Kakashi was being awkward. The card Kosuke had included with her homemade blend of tea included an invitation for both of them to come over for dinner once they were up to it. She knew Kakashi wasn't the most social, but he seemed to be dragging his feet more than usual as they got ready at Kotori's apartment. It had Kotori a little on edge because she didn't want him to make a bad first impression by being late. Well, second impression. Ensui had already seen Kakashi in his boxers.

"It might be better if I didn't go," Kakashi eventually said. "Ensui doesn't want me there."

Kotori rolled her eyes. Ensui could be a bit prickly, however she was sure he would eventually warm up to Kakashi. Their relationship was different than the silly boys who had once chased her as a girl and distracted her from training. It was more serious. Kotori tried not to get ahead of herself as it had only been a few months, but sometimes it was all too easy to picture them married or with children. Her insides warmed at the very thought.

"If he didn't want you there, he wouldn't have invited both of us," she pointed out. "I know he can be difficult - "

"Ensui doesn't want me around because he knows what I am," Kakashi explained. There was a faraway look to his eyes. While he was looking at her, he wasn't seeing her. "I can hardly fault him there. I wouldn't want a killer around my civilian wife or child either."

"You're not a - " she vehemently denied. "You're not a killer. Not any more than the rest of us." Her heart dropped at the bitter way Kakashi's lips twisted into a grimace. His eye didn't quite meet hers as he pulled the mask back in place.

She had said the wrong thing, but she didn't know the right thing to say.

Yes, Kakashi had killed plenty. There was no denying that. They were ANBU, it came with the job. It was easier to justify killing in the midst of a life or death battle or taking out a crime lord or a human trafficker or a rogue shinobi. However they had all committed assassins in the name of Konoha that kept them up at night. Witnesses who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. A target that needed to be killed for political reasons. Someone who had ended up collateral in a fight that had gotten out of control. It wasn't like he kept his kill count or took pleasure in it.

"Ensui knew a version of me that I'm not proud of."

"Then he can get to know the real you," Kotori insisted. She took both his hands in hers and held them. "Ensui is smart enough to trust my judgment, you should too."

His eye softened as he squeezed her hands. "I still don't know what I did to deserve you."

She hated to think how Kakashi had spent all those years alone or how absolutely terrible his life had been. The dark comments he made hinted at a life lonelier than she could begin to comprehend. He deserved so much more than her.

"You didn't have to do anything."

Kakashi kissed her forehead through the mask. "We should leave now or we'll be late. I'd hate to make up some excuse to Ensui about his prized student taking too long in the shower."

"I don't know, you could always tell him it takes you three hours to achieve your messy I-just- woke-up-this-way style."

Kakashi's hand automatically reached up to scratch the back of his head, someone making his hair stick up even more. "I'll be sure to remember that one."

xXx

"I don't like him. I don't see how a dinner is going to change that," Ensui grumbled as he washed the dishes. "She's a nice girl. She could do better for herself."

He ignored the knowing look his wife was giving him. Kosuke had been the one to go and invite Kotori over to dinner and then extend the invitation to Hatake as well. Troublesome woman. No. Meddlesome.

Kosuke gave him an amused grin from where she was preparing her grocery list for the week. She looked over top her reading glasses at him. "Are you really doing the protective father thing?"

"I'm not her father," he gruffly responded. He made that distinction very clear early on with his students. He wasn't their father. He wasn't their friend.

Aimi had her own father to worry over her - a task that would surely drive the man into an early grave. She had a clan to protect her interests. Inoichi nor the Yamanaka clan elders would accept Aimi marrying some scoundrel. He liked to think Aimi had a good head on her shoulders, however the string of idiots she dated suggested otherwise. He had most recently seen her hanging around Shiranui and tried not to laugh. Oh he hoped he wouldn't have to suffer through a dinner with him.

It was bad enough he had to suffer one with Hatake.

Kotori was not so fortunate in the clan or family department. She had no one looking out for her or her best interests. The near extinction of the Sorano had complicated his relationship with his student. The careful boundaries had been blurred over the years.

Ensui could all too easily remember standing in the wreckage of the Sorano district. He could remember the heavy dread every time he uncovered another body, knowing his student could very well be among them. Ensui was a pessimist. The shinobi world left little room for optimism. He had always known it was a possibility he would lose one of his students. He had been a young jonin taking three little girls into the middle of a war zone. So he had prepared for it and tried not to get attached.

He was unsuccessful. No one could prepare for the loss of a kid. He struggled with the sudden intrusive thoughts of finding Sayuri's body. Kotori's broken cries as she stood in the middle of the Uchiha compound. Holding Aimi upright to keep her from collapsing at the funeral.

