Disclaimer: Again, I don't own anything or anybody except Tomoko, her family, and Nagareboshi Cafe. Any concepts/ideas mentioned in this fanfiction that seem to be borrowed from another media/piece of continuity - note that I don't mean to plagiarize anything or anybody in any way! This fanfic was made for entertainment purposes, not for pissing off others! So yeah!

The theme of this chapter is actually BriCie's English cover of Reset from Capcom's Okami. This particular song was something the real Josh sent to me when I was in a time of stress, so many thanks to you friend. It's on that note that I found the lyrics of this particular cover really resonated with the themes I wanted to convey here.

On the other hand, Tomoko does sing a very special theme from Chapter 13 in the later half of this chapter. Once again, many thanks to Jeff and Casey Williams, because RWBY Volume 4 wouldn't have been as great without its opening theme. Let's Just Live, everybody, okay?

Please enjoy!

Chapter 38: The End of Another Day

The walk home was quiet.

Almost too quiet, considering we were in the middle of Konoha, in the middle of a bustling crowd of people.

My heart felt almost like rigid stone, but my blood was pounding through me like fire.

Maybe it was because of everything that had happened in the past week. Or it was the possibility of facing Mama, Papa, Uncle Sakumo, and Minato-san again after the last we had heard them.

Papa's last words were still echoing in my ears even though it had been hours since he had last said them.

GODDAMMIT MINATO!

The only thing keeping me grounded through this whole ordeal was Kakashi.

Even if I couldn't fully see his face, mask or not, his tight grip on my hand said everything.

Even if I didn't know what to say to him.

Before I knew it, my feet had frozen to the ground and I stopped to look down at my sandals. This resulted in my pulling Kakashi back, and he clearly was surprised by the gesture judging by the soft skidding of the sand underneath his feet and his voice.

"... Tomoko?" He started quietly.

I couldn't meet his eyes. For some reason, hearing my name come from his mouth so quietly, so gently, hurt a bit.

My heart thudded in my chest as a few moments of silence passed.

Then, the hand on mine squeezed softly before pulling me in, and I found myself stumbling before finding myself looking past Kakashi's shoulder. He wasn't hugging me, but we were close enough to where I could rest my other hand on his chest.

I blinked. "... Kakashi?"

A hand reached up to rest on my head for a moment, a breath lightly brushing my hair. "What's wrong, Tomoko? Why did you stop walking?"

… She's scared. Hisako said softly. She's worried. Not about going home. About you.

I didn't have anything in mind to refute my other self's words.

She was speaking the truth.

The scent of fresh pines was filling my nose from the close distance, and I gulped in a breath. It wasn't good to stand here all day, and Mama and Papa would probably start getting worried. But my feet didn't want to move.

Instead, I spoke honestly, raising my head to look at my best friend directly. "Kakashi…. Are you... Are you okay?"

His eyes widened almost immediately, the grip on my land loosening alongside it. It felt horrible just asking it alone, but it was too late. The question was already out in the open, even if I hated myself for saying it. I looked down, biting the inside of my cheek for a moment.

Then, a shaky sigh sounded above me. "... No." Kakashi said, almost mournfully. His hand squeezed mine again, a bit tighter than before, as his forehead soon touched mine. As least, as much as a touch could work considering he was wearing his forehead protector. The gesture at least made me look up, and for once this whole afternoon, I could see his full expression. "I'm… I'm not okay right now, Tomoko." The words seemed to be difficult even for him to say, if his voice was any indication. But those silver eyes were staring into my own almost resolutely, never turning away. "But… But I'll try to be."

I frowned, squeezing his hand back. "Kakashi, you shouldn't try too much. It's okay to feel the way you do. I'm okay with you."

The ninja blinked before averting his eyes. "I-I know, Tomoko. I know, but..." Kakashi trailed off for a moment. "This… this kind of thing shouldn't go on forever, though."

Because you have to head out again? Because you have to fight again?

Instead of voicing my thoughts, I just pulled Kakashi into a half-hug with my other arm. "Yeah… I'm sorry for asking, Kakashi. I'm sorry."

I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you when it happened.

