The chapter is short, but so will be the others. I'm not sure I can write them in English, much less long. Buuuut, it was written carefully, so, I hope you all like. And thanks for who commented.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does. Yeah, yeah, everybody knows that.

Tag, you're it!

By Amaryllis Namikaze

Chapter 2

Kakashi breathed deeply.

Although he still was a little freaked out by Sandaime's words, he knew he could do it - or at least hoped to. Shit! How was he going to take care of a toddler? The silver-haired Jounin never was a child exactly. At age four he was already Genin. What does a kid like? Sweets, toys? She probably would like that.

Kakashi frowned. She'd like that, he thought bitterly, mainly because she never had.

The Jounin walked at the secretary direction.

There are… some things that you need to know about her, Sandaime's voice repeated in his head.

Kakashi asked where Kori's room was.

She's incredibly smart for a toddler her age, being capable of read and form full sentences, but…

The secretary made a disgusted face and Kakashi practically growled at her. His weird reactions were that – weird. But he wouldn't let someone hurt his sensei's daughter.

But she doesn't talk much. Actually, she doesn't like to talk, I think she's afraid of it. And also there's a thing you won't like.

Kakashi walked through the hallways, searching number 78.

She isn't, hm, potty trained. She's intelligent and understands, hem, what she needs to do, but something at the orphanage happened and Kori is terrified. I hope and expect you to help her, Kakashi; she's just a lonely little girl. Please.

Kakashi had mixed emotions. He wanted to meet Kori, he didn't want to. He wanted to take care of her, he didn't want to. It was confusing for him to feel like that, because – in general – the silver-haired Jounin was just stoic when doing missions and alone when at the Memorial Stone. Walking through the hallways, knowing he'd meet Kori was a strange thought, a strange emotion, a strange situation.

And he didn't know if he liked this at all.

She was asleep.

Her mid-back length, blond hair formed a halo around her baby-fatted face. Tiny, pink lips and button nose. Whiskers-like in both her cheeks and long eyelashes. Heart shaped face and creamy pearl skin. Small fingers, fragile body.

She was asleep.

And looked like an angel.

Kakashi, for some reason, couldn't stop looking. Was it because she was a female form of his sensei? Was it because of her beauty and innocence? Was it because of what the Sandaime told him and he felt guilty that didn't meet her before?

Her eyelids trembled. Kori opened her eyes and looked at him suspiciously, tense. She had big eyes, like her mother, but they were an ocean blue instead of violet. As her father's were. But something wasn't right… Her innocence, baby-like face wasn't just cute… Her face was cold, stoic… lonely. She didn't glare at him, she didn't cry. Kori looked, and looked, and looked.

Would she say something? Did she want him to say first? What could he say?

"Hello." Thankfully he didn't stutter pathetically as he did at the Hokage office. Kori just sat there, silent. "I'm Hatake Kakashi."

The Sandaime said she was incredibly smart and could form full sentences, yet, she hadn't spoken. Did she understand? Kakashi didn't know much about children, but it was a well-known fact that kids couldn't exactly remember their baby years. Two-years-old still was a baby, right?

Kakashi felt useless.

"How are you?"

Okay, stupid question. The tiny girl was lying down on a hospital bed, after suffered abuse from villagers and he asked how she was. What was his problem?

Fortunately, the Sandaime arrived three minutes later, saving Kakashi from the dead silence. The old Hokage looked serious to the Jounin and smiled softly to the child.

"How are you feeling, my dear? Does your arm still hurt? I can call the nurse if you want."

Kakashi mentally face-palmed. That was what he was supposed to do.

Kori shook her head. No.

"This man here is Hatake Kakashi, a loyal Jounin and a friend. You can trust him, dear." He won't hurt you, the Sandaime was saying. Kakashi understood, but asked himself if the tiny girl did too. He discretely observed: her once tense fragile body was a little less frozen.

"He and I came here because Kakashi wants to adopt you."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, analyzing Kori. She didn't react as the Sandaime started to explain how she would live with him and he'd take care of her. Except for her suspicious, cold blue eyes, her baby face looked innocent, cute, even – stretching the reality – happy. But her pouty lips weren't smiling.

"And you can be a family." Hiruzen finished with a smile in his lips.

Kakashi wished that the Sandaime didn't say things like this. He was an ex-ANBU; he could never be the "family type". Could he even give love to the little, lonely person on the bed?

"I'll leave you two alone, so you can chat. Goodbye, dear child."

The Sandaime stood up to give a careful hug. Kori didn't move much, obviously still in pain, but wrapped up her small arms around Sarutobi. She looked so tiny, so fragile that Kakashi couldn't help but think he would anything to keep her from harm.

And, then, they were alone again. However, this time, in a comfortable silence. Kori fall asleep some minutes after, returning to her angelic appearance. Kakashi sat on a chair at her bedside, not sure of what to do.

Kori moaned and her eyelids trembled, but nothing more occurred.

She was asleep.