It was midday when Kakashi allowed his three students to break for lunch. They all sat together in a semicircle on the edge of the training ground, but soon the two boys were arguing over who-knows-what. Their fighting turned physical and Kakashi sighed. He decided not to interfere unless blood was drawn. He looked at the girl, who had a small meal in front of her and was eating politely. At least one of his genin behaved. She had finished eating before Kakashi had even started, and she absently picked clover flowers from the grass.
The boys were in an all-out brawl, and Kakashi monitored it between pages of Icha Icha. The girl meandered behind Kakashi and he felt her small hands touch his hair. He tensed up. No one touched him, really, except for Gai.
"Your hair is actually pretty long," she said, braiding a section of it. He relaxed a little, and she set the flowers she'd gathered on his shoulder, occasionally picking one up and weaving it into his hair. She circled him when she was done, examining her work.
Eventually, the boys tired themselves out and sat back in front of him, out of breath.
"Hah! You look like a princess, old man," said the blond boy, pointing at his teacher. The other boy tried, unsuccessfully, not to look amused.
"Oh? Am I pretty?" Kakashi answered, not looking up from his book.
"I think it's pretty," the girl said defensively. When the blond boy, who clearly had a crush on the girl, realized he had hurt her feelings, he back-pedaled a little.
"Why don't you do my hair like that, Sakura?"
"Yeah right, Naruto. When was the last time you washed it? Besides, it's too short. Sasuke's is a good length, though," she said, blushing when the other boy's name came out of her mouth.
"No," said the more reserved boy with a tone of finality.
Kakashi smiled at the three children in front of him. They were starting to grow on him. And when he looked in the mirror later that night, after an evening of Gai remarking that Kakashi looked a little different but he couldn't quite place why, he wondered if he was growing soft.
His suspicions were confirmed the next day when Sakura stood behind him and plaited his hair again and he didn't even stiffen up under her touch. That same day, when Naruto collapsed after training and fell asleep in the grass, Kakashi caught himself smiling affectionately. He felt his heart swell when he saw the three little idiots he was assigned to and he realized that he wasn't as cold-blooded as he thought.