Ensui closed his eye as he gripped both sides of the sink, pushing those thoughts away. One day they would expose Danzo as the conniving son of a bitch that he was.

He unplugged the sink, watching the water swirl down the drain. He remembered the sickening moment when Danzo showed up at the hospital to express his sympathies over the loss of Kotori's family. He remembered realizing she was the exact type of kid who'd get recruited into Root. Hurt, vulnerable and alone. And with a clan technique that allowed her to spy undetected.

So he took the kid home with him. Things had been troublesome since. The kid had infiltrated his home, his family and his life. The other two refused to be left out and wormed their way in soon after. He found he minded less than he originally thought he would.

The least he could do was look out for her. Check that Hatake treated her well. That did not make him her father.

"Keep telling yourself that," Kosuke said. She picked up the dish towel and started drying the dishes, handing them over so that Ensui could put them away.

He rolled his eyes as he put the plates in the top cupboard. "I'm not. The girl had a father."

He would not dishonour her father's memory by claiming the title. The man had died in the line of duty. It was a risk every one of them took as shinobi. That their children not might even remember them. Ensui knew he would be lucky to be alive long enough to watch his own grow up.

He glanced at the small swell that was starting to show despite Kosuke's attempts to hide it.

Best not go down that road. Ensui worried over his wife's health enough these days to even contemplate if he would live long enough to meet his unborn child. Being in ANBU meant he was always on call, even though he'd rather stay in the village until the birth. At least he had Shikaku and Yoshino and his cousins to watch over his family in his absence.

Ensui splayed his hands out as he gave his wife an easy smile. "Besides, I'm not that old. I'm more the fun uncle."

Kosuke affectionately kissed his cheek. "Grumpy uncle more like. You're not going to upset Kotori-chan by being rude to her new boyfriend, are you?"

"I'll behave if he does." With a bit of flare, he twirled the chef's knife before putting it back into the block. Kosuke gave him a disappointed look. He didn't know what she expected. It was as much as he could promise.

Hatake was arrogant. Insolent. A pervert. These were all points against him in his mind.

"Is there reason to be worried about Kakashi-san?" Kosuke gently asked him. Her hand resting on the crook of his elbow, pausing him. "The things I hear - Kotori-chan has a good heart, I don't think she'd be interested in someone cruel."

Ensui debated how to answer that question. All of his complaints had been superficial things at best. When tallying up the pros and cons this one tipped the scale the most. Hatake had a darkness in him. A darkness that Ensui knew all too well and if Hatake wasn't careful it would consume him. He didn't want to see Kotori dragged into that hell with him.

There was a lot about the nature of his work he could never share with Kosuke. Hell, even if he could he wasn't sure he would want her to know. He felt uncomfortable with the idea of his wife knowing the type of missions he was sent on. The very thought that she might view him with fear or disgust cut deeper than any flesh wound.

He found himself unwilling to voice his true objections.

Ensui sighed as Kosuke's keen eyes bored into him. "Hatake's an idiot. I don't like him."

"I thought he was a prodigy?"

Ensui smirked. "That's what makes his idiocy almost impressive."

Kosuke looked around the kitchen, satisfied that it was back in an organized state. She grabbed the list she had been making earlier. "There's just a few things I wanted to pick up beforehand. I should have time."

"I'll go," he grunted. "You shouldn't be lifting in you condition."

His nerves were a little closer to the surface these days. He was used to shinobi who could pick up twice their body weight with chakra. Not civilians. And definitely not pregnant civilians with a list of restrictions. If he had his way, Kosuke would rest for the next five months and let him handle things. Unfortunately she was stubborn.

"Condition?" Kosuke laughed as she shock her head. Her loose plaited braid swished behind her. "I'm pregnant, not injured. Besides, everything fits inside one of those storage scrolls you gave me. If you want to be useful, clean up before I get back. And convince your daughter to take a nap! I don't want her cranky tonight."

"My daughter? When she's wound up she's all yours, my deer."

At three, Rika was a little whirlwind who went from one room to the other, leaving chaos in her wake. She had more energy than any Nara child had a right to have. Ensui was certain she had gotten that from her mother's side because there was no way she had gotten it from his.

Ensui searched for his little troublemaker, finding that she had managed to make a tent with blankets and chakra wire in the brief time they left her unattended. She laid underneath, happily drawing a picture on - oh she was using the parchment for seals. Never mind a rogue shinobi, his wife was going to kill him when she found out their darling daughter managed to get into his ninja tools again. Well, at least his weapons were sealed away.

"Come here, Rika-chan," he scooped Rika into a hug, before hoisting her up in his arms. She had gotten heavier, when did that happen? "What did I tell you before? Ninja tools are not toys. You could get hurt playing with those."

