A/N – Sorry for not updating for a few days – my server went weird or something and wouldn't let me login? Well anyway, wow! Big response to the last chapter; thankyou's to lost ninja 1, mojojessjo, mkh2, Amanda, bhodi li, A.L.S, rebelblahlblahblah, neko-metallium, Autumn-firefly, and little blossom. It's been really positive so far, and I really appreciate the feedback – I've been a bit surprised actually as to how good it has been lol. No more 'Suke's for a while now lol, it's just my own habit. And I will bear in mind to put a warning if a pairing thing does come up. Well for now, here's the next chapter, and hopefully it won't take as long to put the next one up!

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A bowl of ramen, and a long explanation later, Kakashi and Naruto were still sat in the kitchen pensively looking at each other, thinking over what had just been said.

"Why didn't you take him to the hospital?" Naruto asked warily.

Kakashi stopped to stare back at the boy. "I, well I can't" he rubbed the table surface slightly.

"What do you mean you can't? He's obviously not normal"-

-"I can't bear the thought of him being in there all alone, confused, scared" Kakashi cut in, "… it'd be test after test after test… new faces, new environments all the time… they can provide care for him medically sure, but they won't CARE about him" he narrowed his eyes slightly "… they don't know him… knew him… we did. God, if you'd been there when I found him" Kakashi looked away sadly at the memory, "it was one of the worst things I've seen in my life Naruto, and you know that I've seen and done a lot of terrible things" Kakashi sighed and Naruto shifted in his chair. "And Sasuke…you just saw him now, he's so helpless and defenseless. He was scared of me Naruto, actually scared of me!" Kakashi frowned, "he didn't recognize me… he just seemed totally…lost. I just had to help him, it's the least I could do" he ran a hand over his hair "And I think by now we have some sort of trust in each other, he knows me again now… I can't just abandon him"-

"Like he abandoned us?" Naruto cut in bitterly.

Kakashi pursed his lips together as he continued to stare away. "… Things are different now" he spoke slowly.

"Because he's gotten himself retarded or whatever?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, watch your mouth" Kakashi scolded, he didn't tolerate that kind of talk from anyone. "If you were in Sasuke's position…" he trailed off. "If anything happened to you or Sakura you know I'd look after you"

Naruto swallowed, "well yeah…"

"I'm treating him the same as I would you or Sakura in his position"

"… well, I'd like to think you'd do what you thought was best if we did get hurt…" Naruto rubbed at his chin.

"Yes. Yes exactly. I think its best that Sasuke stays here with me, where I can protect him and look after him… like someone should have a long time ago, maybe if they had then…"

"…Are you sure this isn't just about you feeling guilty over"-

"Naruto" Kakashi cut in with a sharp look. "We can't go back and change things, I know that, but now we can. We can make a difference now" he clasped his hands together, "Like I said, things have changed"

Naruto stared at Kakashi for a while and looked away "Well… at least we know Sasuke isn't capable of pretending to be like this" he spoke quietly and leant back in his seat.

Kakashi raised his eyebrow with a flare of anger, "why would anyone"-

"I'm just saying…" Naruto shrugged and trailed off. "It's just hard to believe that that was Sasuke"

"I know"

"It's… well, I feel for the guy" Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "I can't imagine what it's like to be him"

"I know… I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy" Kakashi sighed and Naruto looked away cringing slightly.

"So uh, how do you think he ended up ret- uh, with problems?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi let the slip up slide and leant back in his own seat, "he has a scar, here" he traced over the same area on his own face with his index finger, "I don't know, but maybe that has something to do with it, maybe he just hit his head real hard on something, and it caused some kind of amnesia, brain damage…" he shook his head slightly.

Naruto nodded slowly.

"I just can't imagine what he must have been feeling and thinking" Kakashi spoke even quieter, "dealing with it alone… I'm surprised he survived this long"

"Yeah well, you know Sasuke; you'd think he was invincible…well if he wasn't-" Naruto cut himself off as he looked down.

An awkward silence hung in the air.

"I should probably go check on him, and my furniture" Kakashi exhaled deeply.

Naruto watched, "Should I uh, go?"

"Well, actually… could you go to the store and pick up some stuff for me? I'll write down a list and get the money in a minute" Kakashi sighed as he stood up and stretched.

"Yeah sure" Naruto replied

"And do you have any uh, old clothing, small enough to fit him?"

"I don't know, I mean the towel diaper thing look is really working for him" Naruto gave a small smile at the look Kakashi gave him, "I'm bound to have some stuff somewhere I can lend" he said.

"Thank you" Kakashi grabbed a biro and notepad from a drawer, "uh, make sure you get plenty of uh…you know" he mumbled.

"Uh, house-training aids?" Naruto asked then looked away at another glance Kakashi gave him. "Fine… Kakashi, what about Sakura, whose going to tell her?" he asked cautiously.

Kakashi frowned and paused, gripping to the biro for a minute as he contemplated how Sakura should be informed.

"Tell you what, I'll go pick the stuff up; if I see her I'll, well I can bring her here if you think Sasuke would be fine with all these people around".

Kakashi frowned, "No. No, look I'll"-

THUD.

They both glanced towards the hallway. Kakashi sighed and forced the list and some money into Naruto's hand "I better go and…don't be too long"

"Sure thing, and if I see Sakura?"

"Tell her to come by later"

"Okay"

"And… thanks" Kakashi added, getting a nod in reply from Naruto before he headed down the hallway, already hearing the scratching and whimpering from the other side of the door.

