Oh boy. Kakashi thought tiredly. This is why he had refrained from becoming a genin sensei for so long. Too much kid drama.
"Shippo." Kagome said sternly, gently setting Shippo onto the ground. "Manners."
"Sorry, Mom." Shippo said mournfully, discreetly shooting Kakashi another glare.
"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Kakashi-san." Shippo frowned, and shuffled his feet before turning towards the male adult. He stared at the older man accusingly.
"Sorry, Kakashi-san." Shippo said petulantly, not sounding sorry at all. Kakashi stared back at the child disinterestedly. He hadn't felt offended by the child's attitude at all, but it seemed Kagome certainly cared about the kitsune's actions.
"No big deal." Kakashi replied offhandedly, rubbing the back of his head. He knew he had earned the kid's dislike and it was going to be rather troublesome. "Why don't you chow down on some of the food your mom made? It's worth eating."
"Okay." The child agreed flatly, and moved to take a seat besides Naruto.
Kagome sighed, and moved closer to Kakashi. "Why does it seem like all the kids I raise don't seem to have any manners? I must be doing something wrong."
Kakashi took a moment to glance at Naruto and Shippo, who already seemed to bickering animatedly but looking happy nonetheless. They seemed close, and Kakashi was suprised he hadn't heard Naruto mention the younger kid before. Or maybe he had and Kakashi had just been tuning his student out.
"Not at all." Kakashi disagreed. "They look happy. I'm sure you're a great mom." Kagome's lips parted in surprise, and a blush was pretilly splashed across her cheeks.
In light of Kagome's reaction, Kakashi seemed to realize the potential implications of his words.
"Oh, well. T-thank you." She said quietly, but happiness radiated from her expression.
Kakashi swallowed nervously. "Of course. Just telling the truth. So, um. You're welcome." He finished awkwardly.
Across the table Sakura watched the two adults' interactions and rolled her eyes at them.
After they had finished dinner, everyone helped tidy Naruto's apartment up. Sasuke left first, giving everyone a nod of acknowledgment before heading out. Shippo had started getting sleepy around the time they were cleaning up, so Kagome had gathered the child into her arms and said that she had to put Shippo to bed. Before she left, she had lingered in the doorway and Kakashi swore she had met his eyes and given him personally a small, genuine smile.
The remaining occupants of the apartment were now Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi. "Mou, Sensei." Sakura said, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I swear you guys are like a couple of nervous pre-teens. You are seriously lacking in the flirting experience department. You'd think a prodigy would be a little better at this."
"I told know what you're talking about, Sakura." Kakashi said, faking confusion. He really just wanted to go home.
Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Sensei, you totally like Nee-chan. No doubt about it. She definitely likes you too. She didn't even bat an eyelash at any of the guys who tried to hit on her in the past."
Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the thought of other men chasing after Kagome, and was even more annoyed when Sakura caught on. "Ooooh, jealous Kakashi-sensei? Don't worry, once you pick up your game a little bit you'll definitely capture Kagome-chan's interest."
"I honestly have no idea you two are babbling on about. Kagome and I are just acquaintances."
"I'm sure you're a great mom." Naruto mocked in a high-pitched voice. "Come on, Kakashi-sensei. Kagome-neechan's awesome."
"And pretty!" Sakura added, smiling knowingly at her teacher. "Which you already know, I'm sure."
"And nice! Kagome-neechan always makes awesome ramen for me. Sometimes she makes me eat vegetables and stuff and lectures me about being healthy, but besides that she's usually super nice."
"And she can take care of herself. You won't need to worry about her safety, she's a perfectly capable, independent woman."
"When I told her about the Kyuubi, she just gave me a big hug and told me everything was okay." Naruto said, grinning at his sensei.
"And even though she's independent, she's still a single mom. She definitely wouldn't object to having a father figure for Shippo in her life." Sakura informed Kakashi.
"Naruto, Sakura. Stop." Kakashi commanded, their eagerness to matchmake him with the young nurse grating him on his nerves. "Kagome-san and I are acquaintances. I'm going to head back." He said firmly, and by this time one foot was already out the door. "Thank you for the party. I'll catch you later."
Before the door closed with a soft thud, he heard Naruto say, "Man, Sensei's sure in denial."
Disclaimer: Naruto and Inuyasha don not belong to me.
Sorry I haven't updated in awhile guys! Sakura and Naruto sure are ruthless about helping their poor sensei get with Kagome. I would love some reviews on feedback or just with any ideas. Thanks guys ^^