Love, Actually

Chapter 11

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As the sheer chaos of the current memory faded away, Sakura blinked as she took in their new surroundings. It was a training ground, similar in look to the one that she, Sasuke and Naruto had taken their bell test in.

Heck, for all she knew, it was the same training ground.

To the side of the large training ground, near the trees, were Minato, Rin, Obito and Kakashi. The three students were in the middle of an intense 2-on-1 sparring match, with Obito and Rin fighting against Kakashi while their teacher stood by the sidelines. He was leaning against a tree with his arms folded across his chest and though his posture and expression were relaxed, his piercing blue eyes were sharp as he watched the battle.

Suddenly, he moved his head slightly, as if sensing something, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Back again, Kagome-chan?" He sounded mildly amused.

There was some rustling coming from behind him, and Sakura watched as Kagome stepped through some bushes. The girl was dressed in a blue dress that accentuated the colour of her eyes and was clutching two scrolls in her hand. She looked a bit older than the last time Sakura had seen her.

"Uh-huh."

"You really shouldn't come here so much Kagome-chan. The training grounds are warded for a reason," Minato said, turning around to face her.

Sakura blinked. The man was right. The training grounds were warded against civilians, academy children and Genin. It stopped them from wandering in and prevented the chance of them getting hurt if a battle was happening.

How did Kagome even manage to get in?

"Her clan specialises in Barriers and Seals remember?" Kakashi spoke up quietly from beside her. His gaze was entirely focused on the girl. "Kagome's young, but she's already a prodigy when it comes to anything related to that. You've seen her practice under Kagerou-san before."

He was right. Sakura did see it. Kagome had been amazing at it.

"It's not much of a ward if I can get past them though," Kagome quipped.

"That's because you know more about wards than the average Ninja. But what happens if there's a big fight taking place when you come here and you end up getting hurt?" Minato chided the girl gently. "I really don't want to be the one to explain to Kushina or your mother why that happened."

"It won't happen Minato-san," Kagome replied calmly, looking him in the eyes. "I only look for you when Kushina-san isn't in the village. Otherwise I don't go to the training ground at all. I can also sense where you all are so I know how to avoid you. And if I can get past the default wards plus the extra ones you set up, it means that I must have some skills to take care of myself right?" Her smile was just a tad bit cheeky. "Don't worry Minato-san, I'll be fine. I'm a big girl."

"You're only three Kagome-chan," Minato pointed out dryly, shaking his head in exasperation.

"I'll be four in two months." Her tone was resolute. "When Kakashi-san was four he entered the academy."

"Well Kakashi is… Kakashi…" The blonde gestured vaguely with his hands, struggling for an explanation. The adult Kakashi cracked a small smile beneath his mask at the man. His sensei may have been hailed as a Ninja genius beyond compare, but sometimes he just plain sucked at dealing with children. That was more Kushina's area of expertise. "And you're you. There's a difference. You don't have to grow up so quickly Kagome-chan," Minato said.

"Oh, I have to," she hummed. There was something weird about her statement.

Minato, as sharp as always, picked up on it. Because he ended up asking, "…How are your mother and Souta-chan doing?"

Kagome took a breath. "Souta's doing fine. He's taking a nap now so I have another free hour or two, tops. If he wakes up early, I have a seal to let me know. He's eating healthy and he's crawling around a lot more. I think he's even learning to walk. He calls me 'Nee-nee' and he always smiles at me." There was a fondness in her eyes. It was clear that Kagome loved her little brother dearly.

But the fondness faded as she spoke again.

"As for Mama… Well, she's not crying as much as she used to so that's a good thing I guess… But she spaces out a lot now. She also forgets to take care of herself or do things sometimes like making dinner or taking care of Souta so I end up doing it. She was sleeping in Daddy's sweater when I left the house."

Oh. Sakura sucked in a sharp breath.

Kun Loon was clearly not handling Kagerou's death well at all. The woman was so caught up in her own grief and despair from losing her husband that she was neglecting her children. Her behaviour was forcing her young daughter to step up and take charge of the family. This couldn't continue on. Something had to be done.

