Chapter Text
For the first time since his ANBU days, Kakashi lost time. When they’d returned to the apartment the previous night, Inko had prepared dinner, the trio had eaten, and Izuku had been shooed off to bed. Kakashi had curled up in front of the couch for the night, though he hadn’t slept. Instead, his mind had just...blanked. He hadn’t processed anything for hours, simply existing as grief crashed over him. The next morning, Inko and Izuku had noticed how he’d still seemed out of it, but they hadn’t pushed him. Inko had seemed to understand he needed time. He was grateful for that. It hurt, to know he had lost everything he’d worked so hard for. Everything he’d bled and killed for.
It had been a crashing sound that snapped him into awareness and kept him from spiraling further. Instinct had him on his feet, chakra buzzing under his skin and form tense in preparation to fight, before he realized there was no danger. When he’d looked to the window, he realized it was midday. Shit. He’d been out if it for that long? He looked towards the kitchen, where the crash had come from, and saw Inko cleaning up a broken dish. He felt...drained. Tired and numb and he had to fight to keep his thoughts from drifting away again. Even so, he padded towards Inko.
“Are you alright?” He winced at the audible exhaustion in his voice.
Inko looked up, startled. “Ah, yes! I’m fine! I just dropped a glass on accident, is all.” She seemed hesitant to say more, but pressed on. “Are you okay, Kakashi-san? You seemed...not entirely there, last night and this morning.” She said cautiously.
“I’m...fine.” The wolf said haltingly. He wondered how much to tell her. “Just..” he trailed off, then cleared his throat and tried again. “Just thinking of home. I’m going to miss it.”
Inko smiled sadly. “Ah, yes. I can imagine.” Here, she paused again. “I hope you don’t mind me saying so, but it looked worse than simply being lost in thought.”
“Ah.....”
“You don’t have to say anything if you’re uncomfortable doing so, Kakashi-san.”
He shook his head. “It’s fine.” he tilted his head, wondering how best to explain it. “I’m a soldier, Inko-san. There’s a lot in my head that isn’t quite right.” he said quietly. “I’m no danger to your son, or you, or anyone.” he rushed to assure. “But as a result of what I’ve experienced, and what I’ve done, the way I process things, especially significant loss, is...abnormal.” There. That was the best way he could explain it without delving into too much detail.
Inko seemed sad at the revelation. “I don’t think you’re a danger, Kakashi-san.” she soothed. She stayed quiet for a moment before she stood, tossing away the broken glass and looking at the large wolf. “You’re a soldier?”
“One one the best.”
Her lips turned down at the heaviness in his voice. That hadn’t been a brag, she could tell. It had simply been a statement of fact.
“I see.” she sighed. “I won’t pretend to understand what you’ve been through. I doubt I can even really imagine it.” she said. She could see his scars, especially the one over his eye. His life couldn’t have been kind to him. “But...did you never get help? Were there no systems in place to help soldiers deal with trauma where you came from?”
“There were.” he said simply. “But I never really used them. They weren’t the best. Those systems mostly focused on ensuring the soldiers of my home were sane and stable enough to continue fighting.” he sighed. “They didn’t help with...everything else.”
And oh, he knew that Minato-sensei had hated that. So had Inoichi-sama. When his teacher had been Hokage, the man had started a program to try and make those systems better, and the Yamanaka Clan Head had been helping him. They’d wanted to create a system where the Shinobi of the village could actually get real help for their traumas. But then the Kyuubi had attacked, and Sensei had been killed. The Sandaime had returned to power, and the project had never been continued. In the wake of the attack, and all the destruction and death that had resulted from it, there had just been so many more pressing matters that had to be dealt with. By the time things had calmed enough that such a project could be focused on, it had been forgotten, and brushed aside in favor of more militaristic plans.
Inko was frowning. “That doesn’t sound very good. Why wouldn’t your peoples government be more insistent on good mental health programs?”
