Chapter 2: Temporary Arrangements
Iruka growled in frustration as he walked home, trying and failing to get the bubble gum out of hair. Plus point for getting creative with their weapons, minus points for getting caught.
Giving up tugging as futile, Iruka shifted the stack of essays he was holding to his other arm with a sigh. A few hours a day with children was more than enough for him, thank you. It was thankless and exhausting work, and why Kakashi thought he'd want one around continually was beyond him.
The thought of his lover had Iruka sighing again. Kakashi hadn't come to get him, and he hadn't heard any rumors about the Copy-ninja accidentally killing an infant, so he could only assume they were fine- which was both good and bad.
Good in that he probably wouldn't find an emotionally destroyed Kakashi when he got home. Bad because, and he'd realized this too late, a whole day alone with the baby would get Kakashi even more attached to it, and it would be harder to convince him that they couldn't keep it.
And they couldn't keep it; Iruka had already made up his mind on that fact. He had several reasons for this, not just that he had no desire for a child of his own, even if that was a part of it. Reasons that he was sure his lover, for all his genius, would not have thought of.
Things like the fact that they could very easily put that little girl through the nightmare that had been their own childhoods. Iruka didn't go on missions very often, but when he did they were always highly ranked- and of course Kakashi's were almost always bad because of his skills, which were needed to complete the most dangerous of assignments. The longer he'd taught at the Academy, and the more orphans he had met, the more Iruka was convinced that two ninja shouldn't have children. There was nothing more painful to a child than having nobody want them, and he couldn't in good conscience place that girl in the same situation.
It would be far better if they could find her real family, or even a civilian family that would be willing to take her in.
Furthermore, his and Kakashi's relationship was currently on a strictly need-to-know basis. In fact, even some of those closest to them- Naruto and Sakura for example- had no idea the two of them were together.
Though ninja tended to have a 'don't ask, don't tell' attitude about all relationships, civilians weren't as accepting. And Iruka had an unusually high contact with them since there were nearly a dozen first generation ninja in his class. He didn't want to deal with those parents and their outrage at having a man who was in a very serious and committed relationship with another man teach their children- considering some of them were already suspicious of him just for being a male that wanted to teach little kids.
If they started walking around with the same baby and became the family he instinctly knew Kakashi would want them to be, he might as well get 'property of Hatake Kakashi- Copy-Nin' tattooed on his forehead and brace himself for the onslaught of parent meetings that could cost him his job if Tsunade decided he wasn't worth all the trouble to keep.
Not to mention the other things babies needed. Constant care when he worked or Kakashi was off on one of the variety of missions he was often given. There were even times when he and Kakashi were assigned lengthy missions at the same time. What would they do with her then?
Space, too, which they frankly just didn't have. Kakashi had illegally moved in to Iruka's government issued bachelor chuunin housing, saying it had less bad associations with it than Kakashi's Jounin apartment did. It was small even for one person. With the two of them they were pretty much constantly falling over each other- Kakashi's big bed took up all but a little walking space in the bedroom. Add a baby and all the STUFF babies came with, and they'd be miserable.
Yes, keeping her was absolutely out of the question, and he'd just have to make Kakashi see reason.
"I'm home," Iruka said, just loud enough for Kakashi to hear him if he was inside, as he kicked off his sandals and dropped his bag by the door.
"Welcome back," Kakashi answered merrily, stepping out from the kitchen with the baby held securely in his arms. Iruka raised an eyebrow at the brightly colored outfit she was wearing, but chose not to comment. While clothes hadn't been on the list, he couldn't scold Kakashi for that one.
"Everything go alright today?" He asked, putting his essays on the coffee table.
"Yeah, Sakiko and I had fun."
Iruka froze, righting himself to look at his lover. "What's a Sakiko?"
"That's…what I decided to call her."
Iruka felt himself going on the defensive. He wanted to stop it and approach this whole thing rationally, but he couldn't quite seem to get his temper under control.
"Kakashi, you can't name it! Once you name it, you start getting attached to it."
"She's not an it," Kakashi pouted. "And what's wrong with getting attached?"
"Because she isn't ours, Kakashi. She belongs to somebody."
"She belongs to us."
