Thank you for continuing to read! I really appreciate it! I'm sorry this sequel has taken so long for me to publish, but thank you all for being so patient!
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Never will.
As for the new names in this chapter, Iztz is pronounced "Is-tes," Xion is pronounced "Jaun," and Illou is pronounced "Ill-loo."
Thank you and enjoy!
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"What is all this about, Lady Hokage?" Kakashi demanded as he threw open the door and stomped into the blonde's office, followed by Cherry, Anko, Iruka, and team 7.
Tsunade removed her high-heels from the desktop,
"Ah, Kakashi, Cherry-chan, team seven, glad you're here." She nodded to Anko and Iruka, "You know what to do." With a bow, the pair removed themselves from the room and slid the door shut behind them.
Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples, "Kakashi, Cherry-chan, take a seat." she said, motioning to two chairs near her desk, "Brats, go stand at attention at the wall." She said waving her hand. Sakura dragged the protesting blond and the emo to the back of the room.
"I realize it's quite rude of me to interrupt your first day together as man and wife…" the woman said as she took a drink from a nearby bottle of sake. Kakashi grunted in agreement, only for Cherry to swat his hand under the table.
Tsunade took another gulp of the sake,
"Well… actually there's been a mission in dire need of execution for almost a week now… the board of elders and I had decided that the first eligible couple to marry in the coming days would have to take on this mission…" She rubbed her forehead again, "I really am sorry that you're the ones who have to take care of this mission… seeing the circumstances and all… but the elders' minds, and mine, have already been made up."
She held up her hand and Shizune handed her a envelope,
"About a week ago, Anko was confronted on one of her training grounds with this…" she handed it to Cherry, who in turn glanced up at Kakashi before she opened it.
It read:
"Dear Lady Tsunade Hokage:
I apologize for contacting you in such a sudden manner about such a crucial request… but this is quite urgent.
About seven years ago, my wife, Oaco, my comrades, Xyniigi, Lan, Hadji, and Kalula and I moved to this wonderful village in order to escape a murderous villain. But we, regretfully, have be found. I always knew this day would come… but I never thought it would be so soon. My comrades and I are the only ones who can stop this evil now.
Since we moved here, My wife and I had settled down and have had three wonderful little children. As you can imagine, we cannot endanger them by taking them along with us, for we might certainly die in our line of duty.
Please, I beg of you, Lady Hokage, please entrust our three children to a responsible Jounin couple while we are away…
But beware… they have inherited some of my… talents… as well as some of my traits… they can prove to be quite troublesome.
Gaito Riddler
Tsunade sighed as the two looked back up at her,
"The children arrived the next day… You can obviously see now why this mission is so important…"
"Lady Tsunade," Kakashi said seriously as he refolded the letter and replaced it into the envelope, "Isn't there anyone else who's qualified to take care of--"
"I'm afraid not." The Hokage said, gazing out her window, "Currently, the kids are being taken care of by the infirmary and some of the teachers of the school… but…"
A crash and a shriek interrupted her, coming from the hallway, followed by multiple voices chiding someone. Tsunade groaned,
"Unfortunately… our employees and instructors are a little... overwhelmed… so you've been chosen… are you willing to accept?" She asked, folding her hands so tightly the knuckles turned white.
Cherry turned to Kakashi, her face pale and worried,
"Kaka-kun," she whispered, "I… I've never interacted with children before… I don't know the first thing about raising a child-- not to mention three!"
Kakashi ran his hand through his hair,
"Honestly, neither have I… but… it is for our village… and it's not like we'd be their permanent parents… right?" He asked, turning to Tsunade.
The woman shrugged,
"Of course not. Their parents are trustworthy individuals and will most likely be back within short notice… and even if the parents don't return, their comrades just as well will and take care of the children."
Kakashi turned back to Cherry, "What do you say?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow.
Cherry grinned, "I say, let's do it!"
"OOH! OOH!" The three turned their attention to team 7 in the back as Naruto danced around with his hand waving in the air.
"Yes, Naruto?" Tsunade asked with a smile.
"Does this make us like uncles and an aunt!?" He asked excitedly.
The Hokage chuckled,
"Sure, Naruto. Oh, by the way, I found a great job for the three of you to do. Shizune, go ahead and take them down to Old Lady Ongir's place." she said with a smile,
"I hear the old folks home down there is having a golf tournament."
Shizune bowed and headed toward the door. Just as she reached for it, though, who should pull it open but a blushing, cross-eyed, very frazzled Iruka, who abruptly fell to the floor.
"Come, come, Iruka. I thought you were a teacher. Don't tell me they got the best of you that easily." Tsunade said with a laugh.
Anko poked her head through the door,
"Naw, sadly, not this time. Mr. Nara and that Chunin kid of his met us in the hallway and convinced him to drink some complimentary sake, then Iruka fell down the stairs a couple of times."
The company sweatdropped as Shizune led team 7 out and Anko coaxed three little children in.