“My home....is very militaristic.” he said carefully. “It was more important to the people in charge that the soldiers, especially the stronger, more important ones, were always available to be sent out on a mission.” he explained. “As long as the soldiers were stable enough to do that, and as long as they remained loyal to the Village, then any eccentricities they had could be ignored.”
“Even if those eccentricities were a direct result of poorly dealt with trauma?”
And Kami bless her, but Inko seemed genuinely angry and offended on his behalf. Kakashi just shrugged helplessly, and didn’t say anything else. Thankfully, it seemed she understood he was getting uncomfortable with that topic of conversation, because she sighed and shook her head.
“It’s not right, Kakashi-san.” was all she said.
“Maybe not.” he allowed. “But it’s all I knew.”
He could tell she wanted to ask more, but was grateful when she refrained. Instead, she cleared her throat and began bustling about the kitchen once more.
Kakashi sat down, watching her as she moved around with a casual familiarity. It was obvious she’d spent a lot of time in the kitchen. Which, seeing as she was a single mother to a very young child, he wasn’t surprised. Speaking of which, that did bring up something he’d been curious about.
“Inko-san, I hope you don’t mind me prying, but I wondered what the deal with Izuku’s father is?”
At his question, the woman stopped what she was doing, her back to him. She swallowed thickly, and Kakashi suddenly had the feeling that he had asked a rather sensitive question. His ears pinned back and he furrowed his brows, opening his mouth to speak when her voice rose quietly.
“Hisashi...left.” she said. “He went overseas for his work two years ago. He used to call me regularly, but then a few weeks ago, his calls tapered off and eventually stopped altogether. I haven’t heard from him since.” her voice was right with grief, and Kakashi darted his tongue over his nose nervously.
“Is he...” he trailed off, not knowing a gentle way to ask.
“He’s not dead. If he was, his work would have told me, or I would have been notified by the relevant authorities. There’s processes for these things, you know.” she said softly. “It would be the same if he was kidnapped or had gone missing. But I’ve heard nothing from any of those fronts, and he hasn’t answered when I try to contact him.”
“So he left you.” Kakashi said, voice hard in his anger. Inko flinched, and he regretted being so blunt.
“Yes, it would seem so.” she agreed sadly.
He stood, padding forward and pressing his nose to her shoulder for a brief moment. “I’m sorry.” he murmured. “You don’t deserve that.”
And she didn’t. Inko was so endlessly kind. She could easily have treated Kakashi poorly, could easily have acted as if he was a common beast. But she hadn’t. She’d treated him with kindness and respect, and respected his boundaries without a hint of judgment. He didn’t know her or Izuku very well yet, but they both deserved better than a man who simply left and turned his back on them.
She smiled faintly, turning to pat his shoulder before she returned to her cooking. “It’s quite alright. I’ve learned to accept it, even if it does upset me. I do still love Hisashi, and I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving him.” she said simply, and Kakashi smiled sadly.
“I understand.”
And he did. His father had never stopped loving his mother, after all. He knew the situations weren’t exactly the same. Kakashi’s mother had died in child birth. She hadn’t voluntarily left her family like Inko’s husband had. But she had still been gone, and Kakashi had been able to tell that Sakumo had adored his mother and ached for her, every day of his life until his suicide. Kakashi hadn’t understood, then. But he had, as he’d grown older. He’d come to understand a lot about his father, and why he did what he did.
Inko let out a soft chuckle. “Look at us,” she said jokingly. “Two grown adults bonding over tragedies.” She paused. “You are an adult, right?”
Kakashi laughed. “Yes, I am.” he agreed.
She chuckled again, and they fell into a companionable silence as she cooked. His mind wandered as he sat with her in the kitchen, never spending too long on one topic before moving on to another. It was only as Inko began plating everything when he realized something was wrong with the image he was seeing.