He purposely let the chakra wire slice the pad of his fingertip to prove a point. He inspected her hands for injuries, but there seemed to be none. Rika fixed him with an adorable pout as she played with the collar of his flak jacket.

Rika clumsily helped him pick up her toys and put them away as he took down the tent. He missed the days when he was able to pawn off his errands and chores as training on his team of genin. He would have to make do with the next best thing. He created a pair of clones to do a deeper cleaning. Ensui was a supporter of working smarter rather than harder. Especially if he was able to reap the rewards with hardly any effort. The real him convinced Rika that napping with dad wasn't half bad.

She had finally settled down when he heard the door open and Kosuke softly announce her return. He closed his eyes and rested as he listened to the gentle padding of her feet as she put things away in the kitchen.

Ensui opened his eye after he heard the flash of the camera. Kosuke was leaning in the doorframe with a camera, looking pleased with herself for capturing a photo of them sleeping. Ensui closed his eyes and lightly tapped the bed, silently indicating for her to join them. The bed dipped in next to him as Kosuke curled up next to him, her arm reached across to play with Rika's hair.

"The house is spotless," she happily said. "You work fast."

"Ninja reflexes," he smugly replied.

She tucked into his side, resting her head on his chest. "Clones, you mean."

" - ah, you caught me there."

The lazy afternoon eventually came to an end as they waited for their guests. Ensui silently observed the pair from the window, using the shadows to obscure him from view. Hatake's posture appeared relax to the outside world, his shoulders slouched and his hands in pockets. However Ensui knew that no seasoned ANBU ever truly relaxed, even in their own village. The best of them gave off that casual indifference to the world. Underneath, Hatake was coiled tightly, ready to spring.

His body was angled towards Kotori. Not close enough for anyone to guess the nature of their relationship. They could simply be friends or comrades. If it wasn't for the mishap in ANBU they would have been able to keep their secret. Hatake had positioned himself in such a way to defend them both from an attack. His girls would murder him if he ever voiced these thoughts out loud, but Ensui was of the opinion that it was the man's duty to protect his partner. So point in Hatake's favour.

He slipped into the entranceway in time for their guests to knock on the door. There was hugging and squealing, especially since Kotori had zeroed in on Kosuke's pregnancy. In turn, Kosuke gave Kotori a pointed look about not sharing good news.

Ensui almost found himself catching Hatake's eye to commiserate. He thought better of it.

Rika rushed forward to great her favourite person. However she quickly stopped in her tracks, clutching at his pant leg.

"Um, hello there," Hatake awkwardly greeted her, aware that he was the source of the sudden bout of shyness.

"Rika, why don't you say hello? This is Tori-neechan's friend, Kakashi-san," Kosuke prompted.

She lost any shyness after that. She eyed him first with curiosity and then a little determination. Once they were seated in the living room, Rika decided to climb onto Hatake's lap, clumsily grabbing hold of his flak jacket to steady herself.

Ensui almost groaned when she boldly tried to yank the mask down. Because of course his kid would do that. Hatake seemed surprised more than anything. With a gentleness that Ensui hadn't thought him capable of, he held the mask in place.

"Rika," Ensui let out a soft warning. "Don't be rude."

"Ah, I don't mind. So you want to know what's under the mask?" Hatake looked thoughtful as Rika nodded. His eye curved into something that resembled a smile.

This was juvenile. Ensui wouldn't be caught staring. If the man wanted to go to ridiculous lengths to hide his face, so be it. It was probably ugly or scarred anyway.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye to see if he was right.

"Why, another mask of course."

Ensui's lips twitched. Most likely a genjutsu; he didn't think Hatake was crazy enough to go around wearing two. "You have your answer Rika." He awarded him another point for humouring her.

The evening went as well as expected. Kosuke and Kotori managed to carry the conversation between them. Rika demanded attention and Kotori was happy to bestow it. Hatake continued his ridiculous game of keeping the mask on while eating and Ensui resisted the temptation to cancel out the genjutsu. Throughout the evening, both he and Hatake silently sized the other up.

He lost to Hatake at shogi. Feeling a little vindictive, he took a point away. But then added it back because it was rare he was challenged outside of playing against his brother. Kotori should have a smart partner. Not some bonehead.

Long after they left, Ensui stood on the veranda. He lit up a cigarette as he stared off into the forest and contemplated.

Ensui was an assassin in the truest sense of the word. His home was in the shadows, manipulating them as he slipped in and ended lives on the orders of his superiors. However as any Nara learns, peer too long into the shadows and they begin to peer back.

