The Last Elementalist

Part 14 - it's all fun and games

"Yuri! Slow down!" Mai yelled after the small child. Giggling the child ran even faster. He had taken his first steps when he was only seven months old and since then he has become more skilled at it. The kid was fast and had the entire family chasing after him. Mai groaned. This wasn't what she had imagined when she had suggested that she would look after Yuri for the day so that her little sister could get some rest. Hikari had been reluctant at first, but truth to be told.....she was exhausted! So, she agreed albeit hesitantly. It would do her some good to have some time to herself. 

The eleven month old child could truly be a hand full. Kakashi had completely missed out on his son's first steps since he had been gone for the past five months. And now that her little one could walk, she practically needed eyes in the back of her head. The boy's nightly crying had subsided in the past month which was a huge relieve to Hikari. The rest of the town was also thrilled about that. Now they could finally sleep! Well.... Hikari slept even less than she did when he still did. Yuri expertly climbed out of his crib constantly. After moving some stuff over to the door so he could reach the door knob and was he able to open the door. It had gotten so bad that Hikari actually locked the door whenever she put her son to bed at night. The stairs were another thing he had conquered. Nothing was safe anymore and frankly... Hikari feared for her son's life. She was beyond terrified of all the things that could happen and there was nothing she could do about it.

Yuri ran towards the river, laughing as he looked back at his aunt who truly had trouble keeping up with the small child. How did he get so fast? Her eyes widen and she screamed in terror as he nears the river. "YURI! STOP! YUUUURIIIIII!" she yelled as she tried to get there as fast as she could, the boy didn't listen. There was no way she could get there in time to save him. Tears were falling down her cheeks. 'Hikari will never forgive me for this' Mai thought 'It's all my fault' came soon after that 'I killed my nephew'. She fell to her knees. Sobbing. She almost didn't dare to look as the boy reached the water and was way ahead of her. There was nothing she could do but watch. 

Kakashi arrived back into the Elementalist hideout after a very long mission. It was the longest he'd had since his son was born. It pained him to be away from his little family for so long. Hikari had tried to write him as often as she could, but she had her hands full.... She mostly taking care of Yuri by herself after all. Although her family did help out as much as they could. Kakashi walked through the village, eager to see his wife and child again. Suddenly he saw a little white blur running towards the river, fast, and he saw Mai running far behind. Aware of the imminent danger his son was in, Kakashi dashed off towards the river to intercept the small child. He couldn't get there in time. Yuri reached the river and just kept running. To Kakashi's surprise and relieve, the boy ran on top of the water. But there was no time to waste. Kakashi sprinted past Mai who had collapsed onto the ground sobbing. He reached the river and didn't think twice about running over it. He was almost there. Yuri became distracted by the birds that flew over, he looked up in amazement and stared at them. He lost focus and fell into the depths of the river.

 Kakashi reached him just in time to grab the boy's arm and pull him up. Yuri started crying, startled by this entire affair and making it rain in the process. Kakashi pulled him close, his heart still pounding in his chest. He let out a sigh of relieve as he held his son. He didn't dare to think about what would've happened if he hadn't gotten there in time. He nearly lost his baby boy. The child leaned back a little and tilted his head to the side, studying his face. "Who are you?" he asks in confusion. Kakashi's heart broke at the question his son just uttered. "It's me. Papa." Kakashi tells him "Papa?" he repeats questioningly. Kakashi saw something click in the child's mind as the boy's smile grew "Papa!" he exclaims, wrapping his little arms around his father  "I missed you" the child said with a sad voice "I missed you too, buddy" Kakashi say, holding his son close to him. Yuri laid his head on his father's shoulder, he was utterly exhausted. The child had fallen asleep not much later. Kakashi walked home with his sleeping son in his arms. Kakashi hugged the boy close as if to never let him go again.

That night, Kakashi made the decision to leave the ANBU and become a sensei. He didn't  want to be away for so long from his family, he didn't want to miss any of Yuri's milestones, he didn't want his son to forget about him. The way it was now, he didn't have much time for his family and he regretted missing out on these important moments that he would never get back. As soon as Kakashi got back to Konoha, he would inform the Hokage about his resignation from the ANBU.