A.N. So far, I know of only one person that really reads this (hello, Kinky XD) but anyways - sorry for the wait & please enjoy!

A.N. 2 Also, please see Talk to me for any questions around Rikka and Kakashi's marriage to Iruka. Arigato!

Chapter 4 – Questions of (im)maturity

Hatake Kakashi was a happy man. In love and loved in return. A proud father of a daughter, who clung to his silver hair right now, legs dangling from his shoulders, and happily babbling about her day at the kindergarten. "That's what happens when you let them breathe over your shoulder", Kakashi mused, inwardly grinning like an idiot, and in the same time listening carefully.

"And then that boy, Hiroshi…"

"As in Hyuga Hiroshi?"

"Yes, Kashi-daddy, stop interrupting now…"

"I forbid you to have anything to do with him!"

"What? Why?"

"Hyuga. Cold people. My child will not be looked down by some stone-hearted bastard!"

"Eer, Papa, I did not say we're going out or anything."

"Going out! You're 4!"

"Yes, and I do not…. Urgh! How does Daddy handle you?.!"

"Competently", Kakashi thought merrily, but for his daughter he chuckled and replied "It's a mystery."

Rikka giggled. "So, like I was saying… Hey, isn't that Naru-nii?"

Kakashi turned towards the near training yard where, indeed, his ex student was obviously tiring himself, on purpose, draining his chakra. Usually, knowing Naruto, Kakashi would just walk away, assured that the blonde menace was once again determined to perfect a taijutsu move (in a single day, ending up collapsing from exhaustion). But the Copy Nin could clearly see this was not the case now. Any jounin could see that. Because any jounin knew that look.

Lost. Desperate. Traumatized. Kakashi lifted his hitai-ate a little and took a look with the Sharingan - yes; the boy's chakra was dangerously low already. Naruto was not perfecting already perfect skills, but purposefully draining all strength… in order to get himself a few blessed hours of dreamless oblivion.

Had a mission gone wrong? That was the usual cause of such looks on high-ranked shinobi. Or… was it rather…

Kakashi sighed, pulled out a scroll and bit his thumb, making the familiar hand seals. Soon a small dog emerged in a puff of smoke and Pakkun drawled "Yeah, boss?"

"Take Rikka home."

"Huh? But, Papa, I can come talk to Naru-nii too!"

Kakashi smiled his trade mark crescent eye smile. "I'll have him come by for dinner, ne?", he said, ruffling his daughter's dark hair. The girl sighed, but complied. "Ok, Papa", she said, hugging Pakkun and disappearing with him.

Kakashi walked lazily towards the training yard, then simply sat under a tree and pulled out an Icha Icha book, without so much as a greeting. He pretended to be reading while in fact listening to the sound of punches and splintered wood.

And then the blonde finally exploded.

"This is sick!"

Kakashi opened his mouth to say something witty in return, but got interrupted once again.

"You can't start looking at your childhood friends that way! It's just… wrong!"

Wait… friends, plural? Kakashi frowned.

"It's…I'm…", punch, "so low…", kick, "dirty…", series of punches, "unworthy… damn it!"

With that Naruto finally collapsed on the ground. To most observers it looked like he was just panting, and logically so after so many hours of intense training. To Kakashi it was apparent that these gasps barely covered the confused boy's sobs.

"No one… explained it to me… No one ever told me… showed me… how was I supposed to learn…?"

"To learn what, Naruto?", Kakashi asked, dropping all pose.

"How to love…"

Oh. Damn it. All the lights in Kakashi's brain lit, screaming alarms. This was a serious talk, serious talk, where was Iruka!.?.!

"Say something please…", Naruto begged.

"Well, a-re you… in love?", Kakashi knew he would have to have this talk with his own kids one day, but… not today and not with his ex-student-somehow-important-in-his-life-son-like-Iruka's-precious Naruto! He wasn't mentally prepared!

"I don't fucking know, Kakashi!", the blonde howled. "I don't know anything anymore! Can you love a childhood friend? Can you love a guy?"

"…Yes…"

"Can you love two people in the same time!.?"

Pause.

Finally, Naruto went on, quietly this time.

"Is it because I'm a monster? Is this because of the animal, which lives inside me? Don't only animals with no moral have sex with two different partners…?"

"…Do animals ask themselves all those questions?"

Naruto lifted his head, looking at his sensei. "Is it immaturity then? Am I unfit, not mentally grown enough to love?"

"That leads us to the same answer. What child would have such dilemmas?", Kakashi narrowed his eyes towards his ex pupil, in a thoughtful expression.

"Then don't just ease my guilt like a parent would their child's. Or are you saying it's a normal thing, what I just confessed?"

Kakashi sighed. "I'm not the one to judge, Naruto. I love and married a man. I don't quite follow public's laws."

Naruto smiled darkly, nodding and looking away.

"Does it feel right to you?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto's voice was hollow. "Somehow… but not quite. As if it can be, I feel it can be right, and the answer is somewhere near me, but I can't quite grasp it. The way things are now… no, it's not right", he looked back at Kakashi. "How do I make it right, sensei?"

Kakashi smiled sadly, although it was lost behind the mask. "I cannot tell you that", Kakashi stood up. "But, I know someone who's smarter than me…"

"Smarter than the Genius Hatake Kakashi?", Naruto snorted. Kakashi ignored him, continuing.

"…and cooks amazingly", his expression softened as he nodded towards the compound. "Come on, I told Rikka I'd bring you for dinner. Or isn't my husband's teriyaki beef not tempting enough?", he winked, making Naruto finally smile more like himself and follow him.

A.N. Well, I tried to start making it deeper an not PWP (XD) so I hope you liked it. Please review and let me know ^^