About three days after Kakashi had initially been dosed with the worst feeling medicine in his life, he was already saying good-bye to Sakura and headed to his new restored apartment. Kakashi had seemed to forget that he had asked Sakura on a date so when he saw a note on the door one day as he was coming home from wardrobe shopping he was confused.

"I guess I should call her," Kakashi opened the door and saw two wrapped packages sitting on his bed. One was fairly small, and the other took up half the bed. "Okay…" Dropping the shopping bag, he tore open the larger box. His eyes widened as he saw hundreds of ramen packages. Taking the smaller box and opening that one he squealed like a little girl. "WHOO-HOO!" Two new Icha Icha books. "This must be my rewards from the cat show." That's when it dawned on him the meaning of the note on his door. "Did I ask Sakura out for ramen?" He looked at all the ramen in the box. There was at least twenty of every flavor. "I must have been in pretty bad shape…"

The phone rang. Kakashi walked over and picked it up. "Hello? Sakura hi!...yes I did…I know there's so much…what about you? Hm, well I'm sure Ino feels the sting of defeat even now. What?...you're kidding…I'll be right over."

Sakura had been painting her nails the night before when she heard a voice up in her bedroom. Investigating who it was, she saw Taila on the floor talking in his sleep.

When Kakashi rang the doorbell, Sakura pulled him inside. She led him to the living room and there Taila was, or supposed to be.

"Taila's a—"

"Human? I know!" Sakura picked up the phone and called Tsunade.

"No wonder he stole my food…" Kakashi said to himself. He came closer to the sleeping man on the couch and gasped. "Kesa…?" He looked to see if Sakura was watching him, and bent down shaking Kesa on the shoulder to get him to wake up.

"Mm…" the slumbering man rolled over on his side.

"Kesa, hey wake up!" Kakashi shook him again. "Hey!"

"No not now…" Kesa grumbled.

"Kesa, you're human, now wake up."

"What?" The man's eyes snapped open and he bolted up. Rubbing his eyes he looked around the room. "I can see in color!" He looked at his hands. "I have thumbs! I-I—Kakashi?"

"Yo," Kakashi waved.

"KAKASHI!!!" He leapt up and put an arm around his old friend. "IT IS YOU!!!"

"Kakashi what's going on in here?" Sakura came in.

"Sakura, this is Kesa or Taila as he's better known," Kakashi introduced.

"Pleasure to finally meet you Sakura," Kesa bowed. "As a human I mean."

"Y-you w-were my dog?" Sakura asked wide eyed.

"Yes, I was…" Kesa sat back down on the couch.

"You meant missing two years ago," Kakashi sighed. "This is where you ended up."

"That's right, oh my gosh," Sakura put a hand to her mouth. "I found him at the gate almost dead two years ago."

"That was some mission…I tried to get back to my family, but I couldn't return to my normal form. It was a disguise to get into—"

"Wasn't I sent on that mission too?" Kakashi wondered.

"I believe you were now that you mention it," Kesa stretched.

"You went missing in the forest and were proclaimed dead."

"Yes," Kesa closed his eyes.

"Wow," Sakura answered the knock on the door.

"I had heard my family was killed also, when I was on my way back to the village, and I gave up on ever finding them." Kesa turned his eyes downwards. "When I heard Sakura talking about them, I didn't believe her."

"But it's true," Kakashi sat next to him. "Your daughter took me in. Teri is her name right? And your wife is Suji?"

"Yes," Kesa brightened up. "I suppose you were a cat."

"Alright Kesa," Enter Tsunade with large needle.

"Lord Hokage!" Kesa smiled. "Oh man…the needle."

"The pain only lasts for a few days," Kakashi elbowed him. I found your dad Teri…

As soon as Kesa was injected with the worst medicine on earth, Kakashi went running over to Teri's house.

"Oh," Suji wrapped her arms around Kakashi and started to cry hysterically on his shoulder.

"Mister, why is mommy crying?" Teri came from behind.

"Teri," Suji sniffed and kneeled down so that she was face to face with her daughter. "Mr. Hatake has found daddy, and he's coming home tomorrow."

Teri's eyes began to fill with tears, and a smile filled her face. "Did you really find him Mr. Hatake?"

"Yes I did," Kakashi's eye sparkled.

"You sound really familiar," Teri said choking up. "Like my old kitty…"

"Oh Teri!" Suji hugged Teri and Teri hugged Suji crying and laughing that their beloved was home. Kakashi felt it was not his place to be there, and left, but before he was halfway down the street Teri came chasing after him. "Mr. Hatake wait!"

"Hm…?"

"Can you take me to see him please?" Teri asked taking his hand.

Kakashi looked back to Suji who waved yes. "Sure."

"Yay!"

The day was full of tears of happiness and joy at the reuniting of the Morimo family. Teri still hadn't figured out who Kakashi really was, but she decided that she like him. Kesa had taken the liberty of telling Teri to call Kakashi 'uncle'.

"Thanks Kesa," Kakashi rolled his eyes.

"No problem," Kesa sighed.

"Uncle Kakashi, do you want to hear a story?" Teri tugged on his pant leg.

"Sounds like a plan," Kakashi sat down in the chair next to the couch and listened as Teri recalled the story of the talking cat.

A week later...

Kakashi was sitting on his bed thinking. He had finished both of his new books, and had eaten so much ramen that he felt like he could starve himself for a year. It was raining, and the drops against his window hypnotized him. He fell back against his pillow and was about to go to sleep when a knock came from his door.

"Coming! Sakura, hi!"

"Kakashi," Sakura bit her lip.

"Yes?"

"Um…"

"Do you want to come in?" Kakashi asked breaking her scrambled thoughts.

"Okay."

Closing the door behind her he asked. "Is everything alright?"

"Well actually, it's kind of lonely without you and Kesa around." Sakura shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"I know what you mean…" Kakashi blushed.

"So, do you want to reschedule that date for tonight?"

"Not to the ramen shop I hope…" Kakashi joked.

"No, not there…" Sakura smiled looking at the empty ramen containers in his garbage can.

"How about some dango?" Kakashi offered.

"I haven't had dango in a while." Sakura turned to face him.

Kakashi laughed. "Let's get some dango then!"