Well, now that the room is less intense...
"Let's see; clothes for tomorrow, pajamas for tonight, best pack a couple of toys just in case." Kakashi mumbled to himself, listing off needs and essentials for Rikko's first sleepover. Before continuing, he remembered he still had guests waiting at the front door. "So, you two will pick him up after school?" Kakashi asked, following his in-laws to the door. "I'll have his bag sitting on the couch set and ready to go. All he needs to do is drop off his school bag and grab his over night bag. Should have everything he needs for the night."
"Yes, and we will drop off Hoshi, too." Kenji answered, slipping on his trench coat.
"Thank you." Kakashi nodded. "And Rikko is going to stay the night with you at your house? What time will you bring him home tomorrow?"
"We will bring him back home tomorrow afternoon. Once we're done with shopping for his birthday present." Rei answered this time with a small smile.
"This is his first time staying at someone else's home, so if he gets scared or if he gets to be too much, just let me know and I'll come pick him up."
Rei scoffed in a comical manner and rolled her honey-colored eyes. "Come now, Kakashi. I've raised two daughters, I'm sure I can handle a little rowdy boy. And do not worry, we haven't forgotten our promise to the other children. Perhaps, part of their gifts will be the home we find. I'll make sure it's a perfect abode to raise these growing children."
With that, Kenji and Rei bowed and headed for the stairs. Kakashi closed the door and gave a heavy sigh in relief. His head spinning in circles, puzzling together the last few minutes.
Phew, as if morning's are not hard enough. Now, I've got to get an overnight bag ready for Rikko to visit his grandparents whom he has not seen in years. Gai just broke Mika's heart. Kazue's in a mood and Hoshi's so confused I'm surprised she's behaving right now. I can't even remember what I was suppose to do today.
"Come on, Rikko!" Kazue's voice shouted, snapping Kakashi out of his daze. He turned around to face the table just as Kazue was lowering his mask, giving Rikko a hard glare. "You know the rules! Finish eating and help us clean up before you get ready!"
"I'm eating! I'm eating!" Rikko shouted back, swallowing the last of his eggs. Then, he wiped his egg debris mouth on his sleeve, jumped out of his seat, and carried his plate into the kitchen. "I gotta get something for show and tell!"
"Don't run in the house!" Mika shouted as Rikko dashed down the hall and disappeared into his and Kazue's bedroom.
"Hey, Rikko, hold up! I need to talk to you!" Kakashi shouted, running after Rikko and turning into the last room on the right. Kakashi turned the doorknob and then slammed into the door. "Ouch." He groaned, shaking the shock away and peering around the door. Blocking his entry was one of Rikko's toy cars parked behind the door. Sucking in his stomach, Kakashi slid through the small entrance into the boy's room. "Boy, it would be nice for you to have a bigger room. Or even better yet, a room of your own."
Slipping through the door, Kakashi took a moment to look around the small bedroom. Years ago, this was Kazue's bedroom; clean and organized with a bunk bed and plenty of storage for a growing boy. However, as the years passed and the Hatake/Might family grew, the bedrooms had two occupants in each. And each bedroom had very little space to move around.
Somehow, Kazue and Rikko's room was always the dirtiest. In one corner was a bunk bed; the top was clean and made while the bottom was the opposite. Clothes and toys laid sprawled all over the floor, snack wrappers decorated the floor like confetti, drawings on the wall, dresser drawers sticking out crookedly, crayons and books on piles on dressers and nightstands.
I'll need to put in a request for the boys to have their own bedrooms, and maybe a crew to deep clean this place.
"So, Rikko," Kakashi continued watching Rikko dig through his crooked dresser drawers. "This is going to be your first night away from home. It's a pretty big deal, but I don't want you to get scared. It's pretty simple. Once you're done with academy, your grandparents will bring you back here to pick up your over night bag, and then you will go with them to their house to stay over night. But I don't want you to worry. You won't be far from me, and I'm just a phone call away."
"I know, Dad. And I'm not scared or anything." Rikko replied, hopping over to his toy chest. "I just hope they're lots of fun! And I hope I can find the best present for everyone!"
Kakashi chuckled, watching his son dig through his toy chest, leaving another mess. "Well, I'm sure they'll give you plenty to do to stay busy. But first thing first, you should get ready for school. And don't forget to brush your teeth this time."
"Whoa, cool, check it out." Rikko said, pulling out a large box.
"Rikko? Where did you go? We're going to be late." Mika stated in a firm voice, finding Rikko in the apartment basement and climbing into a box. "What are you doing? When did you get down here anyway?"
