Miasma

...

"What am I going to do with you?" Sakumo laughed. A bemused smile brightened his eyes as he pulled an armful of squirming four-year-old snugly to his chest.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Kakashi suggested with a helpless giggle.

"Hmm," Sakumo tilted his head back in a moment of apparent consideration, "Nope! Don't think I like the sound of that, sorry." Kakashi squealed when the hands at his sides twitched into sudden motion, tickling over his sensitive ribs and belly.

"This is much too fun."

Sakumo chuckled as his son twisted about wildly in his arms, trying to escape his tickling fingers. Suddenly, with a dramatic lunge, the toddler broke free of his restraints and slipped bodily out of his father's lap. Tripping over one of Sakumo's crossed legs, the small child tumbled to the wooden floor with a loud thump, landing flat on his face.

Sakumo startled, his eyes growing wide at the sudden stillness of his toddler's sprawled form.

"Kakashi!" he cried out, reaching for his son's limp body-

-only to find his face suddenly caught on each side by a pair of little hands when the boy twisted around under him. Kakashi grinned mischievously up at Sakumo's stunned expression, squishing the famed jounin's cheeks together.

"You look like a fish, daddy."

Sakumo blinked, his lips puffed and eyes widened in unabashed surprise.

"Why you..." his brow furrowed darkly.

The little imp, sensing imminent retribution, moved to scramble out from under him, a loud squeal bursting forth. Sakumo caught hold of a tiny ankle just before it could scamper out of reach. An amused smirk curled his lips as he slowly tugged his captive back. He chuckled darkly.

"Noooooo!" Kakashi's scream was more a delighted trill of laughter than any real noise of fear, his scrunched up expression closer to a grin than any cringe of terror. His pudgy, dimpled hands slid helplessly over the polished wooden floor before him as he was dragged back. He shook his head wildly, tufty white locks fluffing with the frantic motion.

"Don't eat meeee!"

"Eat you?" Sakumo's baritone rose in surprise, "Oh, but that's the best idea I've ever heard!"

He growled as hunched over the small child, an exaggerated frown darkening his brow. He pretended to sniff over his freshly-captured meal, his face a mask of grim consideration.

Kakashi stilled his squirming, his soft grey eyes widening in a rare moment of startled uncertainty.

"Hmmm," Sakumo took a deep sniff of his son's downy white hair, "Which part of you should I eat first?"

"Should I..." he drew out the word, leaning back to peer down at his toddler's now-worried face in apparent scrutiny, "Eat your toes!" Kakashi squeaked and wriggled when Sakumo suddenly bent over him and captured both of his bare feet in one hand. The child's small squeak erupted into a shriek of laughter when Sakumo pressed his lips against the thin pads of Kakashi's feet and blew a loud raspberry.

"Or maybe," the White Fang growled again, his lips quirking into a grin despite himself, "I should eat your ears first!" He peppered his son's tiny ears with kisses, tickling a loud squeal out of the child as the toddler ducked and squirmed.

"Would that teach you a lesson, then?" he chuckled, his eyes creasing as he smiled down at his son, "Huh?"

Kakashi, his lips pressed firmly together over a smile that was clearly struggling to break free, quickly shook his head.

"No?" Sakumo sat back, pretending to be stunned, "No! Well then I guess," his dark eyes narrowed in a menacing smile, "I'll just have to eat all of you!" Kakashi's eyes lit up expectantly at this and his cheeks dimpled in a breathless grin.

A peal of laughter burst forth as Sakumo hunched over the small child and proceeded to tickle every inch of him with punishing swiftness.

"T-Tou-san!" Kakashi gasped out. Tears brimmed in the corners of his dark eyes and spilled out over his flushed cheeks.

Sakumo had never seen anything more adorable.

Finally, when his son's shrieked giggles had faded into a soundless string of breathlessly mouthed words, Sakumo released him from his torture. He sat back and chuckled, watching bemusedly as Kakashi gasped and whimpered to himself, spreading his limbs loosely out over the polished floor.

Sakumo tried to feel a little guilty; knowing how unfair it was to tickle the boy when there was no way the small child could retaliate. So, he smiled and sat back, deciding to give his son some time to recover.

As he was pulling away, the little boy fisted his hands around the fingers of Sakumo's retreating hand and tugged it back to himself, nuzzling his face into his father's rough palm.

Warm puffs of air tickled against his calloused skin as Kakashi giggled childishly. Sakumo blinked slowly. A soft smile spread over his face.