"Kakashi, please don't do this," Iruka sighed, rubbing his temples. "We can't keep her. I know you know that. It's just not logical, and we're not equipped to…We can't."
"Following that logic, you shouldn't teach either," Kakashi sulked.
"That's different. I'm trained to take care of them for several hours a day," Iruka almost growled back. "This is a twenty-four hour commitment. It takes things we don't have, that we can't get, and we can't just…"
The baby- Sakiko started to whine then and tried to grab Kakashi's fingers on the hand not supporting her body. Kakashi smiled at her, moving towards the bags on the floor by their couch. "Can we talk about this later? 'Kiko-chan is getting bored. After she's asleep, maybe?"
She wasn't getting bored, she was getting upset by the tension in the air, and Iruka knew it. He felt his temper flare at the thought that Kakashi was brushing the problem away so lightly just because she was a little upset, but he took a deep break and regathered his composure. It wasn't fair to get annoyed at her. Sakiko hadn't asked to be found by the most idiotic Jounin in all the nin-nations after all.
Continuing to upset her would only upset Kakashi, and then they'd never get anywhere. He just had to calm down and approach this from a different angle. Kakashi was, as the evidence showed, already too emotionally involved with the little girl to approach this logically, and Iruka was too involved in Kakashi to do what would be necessary to make him see that logic.
So, it was time to appeal to an outsider, and there was one person that Kakashi had to listen to. It made him feel almost dirty to have to go over Kakashi's head like this, but status quo was unacceptable.
Iruka sat down across from Kakashi, who'd taken up residence on the floor while he dug out a blue rattle and pacifier for her. He chose to ignore that those hadn't been on his list either as he sat down and held out his arms, "Here. Let me hold her for a little while."
Kakashi looked at him suspiciously, and Iruka winced a little inside from the look that was directed at him, before the Jounin gently laid the baby in his arms. Sakiko whimpered a little at being separated from her primary care giver for the last day, but as Iruka began rocking her she calmed down. She blinked her dark blue eyes up at him, sucking quietly on her pacifier. She really was kind of cute.
"She looks just like you," Kakashi said suddenly, looking comically wide-eyed.
"What?" Iruka asked, looking up at him.
"She looks just like you," the Jounin repeated, reaching out to brush his fingers through the fuzz of the baby's brown hair.
"No, she doesn't. Our hair is similar, I guess, but really we don't…"
"You do," Kakashi said, making it clear that it was a non-negotiable issue.
Well, okay. It's not like it's a big deal either way. Iruka grabbed one small foot, using his fingers to wiggle her toes, and Sakiko smiled at him.
"You know," Iruka said slowly, still playing with the tiny feet, "we really need to take her to Tsunade."
"What?" Kakashi looked up at him sharply, but Iruka didn't look away from the baby.
"I don't think we're supposed to just adopt random children without telling the Hokage, do you? And she's bound to notice her eventually." Iruka watched Kakashi out of the corner of his eye as the other man lowered his head and looked slightly scolded. He allowed him a few seconds to think about it before the chuunin looked up at his lover and smiled. "I'm sure she'll just give her a check-up and get some information so she knows to listen for any reports of missing children. Come on. If we hurry, she'll still be in a good mood because Shizune won't have brought in the afternoon paperwork yet."
Kakashi looked momentarily confused as he was pulled to his feet, a little disoriented by Iruka's apparent shift in mood. The chuunin just smiled at him, unzipped his own vest, and carefully placed the baby inside before zipping it up so her head was poking out but she wouldn't fall- leaving both of Iruka's hands free.
The Jounin stared, dumbfounded. "Why didn't I think of that?"
"Because you've never had to try and carry more than two kids at a time." Iruka grinned, adjusting his vest slightly so he and Sakiko were both more comfortable while the baby giggled. "Now, come on or we'll miss our window of opportunity."
Getting to the Hokage's office only took them five minutes as they sped along the rooftops to avoid civilian traffic. Kakashi wasn't sure he liked traveling so dangerously with a small baby, but Iruka didn't seem concerned with it and Sakiko giggled nearly the whole way so he didn't say anything.
Once they got to the tower and walked towards the Hokage's office, they met up with Shizune—who promptly dropped her papers and stared at the little face peering out of Iruka's jacket.
