Author's Notes: Hi again! So this came to me when I was searching for any fics showing Kakashi babysitting Mirai… and I found none, ABSOLUTELY NONE! That's why I decided to write this, hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!

Chapter 1

"Just so you know… no matter how much you glare at me, the answer is still, and always will be, no," he said, not eying the person in front of him as he flipped the page.

"Please, it's only for one night, promise!" she repeated for the hundredth time that hour, "And it won't even be that hard… I'm sure a big, bad Jonin, such as yourself, can do it," she tried.

"Kurenai… you have a lot of friends… can't you ask them to do it?"

"But you're my friend too, Kakashi… and I'm still asking you nicely," the Genjutsu mistress stated with a deceptively calm, cheerful smile, her one-year-old daughter held carefully in her arms. The Great Hatake Kakashi, Jonin-sensei of the Legendary Team 7, one of the heroes who took down Kaguya, and Konoha's Sixth Hokage found himself shuddering at the composed façade one Sarutobi Kurenai was displaying at that moment.

"I'm going to ask nicely one more time," she said, smile still in place, "Please look after Mirai tonight… I promise, just tonight,"

"But Kurenai," he was treading down a dangerous path by trying to gently refuse, he knew it, but he wouldn't be caught dead taking care of any snotty-nosed hellion of a brat, even if that brat happened to be Sarutobi Mirai, "there are plenty of other, better options. Really, I'm the worst possible person for this job,"

"Oh, better? Like who?"

"Shikamaru, Sakura, Hinata, Kiba, Naruto… even Gai or Anko, if you're that desperate,"

"Actually, Anko and I are having a women's only night out, along with Shizune, and maybe some others, too," she countered, "Gai is out of the question, and I don't even have to tell you why,"

"What about your cute little students? You can have one of mine, if yours aren't available," he suggested with a seemingly hopeful expression on his face, Kurenai really couldn't tell with that mask.

"But they're our students, you're my friend… in situations like this, you take priority,"

"…I'm busy…?"

"Are you asking me, or are you telling me?" she said, her voice a little louder, before her expression turned playful, "You know… if you have a date with someone special… I'll be willing to let you go…but," she put on her best glare while bouncing her sweet daughter softly, "if I find out that you are lying, Hatake Kakashi, I swear I will kill you, in the most painful way I could ever think of, just so I can make sure that you suffer through the slowest, most agonizing death possible… You'd be setting a bad example for Mirai," she ended with a grin, hugging her baby.

So lying is 'setting a bad example', but killing a poor, innocent man is not? Kakashi said internally, but outwardly, he would dare not.

I didn't want to do this, Kakashi, Kurenai thought, but you leave me no other choice.

"You know… you and Asuma were good friends… I like to believe that I'm not the only one who cherishes his memory," she said, getting a bit teary-eyed, "So if you won't do it for the sake of doing it… won't you do it for Asuma?" she asked, and she could tell by the quick averting of eyes that she had won. Time to seal the deal, "She's only a year old, I promise she won't be much trouble. It's only for one night, too, so… please?"

She was playing him, and he knew it… but when she put it like that… Kakashi really was starting to feel bad for not accepting before. He was going to regret this, but…

"Alright, fine," he said, "Just one night," Kurenai gave him a grateful look and thanked him profusely.

"Here," she gave him a key, "go to my house, all of Mirai's needs are over there. I also left you a guide; it'll tell you exactly what you have to do," Kurenai didn't give him a chance to respond before she got up, threw the baby in the clueless Hokage's arms and left the room… before her victim could change his mind.

"Mama! Bye-bye!" Young Mirai shouted excitedly after her mother, turning to the new, mysterious person. What was that black thing on his face? Mirai reached for it.

As Kurenai exited the building in a quick escape, the only thought crossing her mind was, this is all Anko's fault.

Earlier that day…

"Hey, Kurenai!" she heard someone call her name as she tried to make Mirai stop fussing while holding three bags of groceries in one hand and the baby in the other, "Nice to see you out of the house!" Her best friend, otherwise known as Mitarashi Anko, yelled-loudly- from across the street.

"Hey! It hasn't been that long… I went out grocery-shopping last week!" she argued.

"You know that's NOT what I mean, Sarutobi!" the Snake Mistress shouted whilst pointing a finger in her face. Kurenai internally sighed as her friend's loud voice made Mirai start crying.

"Do something useful and carry those bags," she said as she put her burden in Anko's hands as she tended to her daughter.

"Kurenai… I'm serious, YOU NEED A BREAK!" Anko screeched, and Kurenai wondered if she was doing that on purpose, "And I have the perfect solution,"

Just to humor the other woman, Kurenai raised her eyebrows, "Oh? And what might that be?"

"Dump the kid at the house, get a friggin' babysitter, and come with us. We're having a women's night out!"

"Who exactly is 'we'?"

"Me, Shizune, maybe Ino and Sakura, a couple of other girls, all kunoichi of course, it'll be totally awesome… and it's just what you need!"

"I can't just find a babysitter that easily. I'm not leaving Mirai with just anyone,"

"I have a solution for that, too," Anko said with a way too mirthful gleam in her eyes, "Get Kakashi to do it,"

"He's the Hokage, he had more important things to do,"

"Which is why this will do him good as well… He'll spend time with another human being, who isn't Gai, any member of his team, or some old geezer," she countered yet again. It seemed like Anko had thought this all out, through and through. Kurenai involuntarily sweat-dropped at that revelation.

"I know Kakashi… he won't agree," But Anko just had to wave dismissively.

"He's going to be stubborn… but if you have no other choice, bring Asuma into it, he'll agree just like that," she said as she snapped her fingers, "And besides… maybe if a girl thinks he's a family man, we'll finally be able to find a girl for him," she added as an afterthought, "Babysitter has been provided, it's someone we all trust and know. So… we're meeting up at that fancy restaurant that opened just two weeks ago, I think it's called 'Shinobi Times' or something like that… Seven o'clock sharp, be there… and wear something nice!" Anko said as she placed Kurenai's bags on her apartment's doorstep and shunshined away.

Kurenai wondered if she should have listened to Anko… she suddenly felt like something was absent. She missed Mirai already. She stopped in her tracks and looked back at the Hokage Tower. She turned around, fully intent on getting her daughter back and going home, forgetting all about Anko and the stupid night out.

But then… she hesitated. It really has been a long time. Ever since Mirai was born and she was forced into motherhood as a single parent.

Was it okay for her to leave her daughter like that?

Come on… it's only for one night… and then, life will go back to normal… she thought, and with a nod to herself, she headed straight home. She had to get ready for the meeting; it wouldn't do for her to look like a walking zombie.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, the Sixth Hokage blinked stupidly at the baby blabbering in his arms, occasionally getting out of her grubby hands reach while she tried removing his mask, as he wondered what in the world he had gotten himself into.

"What am I supposed to do with you now?"

Mirai giggled and clapped her hands as if he had just told her the funniest joke ever.

Author's Notes: I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! I'm kind of hoping that I'd be able to make the story light-hearted and funny, which is really different from my usual style… Think I can accomplish that? XD Anyways, please leave a review!

Just a side note, do you think I should make this a Kakashi/Kurenai fic?