AN: This was an idea that buzzed through my heads one night while trying not to think about exam results. I hope you like it

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Kakashi stared at the… he was unable to think of a decent word, wearily

Kakashi stared at the… he was unable to think of a decent word, wearily. The… thing was dressed in one of his shirts and sitting quite happily in his lap. It had an unruly mop of pink hair and vibrant green eyes. He would never admit it to anyone, but his student looked adorable as a four year old. Sorry four and a half. She had stressed that fact when she'd had a check up in the Hokage's office.

He sighed as he turned the page of the book. "And so the fairy godmother smiled at the crying girl, and with a wave of her wand turned a pumpkin into a coach and the mice into horses. 'Cinderella,' she exclaimed, 'You shall go to the ball!'"

Sakura giggled and smiled up at him. If only she was this easy to please as a seventeen year old. He hadn't even been trying to make the story interesting, he'd been reading in a monotone. Yet she looked almost like she had done when they brought Sasuke back almost a year ago.

Yes Sasuke was back, and he'd just finished paying for betraying Konoha. Nine months probation and he'd just been put under the care of his three friends, who were to look after the Uchiha. That alone was humiliating enough for the boy to be considered punishment. Not only that, a considerable amount of money had been donated by the boy to the ninja academy. Willingly or unwillingly Kakashi wasn't sure.

Today had been the first mission as Team 7 again, and Kakashi had to admit he was glad to see his old team back together again, even if he'd had to drag the two boys apart. Yet it was that mission that landed him with the current problem sitting on his lap.

Earlier that day

Kakashi smiled fondly under his mask at his team. Everything was as it should be. Naruto and Sasuke were fighting and Sakura was yelling at both of them. Perfect! And to make the whole situation even better he was two hours late and had a new excuse to try out.

"Yo," he said lazily, appearing in front of Sakura, who had Naruto and Sasuke in a headlock. He sweat dropped. That girl's strength was scary. Sasuke had been quickly learning this since he'd returned. Now that Sakura no longer obsessed after the Uchiha she had no fear of hurting him. They quickly learnt this after she beat the boy black and blue for daring to leave them. Now that had been entertainment to rival Icha Icha Paradise.

"You're late sensei," Sakura told him menacingly. Naruto had opened his mouth to tell him the same thing, but the lack of oxygen, caused by the pink haired girl's arm wrapped around his throat, prevented him. The two boys gasped for air as they were let go before both turning to the masked man.

"Well, you see I was…"

"Save it sensei," Naruto grinned at him. "I want to go on a mission with this bastard again so I can show him how superior my skills are."

"You could never beat me," Sasuke told him, an annoying smirk plastered on his face.

"Could so, I didn't have to go run away with a gay snake to get stronger."

"Well, at least I didn't have to transform into a girl to get someone to train me," Sasuke retorted, both boys eyebrows were twitching. There was a tense silence before they lunged at each other.

Kakashi and Sakura watched as the two boys fought. "The excuse would have been a good one," Kakashi told the girl, getting out his book and ignoring the boys who were attempting to gouge each others eyes out. "It had dragons, unicorns and everything."

(Imagine three stars because I can't get them to appear)

Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto cautiously approached the bundle of clothes lying on the ground. Naruto looked close to tears and Sasuke looked grim. It was supposed to have been an easy mission. All they had to do was collect some plants in the forest outside Kohona, an easy mission, but a good one to celebrate the reforming of Team 7. Everything had been going well until two Akatsuki members had shown up.

While Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi had been distracted by Deidara, Sakura had chased after Tobi (who had run away as soon as the first kunai had been thrown). When Deidara had retreated with serious wounds and the three males had realised that their female teammate was nowhere in sight.

They'd searched and there had been a strangled cry from Naruto as he spotted the pile of Sakura's clothes. As they neared it they realised that the bundle seemed to be moving. All three froze and drew kunai before inching forward.

A small pink head rose from the heap of the clothes, large innocent green eyes blinked curiously at them. It looked at the three kunai held by the males, opened its mouth…and bawled its lungs out.

Naruto fell over in shock, Saskue covered his ears and Kakashi tried inching forward to shut the small girl up, but it only made the wailing change into screaming, large tears formed under the girl's eyes and threatened to fall.

"WHAT IS IT?!" Naruto yelled over the racket. "WHERE'S SAKURA?!"

"THAT IS SAKURA DUMBASS!" Sasuke yelled back. "HOW ELSE DO YOU EXPLAIN THE PINK HAIR?!"

"EH! SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto ran forward to inspect the little girl when Kakashi stopped as the little girl's screaming went up an octave.

"Quiet," he told the boy, voice unusually grim. "We don't want to scare her anymore. Naruto keep quiet. Sasuke smile."

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched and he forced his mouth to curve upwards into something that could just pass as a smile (it would give Naruto nightmares for weeks). The whole experience seemed to be rather painful for the Uchiha.

As the screaming dissolved into sniffling Kakashi decided to try approaching again. As he edged slowly forward he noted that this was a lot harder than some A-rank missions he'd done. The girl was wearing the top that Sakura wore but it was practically hanging off her and if she tried to do anything other than walk slowly she would most definitely trip. Smiling at her beneath his mask, in what he hoped was an innocent and friendly way.

"What's your name?" he asked her, feeling slightly stupid that he was asking what he believed to be a miniature version of his student her name.

The little girl sniffed, wiping her running nose on her arm. "I'm not allowed to talk to strangers."

"We're not strangers," Kakashi assured her. "I'm Kakashi, the blonde is Naruto and the other is Sasuke. See, you know our names."

He should have known that mini Sakura was no fool. "If you're not a stranger then why are you wearing a mask?"