"Wh-what is that?" She gasped
"That would be a baby, Shizune-san. I know she's funny looking, but really you should be able to tell," Iruka grinned at her.
"She's not funny looking! She's adorable," Kakashi protested from behind him, folding his arms and doing his best to glare at Iruka when the chuunin wasn't looking at him.
"You said she looks like me," the brunette in question said with a casual wave of his hand, "Therefore, she must be funny looking."
Kakashi opened his mouth to protest this idea, but Shizune interrupted.
"How on earth did you two get a baby?" She looked absolutely horrified at the idea that anyone would dare to trust two men with a little child and removed her from Iruka's vest. Sakiko whined in protest, wiggling to free herself from the young woman's arms, and the chuunin could feel Kakashi twitch behind him.
Iruka had to admit he was honestly a little insulted. He knew full well how to handle small children, thank you very much. "That's why we're here. We need to see Hokage-sama."
"Tsunade-sama is very busy at the moment! You two should be busy also. I appreciate you bringing in the infant in to the proper place; I'll handle it from here."
Shizune turned to walk away, and several things happened at once. Iruka opened his mouth to say something, Kakashi moved to dart forward, and Sakiko started to scream. It wasn't just screaming, either. It was an ear-splitting wail of terror.
Kakashi froze stone still; eye nearly bugging out of his head like he couldn't believe a noise like that was coming from something so small. Honestly, Iruka couldn't either.
Over the frightened screaming, they could hear a door bang open and Tsunade appeared in the hallway. She stalked over to Shizune, took the infant from her arms- momentarily causing Sakiko to scream louder- and stuck a finger in the little girl's mouth. The baby quieted instantly, starting to passively suck on the finger in her mouth as she stared up at Tsunade curiously.
"Can somebody tell me," Tsunade said, sounding calm even though her eye was twitching in a most undignified manner, "where the hell this baby came from?"
Kakashi raised his hand, managing to make the visible part of his face look sheepish. "I found her."
"Where? To my knowledge, you only got back from your mission this morning."
"Well, you see, as I was coming back…"
Tsunade held up her hand to stop him, and Kakashi gulped. That look couldn't mean anything good. Iruka moved closer beside him, slipping his hand gently into Kakashi's as unspoken support.
"Office. Both of you. Now."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Kakashi muttered, following the blonde woman and Shizune into the rather impressive office. Iruka shut the door behind them as Tsunade took a seat at her desk, immediately digging out a little medical kit.
Kakashi felt his stomach twist, and looked at his village leader anxiously. "What's that for? Sakiko's not sick, is she?"
"So you've named her already, have you? No, she's not sick. It's just a standard check up she needs if you're going to keep her."
"Keep her?" Shizune and Iruka gasped at the same time. Shizune sounded shocked while Iruka sounded almost angry. Kakashi shot him a curious look, but the chuunin wasn't looking at him.
"But Tsunade-sama," Shizune protested, "are you sure that's really a good idea? I mean, Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-san are both very busy shinobi. They wouldn't have time, or know how, to take care of a little girl. Don't you think we should do what's best for her and…"
"I am doing what's best for her," Tsunade explained, prodding the baby's belly gently. Sakiko giggled. "The best thing for any child is a loving family, and you already love her don't you, Kakashi?"
The Jounin was genuinely surprised by the question, but answered without a thought. "Yes, Hokage-sama."
He felt Iruka stiffen beside him, and pull away slightly. Kakashi looked at him again, confused. Why did something like that seem to upset the other man? Of course he loved her already! It was hard not to when she obviously was dependant on him for everything.
"Then there is no reason you shouldn't keep her. She's far too young to be used as a very effective weapon against Konoha. However, do you know more about her family? Are they dead?"
"I don't know," he confessed. "I just found her in a basket. It was sort of hidden."
"So," Tsunade said, now turning Sakiko's head to look in her ear in spite of the infant's protests, "It is possible that they're still alive and could come looking for her."
"Yes…"
"Then I shall appoint you temporary guardians. I'll have ninja out on missions in that area listen for reports of a missing child. If nobody comes to claim her in six months, then you can officially adopt her as yours."
