Promises Remembered

Part 2 Chapter 8

A/N I hope you enjoy this emotional chapter!

Part 2 Chapter 8

Kakashi

Day One-thousand four-hundred and thirty-six without her

Kakashi watched as Sakura-chan followed a sullen Uchiha Sasuke away from training ground three. They had managed the bell test—but then, he had known they would. He had not gone easy on them out of foreknowledge, and they had impressed him enough that he genuinely felt comfortable passing them.

A small part of him was irritated at the way the pink-haired girl always fawned over the Uchiha kid. Not because of any strange, perverse jealousy. No, she wasn't his wife. She was his wife's younger cousin. It would probably get confusing when she got older, but for now at least, it worked.

The irritation stemmed from how he knew her crush was going to end. He knew—vaguely, based on offhand and roundabout comments—that Sasuke would try to kill her at least twice. But that had somehow not dimmed her adoration. That would come later, after he'd completed his personal mission and come home.

His teeth ground at the memory of her confession—glassy eyed and ashamed for something that wasn't her fault—juxtaposed against her bright, girlish smile for the little bastard now. But he couldn't treat the kid differently because of what he'd do as a man. He hadn't done it yet. And besides, their entire relationship, though ill-fated, had been formative for her. Trying to save her from the hurt could have catastrophic consequences. Considering what they had both already sacrificed to keep things how she remembered, he would let this go, too.

Heaving a sigh, Kakashi figured he should go pick up his son. He had promised the almost-four-year-old they'd go for a run with his ninken when he came home. Kazuki loved flying through the trees on his back, surrounded by his howling 'puppies'. Maybe they could get something nice for dessert, too.

When does Sakura-chan learn to make rakugan? Maybe he should pass on the kashigata already. So they could be her 'mother's' before they'd be hers... again.

A tugging on the back of his flack jacket pulled his attention. Glancing behind himself, he saw a much calmer Naruto than he'd been just minutes before. He almost looked... nervous?

"Need something?"

His cheek twitched and he looked to his feet, but he didn't let go of his jacket. "Kakashi-sensei... I—" sounding very upset all of a sudden, he sniffed hard and tried again. "What happened to Hana-san? Did she go somewhere?"

Pain, guilt, and most of all shame, lanced through Kakashi's heart. Fuck. How had he known it was him? What was he even supposed to tell him? Why hadn't he thought about the possibility that Naruto would remember her? Now that he was faced with it, Kakashi felt like an idiot for even thinking he would.

Turning slowly, he crouched to be closer to eye level with him. He couldn't think of what to say. Sighing, his breath almost painful, he allowed something of what he was feeling to show in his eye.

"You recognize me, then?"

Naruto glanced briefly up at his hair before looking at the dirt again. "I saw your face once. Well, like this. Without your ANBU mask. Plus, I don't think anyone else has hair like yours."

Oh. "I hadn't realized."

Wiping his sleeve across his face, the blonde boy risked looking him in the face again. "I know. You thought I was in the bathroom. You had it pushed up to see her better and you had your hand on her stomach. I think the baby was kicking because she was laughing. Then you kissed her here—" He tapped his forehead with his index finger. "—and pulled your mask back down. I didn't mean to spy on you, but neither of you noticed me."