Chapter 5

In the morning, Harī woke up early as usual and proceeded to get things ready for the day before going downstairs and preparing breakfast. He was about to pour the pancake mix in the heated pan when he felt a small disturbance of the boundary wards.

Curious as to who their first visitor would be, he set the pan aside and wiped his hands clean before walking to the front door and opening it.

If he was surprised to find Kakashi on his doorstep so soon in the morning, it didn't show in his face. After all, the genius had been his first friend his age back when Minato and Kushina had been alive to interfere in their lives.

"Yo." Greeted the grey-haired boy- no, man, with a smile visible in his eyes.

"Good morning, Kakashi. What brings you here this early?"

"I was wondering if you felt like sparring with me."

"Only if you have breakfast with me first. I was almost done."

"You know I never say no to your homemade food." Said the jōnin accepting his invitation and trailing after him to the kitchen.

But, unsurprisingly, the scent coming from the kitchen had drawn in the kids. Kakashi paused at the door, awkward at the sight of who must be Harī's genin team.

Harī's genin team that apparently lived with him.

"Good morning; we have company today. Boys, this is Hatake Kakashi, he's an old friend of mine. Kakashi, these are my boys: Haku, Kimimaro and Sora."

Kakashi was a bit startled at being told they were 'his boys', the tone of voice ―soft, warm, affectionate― implying more than a simple student-teacher relation between them, but didn't let it show and recovered soon.

"Pleasure to meet you." He said with a polite nod and receiving the same.

"You are Naruto-kun's sensei, right?" asked who he recalled was called Haku, eyes shining with curiosity.

"You've already met Naruto?"

"You are?" asked Harī at the same time in surprise.

The conversation became more relaxed after that as Kakashi told Harī how he had wound up as the teacher of Team 7 and Haku explained how he'd met Naruto when out exploring the village.

HPNHPNHPNHPN

"You know, I still don't get how you can be a jōnin without being able to do a simple clone." Teased Kakashi, slightly out of breathe where he was lying on the floor on his back.

"And I still don't get how anyone thought it a good idea to give you a team, but you don't see me complaining." Teased back Harī.

"You got me there." Hummed Kakashi. "You know, Naruto had the same problem; he couldn't get the academy clone jutsu right, no matter how hard he tried."

"I imagine not. I've heard he's a very active boy and with the quantity of chakra he possesses, he'd have trouble just getting the chakra control exercises right, much less the delicate chakra balance needed for that jutsu."

Kakashi looked at him in surprise.

"Please, don't tell me they had him try to master it." He groaned at the look.

"It's mandatory to graduate." Almost apologised Kakashi.

"Stupid elders. But I guess, since he's a genin, he got it right?"

"I can't speak of how he graduated." Said Kakashi with a slight shake of his head and a sigh. "It was forbidden that we speak of it. But he did manage to master the Shadow Clone Jutsu and since that's a clone, it was enough."

"Hmmm, I can see how that one would be much better suited to someone with chakra reserves the size his must be."

They were silent for a while.

"You know," started Kakashi. "you could petition the Hokage to learn the jutsu; I'd be happy to teach you."

"Nah, too much of a hassle getting through all the paperwork and tests needed for a Hidden Jutsu. And the Elders would oppose it. I've managed without clones till now; I'll make do."

Kakashi sighed at the well-rehearsed answer.

"So how about we stretch and you tell me how you ended up with a genin team?" proposed Kakashi.

"Well, I can't speak about that," replied Harī with an impish smile" but I can tell you about how I ended up with legal custody of three children."

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Harī walked into the shop and was greeted by a tingling bell and the sound of 'coming!' from the back. He perused the flowers whilst patiently waiting.

Soon enough, he was greeted by a familiar face: a man with pale hair, pale skin and pale pupilless green eyes.

"Harī-hiko." Greeted Inoichi.

"Hello, Inoichi-kun."

"Here for a bouquet for your father so soon?" asked the blonde raising an eyebrow.

"No, not this time. I was wondering if your wife still makes those scents she used to sell."

"Oh, yes, she does. Would you like to try some?"

"Yes, I'm looking for some new scents." Replied the dark-haired man with a small smile. "I've told Haku about them a few times and he's eager to try some of them. He can't use them often, but he's taken to buying them."

"Hmmm, what type of scents does he prefer?"

"He's partial to flowery scents."

And so Inoichi took out a batch of the flowershop-exclusive scents and had Harī try some on.

They were interrupted by the sound of the entrance bell dinging.

