“Dad… er, Kakashi-sensei. You’re not getting any younger. Why don’t you go out there and mingle with the single folk?” Sakura asks as she adjusts her Konoha headband to its usual place. “I’m getting older and I know I’ll eventually leave the house. So… c’mon. I don’t want to leave you all alone.”
Kakashi zips up his flak jacket and chuckles softly, pulling his headband down to cover his left eye. “Sakura, do you think that little of your old man? I’m single, not incompetent. Besides, I’ve been busy with taking care of the team and the village… and missions. I haven’t had time to look around. Also, how old do you think I am?”
His adopted daughter raises her brow. She crosses her arms and rolls her bright emerald eyes. “Yeah, yeah… And is that why I see you ogling someone at the dango shop recently? Don’t you dare lie, I’m observant too.”
“Yeah. I know that. Tsunade-sama trained you a little too well on that.” Then again, she’s always been observant even when she was younger. Kakashi chuckles softly and glances away, suddenly remembering the last time Sakura asked him this kind of question.
xXx
Glancing down at his grocery list the young ANBU captain scratches at his unruly silver locks. Where the hell was… Kakashi glances up at the signs and finally finds the aisle he was looking for. Grabbing a specific kind of cookie that Sakura wanted, he sighs. Maybe he should do a double take on her diet. She does need more veggies after all, he muses to himself. However, she has been good in her classes at the academy and she did get the highest score on her last test.
“Should I surprise her with some anmitsu…” he asks himself.
“Listen, if you’re buying your way into a girl’s heart, sweets are definitely the way to go.”
The voice took Kakashi by surprise. He glances over with his lone eye and it widens slightly. Of course the girl he has had a crush on since they were younger would be right there telling him to buy sweets for a girl. He coughs into his gloved fist.
“It’s not just any girl,” he says then turns to face Anko.
Anko’s brow raises a little and crosses her arms. “Wow, I didn’t realize you had anyone special like that in your life, Hatake. Congratulations. Girlfriend, yeah?”
Kakashi sputters and shakes his head. “No. Nothing like that.” He goes silent for a brief moment, onyx eyes looking directly into her caramel ones. “Remember a few years back when a family was massacred by some rogues looking for valuables?” Anko nods and he continues. “Turns out, their daughter survived. And well… I guess you can say I took her in.”
Her jaw drops hearing the last part. “Huh. Guess you do have a heart after all.” She laughs seeing his expression change. “Listen, if you ever have any questions, just ask. I’d love to help out. Uh, if you need it, I mean.”
Kakashi never thought to ask someone else for help. Since he found Sakura a few years back, he had taken it upon himself to take care of his “daughter” by himself. However, with Anko saying if he needs help to ask her, it made his heart skip a beat. “Thanks… I appreciate that.” He pauses then shows her the list in his hand. “Do girls just want sweets? Or am I creating a monster?”
Anko grins and yoinks the list from his hand. “Oh my, you need to introduce me to this little one. She and I will be best friends if she loves sweets this much.” The grin grows even bigger once she looks at Kakashi. “I hope you’re ready for when she’s a teenager. And puberty.”
The ANBU captain stills for a moment. ‘Oh Kami…’ he thinks to himself and grabs his list back after breaking from that moment of weakness. “I think I’ll be okay. Besides, like you said, I can ask you for help. Plus, there’s Kurenai, if I really need it.” Glancing away from the kunoichi, he sighs then rubs a hand down his face. He isn’t exactly sure why, but just the thought of Sakura as an adult and /boys/ makes him feel uneasy.
Kakashi will definitely have to keep an eye on anyone who has an eye on her and vice versa.
Then he thinks of what Sakura, at age 6, has told him.
‘You need to go out there and find a girlfriend!’
He pauses once again and glances up to Anko. “Want to join us for dinner?”
She ends up caught off guard by the question. A soft pink tinge appears on her cheeks. “As long as you’re not eating anything spicy.”
