Author's Notes: This is very early, but that's only because I might not be able to post a chapter next week :S Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!

Chapter 9

He enters the building. He can already hear the telltale sounds of festivity. Even this far down, he can make out muffled chattering, chuckling and footsteps. Just how many people have they invited?

Someone is wailing loudly, very loudly that it hurts Kakashi's ears as he goes up the stairs. It sounds like a child crying their head off and Kakashi shudders. He takes a deep breath and listens intently through the door. He can make out the sound of childish banter, innocent playing and the annoying wailing.

Just how many kids are in there?

'It's not too late to back out yet…!' he thinks to himself and turns on his heels, preparing to go down the first step.

The door to the apartment opens, "Kakashi! You made it! Come on in," Kurenai invites him then proceeds to pull him in when he doesn't move. Kakashi gulps audibly as he chances a look into the apartment. What he sees makes him want to hightail it out of there.

Kids, left and right, some are even hanging from the ceiling. A child there, another here, a gang of boys right at the corner and a group of girls right in the middle, chattering so quickly Kakashi is sure they don't even know what they're saying. And Mirai…

He really can't make out Mirai anywhere; there are too many kids all over, and most of them have black hair. Something collides with his leg, "Papa!" Mirai comes to him instead and grabs his hand, pulling him onto the couch, "Eat cake!" Kakashi stares at the plate Mirai is giving him. He isn't even sure if that dark thing on top is chocolate… Where has the plate been before? Maybe a kid decided it was a good idea to spit in it. Kakashi really doesn't want to eat the cake.

His hesitation makes Mirai's lower lip quiver. Kakashi doesn't take the cake. Mirai is very close to crying. Kakashi can't take the plate. Tears start falling down Mirai's cheeks and she starts wailing. Kurenai rushes over. Other children see Mirai crying and join in, creating a cacophony of cries, yells and shrieks that Kakashi is sure is making his ears bleed.

Kakashi acts. He opens the window, leaps out of it and closes it behind him, just in case a kid decides to imitate him. He rushes home and promises never to go to another party, involving kids or otherwise, ever again.

Scenario one is likely, but even Kakashi has to admit it's a bit exaggerated. He's sure Mirai doesn't have over a dozen chibi friends, and even if she did, they wouldn't fit in Kurenai's apartment.

Kakashi makes it to Kurenai's building. He pauses at the stairs and strains his hearing. Even his superior hearing can't quite make out the sounds of a party. He goes up the stairs and reaches the door, knocking politely. Kurenai lets him in a moment later, "Kakashi! You made it! Come on in,"

Kakashi enters the apartment and is surprised at how quiet the kids are. All the children are gathered, playing a game that Kakashi thinks is called 'Twister'. Mirai doesn't have many friends her age, he notices. Mirai is easy enough to find; she's the one turning the arrow. She jumps when she sees him, the game all but forgotten.

"Papa!" Mirai gives him a tight hug, "Eat cake!" Mirai takes him to a table that has a large cake on it. Kakashi is a little late, the cake has already been cut, but it is still on the table, safe from grubby, dirty hands. Kakashi helps himself to a piece of the chocolate cake although he isn't a fan of sweet food.

Just as Kakashi takes the first bite (extra-quickly for privacy purposes, he thinks as he tugs the mask back in place), all hell breaks loose. The windows are shattered and everywhere Kakashi looks, he can see ninja with slashed forehead protectors entering the house in swarms.

The civilians present scream in terror while trying to escape through the door. On the other hand, the shinobi snap into action. His ANBU guards attack the assailants, and he, together with Kurenai and a few others, defend the kids and start getting them out of the house.

Mirai is crying, all the other children wail as well. Kurenai and the kids' parents tend to them while the ANBU take care of the missing nin.

He's sure Mirai is going to remember this day and dub it as the worst day ever, but at least she's alive.

Scenario two is highly improbable, exaggerated and downright questionable. But if Kakashi were completely honest with himself, he prefers the second scenario over the first. Rogue nin and enemies, he can deal with. However, put him with a number of kids for a while and he's bound to go crazy.

-oOo-

Mirai excitedly waits for her 'Guest of Honor' to show up. It's her birthday today, and she wants to have the best time of her life with her two favorite people in the world. She hums as she patiently sits on the couch, silently waiting for the man that she views as Papa.

"Hey, Mirai," her mother is the only one in the house with her for now, "When Masky comes, be sure to call him Masky and not Papa," Mirai looks at her confusedly, "I think he'll die if he hears Papa again," Kurenai mutters to herself but Mirai hears her anyways.

