Title: Let's Keep It Alive

Rating: PG-13

Warnings/Tags: Fluff, Cute Kid Antics, pre-graduation, Valentines Fic

Pairings/Relationships: Uchiha-Hatake Family

Summary: Valentines Day. The day for romance, for showing people that you love them. Except you know... things don't typically work out that way...

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot.

Notes: Hello Valentines Day... why do you exist again, considering that you always seem to leave a trail of broken hearts? Oh well, enjoy this fluffy thing. Also yeah, Obito's not going to do that well here... Note this is four days after Obito turned nine, and Kakashi is still eight.

February 14, ahh how I loathe thee. And not just because all of the girls in the Academy start looking over at Kakashi and giggling behind their hands either. Not just because there are people who look at me and judge... But because of one very specific holiday for love.

Valentines.

Why does this holiday exist? I don't understand it, all it seems to do is leave broken hearts and sadness behind.

At least there is one good thing that I can think of about this day. And that's match-making. At least when it comes to people who're already together. Namely my parents. I want to make this day special for them. I want to make it special, but I don't really have any ideas. And while I'm stuck here in the Academy classroom, I'm not getting any ideas.

Rather I'm just getting bored, and annoyed. And enjoying watching Kakashi get sweets piled onto his desk. I mean we're all still pretty young but it's not that weird. I've seen five seven year olds with crushes, seven is kind of the age they begin. So this isn't weird, and I may find it awkward, but Kakashi's pouting is so adorable.

Just the way he crosses his arms and death glares the sweets. It's so precious. Not that I'm that much better with the few that find their way to my desk. I'm just not interested in participating in the holiday in that way.

Also, I never naturally had a romantic crush on anyone at seventeen then it's understandable that I'm not really that romantically inclined here. Sure I can admit that a lot of us are adorable, but beyond that... What's the point?

So instead I merely observe, and insist on actual practice alongside Kakashi while trying to think of what I could possibly do to make this day special for my parents. Nothing is really coming to mind, and it tears at me. Because I seriously want to be able to make today a special day for them... Maybe I could bug Kakashi into helping me with it...

Surely he'd know what to do.

Maybe, or maybe we'd both just kind of fail together. But still it's some kind of plan so I clap to myself about that and then focus once more on the work we're actually doing getting ready for graduation. It's only a few weeks away really.

A few weeks and then we'll be shinobi. It fills me with both anticipation and fear, because who knows what that will mean for us. For the future. Who knows what our team will be like, or even if we'll be on the same team. Only time will tell, and honestly I can't imagine what it will be like. So I discard those thoughts and rather focus on whatever it is that I've scratched into the desk top.

Well, I guess this means that I shouldn't have kunai on me in class then, because I've carved up the top of the desk. I'm not even sure what the carving is of, I just know that it seems kind of familiar. Kakashi notices me frowning and he leans over to peer at what I've done before rolling his eyes. He's too used to this really. I just offer a grin and a shrug before humming and circling one finger in the air in front of me.

"Sure... what could go wrong?" he shrugs and then resumes glaring at the deposited chocolate and other sweets on his desk. I'm not actually sure where the stuff given to me has gone... I probably dumped it into my pack or something...

So I just move beyond that and instead focus on trying to remember what we are actually supposed to be doing. Which beyond the whole Valentines Day overtaking the lesson thing was... I can't really remember...

Maybe I could get away with sneaking out of the classroom with Kakashi and messing around. Maybe we could go find Tora and hide from the silly Genin... Or just ditch the Academy entirely for the day and instead mess around back at the Hatake Compound, I'm sure there are still sections of the place that neither me or Kakashi have found yet. Still stuff to explore.

Then again, if we just ditch the Academy we could figure out how to make this day even more special for my parents even sooner. Also neither of us will have to deal with the more annoying members of our class. The ones who even with a war breaking out over our heads are less focused on the lesson and more on who's crushing on who, and well how cool they are.

I mean, it's a lot tamer than it will be in a few years, but still. It's disruptive, distracting and annoying.

The date is not helping either... and really... I've reached my limit. So I sigh and stretch, scratch one last time at the carving on the top of my desk before reaching over and just...