Sakura glanced at Minato. His expression told her that he was probably thinking the same thing.

"Kagome-chan…" he began slowly.

"It's okay Minato-san," Kagome interrupted him with a small smile, shaking her head. "I'm okay. I don't really mind looking after Mama or Souta. I promised Daddy I would take care of them, after all. So…" she said, holding out the scroll she was carrying. "Can you help me with this?"

Minato let out a soft sigh at the girl's poor attempt of changing the subject, but he ended up taking the bait anyway. His attempt to even broach this subject with Kagome had her shutting him out, and he knew when not to push.

Minato decided to talk with Kushina about this first before deciding on the next course of action.

Kagome didn't seem to mind filling in for her mother's shoes, but it was still clearly unacceptable. If Higurashi Kun Loon continued wallowing in her grief and ignoring her children like this, something needed to be done.

"Let me see," the man said, extending his hand and taking the scroll. "What do you have for me this time?"

"Hmmm… I think that it's a scroll that teaches you about seals you put on yourself or on objects? Like I think there's one that increases the strength of any chakra powered attacks and there's another that makes you invisible to people even though you're standing right in front of them."

"That sounds interesting," Minato said, unravelling the scroll.

"Yeah, but I can't read all the words yet." Kagome sounded put out by the fact. "That's why I keep on troubling you and Kushina-san."

"Don't worry about it," the future Yondaime said with an easy laugh. "You're not troubling us at all. Kushina and I really don't mind helping you. To see how your clan's Fuuinjutsu differs from Whirlpool's… it's a great honour that you're willing to share them with us."

"I share my scrolls with you and Kushina-san because my family is the last of my clan. I want to at least pass on our techniques to others so that they don't die out if we do," she explained softly. "And it's not like you both don't teach me some of yours too. But still… I can't help but feel bad for troubling you all the time… I know that Kushina-san brings you lunch sometimes and since she's out of the village now, do you mind if I do it instead?"

She held up the other scroll with a small smile. Sakura stared at her, mouth slightly open in surprise.

Kagome had sealed the lunches she'd made into that scroll? Sakura hadn't been able to do a thing like that until she was a Genin. But then again, Kagome was a prodigy in Fuuinjutsu…

"Ohhh…" Minato blinked, looking genuinely surprised as well. "That's really nice of you Kagome-chan. What did you make?"

"A bento. There's sticky rice, sweet tamago, chicken karaage, octopus sausages, salt-broiled saury and some fruit salad. It's nothing fancy because I'm still learning everything. And I can't promise that it'll taste anything as good as Kushina-san's cooking," Kagome replied, looking shy now.

"I'm sure that Kagome-chan's cooking will taste just fine," the blonde assured her.

"Thank you for the kind words Minato-san," the girl said politely, but Sakura could see that she looked a little more confident. "Ah… I didn't just make a bento for you though. I also made a share for Rin-chan, Obito-nii and Kakashi-san."

Minato smiled and placed a hand on Kagome's head.

"Well thank you very much for your bentos Kagome-chan. I'll be sure to eat every last grain of rice and I'm sure that Kakashi, Rin and Obito will do the same. Now," he said, looking down at the scroll. "What do you need help with?"

"Starting from… here!" Kagome said, pointing at a particular section.

"Okay… So let's see…" the blonde hummed, his sharp eyes scanning through the contents. His eyes widened just a bit. "This is interesting… It isn't really a sealing technique. It's more of a subjugating one. As you inscribe these signs here into an object, like say a beaded necklace, you also channel your chakra into it. Then, once you're done, you can direct the object around a person's body, preferably around their neck. Afterwards, you simply say an incantation of your choice and they'll be subjugated."

"Subjugated how…?" Kagome asked slowly. Her eyes were alight with a burning curiosity.

Watching her, Kakashi suddenly recalled a man with long silver hair and piercing golden eyes from the Fourth Great Ninja War. He had been one of Kagome's friends that had volunteered to help the Alliance in the fight against Madara. The scarecrow also remembered the beaded necklace that the man had around his neck, and what unfortunate thing had happened to him after Kagome had said, "Osuwari."

He smiled behind his mask and tried not to laugh. So this was where it all began.

Minato continued reading. "According to the scroll, the method of subjugation is… oh dear…" His lips quirked up into a smile and he let out an amused laugh. "…After you say the incantation, the object will subjugate the wearer by the means of… slamming them face-first into the ground. With great force too I might add. If you say the word a few times, it will result in a human-shaped crater."

Both the blonde and the young girl spent a few moments laughing at the imagery that appeared in their heads.

"Maybe I should make one for my team," the Jounin mused to himself once he'd stopped laughing. "Heaven knows they need it sometimes."

"Maybe," Kagome agreed cheekily, before pointing to another part. "Now what's this one here…?"

"Well… Oh, now this is a sealing trap. I've never seen one before. It says if you trigger this trap, you'll be sucked into a dimension based in the trap itself. It can be broken through a great release of chakra, similar to a Genjutsu, but it's good for stalling for time… And give me a second here Kagome-chan," Minato suddenly said, looking towards the clearing where the three teens were still sparring. "Obito. You should very well know by now that just because I'm not watching you doesn't mean I'm not paying attention. Make another foul like that again and I'll tie you to the post until sundown."

"Eh?" The boy stopped right in the middle of the sparring and looked at his teacher. His cheeks were dusted red in embarrassment. Because of his distraction though, he ended up receiving a kick to the head courtesy of his silver-haired teammate. "OW! Kakashi you bastard!"

"It's your fault for getting distracted in the middle of a fight," Kakashi replied sardonically.

"Sensei! Did you see what he did?" Obito yelled angrily. "Are you going to let him cheat too?"

"Ahhh…" Minato's calm gaze landed on Obito, then at Kakashi. What he was going to say would probably lead to another argument between the two.

But it did need to be said. He sighed tiredly. Why him?

"Technically Kakashi didn't cheat. He is right too though, Obito. It's dangerous for you to get distracted in the middle of a fight. If that happened in the actual battlefield, you would have been killed," he explained, his voice serious.

Obito grit his teeth and looked down at the ground. Kakashi crossed his arms, observing his teacher.

"But Kakashi," Minato continued on. "You know that your reflexes are faster than average. You could have stopped yourself from hitting him too. But you didn't." Now it was the silver haired youth's turn to stare at the ground. Obito shot his teammate an accusatory look. "Enough. I don't want you two to argue over this anymore. Forgive and forget. You're both on the same team after all."

"Yes sensei…" the two teenagers muttered sullenly.

"Good," Minato said with a nod, before breaking out into a smile. "Now, let's take a break for lunch, shall we? It'll give you both some time to cool down. Kagome-chan over here even made us some bentos." He placed his hand affectionately on the girl's head. "So be sure to eat every last morsel, ne?"

Rin and Obito smiled happily at the prospect of food but Kakashi merely nodded in a clinical manner.

As the three teens made their way over to where Minato and Kagome were, the young girl unravelled the scroll that contained the bentos. She placed the unwrapped scroll flat on the ground and channelled chakra to her hands. Then she made a few hand-seals and slammed her palm flat against the scroll. A puff of smoke appeared and when it cleared, Sakura could see four bentos neatly stacked over one another.

"Here you go," Kagome said pleasantly, handing a bento each to the four people.

Everyone accepted their bentos with a smile and a word of thanks to the girl. All except Kakashi. The silver-hared boy said nothing and only nodded his head once as a sign of gratitude.

Obito grumbled under his breath about 'ungrateful cold bastards', but stopped when Minato gave him a look.

The four Ninja soon tucked into their lunches eagerly. Sakura tried not to stare too obviously as Kakashi pulled down his mask. With all the times she had healed him in the past, it was only obvious that she'd seen his face before. But still… this was something she would never get used to. Even as a teenaged boy now, Sakura could see how good looking her former sensei was, so she didn't really understand the reason why he would even cover his face.

She'd known Kakashi for nearly nine years now, yet there were many things about the man that still remained a mystery to her.