To my surprise, his silver spikes tickled my cheek as he shook his head, his other hand (that wasn't holding mine) reaching up to rest against my back immediately. "Don't apologize, Tomoko. It's not you."

I pulled away to look up at him.

Hatake Kakashi looked tired.

Even though he was only 10 - even though I was only 10 - it felt like the world was weighing in on both of us. His hesitant, masked face said more than enough.

I put on a small smile. "... Let's just keep walking home?"

His silver eyes softened. "Yeah."

And then we had taken up another walking pace. This one was less quiet, less tense, and more comfortable this time. Maybe it was the fact that I had finally gotten that question off my chest.

On the other hand, Kakashi had a firmer grip on my hand and every once in awhile, I would look up to see him return my gaze with soft eyes. It wasn't an eye smile like the one that his canon self was known for, but it was special nonetheless.

I didn't even realize we had reached Nagareboshi Cafe until Kakashi pushed the door open to bring us both inside.

Immediately, what hit us both was silence. It wasn't the comfy silence either.

This was the contemplative, tense silence that I was growing to hate REALLY quickly.

I found myself gulping before gripping Kakashi's hand a bit tighter.

He didn't look at me, but his tight grip back said more than enough.

We then walked over to the back doors of the cafe to head upstairs back into the house. Once that last, final door was in front of us, I forced myself to put my hand on the doorknob and turn it.

The first things that we saw were the adults all gathered in the living room, turning their heads to look at us.

Mama. Papa. Uncle Sakumo. Minato-san. They were all there, eyes widening at the sight of us.

Then, Mama ran over to pull us both into a tight, suffocating hug.

An embarrassed squeak left me as an accompanying "Oof" came on Kakashi's part. I didn't even realize that the hug had ended until Mama had pulled us both deeper into the room, sitting us on the couch.

"Are you okay, Tomoko-chan? What about you, Kakashi?" Mama was fussing, her hands over both of our cheeks in mere moments while her blue eyes flitted between the both of us. "Did you stay safe out there? What did you do while we were gone? Is everything really -"

"M-Mama." I interrupted, red filling my face. "W-we're fine. I just took Team Minato out shopping at Jim-san's shop while you were all talking."

"... What she said." Kakashi added quietly. "You don't have to worry so much, Aunt Hikari."

Mama blinked again, head almost swerving in-between the two of us before she sighed. "Oh…" Her shoulders relaxed as she looked up at us again, shaky smile on her lips. "Alright," And then, she stood up, and Minato-san came into view.

He seemed almost small, and yet powerful at all once standing there. Kakashi tensed next to me, and I didn't miss how his hand tightened its grip on mine. Minato-san let out a sigh of his own before kneeling in front of us, his eyes going to my best friend. "... Kakashi, where's Obito and Rin? I thought they went with you."

Kakashi opened his mouth, at least as much as his mask seemed to show, before pausing. A few seconds passed. Then, he glanced at me, clear hesitation in his eyes, before turning back to the Jounin. "... They went home, Minato-sensei. After we all went out, it turns out that they needed to think on something."

The Yellow Flash seemed to have a sad smile on now. "I see…"

And then Minato-san pulled Kakashi into a tight hug.

I didn't even see it coming, and if the surprised grunt was anything to go by, Kakashi didn't either. The gesture actually forced him to let go of my hand, but I didn't mind. This was an important moment - for both my best friend and his Jounin sensei. The new position made it hard for me to see Minato-san's face past his spiky blonde hair, but I could at least see from my place on the couch his shaking shoulders.

In that time, all I could hear was one thing.

"I'm sorry Kakashi." And that's what struck me the most.

Minato-san… was upset. And who could blame him? I could tell that he didn't mean for this to happen. Even if he was the one who sent Team Minato out there on that battlefield, unable to watch over them when that event happened, he must've objected in some way.

If he didn't, then he wouldn't be visibly shaking while hugging my best friend right now.

… You're really too nice for your own good, Tomoko-chan.

Hisako.

Okay, okay. I get it. I was honestly grateful my other self decided not to rant for once.

But I couldn't hear anything else on Minato-san's part. The rest of the words were left for only Kakashi to hear. A few moments of tense silence passed, with the occasional whisper on the Jounin's part, before something was said.