It was moments like these that made him remember what a precious blessing Kakashi was to him.

That someone, as worn and jaded as himself, could have ever done something to warrant having someone so precious in his life was unimaginable. He had seen too much, done too much to ever be deserving of such pure-hearted affection.

"Tou-san?" the sound of Kakashi's small voice brought him out of his musings. Sakumo shook his head and looked down to see one of Kakashi's soft grey eyes blinking up at him questioningly through a gap in his fingers.

"Are you sad?"

Sakumo smiled.

He scooped the child up off the floor and swung him in a playful arc by means of an answer. He buried his face in the child's wild tufty hair and playfully nuzzled his nose into the white downy mess, earning an excited yelp from the toddler.

"Who said anything about being sad, neh?"

Kakashi's hands reached up to pat at his father's cheeks happily, his dark eyes creasing up at Sakumo in a warm expression that he recognized as one that often crossed over his own face. Sakumo chuckled and captured the toddler's wandering hands in one of his own. He pressed a kiss to the wiggling digits.

"Now it's time for you to go to bed."

"Awwww."

Sakumo turned on his heel and stepped up the stairs to Kakashi's bedroom, smirking at the sleepy yawn that interrupted his son's plaintive whining.

Getting his little wild-child to bed had become a comfortable part of the White Fang's daily routine. They would have dinner and then Kakashi would scamper off and find entertainment, by one means or another, while he washed the dishes. He would retire to read a lazy book or work on a half-written mission-report, warning Kakashi that it would soon be time to get ready for bed. He would encounter no resistance when he asked his son to wrap up whatever he was doing, and not even a pout would surface at the order to brush teeth.

But, as sure as the sky was blue, the moment Kakashi had rinsed and spit, the young genius was off-squealing and scampering away from Sakumo's outstretched arms in a fit of childish rebellion.

Sakumo had quickly realized that the best way to handle this wild streak of defiance, in a way that was satisfying to both Hatakes, was to lumber after his small child, grunting and growling like some great monster, capture him, and tickle him into submission.

... He realized that this may not have been the most easy or the most logical method—but, if shedding his dignified persona for a couple of minutes every night was what it took to get his son to sleep then he would do it gladly.

A hyper Kakashi at three in the morning was just something that no man, shinobi or not, could ever have a hope of controlling.

The White Fang was just about to tease his son for the sleepy drooping of his eyes, when the doorbell rang.

Sakumo paused, halfway up the stairs. Kakashi jerked to sitting position in his arms, his face brightening.

Great, Sakumo's shoulders slumped at the excited expression of his son, All that hard work and he's back up like a dandelion.

"Who's that?" Kakashi's voice was light with curiosity.

Sakumo sighed and let the toddler wiggle out of his arms and drop to the floor. He shrugged helplessly to himself and trudged back down the stairs after his enthusiastic child.

No use trying to tuck him in now...

He strolled smoothly across the wooden floor to the front door, seemingly oblivious to the urgent pawing of his child's outstretched fingertips along the underside of the doorknob. A gentle knocking echoed out softly, followed by a ring of louder, more boisterous knocks from the bottom half of the door.

Kakashi froze in his attempt to open the door, mid tip-toe.

Sakumo chuckled, a bemused smirk twisting his face as the pale face of his son turned and regarded him over his shoulder with wide, pleading eyes.

No doubt Kakashi had figured out the identities of their unexpected visitors just as he had, by the familiarity of their knocks.

But, judging by the expression of terror on his young face, the white-haired protegee was all for ignoring their guests and hopping right into bed without a complaint.

Sakumo strolled to a stop and shook his head, crossing his arms expectantly over his chest as he watched his son. Kakashi quickly moved his back to the door, spreading his arms and legs out as if he could block the large wooden frame from view. He shook his head desperately up at his father.

"Now, Kashi..." Sakumo found himself grinning, "It isn't nice to keep our guests waiting."

He stepped smoothly around him, chuckling to himself at his son's uncharacteristic anxiety, and pulled the door open.

Natsuko Mitarashi, the single mother who lived in a small country-house a couple miles down the forest road, and her little girl, Anko, smiled brightly back at him from the door-mat.

Kakashi slunk quietly behind him.

"Natsuko-san," Sakumo bowed his head, his brows lifting in surprise, "What brings you here at this time?"

It wasn't rare for the retired kunoichi to come over to visit, but it was definitely unusual for her to be visiting so late. The soft chirping of crickets and the occasional hoot of an owl sounded over the steadily darkening forest around them, the dull orange glow of hovering fireflies pulsing against the bruised backdrop of dusk.

