It was rare for both Sakumo and Kakashi to spend time together outside the house. In a rare occasion like Tanabata festival, the third Hokage thought that it would be necessary for a single parent like Sakumo to spend some times with his son. Of course, Sakumo thanked Hiruzen quickly before ran back to the academy to pick up his four years old son. He always wanted a day off so that he could at least spend some more time with his only family, and this is his chance. So when Kakashi saw his father when he was about to walk home, the first thing he did was ran to his father before they walked back to their home together. Sakumo couldn't forget the big smile on Kakashi's face when he told him that they are going to Hanabi festival together. Late in the evening, Sakumo led Kakashi in white children size yukata by hand to the Square where the festival had been held.
The area was full of games, food and souvenir shops and small stalls. Sakumo bought Kakashi a senkou hanabi (lit. incense firework) where he looked at the sparks it produced with wide eyes. This was their first time together in Tanabata. So man people greeted them with respect, commented on how cute Kakashi was (which cause him to blush furiously).
"He really got his mother's eyes" one of the many people that greeted him said. A confused look formed in Kakashi's face. Sakumo noticed it and quickly excused himself and led his son to a special place where they could watch the fireworks. Each explosion in the sky looked as if there were flowers in the sky just for a millisecond. The colour of the firework reflected into Kakashi eyes as he stared at it with amazement.
"Otou-san" Kakashi's small voice rang between each loud explosion of firework.
"Huh?"
"What do my mother looked like?" Kakashi eyes stared into the sky filled with sparks and crackles of colour light from the firework as Sakumo drew his breath.
"I'd been hearing it for sometimes now, that I looked like my mother. What do she looks like?"
There was a very award silence between their conversations, before Sakumo decided to answer with memories flashed through his mind.
"Yoriko was my childhood friend. And no, she's not a ninja, just a normal civilian girl any village would have. She had a light chesnut hair colour which she often tied them as a loose braid and grey colour eyes. We met each other at the Tanabata, at this exact place"
Eight years old Sakumo tried to push through the crowd of people who gathered at one point to watch the firework, which seems to be fruitless. He gave up and sat down at the bench near the food stall instead. He never got a clear view of the firework because of his size. He didn't realize that there was a girl beside him. She saw him sighed deeply and looked at the sky with bored eyes. She grabbed his hand and led him to a small hill with lone tree standing alone. Sakumo was dazed with her action but let her led him any way. She's a civilian so he's not that worried. Standing under the tree she pointed to the sky. The first firework lit up the sky. There's no people blocking him here, he can see the firework clearly.
"Wow thanks, you seems to know a lot of special places" Sakumo expected to get an answer. However, the girl didn't say anything. Instead she pulled out a small note book with small pen and wrote something.
Thank you!
She showed it to him with a big grin on her face.
"I realized that moment that she's different from the other. I knew that Yoriko so actually a mute. She was a daughter of a paper toy shop that sold toys made out of paper for children. We started to see each other more often and communicate through a little note book she always carried as she did not know hand sign. At the age of twenty, I decided to ask her out and surprisingly she just said…well wrote 'yes'. We married three years later." Sakumo put his hand on his son's head and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Then one year later, Yoriko informed me that she was pregnant."
Kakashi smiled at this and looked at his father. His father's gentle expression then slightly turned into a sad one. "But it didn't go as we planned."
"Due to your wife physical state, I don't think that your wife can give birth like normal mothers could. The number platelets n her blood is lower than normal women. I don't think that during the birth, we can stop the bleeding in time." Horror displayed on Sakumo's and Yoriko's face as they were listening to the doctor's explanation. Yoriko was in tears brokedown into a silent sob in her husband arms.
