Until You

The Man Who Would Be King I

Ever since he was able to read and write, people recognized him as the child prodigy. They put their expectations on him, thought highly of him, expected the best from him, while often forgetting the fact that he was also a flawed human. Maybe it also had to do with the reputation of the clan he was born in. Hatakes are known for their intellect and seen as natural-born geniuses. Although the clan isn't as large or powerful as Hyugas and Uchihas, his ancestors were great strategists and advisors to the Hokage and also pillars of the village. They took pride in keeping the village safe and following their duties. As the only one descendant of the Hatake clan, Kakashi inherited all the said qualities of his early ancestors. He possessed exceptional intelligence and skills that made him stand out from the rest of the group even without having special abilities like byakugan or sharingan.
Since the time he was able to walk and talk, the only person he could attach to was his father. He never knew his mother; he doesn't understand when people talk about mother's love because he never had one in his life. She died too early to show him love. But Sakumo was a great father. He filled her place and loved him like a child deserved to be, even more than he deserved, Kakashi often thought. When he returned from missions and got holidays, his father took him to the forest and taught him how to throw a kunai or fight with taijutsu or sometimes just playing around without any lessons. They jumped into a stream and soaked their bodies or lay on the grass to look at the sky. On their way home, his father often gave him a piggyback ride and he fell asleep on his back. Sakumo was also a great cook. He made delicious homemade meals for his son. When Kakashi aced the tests in academy, he praised him heartily and always said he was so proud of him, his son will one day become a much better shinobi than himself. His praises made little Kakashi smile from ear to ear.

At the age of five, he found the closest and dearest man to him dead in the puddle of blood in his house. What a nightmare for a kid; too horrible a scene for a 5-year old. But Kakashi took it better than anyone thought. When he learned that his father killed himself instead of being murdered by someone, his first thought was his father must be tired of him. He must be tired of taking care of him and that pushes him to commit suicide, to leave him alone. But Kakashi was a smart kid. Soon he heard the news and conversations from people talking about his father's death and found out the truth behind his suicide. His father was pathetic, putting others' lives first than fulfilling the mission. By the way people talked about his father, Kakashi learned that duties must be accomplished even if it costs teammates' lives.

A conviction was engraved in his mind:
mission must come first.

Then some people came into his life who broke down this conviction. Obito taught him not to leave teammates behind. That dummy head who always tried to beat him to no avail had actually more sense than Kakashi did. There was hardly any peace between them when they were together, but deep down Kakashi befriended him. He was his first best friend. Rin showed him kindness and love like no one else. She put up with his shortcomings and was always a mediator between him and Obito. Though he could never return her feelings, he loved her like a sister. His Minato sensei was like an older brother - one of the best men Kakashi ever met. Minato was sweet, kind, with a friendly disposition, but at the same time unimaginably powerful and deadly. He was also an irreplaceable sensei for all three of them. Together, they become Kakashi's family. When he was with them, his loneliness and demons were driven away and he even became capable of laughing and smiling often. He loved them.

But fate was cruel. When Kakashi thought he was finally happy and content again, he lost his team, his family. He lost all of them. First was Obito, who was always competing him and saw him as a rival, gave him his eye in his dying state. Kakashi' d rather see him alive and fight with him than accept the eye and watch him die. But he hadn't a choice. He  couldn't save his friend and a part of him died with Obito.
He promised Obito to protect Rin at all cost, but the worst thing that could ever happen happened. He was the one who killed Rin. No matter how people justified it or his conscious brain tried to justify her death, it was his hands that break through her chest. He was the one that ended her life. Another part of him died there.
When both of his friends gone, he became closer to his sensei and his wife. They took care of him as if he was their family. Kushina, the scary woman, always smacked his head with her monstrous strength when he acted rude. He didn't dare misbehave in front of her. She often made eggplant soups and forced him to eat them, and to her credit, the soup he used to hate so much became his favorite. Despite her fiery nature, Kushina was very caring and nurturing to him. Minato, on the other hand, did more than a sensei would do for a student. He took Kakashi in to their house and gave him a home when he needed it the most. Kakashi's attachments to the Namikaze family grew more and more and he tightly held on to the last two people he cared so much about.