"Inoichi-ojiisan, is Ino-?"

The boy stopped mid-sentence, taking in the people in the shop.

"Harī."

"Hello, Shikamaru." Greeted the man with a slightly shaky smile.

"Hello."

They stood there, staring at each other for an uncomfortable amount of time. A cough from the back of the main desk shook them out of their staring.

"Will that be all, Harī-hiko?"

"Yes, yes, sorry, that will be all. Would it be okay to place an order for the lily-scented one? I think Haku will enjoy it too."

Inoichi nodded and wrapped the three vials he was buying before writing down the order in a ledger.

"Shikamaru…"

"Suzaku-ojisan said you came by looking for me yesterday."

Of course it wouldn't have been Yoshino.

"I did. I-would you like to get a snack with me?"

The boy nodded, his face serious, and opened the shop's door with a muttered goodbye to Inoichi, his purpose there apparently forgotten.

HPNHPNHPNHPN

They sat across each other in a quiet out of the way coffee shop, where they each ordered a green tea and some mochi.

Whilst waiting for their order, Harī couldn't stop fiddling with a charm on his wrist. Shikamaru finally couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"Why were you looking for me?"

It came out harsher than he'd intended, he thought as he saw the slight flinch Harī gave.

"I… wanted to give you this." Finally sighed the man whilst activating the storage rune dangling from the bracelet.

Soon enough, he placed a rolled up parchment on the table, closer to Shikamaru, who reached out and run a hand over it.

"A storage roll?"

Harī smiled slightly.

"More its contents, I'd say."

Shikamaru bit his finger and placed a drop of blood on the scroll and it opened up, unrolling before a light shined and a pile of things appeared on top of it.

"What's this?" he asked, confused and a bit surprised.

"Birthday presents, Christmas presents, graduation presents, knick-knacks I found and thought you might enjoy…" shrugged Harī looking a bit uncomfortable. "I know… I know it doesn't change the fact that I wasn't here, Shikamaru, but there wasn't a day I didn't think of you."

Shikamaru stared. And stared. And stared.

Then, finally:

"It doesn't. it doesn't change it." Harī looked crestfallen, but understanding. "But I'm just glad you're back."

Harī perked up and smiled softly at him.

"You've grown into a fine young man, Shikamaru." He said.

And it was true. Shikamaru had grown. He had the same black hair held in a spiky ponytail and the same dark eyes, but he was taller and slightly more fit and he was beginning to get to that gangly stage all teenagers had that Haku and Kimimaro had just gotten to.

Shikamaru, for his part, blushed. Then he became serious again.

"Why did you leave?" he whispered.

Harī's eyes softened.

"You're a smart boy, Shikamaru. You already know, don't you?"

Shikamaru nodded quietly before lifting his head, eyes suddenly strangely fierce.

"Mother and dad are getting divorced."

Harī was obviously startled at that, which confirmed what his father had said about Harī not knowing about it. Then he pressed his lips together.

"I see. I'm sorry, Shikamaru. I'll talk to your father. He-"

"No!" interrupted Shikamaru, suddenly panicked. "No, they decided it months ago. It has nothing to do with you."

"Oh… alright. I'm still sorry…"

"I'm not." Scoffed Shikamaru. "Mother was always making father miserable. It's better this way."

Harī just sat there, looking unsure of what to say.

"We've both missed you." He said still ignoring the presents. "Will you and dad…?"

"Shikamaru," said Harī with the softness of someone stepping on glass. "that's between your father and I."

Shikamaru gulped, his hopes dashed at the look in the man's eyes. Of course things wouldn't just go back to how they'd been.

"I've missed you too," replied Harī just as softly. "but I needed to leave. And I don't really regret it because, even though I missed you so much, I found three boys who needed me and whom I also love."

Shikamaru didn't know what to say to that.

"I would like you to meet them someday, if you want." Continued Harī. "I think you'd get along."

Shikamaru still said nothing and looked down at the presents piled on the table.

"So what did you bring me?" he asked suddenly appearing excited and eager.

If the change of topic faced him, Harī didn't show it but in the gleam of understanding in his eyes.

For half an hour, Harī explained what each thing was and Shikamaru listened carefully as small snippets of his years traveling escaped through his lips.

Before leaving for training ―for which he already was rather late―, Shikamaru clasped a thick bracelet on his left wrists. It was hard enough to stop a kunai and painted white and blue, with the drawing of something like smoke or like the clouds swirling in relaxing patterns.

Shikamaru loved it.