Kakashi felt almost giddy at the thought, a very strange feeling he hadn't felt for a long time. He was practically bouncing with excitement. "Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Now," Tsunade stood up, smiling a little as the baby pulled her finger back into her mouth. "Judging from her development, I'd say she's about four months old. Make sure you have all the age appropriate things. You know what to look for, don't you, Iruka-sensei?"
Iruka nodded. All academy sensei were trained to work with children as young as that up until much older, because you never could be sure when a child would show potential to be a ninja. Kakashi was a good example of this.
"Well, then, it's all settled. You can both take tomorrow off to make sure you have everything and Sakiko-chan is all settled. But no more than that." The two ninja nodded again as Tsunade handed Sakiko back to Kakashi. The baby giggled in delight as Kakashi held her close to his chest.
Tsunade smiled at the pair before turning around. "Shizune, have Hatake Sakiko entered into record books for Konoha."
"Hatake…" Kakashi trailed off, looking both frightened and delighted.
"Is something wrong with that?" Tsunade asked, half turning back to them.
"It's fine," Iruka answered crisply, and bowed. "Thank you for your time, Hokage-sama."
Tsunade waved a hand in dismal, and the trio left her to attend the still dumbfounded Shizune.
Kakashi rushed back home excitedly, unable to contain himself. It confused him a little because it was such a foreign feeling for a ninja like him. The only time he ever felt anything close to that was when a new Icha Icha volume came out, though he actually hated to relate it to that. He liked to think that what he was feeling right now was a little more pure. He smiled down at the delighted baby grabbing at his scroll pouches and laughing with each bounce as they soared above the rooftops of Konoha. The jounin was so absorbed with her that he didn't notice the sulking expression on the face of the chuunin just behind him.
When they finally reached the small apartment, Iruka stepped forward and opened the door. Kakashi followed him inside, bouncing his charge, who was still giggling. He kicked off his sandals and took Sakiko into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator, only to be disappointed as he found it nearly empty. Iruka took off his chuunin vest and hung it up. He frowned at the bags of baby supplies still by the couch. It only took one large step for Kakashi to move from the kitchen to the living room.
"We'll have to move things around a bit. Maybe buy a small crib so there'll be enough space. What about when she gets bigger though? She can't sleep with us…No, definitely not. Maybe we should get a bigger house! What do you think? Iruka? Are you okay?"
The chuunin was sitting on the couch now and frowning at Kakashi's bare feet. The baby in the jounin's arms was watching him while sucking her thumb silently. Kakashi sensed a bad vibe in the air.
"It's nothing," the chuunin replied dismissively.
"Liar. You know I can tell when something's bothering you. Look, I know you're not happy about the baby, but please, just give her a chance."
Iruka sighed.
"You just don't get it, Kakashi. This baby's not right for us, and we're not right for her. She needs someone she can depend on, who she can count on not to end up dead before she's old enough to know where babies come from. I never agreed to this, and even now, I still don't want to."
Kakashi gave him a long, cold stare. Reality sunk in as he realized what the chuunin's true intentions had been when he had suggested visiting the Hokage. He held the bundle in his arms a little tighter and closer to his chest protectively. His voice shook slightly as he confronted his lover.
"So that trip to see Tsunade…It wasn't for her own good? You just wanted to get rid of her?"
Iruka froze.
"I wanted to hear what she had to say."
"So she could take her away?"
"So she could do what's best for her!"
"Well, you got what you wanted, Iruka," Kakashi growled, trying to keep his voice even, "Tsunade said I'm what's best for her. So it's decided. She's staying."
Iruka let out a frustrated grunt and left the living room, shutting the bedroom door behind him loudly. Kakashi looked down at Sakiko sadly as the infant began to cry. What was he getting himself into? And did he want to get out? He rocked Sakiko until the infant clutched onto his vest with tiny fists and slowly quieted down. She closed her eyes and drifted into sleep in Kakashi's arms. The silver-haired man smiled.
I'm sorry, Iruka, but whatever you think – I know I've made the right choice. We have a daughter now. A real family – something neither of us ever had for very long. You'll see. I'm doing what's best for all of us because she's not just mine…is she?
And Kakashi realized he didn't know.