The little gears in her head are already whirring with activity. Die? As in gone? Like Daddy? Mirai's big red eyes widen. She knows then and there that she must not under any circumstances utter that word. She doesn't want to lose another father. And Masky, whether he likes it or not, has become her Papa.

Mirai knows that it's her job to protect her Papa now. And if she has to call him Masky for the rest of her life, then that's fine. As long as he'll still be her Papa regardless.

-oOo-

Kakashi sighs and wills himself to walk out of his office. It's time for the birthday party… Joy. He thinks sarcastically as he reaches the building. He goes up the flight of stairs and knocks on the door politely. He strains his hearing, but he can make out nothing but the sound of adults talking. He wonders where all the kids are but doesn't get a chance to further think about the matter as the door opens.

"Kakashi! You made it! Come on in," Why does real-Kurenai greet him the same way as scenario-Kurenai? Kakashi sighs and greets her back with a wave and his signature eye-smile.

"Masky! Masky!" Mirai chants as she makes her way to the door. Kakashi is glad she doesn't call him 'Papa' or something equally bothersome. Kakashi is brought back to the present when Mirai grabs his hand and pulls him inside.

Surprisingly, Kakashi can only see one other kid in the room. The kid is… napping on the couch, Kakashi notices. He looks like a Nara, with the signature black hair pulled up in a ponytail and the telltale signs of laziness. The other occupants of the room are the members of Team Asuma, Team Kurenai and Anko.

"Yo," he says in greeting. Ino and Shikamaru glare, Choji nods while simultaneously shoving chips into his mouth, Hinata, Shino and Kiba greet him normally while Akamaru barks. What's their deal…? Kakashi wonders as he glances at Ino and Shikamaru respectively. There's a lot of tension in the air that it makes Kakashi uncomfortable. He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly before he remembers the gift.

"Here you go, Mirai," he says as he practically shoves the bag into Mirai's hands, "Hope you like it…?" It sounds more like a question, but Mirai either doesn't notice or doesn't care. She immediately rips the bag open and takes out the toy monkey. Mirai looks at the plushy weirdly, Kakashi is worried that she doesn't like it.

Mirai stares at the monkey in her hands blankly. It's kind of cute what with its black eyes embedded into a sweet brown face. The monkey has a big smile on its face and Mirai finds herself grinning back at it. She squeezes the toy in a hug, mindful of its long tail. She giggles a bit when the toy makes a monkey sound when it's squeezed. Mirai remembers her mother telling her stories about Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage and otherwise known as her grandfather.

"Mama! Enma!" She says as she shuffles to her mother's side, showing off Enma. Her mother laughs as she ruffles her hair. Kakashi is visibly relieved when Mirai seems to like the gift, but even he laughs a little at Mirai's choice for a name. Choji and the members of Team Kurenai join in, Anko's laugh is a lot louder than all of them combined.

Ino and Shikamaru, however, are nowhere to be found, "I thought you said you had it covered," Shikamaru drawls in a bored tone, but Ino knows him too well to be fooled.

"I thought I did… but he went and got another gift! Not my fault!" Ino says in a high whisper as they huddle in the kitchen, "But never mind that, I have a lot of things planned for this. Don't worry I'm just getting started," They go back into the living room and their eyes twitch as one when they see Kakashi, Kurenai and Mirai having a family moment. They skillfully ignore the fact that everyone else is laughing as well.

"I think it's time for cake now," Kurenai says as she pats Mirai's head and heads to the kitchen. Mirai and Kiba whoop loudly and Akamaru joins in with a torrent of barks. Mirai, then, heads over to Kakashi as he sits down on the couch beside the Nara boy. She scrambles onto his lap, gives him a tight hug that he returns hesitantly and smiles big and bright.

It hurt Shikamaru to watch Mirai talk animatedly to Kakashi, as if he were her father, because that should have been Asuma sitting there, nodding and humming at all the right times. All he can do is hate Team Seven's sensei all the more for it. Shikamaru subtly hits his cousin's ankle to wake him up. Shikari is a few years older than Mirai, but Shikamaru chose him because he's old enough to understand signs and signals.

"Mirai-chan, come on. Let's go play," Shikari says in the signature Nara tone. Mirai is ecstatic when Shikari wakes up. She becomes even happier when he asks her to play with him. With a cheerful whoop, she hops off of Masky's lap and brings a few toys from her room, giving Shikari some and keeping the rest for herself as they engage in a roleplay only they could understand.