"... It's okay, Minato-sensei," My heart could've melted at those words, and I looked up from my lap to see Kakashi rest a hand on his teacher's back. "It's not your fault."

A shaky breath sounded on the Jounin's part before he hesitantly let go, and I could clearly see the beginnings of tears in his eyes before Minato-san wiped them away with his sleeve. "I-I'll try to be a better Jounin-sensei for you, Kakashi. For you, Obito, and Rin." The Yellow Flash grinned shakily. "That's a promise."

Kakashi nodded quietly in response.

Then, Minato-san turned to me with a more hesitant smile. "... I'm sorry about all this too, Tomoko-chan. I'll try to keep Kakashi and the others out of danger so that this kind of thing doesn't happen again."

My heart lightened in weight in my chest while I smiled back. "That's all I can ask for, Minato-san. Just…" I paused, biting my lip for a bit. "Just take care of yourself too, okay?"

He blinked, clear surprise showing in his blue eyes, before chuckling. Even though it was supposed to be a happy gesture, this laugh seemed sad. Almost melancholy. "I'll… I'll do my best on that too, I guess." Minato-san then stood up, straightening his back. "I'll go to the Hokage and ask for a week-long leave for Team Minato. That much I can do."

He then made the hand-sign for teleportation, but before the familiar POOF, Kakashi spoke up. "Minato-sensei,"

The Jounin blinked. "... Yes?"

"Make sure to check in on Obito and Rin too, okay?" I looked at my best friend, and he had a resolute look on his masked face. "They might be faring worse than me right now."

"Of course," Minato-san responded immediately, a more strong smile on his face before solidifying his hand-sign.

And this time, with a large POOF and a cloud of smoke, he disappeared.

Leaving in his wake Papa and Uncle Sakumo, walking over to both of us.

"... Well, that was a thing," Papa deadpanned before kneeling in front of me and taking my hand. Thankfully, he was smiling. "Are you okay at least, Tomoko-chan?"

Why is everybody asking that? It's not us.

I tried not to sweatdrop and instead smiled. "I'm okay, Papa. We just went shopping."

Apparently in that same interval of time, Kakashi was now made to lean against Uncle Sakumo's shoulder since the White Fang decided to plop down on the couch with us, looking half happy and half annoyed all at once. "Shopping?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Shopping. At Jim-san's store. I had enough money, Uncle Sakumo."

Then, Papa turned my left hand over to see the ring on my middle finger. "Did Jim give this to you?"

I nodded, and as if in agreement, the pink gem on the ring took that moment to glint in the sunlight, letting off a soft glow. "He said it was an add-on with everything else I bought."

Papa blinked before smiling softly, touching the ring gently. "I see… Jim did that, huh." The last thing I was expecting was for him to then pull me into a hug, tugging me off the couch in the process. Unlike previous ones, this hug was tight, almost longing as Papa snuggled me, his cheek rubbing against my head.

"... Daddy?" Instead of getting an answer, he just shook his head, squeezing me a bit tighter than before. I couldn't even see his face from the position. "... Papa?" I tried again.

"I'm sorry, Tomoko-chan. I'm sorry."

My heart could've stopped.

Why are you saying that, Papa? Why? It's not your fault.

… Things must've happened.

Then, Mama wrapped her arms around both of us, sighing softly. "It looks like it's been a long day for everybody. How about we all just try to get some sleep?"

I blinked before wiggling in Papa's hold to look up at her. Mama was smiling softly. "What do you mean, Mama?"

Her smile seemed somewhat sad from the new angle as she glanced up in Uncle Sakumo's direction. I couldn't do the same, but she seemed to be addressing the Hatake duo as well when opening her mouth again. "We'll all need rest after all that, you know? Staying up and stressing about this isn't going to help anyone, so a good nap is good, right?"

From the side, I could hear Uncle Sakumo take in a shaky breath. "Y-Yeah, might as well."

Papa didn't let me go, only really loosening his hold while nodding.

I raised a hand up to Papa's back. "Daddy..?"

"Just a minute, Tomoko-chan," He muttered, rubbing his cheek against my hair while resting a hand on my head. "Let me… Just let me stay like this for a while, okay?"

