Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

An: Another chapter...short, but I hope it conveyed what was I was trying convey. I hope that makes sense. I'm not sure if anyone is reading this, but if someone is, I hope they enjoy it.

Warning: Bad grammar...sorry...English is my second language.

Summary: Kakashi's journey into fatherhood...it's a strange one.


Mid-day Waltz

Chapter 7


"How long are you going to keep me like this?" she frowned. She hung upside down from the ceiling fan.

"Until you tell me where the twelfth volume is," he said. There were just some things people shouldn't mess with. The newest volume of Icha Icha Paradise, which for months he had been waiting in anticipation for, was one of them.

Kakashi checked under the sofa.

"You're cold," she said. "Bitter cold."

He moved to the window and tried to gauge her reaction.

"Still cold."

Kakashi wanted to rip out his hair in frustration. He already ransacked the apartment with no luck. As a last ditched effort he loomed over her menacingly. He gave her the glare that even Naruto was wary of.

"I've lived with Gaara when he was still a Jinchuriki," she told him. "You don't scare me."

She wiggled her ankle as she waited for his next move. The rope held firm and she began to swing like a pendulum. Her chubby cheeks flushed as all the blood began rushing to her head, but still, she stubbornly refused to tell him where his novel was. It was payback for the sparkling tiara he had ninjustu to stick to her head.

'Bribe her,' Obito advise. 'It might be your only chance.'

'I think this is a great opportunity for you to read something else, Kakashi,' Rin said with firm conviction.

'What's he going to read?' Obito argued.

'How about Moby Dick?'

'Dick...hahahah...'

'Real mature, Obito,' Rin grumbled.

"I'll buy that Venus fly trap that you saw in the shop," he said. He probed at her weakness. When she wasn't tormenting him, she was carefully watering and tending to the plants she brought from the local shops. Her hobby had turned his apartment into a botanical garden. Everywhere he turned, he was face to face with green. She told him once that she liked all the different colors. Suna was just sand and cactus. It didn't have the various plant life that a rainforest village like Konoha had.

They were walking by a window shop one afternoon when her eyes automatically spotted it. He had seen how disappointed she was when she saw how much it would cost to buy the strawberry colored flower.

Kakashi was offering it to her. He could see her thinking deeply about it.

"The crown has to come off," she haggled.

Kakashi was a bit sad when the tiara fell to the floor with a clatter.

She pointed to one of the larger plants. "It's in there."

He wasted no time. He looked inside the pot and dug through the dirt. Sure enough there it was. Once he took off the plastic that beautiful orange cover gleamed. It was practically welcoming him.

"Well?" she asked with a huff.

A deal was a deal.

Kakashi released her and she manhandled him all the way to the store.

"Thank you for your purchase!" the clerk called from behind them. Kakashi heard him celebrating his large commission.

'You did the right thing, Kakashi,' Obito assured him. Icha Icha Paradise was worth any price.

She held the pot in her arms with awe as she happily strolled along. He noticed her limp when she started to lag behind.

'Is her leg still hurting?' Rin was concern.

Kakashi scooped her up. He placed her on his shoulder and she grabbed his hair as a makeshift handle to stabilize herself. He winched when she tugged a bit roughly.

'She's not complaining. Her leg must really hurt,' Obito noticed.

Kakashi doesn't say anything when exhaustion took over her. She started to nod off. He reached up with one hand to hold her steady. With the other arm he caught the pot on reflex when it slipped from her lax hand.

Her cheek came to rest on his head and she snored the tiniest bit. The women in the market gave him understanding, kind looks.

"Better take the little one home, Kakashi-sensei," one said. She had her own child sleeping in her arms. Kakashi gave her a tiny smile in response.

He felt a bit sleepy himself.

When they got home, he laid her down on the bed. He made a move to pull away, but her hand tightened on his scalp and he hurriedly sat back down at the biting pain. She had one hell of a grip.

Oh well.

He joined her, laying on top of the covers as she was tucked under them.

How long as it been since he slept with a warm body next to him? He had almost forgotten the feeling of warmth sharing a bed could have. In the back of his mind he thinks that she was definitely from Suna. She radiated heat like a furnace even in a body that small. It was like sleeping next to a cozy fire.

Kakashi yawned.

Together, they took a nap as the sun reached mid-day.