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"Kakashi, honey, are you in there?"
She knocked on the door again, but all her efforts to engage the nine-year-old's attention were met with stoic silence. Okay. Let's try something else, then. Just knocking isn't enough; how about a code? The knocks were coming in patterns now, one knock, a pause, two knocks, a longer pause… Nobody had used that type of encoding for ages, but this little genius must've learned it, just in case.
"You're doing it wrong." Finally, a response.
"How so?" She lowered her voice so that he would have to approach the door to hear. “I think I'm doing it just fine.”
"Argh. Obimama, you're a high-ranking shinobi! You must know the basics." His annoyed whispers soothed her worries. She was still Obimama to him, although he used the nickname only when they were alone these days. When he was four, and Sakumo-san was away a lot, she would look after his outrageously independent and yet too small to stay alone baby for weeks, and they coined Obimama: first, it was easier and faster for the boy to pronounce; second, she wanted him to be able to say the word that was missing from the Hatake family, even if it went in combination with her son's name (her perfect son, the sweetest boy in the entire world, her treasured little bunny).
"What was your initial message?" Kakashi pressed his forehead to the door and peeped through the keyhole.
"Kakashi is a little monkey," she deadpanned but couldn't contain a smirk under that confused peeping eye.
"Then it was correct... I mean, I'm nothing like a monkey! Why would you say that!?" He added, offended but only the needed amount. Now, when the boy was distracted, it was time to try once more.
“Sweetie, can you unlock the door for me, please?”
He fell silent again. But Obimama was not discouraged. She knew him. She knew that rushing Kakashi into unpleasant decisions was never a good idea. She waited patiently, her hand on the doorknob, and in a minute or two was rewarded with a click of the lock opening. The trust was granted to her, albeit cautiously.
“I'm sorry I kept the door locked. I didn't think you might need something from the utility room.” Kakashi mumbled on his way back to the box with old gardening tools that was apparently cozier than a tattered chair in the corner or a stack of cushions kept on a neighboring shelf until cold winter days.
“Oh, no, darling, don't worry about that.” She closed the door behind her as she followed him inside, “I was actually looking for you. You disappeared in the middle of the party. I was afraid you'd miss the cake.” She joined Kakashi on the box. The room, or rather an oversized closet, didn’t have any windows, so they both stayed in complete darkness, with only one sliver of sunlight sneaking in from under the door. That wouldn’t do.
She had taught him many times that whenever he was sad or felt like something was not right, he had to turn on the light. She'd say, “Bad thoughts will find their way into your head more easily if it's dark. They are like enemy ninja, lurking in the shadows, but with the light on, those cowards don't even dare get close to that pretty head of yours!” He’d only scoff at the explanation, but when she had “reluctantly revealed” that it was a rule all cool shinobi followed to maintain their mental health, Kakashi had deemed the advice worthy of his personal code.
“Kakashi’s Shinobi Conduct Code, rule #23,” she whispered as if he was struggling to give an answer to a teacher’s question in front of the class.
“Huh?” The boy extricated himself from his inner world and raised his eyebrows at her, “oh… right.” Without looking around, he pulled something out of his pocket, weighed it in his hand, and threw the tiny object at the switch on the opposite wall. The light was on which allowed Obimama to assess the situation properly. Kakashi was slouching, dangling his right leg. His tiny fingers were pressed against the edge of the box a bit too hard like he was steadying himself against a gust of wind. They’d sat together for a couple of minutes until Kakashi stilled completely. Good, we can move on now.
“Hey! Look what I've found!” Obimama shifted and placed a square shaped blob of colors on her lap. “What a lovely birthday card! Did you make it on your own?”
“I… Dad helped a little bit. The uneven parts are all him. And the parts with the glue sticking out, too.”
“I'm sure Sakumo-san tried his best. Although I can't say if I’d be able to do any better.”
“Apparently adults don't know their way around paper and scissors anymore.” Kakashi sighed as if this conclusion disappointed him beyond measure. Obimama pressed a hand to her mouth to hide a smile that Kakashi would definitely read as condescending. Nobody was allowed to comment on how cute he was or coo over him; however, the praise was always welcome, encouraged even.
“I know this is for Obito, but do you mind if we take a look inside? I'm very curious.”
