He wakes with a start, wondering when exactly he fell asleep, and what had woken him up in the first place. When his eyes adjust to the morning light, Kakashi comes face to face with Mikeira staring down at him. They blink at each other a few times then Mikeira asks, "What are you doing on the floor?"
Kakashi looks around himself, at the spotless kitchen where he presumably passed out next to a bucket of cleaning suds. He then spots Maaku, standing on the counter tops that he had just scrubbed, peering down at him also. "What are you doing up there?"
Maaku shrugs, "I was trying to get a glass of water."
Kakashi sighs then stands up and snatches Maaku from the counter, then quickly fixes up three glasses of water. He hands one to each toddler and one for himself. He surveys the work he had accomplished overnight. Kitchen and dining room are shining examples of cleanliness. The entry way, hallway, and stairs were clean as could be.
He couldn't work on the living room because that where the kids were sleeping so that was next on the list. He hadn't even touched upstairs.
He sets Mikeira and Maaku up at the counter and fixes them some instant ramen for breakfast. He cringes a little and reminds himself to go shopping once again for food this time.
While they eat, he pours the dirty suds down the drain. In the living room he finds four of his ninken, having followed his orders and switched at midnight. He dismisses them and begins works on the room. He puts all the toys away in the box Gai had brought and places it in the corner. He takes down all the drapes and curtains and stows them away in the washing room.
He glances around the washing room for only a moment, seeing as that is where he stored most everything that he removed from the other rooms, it was a disaster. He climbs over everything and manages to start a load in the washing machine. When he gets back to the living room, Mikeira and Maaku are sitting on the couch.
He ignores them and goes to dusting. After a few minutes of this, Mikeira blurts, "We want to help."
Kakashi eyes them warily, "What?"
Mikeira stand and walks over to him, tugging on his shirt hem, "We want to help!"
Kakashi thinks for a minute, wondering how bad it could honestly be, and agrees. He sets them up at the coffee table, dusting and polishing while he works on the walls and blinds.
They have lunch around noon, instant ramen again, and then Kakashi sets to work on the windows. Once polished, he puts back up the curtains and drapes, the same ones that have been hanging since he was a child. He summons the ninken once again to watch over the little ones while he spends a few hours in the washing room, polishing and putting away his weaponry and armor. A few more loads of clothes and the washing room looks like a different place.
About this time, Maaku rushes in and explains in a heated voice that Kakashi had promised to take them to see Hirari and because he hadn't yet, Mikeira was crying.
Kakashi groaned a little and went to the living room, where sure enough, Mikeira was sniffling into a couch cushion. Maaku hops onto the couch and pats her on the back. Kakashi sighs, "When you get your shoes on, we'll go see Hirari."
The tears stop almost instantly and the two toddlers run to the front door to get their shoes. Kakashi waits semi-patiently and soon they are out the door and on their way to the hospital. Once again, by some miracle, Kakashi avoids seeing anyone he knows. They reach the hospital in a timely fashion and make their way up to the coma wing, where Hirari had been moved.
The little girl is the same as they left her. The bruising and swelling have faded but still there. Kakashi picks up and sets the toddlers on the bed and it isn't long before Escu comes in to see them.
Maaku begins asking questions, Escu-chan this, Escu-chan that, and Kakashi tuned them out. He lets this continue until Escu begins to look frazzled. Then he calls her over and asks his own questions. Mostly about their diet.
In the end, Escu's reply was simple. Plenty of fruits and vegetables. Plenty of protein and fluids. Watch the salt. Watch the sugar.
With that in mind, Kakashi tore the two toddlers away from Hirari's side and left the hospital.
When they reached the grocery store, Kakashi grabbed a cart and placed both children inside. He took more time than usual, reading the nutritional facts on the food he was buying. Mikeira and Maaku studied each item that he placed in the cart with them.
It was while he was in the baby isle that he first heard it. On the next isle over he could hear whispering voices.
"Was that friend-killer Kakashi with those babes?"
"Who in their right mind would let him around children?!"
Kakashi met Mikeira's eyes and couldn't help but find himself agreeing with the voices. Mikeira tilted her head in confusion at the sudden change in his demeanor.
Kakashi went to checkout much quicker than he had planned and got everything sacked in paper bags. He got two small bags, one for each of the kids, so that they could carry something as well and they headed home.
Upon reaching the house, Kakashi unlocked the front door and let a pair of exhausted children wobble their way to the couch. They collapsed on it and while Kakashi was putting up groceries, fell asleep.