Trust

Another week had passed uneventfully. Sasuke began to talk more and he began to eat, even if the boy still didn´t eat that much. But for Kakashi, this was a big step in the right direction. But still the nightmares tormented the poor child, and so the boy often came to Kakashi for comfort. It was strange, but when the boy slept in Kakashi's bed, he could rest without any interruptions. Slowly, Sasuke began to feel safe in Kakashi´s presence and this was really a huge progress.

After breakfast, the Jonin had decided that he needed to go to the grocery store because their fridge was almost empty. Even if Sasuke still wasn´t a big eater, they needed fresh food because his last visit to the grocery store was a while ago and because Sasuke ate tomatoes most of the time.

He asked Sasuke, if the boy wanted to accompany him but the boy refused. A little bit disappointed, the Jonin promised to be back soon, as he made his way out.

Most stores were in Konoha´s town centre. The Jonin hadn´t visited this district since Sasuke was placed under his care, mostly because he wanted to avoid the looks from the villagers. But even now, weeks after the massacre, people still whispered about him and his connection to the last Uchiha. But nobody wanted to ask him about Sasuke. The Jonin assumed it was because they didn´t have sincere interest on the Uchiha boy.

So the silver haired man ignored the looks and whispers and made his way straight to one of the shops. He didn´t want to bother himself with such people and so he refused to give them his attention.

First he made his way to the vegetable stand. He filled his bag with a lot of tomatoes and some other vegetables, like potatoes and carrots. As he went through the ingredients, he decided to make a tomato soup that night. Sasuke still ate in small amounts but the boy was really fond of tomatoes.

Kakashi was still concentrating on his shopping when someone from behind called him. He turned around and saw Iruka Umino standing with his own grocery bag in his hand, right next to him was a blond boy of Sasuke´s age. He knew this boy well; in fact the whole village knew who this boy was. Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchuriki of Konoha. Kakashi remembered that the boy had lived with Iruka some time ago.

"How are you and mostly how is Sasuke?" The brown haired teacher asked straightforwardly.

The ex-Anbu knew he couldn´t simply ignore him. Iruka was still Sasuke´s teacher, so it was natural that Iruka was concerned.

"Sasuke will be fine." Kakashi said. He wasn´t a man who offered big words but in the meantime, he believed that the boy would get better; he only needed a lot of time.

"Can you manage everything?" Iruka asked with a concerned look on his face. He hadn´t seen or heard anything from Sasuke since the funeral. Of course, he was worried about his student. He had lost his whole family and then he was placed in the care of Kakashi Hatake, an ex- Anbu who wasn´t really famous for being a caring person.

Kakashi wanted to sigh but it would be disrespectful to do it in front of the Chunin. He was a little bit annoyed that Iruka wanted to talk right now but on the other hand, he was glad that the teacher had sincere interest on Sasuke´s wellbeing.

"He is already a lot better but he still needs time..."

Iruka nodded with a sad expression on his face. "I still can´t believe that this really happened... I mean, why couldn´t someone prevent this..."

"I think, we´ll never comprehend what happened that night... " Kakashi said. "But the most important thing now is that he needs to move forward and I think he is improving, as far as I can tell."

"That sounds hard but I guess you´re right." Iruka said. "Do you know when he´ll come back to the academy?"

"I can´t tell now..." The Jonin answered honestly. He hadn´t thought about the academy until now, because he was busy with worrying if Sasuke ate enough and could sleep without nightmares.

"You should send him back as soon as possible." The brunette Chunin said, thoughtful. "I mean, he is a really smart child but he shouldn´t miss too much lessons. Besides, don´t you think the contact with other children will be good for him?"

Kakashi wanted to answer but suddenly the little Uzumaki interrupted him with a loud whine.

"Iruuuuuka!" Naruto whined. "Who is that guy?"

"Naruto! How often have I told you not to interrupt adults when they're speaking?" Iruka scolded the boy, before he looked back at Kakashi. "I apologize for his behaviour. He is always so impatient. He lives with me for a while now."

"I´ve heard about the academy... I don´t know when Sasuke will come back." Kakashi admitted.

He looked down at the blond Uzumaki boy, how the boy kept fidgeting because he was bored. The Jonin knew about Naruto´s problematic story, but the boy was a complete normal child otherwise. His blue eyes were full with energy and life - the complete opposite to Sasuke. Kakashi was aware that maybe Sasuke wouldn´t be able to be a normal child ever again and this thought pained him.

"I really think you should send him back to the academy as fast as possible. Sometimes it is better for children to mingle with each other without the adults interfering. Maybe Sasuke will find it easier to open up to children of the same age. Please think about that and give it a try. You can´t hide him forever from everything, he needs to find his way back to normalcy." Iruka said with a serious face.

Kakashi nodded. He knew that the Chunin was right about most things but he needed to think carefully, because he didn´t want to push Sasuke too early. But sooner or later, he knew it had to be done. "I´ll think about it, don´t worry. Please excuse me now, I´ve to go."