“Inko-san, that is a lot of food.” he said dumbly. And it was. It was several large plates, many times more than what three people would need for a single meal. Even if he was more wolf than human now, it still seemed like too much.
She turned her head, smiling over her shoulder. “Yes.” she agreed. “You ate a lot last night. You were very out of it, but you kept looking at the food dishes after you’d eaten what was on your plate. After Izuku and I had our fill, you ate everything left on the table, and I still had to cook you more before you were full!” she giggled, seemingly amused by the recounting.
Kakashi, for his part, was horrified. “I’m sorry!” he apologized hurriedly. “You don’t need to make so much food on my account!”
“But you ate quite a bit yesterday. I don’t want you to be hungry, Kakashi-san.”
“It’s alright.” he shook his head. “I’ve survived off less food many times before. I can do it again.”
Her expression turned hard here, and she shook her head. “Absolutely not! I will not have anyone go hungry under my roof!” she said fiercely.
“But...” he began awkwardly.
“But what?”
“Can you afford to feed me that much all the time?”
And that was the issue, wasn’t it? From what he’d observed of the small family, they were rich. Far from it. While they weren’t poor, either, they certainly didn’t have the money to have to buy double or even triple the amount of groceries they usually got just for his sake. Especially with a growing child in the house. He knew young children tended to be expensive enough on their own without adding additional complications like a massive wolf to the mix.
She softened, chuckling. “Don’t worry about that, Kakashi-san. You let me worry about the finances, alright?”
“I don’t want to to spend all your money on me.” he protested.
“I won’t have to.” she smiled. “There’s programs to help in situations like this.”
He just blinked dumbly.
Inko chuckled before continuing. “Unfortunately, I don’t qualify for any of the governmental programs.” she explained. “I earn enough at my job that I don’t fall into that bracket. However, there are many people like you. People who have quirks that result in strange or extreme dietary requirements, and make too much to qualify for government aid, but not enough to feed themselves to the degree they need.” she explained. “There’s a well known organization called Feeding the Unfeedable that helps in that regard. They’re not affiliated with the government, and it’s run by community members. They survive off donations. Every year, several hero companies also donate very large sums, as they believe the group does good work for average citizens.” she explained.
Kakashi tilted his head. “So you applied for this?”
She nodded, smiling. “I wrote to the group and explained the situation. They offered to either send food packages of raw meat every week, enough to last you that long, or a money cheque every month so I could by groceries. I took the cheque. All I have to do is send them the receipts of my groceries every month for the first year to prove I’m doing what I promised with the money.”
He frowned. “I would have been fine with the meat. That’s probably easier for you.”
“It would be easier.” she agreed. “But you shouldn’t have to eat only raw meat every day for the rest of your life. I think that’d probably grow very dull very quickly.” she paused. “Unless that’s what you want?”
He blinked. “I’d be fine with it.”
She smiled. “Yes, I imagine so.” she agreed. “But I like cooking, Kakashi-san. I’d rather you eat good food that you enjoy than eat whatever is most convenient simply because you don’t want to cause trouble for me. If I ever don’t want to cook so much, I can just buy you meat from the store.” she said.
He sighed, sagging and nodding. “Oh, alright.” he agreed. He wouldn’t argue if she was sure she could handle it. He’d cut back on his food intake if she looked like she was struggling with feeding him, though.
“Good.” she smiled. “Now, what’s your favorite food? I’ll see if I can make it for you some time.”
He just shook his head, snorting. There was no winning with her, was there? “Eggplant miso and salt-broiled saury.”
“Lovely.” she chirped. “Now go collect Izuku for me, will you? It’s lunch time.”
Kakashi chuckled, standing and turning to where the boy’s bedroom was. “Yes ma’am.”
Lunch had been nice. One of the chairs had been pushed against the wall at the table, to make space for Kakashi. He’d sat down and enjoyed the meal, eating his fill and content to listen to Izuku babble about heroes. He’d interjected once to ask what exactly heroes were, and been treated to a loud, eager explanation.
