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The sun was settling behind the trees, the soft breeze hit Sakumo’s sweaty face, and he wiped it clean with his sleeve. In front of him, seven shinobi laid dead, he quietly disposed of the bodies before burying them, making sure to retrieve the scrolls and information he was told to, as the mission objective stated.
Behind him, still hidden in the pouch on his back, Kakashi was silent. It was until Sakumo spoke the words “All clear”, that the small bundle moved and Kakashi popped his head out from the pouch to look over his father’s shoulder, his dark bright eyes momentarily distracted by Sakumo’s long hair tickling his nose.
“Ear!” The baby babbled, clearly understanding Sakumo’s words as his cue to come out of the pouch.
“We are done with our mission, Kakashi” Sakumo informed the infant who only giggled and clapped, recognizing his own name before trying to repeat it. “Ashi! Ashi!” the baby excitedly yelled and Sakumo laughed softly. He was still afraid about leaving Kakashi in the care of the village, the rejection he felt from the people of Konoha after his return, along with the whispers that brought with them the word "traitor", enough to doubt he would ever leave Kakashi alone until he was old enough and Sakumo was sure he could fend for himself. The thought of Kakashi being hurt made Sakumo’s insides twist and he gripped one of the swords on his left side with force.
The mask Kakashi wore had slightly moved downwards in the heat of the battle, Sakumo took off his blood-stained globes and cleaned his hands with the antiseptic he always carried on his left side pouch before changing Kakashi's mask for a new, clean one and making sure his son’s face was also clean.
Having done that, the both of them made their way back to Konohagakure.
The mission had ended at the outskirts of the Country of Fire, close to the border with the Country of Wind and Sakumo was grateful he hadn’t had the need to cross the border, catching and destroying his targets before they could even get out of the forest. They had made half of their way home when Sakumo felt his restless son moving around in the pouch. Stopping to make sure he was clean, Sakumo jumped down to the moss-covered forest floor, and made sure to find a spot shielded by the foliage of the bushes around them and the thick roots of the trees before sitting down.
Sakumo laid one of the cloths he always carried with him, in case Kakashi’s pouch got dirty, on the floor, folding it twice to make sure the dampness of the moss didn’t catch his son and laid Kakashi on it. The baby happily stretched, moving his hands and legs excitedly, trying to grab his father’s face when Sakumo got closer and babbling as if trying to talk.
Sakumo fed him and after giving him a few soft pats on the back the child burped and promptly fell asleep in his arms, and perhaps it was the feel of his son’s small body next to him, or the way Kakashi’s calm breathing made Sakumo’s tired and broken heart warm, but he curled up on the floor, his child securely close to his chest, wrapped around his arms, that shielded the baby from the cold of the night. Sakumo closed his eyes, letting his other senses do the work of alerting him if anyone got close and got lost, dreaming that it was just him and Kakashi, waiting for Tomoe to come back from escorting her employers to a nearby village.
For a moment there were no hidden villages, no blood nor the weight of the past or the future, it was just the both of them and it was alright.
Deep in his heart, as Kakashi held on to his shirt with his tiny hands, he dared to dream that one day, peace would come.
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Gai opened the door to the Hokage Residence with his left hand, wheeling himself inside with the other as Lee, who was next to him, carried the groceries he had just bought.
After being appointed Hokage, Kakashi was asked to move to the Hokage Residence, next to the Hokage Tower. At the beginning Kakashi had been in absolute denial and refused to leave his just-rebuilt small apartment, convinced only after realizing how uncomfortable it was for both, Gai and him, to try and sleep (or engage in way more private and youthful activities) with a hoard of 8 AMBU perched outside and inside his apartment, keeping guard as was their job as the Hokage’s personal guard; for Kakashi to finally admit defeat and move along with Gai, his dogs, Gai’s turtles and Mr. Ukki to the Hokage Residence (that and the fact that once Gai awoke with a loud “Good morning, Sempai!” that caused poor Yamato to almost get a broken nose).
The Residence was then adapted for Gai’s wheelchair and completely remodeled as Yamato’s very kind present for both of them (that was more of a “I’m sorry I had to watch you two almost have sex that one time and I’m sorry I told Iruka afterwards, who couldn't stop laughing for at least three days every time he saw me” apology/present).
A door with the carved faces of three dogs greeted him when he wheeled his way towards the main room, where, Gai supposed, Kakashi would be after a tiring day in the office. Next to him, Lee chatted excitedly about his Genin team and how much progress they had made in the last week and how well they got along with TenTen’s team.
It was not uncommon for Gai and Kakashi to babysit Metal when Lee was busy with his team or on missions, it was usually Gai who took care of him though, nevertheless, this time Kakashi had agreed to take care of the baby even when Lee reassured him Kurenai had offered to babysit whenever Lee needed it, and his grandfathers (“We are grandfathers, Kakashi!” “Hmm. I guess we are”) were too busy with Hokage stuff in Kakashi's case, or if Gai was too busy with his rehab appointments to take care of the infant.
Slowly opening the door, the sight made him stop completely, tears threatening to come out as he regarded the scene before him.
Kakashi was sleeping on their bed, the whole pack around him in different places around the room. On the couch, next to the window, laid Bull happily basking in the sun as Pakkun slept on Bull’s back, paws stretched. Uhei was sleeping next to Kakashi as did Bisuke and Guruku. The others on the floor and on the large couch in front of the large bed.
Kakashi was in the middle, body curled up and protectively holding Metal, who laid on his side, head resting on Kakashi’s arm and chest, calmly breathing without a care in the world.
Lee had stopped talking next to Gai, and when he looked up, he saw a river of tears streaming down each of his precious student’s eyes as he too looked at the scene before them. Tears also fell down Gai’s eyes and he reached to grab one of the cameras Kakashi had pretty much everywhere, Lee clearly seeing this, and quietly reaching it for him. Gai covered the flash, just in case (he was still not an expert in technology, at all), and took a picture. The click of the camera was loud enough to wake some of the dogs, who only looked at both men on the doorway with an unimpressed expression before curling up on their spots again.
Quietly enough not to wake Kakashi and Metal up, both shinobi left the room and closed the door, deciding to go to the kitchen and prepare the food for dinner.
Back in the room, Kakashi stirred. He glanced down to see a sleeping Metal next to him and he smiled, rearranging his sore limbs and arms, careful to not wake up the sleeping baby and closed his eyes, it felt familiar and warm and the feeling of peace and comfort inside of him made him smile. A sudden, vague, memory of himself curled up against his father arrived, the feeling of safety and the smell of the wet forest in summer invading his senses before Kakashi fell asleep again.
Peace had come, finally.