Sakumo quickly scanned her expression for any tell-tale signs of distress. Her warm brown gaze was calm and steady as always, but her smile seemed a little strained. The White Fang covered up the small twinge of concern that plucked through him at this by bowing again and stepping aside to let them in.

Anko tumbled into the foyer, a wide grin breaking out over her face, her brown eyes bright with excitement as she scanned the interior of the household.

Small hands clenched tightly in the material of Sakumo's pants leg behind him.

"Where's Kakashi-kun?" she chirped, her expression slipping into one of innocent confusion as she tilted her head back to look at him. Sakumo fought to keep an amused smile from spreading over his face.

"He's right here, Anko-chan." There was a short scuffle as Kakashi tried and failed to remain hidden behind his father's leg when Sakumo took a prominent step to the side.

"Why don't you say hello, Kashi?" he nudged the boy forwards lightly, unable to fully mask his entertained grin. Natsuko chuckled quietly behind her hand.

Kakashi stood stiffly. His dark eyes flitted up to Anko's toothy grin and then quickly shot back down to his bare toes.

"Hello." he mumbled sullenly.

A delighted trill of giggles burst out at his less than excited response. Anko sprang forwards; her eyes squinted in mirthful pleasure, and caught Kakashi around his waist with her short arms. The force of her hug knocked him onto his bottom, and the white-haired boy let out a yelp of surprise. Anko, seemingly oblivious to his discomfort, nuzzled her cheek against his.

"I missed you, Kakashi-kun!"

"Ick." he made a face, squirming, "Dad!"

"It's so cute how much they like each other." Sakumo's eyes creased happily as he smiled at Natsuko, overlooking his son's plaintive cry.

"Hey!" Kakashi yelled in alarm when Anko pressed a wet, sloppy kiss to his ear, "Get off me!"

"They get along so well too," Natsuko shook her head in apparent wonderment, "When I told the kids that I needed to stop by the Hatake's, she insisted on coming with me."

The two parents watched the toddlers squabbling on the floor for a moment, smiling peacefully at the adorable sight.

Kakashi shoved the palm of his hand into Anko's nose, pushing her smile away.

"Alright," Sakumo stepped forwards and separated the two children, setting them both back onto their feet, "Why don't you go play with Anko in your room, Kashi? Me and Natsuko-san have some grown-up things to discuss."

Kakashi just managed to send him a betrayed, fearful expression over his shoulder before Anko grabbed the boy's wrist and whisked him away up the stairs.

Sakumo chuckled, turning back to Anko's mother.

"I'll never understand why Kakashi is so shy around her; Anko-chan seems like such a sweet little girl."

...

...

"Ow!" Kakashi cringed, clutching his head, "What was that for?"

Why did she always hit him?

"Don't be a baby." Anko ignored him and strolled through his room. She picked up a stray toy that had never found its way into the toy chest and glanced at it imperiously. Kakashi's eyes flickered to his bedroom door and then back to Anko, torn.

Did he dare make a run for it while she was distracted?

More importantly, did he really think it was a good idea to leave her alone in his room with all of his stuff?

Before he could make up his mind, Anko had tossed the small toy carelessly over her shoulder. Kakashi stumbled forward and scooped the small action-figure to his chest, watching the girl with an apprehensive stare as she traipsed around his room.

"What's this suppohsed to be?" she crossed her arms over her chest like an art critic, peering shrewdly at a crayon-scribbled drawing taped up on the wall.

"That's Toru." Kakashi dropped his toy, a pleased smile washing over his previously worried expression, "He's my pet turtle-" He started excitedly.

"You don't have a pet turtle." Anko informed him disdainfully.

Kakashi frowned and opened his mouth.

"And he's ugly." She cut him off, turning back to his picture with an exaggerated look of disgust, "Look! He's got five legs."

"That's his tail!" Kakashi stepped between her and his picture, raising his arms protectively as if he could block the two-dimensional animal from Anko's harsh words.

"Don't be dumb." She jabbed her finger into his chest just like she'd seen her mom do to her last boyfriend, "You've prolly never even seen a turtle."

For a moment Kakashi looked startled, cowering back as she stepped up to him. And then, quite suddenly, a sly, dismissive look came over his face.

"Well, if you don't want to see him…"

This seemed to throw Anko. She stepped back, and now her own face was creased with a frown.

"You don't really have a turtle." She fell back to her tone of accusation, but a lilt of curiosity slipped in unbidden.

