A/n: I always thought Sakumo failed some great, all-important mission, seeing as how everyone made such a big deal about it. I mean, surely shinobi fail missions all the time, right? Or maybe it was just because when it was talked about in the manga it was in Kakashi's pov (I think), so it seemed like more of a big deal. ...or maybe I'm reading too much fanfiction.
Please give your loving thanks to fermontie for making previous chapters free of errors :)

Chapter 21: Embrace

Two weeks later:

The moment Sakumo entered the living room with his eyes downcast and clouded over with morosity, Kakashi knew it happened again.

Kakashi kept behind the bend of the corridor, observing, knowing the moment he appeared from around the corner, the man would've quickly hidden his expression from him. The White Fang looked defeated - probably got an earful from everyone the moment his team reported their mission as a failure.

"I suppose you heard about it too?" Sakumo spoke up abruptly, misery in his tone.

Kakashi was suddenly aware his dad was talking to him. The masked boy cursed lightly - he'd thought he'd hidden himself well enough - before slipping out from his spot. "Heard about what?" he asked innocently.

Grey eyes glanced over at him before they softened up. "Never mind," the man said, "I thought you-" Sakumo cut himself off, letting a smile wash off the depressed features on his face. He opened his arms wide. "Come give your old man a hug," He ordered playfully, pretending nothing had happened.

"Sure," Kakashi shrugged. He leaned into his dad's arms without another word. The sliver-haired boy closed his eyes in the embrace trying to enjoy it, but that only made it even easier for him to detect the small tremors that quavered through the man.

Kakashi kept his mouth shut behind his mask, determined not to ask any question nor comment about it.

"Let's go out to eat," Sakumo said suddenly, eagerly, still in the tight embrace.

Kakashi dropped his gaze, knowing what this was about. Kakashi fully knew Sakumo wanted to spend more time with him before the boy started to turn his back on the White Fang like his teammates, and soon, the rest of the village.

Don't you trust me? Kakashi wanted to yell at the man. But he couldn't. Because Sakumo was an intelligent shinobi who'd guessed the future (one of the futures) precisely. Kakashi had abandoned his father once, so who was he to feel indignant at Sakumo's correct prediction? And even if that were not the case, there was still the problem that at this very moment Kakashi wasn't even supposed to know what had happened on Sakumo's mission yet.

So, instead, Kakashi smiled a loving smile, hoping that would calm his dad's nerves. "Sounds like a plan to me," he cheered enthusiastically, hoping to bring a genuine smile back on Sakumo's face.

His excited charm did its magic as stress lines relaxed on the White Fang's pinched, strained expression. "I love you, Kakashi," the man whispered softly, more to himself than his son, if anything.

Kakashi knew better than to just ignore it. "I love you too, dad," he responded.

Sakumo looked ready to cry.

x

While spending time with his father was absolutely a great idea, going out to eat definitely was not. By the time dinner rolled around, the gossip/rumour mills of Konoha had already done their worst.

Kakashi - and no doubt Sakumo - could feel the disappointed gazes of the villagers the moment they set foot on the main road. Kakashi tried to keep his stare oblivious as he coolly pulled his dad along, acting as though they were late for their reservation. - Anything to get his father away from all the onlookers. There was nothing worse than to feel hostility from all those who Sakumo had dedicated his whole life protecting.

"Hurry up!" Kakashi urged in a whine, desperately trying to get all of Sakumo's attention on himself than anything around.

The boy earned a chuckle, and a hand ruffled through his silver hair for his efforts. "Eager, aren't you?" Sakumo teased.

Kakashi shrugged. "If you cooked better, I would be eager to eat your food too," he quipped back. Their childish bickering seemed to elevate Sakumo's mood. They continued this way until the Hatake duo eventually reached the restaurant.

"A reservation under Hatake for two," Sakumo announced to the hostess as soon as he entered.

A curious glint flickered in the woman's eyes even as she checked her book with a nod. "Yes, this way," the woman led. Having been sat beside fellow shinobi was probably the worst thing that happened that night. Especially beside ones who took their careers very seriously.

It was inevitable, honestly, that an argument would break out before their meal was over.

It started with the pair of shinobi at the table over glaring at them as the Hatake men tried to eat their meal in peace. Kakashi expertly ignored them, pretending to be ignorant to the whole thing. It honestly wasn't even all that different from a typical day of eating out, pretending to be unobservant of the people trying unsuccessfully to look under his mask. Sakumo had pretended the waitress put his meal too close to the right side of the table and moved his chair directly between the gazes of the shinobi and Kakashi.