Iruka gave the Jonin a soft smile. "Of course. And Kakashi, please tell Sasuke that he can always come to me if he needs something, no matter what."

The silver haired Jonin nodded again before he turned around to leave. But he was stopped in his tracks again, this time because of Naruto.

"You! Tell Sasuke that he should come back to the academy!"The child yelled. "I got a lot stronger and I´m now a lot better than him, believe it!"

"...Sure." the Jonin answered, a little bit confused by the blond boy´s outburst, before he could finally take his leave.

When he arrived home, he noted that Sasuke was in his room, like most of the time. Even if the raven haired boy had begun to open up more, he spent most of his time alone in his room. But this was okay, because it would need a lot more time until the boy would feel completely at ease around him. Kakashi wouldn´t push Sasuke, he gave the boy the time he needed. He hoped Sasuke would trust him no matter what in the future and maybe then, the boy would tell him about that tragic night. Maybe... there was also a possibility that Sasuke would never be able to talk about this event... Either way was fine with Kakashi, even if he honestly thought that it would be better for the boy to talk. But he could understand if he didn´t want to. Kakashi was not a big talker himself and he kept his emotions mostly to himself.

But no matter what happened, Kakashi wanted to earn Sasuke´s trust, so that he would be able to help the boy to go on the right path in life.

After Kakashi let the boy know that he was back home, he went straight into the kitchen to prepare the tomato soup. He stopped as he heard Sasuke´s footsteps. Few minutes later, the boy stood by the doorframe of the kitchen silently. Sasuke looked down and Kakashi could see that he felt uncomfortable. Somehow the Jonin could tell that Sasuke didn´t want to be alone but he still wasn´t able to tell him that in words.

So Kakashi decided to speak first.

"Come in and sit down." He told the child.

The boy was a little hesitant at first, but then he nodded and did as he was told. Kakashi was surprised again how small the boy still was. He looked so young, he couldn´t believe that such a young child had to go through all these. But every time, when the Jonin looked into Sasuke´s black eyes, he saw his pain and fear. Such emotions shouldn´t be there in a child's eyes.

The boy looked down on his hands, which were curled into fists on his lap. As Kakashi observed him, he couldn´t help but asked himself whether the boy was okay. Of course, it was natural that the boy was still grieving. But there was nothing to distract the child, at least for a while. He thought about his talk with Iruka. Maybe the academy teacher was right and the Uchiha should go back to the academy soon. Maybe the company of other children would be good for the Uchiha. Maybe Sasuke could be a distracted for a couple of hours at least.

The Jonin was interrupted in his thoughts, as the raven haired boy suddenly began to speak.

"Can I ask you something?" Sasuke asked hesitantly.

Kakashi nodded with a warm smile under his mask, because he wanted to show the boy that it was alright and he could ask him anything.

"Why do I live with you?"

Kakashi was a little bit surprised but at the same time, it was normal that Sasuke would ask such question. But it's just that Kakashi didn´t know how to answer without mentioning the boy's dead parents.

"Because... You´re still very young and you need someone to care for you."

He hoped that Sasuke would be satisfied with his answer but the boy scowled a little as he looked up at Kakashi.

"I´m not a baby!" The boy protested and for the first time, Kakashi saw a little bit of life back in the his black eyes. "But what I meant with my question was... Why do you have time all day? Do you have nothing else to do? Are you at least a shinobi?"

Sasuke was really a smart child, Kakashi had to admit. The boy was cute with a pout on his face, but it was pity that this expression lasted only for a moment. But it was a good sign nevertheless, that the boy could express feelings again. Kakashi hoped that the he would learn to laugh again, someday.

The Uchiha wanted to know what kind of person Kakashi was, or more importantly, the boy needed to know if he possesses power. Even if Sasuke was still a young child, he was an Uchiha nevertheless and among the Uchiha clan, only shinobi with special skills were valued and respected. The Uchiha children learned early that they were expected to excel. Maybe Sasuke wanted to know if Kakashi fit this description. The boy had no idea that the Jonin was a famous shinobi, even outside of Konoha's walls.

"I´m a Jonin." Kakashi said and smiled a little when he saw Sasuke´s surprised expression. The boy hadn´t expected to hear this. However Kakashi hid the fact that he was still an Anbu a while ago and he used to be close to Itachi. He wasn´t sure if he would ever tell Sasuke about that.

"Really? Why do you care for me? I mean a Jonin had a lot of work to do..."

"You know, I want to help you and protect you. I´ve already told you that I´m alone too, right?"

Sasuke nodded. "I´m sorry... I didn´t want you to remember..."

"It´s alright. Don´t worry." The jonin noticed how Sasuke looked down again and he saw that the boy fought with his composure again. It was sad how much the child still suffered. But Kakashi wanted to show him that it was alright to tell him and show him how he felt, that they both could open up to each other, that the boy wasn´t alone even after everything. The Jonin turned around and approached the child. He laid his hand down on Sasuke´s head and stroked his soft hair gently. He was glad that Sasuke didn't flinch or went stiff, it seemed that the Uchiha boy had already understand that he didn´t need to fear him. And he seemed to know that Kakashi only wanted to help him.

