Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

Chapter 4: Kori's Shyness

Kori clutched Momo closer to her body, hoping to bring some warmth. It was September, but it was unusually cold. Even with her baby-blue pajamas, polar bear nightcap and her fluffy company, she still trembled.

Kori looked up, observing the white ceiling of her room, which was covered in glow-in-the-dark stars. She was aware of the fact that Kakashi was asleep in his room, as well as the fact that she could go there if something was bothering her. But the small one really, really didn't want to go wake the man up just because she felt a little cold. Sure, the blanket over her wasn't enough, but so what? She was used to feeling uncomfortable – or hurt.

At the orphanage, there was no one. She slept in a room with no children around her, just a bed with a horrible mattress and a thin pillow. Most of the time, she wasn't allowed to go out, and even if she was, no child wanted to play with her. The caretakers made sure of that.

Kori bit her lower lip.

It had already been a month since she came – and Kori still couldn't speak freely. Or, really, do anything without being shy or insecure. Sometimes, against her own will, her body tensed as if preparing for an attack, and she felt so guilty when Kakashi noticed this. She didn't want him to think that she didn't trust him. She did. She just wanted to be… She just didn't want to be like this. The blonde hated that.

She hated her shyness.

She hated her insecurity.

She hated her whiskers marks.

She had her bright blond hair.

In fact, she hated almost everything. The only thing she did not hate was Kakashi. Ever since he adopted her, the man had become her whole world. Kori knew that she couldn't tell him this – who'd want to be the whole world of a demon? –, but it was good to think about it. Even if just think – she had never had anyone to think about it, anyway.

Kakashi treated her calmly, always speaking kindly and smiling through his mask. Everyday he'd wake her up with soft words and make Kori eat all her food, saying funny things about her being small and cute. He'd give her baths – patiently reassuring that the water was good and letting her check it –, change her diapers and don't press her about going to the toilet. He gave her clothes and toys. The man enjoyed her laugh.

Kakashi was simply perfect.

This fact made admittedly nervous. He was too perfect. Kori was young, but knew that no human being was kind. The only gentle one was an old man that came to visit her from time to time and, now, Kakashi. All the others were bad.

Would Kakashi leave? Was he waiting for an opportunity? Didn't he know she was a monster? The caretaker in her old orphanage said so.

Kori didn't know when she started to have an attentive conscience, but it probably was when mean people began mistreating her. The tiny toddler was kept in a separate room, true, but some days were just unlucky. She could remember the one day when a drunken man invaded the orphanage and found her – it wasn't as bad as when she was sent to the hospital a few weeks ago, but body hurt for days.

However, now that she lived with the silver-haired Jounin, she was never hurt again. It made her happy.

Kori rolled, uncomfortable, on the bed. Once again, she was hit by the fear of Kakashi leaving her. The toddler wished she was brave enough to tell him that. He always made her feel secure and warm inside, so why couldn't she tell him this? Why was she so weak?

Kori shivered. It was cold – too cold. She hugged Momo closer, hoping she was lucky enough to keep him if everything went downhill in the end.

Kakashi was awake. Being a Jounin – and a Hatake – made his senses sharper than most normal people. And he was particular alert these nights, because October was coming, making he stay wide awake all night long, thinking.

What if someone hurt Kori? Her birthday was coming closer every day. If something unfortunate happened to her, he would never forgive himself. Kakashi didn't know when Kori stopped being a favor to Minato and Kushina, and started being a precious person to him. Somehow, these weeks made him a different person.

At first, he thought he couldn't care about anyone – not in a family way. But Kori made him a mother-hen without even trying. When weather was cold, Kakashi always made her wear a coat. When it was hot, he gave her water enough to fill an elephant. And so on.

So it comes as no surprise that her sharp breath and roll over on her toddler bed again and again woke him up. It was three a.m. and she was practically a baby. Little girls needed to sleep.

Kakashi sighed and got up. Walking silent as a cat, he crossed the hallway and entered Kori's room. The walls were kept blue as the girl apparently liked and were full of drawings. All her plushies – ten in total – sat in a line on the table, smiling at the dark room. The clothes were neatly organized in the wardrobe, just one shelf over the toys.

The tiny blonde wasn't looking at him. She had her back facing him and her breath was to uneven to fake sleepiness.

"I know you're awake," Kakashi murmured.

She didn't stop staring at the wall.

"What's the problem, chiisai? You can tell me these things, you know."

Kori shook her head against the pillow. Kakashi sighed once again.

"Chiisai, I'm your guardian, alright? You're a smart girl, you know what that means."

Kori nodded in agreement.

"If so, why don't you let me help you? You don't need to be afraid of me."

Kori turned to stare at him. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears, making Kakashi pause his questionnaire. Except for the first bath she took in this apartment, he had never seen her cry. Momo simply lied forgotten in her arms.

"'m not afraid of you," Kori murmured so quietly that he almost didn't hear.

"What are you afraid of, then?"

The small one looked away, "… 'lone."

"I'm sorry, I didn't understand."

Kori's lips trembled. Her eyes looked as big as two sapphires.

"I'm afraid of being alone," she repeated, louder this time, carefully. The toddler prepared herself for the worse, closing her eyes.

Kori wasn't expecting a hug. She wasn't used to hugs, but Kakashi had pulled the blonde child on his lap, patting her little head gently. He kissed the top of her head repeatedly.

"I will never ever leave you, is that understood? You're precious to me," Kakashi admitted as Kori looked up with astonishment. "Somehow, just this entire month, you made my life change. I wish you could see how special you are to me, Kori."

He kissed her head again before continuing.

"Before you came, I went to mission after mission and didn't care if I died or not–"

He was interrupter, "You can't die!"

His eyes widened, looking down at the child on his lap. It was the first time she said something like this, without shyness and hesitation, so urgently. Her arms tried to go around his chest, but they were too short.

"You can't die, you can't die, you can't die," the blonde continuously chanted under her breath, as if it'd make the word true.

"I will not," he promised. "I promised to never leave you. Never."

Kakashi wasn't the type to make doubtful promises. Who knew what was going to happen in the future? Promises such as "I'll never leave you" or "I'll always make you happy" are difficult as hell to keep. But Kakashi figured that since he'd be unhappy for the rest of his life if let Kori go, there was no bad in making this promise.

Kori observed him and the silver-haired man noticed that she still had tears in her eyes. She sobbed and cried, and Kakashi didn't know how much time they spent in the dark, just enjoying the comfort that each presence gave the. He rocked her back and forth in his lap, caressing her hair and kissing her head occasionally. Kori had grabbed his pajamas T-shirt as if her life depended on it.

"Now, why don't we go to my bed and sleep? Tomorrow we'll go to the park and I'm sure you'll want to be fully awake."

Kori nodded her head against his chest and Kakashi didn't press into speaking, knowing she would when she felt better. He walked them to his room and lied Kori down on his bed, tugging her in. She clutched Momo in her tiny hand and observed as Kakashi sat beside her.

The small blonde crawled to his side and grabbed a full fist of his shirt, leaning her little head against his body. He smiled at her, circling her tiny body with his arms.

"Good night, chiisai."

"Night, night, Daddy," she murmured sleepily. Soon enough, her breath became slow and she was asleep.

Kakashi blinked owlishly. Daddy – he was a daddy.