Apparently, heroism was actually a job in this world. Heroes were people who trained for years, then devoted their lives to saving people and stopping villains. Villains, for their part, were criminals who used their own quirks to wreak havoc or attempt any number of more sinister plots. It was all quite a lot to take in, so Kakashi had spent the rest of the meal silent, processing the information he’d learned and everything it implied.
When they’d finished eating, Izuku had jumped off his chair and bounced eagerly in place. “Can we go to the park, mom? Please?” he asked eagerly.
Inko arched a brow. “Izuku, be honest. You just want to show off Kakashi, don’t you?” She sounded amused and faintly scolding.
Izuku froze, looking at her with wide eyes. Ah. So that had been his plan. Kakashi bit back a laugh, his tail wagging lazily with his amusement. Izuku wore his emotions on his sleeve. He’d have to fix that. Especially if he seriously intended to become a hero, like he’d eagerly revealed during lunch.
“I’m sorry! It’s just Kakashi’s so cool!”
“Izuku-!”
“Mah mah,” Kakashi cut in. “I don’t mind. You mentioned that quirk manifestation is a big deal here. I understand his excitement. I don’t mind.”
Inko blinked, then sighed. “If you’re sure.” She frowned, then turned back to her son. “I’m sorry, Izuku, but I can’t go with you. Maybe another day. I have quite a few things I have to do to make Kakashi-san’s settling here easier on him.” she said quietly.
At the boy’s sad look, the wolf sighed. “Oh, fine.” he said. “If you don’t mind, Inko-san, then I can take him. He’ll have to direct me to the park but I can keep an eye on him.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I don’t mind. Besides, it would be a good opportunity to bond. I am his Familiar now, aren’t I?” Kakashi assured, tilting his head and grinning lazily.
Inko smiled. “Yes, I suppose so.” She turned to her son, who was vibrating from anticipation. “Go get ready, Izuku. Kakashi-san will take you. You listen to him like you listen to me, alright?”
“Yes!” the boy cheered, then rushed to the door to get ready. “Don’t worry, mom! I’ll listen!”
Kakashi followed the boy, and soon they were out the door and on the street. He could do this. This would also be a good opportunity for him to observe his new world a bit more. He could see how much he could learn. And anyway, how hard could watching one four year old be?
Easy enough, as it turned out. Izuku was a good kid. On the way to the park, the boy had stayed close to Kakashi, always within easy reach of the wolf. When they’d arrived at the park itself, the children and mothers there had frozen. He’d scented sour fear on the air, and his nose had wrinkled in distaste. Thankfully, Izuku had managed to defuse the tension. It seemed even the boy had noticed the air of fear.
“Ah, please don’t worry!” He shouted. “This is Kakashi! He’s my quirk!”
He could see the mothers relaxing slightly, though they still seemed uneasy. Kakashi, for his part, just sighed and sat down. “That’s not much of an explanation, Izu-chan.” he drawled.
The children gasped, eyes widening with overeager awe and excitement. Oh dear. It seemed he’d forgotten one critical fact about children. Even in his own world, young children adored dogs. He’d had to be careful about summoning his dog around the park, especially when it was populated primarily by civilian children. Children universally liked dogs, even in different worlds. And apparently, wolves were close to dogs in the minds of children to also be fawned over.
“You have a talking wolf for your quirk? That’s so cool!” One of the children babbled.
He felt small hands on his fur, and had to bite back his distaste. They were children. He would not be mean to children. Even he had standards. He just had to put up with this.
“Yeah!” Izuku confirmed brightly. “I summoned him yesterday! He’s my Familiar!”
One of the mothers walked over, smiling faintly. “That’s very nice.” she said gently. “And you’re sure he won’t hurt anyone?”
“Mm!” Izuku grinned. “Kakashi’s nice!”
