safety [Kakashi Hatake x OC]

sixty-five

Kakashi had no idea what to do. Whenever he was asked the question, he would get frustrated because he didn't know the answer. He wished he could just have someone tell him what to do. All he wanted was Eri back, but he didn't know what to do to make that happen.

"Kakashi-sensei, you deserve to be happy." Naruto reasoned.

"Naruto, I don't think you understand."

The boy was starting to get heated. "I probably don't! But what I do know is that you and Eri-san love each other, and have even before I left."

The white-haired man's tone was just as relaxed as it always was, but he was also growing impatient. "It's differ-" He began before getting cut off.

"It isn't!" The blonde interrupted, trying to share his lack of complete sense with his teacher. "You just actually know how you feel about her now. She's still the same Eri-san! She just had to start over, and she couldn't control that... and there's no context... or history... or gross and flirty memories... or random scenes that only exist to increase the sexual tension between you two to alarming levels..." He trailed, realizing that his argument had lost its basis. Frustrated, he pouted and folded his arms over his chest. "Fine! Whatever! Go sit and sulk and be lonely! But if you do that, you're going to lose the one person who can deal with your questionable personality and will sit with you and read those crappy novels you call 'romance'."

He had a point. Since she woke up, she still had the same personality, smile, and strange sense of humor, but she didn't have her memories from the last two-and-a-half-years. Not to mention that she did pick up on the fact that she and Kakashi had been close. 

"Kakashi-sensei, it's not like the last several years didn't happen because she doesn't remember it."

"You're right." The said man sighed, slightly surprised that he was talking to his single, most oblivious and characteristically immature student. 

"Yes!" The blonde cheered under his breath, making a victorious, dramatic fist.

Kakashi smiled, feeling a little bit of the weight on his shoulders alleviate. Once again, he ruffled the boy's hair - an act of endearment, but also showing that he was, in fact, still older and wiser - and said, "Thanks, Naruto. Could you go back to being a kid again, now?"

"Not unless you're gonna make sure you won't lose Eri-san."

He released a breathy chuckle. "I'll try my best." Then he shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to go to his apartment, leaving his student to go home. 

"Hey! What are you gonna do about it?"

The white-haired shinobi paused, then craned his neck over his shoulder, smirking back at the boy. He finally had his resolve. 

"I'm going to make her fall in love with me all over again."

"I mean, I was thinking more like come up with ways to trigger her memory..." Naruto trailed thoughtfully, then his expression switched into a silly grin as he gave Kakashi a thumbs up. "But that works, too."