I know, I know, I should be updating all of the other stories instead of writing a new one, but I HAD to get this one out! It was becoming a burning need, so I finally just posted it. It's a fandom I've been in for a while, but this is the only story I've ever written for it. If you like it, let me know, if you don't, I don't care as long as you tell me why. I realize it may be a little OOC, but like I said, first time writing for this fandom. R&R and if people like it enough, I just may write more for it! ;) Ciao! -V

P.S. I don't own Naruto or it's characters, but if I did Kakashi would be getting a lot more than he is now. *wink, wink, pervy-eyebrow wiggle*

P.P.S There's one, itty-bitty swear word at the bottom which is why I put this as K+... I really hope no one reports me. That doesn't garner getting reported does it? *nervously bites nails*

Kakashi is walking through the village, Icha-Icha in hand with a scarf around his neck. The past few weeks had been chilly, far chillier than was usual for fall in Konahoa. He was just getting to the good part in his book, a blush growing over his cheeks, when suddenly a shout distracted him from the pages. Everything seemed to happen in a flash when a small blur ran straight into him, but the copy ninja somehow managed to keep himself and his tiny assailant upright.

Quickly tucking away his book, he looked down to see himself steadying a small child. The tiny human had huge green eyes and thick, dark hair that curled and spiraled every which way. He was wearing a child-sized blue wool coat with big black buttons and a hand-knitted green and blue scarf with matching mittens dangling from strings on the inside of his sleeves. All in all the boy was adorable, and Kakashi blanched at his own train of thought. It was hard to deny though, the kid was cute, and his eyes held too much intelligence for what Kakashi assumed was a civilian three-year old.

A noise in front of him broke him from his examination of the child, so he made sure the boy was standing steadily on his own two feet as Kakashi looked up. His only visible eye widened when he saw the young woman rushing towards him. She was beautiful, with long dark hair that curled and spiraled, just like the little boy's, with identical intelligent green eyes. Her cheeks were flushed and her lilac coat was undone, flapping open as she ran to reveal a grey dress underneath. She shot Kakashi an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry! He ran out of the house before I could catch him!" Gently, she reached for the boy, who let her scoop him into her arms. She looked at the child with a softly stern expression and said, "Kouki (ko:-kee), apologize to the nice man!" The little boy looked guiltily at him and mumbled, "sowwy." Kakashi couldn't help but smile, the kid was really starting to grow on him. Kakashi had to mentally shake himself. He was a twenty-nine year old man, he didn't like kids and he definitely didn't think they were cute! But he couldn't wipe the grin from his face as he leaned over and said to the boy, "You should apologize to your mother for running away from her, too."

The kid looked up at him with wide eyes before throwing his hand around his mother's neck and crying into her hair. "I sowwy, Momma! I sowwy!" The woman patted his small head and rubbed his back soothingly, "I forgive you Kouki. Now, shall we go back to the house, so Mommy can lock the door? After that we can go to the park!" At the word "park" the little boy's head shot up and he gave his mother a wide grin. It reminded Kakashi a little of Naruto when he first met him. Kakashi turned to leave, but the woman stopped him with a hand on his arm.

He looked down at her thin fingers, marveling at the warmth he felt from them. When he looked up at the woman, he was startled. She was smiling, her cheeks flushed and her eyes happy and grateful. "I'm sorry Kouki almost knocked you over, but I can't thank you enough for catching him! He's such a trouble maker sometimes and I don't have the strength I used to." Kakashi saw her smile falter a little bit, and felt something stir in his chest.

"I can walk you home if you'd like, to make sure he doesn't run away again while you lock up."

The grin she gave him was blinding, though Kakashi didn't mind one bit. "Oh, thank you! I know you must be busy, but that would be extremely helpful!" Kakashi gave her his signature eye crinkle and followed close behind her as she walked down the street. A few locks of her hair danced in the cool breeze and Kakashi had to resist the urge to reach out and touch it. He mentally chastised himself for acting like a school-boy with a crush. Soon, too soon in Kakashi's opinion, the woman stopped outside of a small book shop. He was a little surprised, but he was even more surprised when she made to hand her son to him. "I'm sorry, but I won't be thirty seconds!"

When she was satisfied Kakashi had a firm hold on her child, she dashed up a set of side-stairs leading up to what could only be an apartment above the shop. He heard a door open and close, the click of a bolt sliding into place and the click of a lock. When the woman reappeared, he noticed she'd wrapped a magenta scarf around her neck and clipped her hair out of her face. Kakashi was struck by how much the color of her new accessory showcased her eyes. It was like he'd fallen prey to a genjitsu and was swimming in a sea of leaves.

Shaking his head a little, he saw her gently smile. "Kouki likes you." He quirked his head a little before looking down at the child in his arms. The boy was blinking owlishly at him, his head laying on Kakashi's shoulder with his little arms wrapped around his neck. He was so preoccupied staring at the boy's mother that he hadn't even noticed what the boy had done. Some ninja he was.