He could feel both Naruto and Sasuke watching him, wondering what he would do. "Well, I'm a ninja, some ninjas wear masks."

The girl seemed to think this through. Kakashi assumed she must have seen the logic in his statement because she told him quite clearly that her name was Haruno Sakura and that she was four and a half. She looked very proud about the latter statement.

"OK Sakura, I'm afraid we need to take you to the Hokage now. She needs to know that we found you out here."

It was the wrong thing to say. It meant that Sakura got a good look at her surroundings and realised properly that she was not anywhere near home. The wailing started again and Sakura rushed forward towards the comfort and security that Kakashi provided in this strange place. She didn't get two steps before she tripped over her now too big top and landed hard on the ground. Tears fell down her cheeks as she lay in the mud crying.

There was a minor panic as the three men gestured for each other to resolve the situation. Then a miracle happened. Naruto and Sasuke actually agreed on something. They both took a large step back, leaving their sensei to comfort the crying girl.

Kakashi gingerly picked Sakura up, wincing as she buried her head into his shirt, wiping snot all over it.

"Wh...where am I? I want to go home!" Her cries were slightly muffled due to the snot covered shirt.

"Sakura, you need to calm down." Kakashi tried not to sound desperate as he awkwardly patted her on the back. "We'll take you to the Hokage and she'll sort everything out." Tsunade could deal with this, he decided. After all, it was her apprentice.

The statement had the desired effect, but only because Sakura looked up at him as if he was stupid. She then said very loudly and clearly, as though she was talking to an idiot, "the Hokage's a man."

Uh oh. He hadn't thought of that. She still thought that the Sandaime was Hokage. Luckily Sasuke stepped in. "It's just been changed. We now have a woman as Hokage." He looked pointedly at Kakashi. "We'll go and explain what's happened here," he gestured to himself and Naruto. "So you and Sakura can take your time."

Kakashi nodded and for once Naruto didn't complain when Sasuke dragged him away. He was probably too shocked to care.

For a long while Kakashi just stared at Sakura, who looked up at him expectantly. Eventually she broke the silence. "You're very tall."

"I know."

"Can I sit on your shoulders?" she asked him pleadingly.

"Why?" Though now he thought about it, he'd be able to move slightly faster if she was sitting there.

"So I can be taller than you."

He set her on his shoulders and noted that her giggle was a lot more pleasant than her screams. He didn't complain when two small hands clamped onto his forehead, he just set off walking. Enjoying the silence, he decided not to comment when she started playing with his hair.

Tsunade stared at the small girl fiddling with Kakashi's hair. The man just sat there, as though it was normal for him to have several braids that stuck up vertically. The fact that the child was her apprentice just made the scene even more bizarre.

"Hello Sakura," she smiled at the pink mop of hair just visible over the unruly silver haystack. A small face peeked round and muttered a shy hello before hiding behind Kakashi's hair again.

Tsunade rummaged in her desk draw and held up a red lolly. "Would you like a lolly?" she unashamedly bribed in an attempt to get the girl to open up more.

"Yes please," was the enthusiastic reply as the promise of something with a high sugar content overrode any shyness Sakura was feeling. Naruto opened his mouth, probably to demand why Tsunade never gave him sweets, but Sasuke elbowed him hard in the ribs.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to give you a check up to make sure you're healthy," Tsunade told her gently, not wanting to scare the girl.

"Will I have to get a shot?" Sakura asked, while at the same time trying to free her lolly from where it was now stuck in Kakashi's hair. With a tug it came free, but a small clump of hair came with it. Kakashi quickly set her on the desk, feeling that his hair had suffered enough for today.

"I'm afraid I will have to take a blood sample, but if you're a brave girl I'll give you another lolly."

That promise was enough to persuade Sakura that a check up couldn't be that bad. The three men were ejected from the office and told to find Shizune and then wait. By half six in the evening Tsunade came out of her office looking tired and stressed. "It's definitely Sakura." She ushered them all into the office where a more appropriately dressed Sakura (wearing a cute red dress) sat talking animatedly to Shizune. "Congratulations, it's a healthy four year old."

"You can change her back, can't you?" Naruto asked. His blue eyes took in the form of his mini teammate. "She won't be like this forever, right?"

"I honestly don't know. I've never seen anything like this." She sighed and lowered her voice. "I told her that her parents were on a trip and that I'd assign her a guardian." They all winced, Sakura's parents had died a few months ago. "One of you will have to take care of her."

"OOH! I'LL DO IT!" Naruto yelled. He ran to pick up Sakura, but before he reached the desk she was sitting on he tripped over his own feet and landed on the floor with a thud. Shizune moved Sakura slightly away from him as the girl giggled.

"Idiot," Sasuke sighed as he moved towards the girl. She took one look at the scowling Uchiha and scooted backwards into Shizune.

"He's scary."

Naruto laughed as he picked himself off the ground. "See, you should smile more Sasuke. No one likes a walking ice cube."

"Well, that decides it then. You'll have to take her Kakashi," Tsunade turned to said man. His lone eye widened considerably and his masked mouth hung open.

"Hokage-sama, you can't be serious!"

"Of course I am," she said picking up Sakura and depositing her in Kakashi's arms. "She ate while I was doing the check up, so all you have to do tonight is put her to bed. We can discuss any details tomorrow morning." With that she shooed them out her office and shut the door.

End of Flashback

This was why Kakashi was currently reading a book he's borrowed off his neighbour to his de-aged student, who was struggling to keep her eyes open. Picking her up he carried her through to his guest bedroom in the apartment and tucked her in.

"Night Sakura," he said as he made his way out the room.

As he turned out the lights he heard he whisper, "night Kakashi."

Reviews are welcome!