Dragon Empress, The Last Ryujin.

Ko-ba-chan! Alive!?

"Yo"

The man with silver hair sticks up two fingers as he pushes open the door. Immediately looking towards the Hokage, before looking to his right. "K-Ko-ba-san." He gasp his hand dropping slowly, almost like a cautious animal, walks over.

He can hear Shikaku suck in a sharp breath, but he ignores it. Kakashi reaches her unoccupied right side, where Kodai's right hand is stuck out in an warm invite.

Slowly he grasps her hand in his, he realizes that it's not a dream. The same ba-san that took care of him after his father's death. The same that allowed him to be human when he could no longer be a Shinobi, was laying here in front of him,

Alive.

Breathing.

Not caring that his Hokage and Jonin Commander are in the same room, he collapses to the ground next her bed, her hand to his forehead.

No one commenting on how his shoulders tremble or how his mask is pulled down. With the help of the Hokage, Kodai sits up pulling her other hand to thread through his soft silver hair.

"My little Drake, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. You're not alone." She leaned over to his head whispering, placing chaste kisses to the top of his head.

It doesn't take long for Kakashi to calm, wiping his face, he glances to the door where Shikaku is still frozen. "Shika-chi." The man barely conceals a flinch, only her voice could say that nickname that way.

"Ko-chan..." He whispers taking her in, she hadn't changed at all same warm golden eyes, same platinum hair, same sharp teeth, and same flutter of his heart.

What he didn't see was Kakashi moving away from her as his body moved in auto pilot. Sitting on the edge of her bed, he embraced her fully, careful not to hurt her. Breathing in he caught her smell, like a bakery, vanilla and cinnamon.

Shikaku shuddered but didn't cry relaxing into the woman in his arms, what felt like years of stress just melting off his body.

Sighing he pulled back "Troublesome, Ko-chan, you're so troublesome."

Shaking his head playfully Shikaku moved to stand back, "now, I know you want to get out of here, so I'll talk to the doctor about when you can leave but it probably be a day or two."

Shikaku steps out of the room leaving, the Hokage stands as well "I need to head back as well, I... have paperwork." Almost comically his head droops like a kid in trouble.

Chuckling Kodai's gaze sweeps the room landing on the last person "are you going to leave too?"

Playfully asking him, shaking his head Kakashi moves to sit where the Hokage had previously been sitting. "No, I want to stay. I-." Kakashi moves to scratch the top of his mask only to find it not there. "You remembered our promise."

*Flash Back*

"Tou-san! Ba-san!" Both adult and preteen sat around the kitchen table when a blur of sliver bounds in.

The little four year old coming to sit on his ba-san's lap tugging at the mask she wore. "Drake, don't tug." She rumbles out, Kakashi wouldn't admit it to anyone but he loves his ba-san's voice and the way it sounds like a growl or purr.

"Tou-san, ba-san. Do you wear your mask because of your teeth? If you do they don't scare me." Kakashi looks away bashfully "I think they're really cool."

He feels and hears as his ba-san chuckles in a rumbling way, and he can see in the corner of his eye his father covering his uncovered mouth.