Title: Soup For Sensei
Author: MoiyaHatake
Rating: PG
Warnings: Rubbish
Genre: Fluff, Humor
Characters: Sakumo, Kakashi, Minato is mentioned.
Summary: Minato gets sick and Kakashi makes soup for sensei.

Oneshot companion piece to "Dogs Are Better Than Toads" fic by MoiyaHatake, originally posted to the LiveJournal community YonKaka.

Soup For Sensei

Sakumo took a few steps back, peering into the kitchen, "Kakashi? What are you doing son?"

The three year old pushed up onto his toes and dropped a hand full chopped vegetables into the large pot simmering on the stove, "Cooking."

"I can see that. Shouldn't you be training with Minato-sensei?"

"He cancelled. Apparently he's sick." Kakashi pulled a face that made his father cough lightly into one hand. He wasn't sure what it meant, but past observations suggested that his father was trying not to laugh at him. Why he'd laugh was beyond him. There wasn't anything amusing about cooking. It was boring and messy. So he decided to let it go, for now, and picked up the large wooden spoon, stirring the bubbling liquid while reading the recipe book laid out on the counter next to him, "Do we have any leeks?"

"Leeks?" Sakumo leaned over the pot just to be sure there wasn't anything...funny...his son might have decided would make a good addition to the homemade soup. At least, he hoped it was soup. Or a practical joke disguised as soup. He truly felt for the young man. Kakashi hadn't been shy in voicing his opinion of his sensei.

Smiles too much. Loud. Eats too much. Goofy. Talks too much. Clumsy.

But he knew his son only complained, most of the time quite loud and within earshot of Minato, because he was too stubborn to admit that he liked the man and maybe the blonde knew more than a little something about being a shinobi.

He was the Yellow Flash for Kami's sake!

Sakumo thought Kakashi would be eager to learn from the man knowing his reputation, not analyze and demean everything he did or said. If he were a lesser man he'd be embarrassed by his sons behavior. Instead, he simply counted to ten and reminded himself that Minato would have to figure the little Hatake out on his own or suffer the consequences if he wanted to be a sensei to more than one budding leaf someday.

Therefore, stubborn didn't even come close to describing the little shinobi in training.

Considering the three year old was still going on about how dogs were better than toads, especially when Jiraiya was visiting, and demanded that he should have his own toad eating nin-dog, emphasis on toad eating.

Jiraiya threatened to have Kakashi swallowed by a giant toad just to shut him up.

"This book said that leeks can help reduce a fever." Kakashi hopped off his chair and held up the book he'd been standing on.

"You've done your research." Sakumo ruffled his hair and took the book, propping it open and flipping through the pages, "Check the fridge. Bottom drawer on the left."

Kakashi hurried off and came back a few moments later with freshly rinsed leeks, setting them on the counter and holding out his hands, "Book please."

Sakumo smiled and handed the book back to the precocious three year old.

Stubborn. Brilliant. Adorable. He kissed the mop of silver affectionately.

Kakashi could hit a target dead center every time. He could dodge shuriken and use henge's and clones better than most genin. He had read every book in the house and was currently working his way through the village library. But even with the chair and book he still had to stand on his tip toes to watch the leeks disappear beneath the steaming broth. Another subtle reminder that his son, no matter how talented he may be, was only three and a child.

"Kakashi, please be careful. Your going to burn yourself." the older Hatake tried to take the spoon.

"It's only soup. Not an exploding tag." Kakashi took it back.

"Soup can explode." a chuckle.

"If you'd cooked it, maybe. I read the recipe book so it's fine." a sarcastic grin.

"You didn't even cut up the leeks. Are you hoping Minato-sensei chokes on one?"

"Maybe." Kakashi shrugged, dropping the lid onto the pot with a loud clatter. He glanced sideways to see his fathers reaction. Something he did when he felt he was being babied.

"Kakashi."

There it was.

The warning tone his father used whenever he was crossing a line. He had yet to learn Minato-sensei's warning tone. The man was far too patient or far too clueless to realize his buttons were being pushed. Kakashi hadn't decided which, but he hoped the shichimi, sansho and wasabi powder he'd added to the soup would bring him closer to finding out.

Jumping off his perch he pulled on his gloves and tipped his head back holding out his hands, "Pot please."

Sakumo rubbed his chin thoughtfully and looked down at his son, only knee tall, a deceivingly innocent grin on his face, "It looks heavy."

Kakashi glanced at the pot, then smiled, hands coming together to form a familiar sign, producing a clone. They both held out their hands and asked in unison, "Pot please."

Innocent my ass.

Sakumo chuckled, shaking his head lightly, before reluctantly handing over the boiling concoction, "Tell Minato-sensei I hope he feels better." Silently, he was thanking the Gods that Kakashi was an only child.

For a moment he considered warning the young blonde of the double trouble heading his way. But the discovery of three empty spice tins in the nearby garbage only strengthened his resolve that Minato had to discover what made the little Hatake's wheels turn or suffer the consequences.

Consequences that were heading his way, disguised as soup and sympathy and a three year genius who apparently didn't like his training being disrupted by something so trivial as a cold.