Like Father Like Son

Chapter One

I don't own any of these fabulous characters! 

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"You can't be serious." The dark eyes of an angst-filled Uchiha rolled in frustration. Kakashi, un-phased, continued stretching out his long legs in the grass.

"You train and work your body every day, Sasuke," he replied. "How is this form any different from what you already do?"

"Because it's not training - it's a waste of my time!"

The Copy Ninja stood to his feet, leaning down to meet an eye to his adopted son's. "Dance, where it does not teach us specific combat movements, strengthens our technique as fighters - the way we flow from one movement into the other, developing our speed and precision, working muscle strength, flexibility and control all in new ways. This kind of training gets us outside of a combat-filled mindset, takes our movement from simply being violence."

Sasuke scoffed, plopping into the grass, weaving tense fingers through the thick, green blades and tugging them out with severity. "Being a shinobi is only violence."

Kakashi let out a soft sigh before instructing, "Stretch."

A groan huffed out of the teen.

"Listen Sasuke, if you can't trust my instruction to do so as your guardian, please trust me as your Sensei."

Grumbling something about Kakashi not forcing Naruto or Sakura train with dance, Sasuke tossed aside his handful of grass and began to stretch.

It had been three months since Kakashi had adopted him, and the young Uchiha still hadn't quite adjusted. No longer living alone, coming into Kakashi and Yamato's space, having someone there so constantly and consistently, checking to make sure meals were eaten, tasks were taken care of, that each morning he rose, and each night he made it home safe and sound to bed... These little things were too much to process, and Sasuke wondered if he'd made the right decision when his Sensei had approached him with the proposal to take him in as his own. It had been during the days when Sasuke had felt weakest, after The Leaf Had been decimated by Orochimaru, after he had been defeated by Gaara of The Sand, then unable to even best his idiot teammate Naruto, and finally after being brutally cut down by his own infamous brother, by Itachi.

Two offers were made.

The first, by Orochimaru's henchmen, to join him, to leave the Leaf Village as a rogue ninja, to gain power to achieve vengeance at last.

The second, to become the adopted son of Hatake Kakashi.

He'd chosen the latter, not by logic, or even desire, but out of the most desperate cry of his heart. Even in the face of his dream and goal, the ability to destroy Itachi, to avenge his clan, the hand up out of loneliness was not one he could turn away. Because of it, his self-loathing grew deeper each day, and the walls build against any real companionship stood firm against any love from his adopted father and his partner, Yamato.

The Uchiha stood and looked to his Sensei for new instructions.

"Today, we begin with basics." Kakashi began, moving his feet into first position, arms into a circle at his waist. "They're the tools we'll use when we move. Just as we learn basic sparring for in order to master Taijustu, we learn basic positions and combinations to be able to master freedom in dance."

Sasuke fought the urge to roll his eyes again, and instead adjusted his stance to mimic his Kakashi's. Moving from position to position as his Sensei explained, he felt like an absolute buffoon.

Once the base-line positions had been taught, Kakashi watched his young student mark from one to the next, stopping him to loosen tense muscles, encouraging grace into each stance.

"In all things, Sasuke," he advised gently, "Balance is key. You must have gentleness and strength together. The hard and the soft together are what makes the most impact."

Sasuke had had enough. Frustration overflowing out of him, he turned quickly on his feet, retaliating with angry blows in both combat and speech. "Impact makes the most impact!"

Swift feet spun Kakashi away from his junior landing any hit, and just as smoothly, his large hands swung Sasuke gently around, overhead, and onto the back of the silver-haired shinobi.

Breath knocked out of him in shock, Sasuke's mouth fell open, a bead of sweat on his forehead forming in time with tears brimming in his eyes.

Piggy-back on Kakashi, he was suddenly five-years old again, clinging hard to his brother, headed home for dinner, a hungry grumble and laughter in his belly.

"Put me down," he demanded, "Now!"

Kakashi relinquished his grip, not missing the panic masked by sharpness in his voice.

Patiently, the Copy Ninja replied, eyes fixed on the trees, allowing his adopted son the dignity to wipe the tears from his eyes in the illusion of secrecy, "I think that's enough for today. We'll work more tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!"

He turned and extended a hand back to the Uchiha. "Yes, we need to get you to relax in the basics. Let's go home for tonight though, rest body and mind."

Sasuke ignored the hand and trudged in front, making a bee-line for their home.

Closing his eyes for a moment and letting out a slow exhale, Kakashi followed after his adopted son.

Once they reached home, Sasuke immediately pouted to his room, sliding his door shut rather harshly behind him. Yamato greeted his partner still in the door frame, pulling him inside and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Kakashi, welcome home my love."

This elicited a gentle smile, Yamato knew his partner's subtle under-mask movements better than anyone.

"I take it today's lesson went about as well as we imagined it would?"

The silver-haired shinobi nodded, and rested his head onto his lover's shoulder.

"Patience, Senpai... We'll break through to him."

"I'm beginning to wonder if that's true."

Yamato met their foreheads, slipping down the mask constantly covering Kakashi's face, cupping his cheeks and running a thumb along his bottom lip. "Is my Captain losing hope?"

He couldn't help a blush.

"I'm not your captain anymore, Tenzo."

"Really?" He nuzzled their noses, "I wouldn't have thought that based off of how you boss me around in our bedroom."

"Tenzo! Keep your voice down, Sasuke might hear you!"

"Oh, like he doesn't already know or hear us?" The brunette moved in on his flustered lover.

"Tenzo, please."

"No," he smirked, voice dropping low, dark eyes burning in to mismatched ones. "I think I like being in charge. Maybe I'll be the captain tonight."

A thrilled shiver ran through Kakashi before a snarl ripped out of him, and his hands gripped tight into his partner's waist. "Not a chance, Kohai."

They both let out a soft laugh between kisses and smiles.

"There's my love," Yamato exhaled after the broke. "Keep that spirit, Kakashi. If we can have moved through our own grief enough to be here, then Sasuke will move through his own grief too."

Their cheeks rested against each other, arms coiled in a tight embrace.

"Keep your hope, and it will materialize in front of you my love. Patience and persistence..."

Kakashi closed his eyes, relaxing into his partner, repeating after him in a whisper, "Patience and persistence."