And so the crises was averted. Kakashi was grateful. The children had gathered around him for a little longer, before they’d eventually run off back to the park, bored with his lack of response. Izuku had joined them, and they’d begun playing tag. Kakashi had settled down by the benches, laying down on his stomach and resting his head on his paws. He watched the children play for an hour or so, ears carefully perked to listen to the conversations of the mothers nearby in hopes of learning something new. It ended up being useless, however, as all he managed to learn was the neighborhood gossip.
Kakashi yawned, jaws stretching wide and tongue curling. He swallowed, sighing softly, only to tense. A second later he was rolling to the side and shoving himself to his paws, and a young man in a brown and grey costume was standing where he’d been lying. The wolf growled, though he didn’t attack just yet. The man yelled, then the earth gathered around his fist like a massive gauntlet and he slammed it towards Kakashi. He leapt out of the way, crouching in a defensive position and snarling.
“Leave, villain!” the man demanded, attacking once more. “You will not hurt these children!”
Kakashi just scoffed, rolling his eyes. He wasn’t a villain, thank you very much. He opened his mouth to inform the man about that crucial little detail when he heard a yell and a flash of green appeared in front of him.
Izuku.
The wolf surged forward, standing over the young boy, and just in time too. The man had been attacking again, inches from striking Izuku. Instead, the earth gauntlet struck Kakashi right between his shoulders, and he grunted and had to brace himself to keep from falling on top of his charge.
Said charge wailed in protest, then crawled out from under the wolf and yelled again. “Rock Fist, please stop! Kakashi’s my quirk!”
The man seemed to hesitate for a moment, and it was at that moment an older woman landed next to him. She was dressed in yellow, white, and black, and most noticeably she bore a pair of delicate bug-like wings at her back. She grabbed the young man’s fist, her eyes narrowed.
“Rock Fist, what have I told you about jumping into situations without thinking?”
“Uh, not to? But-!”
“But nothing! You attacked a park out of no where, and you almost attacked a child in doing so!”
“But Hornet! There’s a giant wolf here! And I saw it’s teeth! It could have been about to attack everyone.” The man tried to defend himself.
Kakashi was starting to understand that this was probably a hero. After all, no one in the park was panicking like they’d be if they were being attacked by someone dangerous, like a villain. The mothers had just gathered their children and withdrawn to the edges of the park, seemingly for safety’s sake so they wouldn’t be pulled into the fight. Though, if this young man was a hero, he obviously wasn’t a very bright one.
“Rock Fist, stop being an idiot and think. The wolf was lying down by the benches, it’s head was down, and it was yawning. It wasn’t going to attack anyone. You would have known that if you’d bothered to observe the situation. You also would have realized that no one was freaking out. If that wolf was a threat, none of the mothers here would actually have been so at ease.” The woman, apparently Hornet, berated.
Izuku chose that moment to cut it, right as Rock Fist opened his mouth again. “Oh wow, you’re Pro Hero Hornet!” he gasped. “Thank you for helping us! I’m sorry if Kakashi scared your sidekick. I promise he’s not gonna hurt anyone! He’s my Familiar! I summoned him yesterday!” he seemed excited, though he was his voice had a noticeable tremor to it.
The woman glanced down, then smiled. “Hey, kiddo.” she greeted. “I’m glad you’re alright and that my idiot sidekick here didn’t hurt you.” she said, ignoring Rock Fist’s yell of protest. “I noticed he’s your Familiar. I saw his collar, and when I saw him jump to protect you I figured he was yours.” she chuckled.
“Wait wait wait.” Rock Fist interrupted. “Familiar?”
“Yes, Rock Fist.” Hornet sighed. She pointed to Kakashi’s collar. “That’s how you tell. Familiar quirks are rare, but I know you learned about them in Ketsubutsu.” she sighed.
“Oh.” the man flushed under his mask, which covered his eyes and nose. “Right. I did. Now I remember.”
