A/n: I apologize for the short chapter, but it's a necessary transition chapter. Next week will be (marginally) longer.

Chapter 3: Perspective

There was a certain amount of stoicism required as a shinobi, especially when the career was paved with war and death.

Kakashi's emotions had always been frozen, up until the day Obito died and imparted to him a lesson about learning to trust and make friends. Kakashi wasn't afraid to admit he'd cried burning tears that day, and Rin in his arms was no better. Rin's death had equally quickly brought tears to his eyes (and vomit in his throat), because she wasn't supposed to jump in front of his attack for Konoha's sake, and she hadn't needed to die with a smile on her lips like Obito had done. Minato-sensei followed suit scant years later, and Kakashi cried because the man was everything he had left in that make-shift family he'd finally been able to obtain.

Breaking down only three times in those long twenty-so years of his was something Kakashi was well aware of.

For his own father's death so many years ago, Kakashi had been too numb at the sight of blood splattered against the tatami mat, and the idea that his father took his own life, that he'd felt nothing of it. By the time the numbing spell wore off, he was too angry and bitter at the man to care.

Yet on the very first day of his time-travelling adventure, Kakashi was embarrassed to admit he'd lost control of his emotions once more. Unexpectedly, it was out of happiness of all things, but it made for a good change.

Perhaps the outburst was well overdue. True, Kakashi had hated his father, but over his years, Kakashi had long forgiven him for taking the easy way out. Kakashi would acceptingly take any apologies Sakumo would give in, and in return, Kakashi had his own, because he realised his unsympathetic actions had accelerated his father's depression.

He had been a child, but he was also a prodigy. He really should've known better.

But the past was the past, and Kakashi wouldn't allow his father to reach that state again. Presently, though, Kakashi noticed his father had changed. Or maybe because he was older, Kakashi was seeing him from a different perspective.

The father that had been in Kakashi's memories had been a distant man. He wouldn't have said Sakumo ignored him, but the two hardly spent much time together; either one was on a mission, or the other was out training by himself. Considering Sakumo's strength as one of Konoha's strongest, his numerous missions were nothing to be surprised about. Suffice to say, their time together was even less once Kakashi enrolled into the academy. Time that could've been spent together during Sakumo's days off were lost since Kakashi had either school or homework to attend to.

They'd grown apart so quickly, and the Kakashi of that time once even thought that perhaps his own father had hated his presence. Between the fact the man never treated him like much of a son (not that little Kakashi had realised at the time), and the fact that he accepted Kakashi's independence so early on, Kakashi had wondered if his existence in Sakumo's life was bogging down the man's full potential and the man couldn't forgive him for that. It certainly felt like it at the time. Sakumo killing himself off never helped his doubting heart.

But now, for some unanticipated reason, Sakumo decided it was due time to take a short leave from all the missions. And instead of relaxing, what better to do but spend all that time with his one and only son?

Honestly, Kakashi didn't know how he'd caused that sudden change from the original timeline. He hadn't done anything except give into that singular childish need to cling onto his father – once – and suddenly the future was ever so slightly bumped off onto a different track. The small things, it seemed, were just as capable of changing the future – which Kakashi appreciated, because as knowledgeable as he was, his body was still of a five-year-old, and there was only so much he could do without causing suspicion.

And Kakashi was happy to admit he welcomed this unexpected change. He was glad for the reassurance that his father loved him as a child, and had this change not happened, Kakashi admitted deep within his heart he would have always wondered.

Because a childhood's worth of doubt was hard to assuage without proof to point otherwise.

-THP-

As for Sakumo Hatake…

Sakumo had a dilemma: he didn't know what he was supposed to do.

He'd never been a proper father. Maybe a father figure - Kakashi used to loved pretending to be a strong shinobi like himself -, but not an actual father. He resolutely pulled his name off the mission roster in order to change all that. It'd been too long since father and son spent quality time together.

Yet, what were they supposed to do together?

Even if his son was a prodigy, it didn't seem appropriate to go training with him every day. Even if it was good bonding, enjoyable, really, he was certain his late wife would not approve.

Just what did kids Kakashi's age do for fun, anyways?

He was determined to make things right with his son, and goddammit, he would try anything as long as Kakashi approved. Anything to make his darling Kakashi smile; because if he was being honest to himself, that horrid, heart-wrenching expression he'd seem fleetingly on his little boy's face that one morning was something he refused to let appear once more.