midnightdiddle

The drabbly-thingy-ma-jigger.

"You're late!"

The indignant cries were sharp and familiar. Kakashi breathed through his nose slowly, feeling almost sick. "Naruto, come here. You too, Sakura, Sasuke." Sasuke was watching him suspiciously and he slouched, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I have to tell you all something, especially you, Naruto."

Naruto was practically beaming, shooting unconfident looks of bravado at Sasuke. "What is it, Kakashi-lazy-bastard-sensei? Huh?"

Kakashi pulled his hands from out of his pockets then shoved them back in, unsure. "Naruto, Iruka-sensei's dead." Blunt, too blunt, and he waited for Naruto's outburst.

"You're lying."

He turned, surprised, to Sasuke, not expecting this. Sasuke looked how he felt, as though he were about to throw up, and his eyes looked almost scared. 'Yes,' Kakashi's mind whispered, 'you've just proven that his sensei aren't immortal.'

"Iruka-sensei's not dead, we just saw him yesterday. He took us all out to ramen, and he bought Naruto five bowls."

It was one of the longest sentences Kakashi had ever heard him utter, and he'd rather have Sasuke never speak. "Sasuke," he began, but he didn't know what to say. For once, there was nothing to say, no joke to offhandedly deliver, no excuse to sell. He looked for someone else, something else, and turned his attention to Naruto. Naruto was bawling, a mess of streaming eyes and nose, his face red and scrunched up like a child, and with a jolt Kakashi remembered that they were children, all three of them, Sasuke with his scared eyes, Naruto with his dripping nose, and Sakura... Sakura...

"Sakura?" he asked, turning to look for her. Her hands were clenched into fists and pressed against her cheeks that still hadn't lost the baby-fat, and her green eyes were staring at the ground near Kakashi's feet. "Sakura?" he asked again, and when she lunged for him, throwing her arms around his waist to cry into his vest, he didn't move away. He patted her head clumsily, unsure how to comfort any of them, and wanting to do so more than anything.

"I'm going home," Naruto forced out between the strangled sobs, his blue eyes clenched shut. Kakashi held out a hand as the boy stumbled by, stopping him, and when Naruto looked up, looking so very lost and very familiar, Kakashi dug into a vest pocket.

"Godaime wanted me to give you this." He held out a hand, a key and pair of dogtags dangling. "It's Iruka's," he explained needlessly. Naruto grabbed it, tearing it out of Kakashi's grip, and ran. Sasuke was running after Naruto seconds later and Sakura let go of Kakashi, slowly following the two into the town, still crying. Kakashi watched them leave, once again feeling completely useless.

And I never did get around to taking my nap. Oh well, guess I'll sleep tonight.