"Kakashi, can you come help me for a second?" Kurenai's voice carries from the kitchen. Before Shikamaru can offer his help, Ino puts a hand on his arm and gives him a look. He chooses to trust Ino and lets Kakashi go to the kitchen without any trouble. Kakashi gives an embarrassed Kurenai a questioning look as he enters the kitchen.

"I put the cake in the fridge so that it isn't spoiled, but now… I can't get it out," Kurenai explains sheepishly. She moves for him to try. Kakashi grabs the cake and pulls it out… or tries to pull it out. The cake doesn't budge. Kakashi puts a foot on the nearby cabinet and tries to get the cake out of the fridge. Kurenai's hands grasp the cake as well, touching Kakashi's fingers lightly. Kakashi jumps at the feeling but doesn't let go of the cake.

"Together," he orders, "One, two, now!" They pull at the same moment. The cake, as well as the rack the cake is on, is flung across the room and collides with the wall. The bottles that used to be on the rack shatter instantly. The cake becomes an icky mess of pink and brown. And both Kurenai and Kakashi fall to the ground with Kurenai tumbling half over him. The others come to check what the racket is all about with Mirai in the lead.

Kurenai blushes a bit and Kakashi is suddenly thankful for the mask. Kurenai gets herself, and her face, under control before standing up. She catches sight of her daughter starting to tear up, her face twisting.

"Please tell me you have an extra cake," Kakashi mumbles as he stands up and dusts himself off. Kurenai shakes her head. Mirai starts crying, wailing loudly, her voice even louder than that of the sobbing kids in Kakashi's imagination. Kakashi scrambles for something to do while Kurenai tries to calm Mirai down.

"Kakashi-sensei, you shouldn't have done that. Now the cake's gone," Ino scolds him like he's some three-year-old stealing from the cookie jar. Mirai's teary eyes find his and Kakashi is chilled by the sheer intensity of the two-year-old's gaze. Another thing to feel guilty about… He would bang his head against the wall, but an idea suddenly pops into his mind.

"I'll be right back," he mutters before he disappears in a whirl of leaves that makes Kurenai seethe.

"What did you do, Ino?" Shikamaru asks as he and Ino head back into the living room, away from where everyone else is still trying to appease the birthday girl.

"It's amazing what a bit of super-glue can do," Ino replies smugly, "And add to it the fact the Kakashi-sensei just hightailed it out of here. Mirai will never look at him twice again, and neither will Kurenai-sensei. Problem solved,"

"You got another cake?!" Needless to say, both Ino and Shikamaru are astonished by the sudden declaration, "How did you even get it? It's impossible! It even has 'Happy Birthday Mirai' written on it!" Kiba exclaims as he points at the cake that is even larger than the previous one, "Don't you have to preorder those?"

"Being Hokage has its privileges," Kakashi answers with a satisfied nod. Mirai quickly wipes her face and gazes at the cake that is even bigger than she is. She grins joyfully. Leave it to Papa! She goes to give him a hug around the legs. She looks at him with such adoration that Kakashi smiles back.

"Thank you," Kurenai mouths at him when he looks at her.

"You have another bright idea?" Shikamaru mutters sarcastically. Ino glowers at him.

"I don't see you coming up with anything," she hisses back, low enough so that only he hears her, "But I have tons of ideas. This is just the beginning, trust me!"

"Thanks, Papa!" Mirai exclaims. Then, her big eyes widen and water simultaneously. She holds on to Kakashi like he is about to spontaneously disappear.

Author's Notes: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and found it a little funny (that's what I was aiming for, I'm sorry if it didn't work out XD) Please leave a review!

A Response to the Reviews on Chapter 8:

alucard77: I'm sorry you didn't like the previous chapter, it was kind of a transition chapter. But I hope you liked this one better! :)

okami amaterasu: I apologize in advance for not much Mirai in this chapter. I tried to include her as much as possible, but I think I've failed, and miserably at that. Hope you liked the chapter regardless! And thank you so much for your kind words! It really warms me up inside that people enjoy this fic :D I honestly did not know that Gaara has kids to begin with O_O That is really cool! Thanks for the fun fact ;)

fluffpenguin: I agree that they are overreacting, but to be a hundred percent honest, without them overreacting like this, the story wouldn't be as fun, don't you think? :S You know, I was wondering how I would make Ino and Shikamaru accept Kakashi, and you really raised a good point, so thanks! This story has not been written beforehand… it doesn't even have an outline, I just kind of go with the flow XD So any suggestions you have are more than welcome! And hope you enjoyed the long chapter ;)

Until next time!