“Perfect, because Sakura hates spicy food too.”
xXx
“It’s Anko-sensei, isn’t it?” Sakura asks Kakashi with a sly grin on her face. “She’s the one I’ve seen you looking at. Why don’t you just ask her out?” She rolls her eyes as Kakashi shakes his head in resistance. “Oh, come on. Kakashi, I’ve known you for pretty much my whole life. I remember her coming over when you needed help. I remember her joining us for dinner on occasion too!”
Sakura pauses and adds her medical hip pouch. “Just.. ask her out, Kakashi. Want me to talk to her about you? Make you look good?” The grin reappears.
Kakashi couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking his head once more. “No, that isn’t necessary. I think I’ll be fine.” He stops however. “Who’s your mission with today?”
The grin broadens. “Anko-sensei.”
His exposed eye widens just a tad. He knows Sakura notices this because she’s currently crossing her arms. “Please… don’t embarrass me.”
“What kind of daughter would I be if I didn’t do that?” she asks.
“Touche. I suppose I wouldn’t be a good guardian if I didn’t embarrass you either.” Kakashi adds on and Sakura grimaces.
“You’ve embarrassed me more than once. And you continue to do so. But like you said, you wouldn’t be a good parental figure if you didn’t.” She giggles softly. “Even Naruto admires your skills.”
The jonin places a hand on his chest and releases a fake gasp. “He does? Well, that definitely makes my day.”
“Mhm, sure… Now, I have to head out. I’ll be back in a few days, okay? And don’t just read your novel all day!” Sakura exclaims, grabs her bag, and leaves their home to depart on her mission.
Kakashi waves and glances around. He’s used to her being gone, however it doesn’t make it any easier nowadays. The jonin can’t help but worry about the chunin despite knowing she can take care of herself. It still makes him uneasy. He grumbles softly, adding the final touches to his outfit for the day. Sighing, he decides to take it easy and venture out into the village. Maybe even check on Naruto. Or he can challenge Gai. The man stops and silently shakes his head. “Nope. Not going to do that, at least, not right now.”
After a beat, he makes his way to the village and once again starts to reminisce about Sakura when she was younger.
xXx
Sakura stares at the purple haired kunoichi. Her eyes narrow a bit before she starts swinging her legs as she sits. “Kakashi, is she having dinner with us?” she asks, glancing up and towards the kitchen.
He nods as he preps an edamame appetizer for the two ladies. “I ran into her when I was shopping. Invited her over. Is that okay with you, Sakura?”
The pinkette nods in return and beams. “Kakashi almost never brings over other people. So, this must be a special occasion.” Suddenly, she gasps. “Is this a date?!” Anko could have sworn she saw sparkles in the kid’s eyes.
“No no. This isn’t like that, Sakura. This is just… fellow shinobi eating together. That’s it.”
The young girl rests her chin on her hand and sighs. “Should have been a date…” she mumbles the rest then stares at Anko. “You should come over more often though. It’s nice to see another girl!”
Anko can’t help but laugh. She nods and gives the young pinkette a thumbs up. “I suppose as long as Hatake here is okay with it. I don’t see why I can’t hang out with ya, kid.”
Sakura looks over to Kakashi expectantly. A bright smile on her face. “Please?!”
The silver-haired ANBU agent chuckles, shaking his head as he brings over the edamame. He then nods and gives Sakura an eye smile. “As long as you’re on your best behavior. And as long as Anko doesn’t get in the way of your schooling. Got it?”
The bright smile on Sakura’s face grew even brighter, if that’s possible. “Yeah! I swear! This is going to be so much fun!”
xXx
Sometimes not having missions can be such a downer, Kakashi realized. He is so used to being out of the village for weeks at a time, that whenever he has downtime, he has no idea what to do with himself. So, he just walks. Walks until something piques his interest or until someone stops and asks him a question.
Turns out it is the former that stops him in his tracks.
