Thank you all for the support! Don't know where this story would be without you all!

Midori Fujiwara

After the whole argument over the dinner table and everything had settled into an awkward silence, Kakashi dragged Naruto into his room and closed the door.

"Naruto," Kakashi scolded Naruto.

Naruto didn't look like he was ready to apologize.

"Naruto, you have to forgive your brother…it's going to be hard…of course things are going to be difficult at first, but Nagare himself is trying to forget his own past."

Naruto went up in protest. "But he doesn't even look like he knows he had done something wrong! Like he's pretending he hadn't done anything at all!"

"He's just trying to put himself out of that past frame," Kakashi explained. "He's trying to start from scratch to remake himself."

"What do you know about my brother?" Naruto demanded. "He was in a gang! He did drugs! He worked for the black market! He tried to kill me! How can I simply forget and forgive him? He has to at least act as though he's sorry—"

"Give it time, Naruto."

Naruto simmered down and looked at his feet. "You know, Mr. Hatake…"

Kakashi listened.

"I never got the chance…to thank you."

"Oh…" Kakashi was actually surprised to hear that at this time. "No need to thank me…don't worry about it…back then…back then, I would have wanted someone to help me as well."

Naruto stood quiet, and Kakashi quickly smelled the salt from fallen tears.

Kakashi stepped up and hugged Naruto just as a father would a son.

Kakashi stepped out of his apartment to send Kushina on her way to her night shift at the hospital. Kushina hesitated before closing the door.

"I'm not sure if Naruto can be left at home with Nagare…" Kushina said.

"Don't worry about it," Kakashi said.

Kushina looked up at Kakashi with tear-glazed eyes. He read many thoughts off her eyes.

Like she couldn't believe that any of this had ever happened.

"He's my son, you know," Kushina said, referring to her regret about Nagare.

Kakashi scooped Kushina up into an embrace. "Everything's under control," he repeated to assure her. "Just worry about yourself."

She looked up at him, eyes thanking him thousands of times for all that he had done for the three of them.

And Kakashi only leaned in to kiss her lightly on the lips.

Well there's that KakashiKushina part that I promised some of my readers. Remember that all is evanescent.

Review!

And the fact that I have 29 stories is bothering me. I just need one more for thirty....and I am calling for inspiration!

Midori Fujiwara