I did. And he didn't let go until he had to tuck me into bed in my room about an hour later.

Even when closing my eyes in an attempt to find sleep, I couldn't get the image of his sad expression out of my mind.

Or the scene of Uncle Sakumo piggybacking a limp, tired Kakashi to their room either.

It was nearly 7 in the evening when I found myself getting shaken awake.

More specifically, shaken to the point of sleep escaping my mind almost immediately.

"Okay… okay, I'm getting up…" I rubbed my eyes, slowly forcing myself up from my futon, yawning the whole way. The shaking had finally stopped, and I was at least hoping for some answers as to why I had to be awake.

But when opening my eyes, my answer was the last thing I was expecting.

Kakashi, my best friend Kakashi, was looking at me with the widest eyes I had ever seen him have. Adding in the tears at the corners of said eyes and the open mouth through his mask, it looked as if Kakashi had seen a ghost. "T-Tomoko…"

I was alert almost immediately, straightening my back while turning to fully face him. "Kakashi? What is it?"

And then he broke down.

My heart literally fell to the pits of my stomach and got swallowed up by a black hole because Kakashi was crying.

My best friend. Was. Openly. Crying.

And I didn't know what was wrong.

He wasn't even trying to stifle the noise. All he did was pull me into the tightest hug ever to hide his face into my shoulder, tears starting to soak my clothes as his hands gripped the back of my shirt tightly.

"Oh Kakashi…" I returned the hug almost immediately as my hand went up to his hair. "What happened? Did I do something wrong?"

"No… N-No… It's not you…" He sniffled as the hug tightened. "It's… it's me…"

I tried to stay calm despite my heart returning with a vengeance, beating hard in my chest. "... What do you mean, Kakashi? What do you mean by that?"

"I-I…" He stumbled with his words, the sobs clearly starting to get to his throat. If I didn't know any better, it felt almost like Kakashi was going through a panic attack. "I keep seeing you die, Tomoko! When I close my eyes, I keep seeing you d-d-die! I see you die, Tomoko, and I can't do anything about it!"

Oh god. This was PTSD, wasn't it.

...Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Hisako concluded solemnly. A condition that occurs when a person experienced or witnessed a life-threatening event of some sort. Considering that the last mission seemed to be really bad, I wouldn't put it past him for developing it now.

I didn't even know HOW my other self remembered that. But it didn't matter.

Kakashi was still clinging to me, sobbing.

"Kakashi… It's okay. I'm right here." I tried to keep my voice steady, stroking his hair in what I hoped was a comforting gesture. "I'm right here. I'm alive."

"T-Tomoko…" He sniffled, clearly distraught.

"Shh, it's going to be okay, Kakashi. I'm right here." Taking a breath, I tried to wrack my head for ANY song that I could sing at this time. Just saying that 'it was going to be okay' didn't seem to cut it. "Don't worry."

"H-How can I not…" A snort/sniffle escaped him. "How can I not worry, Tomoko? I-I-I couldn't get to you before that drunk bastard nearly suffocated you a year ago, and when… when," Kakashi hiccuped, gripping onto my shirt again. "When you went through that whole shit-mess that was the meeting with Hokage-sama a few months after that, I-I couldn't do shit!" He pulled away at that moment to look at me, and I found myself freezing.

Kakashi was upset. If anything, he was clearly upset at himself, if his wet mask and red-rimmed eyes were anything to go by. Adding in the eye-bags underneath the familiar silver, this was bad.

"How can I not worry when you could…" Kakashi lowered his head, tears dripping onto his lap. "How could I not worry when you could die at any… at any moment? How can… How can I not worry when you could easily leave me?"

… He still blames himself for that incident.

I just pulled him into another hug. "Oh Kakashi," I didn't know what else to say, instead humming while stroking his hair again. He was clearly distraught, and I didn't know what to do. Instead, I spoke honestly. "I'm not going to die, alright? I'm right here, and I plan to stay here for a long time."

Second that.

"... Really?" The reply was soft, muffled, and hesitant, but I heard it anyways. "You're… you're not going to go anywhere, right Tomoko?"