He sees a familiar head of plum purple hair. Raising a brow, he peeks around the corner to the dango shop and sees Anko with Sakura. He tries to hear what they are saying, but he can not make it out with all of the noise from the shop and the people in the area. Kakashi debates going inside to see them, but decides against it. So, he goes to turn around only to be seen and called out.
“Kakashi-sensei?” Sakura asks, poking her head out from the entryway. “What are you doing here?”
Kakashi turns around and chuckles nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, I was just walking and ended up here. I should be asking what you’re doing here. Don’t you have a mission with Anko?” he asks motioning to the tokubetsu jonin behind them still chowing down on dango, her gaze right at them.
“Well, as it turns out, we had a bit more time than I thought before we’re supposed to leave. So, I decided to treat Anko to a snack! And, we’re catching up. It’s been so long since I’ve seen her!” Sakura can’t help but grin evilly at her adopted father.
Anko pokes her head out next and smirks. “What, can’t two ladies just enjoy some nice dango together? Come on, Kakashi. You can join us if you want.”
The man in question shakes his head and pockets his hand, looking away. “No, it’s alright. I’m not a fan of--” he was interrupted just then.
“Not a fan of sweets. We know that, Kakashi-sensei. But COME ON. Live a little! Just sit with us!” Sakura adds on and pulls him towards their table. Once he was in the little building, Sakura had Kakashi sit right across from Anko. She smiles at the both of them then makes a little gasp. “Oh, would you look at that! I have a quick errand to run before we leave! You two stay and I’ll be back in a bit! Have fun, tootles!”
And before a protest could be made, Sakura was gone.
Kakashi chuckles nervously again and taps at his metallic decal. “Sorry about that. She just… I don’t know where she gets it from.”
Anko eats a sphere of dango and smiles, shaking her head to show it didn’t bother her. “It’s fine with me. I’m assuming she doesn’t get this personality from you. Maybe Tsunade’s rubbing off on her. Which isn't a bad thing. The girl needed to grow a spine. She was too into boys during her academy days if I recall correctly.”
The silver haired jonin nods. “I suppose you’re right. I can’t help but feel I failed her though. I was too preoccupied with Sasuke and Naruto, I left her to pretty much fend for herself.”
The purple haired shinobi shakes her head. “Don’t be like that, Kakashi. You know damn well you did your best with your entire team. I mean, come on, you even came to me for help sometimes. But Sasuke… he just didn’t want to stay. You can’t fault yourself for that.”
The man just shrugs.
“Don’t you go all quiet and woe is me now, Hatake. I’ve known you for too long. This team… hell, even your kid, changed you for the better. Okay? Hey, hey, look at me now.” When Kakashi finally brings his gaze up she continues. “Things will be fine. You didn’t fail anyone. You did your best with the hand given to you.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“I know I’m right, Hatake.” She grins and finishes off her plate of dango. “Now… What shall we do? I’m not sure when Sakura will be back. Shall we just… talk some more?”
A faint smile appears under his mask and he nods, eyes closing to better show her him smiling. “I’d like that, yeah.”
xXx
With their dinner finished the two shinobi are still in the kitchen cleaning up. Much to Kakashi’s chagrin, Anko decides to help by drying the dishes. Her gaze shifts from the tea cup in her hand to the sleeping child on the sofa. “She’s certainly spunky. And she seems to not want you to be alone.”
Kakashi chuckles as he finishes up the last dish and drains the water from the sink. “She really is. But, she’s definitely been pushing for the relationship thing…” he glances away, almost nervously. “Sorry about that by the way, Anko.”
“Sorry for your kid basically telling us to date? Why would you be sorry about that? Kids are.. Weird. They really just speak their mind. Sakura is no different.”