Hornet sighed again, then turned to Kakashi and Izuku. “I’m sorry about what happened kid. Your Familiar did a good job keeping you safe.” she said. “But you might want to get home. He’s bleeding and he looks like he could use a good clean up.”
Now that she mentioned it, and the adrenaline was fading, Kakashi did feel a dull throbbing from his shoulders. “Mah, mah, miss hero is right, Izu-chan. I don’t want my messy looks to scare more people.”
Hornet noticeably startled, though Rock Fist actually jumped back in his surprise. Izuku didn’t respond though, instead leaning against Kakashi. It seemed it had dawned on him just how close Rock Fist’s attack had come to hitting him.
“You can talk.” the Hornet noted.
“I can.” Kakashi drawled.
“In that case, I want to apologize directly. Kakashi, was it?”
“That’s my name.” the wolf agreed. “Though there’s no need to apologize. It wasn’t like you were the one to attack me.”
Rock Fist noticeably blushed again. “Sorry.” He mumbled after a moment.
Kakshi snorted. “Oh, the pride of the youth.” the deadpanned. “No hard feelings this time, but maybe next time it would be best if you did as your mentor said and observe for a moment before jumping to conclusions. If my reflexes weren’t what they were, your attack would have hurt Izuku.” he said seriously.
Rock Fist opened his mouth as if to protest, noticed Hornet’s severe look, then closed it and nodded. “Okay, yeah.” he muttered. “Fair.”
Kakashi nodded, then lay down and looked at Izuku. The boy was shaking faintly, and Kakashi recognized the signs. It seemed the that, now that the adrenaline was fading and the boy was coming down from it, the shock of his near miss earlier was beginning to settle in.
“Get up, Izu-chan.” he said gently. “Just don’t sit on the wound, please.”
The boy startled, the obeyed his request as if on autopilot. Kakashi had no doubt that if the boy was more aware, he’d be practically interrogating the two heroes. As it was, he was just quiet. Hornet nodded once at the pair, then grabbed her sidekick by the collar of his costume and flew away. Kakashi turned, and in the silence of the park, left through the gate. It was only when he was down the black that he heard activity begin anew, though it was noticeably more subdued than before.
Kakshi sighed, shaking his head and ignoring the looks thrown his way as he walked back towards the apartment. Well, that had been an adventure. Apparently, when you were wolf, watching one four year old was harder than you’d think.
Their return to the apartment was met with much fretting from Inko. She’d initially smiled when she had opened the door to Kakashi’s scratching, Izuku still perched on his back. But then she’d seen the bloody fur around where Rock Fist had hit him and her face quickly shifted into worry. She’d ushered them in, quickly got Izuku settled in front of the office computer, and started a video that immediately made the boy perk up. In the video, some giant of a man with bright blond hair was saving people from a collapsed building. Kakashi figured the man was a hero. And Izuku’s favorite, if the boy’s violent rocking back and forth was anything to go by.
Then, Inko turned to him and guided him into the bathroom. He lay down at her urging, and she took a damp towel and started to clean up the bloody fur around the wound.
“Oh, Kakashi-san!” she flittered around him, pulling out a first-aid kit once the wound was clean. “What happened? Are you okay? Should we go to a hospital, or a vet, or something of that sort? Do you need medical help?”
Kakashi sighed, smiling indulgently. “Mah, mah, please calm down, Inko-san.” he soothed. “I’m fine. It’s just a little torn skin. I’m not hurt; I barely feel it.” he said honestly. “I don’t need a doctor or a vet.” And damn him if the thought of having to go to a vet didn’t rankle his pride. “Just cleaning the wound is enough, thank you.” he said, making to get up.
The woman made an irritated noise, then put her hand on the back of his neck and pushed down. “Stay down, Kakashi-san. If you insist that you don’t need medical help, then I at least want to disinfect it.” she said, taking a bottle of antiseptic spray out of the first aid kit. “This will sting.” she warned. “And you didn’t tell me how this happened.” she added, spraying the wound with the antiseptic.
