Disclaimer: Tsuki owns nothing. She doesn't even own the bed she sleeps in.

Itawaru
To console
By: Tsukiko hoshino


It was the same thing Kakashi did after every mission, visit the ever present memorial. The only thing that ever changed was the amount of blood on his clothes, and the amount of names carved into the stone. This time however, when he made his rounds to the stone after an extensive Anbu mission, still decked in full regalia, there was something decidedly different. He blamed it on the fatigue, for not noticing what it was sooner. Huddled up against the cold unfeeling stone, was a small child with pale pink hair. She was sobbing unabashedly. His hand went to instinctively rub the back of his neck.

Kakashi didn't feel right walking in on something like this, but when he took in just how small she was, and the fact that it was beginning to sprinkle cold rain drops all over the place, he just couldn't walk away; Anbu sense of steel or not. "Ah…" He started up eloquently, blinking when her wide spring green eyes looked at him like a deer caught in the headlights. He realized in quick succession, that it wasn't his interruption that was the cause. 'The mask...' He noted, putting the porcelain off to the side, revealing his true face. "Better?" He questioned, his eyes sliding closed in a smile that was hidden by his cloth mask. 'I can slit a man's neck in less time than it takes to blink, but I can't deal with children.' It would figure.

The girl's wary tear streaked face watched him, her small hands rubbing at her eyes furiously as if to wipe the now apparent shame at being caught crying away. "So…what are you doing out here all by yourself?" Kakashi wondered, as he sat on his hunches just behind her. 'Five or six.' He mused, estimating her age. He almost immediately regretted asking, because already her swollen eyes were filling with tears.

"Papa's dead." She responded, looking back at the monument, her small fingers making their way to a freshly engraved name. "Momma said there was no body, so his name is all there is." It was a feeling Kakashi was familiar with in some form or another. The only thing of Obito's that ever returned to Konoha after his death, was the Eye he had passed down to Kakashi. But for this girl, there was no such comfort.

Kakashi's fingers stroked his gifted eye for a moment, as he peered at the girl thoughtfully. Ever the master of deflection, he sought to distract her from the moment. "Does your mother know you're out here so late, and alone?" Thought she technically wasn't alone anymore, but neither of them commented on that. 'It has to be at least one in the morning.' He mused. The small girls head shook to a fro, like a flower in the gentle swaying wind. It was hard to discern, considering how badly she was shaking now. Kakashi sighed and pushed away his hesitation, the girl was going to freeze in the rain if he didn't do something. With that in mind, her pulled her in between his legs, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Mama wouldn't care even if she did know." The pink haired girl stated through her cries, her chubby hands going to wipe her eyes viciously. "She hasn't been home in the last two days…and when she came home this morning she smelt and acted funny." Kakashi assumed that meant drunk. It would fit with a recently departed spouse. His eyes sought out the name she'd been fixated on. 'Haruno Kozue.' He noted, vaguely remembering the magenta haired man. He'd been a Jounin, and was quiet the fire cracker and an obvious family man, always rushing home to rejoin his family after missions. Kakashi hadn't worked with him much.

"I'm sure she cares quite a bit…it's hard to lose someone you love." He mused, not that he supported getting inebriated and leaving a young child to fend for themselves for days. Briefly he wondered if she'd eaten. "Hmm, what's your name?" Kakashi arched a brow. 'First things first...' He mused.

"Sa-sakura." She responded, sniffling briefly.

"It fits." Kakashi stated, patting her head. "Listen you shouldn't be out here all alone you know?" He paused when she nodded her head, and gave It a gentle pat. "So why don't I take you home?"

Sakura shook her head, as the tears began slipping out of her timid green eyes again. "I don't want to leave him out here all alone!" She sobbed, her fingers hooking into his padded Anbu armor .Maybe it was because her situation was vaguely similar to his, when he had been a child, or maybe it was the haunted look in her eyes, either way Kakashi found his arms tightening around her small body. Her forehead was warm; he could feel it through the shirt he wore under his vest. 'Fever,' He noted. It wasn't surprising if she'd been out her long.

"He's not alone, you know." Kakashi corrected, looking down at her. Hopefully she would calm down and let him take her home. "Look at all the other names." He motioned towards the monument with a lazy hand once he'd caught her attention.

Sakura's eyes had followed the movement as expected. "Is not the same..." She said, shaking her head, sending drops of water away from her coral locks. "He doesn't know all those people." She worried her bottom lip with her teeth. "He might be scared without me." She announced.

Kakashi was quiet sure Kozue knew some of the names on the monument, but he played along. If it weren't such a serious time, he would have smiled. The thought of a Shinobi being afraid of meeting new people was humorous, but even more so, that she seemed to think her presence would alleviate that. "Is true that he doesn't know them all." He admitted. "But they all died for the same thing." He mused, watching as her brows knit in confusion.

"They did?" She questioned meekly, her vaguely curious eyes lifted up to meet his. She didn't seem at all bothered by the contrast of the sharingan to his normal eye. Sakura watched the pale haired man nod his head, and briefly wondered why he wore a mask overtop a mask.

"They died for the sake of Konoha, for you, for me, and For the hokage." Kakashi mused. "That's something they have in common, besides I bet my friend is taking good care of your Papa." Her eyes wrenched from the stone to find his again.

"You think so?" Sakura asked hopefully. If his friend was like him, then maybe she wouldn't be so worried about her poor papa being all alone.

Kakashi leaned his head back to look at the starless sky. "I know so." He stated simply, he could feel her forehead pressing up against his collar once more. She'd fallen asleep, well worn by lonely days and crying fits no doubt. Kakashi was thankful for his acute sense of smell. Despite the drizzling rain, he was able to back track Sakura's home.

With the silence of a well trained ninja, he'd landed just outside the girls bedroom window, and slid in through it. It was white and frilled with accents of red here and there; the girl certainly didn't need any more pink, in his opinion. Kakashi briefly entertained the thought of having a little chat with her mother on the dangers of child neglect, but decided against it. He'd watch things from a distance for a bit, and if things didn't improve…well then, could expect a visit from a rather irate copy-nin.

The Ninja let out a quiet sigh, as he set the girl into bed, prying her fingers from the top of his Anbu armor gently. Despite the tear stains, and puffy eyes, she was a cute kid. Not even the broad forehead distracted from that. With one last look back, he disappeared out the window. He was going home for some well deserved rest. He'd visit Obito in the afternoon, and ask about his new companion.

Whew, Fluff. *Wipes sweat* Well I got to thinking about how there are all these stories about Sakura meeting Itachi when she was little…and I haven't seen something to the affect of Kakasaku done quiet like this before, so I decided to try my hand. I do plan to do a longer, older Sakura and kakashi Fic, I have some ideas on it that I'll be posting on my profile later, so be on the lookout if you're interested! Made of Sakura's daddy's name, it means Tree top. *hums* Soo let me know what you think!