The young boy shrugged in a decidedly mysterious manner, casting a grim look at her over his shoulder as he stalked over to his closet.

"He's in here." Kakashi looked at her gravely, his little hand curling around the door-knob.

Anko's eyes widened and she stepped forward delicately, an uncharacteristic rush of nervousness filling her. Why did he look so serious?

"It's not a snapping turtle is it?" she whispered. Kakashi looked at her.

"He's a magical turtle."

Anko looked up from the spot on the closet door she had been staring at anxiously, her brown eyes wide at this revelation.

She quickly collected herself.

"No he's not." But her voice was hushed, expectant.

"He is," Kakashi nodded sagely, "He's magic and he's real."

The little girl gasped and her chubby hands fisted in her skirt with amazement. Kakashi shushed her, and she instinctively took a step closer to his side when he turned the knob and started prying open the door.

Suddenly, Anko got nervous.

"Wait!" she grabbed onto his elbow tightly, "You're not just gonna open it are you? What if we make him mad?"

Kakashi's brows rose in apparent surprise, evidently he had not thought of this. He quickly released the doorknob.

"We need to pray to him." He turned to her, his gray eyes flashing with a hint of something that might have been excitement. Anko gripped his sleeve tighter, a heavy lump of dread filling her stomach.

"I don't know if that's-"

"You need to pray to him!" Kakashi was grinning now, his eyes wide, "He doesn't like me 'cause I caught him. You gotta do it!"

Anko shrunk back; he really looked like a lunatic with those wild eyes and that mussed hair.

"But," she found herself stuttering, put on the spot, "I dunno what to say!"

"Just ask him not to eat us."

She stared at him, seriously worried now. Kakashi seemed to notice her apprehension, for he took his little hand and laid it gently on her shoulder, fixing his dark gaze somberly on her.

"Anko-chan…" he whispered, the epitome of seriousness, "Nobody else could pray to the turtle like you."

"Really?"

"Really."

Anko straightened, emboldened by his words of commendation.

"Alright," she breathed in deeply through her nose, oblivious to the mischievous glint in Kakashi's eyes, "Let's do this."

...

...

"What happened?" is the only thing Sakumo can ask as he sits down at the small kitchen table across from Natsuko. She is leaning forwards, her elbows resting on the table. It's immediately clear to him that she must have been holding up a calm front for the sake of the children, and now that it was just the two of them she seemed to collapse in on herself. The strained smile that had greeted him at the doorway has all but vanished; in its place a deadened, weary look has drawn fine lines over her fair visage.

Sakumo watches as she runs a hand through her layered brown hair and lets out a long sigh, rubbing her temples, before answering.

"Suzuki Arata died on a mission this past weekend." Blunt.

Sakumo let his lids close slowly, a profound sort of dread welling up within him. Suzuki Arata. Dead.

Now he understood why Natsuko looked so exhausted.

"I didn't think that anyone had told you, seeing as how you just got back from a mission yourself, and I thought you'd want to know ahead of time so…"

He nodded, blinking a little dazedly at the grainy wooden surface of the table in front of him.

Suzuki Arata had been the village's top Academy Instructor for the last twelve years. A soft-spoken young man who had a knack for bringing out the best in others, his death would be a great loss to the village.

But to parents like Sakumo and Natsuko, whose children were currently enrolled in the academy, it meant a little more.

Natsuko's eight-year-old son, Mitarashi Ryota, was in the same class as Kakashi, and both had developed a strong affection for the mild-mannered Academy Instructor. No doubt the school would be forced to make an announcement tomorrow morning when all of the children showed up to class, expecting to see Suzuki Arata's kind face just like they did any other morning.

Well, this may have been fine for the rest of the students attending the academy, who might have experienced the death of a grandparent or family friend at this point in their life-

-But Kakashi was four years old.

Brilliant child prodigy or not, he was still little more than a baby.

Sakumo dipped his head forward and ran a hand through his spiky mane of silver hair, trying to think of a way to tell his toddler that one of the important adult figures in his life had been killed-that Kakashi was being sent to a school where he was essentially learning how to take a person's life, just like his teacher's life had been taken from him-and that more people that he knew and loved were going to be snatched away from him because of the rapidly approaching war.

There were no words.

...

...

Surprise! Haha, I cannot believe how much I have been writing lately. Two new stories in two days-what am I thinking!

Oh well, at least I'm busy :) And I'm actually excited to write this! Toddler Kakashi! Yay! So cute.

Please review and let me know what you all think!

Thanks for reading!

~Flinty