"I came down the stairs, duh. And I need to bring something about dad to school." Rikko answered, prying the box open. "And I found this really big box with our last name on it."
"K Hatake." Mika read out loud as her finger ran underneath the printed word. "I think Dad's name starts with a 'K'."
"I dunno. Let's look inside." Rikko decided, leaning to look inside.
"What are you doing? Get out of there." Mika commanded as Rikko fell into the box with a 'whoops'.
"What are you two doing? We're going to be late." Kazue mentioned, walking down the stairs. "Rikko, get out of the box. This is not the time for messing around. And I hope that's your box. Remember everyone in this building shares this basement."
"Hey, I think I found what I could bring to school. This will get me a good grade." Rikko popped his head out of the box holding a picture frame. "I think this is Dad when he was a kid."
Rikko held out the frame to Kazue. "That is Dad, right, big brother?"
Kazue stood still for a moment. He knew that time was short and that the younger two had to get going, or they would be late. At the same time, he wanted to know what his dad looked like as a child. Sighing, he grabbed the photo and swiped the dust off. He looked down at the two silver haired figures in the picture; one on the right was a tall, lean man in Jonin attire and a sheath on his back, giving the camera a proud smile and his hand rested on his son's head. The boy was tall and lean, wearing a mask that covered his mouth and nose, his dark brown eyes glistening as he held up an academy graduation certificate.
Kazue's eyes went wide when he recognized the other man.
"That's Sakumo Hatake."
"Sakumo?" Rikko asked saying the name slowly, rocking back and forth in the box. "Who's that?"
"Well, it's obvious isn't it?" Kazue asked, shocked that Rikko didn't know. "He's our grandfather for one, and for another...well, he's a famous hero."
"Wait, wha-whoa!" Rikko shouted as he and the box toppled backwards. Rikko tumbled out of the box, shook his head and pulled out a scarf. "Hey, this is kinda neat. Oh, hey check this out." He said excitedly as he pulled out a gray vest with thin shoulders. "What's this thing?"
"Isn't that what the Anbu Black Ops wear?" Mika asked, kneeling down and examining the vest.
"Those really scary looking guys with masks? Rikko asked, then his eyes went wide in shock, his heart racing thinking about his father wearing a faceless mask and lurking around shadows. He reached back into the box and pulled out a white clay mask with red markings. "No way. Was Daddy one of those guys?"
"Indeed I was." The three kids screamed, startled. Kazue bounced ahead and spun around, holding the picture frame close to his chest. Mika shot up, then tripped over Rikko.
Kakashi stood at the bottom of the stairs with Hoshi at his side, holding her hand.
"What are you three doing down here? Didn't I tell you not to come down here without me?"
"Sorry, Dad." Rikko apologized in an innocent voice, his heart heavy and his head spinning. The young Hatake child imagined his father going on dangerous missions, hurting other people, being forced to keep heavy and dark secrets. He raised his head, holding the mask in his trembling hands. "So, is it true then? You were a...a..."
"That was a long time ago, son." Kakashi commented, giving Hoshi's hand a gentle squeeze and then letting it go. He walked over to the box, watching Rikko's hands tremble. Realizing his son was feeling trepidation, Kakashi sat down and took the mask. He lowered it down to the ground, keeping his attention of Rikko his hand resting on the side of the box. "Everything in this box was from a life time ago, before Kazue was born. I joined the Anbu Black Ops when I was around Kazue's age, it was suggested from the Fourth Hokage after the war. But this is a story for another day."
"I...I wanna take this to school." Rikko spun around to Kazue and forced the picture frame out of his hands. "I need something to show when I share about you, Dad. That's you, right?"
Kakashi looked down at the frame, his eye bows shot up in shock. "Oh, so I did put it down here. And that's right. And that man next to me would be your grandfather."
"What happened to him, Daddy?" Mika asked, sitting next to him.
"Again, another story for another day." He handed the frame back to Rikko. "If you need to tell your classmates anything about me, just mention I'm a Jonin of the Hidden Leaf, and a former Anbu Black Ops member, a war veteran-"
"And a pirate!" Rikko stated, pointing at Kakashi.
Kakashi fell silent, unsure of what he heard.
"D...did you say pirate, Rikko?" Kakashi could feel the laugh's building up in his chest.
"Yeah. Pirates always have one of their eyes covered up like that." Rikko pointed at Kakashi's covered left eye. "So, you're either a ninja pirate or a former pirate."
