Author's Note: Hi guys! I hope you liked the first chapter. I know the OOC Kakashi is probably super weird – especially since he has a kid. More on that this chapter. Also, maybe I should explain the rating? It's rated M for future chapters. It just serves as a warning for later on. And, since you're here now, I should note that the M hints at blood, guts, and gore, as well as sex. I finally got my writing spark back, so I'm not holding back this go round, like I did in Could She Love Me. Reason I stopped writing that is because of depression and some unforeseen circumstances. But I'm back. Yay writing!
Although… I start working on the 26th, so I'm going to try to get at least two more chapters out. Also, the Kusanagi sword is shrouded in mystery as no one really knows if it's a legit thing, historically. The last time anyone had actually 'seen' it was when Emperor Akihito took the throne. Okay, I'm done. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
"Do you want me to make you a lunch or do you want to buy lunch today?" Kakashi asked as he whisked cinnamon and sugar into a bowl full of eggs. He would make her breakfast, that's for sure, but he wouldn't force her to eat his terrible food after that. He was plenty skilled with sweets (which he found ironic, given that he himself actually disliked them) and Western breakfasts, but when it came to the things she really liked (beef and rice, steak and potatoes, grilled eel, dango, dorayaki – the list goes on) and traditional Japanese dishes, he was at a total loss. He chuckled while he whisked, sprinkling in another pinch of sugar.
She hated most meaty dishes and anything that had rice in it when she was little, always opting to eat an orange or a lychee fruit instead. She used to be so picky, even taking the time to pick the pork out of her ramen and feeding it to the dog. Akahana was a puppy then, about five-months-old at the time. That was when those two were inseparable. That was when those two shared everything, between the bed and the meals he'd incidentally burned, but tried to play off anyway. They'd both eat around the blackened parts, Yuki more so than Akahana, and then beg to eat something else, which was usually fish crackers or fruit.
Of course, as she Yuki grew, her tastes shifted to the starchy and meaty side and she started to like what she refused to eat.
He smirked under his mask. And in doing so, she liked the charred steaks he made. He never trimmed them (she seemed to really like that), never seasoned them with anything more than salt and pepper, and seared them in a butter and olive oil mixture on the stove. Though, he left them there much too long every time. But, and he would proudly note, she ate them anyway. She ate them ravenously like a wolf, often abandoning her potatoes or carrots, or whatever he'd made as a side. She'd set enough aside for Akahana before she'd eat, but….
She was happy then. She ate then. She smiled then.
He sighed and stopped whisking, dark eyes meandering about the countertop in search of the bread. He reached for two slices and plopped them into the bowl of eggs, sugar, and cinnamon, waiting for them to soak in the eggs.
She was so young, unburdened by hardships like bills and having to work a boring job. But, in her youth, she'd seen more than she should've and, perhaps, that was truly why she'd been so… not herself. Often times, when he caught himself thinking about it, he wouldn't ponder too much about it. She was going through whatever she was going through and, in all actuality, it wasn't his business, but… could it be that her brother's death is affecting her even now? Or, maybe the knowledge of the collapse of her family? Or…or, maybe it has something to do with a hormone in balance? Maybe it was…nothing?
Her brother, Yasuo, died when she was eleven. He killed himself after winning a judo tournament when he was twenty. Only Yasuo knows why, but Kakashi had an idea. Seven years prior to his death, there was a mass-murder at the Kusanagi family compound and shrine in Gifu in the Chubu area. A man named Orochimaru, whom is well-known and wanted for impersonating police officers, theft, and murder, snuck into the shrine to steal the ancient sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi that her family was charged with protecting since before anyone could remember. Speculation surrounds its authenticity, but Orochimaru didn't seem to mind either way. After lifting it, he proceeded to violently murder everyone within the walls of the Kusanagi compound. The only survivors were Yuki and Yasuo and they were found in a hidden room beneath the stand of the Kusanagi no Tsurugi the morning after the incident. Yuki was too young to have fully understood what was happening, but Yasuo was a mess. He spent the next seven years ditching school to fight in the streets and, before too long, he'd made it into a gang. He didn't spend too much time at the bottom, making it into the upper ranks. Soon after, he became a tournament fighter. He won a good many of them, but none of it seemed to be enough to quell the anger and pain in his heart.
About a month before his death, Yasuo sought out Kakashi (he was Yuki's private teacher all through elementary school; now he was a high school teacher) and signed over guardianship rights. They hadn't known each other long. In fact, Yasuo had been very quiet and anti-social, but, it seems, it was his plan to kill himself and leave Yuki to someone she trusted all along. The last anyone had seen him, he was at a trailhead at Aokigahara by hikers. Since then, Yuki was in Kakashi's care.
It's been six years since then.
She hadn't been too keen on sharing her feelings on either event, instead opting to try and live a good life. She'd been diligently going to school and getting good marks in all her classes, but, now, it doesn't seem to be worth it anymore for her. She only ever shared her feelings on what happened to her brother and the rest of her family a handful of times. Since she had few memories of her family, she didn't feel much of a loss. She didn't know them. She didn't remember them. To her, that was okay. You can't miss what you hardly know, but when she spoke about her brother, it was a completely different story. She would curse him and call him an idiot over and over, asking why, then burst into tears. She'd calm down and look at Kakashi, telling him that she didn't blame Yasuo. He understood. He'd had many losses in his life; he lost two of his closest friends and his father, all when he was much younger himself. But, even he was able to forgive what had happened to them, and himself.
If Yuki had been able to do the same, what hit her and kept her down?
He wish he knew.
"I'll be fine, dad," she said flatly, her voice tearing him from his thoughts. He turned away from the bowl of eggs and bread to look at her. She was standing by the dining table, dressed in the standard Konoha High School uniform, a white button-down, black pleated skirt, and black overcoat. Her long, nearly-white hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, save for her bangs, and it was shining. The bags under her eyes and her freckles were tucked under a thin layer of makeup, making them almost invisible. She looked almost normal, but he knew she wasn't. She could clean up and look (mostly) like there was nothing wrong, but he could see right through it. She was tired.
He sighed. "I won't make you eat if you don't want to, but it'd make you feel better if you did," he stated simply, swallowing his thoughts as if he'd never had them. "I'll make your breakfast and take you to school, all right?"
"Okay. Um…, dad?" Yuki inquired quietly, tentatively making her way over to the kitchen. She was quiet then, her eyes downcast, but still, she came closer. "Dad, I—"
"Yuki, what's wrong?"
And she collapsed forward, but he was ready. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, only then did he realize she was crying. A few muffled whimpers made it into his chest, moistening his shirt. She threw her arms around him and pressed herself against him, burying her face in his chest. He was surprised, but grateful for a show of emotion from her. He'd known her almost all her life, since she was first starting kindergarten, and, here she was, crying in their house.
"Shh," he whispered into her hair, rubbing her back to soothe her the best he could. All these years and he swore he was terrible at it. "What is it, Yuki?"
She sniffled and choked, but lifted her head to look up at him. "Dad, I-I love you."
He smiled. "I love you, too."
He gave her one more squeeze and let go of her. He'd better hurry and finish making her breakfast or she'd be late to her third class period. When she pulled herself away from him, she wiped her face with her hands and swallowed hard, sniffling. She turned and wandered into the living room, a quiet, "I'm sorry, too," in passing, only to fall back into her favorite spot on the couch, one excited elderly dog wagging her tail from where she was curled up on the couch.
Kakashi shifted his weight and rubbed his neck. It's okay, he thought.
It's okay.