Chapter 2

Kakashi wraps Narumi's coat more tightly around his shoulders, urging his feet to move a little faster. Why his sensei had to summon him during this storm, when he's meant to be babysitting Narumi for at least another three hours, Kakashi doesn't know. If it's that important, couldn't he have sent somebody to take over watching the girl currently clinging to him while he leaps from roof to roof? Not that He would have wanted to just hand her over. But it's the middle of a snowstorm in January. Narumi's still a toddler, she really shouldn't be out in this weather.

Kakashi heaves a sigh and readjusts his grip. Troublesome Hokage...

Not that the girl actually minds. From the second they left his sensei's home, Narumi's been

giggling, breath warm against Kakashi's cheek. "More, Kashi!"

He suppresses another sigh and slips through the window of his sensei's office, directing an annoyed look at the smile on the Hokage's face. Narumi squirms out of his arms, zipping back across the room to stand at the window to watch the snow. "Sensei, did you forget I was watching Narumi tonight?"

"No, Kakashi, I didn't forget. Actually, what I want to discuss concerns both of you. She may not fully grasp our conversation, but it's probably better that she's here." Minato gestures for Kakashi to take a seat and stand to retrieve his(Minato's) daughter. Once everyone is seated (Kakashi hadn't noticed at first, but Shikaku Nara is sitting on a chair in the corner of the room, a bored look on his face), Minato pulls Kakashi's attention away from the toddler sitting in his father's lap by clearing his throat and gesturing around him. "I don't know if you've noticed, Kakashi, but Kushina and I don't rely on just anyone to keep an eye on Narumi when we're called away for work or need a few hours to ourselves.

Kakashi has noticed. "I assumed it was because I can track her if she slips away." He hasn't thought about it much beyond that, but now he's starting to wonder if there's something bigger going on here-there has to be if he's being summoned to the tower to talk about why he's Sensei's favorite babysitter.

"While that is something we appreciate, we actually ask you to watch Narumi because she adores you."

Adores… me?

"You don't see it, Kakashi, but she's pretty shy when you aren't around. She feels really safe around you, and that's something that Kushina and I want to encourage and build on. "I've already vowed to myself to protect Narumi with my life, to do everything in my power to keep her safe. What will they ask of me?

Kakashi says nothing, but his thoughts are going a mile a minute. They won't ask him to be Narumi's private guard, because Kakashi is already acting as one, and he's sure that they've noticed. They won't ask him to leave the shinobi forces for several reasons, so that can't be it.

They won't ask him to raise their daughter because he's still a child himself…

"The truth is, Kushina and I want Narumi to be happy above everything else, and out of all the people in this village, you are the person she's happiest around. I want to arrange a marriage between you and Narumi."

Arranged marriage?

"Sensei… Are you asking me if I'll agree to an arranged marriage with Narumi?"

Silence fills the room until he hears Shikaku's mumbled, "troublesome," from the corner of the room.

"I am," Minato finally tells him. "Not only do we think your presence is beneficial to Narumi, but we also think that being around her is good for you, too. You've grown a lot in the last six months, Kakashi. Do you know what's changed in that time?

"He doesn't show it, but Kakashi's dumbfounded. Sensei and Kushina really want him to marry

Narumi one day? Why would they want that? First of all, the fact that Kakashi is seven years older than Narumi. He supposes it won't seem like much when they're both adults, but the little girl sitting across from him is only three years old.

I'm not good enough for this, sensei. Narumi is… She is…

Pure.

"I… have been spending a lot of time with your daughter."

Minato nods, watching Narumi climb off of his lap only to scramble up into the chair that Kakashi's too small to completely fill. Kakashi can only ruffle the girl's hair after the smile she's presented with. Maybe… Maybe this will be a good thing. If this girl is his betrothed, Kakashi will have every reason to stay by her side, to keep her safe, for the rest of his life. "Okay, sensei. But if Narumi decides that she doesn't want to go through with the marriage when she comes of age, I will concede to her wishes."

The look on the Hokage's face tells Kakashi that his sensei doubts it will come to that.

*Timeskip

Kakashi leaves a water clone in his place, stationing himself out of sight in the tree line. It occurs to him far too late that Narumi won't understand that the Kakashi in the line of fire is not the real one. Too late, because the other Jonin he's training with lets off a fire release Jutsu without realizing that Narumi, having begged to spend the day with Kakashi, is going to head straight toward the attack out of concern.

He moves, shielding Narumi from the attack, only standing when the water clone has dispelled and the flames have dispersed. "I'm sorry, Kakashi. I didn't realize he would run onto the field."

Kakashi waves away the concern."That's my fault, Kyo-san. I shouldn't have used a clone, she doesn't know how to tell the difference. Perhaps we should end the spar here, though." He resolutely ignores the way Narumi is staring at him with wide eyes, hands fisting in the fabric of Kakashi's vest. That moment before he reached Narumi replays in his mind, his little companion rushing toward Kakashi's clone, directly into the line of fire-literally. If Kakashi had been just a moment later, the child would be severely burned, possibly in critical condition.

