The Red String of Fate

Homecoming - Kakashi

Kakashi was anxiously anticipating the arrival of his bride back to the village. For the first time in 16 years, she was coming home to stay. It was actually as a favor to Lady Tsunade, but he was still glad she was coming back, nonetheless. It would be a big change for her, to be in the village again; the healing opportunities were not as exciting as what Tenchi had to offer. And she wouldn't be travelling to far away lands on exciting adventures anymore. Even though she wasn't coming back specifically for him, he still felt guilty that a part of him was giddy with excitement for her return.

He headed toward the gates that Mizuka would be passing through soon; the main entrance. In his hand were the bouquet of flowers that Ino had helped him choose. He wanted lavender, and Ino talked him into adding some chamomile to the bunch to break up the sea of purple.

"Good luck, Kakashi Sensei!"

She gave him a grin and a wink before he thanked her and left. She was a nice girl, and also a very talented healer. Kakashi had seen quite a bit of her over the past two years in Tenchi, more than he had seen her in Konoha. As Mizuka's student, she was a devoted pupil to her pink-haired teacher. And was eager to soak in any knowledge that Mizuka had to offer. She had been back in the village for a  relatively short time, also called back by Lady Tsunade, because of the looming threat of the Akatsuki. Long enough for her to watch her beloved Sensei, Asuma Sarutobi, be murdered by Akatsuki members. There was nothing she could do as he quickly bled to death from internal injuries in front of her and her teammates. Kakashi was honored when she came to him in search of a comforting presence in the absence of both of her sensei. They spent a few nights drinking tea and talking at the tea house in the village. Some nights Choji would join them, but those were the nights that the subject of the Hatakes' as a couple did not come up. And Kakashi was grateful that Ino kept his secret.  He was in too many bingo books to feel comfortable with his marriage being out in the open, especially since Mizuka lived so far away.  But, now that Mizuka was back in Konoha, and closer to him, he couldn't wait for everyone to see that she belonged to him.

As he waited, he couldn't help but be nervous. He had been madly in love with Mizuka for the last 17 years, and married to her for the past 7, but he always felt like a guest in her house due to not actually living with her. She always made him feel more than welcome, and he even kept a few of his things there, but after a couple of days, he always had to leave again to come back to his lonely apartment. But now, she was coming to live with him. What if they couldn't make it work? Things were great they way they were, what if they were about to mess all of that up? A figure with pink hair was now visible through the tree line, which caught his attention and snapped him back to focus.

"She's here..."

He couldn't believe that this was happening. He could feel his heart racing. You've been married to her for years, and nobody knows you better than she does, snap out of it, he thought to himself. It's going to be amazing. They might not get to spend every night together, but they would probably get more than the few nights a month they were getting now. And Kakashi could actually hold her, not just read his dirty books and dream of her late into the night, his hand keeping him from being too lonely.

As Mizuka approached the guards, she checked in with them, giving them a smile. One blushed and the other grinned widely back at her. She then ran toward Kakashi. She wrapped her arms around his neck, cradling his head with her hand. He embraced her tightly, flowers still in hand. She smelled of cherry blossoms, even over the strong scent of lavender. She pulled away enough to give him a long, passionate kiss. Kakashi's head swam at the touch of her lips to his, and he had to move his leg to hide his erection. She smiled and moaned very softly and made a move to close her legs, a sure sign that their kiss had made her wet as well. Kakashi leaned in to whisper in her ear:

"Welcome home, my love."

All of his nerves had melted away as soon as he touched her. He knew that they would be just fine in this new chapter of their lives.