Dreams

Kakashi was terrified. He stared into the striking green eyes of the tiny infant in his arms. His son. Silver hair, perfect in every way that he could see. And it terrified him.

The last nine months had been a whirlwind of activity for him and Sakura. They'd married in a fairly small and quiet ceremony. Yamato had gifted them with a beautiful house for their family and even created a number of pieces of furniture for it. And he'd watched with growing terror as his wife grew with their child.

Now, he was here. Sakura lay sleeping in the bed next to him, exhausted from giving him his son. Sakura's green eyes stared up at him as if to say, "what's the problem?" But he wasn't afraid of the baby. He was still afraid of himself. After the mission in Port City that had finally pushed them together, he'd spent a lot of time berating himself for not protecting her better.

She'd argued about it. In fact, it was the only real argument they'd had since they'd married. She'd told him that, if anything, it was her fault for not staying out of the way better. Or getting away. But they couldn't come to any agreement on it.

He knew, in his head, that he was one of the strongest shinobi in the village. He also knew that he wasn't the only one who could, and would, protect this child. Every shinobi there would give their lives for him.

In his heart, he was still afraid. That if it came down to it, he'd fail. He took a deep breath and cuddled the baby closer. He would do everything he could to protect him and love him. And that's all he could do.

Holding Sasuke closer, he kissed his son's forehead, laid him up on his shoulder and closed his eyes.

* * *

Their last mission had nearly killed them, literally. Neji and Lee were in the hospital currently, nursing broken bones. Tenten was near chakra exhaustion and even Gai was tired. They'd just finishing turning their report in to Tsunade and were on their way home when they heard a voice nearby. "Hello."

Tenten spun. She'd never forget that voice as long as she lived. "Kenji??"

Kenji stepped out of the shadows of the alleyway between a sushi shop and a dressmaker. He grinned at Tenten and turned to Gai. He bowed his head to Gai, then turned and kissed Tenten on the cheek.

Gai simply smiled. "Hello." He offered his hand to Kenji, who shook it. "What brings you out here?"

"I wanted to deliver some news personally. Fushinji's trial finished a few weeks ago. He had been sentenced to caning and life in prison without the possibility of ever getting out. The day after he was released from the infirmary, news of his crimes...spread through the prison and he was subsequently killed rather brutally by the other inmates."

Tenten stared at him, wide-eyed. "He's dead, then?"

Kenji nodded. "Good!" Gai said from next to her. "Though it was probably less than he deserved."

Kenji grinned. "Yes, yes it was." His expression turned dark briefly. "He deserved to be raped over and over again every day for the rest of his life. We discovered over two hundred women he had sold into sexual slavery, and I fear we will find many more yet." He took a deep breath. "I also wanted to tell you that Hitoshi found his sister. She'll need some serious counseling, but she'll be okay. Hitoshi will take care of her."

Tenten smiled. "That's good. I'm very glad for them."

An awkward silence fell and Gai decided to help things along. "I will go ahead home. Take a few minutes."

Tenten glanced up at him. "Are you sure?"

Gai smiled. "Yes, I am sure." He leaned down and kissed her thoroughly and possessively before giving Kenji a wave and jogging down the street toward their home.

Kenji watched him go before turning back to Tenten. "That kiss was deliberate, wasn't it?"

Tenten laughed. "I'm afraid so." She turned serious. "I see you're wearing your wedding ring. How are things?"

Kenji's smile was full of warmth. "They are great. I did as you suggested. When I got home, I took her out to dinner at this steak restaurant that we went to after we got married. I even bought her flowers, which, of course, raised her suspicions. But I told her everything--"

"Everything?" Tenten interrupted.

Kenji nodded. "Yes, everything. She was...hurt at first, but very understanding. After we finished up the investigation on Fushinji, I took a week off and took her to one of the ocean side cities in our home country. And I fell back in love with her all over again."

Tenten grinned, then she leaned forward and hugged him. "That's wonderful."

Kenji wrapped his arms around her. "I'll always love you. There's always going to be a small part of me that will, but you made the right choice."

Tenten pulled back and smiled up at him. "I did, yes. My place is with Gai. But I, too will always love you."

Kenji hugged her tightly, then let her go and stepped back. "Take care, Tenten."

Tenten's smile widened. "Take care, Kenji," she said and headed home.