So Shikaku had hauled his arse out of ANBU and forced a trio of genin on him. He thought it would be 'good' for him. The three naive and bubbly girls had nearly given him a heart attack at the ripe old age of nineteen. Ensui remembered the terrifying moment the kids looked at him with bright, hopeful eyes and the heavy realization that he was responsible for them. The fear that he would't be enough and they would suffer the same fate that befell too many during the war. They had somehow survived and blossomed into capable young kunoichi. He had grown very fond and, dare he say, proud of them.

Shikaku had an annoying habit of being right. Being out of ANBU had been good for him. It gave him perspective when he rejoined the organization.

Ensui could remember the chill that went down his spine after watching Hatake take down eight shinobi with the chidori. The absolutely dead look in his eyes. He was only sixteen or seventeen at the time. Just a teenager really, although most forgot about that. The village treated him like a weapon more than a person. Promoted him up the ranks and sent him on the frontlines as soon as they were able. Even Hatake forgot he was more than a weapon, or perhaps he wanted to forget after what happened to Nohara.

It didn't sit well with Ensui. Hatake definitely had the skill to become a threat if he ever got in too deep. Besides, he was a grieving teenager who had lost everyone in such a short time. Anyone could see it from the amount of time Hatake lost in front of the memorial stone.

Tonight he had witnessed a side to Hatake that was softer and more playful than he would have thought possible. Ensui was not a fool who thought romantic love solved things. However, building a support system seemed to work wonders for Hatake. He had a life, something beyond the next mission. He seemed more human and less of a weapon.

There was no denying Kotori was good for Hatake. However was he good for her?

Ensui had argued against Kotori's placement in ANBU. She had a soft heart and wasn't suited for ANBU, but as the last of the Sorano he knew she was destined to join the organization eventually. The council had made that clear over the years. So he had prepared her as best as he could for the future that had been determined the night of the nine tails attack.

He exhaled, watching the smoke drift away. What would Hayabusa want for his only daughter? Ensui couldn't say for certain. He had never met the man. Probably the same things he wanted for Rika.

"You wanted to talk?"

"Ah, fuck!" Ensui swore, dropping the cigarette on the ground. Kotori had managed to startle him. That was unusual. Either he had been too deeply lost in thought or she had gotten sneakier since joining ANBU.

Kotori sniffed, as if noticing the scent of tobacco in the air. It was a habit Ensui, along with many others, had picked up during the third war. He had promised to quit when Rika was born. However every time he quit he found himself picking up the damn thing a few weeks later. Everyone needed a vice in their line of work. He smoked and Kosuke pretended not to notice. It was preferable to closing down bars every other night like his brother liked to do.

"Don't tell Kosuke," he said anyway. "Those things will kill you, you know."

"So will a kunai," Ensui bluntly replied. He pulled out a new cigarette and lit the end with a fire jutsu. "I'd like to live long enough for this to kill me instead."

He gestured for her to follow him, walking away from the house. Ensui leaned on the gate to one of the enclosures where a herd of deer where seeking shelter for the night.

"Something tells me you didn't send a clone to scold me about my bad habits."

"No," she admitted. "What's your issue with Kakashi?"

Ensui sighed. He stared out at the deer for a long time. Life was a lot simpler for the deer. When the stags noticed a threat to their herd they just ran them off with their antlers. They didn't have to explain to the doe why laying with wolves was dangerous.

"Hatake has a lot of inner demons. I worry for you."

"You don't know him."

"I suppose not," he admitted. Gone was the cold, ruthless killer. Or the flippant, erotica-reading arrogant asshole. Ensui didn't know what to expect. He didn't like that. Most of the men in this village were predictable to some degree. Hatake was an unknown variable and those were dangerous.

"Is he good to you at least?" He avoided her eye as he scratched the bridge of his nose. Oh he loathed opening himself up to these talks. The older the girls got, the more they wanted life guidance and not target practice. He had told them repeatedly in their teenage years that he did not give boyfriend advice. Now he was eating those words and asking.

He didn't have to be looking to see the way she lit up in his peripheral. He smiled despite himself as he listened, she sounded like a young woman in love.

She seemed happy. He grudgingly gave Hatake his final point. He supposed it would be enough to tip the scale a little in his favour.

If he ever hurt her though, he'd find himself buried deep in the Nara Clan Forest.

AN:Of all the secondary characters, I really wanted to write Ensui's POV the most because there's so much he doesn't say or even lets on he knows. His motivations are extremely hard for me to get across in limited third person POV and he walks this line of being an asshole. He's meant to be a very flawed character.

Anyone ever get the feeling something terrible happens to Kotori? Not that I would ever do anything... that would be cruel when they're so happy… :)