Kazue started chuckling, covering his mouth with his hand and his cheeks turning a light shade of red. Mika and Hoshi giggled.
Kakashi rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. "Sorry to disappoint you, Rikko, but your dad is not a pirate."
"Then what's with the headband over your eye?" Rikko asked, placing his hands on his hips.
Kakashi thought for a moment, wondering if he should tell Rikko the truth, or if they even had time. It was another one of the conversations he would need to have with his children. One he wasn't sure how to explain to innocent minds.
"Well, we're late already. So, I guess another minute won't hurt." Kakashi knelt down and pulled his headband up to his forehead and opened his left eye. Rikko's red spotted eyes widened in shock as he ran up to his father, staring in awe. Kakashi smirked, remembering Mariko reacting the exact same way as their youngest child; awe struck, admiring the Sharingan gift, not afraid or disgusted by it.
"Pretty cool, huh?"
Then, Kakashi noticed that the other three children had swarmed behind Rikko, staring at his eye.
"Mika, I'm a bit surprised. You have this, too."
"Sissy does?!"
"Yeah, but I haven't seen yours, Daddy." She said in a low voice, touching her right eye patch thoughtfully, as though she was feeling different about it.
Strange. I guess I never thought about asking her how she felt about her eye. Guess I had better take the time to discuss this with her. In fact, I think there are a few stories I ought to tell them, particularly about their mother's.
"Were you born with yours, too?" She asked.
Kakashi shook his head. "Mine was a gift from a friend when I became a Jonin. But that's another story for another day." Kakashi shot up, covered his eye and turned toward the stairs. "But right now, we're going to get chewed out by the teachers for being seriously late. Now, let's go!"
As quickly as he could, Kakashi scooped Hoshi into his arms and jumped to the top of the stairs. Quickly, he glanced over Hoshi's outfit; baby pink tights and a periwinkle dress that stopped at her knees, torn white tennis shoes and a lavender purple jacket. Her long black hair was tied back into a low ponytail. He glanced over his shoulder as the other three scrambled up the stairs and out the basement door. Breifly, he looked over everyones outfit's; each child wore blue jeans, each child had a different color jacket and back pack on.
I think everyone has everything they need, I hope anyway.
Kazue grabbed Mika's hand and started heading towards the academy.
"Hey Chibi, you don't have to come with us."
"Dad, that's embarrassing!" Kazue shouted, lowering his head and his face turning red.
"What is?"
"You know...my nickname."
"You mean Chibi? Well, that just means I ought to call you that more often." Kakashi teased, dashing pass the older two children.
"You wouldn't dare! Hey!" Kazue shouted, about to run after Kakashi and Hoshi. But then, he stopped, reached back and grabbed Rikko's hand.
"Ouch! Big brother, you're squishing my hand!"
"Dad, wait up!" Kazue shouted, half dragging his younger siblings.
Kakashi slid to a stop and then turned around watching the other three struggle.
"Although I don't mind you coming, you don't have to if you don't want to."
"I...I want to." Kazue answered hesitantly, coming to a stop. Kakashi tilted his head in a curious manner, wondering why Kazue started acting so strange. Rikko and Mika stood behind him, struggling to free their hands and catch their breaths. Normally if any one fell behind, Kazue would pick them up and carry them until he had caught up with Kakashi. His grip wouldn't be so tight on his siblings hands, and he would more straightforward and detailed when he spoke.
That's when Kakashi noticed a shadow hovering in the tree about a mile down the street. Kakashi lowered his head, pretending not to notice. Adrenaline pulsed through his body, his instincts about to kick in.
How long have you been standing there? Well, maybe it's me you're after. Otherwise, you would've made your move by now. I'll have to look into this a later, I can't risk putting the kids in danger.
"Well, alright then, son. But we are in a bit of a hurry." Kakashi stated, walking over to Rikko. Gently, he tapped on Kazue's hand and Kazue released Rikko's red and swollen hand. Then, Kakashi scooped the five year old into his arms. "So, I'll carry this two little ones and you just hold on to Mika's hand."
"Daddy, I don't need anyone holding my hand. And not so tightly either!" Mika argued, tugging and pulling at her brothers hand.
"I'll need you to hold on to your brothers hand. We're going into a busy area, Mika. To get you to school on time, you'll need to stay close to me and Kazue can help you with that."
"But daddy-"
"Just for right now, dear."
"Oh, alright. But could you loosen your grip, please?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry."