bloom and hound
Hanako saw Kakashi as an extension of her family—one of Minato’s precious students, and therefore, someone she naturally gravitated toward. Though they weren’t particularly close at first, Hanako always made an effort to include him, whether he wanted to or not.
Kakashi, still dealing with the loss of his own father, often kept people at arm’s length, and Hanako found it both frustrating and fascinating.
Where Minato saw a prodigy in Kakashi, she saw a lonely boy who had lost too much, too soon.
She would try to get him to stay for meals when he visited Minato and Kushina, pestering him about eating properly. She teased him about his mask, always coming up with wild theories about what he was hiding.
When Kushina got pregnant, Hanako was overjoyed, and she would often drag Kakashi along to shop for baby things or help her set up Naruto’s nursery. But of course as her brother asked Kakashi to be Kushina's guard, they more or less stopped hanging out. She pouted at her brother when she heard it from him on dinner one night. But she really couldn’t do anything about it because Kakashi was ANBU, and she trusts his ability to keep Kushina safe, he's capable and powerful after all.
Kakashi found her mildly annoying at first, but over time, he grew used to her presence. She was one of the few people who treated him like a normal person rather than a shinobi or a prodigy.
Despite his aloofness, he looked out for her in subtle ways. If she stayed out too late, he would “just happen to be passing by” to escort her home. If she was struggling with something, he would offer help without being asked.
Their dynamic was a mix of quiet understanding and playful bickering—Hanako was one of the few who could get away with teasing Kakashi without irritating him (too much).
And now, everything changed. In just one night they both lost their family. The people that they love and care about. It hurts even more that their two favorite people’s proof of love—their child was not in their care.
All because for whatever reason, Minato sealed the Kyuubi to his son.
Hanako couldn’t fathom what his brother thought process was. If she's honest it was insane of him to seal to his own newborn child a fate that was almost cruel as death.
It’s been three years since then. Naruto was now 3 and was at the dingy orphanage that the sandaime put him in. She knows the suffering of his nephew . It wasn’t entirely physical but she knew that the ignorance of the villagers, the glares and dirty looks that the villagers look at his little nephew.
She hated it. Even if the Sandaime passed a law that to never speak of that incident again, the whispers of “that demon fox child is there again “ or any words along the lines. And yet every time she tries to retaliate, to punch or slap those people, an ANBU, Raven, would appear before her. To remind her that she for whatever fucked up reason to not interfere.
It was ironic because she too could tell that Raven, the black haired ANBU didn’t like the situation one bit. When Raven held her wrist, she could feel the subtle shift in his chakra, she can feel that he too was upset.
She was furious. Always. But that wouldn’t stop her.
Hanako visited Naruto at the orphanage whenever she could, despite the cold treatment he received from the caretaker and villagers. She would bring him small treats— dango, warm rice balls, and flowers he could play with.
She sat cross-legged on the worn tatami mat of the orphanage’s playroom, watching as a small, bright-eyed boy wobbled toward her. His golden hair stuck out in every direction, and his cheeks were plump with the remnants of the rice ball she had brought him earlier.
Naruto plopped down in front of her, his tiny hands reaching curiously for the flower she held between her fingers.
“This one’s for you,” she said softly, tucking the yellow bloom behind his ear.
Naruto’s grin stretched wide, his chubby fingers reaching up to touch the petals. “Pretty!”
Hanako laughed, her chest tightening at the innocence in his voice. He was too young to understand the weight of the world around him—the whispers, the fearful glances. But she understood. And she refused to let him feel unloved.
“Do you know what it means?” she asked, tapping the petals lightly. “It means hope.”
Naruto tilted his head. “Hope?”
She nodded, smoothing his wild hair. “It means that even when things are bad, good things can still happen. That you’re never alone.”
From his hidden vantage point outside the orphanage, Kakashi watched the interaction unfold. He had been stationed nearby as ANBU, tasked with keeping an eye on the village, but his attention had been drawn to the small, delicate scene before him.
Hanako, with her ever-gentle presence, was smiling at Naruto the way a mother might—a warmth Kakashi had long forgotten in his own life.
He knew she visited often, bringing small gifts, staying longer than most ever did. He had told himself it was foolish—dangerous, even—to get attached. But as he watched her wipe a stray grain of rice from Naruto’s cheek, something in his chest tightened.
Later that evening, as she walked home through the empty streets, he finally spoke from the shadows.
“You shouldn’t visit him so often.”
Hanako didn’t even flinch. “And why’s that?”
“People will talk.”
She turned to face him fully, her mismatched eyes sharp with defiance. “Let them.”
For the first time in years, Kakashi was at a loss for words.