Sakura glanced at Kagome as a distraction. The girl had looked at Kakashi as he unmasked himself, but her gaze didn't linger on his face for long. In fact, she looked kind of nervous now as she watched Minato and his students each say a quiet 'itadakimasu' before taking a bite.

"…How's the taste?" Kagome asked, biting her lip.

Rin smiled encouragingly. "It's delicious Kagome-chan!"

"… Really?" Her anxiousness was fading away.

"Yeah!" Obito agreed enthusiastically. His speech was muffled due to the food still in his mouth. "It's really good Kagome-chan! Much better than my own cooking!"

Kakashi let out a snort. "I think anyone's cooking would be better than yours, Obito." The boy easily ignored the insults that were hurled at his way, courtesy of his black-haired teammate and instead, he turned to look at Kagome. "But he's right though. The food's good. Especially the fish," he told her plainly.

"…Thank you for the praise, Kakashi-san," Kagome said softly.

Kakashi nodded once and turned his full attention back to his food. Because of that, he didn't see the shy smile or the faint blush that appeared on Kagome's cheeks as she looked at him. (The adult Kakashi spotted her reaction however, and a part of him cursed his younger self for being so blind.) Neither Rin nor Obito noticed her expression either.

Out of the whole team, only Minato did. The blonde man had watched the two's interaction with astute eyes, but said nothing. He just continued eating.

A messenger hawk carrying a scroll bearing the Hokage's seal came for Minato, just as the four Ninja were finished with their lunch. The blonde unravelled the scroll and read through it quickly.

Once he finished, he set the scroll on fire with a small Katon Jutsu.

"All right," Minato began after dusting off the ashes. "Sandaime-sama has just summoned me to his office. The only thing I can say is that my meeting with him will run for a while, maybe an hour at the least. So for now… Obito, Rin. I want you two to practise your elemental manipulation. It needs a bit more work but you both already know what exercises you need to do," he informed them calmly.

"Yes sensei," the two said.

Minato nodded at them before turning to his remaining student. "Kakashi, you'll be preparing for your Jounin exams. Based on my evaluation, you're already more skilled in Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and Taijutsu than most of the Chunins in Konoha right now, so you won't be practising any of that today. Instead, I want you to brush up on your Fuuinjutsu because that's the area you're currently weakest in. Understand?"

"Yes sensei," Kakashi said with a nod.

"Good," Minato replied, and pulled out a small scroll from one of the pockets on his flak jacket. He handed it to the Hatake prodigy. "You'll start by reading this then. If you have any questions, wait until I get back to ask me." Then he looked to the final person there. "Kagome-chan, I'm really grateful that you made lunch for all of us but I'm sorry for not being able to help you much today."

"It's okay Minato-san," she replied with a small smile. "Hokage-sama's matter is more important. Besides, I can always ask you another time."

Minato returned her smile with his own and placed his hand briefly on her head in an affectionate manner. After removing it, he turned back to his students. "Now, when I get back, I don't want there to be any fights or arguments among you three. Is that clear?" His tone of voice was serious, letting them know there wouldn't be any compromise on the matter.

"Yes, sensei," all three chorused.

"All right. See you in an hour then," Minato said with an easy salute, and disappeared as he activated his Hiraishin. His students, all long grown used to the speed of the man's coming and goings, didn't even bat an eyelash at his exit.

Instead, they handed back their empty bentos to Kagome, thanking her again for the lunch as they did so.

Obito and Rin even exchanged a few words of pleasant conversation with the girl before they said their goodbyes and made their way to the middle of the clearing for their elemental manipulation exercises. Kakashi on the other hand had gone straight to reading the scroll his teacher had given him. He remained completely silent, still and expressionless as his eyes travelled across the text, the very epitome of a perfect Ninja.

Watching him, the adult Kakashi couldn't help but feel a deep curl of regret in his gut.

After his father's suicide, he had dedicated his life to following the rules, determined about becoming the perfect Ninja. Kakashi hadn't wanted to make the same mistake his father did. He hadn't wanted to be as weak as his father.

