Dreams of the Past

New Feelings

Chapter 12

New Feelings

It was nearly impossible not to smile, or laugh for that matter, as she watched Kakashi-kun out of the corner of her eye. He was following along beside her, covering the flower seeds as she planted them. Pakkun, following along behind him, was doing his best to undo their progress. He didn't seem to understand why they were filling in the holes. With each one, he was getting more and more frustrated.

"No, Pakkun! Stop!"

A bark and then, "Stop! Digging? Ma's digging. Digging game, I found the seeds!" He nosed another seed out of the dirt with a victorious bark.

The frustrated boy groaned, finally picking up the talkative pug and setting him on Sakura's other side. "It's not a game. There, you can help her."

She stopped holding back, laughing as she tried to direct Pakkun's eager front paws. "There, Pakkun, dig for me there."

He barked excitedly, his curly tail wagging, and did exactly as she asked. "Yes, Ma! I'll dig holes for the seeds!" Kakashi-kun's eyes rolled as he set to cleaning up his ninken's mess.

No one was quite sure why Pakkun called her 'Ma.' Kakashi thought it probably had something to do with the fact that she was the only female in their 'pack' and the way she treated the kid. The one time she'd asked the pug directly, he'd looked confused by the question. It didn't seem to bother Kakashi or the kid so she had decided she didn't care either.

"Why does he listen to you?"

Dropping seeds in Pakkun's untidy holes, Sakura shook her head. "He does listen to you. You're doing a fantastic job training him, Kakashi-kun. He just wanted to play with you. We are digging in the dirt."

He rolled his eyes again, but Sakura could tell he was smiling beneath his mask. "He is getting good at tracking. Karasu helped us practice scenting yesterday. Pakkun found him from three miles away with his scent totally masked, buried underground! We're going to make an awesome tracking team someday."

"I'm positive you will."

"Just as long as the rest of my team isn't completely useless. I might get stuck on a Genin team with Obito or Gai." He visibly suppressed a shudder. "At least Gai is good at taijutsu, but that's all he's good at."

Sakura clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Kakashi-kun. Don't talk about your friends that way. Not everyone is a child prodigy with a famously powerful father to start their training as soon as they can walk."

His shoulders crept up slightly at the admonition. "I know that but—"

"Some of us take a little longer than others to really show our potential."

He scrunched up his face and gave her an assessing look. She folded her arms and arched a brow, waiting for his smart comment.

"You were useless as a Genin too, huh?"

She smirked, flicking him in the forehead. "Would you call me useless now?"

Rubbing at the sore spot, he scowled up at her. "Of course not. But—"

"But nothing." The fact that she happened to know exactly how strong his classmates would one day be only made it more ridiculous. "Given the time to catch up with you, they'll be plenty impressive."

He looked dubious. "If you say so."

"I do. Now let's—"

A pitiful whine cut her off. "Ouch! Boss! My paw!" Pakkun sat back on his haunches, holding out his front left paw. Upon inspection, Sakura saw that he must have cut it on a sharp rock. It was unfortunate, but actually presented a perfect opportunity.