I pulled away to just lean my forehead against his, closing my eyes while smiling. "Of course. I'm always going to be here. If you need me, then you know where to find me."

A soft sniffle. "T-Tomoko…"

I opened my eyes to look at him. "Kakashi, I love you, okay? I won't leave you. I promise."

The tears seemed to finally stop in their tracks as he openly gaped at me. "Tomoko…"

I tried to keep the smile up as much as I could, even when the tears felt close to coming out on their own. "Oh Kakashi… I really do love you, alright? It's because of that feeling alone that I know I'm not leaving you. If you don't want me to go, then I won't." I stroked his hair again while closing my eyes. "I'll do my best to not die. After all, I have you here to remind me that it's worth living."

After what's happened to Vy, there's no way I want to go through a repeat.

Despite my words, it seemed to just cause more tears on his part as he sniffled again. "T-Tomoko…"

I found myself sighing softly before pulling him into another hug, rubbing his back. "Don't worry. I'm right here."

And then the song came out without any prompting. I didn't even think on it. All I did was open my mouth and start to sing softly.

"It used to feel like a fairy tale,

Now it seems we were just pretending

We'd fix our world, then on our way to a happy ending."

With each word, Kakashi seemed to slowly relax in my hold, the tears fading. His breathing seemed to be evening out to a softer, gentler pace, and I took that as a sign to continue.

This was the song that saved Uncle Sakumo so long ago.

I was earnestly hoping that it was helping my best friend at least.

"Then it turned out life was far less like a bedtime story

Than a tragedy with no big reveal of the hero's glory.

And it seems we weren't prepared

For a game that wasn't fair.

Do we just go home? Can we follow through? When all hope is gone, there is one thing we can do…"

Nice choice in song, Tomoko-chan.

I just kept singing softly, stroking my friend's hair while slowly moving us both down onto the futon sheets.

"Let's just live! Day by day, and not be conquered by our sorrows.

The past can't hold us down, we must break free.

Inside we're torn apart, but time will mend our hearts.

Move onward, not there yet, so let's just live!"

With that final note said, Kakashi finally seemed to stop crying, relaxing to the point of not gripping the back of my shirt anymore. Instead, he chose to lay down on the right side of my pillow, the dried tears now crusting what visible parts were on his face. Even with his eyes closed, I could at least make out the shaky smile on his masked visage. "... Thank you, Tomoko. Thank you." Was all he said.

I just found myself smiling and scooting closer, snuggling him almost immediately. Despite our small height difference, I could still fit myself in a way so that I could rest my nose against his neck, our arms intertwined with one another. Hopefully this was comfortable for him, since I know it was snuggly for me. "Of course, Kakashi. Get some sleep now, okay?"

Right above me, I could already feel the beginnings of light snoring.

My smile grew a bit wider as I closed my eyes.

That's how we went to sleep that night, with the door open to let the air come in and the futon blanket thrown about our feet.

We just hugged one another, sleeping through the darkness.

Hatake Sakumo couldn't sleep.

If anything, after seeing that his son had ran out of the room in what appeared to be a nightmare-induced frenzy, he wasn't even sure if he could sleep.

When the moment first occurred, Sakumo immediately went full-on-ninja mode to run over and figure out what in all hell happened to Kakashi to make him like that.

What parent wouldn't?

It was only when his son literally burst through Tomoko-chan's door to shake her awake and then properly break down that he knew.

Kakashi, for the first time in awhile, was terrified of losing someone.

Sakumo already knew that a lot had happened when Team Minato was sent out on that week-long mission.

But a C-rank turned B-rank? With his son's team literally getting traumatized out on the field by seeing manslaughter in its worst form?

It took everything he had to not strangle Namikaze Minato right then and there when the Jounin came to explain.

But the Jounin's words still haunted him. Even if Sakumo tried to sleep on it.

"I understand that what I did is unforgivable. I can't forgive myself in fact. But I know this won't be the last time they get close to the war. Team Minato will have to head out again. That's the life we shinobi have to live. All I can say is that I'll do my best so that this sort of thing won't happen again. If something worsens, then you have my full permission to beat me up."

What was Sakumo supposed to say to that?

When he himself said something similar when retiring from the front line effort?