For the next little while, nothing happened as both parties ate calmly. And then, Kakashi didn't doubt, the shinobi became enraged they were being ignored. When the sandaled foot launched forwards, kicking at the chair Sakumo was sitting on, neither Sakumo nor Kakashi could overlook them any longer as the older Hatake nearly fell backwards.

"Excuse me," Sakumo said, trying for polite, "I am trying to eat my meal with my son."

That was obviously not the right choice of words.

Chairs clattered on the floor as the men behind Sakumo stood up. Their faces were drunk flushed, and already Kakashi could tell it wasn't a good sign. "Oh, excuse us, oh-Legendary White Fang. You were recommended to the client by the Fire Diamyo, and you think you can just fail your mission – disgrace our whole village – and then expect to come home and eat with your son like you've done nothing wrong?"

Sakumo's eyes flickered between the men and Kakashi before steeling, skin tightening around his eyes. "I am willing to discuss this at a later time. But for now, my son is present, and we are trying to eat in peace."

"You're nothing but a coward," one of the men hissed at the silver-haired Hatake.

The other one drew around to Kakashi with a plastered, toothy smirk on his face. "Do you know what your disgraceful old man did?"

Kakashi had tried to remain oblivious to the whole commotion, eating even while the argument went on. He figured his dad wouldn't want him involved anyways. But when the shinobi turned to him, he was a player in the game now, no matter how hard he tried to ignore them. The White Fang seemed to wilt, lose spirit, the moment the men got Kakashi involved in the whole affair. The men themselves looked vicious with their grins, knowing full well the distraught they were giving Sakumo in their plan of ruining his relationship with his son.

So, Kakashi gave an unamused "yes, in fact, I do" and suppressed his desire to hug his dad when the White Fang let in a strong, sharp intake of air. "Now, can we get back to eating in peace?" he wondered dryly.

Shock left the shinobi's faces slower than it had come, but left all the same to be replaced by scorn. "And you're fine with it? The scum abandoned the mission, lost a prosperous client's trust, and disobeyed direct orders. He is a disgrace to all shinobi, breaking every rule we live by."

Fury lit in Kakashi's chest even as he desperately tried to keep it down and not do something he would regret. He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. "Dad," he ordered, voice unusually stiff, "Can we call a waiter? I feel like eating at home now."

Sakumo nodded wordlessly, lifting a hand to flag down a waiter. The man's grey eyes, however, never left his fellow shinobi. He knew they would never hurt a civilian, a child no less, but aggravated, drunk shinobi were irrational shinobi.

The older Hatake was glad when their food was finally packed and paid, and they were free to walk away.

Kakashi gave him a soft smile before turning around one last time, catching the two shinobi's attention. "Look, if you want to die, that's alright with me, but the Rules are not set in stone." The boy let his eyes unfocus, remembering words his sensei had told him once; something that had taken Kakashi far too long to realise. "Sometimes you have to adapt to them."

x

Bags of take away in their hands, Sakumo was quiet as the two made their way back to the Compound. The older was cringing - discreetly, but cringing all the same - every time Kakashi looked over at him. "You worry too much," Kakashi finally said.

Sakumo shot his son an utterly forced smile before staring past the boy. "Who did you hear it from?" he asked. Kakashi knew he was talking about the details of the damned mission.

The boy gave a shrug, a quick bounce of his shoulders. "I'm observant," the silver-haired boy murmured, "and no one has been discreet about it."

Sakumo seemed to shrink a little at those words. "Since when?" the man shot out suddenly.

Since when had Kakashi known? Since forever, and then some; as if real life was not enough, the events even haunted Kakashi's dreams, especially as of late. "Are you trying to figure out if my behaviour towards you changed once I heard about it?" Kakashi deflected.

There was a pause. "Of course not." That was a lie.

Kakashi stared at his father's hunched form, his stomach rolling and tumbling in remembrance of what had once occurred. In a snap, Kakashi shot out his pale hand, clutching Sakumo around the waist for all it was worth. Lines Kakashi would call cheesy, but honestly he didn't care at the moment because they summed up everything he wanted to say so clearly, flooded out of the boy's mouth in a strong and faithfully sincere rush, "I don't care what you did. As long as you think it's right, I accept that. I don't care what anyone else thinks. As long as you're okay, I'm happy, so please, please stop thinking about it."

There was not a word more spoken between them, and the world was silent except for the gentle wind sweeping around them like a silk blanket, and the shaking of Sakumo's body as the older man stifled back building sobs. But that wasn't important to Kakashi and nor did he notice them, because all he cared about was the snaking of his father's hand around his back and the tightening hold around him, as Sakumo firmly hugged him back.