Kakashi blushed when he noticed the way the woman was staring at him. He shifted slightly and the woman seemed to shake herself awake before she reached out to take back her child. "Kouki, sweetheart, do you still want to go to the park?" Kouki smiled and reached for his mother. Kakashi handed him over, but felt strangely empty after he'd done so. For what seemed the hundredth time, he mentally shook away the odd feelings.

The woman gave him an odd look before smiling and holding out a petite hand. "Ueda, Chou."

Kakashi took it with a crinkle of his eye. "Hatake Kakashi."

"The famous Copy-Ninja, eh?" Chou winked at him and he could feel himself blush beneath his mask. She chuckled and to Kakashi it sounded like the tinkling of tiny bells. Something deep inside of him wanted to hear that sound for the rest of his natural-born life. He rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed. However he didn't get a chance to say anything before he heard Chou say to her son, "How about Mr. Hatake-san comes to play with us at the park?" Kouki's eyes lit up and Kakashi's emotions went from startled and slightly upset to guilt-ed and happy. He couldn't believe that this strange civilian woman he'd just met presumed he'd wanted to go to the park to play with an unfamiliar child, but when the little boy looked at him with such giddiness and hope, Kakashi didn't have the heart to refuse.

So, he found himself chatting amicably with Chou while Kouki toddled in front of them, on their way to the park in the center of town. When they got to the bridge, Kakashi suddenly had an idea. He didn't know if his nin-dog was going to like it, but he felt he liked the kid and his mother enough to trust them a little bit. They hadn't given him any reason not to.

Kakashi turned to Chou and rubbed his neck. "You go on, I'll catch up, there's something I'd like to do, and it'll only take a minute." Chou smiled at him and Kakashi could feel himself teetering dangerously over an unseen edge. She nodded and followed her child to the swing set. Kakashi waited until her back was turned before he bit his thumb and summoned Pakkun. Pakkun appeared, scratching behind his ear with his foot. "Long time no see, Kakashi."

Kakashi crouched in front of him. "Mah, Pakkun, I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"How are you with kids?"

"Kids? Kakashi, are you telling me that you've found some long-lost child of yours-"

"No! No, that's not it!" Kakashi sighed and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Don't laugh at me, but I met a lady today after her kid almost ran me over. She asked me to join them at the park, and her kid really wanted me to come too, so I did. I was just wondering if you'd like to join us, I mean, kids like dogs, right?"

Pakkun gave him a strange look before placing his paw on Kakashi's knee. "You must really like this girl if you want to get on her pup's good side. I'll join you, but I have my own reasons for doing so." Kakashi nodded and began to walk away, hearing Pakkun's light patter of paws behind him. Chou turned and waved when she saw him, her smile brightening the air around her. Pakkun grunted and said, "Is that her? She's pretty. I think I like her already."

Kakashi felt a bead of sweat slip down his brow, a blush staining his cheeks under his mask. When they finally joined Chou, Kakashi introduced her to the nin-dog. "Pakkun, this is Ueda Chou. Chou, this is my summon and friend, Pakkun." Chou smiled down at the nin-dog. "Which one is your pup?" Chou started when Pakkun spoke, but she seemed to take it in stride.

"Kouki is the one in the sand box." Pakkun looked at Kakashi before trotting over to the little boy. The boy seemed to brighten when he noticed Pakkun, and held out his hand out, palm-up for him to smell. Kakashi was a little surprised, but that was nothing compared to the shock he got when he saw Pakkun pick up a stick in his mouth and drop it in front of Kouki. Kakashi didn't think he'd ever seen the Nin-dog do something so domestic in his life. Chou chuckled and turned to face him. "Thank you for that, I know Kouki gets a little lonely sometimes."

"Lonely?"

"I don't have very many employees at my bookshop, so often Kouki has to stay there with me. He often just sits and looks at the picture books while I work the counter. He doesn't often open up to strangers like he did to you." Chou's smile brightened even more. "So whatever you did, thank you! It's hard seeing my baby so sad and being unable to help him." Kakashi felt himself fall over that metaphorical edge head first. He couldn't deny it anymore; He was falling in love with a complete stranger, and a civilian at that.

"What happened to his father?" The sad look that crossed Chou's face made him mentally bang his head against a wall. Of course that was a sore subject, what kind of fool was he for asking that?!

Chou gave a tiny smile. "His father died on a mission a few months after Kouki was born... He was the chunnin leader of a gennin team on a delivery mission gone sour." She took a deep breath before she continued. "Bandits attacked the caravan and he lost his life ensuring the survival of his team." Chou gave him a watery smile and added, "I couldn't be prouder of him, but I do wish he was here to watch his son grow up."

