Heart's Note: WHile the attention the rewrite of Bonds got wasn't as much as the Original did, I'm glad to see that other people like Paternal! Kakashi as much as I do. There need to be more of this kind of KakaSasu, dammit!

Disclaimer: Naruto is Masashi Kishimotos, not mine. Kay?

"I'm sorry, Takeshi-san. Your son may never recover from his blindness. I've seen strange ninjutsu before, but this..." Kakashi nodded, sighing as he cradled his head in his head. He'd been afraid of this, which was why they'd not returned to the Leaf Village. He had left with barely a word, and now that Sasuke was like this, he couldn't return. The doctor patted Kakashi on the shoulder, walking away to tend to other patients as he left Kakashi with the sleeping Sasuke. Bandages canvassed the poor boys body, his entire torso wrapped in white cloth and medicine. The bandages on his wrists and ankles were stained with tiny red streaks, showing that some of his wounds had cracked open again. Leaning his elbows down onto his knees, Kakashi supported his head on one hand as the other gently finger-combed Sasuke's hair away from his closed eyes. That problem had stumped all the doctors they'd seen in this town, not a single one had been able to deciper the Jutsu that must have been used to blind the poor teen. The setting sun filtering through the window behind the concerned man sent patterns skittering across the opposite wall. If Kakashi looked hard enough, he could see lives play out in those shadows, only to end as the sun finally dipped below the horizon. Noting that the door was locked, Kakashi's head began to droop a little, eyelid falling closed. Keeping one hand twined with Sasuke's in case the boy needed him, Kakashi leaned back in the chair to try and get some rest.

"No...stop it...leave 'im alone..." Kakashi's eye opened slowly, before it widened as he leaned forward. Sasuke was muttering in his sleep, face contorted in pain as sweat formed on his brow. Kakashi squeezed at the boys hand, trying to get him to wake up. When there was no response, Kakashi stood up. Placing his hands on Sasuke's shoulders, he leaned over his son.

"Sasuke, wake up. It's ok. You're safe now." Sasuke squirmed under Kakashi's touch, trying to break free.

"no..lemme go..." Kakashi continued to try and reassure the boy, but it didn't work for a very tense moment. Sasuke suddenly sat up straight, curling into himself as the curse mark on his neck flared. Pained whimpers escaped the poor boy, even as Kakashi rubbed wide, calming circles in his back. When the mark settled down, Sasuke relaxed a bit.

"Kakashi..." Kakashi nodded.

"I'm right here. It's ok." Sasuke swallowed hard, and both student and teacher sat there in silence for a long moment. Kakashi was almost dozing again when Sasuke lunged at him, throwing his arms around the older mans neck and clinging to him. There were no tears this time, just the need of comfort. And Kakashi was happy to give it to his only son.

3 weeks later.

Kakashi bowed in gratitude, waving over his shoulder as he and Sasuke prepared to leave the hospital to head for home. While he hadn't fully recovered from his wounds, Sasuke was fed up from laying in a hospital bed with nothing to do for three weeks, and he had all but threatened to hop out the window to get away. Kakashi knew he'd have done it, too. He liked hospitals about as much as the older Jounin did, and that was explaining a lot. Keeping an arm around Sasuke's shoulders to guide him down the roads home, Kakashi looked up at the sky. So much had happened, so quickly. The whirlwind of emotions upon finding Sasuke alive, the three weeks recovery in this tiny village hospital, and now...returning to a world they both knew was about to change. Perhaps for the better, perhaps for the worse. Kakashi couldn't say.

"Nah, Kakashi...?" Kakashi jolted from his thoughts.

"Hmm?" Sasuke nibbled on his lower lip, concerned about something.

"When we get back...what's going to happen to me? If the Jutsu can't be fixed, I mean." Kakashi tilted his head. Blind Shinobi were rather rare, but not unheard of. Given enough time, Sasuke would be able to adapt to using his hearing and touch as weapons. Of course, the lack of Sharingan could prove problematic. But they'd just work around that, too.

"Well, I was planning on adopting you, before Kabuto and all, but now..." Sasuke tensed beneath his arm, and Kakashi kicked himself a little. Apparently, he hadn't put enough amusement into his tone and he'd ended up scaring the boy.

"Now, I'm actually going to adopt you. Unless, you'd want someone else looking out for you?" Sasuke flinched, before relaxing. He shook his head, smiling a little.

"No, you'll do." Kakashi smiled beneath his mask, giving the boy a gentle squeeze.

"Good to hear."

"Hold still...there." Tsunade wiped her brow, then frowned as she smeared chakra ink over her face. It was hard work, getting this curse mark sealed off without it flaring around. Of course, Kakashi's help was invaluable, if only to keep Sasuke calm. After almost a month of them bieng gone from the Village, both shinobi had returned in the dead of night. Shizune had woken her up, and here they were. In her cursory exam of the Jutsu used to blind the teen, she'd realized it was tied directly to the curse mark. If they could just get rid of this thing, or at least seal it off for good...Sasuke might get his sight back. But the mark was fighting them every step of the way, almost as if Orochimaru could feel his once-teammate's effort to seal it off and was dogging her every move. Tsunade entertained that thought for barely a second, making another mark on Sasuke's back. The final symbol locked into place with the rest, and Kakashi patted his adopted son on top of his head for holding still while Tsunade did her work. Giving her smock a tug in slight nervousness, Tsunade's hands formed the one seal that would complete the Jutsu.

"Curse Seal!" To his credit, Sasuke did a good job of holding in his cries of pain as the symbols did their job, crawling up his chest, back, and sides to nib his curse mark in the bud. It flared red hot, then faded to nothing but scar tissue. Sasuke fell forward, passing out in Kakashi's arms as the exhaustion kicked in. When he awoke several hours later, pale blue eyes focused themselves on his adopted father. From where she leaned on her desk, Tsunade gave a wry smile.

"Side effect of the removal. You can see, but you're gonna have to put up with lighter eyes." Sasuke and Kakashi stared at her in shock, before the relief knocked Sasuke back against the cot as his vision finally kicked back in. A little blurry at first, but that would clear with time. He could still fight. He could still run. He could still be a Shinobi.

He could still be Kakashi's son.

In truth, Sasuke knew that blind or otherwise, Kakashi had accepted him as his son long ago.

And that, as they say, is that.

Heart's Note: Originaly, I planned to leave Sasuke blind as a bat, having a lot more Angsty stuff. But...when I tried to write it...I just couldn't. Maybe cause I'm shortsighted, and know how it feels to not be able to see clearly 6 inches in front of your face, but whatever the reason, you guys got your happy ending. Now...if you'll pardon me...I'e got NejiTen fanart to con out of a friend. He so owes me for this.