It was that in mind that he couldn't find the courage to walk into that room, only able to watch his son break down in the civilian girl's arms, and Tomoko doing her best to comfort him. It hurt, being unable to walk in, but there was something about the scene that relieved the pain in his heart, just a little bit.

Kakashi seemed to always gravitate towards Tomoko. And that same girl seemed to know what made his son tick.

At least, to some extent.

Before moving into the Hoshino Family Home, Sakumo got his fair share of rants from Kakashi. A majority of them centered around this very same girl.

Examples include:

"Dad! Do ALL girls hug so hard?"

"Dad, how does she smile so brightly?"

His personal favorite was the first question that Kakashi asked him about the pianist after his Academy graduation.

"Hey Dad, what makes Tomoko so different from other civilians?"

At the time, he didn't have an answer. Even if Sakumo knew Tomoko's parents on a semi-personal level at the time, the girl was strange enough to not really have a definite answer to her behavior.

The former White Fang knew that a lot of civilian and ninja alike who didn't go to Nagareboshi Cafe often gave the Hoshino Family odd looks for allowing their only daughter to actively tackle-hug people she liked.

But hearing Tomoko, right now, sing that same song that struck Sakumo almost two years ago, for his only son, he could somewhat understand.

"Let's just live!"

Hoshino Tomoko had the strength in being open to anyone who needed her.

And in a world filled with bloodshed and strife at its core, Konoha needed that more than ever.

Hatake Kakashi didn't want to wake up.

For once in the past few days, he had a few hours of uninterrupted, peaceful sleep. Why couldn't he indulge himself on that more?

Since missions could be absolute shit at times.

But the sunlight was starting to pour into the room, hitting his face directly with the new angle, and his mind was already screaming at him to start getting ready for the rest of the day.

That is, if his stomach wasn't growling enough already.

He opened his eyes, slowly, wincing at the feeling of crust greasing the edges of his eyelids as his vision cleared. Kakashi attempted to raise a hand to wipe at said crust, only to stop.

His nose could catch whiffs of rosemary and lotus flowers.

Tomoko. He could smell Tomoko. But why…?

He looked down, and nearly had a heart attack.

Rosemary. Lotus flowers. All coming from the civilian girl apparently tangled up in his arms, her nose snuggled into the crook between his shoulder and neck. Her short black hair was spread out on the pillow like a dark curtain, the occasional tangled strand sticking out of her head, and adding in the soft breathing against his skin, Kakashi couldn't deny the idea anymore.

He wasn't in his own bed. He had somehow found his way to Tomoko's bed instead, and she decided to use him as a teddy-bear.

Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. His heart went.

Kakashi was REALLY hoping she couldn't hear it. But how was he supposed to get out? Her grip was somewhat strong, even when considering the fact she was asleep.

Okay. Okay. What in all FUCKS happened that made it out to be like this?!

Then, the memories hit him.

The nightmare. Seeing that other girl getting decapitated, and then switching over to Tomoko facing that same fate, muttering the same words to him.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

And then those same words, forcing him to wake up last night, making him barely coherent as all that was on his mind was Tomoko.

Gotta make sure she's okay - gottamakesureshe'sokay.

He couldn't remember much after that. All that was left in his mind was one line.

"Let's just live!" sung in the quietest, kindest voice that reminded him of another woman he once knew.

"Kakashi."

Mom. His mind concluded.

A shiver went up his spine as he immediately tried to shake his head of the thought. It was a new day, and it wasn't the time to dwell on things.

… Unfortunately, Tomoko started to stir.

"... Fweh…?" Was the resulting noise before the girl shifted. Finally, finally Kakashi could feel his waist again as Tomoko slowly let go of him to instead reach up and rub her eyes.

He could only wait because his heart AND body decided to freeze up right then and there.

A few seconds passed before those blue eyes cleared up enough to take notice of him.

Tomoko smiled her usual, happy smile. "Good morning friend."

He blinked, taken aback. "G-Good morning."

The civilian blinked sleepily before reaching up to wipe at his eyes, and Kakashi could feel the crust coming off with the girl's touch. It was warm, soft, and… gentle. A part of him didn't know whether to feel embarrassed or happy that she was doing this. "Did you have a good sleep, Kakashi?"