"Like I told you before, Sasuke..." Kakashi said calmly. "Someday, you´ll get better."

Sasuke nodded again but it was obvious that the boy still couldn´t believe these words, even if the boy wanted to believe it.

"Will you work again as a Jonin?" Sasuke asked suddenly.

"Sure..." The silver haired Jonini said. "When you´re well enough to go back to the academy, I´ll go back to duty."

"Will you protect Konoha?" The child asked again.

"Yes, this is my duty." Kakashi said but he didn´t mention that he would probably be trapped with a Genin team of his own. If he was honest, he wasn't really looking forward to be a teacher of three teenage brats and if wasn´t for his new role as a guardian, he would have refused the Hokage's request. But now, it was his first duty to make sure that Sasuke was alright and he couldn´t leave Konoha for long missions. He had to admit to himself that the teacher job was the best alternative.

The little boy seemed to feel uncomfortable and Kakashi thought that something was bothering the child.

"Please tell me if something is bothering you.." The Jonin tried to courage the boy.

After a hesitant moment, the raven haired child nodded and looked up with teary eyes. "I... I wonder why nobody... could protect my family..." The boy stopped and squeezed his eyes close to prevent the tears from falling. "I wish someone had helped them and they could be still here... I mean Konoha has a lot of Jonin! Why didn´t someone come to help..."

A soft sob escaped Sasuke´s throat and the Jonin swallowed hard. He had been asking himself this question countless times since the massacre but he never found an answer. Kakashi wished he could give the boy an answer but he couldn´t.

Nevertheless he kneeled down to look at the child in the eyes and placed his hands gently on Sasuke´s shoulders. "I´ve asked myself the same question and I´m sorry but I don't have an answer for you. I think... Everything happened too fast for someone to react..."

"My clan was strong too..."Sasuke mumbled. "I mean... Why did they have to die then? Or was he much stronger?"

Kakashi knew exactly who Sasuke meant. And it was an understandable question. He had thought the same. Why was Itachi able to kill his whole clan only by himself? The Uchiha clan was one of the strongest clans in Konoha and even if Itachi was a protégé, how could he destroy his entire clan alone?

It didn´t make any sense but then again, there were still plenty unanswered questions. Maybe... Just maybe the Uchihas hadn´t expected that Itachi would turn his back against them. Maybe Itachi had grabbed them by surprise and maybe... his family couldn't bring themselves to kill Itachi... These were some of his theories but he couldn´t tell Sasuke this. The boy was too young, too confused and too hurt. These were his own thoughts and he had no proof for any of these.

"I´m sorry that I can´t give you an answer to all your questions. Maybe someday when you´re older, we can look for an answer together but I don´t think that he was stronger than everyone in your clan and he isn´t stronger than every shinobi in Konoha either... I´m capable of protecting you from anyone. And I´ll do that. So for now, don´t torment yourself with those questions. Maybe you´ll find an answer later or maybe not."

"I only can´t understand... Why all this happened!" Sasuke sobbed slowly and raised his hand to wipe his tears.

"Shh…." The Jonin soothed as he hugged Sasuke. "I know, I know..."

He repeated these words until Sasuke calmed down again. It was still so difficult for Sasuke to control his emotions and he realized how much time the boy still needed. It was horrible that it was Sasuke´s own brother who took his family away and Kakashi could only image the feeling of betrayal the boy must felt. He was glad that the boy calmed down after a long moment, but the sad expression stayed on the boy´s face.

Kakashi wiped the rest of tears away from Sasuke´s face. As he observed the boy, he noticed how tired the boy looked.

"Maybe you should get some rest until dinner is ready. You look really tired."

"I´m tired..." The boy admitted and rubbed his eyes, because they were burning from the tears.

"Do you want to lie down for a while? You can go to my bed if you prefer." Kakashi smiled under his mask.

"Can... Can you stay with me?" The boy asked with hope in his eyes that his guardian wouldn´t refuse.

The Jonin smiled again. He had to prepare dinner but he could do that after the boy went to sleep. Sasuke still needed a lot of rest and it was a good thing if he could sleep more in the afternoon.

"Of course I can stay with you." the Jonin nodded as he took Sasuke´s hand in his own and guided the boy into his bedroom.

The boy didn´t hesitate as he climbed into the big bed. Kakashi sat down on the edge of the bed and tucked Sasuke in with his blanket. He stroked Sasuke's hair softly.

Sasuke looked up for a moment. "I´m glad that you´re with me..." He mumbled quietly before he closed his eyes.

Kakashi couldn´t helped but smiled under his mask. It seemed that slowly, he and Sasuke made some progress towards a healthy relationship. The boy opened up a little bit more to him every day.

"I´m glad you´re with me too, little one." The Jonin whispered and he meant it.

Special Thanks to een nihc for a great help again.

And I thanks a lot for the reviews too :-) It´s always a great support.

In the next Chapter Sasuke´ll have his first day at the academy after the massacre. From then I´ll write more in Sasuke´s view too.

Please review! :D