Sarada crossed her arms and spun around, facing away from the unfamiliar man. "Mama says to never talk to strangers," she muttered under her breath.
Kakashi removed the large deformed bunny helmet and raised an eyebrow. "Stranger, huh? That's what I am to you?" He had been responsible for picking up Sarada from her nursery class today.
Everyone takes turns picking Sarada up from school or letting her stay with them until Sakura finishes work.
Her eyes nearly popped out, and she jumped up and down excitedly. "Kashi! Kashi! Kashi!" she giggled. "You look funny with that thing on your head."
"Uncle Naruto stuck it on my head." Kakashi deadpanned.
Sarada's body hit the dirt, and she laughed. "Uncle Ruto is weird."
Kakashi beamed, which was rare. "Hmm, he's pretty weird. Get up; your uniform is getting dirty."
He brushed all the dirt off her uniform and carried her on his back. "Why do you wear this mask?" She drummed his black mask.
A reply she had always heard "Because I'm too pretty for the world." The sass of this man only built up with age.
"Uncle Ruto said it was because you had two big lips." She tried to feel his lips underneath the mask.
If thoughts could kill, Naruto would've been dead. "Don't listen to him."
"So you don't have two lips?"
"No"
"Do you have purple lips?"
"No"
"Do you have green lips?"
"No"
"Do you have blue lips"
"No"
"Do you even have lips?"
"No"
"You don't have lips?"
Kakashi stumbled. "No, I mean, yes, I do have lips." He wanted to change the subject. "Do you have any other questions? Something that doesn't involve my lips."
Sarada leaned her head against his shoulder, looking at him curiously and asking, "Do you know my father?" Damn it, he shouldn't have asked.
She never called him Papa or Dad; she had always referred to him as 'Father.' She didn't know him, so how could she?
"Yes." He was his teacher, friend, father figure, captain, and so many other titles, damn it.
"Do you know where he is?"
Kakashi slowed his pace. "He's on a mission."
That's the story they decided on, didn't they? He was far away on a mission protecting the village.
Sarada began shedding tears. "Does he love Mama and Sarada?"
One thing Kakashi sucked at was handling a crying child. "I think he does," he said, trying to sound reassuring.
"Think? So he doesn't?"
"No-"
"No!"
"No, he does love you."
"But you said no!"
"You didn't let me finish Sarada."
"Kashi said no!"
"Sarada?"
"Yes?"
"Do you want snacks?"
"Yes!"
He'll remember the snacks hack next time. Seemingly, she calms down after eating or even hearing about snacks, but Sakura will presumably kill him when she's hyperactive tonight and won't sleep.
Sarada reminded him so much of Sakura.
They stopped at a shop, and Kakashi bought some for her. Soon they were back on their way to Naruto's home, where she would stay until Sakura was back from work.
Suddenly, Kakashi screamed as he felt something tugging on his hair. "Ah! What ju-"
"Sorry, Kashi, candy got in your hair," said Sarada as she peeled it off him, while he continued to scream.
If he wasn't regretting his decision to pick up Sarada before, he was undoubtedly now.
Has she always been a mess, or was this just a bad day?
Lousy luck, perhaps?
"Kakashi" He pivoted around, taking Sarada off his back.
And there stood the bad luck.
Sasuke.
His punch sent Sasuke flying ahead of them. "That's for Sakura," he screamed, picking Sasuke up and punching him again. "And that's for Sarada."
Sakura and Sarada were like family to Kakashi; as years passed, he became overprotective of them. He supported them the most after Sasuke abandoned Sakura.
Forgotten to him, Sarada asked with a frightened look on her face, "Kashi, why did you hit him?"
"Sarada, you did not see anything right now. Do not tell your mother." He was practically begging the child.
Kakashi begging a child? No one had ever thought that before. He himself hadn't.
She smiled and bounced her head innocently. "I will not tell Mama that you hit a stranger two times for us."
Dumfounded, completely dumbfounded, "Nevermind."