Never again. Never again will he be a source of worry for this child. Never again will his choices put Narumi in danger. Above all, Narumi must be convinced that running onto a training field is not okay.

"Narumi." With the other Jonin gone, Kakashi sits on the grass in order to be a little closer to Narumi's level, and immediately, Narumi climbs into his lap, but she hasn't taken her eyes off of Kakashi this entire time. "Narumi," he repeats, "you must promise me something."

"Kakashi…" The girl's eyes are filled with tears and she drops her head, leaning into Kakashi's chest.

" Did that hurt you?"

"No, Kyo-san wasn't really going to hurt me. Narumi, look at me." He sighs, resting his hand on top of the child's head, waiting for her to look before he continues. "You must promise me you will never run toward a fight, okay? Not until you're a ninja-like me. You really could have been hurt today."

"But…" she growls, frustrated, and scrubs some of her tears away with her arm. "Because of me, you got hurt!"

And then small fingers brush against a cut on Kakashi's cheek, coming away spotted with blood.

She's never seen me hurt before.

She really, really cares. She's only three, how did she even notice…? I didn't even realize I'd been cut.

Something warm bubbles up in his chest, but he doesn't laugh, even though he wants to. He really doesn't need to upset Narumi any further, and if he takes the girl back to her parents like this Kushina will have his head.

"Moo, Narumi-chan, it's just a little scratch. An accident. Kyo-san didn't really mean to hurt me. It'll be gone before you know it, okay? Do you promise you won't run into fights?"

Slowly, ever so slowly, Narumi seems to comprehend what Kakashi is asking. She nods firmly,

finally, and wipes the rest of her tears away.

"Say you promise, okay? I need you to say it."

"I promise," Narumi tells him determinedly. And then she gives Kakashi the biggest smile he's ever seen."

*Timeskip

Narumi-chan, I'll only be gone for a few days," Kakashi tries, but the three-year-old has a death grip on the Jonin's pantleg and it doesn't look like she'll be letting go anytime soon. Kushina can only smile.

When Minato had first approached her with ideas of an arranged marriage, she had been, in a word, irritated. Her daughter had only been two years old at the time, and her husband had wanted to marry her off?!

But Minato had let her think on it, and once she cooled off, she was able to understand the points he was trying to make. Narumi trusts him, Kushina. And Kakashi has opened up so much since he started watching over her. They're good for each other.

I want to know that somebody will be there for her if anything ever happens to us.

It hadn't taken much after that, really. She had invited Kakashi to dinner for the thousandth time and watched her toddler interact with him, dumbfounded. Dumbfounded, because the boy who'd been such a mystery, who'd spent so many nights at their dinner table without uttering more than a few sentences (about work), the boy who'd been so closed off for so long was listening attentively while her little daughter chattered on about everything that caught his interest throughout the day. Sakumo's son didn't make excuses to leave when he felt like he was receiving too much affection, but rather let Narumi climb all over him, let Narumi go through his utility pouch and the pockets of his vest, let Narumi invade his personal space more than any single person has been allowed to since his father's death.

Narumi is good for him, she realizes. And Kakashi, in turn, is good for Narumi. Her little girl, who hides behind her parents no matter how many times she's met somebody, is so utterly distracted by Kakashi that she forgets how shy she is. Kakashi makes her daughter smile more than anyone. He makes her daughter feel safe. And happy. All she's ever wanted is for her daughter to be cheerful and kind.

"Don't go!"

Brought back to the present, Kushina starts forward when Narumi cries out, but Kakashi is closer, and faster, and lifts her into his arms, nuzzling Narumi's hair. "Narumi-chan, if you don't let me go, how am I supposed to pay rent? I have to work." He crouches back down, setting Narumi on her feet. "I'll be back in five days, no more. Okay? If you're going to be a ninja one day, you have to get strong, too. So this is your mission: you have to let me go for five days, and then I'll be back here with you."

"But don't get hurt!" Narumi answers, doing her impression of standing tall. It would be a lot more effective if she wasn't three years old. It only makes her that much cuter.

She thinks that Kakashi smiles. "You drive a hard bargain, Narumi-chan, but okay. Five days, unhurt. Will you let me go, now?"

Narumi hesitates, but eventually nods, though she darts forward and presses their

foreheads together before she backs away. Minato's youngest student acts as if this is

completely normal before nodding at her and slipping out through the back door.

Three days later, Kushina sits on a picnic blanket with Narumi in her lap, watching while her husband trains with Obito and Rin. Narumi isn't really shy with either of them, not anymore, but when she's around most people, she's so quiet and unsure of herself that it makes her heartache. What is it that makes her so timid around others? She had never imagined that their daughter would be so bashful, not in a million years.

But even when she's hiding, she still wears a smile for every new

the person that enters into her orbit.

"Good, Rin! Don't let your guard down, there's still-" Minato cuts off when Obito sneaks up behind him, but when he strikes, the clone dissolves in a puff of smoke and Narumi sits up in her arms, enraptured.

"Eh?"

Before she can give him an explanation, ANBU land beside the blanket she's seated on, facing Minato and his students. "Hokage-sama, there's been an incident."