbow to look at his face, "it is of your clan. Your very old and very noble clan. It is precious." She missed the quirking of his lips at that as she went on. "I'm not from any such family. My ancestors did not help to shape history or anything of the sort. We were merchants and farmers. Kakashi, this is practically a piece of history, of your history. You can't just give it away."

He was smiling at her fully now. With a light chuckle, he caught her gesturing hand with his own. Kissing the back of it as he did before. Intertwining their fingers once more, he rested them above his heart. "I'll ignore that jab at my being basically historical, and simply state that it is exactly where it belongs sitting on your wrist."

She puffed her cheeks out. She wasn't making a jab at their age difference, "That's not what I meant and you know it."

He only brushed his thumb across her knuckles, "I know."

"Kakashi, this should stay in your clan."

Something flickered in his eyes, "I know."

"Kakashi-"

His finger pressed to her lips, "It sits where it belongs, Sakura." His gaze held something heavy and warm and just out of her grasp before it lightened. His teasing quirk of a smile was back, "Besides, we've officially been dating for six months as of today. I wanted to give you something special."

At this, she blinked. Six months? Had it really been that long? She counted back through the days and the weeks, and sweet Kami-sama, it had been months.

His chuckling pulled her from her bewilderment, "Mah, Sakura-chan, aren't the girls supposed to keep track of every milestone with hearts and stickers in their calendars?"

She pinched his arm lightly at his teasing, "Are you saying you decorate yours with hearts, Kashi?"

He grinned, "Too girlie. Mine is strictly puppy stickers, obviously."

She scoffed cuddling her head back onto his chest. Her boyfriend was ridiculous. She eyed the bracelet once more. And he was also incredibly romantic.

Sitting up slightly once more, she traced over his scar lightly before turning his face down to meet hers, "Thank you, Kakashi. I love it."

His lips brushed hers, "I'm glad, koi."

Her heart fluttered at his endearment once more. There was something on the tip of her tongue. Something threatening to burst from her chest and bubble past her lips.

She leaned back to meet his steady gaze. Their face just far enough apart. "Kakashi?"

"Hm?"

She took a shakey breath.

"Yes, koi?" He murmured his warm grey eyes searching languidly over her face.

"I love you."

Grey eyes snapped to green. Those same intangible things flickered through his gaze once more, but now she had a name for them. As he leaned back down once more, his rich timber struck her in the heart, "As I am very much in love with you, Sakura-koi."

The kiss that followed left Sakura no doubt. Kakashi's kisses were the best because he puts all of his love for her into each one they shared.

And I'm back!

I know this is not the longest thing. But I'm trying to get back into it and this felt right.

Thank you my lovelies for sticking with me and for your kind words of encouragement. The past year as been, well, 2016, so there is that. Basically a shit fest. But, a new year. A new leaf. And a new chapter for our favorite pair.

Now some info:

The endearment "koi" or the suffix "-koi" added to a name is, as far as my research can tell, the highest form of endearment. It roughly equals "darling dearest" in English and is usually used by a husband to single his wife as his love. The use of "koi" is basically like saying "you, the love of my life" but in a much shorter and endearing term.

The image of the chapter is the Hatake clan symbol. It is the clan symbol for the samurai family of Hatakeyama I in historical Japan in real life. I thought it would be a good fit since we are never given a symbol for Hatake from canon.

The bracelet Kakashi gives Sakura is modeled after this one from Pandora (because it is a close as I could get to an example of what is in my head: search: Pandora Multi Chain Single Clip Charm Bracelet in google

The bracelet's only decoration is a carved Onyx bead like shown here, remove spaces for . : pin it/omMgmQ2

But of course, with the Hatake symbol carved instead.

Enjoy!