Kakashi couldn't help the need to pull her into his arms to comfort her, so he did, wrapping his hands around her shoulders. He let her sob quietly into his flack jacket, keeping an eye on Kouki and Pakkun while he waited for her to finish. He felt her begin to pull away and he let her, feeling a pang of regret in his heart. "I'm sorry, I hope I didn't ruin your vest! Oh, how silly of me, crying in the middle of a park in broad daylight!" She wiped her eyes and gave him a small smile.

Kakashi felt the need to say something so he thought for a moment. "His father sounds like an excellent shinobi. I understand the pride you feel for him. He gave his life ensuring that his comrades could keep theirs and that is the most noble of sacrifices." He didn't know why he suddenly wanted to bear his heart to her, but he felt that that might be a little too much for her to handle given the brand-new nature of whatever it was they had going on between them. He could feel Chou's smile, rather than see it, but he looked up when Pakkun cleared his throat. Pakkun sat on his haunches and turned to Chou.

"Chou-sama, your pup is getting tired, he's under the tree over there." Chou and Kakashi both looked to where Pakkun had directed their attention. There, under the very tree Pakkun had pointed to was a sleeping Kouki, curled up next to the giant sleeping form of Bull, another of Kakashi's summons. He blanched a little and looked to Pakkun who shrugged. "He sensed the presence of the pup and wanted to join so I let him." Bull had sensed the boy? Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Pakkun flicked away a grasshopper with his paw and added, "I could sense something too, but I don't know what it is. He's too young to know for sure. He might just grow up to be a great shinobi one day." Kakashi nodded. "I like the pup, and so does Bull. He's strong for being so small, and I think his mother would make you a good mate." With that, Pakkun disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Startled, Kakashi whipped his head around to see if Chou had heard, but she wasn't standing next to him anymore. Instead, she was kneeling next to bull and talking with him before patting his head and smiling at him. She lifted her son into her arms and waved to Bull before he too, left in a puff of smoke. She smiled as she approached Kakashi. "Thanks again for today, and for letting Pakkun play with Kouki. I haven't seen him so happy in a long time!" She began to walk away, but she stopped when Kakashi's voice acted of it's own accord.

"Can I walk you home?" Her lips formed a surprised "o," and Kakashi desperately wanted to feel them under his own. Chou then smiled and nodded, and began walking away.

Kakashi tried to slow his rapidly beating heart, however it stopped when he heard Chou's voice say teasingly, "I thought you wanted to walk me home?" He flushed under his mask and body-flickered to her side. They were silent for most of the walk back to her apartment, until Kakashi saw her shift the Kouki's weight in her arms from the corner of his eye.

"Would you like me to take him for a bit?" Chou looked up at him, startled, but then she gave him a small, tired smile and nodded. Kakashi gently took the boy into his arms and held him close to his chest. Before today, kids had just been a nuisance; loud and obnoxious beings that were sticky and smelled and cried too much, but now... Now he kind of liked them. Well, at least he liked the one he was holding. He was quiet and seemed like a smart kid. Pakkun liked him too, so he figured the kid was pretty OK.

Before long, they arrived at the bookshop, the sun setting in the sky behind them. Chou smiled at him and waved for him to follow her up the stairs to her apartment. Once inside, she led him into a small room with a tiny bed, a small dresser and a short bookshelf. He laid Kouki down on the tiny bed and began to remove his little jacket and shoes. Chou left the room and returned with a small set of fleece pajamas covered in owls. Setting the pajamas onto the dresser, Chou took the coat, shoes and scarf from Kakashi and helped him ready the child for bed.

When they were finished, he watched as Chou tucked the blanket up to Kouki's chin and place one of his arms around a small teddy-bear. She then kissed his forehead and shut the door behind her and Kakashi. She let out a sigh and proceeded to shed her own coat and scarf. "Thank you so much for today! I hope we didn't keep you from any of your plans."

Kakashi shook his head and smiled, "It was my day off, and I'm glad I could help! Kouki's a cute kid."

Chou beamed and Kakashi felt his heart flutter. "Thank you!" She looked around herself for a moment before facing him again. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

Kakashi thought for a moment and even though it would disappoint both himself and Chou, he said, "No thank you, I have a mission tomorrow, so I should really head home and rest up." With that, he gave her another eye crinkle and headed for the door.

He felt her follow him and when he was about to take the first step down the stairs, she said, "Can I see you again sometime?" Kakashi nodded and felt his heart race when she grinned. "Thank you again for today, I had a wonderful time and I know Kouki did too! I hope your mission tomorrow is a success!" Kakashi waved as she closed the door, and waited until he was around the corner and out of sight of her apartment before collapsing against the wall of a nearby shop. Kami, his heart was racing and his palms were sweaty. He knew that he was in deep, and that scared the living shit out of him. Shaking his head in frustration, he leaped to the rooftops and bounded towards his own apartment, his head still swimming with thoughts of a green-eyed angel and her son.