“Whatever. Go ahead. I don't care.”
“It looks like a professional made it. So sturdy and all.” She was twisting and turning the card, inspecting it from different angles.
“Hey! Don't bend it like that!” He reached to snatch the card from her, but she was faster. “Please…” he added, remembering another rule from Kakashi's Shinobi Conduct Code.
“Okay now, let's see.” Obimama moved closer to Kakashi so that he could see the card too. “This is just wonderful, sweetie! I love this drawing of Obi so much! But… hmm… How do I actually open it?”
Kakashi pressed his lips into a thin line and then finally turned to Obimama and the birthday gift. “He's not wearing his goggles yet. You need to put the goggles onto his face first. You see? Here.” Kakashi carefully pointed at the paper goggles popping out at the top of the card. Obimama pressed the goggles down, and they smoothly landed on Obito's face, making something twitch and turn inside the folded paper.
“Kakashi, this is brilliant! It opened! How did you think of that?”
“I didn't think of anything. Dad and I went to the library to get a book that teaches you how to make things like this. We just followed the instructions, that’s all.”
“But you made it work! And you came up with the design too. Let's see what's inside, shall we?” Suddenly playful, she booped her son's nose on the cover and flipped it open to discover colorful pages filled with drawings of Obito, his family members and friends. Willingly betraying her collected adult image, she kept oohing and aahing, asking Kakashi how to navigate the card to get the full experience.
“And what is this for?”
“This tab is attached to a string that will make this photo camera click and deliver a family photo of you, Obito and Uchiha-san. Just try it.”
Having performed the needed paper manipulation, Obimama witnessed a cutout camera eject a small card with a family portrait produced by Kakashi's hand.
“But roll it back, please. So it works the same way when … Obito opens it.”
“Can I get a copy of that picture, honey? Please? Pretty please?” She nuzzled into Kakashi's reddening ear, determined to deliver affection for the boy who put so much effort into a birthday gift. One must be persistent to make this kid lower his guard and trust you with a laugh. Was it a laugh she heard just now? Kakashi was squirming in her grip, letting tiny giggles spill from under his mask, each sound ringing like a furin in the summer breeze.
“Pull the cat's tail now.”
She returned her attention to the card but kept holding Kakashi close in a one-arm embrace. As she pulled the tail, elderly ladies were popping up behind paper Obito, each holding a sign with a supportive message: “You can do it, Obito-chan”, “Thank you for your help”, “Don't be late for training, Obito-chan”.
“Look at them!” She almost screeched with laughter. “How kind of you to include the grannies. And it means you believed his every ‘helping the elderly’ excuse for being late!”
“He likes hanging out with grannies so much, they had to be in there.” Kakashi turned away from the card and focused on picking a scab on his knee. Okay, my guy, let's take a breather.
Obimama resumed exploring the card on her own, humming a cheerful tune and occasionally giggling at Kakashi's cute doodles. A little boy in green with big eyebrows was especially hilarious. He was giving Obito a high five for apparently defeating him in a friendly spar. Minato and Kushina were there too. Their paper arms started moving up and down in the imitation of giving Obito pets on the head as Obimama lifted the page up to turn it over. Every drawing was an illustration of a major event in Obito's life: entering the academy, receiving his hitai-ate, going on his first mission. Only ninja stuff here, huh. However, there was one image that showed only Obito curiously looking up from the paper frame. This one was a watercolor painting. Compared to the other comical versions of her kid, it was subtle and more realistic. The warm colors conveyed Obito's gentle character and added a particular softness to the whole picture. When did Kakashi learn to paint so well? Has he always been artistically inclined? How did I miss that?
Convinced that she had given him enough time to regroup, Obimama pouted at Kakashi like a helpless puppy, nudging the card into his lap so he would help her figure out what to do next. At first the boy ignored her antics, but after failing to endure unsolicited tickling he agreed to collaborate.
“You know where the heart is, don't you?” Kakashi asked with (hopefully) feigned annoyance of a preteen genius who “knows it all and can't believe you don’t”. Obimama traced her finger over the painting and found the spot harboring her son's loving heart. The moment she touched it, Obito's eyes lit up with red. Startled, she pulled her hand away, and the eyes turned back to normal.