We're both gone in moments. Out of the building and down the street. If anyone really cares that we're gone they'll probably be able to catch us within four hours if they're lucky. Generally neither of us is easy to catch once we decide to just up and disappear. I mean seriously, our stealth is pretty top notch for eight and nine year olds.

Also if all else fails there's a certain Akuma Neko that I could get to help us.

Probably. I mean come on, the cat has some serious skills. Along with the ability to just survive apparently. I mean if you keep an ear out it seems like even some of the oldest shinobi in the village have had to deal with Tora. It's kind of eerie, but not something to focus on as we both plant ourselves up a tree to break for a while.

I clap my hands together and lean forwards with a huge grin while Kakashi just settles himself on the branch and looks out at what we can see from our vantage point.

"Kaa! Kaa... okk, tou!" I wave my hands around a bit and I can see how unimpressed Kakashi is by my flailing. "Kaa... Day..." I cross my hands over my chest and try to explain as best that I can. He still doesn't look that impressed honestly and I puff my cheeks up and glare at him.

"How's about no..." He waves a hand dismissively and I growl. "Obito, if we try to help it might end with half the house covered in flour, paint or both... again!" I snicker, that's honestly one of my fonder memories currently. I still don't know how we made that large of a mess, but it was one of those moments that I had to be proud of.

We had the compound completely covered.

But flowers, flowers sounded like a maybe decent plan. I wave my arms a bit and Kakashi just sighs.

Of course considering how we are... Well it sounds like a decent plan. I have the feeling that we're going to mess it up somehow... But hey, messing things up is half the fun really. So right now it's more important to focus on finding what we can, and maybe I might steal the stovetop. I can cook a little bit after all.

We have stuff for pancakes right? Otousan and Okaasan would like those right? And if all else fails we can get Sakumo-san to make sure that we don't hurt ourselves. Maybe, I'll think about and consider it anyway. I don't know whether or not I'll really do that though... Since cooking is annoying, and I still barely focus.

Not unless it's something that I'm really interested in. Otherwise my thoughts just jump from one subject to... Kakashi's poking me in the cheek. Why is he poking me in the cheek? I blink and look at him completely bewildered. He closes his eyes and sighs.

This is normal.

More than normal really. I shrug and rub the back of my head sheepish before looking around. We're in that one field. The one where I decided to have my mini Father's Day remembrance thing. Huh, the flowers now blooming are not that pretty. They're hardy though, hardy since it's Winter. Not that Konohagakure Winters really get that cold. Not really anyway.

I drop down and poke at one of the flowers before scrunching up my face. None of these are nice, none of them are pretty and all of them are summarily dismissed. I end up crossing my arms over my chest and jutting out a lip in annoyance. This isn't fair.

"What about paper flowers Obito-chan? 'ttebane" Is that Kushina-shishou? I actually jump a bit along with Kakashi before spinning around and looking up to see yep. Kushina has snuck up on us. She's beaming at us as well and that makes me wonder for a moment if we're going to end up in trouble... and then I dismiss it. After all, what could possibly go wrong with paper flowers?

A lot can go wrong with paper flowers it turns out. And not just because I enjoyed making them so much that we've pretty much covered every surface available. Not just because we ran out of a paper a while ago either. But um yeah... well it's a mess.

Also none of the adults look amused, aside from Kushina who's been encouraging this. So I don't think that she quite counts. As it is, I peer up and hold out one of the paper flowers with a huge grin.

Kakashi looks about as impressed as usual, though I can see that he's smiling behind that mask of his. He had fun, I had fun.

And to be fair, it won't take too long to clean up.

"Okk! Tou!" I wave a hand happily grinning and they both laugh.

Okaasan shakes her head before reaching down and picking me up. I laugh a bit before squirming as she pulls me into a hug. I'm still so small really, eventually I settle and just rest there. I'm happy really and honestly everyone seems more amused than upset.

So I suppose that it's all good.

I close my eyes and just drift. This is good. This is a nice end to the day really. So I allow myself to drift. To settle and simply enjoy the last few moments of wakefulness.

Notes: Well what did you expect? Their ultimately only kids after all... and besides. Short and simple is best really. Also Unreliable Narrator anyone? Heh. Well I hope that it was enjoyable in the end anyway.