The man had taken his own life without even thinking of the young son he'd left behind to pick up the pieces. (Kakashi had been the one to find the body, afterwards. The memory of it still haunted his dreams sometimes. He still remembered the pale, bloodless skin. The tanto buried deep within his stomach. The intestines spilled over the tatami. The cloying smell of blood thick in the air. It wasn't something one would ever forget.)

The scarecrow had locked away his own emotions after that incident, forcing himself not to care. He remembered thinking that if he did so, then he would be from spared the pain of losing someone he loved ever again.

It hadn't worked quite as well as the boy had hoped though. Minato had been there for him. So had Kushina. Even Jiraiya, whenever the man sporadically came back to Konoha. But it was mostly his sensei and his redheaded wife. They were the ones who, with their kind smiles, kind words and their warm love, had stopped him from shutting himself away from the world.

Kakashi had cared about them. He had loved them. They had been his parents in everything but blood.

Then there was Obito. The loud-mouthed boy who had always cried way too easily had given up his eye and also his life for Kakashi. He had made the scarecrow see the rightness of his father's actions, that the lives of one's friends always meant more than the success of a mission. He had changed him for the better, and in the end became one of Kakashi's best friends.

And Rin… Kakashi's heart gave a painful clench at the thought of her. She had loved him, plain and simple. He had loved her, too. Not at the beginning of course. But in time, he had grown to reciprocate her feelings, and they'd had a few wonderful years together before…

Kakashi closed his eyes and took a breath. It had been years, yes, but it still hurt to think about them, all of them.

Losing them one by one like that over the course of his life had broken something in him. Kakashi had honestly thought he was cursed, that he was born under an unlucky star because there couldn't possibly be a logical explanation why his precious people kept on dying around him.

First his mother, then his father, followed by Obito, Minato, Kushina, Rin, Sarutobi, Jiraiya… The list just kept going on.

"What are you still doing here? Don't you have to go home?" a soft male voice spoke up, shattering the silence in the air. Kakashi opened his eyes and gazed towards his younger self, who had looked up from his scroll and was watching Kagome with carefully concealed interest.

The man wasn't surprised.

Kagome had been in the middle of sealing the bentos back into her scroll, and though many of his age-mates (most notably one loud-mouthed Uchiha) had called his younger self stuck-up and arrogant, Kakashi was still one to respect talent whenever he saw it, regardless of age or gender.

Kagome paused in her actions and turned to face him. "Not for another hour or so. Why do you want to know?"

Kakashi shrugged. "No reason. I just thought that a girl your age would have better things to do than to stay in this training ground in the company of Ninja, studying musty, boring old scrolls."

"Oh. Then what do you think a girl my age should be doing Kakashi-san?"

She wasn't mocking him or anything with that question. Kagome genuinely sounded curious (as if she also had no idea what girls her age should be doing as opposed to this) which was why Kakashi decided to answer her.

"I don't know," he sighed. He hadn't exactly had a normal childhood either. Neither was he a girl. But, he decided to be honest with her and struggled to remember what he had seen some other girls doing around the village. "Playing with friends your own age? Creating imaginary friends? Having tea parties with your toys? Gorging yourself on candy? Taking naps? Watching TV? Talking about boys?"

Kagome's lips twitched up into a smile at his outlandish suggestions. "It's hard making friends your own age when you're smarter than them, Kakashi-san, as you should know. So other than Itachi, I don't have anyone else. I grew out of imaginary friends when I was 2, same as the tea parties with my toys. I have them with Itachi though, sometimes, but it's an actual tea party, not those pretend ones. I don't like candy, I don't need naps because my chakra keeps me energised, TV rots the brain, and I think you're confusing 4-year-old girl with teenaged girl about the boy talk," she replied, her tone just a bit cheeky.

"Meh." Kakashi's tone was bored, unconcerned, but Kagome knew better. After being around him for a few months, she had become good at reading him.