The silver haired shinobi looks up again and gives Anko an eye smile. She is right though. Maybe this is just a phase. Besides, he’s still young. There’s no need to rush into a relationship… Despite the fact that the girl he’s had a crush on since their academy days is standing right in his kitchen right next to him. The universe is also weird like that. It could be a sign, or it could very well be just two friends eating dinner with an adopted child.
Who knows at this point.
Breaking from his thoughts, his eyes scan Anko. The way her purple hair smells like plums and the way it stands in a spiky ponytail. The way she wears shirts to hide the cursemark on the nape of her neck. He notices the way she smiles softly at the sight of the sleeping pinkette and the way she laughed during dinner.
Kami, he’s definitely falling for her once again.
After a beat, he breaks the silence.
“You should come over again. If you want that is. Sakura likes having you around.”
Anko glances away from the sleeping child and crosses her arms. “Is it only for Sakura’s benefit?”
“If I say no?”
A grin appears. “Well… can’t let food go to waste. I’ll just pop by whenever then.”
Kakashi returns the grin with a masked smile. “I look forward to it then.”
xXx
They end up talking about their upcoming missions, or lack thereof in Kakashi’s case. He makes sure to let Anko know about Sakura’s quirks when it comes to missions and her strengths and even weaknesses. However, thanks to the training with Tsunade, Sakura has almost overcome most of the hurdles.
Kakashi leans onto the table, watching Anko talk about her own ideas for the outcome of this mission and how she would rectify anything that could go wrong, and with Sakura there, she’s sure that the mission will go off without a hitch. The jonin continues listening, lost in the sound of the snake kunoichi’s tone and just comfortable in her presence.
However, all good things come to an end.
Sakura makes her way back and beams at the two shinobi. “So, how did it go? Was the date a success?”
“Wait, date? I think you have the wrong--” Kakashi starts but is cut off by Anko.
“It went great. We just caught up and talked about the mission.” Anko beams and gives Sakura a victory sign.
Kakashi sits there glancing between the two kunoichi. “Wait, what? What’s going on?”
Sakura just pats his head and giggles. “Oh, Kakashi-sensei. You’re still new to love, so it’s okay. You’ll understand when you’re older.”
“Huh? I’m older than you? I have no idea what’s going on,” Kakashi says with a defeated sigh. These two together are definitely going to be the death of him. But, if this is a first date… Kakashi’s eyes shoot up to Anko. “If this was a first date, then, uh… I hope you had a good time?”
Anko can’t help but laugh then leans over and pats Kakashi’s masked cheek. “I did have a good time. You are good company. When I get back from this mission, you should definitely take me out again.”
The pinkette grins, trying to control her giddiness. “Say yes,” she whispers and lightly taps her adopted father’s shoulder.
The man in question just chuckles and sheepishly rubs the back of his head. “Er… yeah. I’ll meet you at the gate on the day you’re supposed to return. Maybe we can grab a bite to eat. Your choice, my treat?”
Anko beams and nods excitedly. “You got yourself a date, Hatake. See you in a few days.”
xXx
Kakashi walks with the two kunoichi to the gateway and sees them off. His gaze as lazy as ever watches as Anko walks past the gate, only to turn around and look at Kakashi. She smiles genuinely and waves.
Sakura glances up to Kakashi and she grins. “See? You should have given her a chance sooner.”
Kakashi’s gaze goes to Sakura and his visible brow raises a tad. “What do you mean?”
“I told you this morning that I’m getting older and you need someone to take care of you when I’m not around. Enter her,” Sakura replies as she motions to Anko. The pinkette soon starts walking towards her mission partner, but before she catches up, she turns around and smirks. “Turns out, she likes you too, Kakashi-sensei. Bye!” Sakura runs off to catch up with Anko so their mission can begin.
The jonin watches them leave until they’re out of view. Once he knows he’s alone, he can’t help but blush faintly, a faint smile appearing under his mask. Maybe… Maybe he’ll give this relationship thing a chance. Maybe having someone around when Sakura’s gone will help with this slight case of empty nest syndrome.