A Shift Between Dimensions

Make Out Tactics... Kakashi Style Pt. 3

Kakashi had put off going to see Naruto as long as he could but he had to go now that a summons had arrived.  He winced as he look at the slip of paper in his hands that he had taken off the bird that had landed on his window sill.  Report to my office, now. Naruto. This was a discussion he had hoped to avoid when one of the other men had said they would make the report.  Damn.  He sighed heavily and raked his fingers through his hair.  There was no avoiding it, even if he was on babysitting duty.

He looked down at Strider and grinned, the little guy was starting to stay awake longer and seemed to have an innate curiosity to him as something would catch his attention and he would stare so long at it, trying to decipher what it was.  They had been living in the same house now for almost a month and the changes he watched in his son never ceased to amaze him.  Sarah was doing her best to avoid him but every day she had to work, she had to talk to him.  Her remarks weren't as sharp so he had made some headway but he was starting to get frustrated with her avoidance.

He had even caught her in the kitchen in the dead of night getting a bottle ready for Strider.  When he had tried to talk to her, she had put her hand up and wordlessly walked away.  It was the same anytime he tried to talk to her, she'd either walk away or to his even further annoyance would turn music on her phone and drown him out.  He was trying to be patient with her, he really was, but he was about to blister her backside.  It was his intention to not get domineering with her as in times past but he was right there at doing so.

"Well Strider... I don't know if you have yet but you're going to meet the Hokage," he said before putting on the carrier and slipping him inside.  He smiled up at him and made a sound that suspiciously sounded like one of excitement.  He wasn't supposed to be interactive like that until another month from now.  "Well what do you know, you're advanced too huh?"  Little legs and arms swinging made him laugh and he kissed the top of his head.  "Alright then, let's get going before I get in trouble further."

Strider made a string of excited sounds as he took off running, jumping up to the rooftops and hurrying towards Naruto's office.  He seemed to enjoy the ride as they went and Kakashi was enjoying listening to his sounds.  As he landed on the sill outside Naruto's office, the boy was so animated he bet that Naruto could hear him even before they went inside.

Naruto's brows went up as he saw him with Strider.  The baby's excitement was almost hilarious to watch as he swung his little arms and legs inside the carrier with a huge smile on his little face.  Kakashi took the seat across from Naruto and glanced around.  He was surprised that Shikamaru was not there.

"Kakashi Sensei, have you been trying to avoid me?" Naruto asked once Strider settled down a bit from his ride.  "I expected you to be here after returning from your mission."

"Yes and no," Kakashi responded.  "I was not looking forward to this meeting after returning and seeing what all had taken place while I was gone... but I've also been busy.  Have you met Strider yet?"

"Of course, almost everyone that knows you well has at some point," Naruto responded with his eyes narrowing.  "Did you bring him as a shield, hoping I'd go easy on you?"

"Actually, Sarah's working and I take care of him when she is," Kakashi responded with that bored tone he had perfected through the years.  "We were just working on his core muscles when your bird arrived."

"Huh..." Naruto said.  "Kakashi Sensei, you've created a mess for yourself.  About half the village wants to lynch you.  I warned you about leaving."

Kakashi sighed heavily, not really wanting a lecture from his former student.  "Naruto, do you think I didn't realize I screwed up the minute I left?  As for the village, I've lived with that kind of stigma before.  They'll get over it eventually.  The only person I seek forgiveness from is Sarah.  So if you're going to lecture me about leaving, there is nothing you could say that I haven't already said to myself."