"And for the record, Kakashi-san, I don't find those scrolls boring," Kagome stated before she resumed her sealing. The four bentos were stacked neatly (each one atop the other) in the middle of the unrolled scroll. The Hatake prodigy watched as Kagome channelled chakra to her hands, forming the signs in a quick, efficient motion. Then she slammed her palm down onto the scroll and the bentos vanished in a small puff of smoke.

He raised his brow. "Not too shabby."

"Thank you for the praise, Kakashi-san," Kagome replied politely, before unravelling the other scroll that she had brought. Since she was going to be staying here until just before Souta woke up, she might as well get some reading done. She may even start practising the seals that she had asked Minato to help her decipher just now. Everything, especially the subjugating seal, sounded pretty interesting…

"It's not praise. I was just stating a fact," Kakashi said baldly. "And you still haven't answered my question."

"Which question would that be Kakashi-san?"

"Why are you still staying here? Don't you have someplace better to be?"

"… Not really…" Kagome replied quietly. Though her eyes were currently focused on her scroll, she wasn't reading any of the words. "Itachi's busy with his family today so I don't want to impose on him or Aunt Mikoto. And I don't want to go home yet. I don't have to until Souta wakes up, and it won't be for another hour or so." She clenched her fists, unaware that she was even doing it. "I don't know… Sometimes I just feel like I can't stay at home. I need to get out. Because…" She trailed off, unsure of how to put the next bit into words.

"Because it's painful to stay," Kakashi finished softly for her. His words caused Kagome to look at him in surprise. He stared back at her. His own dark gaze was laced with sadness, but mostly understanding. "You can't help remembering the good times you've shared with them there, before everything went to hell."

Kagome nodded once. Her voice was sad. "Yes."

There was a silence between them for a few moments, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one.

"…You should move out," Kakashi said finally, turning back to his own scroll. "It gets easier once you do."

Kagome bit her lip. "Easier because you forget about them?"

"Yes. You move on."

Kagome shook her head. "That's not moving on."

"Oh? Then what is it?"

"Kushina-san says that moving on doesn't mean forgetting every moment you've spent with them," Kagome said softly. "She says that it means holding on to your precious memories of them so that they live on in you, and then going forward with your life. It may hurt you to think about them now, but there will come a moment in the future where you'll be able to look back on the times you've shared with them and feel fondness, not pain."

Kakashi let out a snort. "Kushina-san's an idealist. Or maybe a masochist. I haven't decided which yet."

Kagome detected the undertone of bitterness in his voice. She could tell that there was a story behind it, but it wasn't her place to ask. "Still, I'm going to try and follow her advice anyway. Because feeling the pain in my heart is a much better option than forgetting about Daddy, I think."

"You're a masochist too," Kakashi stated baldly, rolling his eyes.

"Oh." Kagome didn't know how to respond, since she had no idea what a masochist was. She couldn't remember the word being related to or used in any barriers or sealing techniques at all, so her prodigal skills in the area didn't help much. She was also only four this year too.

There was another round of silence between them. In the background, the faint sounds from Obito and Rin's training could be heard.

"… Umm, Kakashi-san, so do you mind if I stay here with you until it's time for me to go home?" Kagome was the one to break the quiet this time. She was watching the Hatake prodigy with a look of apprehension on her face. "Or am I bothering you?"

Kakashi looked up from his scroll. Their gazes met.

"You're not bothering me much, so I don't particularly care if you decide to stay," he said bluntly, before turning back to his reading.

Kagome's eyes had widened slightly at his statement, and slowly, a small smile appeared on her face. "Okay…" she replied softly, and went back to her own reading.

Her day was turning out to be quite a good one, it seemed.

.

End Chapter

Hello my lovelies.

I was struggling particularly with that last scene with Kakashi, and I really hope that it came out okay... Personally, I liked their talk.

One of this story's major themes is how one deals with the grief and loss of their loved ones. Kagome handles hers in a healthy way, but Kakashi... not so much.

Naruto Trivia: One of Kakashi's favourite food is salt-broiled saury. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether he liked it before Kagome cooked it, or if he liked it because Kagome cooked it. *laughs*

Please let me know what you think!

~Beans