"But I loo-hiccup-oove the duckies, Granny Pineapple!" Iruka mumbled as his eyes rolled around to the back of his head.
Holding onto Anko's right hand was a tiny girl, no taller than Anko's hip with fluffy green pigtails. She had a sweet little face with large, inquisitive purple eyes that anxiously searched the Jounin's faces. Hiding behind Anko's left knee was a itty-bitty toddler boy with scruffy green hair and matching, frightened purple eyes. Finally, in Anko's left arm was a sleeping infant girl with a shock of green hair tied up in a ribbon.
"Meet your new children." Tsunade said quietly.
Kakashi slowly stood and helped Cherry to her feet and hand-in-hand, the two approached the small children.
"Kids, these are your new Mommy and Daddy." The toddler and small girl looked up at Anko as she pried herself from their tiny clutches and shooed them over to the nervous Jounin.
Ever so slowly, Cherry looked up at Kakashi and struggled down to her knees. Kakashi removed his mask and did as his wife did.
"Eh… hello there… We're the Hatake's." Kakashi said
"I am Cherry, and this is my husband, Kakashi." Cherry said with a smile as she looked into the children's eyes for the first time.
The little boy's lip began to quiver and the little girl looked very scared. Kakashi laughed nervously,
"It's ok… um… we won't hurt you…" Kakashi said as he glanced at his wife. He noticed something strange.
Cherry watched the children intently with an almost unreadable look of understanding, concern and something else… something he couldn't recognize. The woman rose to her feet and motioned for Kakashi to follow.
"Kaka-kun!" She whispered, "That look-- it's the same way I felt before-- before I met you!"
Kakashi glanced past Cherry,
"Really?"
The woman nodded vigorously,
"Yes!" she whispered, "They're really scared and they don't really know what's going on! They're tired little children who have been taken from their homes are really worried for their parents!" She looked down sorrowfully at the timid children,
"Kaka-kun… they don't have anyone they can trust right now…"
Kakashi ran his hand through his hair,
"Then what do we do?"
Cherry smiled up at him,
"The same thing you did for me… make them feel at home and comfortable… just be nice… and give them reason to trust you." She said with a reassuring smile. The couple turned back to the three terrified children.
Anko nudged the two walking children forward,
"Go on… introduce yourselves, guys."
The little girl twiddled her thumbs nervously,
"I-I'm Illou Riddler-- I'm six years old," she said in a small voice with a tiny curtsy. She motioned to her brother, "That's Xion, he's three-and-a-half" the little boy nodded and the little girl looked up to the baby, "And she's Iztz… or we call her Iz for short… she's just a baby."
Kakashi smiled down (way WAY down) at the children,
"Can I take Iztz from nice Miss Anko?" Kakashi asked. The little girl looked far up at the tall, handsome man and slowly nodded.
With gentle yet awkward hand, Kakashi carefully took the infant from the fishnet-clad woman. Anko instructed him on how to hold the baby and began loading him up with the children's bags, as well as his new wife's.
Cherry smiled down at the children,
"It's time to go to our house now. Are you all ready?" She asked as she bent down and extended her hands. The two children looked cautiously up at her and slowly approached her. The Xion took her right hand and Illou took her left.
"Are we ready to go?" Kakashi whispered to the redhead as he shifted the sleeping child into a more comfortable position. Cherry nodded back at him.
"Well, then off we go." Kakashi said as he led the new family out of the room.
Tsunade cleared her throat in the awkward silence that followed.
"Soooo…" Anko said as she stuffed her hands into her pockets, "How long do you think those two will last with them?"
Shizune shuddered,
"I give them no more than… I dunno… four days… five at the most…"
"I'll--I'll give 'um a wee-hiccup-eek…" Iruka slurred from on the floor.
Tsunade's eyebrows knit as she folded her hands,
"How 'bout we make it interesting… with a bet?"
Meanwhile, at Ongir's house…
"Giddy-up, 'ya lazy horse!" Old Lady Ongir said as she swatted Naruto in the rump with a flyswatter, "Granny needs a new pair of sandals, so I need a good golf caddy horse, got it, punk!?"
"What'd you call me, you old-- OW! HEY!"
"I hate my life…" Sakura mumbled as she was squished by another old overweight golfer who claimed to be the best friend of the first Hokage.
"I hate your life too." Sasuke said as he took a bite of grass from underneath an old woman.
"ARRAGH! GRANNY TSUNAAAADEEEE!"
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If you haven't figured it out already, the names of the parents and the parent's friends are refrences (although spelled a different way) to Gosho Aoyama's Detective Conan and Magic Kaito (I am SUCH a big fan) Gaito Kaito, the magician. Hehehe (I don't own G.A.'s work either.
Well, that's it for now… but don't worry, the next chapter is where it will really get going! I sincerely hope you're enjoying it! Thank you for reading! Please come back for chapter two and review!
Have a great day-- or night-- or whatever!
Mysteria Pearl