Kakashi twitched at the vicious sting, but otherwise didn’t react. He’d had far, far worse. “At the park, I was attacked by a hero sidekick.” he said.
Inko blinked. “What.” she said blandly.
The wolf chuckled. “Mm. He apparently thought I was a villain, or at least some villain’s beast, out to get the children.” he drawled. “I wasn’t even doing anything, just dozing in the sun.” This whole situation really amused him, now that the danger was over. “I was defending myself, and then Izuku got in between us.”
Here, Inko’s breath hitched and he could see the woman jerk towards the door, no doubt she wanted to check her son.
“Don’t worry.” he said quickly, making her look at him. “He’s fine. I took the hit.” He nodded over his shoulder. “That’s where this came from. The sidekick stopped, and before he could attack me again his mentor managed to come in and smooth things over. After that I left the park.”
Inko was quiet for a minute before slumping. “You protected my son.” her voice was soft as she spoke.
“I did.”
She looked at him, eyes filled with a dozen different emotions he couldn’t even begin to identify. “You protected my son. My Izuku.” she repeated. “You saved him, and got hurt in the process.” she took a deep breath, then released it and gave the wolf a soft, genuine smile. “Thank you, Kakashi-san. Thank you so much for keeping him safe.”
He blinked then chuckled. “Of course.” he assured. “I may not have chosen to be brought here, Inko-san, but that’s not your son’s fault. I fully intend to protect him for as long as I’m able to.”
She smiled brighter, nodding once before opening the bathroom door and stepping out. She paused as something occurred to her, looking back at the wolf. “I imagine you’re a bit tired, no?” she guessed. “If you’d like to take a nap, my bedroom is right next to the bathroom. You can sleep for a while and you won’t be bothered.” she offered.
He blinked, tilting his head. He hadn’t slept last night, and today had been more exciting than he’d thought it would be. He was a bit on the tired side. A nap would do him a lot of good. Even if he could go much longer without sleep, that didn’t mean he wanted to reprove himself of it.
He nodded, standing and walking past her. “I’ll do that. Thank you, Inko-san.”
She only smiled at him again, then shook her head before turning towards the kitchen. As she walked down the hall, away from him, he heard what she said next. “No, Kakashi-san. I’m the one who should be thanking you.”
He just sighed, bemused but resigned to the situation, and turned towards the door Inko had mentioned. He pushed down the handle with his nose, then stepped in and nudged the door shut behind him. Rather than take the bed, he curled up on the large, fluffy carpet at its foot. The Shinobi sighed, then closed his eyes and relaxed. Within minutes, he was drifting off, his dreams filled with deep, soothing laughter and flashes of long, silver hair.
Kakashi was awoken by gentle shaking. For a moment, he startled, confused as to how and why someone unfamiliar could get so close, before he realized it was Inko. Ah, that was why. She didn’t register as a threat to his instincts. He yawned, then blinked and tilted his head.
“Inko-san?” he sniffed at the air, catching the scent of food. “Ah. Is it dinner time?”
The woman nodded. “Yes.” she spoke quietly. “Izuku has already eaten and gone off to bed. He was rather tired after the shock of today, so he had a bit of an earlier meal.” she explained.
So that was why she was being so quiet. He nodded, then stood and followed her to the kitchen. The food smelled lovely tonight, though it was also achingly familiar. He knew that scent, it was only his sleep heavy brain that didn’t care to identity exactly what is was. He stepped into the dining area, only to freeze. Because there, on the table, was-
“You made eggplant miso and salt-broiled saury?” His voice was thick an emotion he didn’t recognize.
Inko just smiled at him, her expression soft and achingly kind. “Of course, Kakashi-san. You did say they’re your favorites, after all.”
Kakashi swallowed thickly, feeling like there was something stuck in his throat. “Why?”