Without thinking, he nodded. At least he was honest about it. "... Yeah, I did."

Tomoko smiled again. "That's good…"

And then she hugged him again. Kakashi tried not to freeze up this time, resulting in just his hands flailing about for a second. What in all heck was he supposed to do?

And why in all HELL is my heart beating so hard?! He found himself mentally screaming.

Lub-dub. It went, almost mockingly in his chest. Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub.

Instead, he choked out a strangled "Tomoko?"

There was a pause. Kakashi wasn't sure if he said the right thing, mentally floundering for a moment before she spoke. "... I'm just happy, Kakashi."

His heart stopped right then and there.

… Happy? Why?

The hold on his waist tightened as Tomoko breathed out softly, almost shakily. "I was worried last night, you know?" She began, snuggling into him quietly. "You came in, looking at me like I was a ghost, and…" The civilian sighed. "I was really worried for a minute, you know?"

Kakashi didn't know what to say to that. Instead, he hugged her back, taking in the familiar rosemary scent in an attempt to calm himself. "... I'm sorry," Was all he could say.

From the close distance, he could feel Tomoko shake her head before the girl pulled away to look up at him. "Don't apologize, Kakashi. I'm just happy to know that you look a bit better."

It would've been a great moment.

That is, if Tomoko didn't reach up to pinch his cheek, mask and all.

Ow. His mind registered dully.

"Ow." He echoed dryly, feeling a deadpan expression come on. "Why, Tomoko?"

The civilian put on a more familiar cheerful grin. "Because I wanted to~!"

He just pinched her back, a bit harder. "Eep!" She squeaked, pouting at him almost immediately. "Kakashi."

"Tomoko." He mocked, smirk tugging at his lips.

The girl just gave him an exasperated look before sighing. "You know what? Let's just get up and have breakfast, okay?"

He just shrugged before pinching her cheek again, reveling in Tomoko's surprised squeak.

This was how things were supposed to be.

Not dealing with… so much blood and nightmares.

This was home. And things were finally starting to look normal again.

"... Should I be worried that your son is hanging onto Tomoko-chan so tightly, Sakumo?" Hoshino Judai deadpanned from their shared hiding place in the hallway.

The former White Fang just shrugged. "Not really, Judai, no. They seem to be enjoying themselves at least."

The retired nin sighed in response. "That's not the point. I mean, my little girl… belonging to a boy…. Really?"

Hikari smiled sheepishly, putting a hand on her husband's arm. "Judai, don't be so down. Can't you see Tomoko-chan's smile?"

"I know Hikari, but this is our baby, you know? I don't want to think about marrying her off yet!"

What? "... why in all hell are you thinking about it then?!"

"I don't know! Ask my subconscious!"

Sakumo blinked. "Er… you two?"

Hikari frowned. "Alright then, Judai's subconscious, please answer my question. Why are you making my beloved husband think of our daughter's future wedding?"

"I don't know - maybe it's because a lot of civilians are clamoring about it, even in the cafe?!"

The White Fang tried again. "... Guys?"

"Wait, Judai, you didn't tell me that!"

"How was I supposed to approach you about it then?!"

Sakumo just settled for letting out a teaspoon's amount of killing intent and giving a half-hearted stare. "... Judai, Hikari, the kids are going to notice us soon. Let's just go make breakfast, okay?"

"..."

"..."

Three sighs sounded out in unison.

"Relationships are WEIRD." Judai concluded.

"Let's just go make breakfast, Judai, Sakumo." Hikari deadpanned.

"Agreed."

Author's Notes: Well, the inspiration hit me, and I wanted to put this out really quickly since school is starting up in a spin again, so yeah! Thanks to everyone who reviewed Chapter 37 - it really helped with this!

Give yourselves a pat on the back! It's because of you readers, favoriters, and followers that Chapter 38 came out so quickly!

Love you all!

Next stop in the upcoming chapters, Chunin Exams, 2nd try, AND the beginnings of Kannabi! I hope you all will continue to stick with me!

This is Writer-and-Artist27 signing out to brainstorm Chapter 39 and deal with college!