"Sasuke" Kakashi called, gently turning the door handle and slowly pushing open the door a gap. There was another whimper and a second later a dark wide eye was visible, peering up at Kakashi. "Hey kid, that was a short sleep" Kakashi opened the door wider and soon found his knee being nuzzled by a still whimpering Sasuke's cheek.

A click down the other end of the hallway indicated that Naruto had left.

Kakashi sighed and ruffled the boy's hair, "what are we going to do with you eh?" he glanced across the room at Sasuke's little nest. A cushion had found its way under his bed, and the quilt had collapsed down a bit.

Sasuke moved his head, pushing at Kakashi's leg before he peered around his left knee, head but the knee once more then peered around again.

"I think that's a hint" Kakashi muttered, slowly stepping away, allowing there to be space in the doorway for Sasuke to go past.

Sasuke crawled forward into the hallway before sitting himself down and looking up expectantly at the adult.

"Do you want me to lead the way?" Kakashi asked.

Blink.

"All right" Kakashi slowly spoke and walked down the hallway, stopping at the end to turn around, and found Sasuke was following him. He gave a lopsided smile before going fully into the lounge, with the sound of Sasuke's hands and knees softly tapping on the floor behind him. He found his way to the sofa and sat on it "Naruto will be back again soon, with some things for you"

Sasuke traveled across the lounge until he stopped in front of Kakashi and knelt on the carpet, looking up at him. He blinked and hesitantly reached up, putting his small bony hands on the white haired man's knees.

Kakashi blinked, mildly surprised before giving the boy's hair another ruffle, then placed his hands just as hesitantly over the pale ones on his knees.

Sasuke looked from one hand to the other; a purr rumbling from him as he pulled his right hand from under Kakashi's left, and slapped it down on top of Kakashi's.

The adult blinked with surprise again, and then decided to test it out; he slipped his left hand out from under Sasuke's right and placed it back on top.

The boy's purr grew and Kakashi felt something melt inside, when the boy's lips twitched at the corners into what he could only describe as a tiny fraction of a smile of some kind of childish amusement. The first smile; this must be what parents feel he thought to himself.

Sasuke then decided to slip out his left hand and slap it down on top of Kakashi's right, while letting a small squeal pass the twitching lips.

Kakashi himself couldn't help smile as he continued the game, putting his hand on top of Sasuke's, rubbing his thumbs lightly on the small hands.

Sasuke bent his head down, rubbing his cheek on the back of one of the adult's warm hands, before he suddenly pulled back, slipping his hands away from under Kakashi's and blinking up at him.

Kakashi's smile went as he looked back down at the boy confused. Had he upset him?

Sasuke tilted his head then got onto his hands and knees, wandering off to the side with Kakashi watching him. The boy stopped at the arm of the sofa, peering up over it back at the man, with only the wild hair and black eyes with their innocent glint visible.

He then disappeared again and Kakashi stood up, glancing over the arm of the sofa; "Sasuke?" he walked around as a flash of skin disappeared behind the sofa. He got down onto his knees and peered around behind it.

He blinked when he found a face inches apart from his own.

Sasuke sniffed whilst staring at him, before moving forward and bam - connected his forehead with Kakashi's in a small but effective head but.

"Ow" kakashi knelt back and rubbed at his forehead – well the kid has always liked his own space he figured. He couldn't help flinch slightly when a hand shot into view.

The involuntary movement caused Sasuke to pull his hand back and he seemed to cringe slightly.

"Hey, its okay" Kakashi said softly, mentally kicking himself what just happened.

Sasuke watched as Kakashi looked back at him, before deciding now it might be okay to put his hand towards Kakashi's face again, but slower this time, placing it over Kakashi's eye, and spreading his fingers out over the man's forehead. He kept it there a moment before taking his hand away again.

"Uh, thanks?" Kakashi remained knelt down.

Sasuke made a small noise, rubbing at his own forehead before going back to his on all fours position and crawled out again. Sasuke, with some difficulty, managed to basically crawl over the man's lap rather than wait for him to move or go around him, before turning and looking at him, crawling off a little more then turning and looking at him again.

"What?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke remained still on his hands and knees and seemed to be waiting for Kakashi to do something.

Kakashi momentarily frowned, confused as hell about what was going on, before deciding (and questioning his own sanity) to get onto his hands and knees like the boy was. "Okay, now what?"

Sasuke turned and crawled about three steps before turning and looking back at Kakashi.

"What, is it my turn to follow you?" Kakashi asked.

Blink.

Kakashi, wondering what on earth he must look like, decided on a whim to crawl over to Sasuke.

The boy's mouth picked up at the corner's again, before he continued to move, then paused to look back.

Kakashi, being much older, bigger, stronger and faster, was already pretty much behind him. Causing him to squeal and scramble forwards quicker. Kakashi smiled and went after him, beginning to see what the new game was.

"Do you have any idea how ridiculous we must look right now?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke mewled quite happily as he rounded up behind the sofa again.

"Well of course you wouldn't care. You just want to make me look like a fool don't you?"

Sasuke's face popped back around the back of the sofa to look at him, a playful glint in his eyes even if he probably didn't understand everything Kakashi was saying.

"I see, well just wait till I catch you" Kakashi replied playfully as he went after a squealing Sasuke, allowing himself to fall into Sasuke's little world for a while.