She came around to face him, gently cupping his large head in small hands. “You saved my son today, Kakashi-san.” she said firmly. “You also make him very happy. I understand you didn’t choose any of this for yourself, but you’ve said you’re going to be keeping my son safe. As a mother, that is the greatest gift in this world, to know my child will always be protected, wherever he may go.”
“I’m his Familiar.” he pointed out weakly.
“Exactly.” she agreed. “Do you know what that means, Kakashi-San?” At his frown, she smiled. “It means you’re family now.”
Kakashi’s breath stopped in his chest, and his eyes went wide. Inko just smiled at him yet again, one hand stroking the thick ruff of fur around his neck and chest. Then she stepped back and gestured to the table.
“Now come eat dinner. You’re family, Kakashi-san.” she repeated. “So have as much as you want.”
Kakashi shook, and in his mind’s eye saw a flash of long red hair and vibrant violet eyes.
(Come on, Kashi-chan! Sit!”
Kushina waved the ladle in her hand towards the table, where three chairs were set up. He felt Sensei’s hand squeeze his shoulder, and then the blond was shifting around him to settle in one of the chairs. The Uzumaki turned then, and started putting the dishes of food on the table. Kakashi recognized those dishes. Eggplant miso and salt-broiled saury, like his father used to make. He took a step back, and felt her eyes pierce into him.
“Why?” His voice was hoarse.
In a flash, Kushina was in front of him, grinning bright and easy and looping an arm around his shoulders to tug him against her side. “Because they’re you’re favorites! Why else?”
“But I don’t understand. I’m not....”
She looked down at him critically, then bent down to look him in the eye, her gaze serious. “Kashi-chan. You’re like a son to us, you know?”
His breath froze in his lungs and he almost choked, eyes snapping to Sensei who was only smiling softly, before he returned his attention to the redhead.
“What?” he croaked.
“Mina loves you.” she explained. “Always has. Since you were an itty bitty Genin and apprenticed to him. And I think you’re pretty neat too. You don’t have to stay permanently, but Pretty Boy over there and I want you to be a bigger part of our lives, if you’ll have us.” Here, she grinned again. “Besides, I happen to think you’ll make a great big brother to little Naruto, and I know Mina agrees.” she added brightly, one hand slipping to press against the gentle swell of her belly.
“I-” he choked, then cut himself off. What could he even say to that?
Kushina softened, then gently guided him to sit at the table, his place already set with a bowl of miso and a healthy serving of the saury. His throat felt thick. He hadn’t shared his favorite meal with anyone since father had-
“You don’t have to decide right now, Kakashi.” Minato said quietly, interrupting his spiraling thoughts.
“Or at all.” Kushina smiled brightly as she took her own place. “But let’s just eat, alright? I didn’t spend all that time cooking just for you two pansies to not eat, dattebane!”
Kakashi still didn’t understand, but he picked up his chopsticks anyway.
...maybe he could get used to this.)
“...-san? Kakashi-san!”
The wolf stiffened, then roughly shook himself out of his stupor and looked to who was calling him. Inko. She was worried, he could tell by the furrow in her brow
“Are you alright, Kakashi-san?”
“I-” his voice broke, and he cleared his throat before trying again. “I’m fine.” he assured. He swallowed thickly, then padded to the spot at the table without a chair and sat, looking down at the large plate of food before him. “Please, Inko-san. Just call me by name. You can drop the honorific.” he said softly.
She blinked, then smiled at him and took her own seat. “Only if you do the same, Kakashi.” she agreed.
“Of course, Inko.”
He shot her a faint smile, though it was weaker than he’d like. She seemed to understand without him saying anything, and only smiled somewhat sadly in return before she turned down and tucked into her meal. Kakashi looked down at the large bowl of miso and plate of fish in front of him, and felt something in the depths of his chest fall away as he lowered his head to begin eating himself.
Family, huh?