Hugging his leg tightly, she glimpsed up at him with those black eyes. "Is that man dead, Kashi?" Hopefully, he prayed.
"It takes a little more to kill me." Sasuke was standing behind them in a second with a bloody nose.
Kakashi clenched his fists and pushed Sarada behind him. "You should leave." As he was protecting her from him. Her father!
Standing tall and looking as if he were unwilling to fight, Sasuke explained, "I'm here to see Sakura."
"You know my Mama?" Half a face from behind, Kakashi tilted out.
What was an easier way to explain this to a child? "Yes, we were friends." Sasuke's eyes widened. "Wait, Mama?"
Still holding onto Kakshi's leg, she took a tiny step and held out her hand. "Sarada Haruno."
Haruno? For some reason, it felt so effortless to communicate with this kid, "I'm Sasuke Uchiha."
Sarada hopped enthusiastically. "Uchiha? My dad is Uchiha?"
"What?!" Kakashi and Sasuke shrieked in horror and confusion.
Kakshi was stressed. How did she find out her father's name? He knew Nursery wasn't a good idea for Sarada. The stupid village can't keep its stupid mouth shut!
Sasuke wanted to annihilate himself. Did Sakura marry Itachi? What!
Kakashi was about to pass out from mental exhaustion with this kid. First, he went through so much because of Sakura when she was a kid, and now Sarada will be his death.
Sasuke glared at Kakashi as if it were his fault this had occurred, and Kakashi glared right back, just as fiercely. "What?"
"Can we talk?"
"What do you think we're doing right now? Dancing?" He snorted and raised his hand, expecting a high-five from Sarada.
Sarada laughed and high-fived Kakashi. "Funny Kashi." They had a very close relationship.
Sasuke's corner of his lip lifted slightly. "Kashi? That's a cute name." It had been a while since Sasuke had smiled, probably years.
He so wanted this to be over. "Let's talk," Kakashi crouched down, pecked Sarada's forehead, and nudged her towards the playground. "Go and play. I'll get you in a few minutes."
"Don't punch him, or I'll tell Mama."
Kakashi bowed. "Yes, Miss Ninja, I will not."
"Good. Love you, Kashi." Sarada waved her hand and ran.
Kakashi whispered to himself, looking at her, "I love you more."
A voice brought him out of his thoughts. "You are good with kids."
"I think of Sarada as my granddaughter."
"Hn," Sasuke clenched his jaw. "So she married Itachi?"
Just imagining it made Kakashi scream, and everyone around them stared at him, so he exclaimed calmly, "Your brother is already married to Izumi. Have you gone mad?"
Sasuke remained very confused. "Oh, so he did marry Izumi, but... but what that girl said...Uchiha? Itachi and I are the only-"
"For someone who is so smart, you are quite dumb." An intelligent detective couldn't put the pieces of the puzzle together.
"That is not an answer to my question." Sasuke displayed irritation.
Kakashi called "Sarada!" He waved her over and waited for her to reach towards him. "It's best to leave and return to where you came from."
"I am back."
"No, you are not! Everything is finally good now; it took Sakura five years to build up her new life, don't come back and ruin it for her, so leave and go back to where you left her for." He frowned at Sasuke and shoved him back in anger.
Sasuke remained quiet for a few seconds before whispering, "I want to explain to her why I left." Maybe she would give him another chance. His face showed no emotion.
Those words triggered Kakashi. "Don't you dare! You know, I used to think I failed as a teacher, and that's why you turned out this way, but no, it's not because of that. It's because you are a coward and an awful person!"
"Hn." And he walked away. The pain in his voice was undeniable.
Sasuke kept glancing back and saw Sarada on Kakashi's back as they walked and talked about school.
They looked so cheerful, and it was a rare sight because Kakashi wasn't known to express emotions. If he smiled with Sarada, that indicated he really adored her.
Was Kakashi right? Should he go and leave them be?
Maybe he should, and he takes the shortcut and walks into a dark alley on his way to a hotel to crash for the night.