“What was that?!” Her excitement and confusion made him glow up for a quick second, although his usual jaded expression hurried to camouflage the pride before she could comment on his cheeky half-smile.
“It's just a couple of diodes, a paper circuit, and a battery. Nothing complicated. Even a baby can do it.”
“You don't say…” Obimama commented, her eyebrows raised in genuine surprise, except her amazement had nothing to do with the mechanics of voltage running through an electric circuit. Nine-year old Kakashi, a small child, understood how Sharingan worked better than some of the Uchiha elders. And it looked like he learned it from her son.
“Your heart must be touched by someone special to awaken the inner power of the Uchiha to protect and keep your loved ones safe.” Kakashi recited the words his best friend had repeated over and over, too eager to finally manifest his clan's legacy.
Obimama felt her vision getting blurry. No, not now. Seeing adults getting emotional distresses him. She blinked, once, twice, but couldn't bring herself to swallow down the overwhelming emotion that was stinging her throat, rising from her very center. I can't just start weeping in front of him! He shouldn't see… Why shouldn't he, though?
“Are you… crying?”
“I am, sweetie, but in a good way!” She hurried to beam at the tiny worried face squished from the tightened embrace. “This is just such a lovely gift you made, and I liked it so much that joy overwhelmed me.” Obimama heard him breathe out. “I'm very proud of you. I'm happy that Obito has such a good friend as you who understands him and supports his dreams.”
Kakashi reached for his mask and pulled it up, almost covering his eyes. The reaction was not in line with her praise, so Obimama loosened her grip on his shoulders, thinking he wanted to regain his personal space, but the boy remained in place, close by her side.
“Did I say something wrong, dear?” A gentle boop on his button of a nose attempted to bring back the playfulness that was suddenly slipping away from them.
“He doesn’t care.” Kakashi confided in whisper.
“What do you mean ‘he doesn't care’?” The woman tried to prompt a more informative answer, but Kakashi decided he’d already said enough. “Are you talking about the card? He hasn't even seen it yet! How can you say–”
“Exactly. He didn't even open it. The moment Rin and the girls showed up he dropped everything like… nothing else mattered!”
Mystery solved.
“Honey, those girls just startled him, that's all. You know how easily he gets distracted! And Rin brought her whole class with her. Of course he was all flustered.” While Kakashi was processing her words, Obimama carefully lifted his chin to find his eyes. “But it doesn't mean he doesn't care about you. You hear? He will be very happy with this gift. And he'll be running first thing to me and his dad to show it off!”
Kakashi was looking up at her, his eyes widened as if she was telling him a fascinating fairy (ninja)-tale. But soon he started fidgeting and pulling on his sleeves. There was probably more to it, than just one neglected gift.
“Kakashi, you know what? Sometimes we have a lot of confusing feelings all mixed up in our heads. And sometimes we believe that we're not supposed to have them at all. But we do. And it's okay,” she looked at him to make sure she had his attention. “But if the feelings or thoughts become too much, we can discuss them with the people who love us. You know that you can always talk to me, your dad, or even Obito's dad - believe me, he will be thrilled – and just like with this amazing card we can find the right tabs to pull, and it will all make sense.” Obimama was stroking Kakashi's fluffy hair, hopeful that he trusts her on this. He just needed to know that he wouldn't ever be rejected by his parents, his three parents. The third one didn't make them wait long.
A loud whisper slid in through the slightly opened door, “Darling? Are you there? Is Kakashi-kun with you?” The voice belonged to Obito's father.
“My dear, if you're trying to be discreet, you're failing miserably.” Obimama teased her husband only with a little bit of venom, though; he could’ve waited a bit longer before ruining such an important moment.
“I'm so sorry! So sorry! I just wanted to let you know that we're about to play a game, but Obito refuses to start until we all find Kakashi. And I did! But you guys take your time! Sorry again!” The door closed in a polite hurry.
“See? He can't start having fun without you.” Obimama said with the proudest smirk ever.
“The teams are probably not even, that's all.” Kakashi guessed but this time, ironically.
“Never underestimate Uchiha's love and devotion, honey!” She grinned and found his tiny hand. In an instant, Kakashi's finger was resting over paper Obito's heart, pumping it with a special kind of electricity.