"I would advice you to do an abortion"
"We almost give up on you…not until Yoriko snapped me to sense and convince me that she want this child she never going to know, to see his face or even hold him for once. She won though. And we agreed, to no mater what happen we will still keep you, because Yoriko loves you so much, and I don't want to lose you to" Sakumo was silent for a long time. "It wasn't the birth that killed her. On her ninth month, three weeks before your due date, an explosion tag set by one of the spies of iwa blew up one of the building near the hospital. Everybody panicked, they tried to run from hospital….and Yoriko was push down the stairs"
"Yoriko!" Sakumo cried as he bended down beside his wife's bed clutching her pale and cold hand. HE could no longer feel the pulse warmth in her stiffen wrist. His wife was gone. The moment he feared the most finally came true, and it wasn't a dream. He ran his hand along her pale face with tear staining his face. He could not save her. Buried his head into her hair he cried openly, not cared about the people who stared at him.
"Hatake-sama, I understand you're very upset right now, but there's another life that needs you"
He looked at his wife again then gave her his last kiss before followed the doctor. Before he even knew it, he was in the infant section of the hospital. Looking through the glass wall separating him from the room inside, he saw an incubator with a small figure with a signature silver hair inside. The baby was very small for its size with a small tube between its nostrils to keep it breathing. Oh, how fragile this baby looked. Forcing to undergo a premature birth must have affected him so much. And to suffer the fall, the baby was really lucky to survive. As Sakumo watching his son struggling to survive, he could feel that right now, his wife was protecting his son even though she wasn't with them. And he swore that he will fulfill his wife's wish of taking care of his son no matter what happen.
"The doctor once said that you might not grow up properly, that you couldn't be a he was wrong" Sakumo hugged his son close to him. "You grew up into a fine young boy and even entered a ninja academy. Your mother would be proud.
As they stayed like that Sakumo feel wetness on his yukata only to realize that Kakashi was crying.
"Kakashi?"
"I'm sorry"
"Wha-?"
"I'm sorry that I made Oka-san died"
"No!" Sakumo cupped his son face and wiping his tears with his thumbs as Kakashi hiccupped. "You are so precious to her, that she could give her life for you. And her death, that couldn't bee your fault Kakashi. You were even a victim in that situation. She wanted to protect you Kakashi. For me and Yoriko, you are the most precious thing that we had. We will give anything to protect you. The only thing you have to do, is be a good boy and make us proud. Can you do that?"
"Y-yes, Otou-san"
"There, there." Sakumo picked up Kakashi let him calm down in his shoulder as e walked down the hill that held one of the most precious memories he had.
"Let's go home"
Sakumo stared at the note book that bore the word "thank you" as he smiled and held out his hand.
"I'm Sakumo, Hatake Sakumo"
Nice to meet you Sakumo, I'm Yoiriko, Osawa Yoriko.
The memory of the first time he met Yoriko flashed into his mind as he held Kakashi for the first time when the doctor declared that Kakashi was safe enough to be out of the incubator. The baby was still asleep but looks a lot healthier than the previous week.
"I'm Sakumo, Hatake Sakumo. I'm your Otou-san. Nice to meet you." Sakumo whispered softly to his son. As if Kakashi heard him, he opened his eyes and blinked several times. That grey colour eyes like hers. It was as if she was staring at him. The baby smile and giggled in delight as he reach up his tiny hand clasped and unclasped as he tried to reach for his father's face. The baby make noises as if he tried to speak but no translator or note book was needed for him. Sakumo knew what was he trying to say from his heart.
Nice to meet you Otou-san!
They had the same smile.
A/N: ughh! If you watch the news which I think everybody does, the situation in my country (Thailand) is not very well...okay BAD. I couldn't go out or hangout with friends like I used to be. I couldn't walk down the street without being afraid of being shot or bombed by the terrorist. And that cause me a major writer block right now. And with the exams going on, I think the progress of the other story will be very slow. This political problem had been going on for so long before I even start the story, but it just gone badly just now. I really hope it will end soon. I'm not sure anymore if I should continue my other story as I now think that it turned out really bad. I wrote this because I suddenly miss my friend who IS a mute. We weren't friends for long because after I met her for one year, she moved away. We talked through papers and a small note book she kept as I do not know sign language. We haven't met each other for almost eight years now. I almost forgot her name for a moment too. I miss you May
Again, bare in mind that this story was written without a beta reader and English is my third language (really).