A/N: Better late than never ;)

Come True

Chapter Three – Captured

And there he was.

His face, timeworn and wrinkled. His jaded eyes, shepparded by crow's-feet. His white hair, thin and receding. An elderly man.

His admired father.

"Gee, what's wrong with you Kakashi, you look like you've seen a ghost?"

Kakashi almost laughed. In fact a hint of a smile caught at the corner of his lips, a gesture concealed by his mask.

You could say that, he thought.

As quickly as it struck, all presence of humour left him like water down a wide drain. Kakashi had faith in his own ability to separate real from fake. He wasn't naïve. He knew that the dead were dead and he refused to participate in this make-believe reality that suggested there could be a life with them otherwise.

His father regarded him quizzically. Waiting for an explanation for Kakashi's sudden rigidness and defensive stance.

Blend in, ascertain the jutsu's purpose and its user.

That had been his plan, albeit fleeting in his mind, crushed by the weight of this unexpected development.

I mean, it was his father after all. His father.

"I'm… don't worry about me… I'm… I'm just-"

Speechless? Clueless as how to approach this bizarreness?

Kakashi couldn't remember the last time he was at such a loss for words. He was always the cunning wordsmith. A charmer too. Just the right comment or snide remark was always prepared for the opportune moment. He was bilingual in flattery, a manipulators best asset. His smart mouth was rather infamous for getting him out of trouble, and somewhat responsible for getting him in it.

"Maybe you should go back to sleep," his father muttered, having already brushed Kakashi's newfound speech impediment aside, too happy and proud to sense an otherwise cause for concern. Fortunately.

With the thrust of his forearms, Sakumo wheeled his chair to the family dining table. A newspaper firmly gripped in his hand crumpled slightly as he propelled his wheels forward.

He was so different. Old. Presumably crippled. Sluggish even. Yet, somehow, he was just as Kakashi remembered. Easy-going, confident, humble. It was in his proud, wrinkled grin. His straight and strong posture despite an obvious handicap. His scent. Like old books and expensive cologne.

It was a genjutsu. It wasn't him. It wasn't Sakumo Hatake.

But it also was.

"Daddy's in the paper? Let me see!" squealed the young girl, whose presence Kakashi had momentarily forgotten about.

Her excited shift in volume and childish enthusiasm stole the attention of the old man. Granting her his affectionate greeting. This short exchange allowed Kakashi a much needed moment to think clearly without the spell bounding gaze of a dead man.

A newspaper article about me?

Potentially, a treasure trove for the answers to this inexplicable mystery. As he had noted before, there were always clues about the caster and nature of the genjutsu within the vision itself. What passes for fact in this world may have traces of fact in the real world.

With the paper placed in the centre of the dining room table, Sakumo opened to the page he had doggy eared revealing a full page article. His infectious smile at the parchment was a pride display eerily reminiscent of the girl presenting her Pakkun portrait only moments earlier.

The similarities between the two of them did not go unnoticed by Kakashi.

Minori had stood up on her chair leaning forward so she could see better, her hair falling dangerously close to her food.

Kakashi briefly eyed the boy who had been silent for the entire exchange. He seemed characteristically uninterested, oblivious even.

"What does it say, daddy?" the toddler asked, ardently sweet.

Fugitive Captured

After four years on the run, Kabuto Yakushi, pictured above, will finally answer for his crimes against the Hidden Leaf. Among other more serious offences he has been charged with larceny, impersonation of a superior officer, unethical medical conduct, accessory after the fact and cooperation with a rogue shinobi, believed to be Orochimaru of the legendary Sannin. Further details are not available at this time.

Yakushi is currently being detained in a prison, location classified, under the strict scrutiny of the Fifth Hokage's ANBU black ops.

This comes at a good time for Lord Fifth who has faced problem after problem since taking office just under six months ago.

The jonin team, captained by Kakashi Hatake, pictured below, carried out the month long recon, locate and capture mission without incident. His valour and initiative have proven to be a true asset to the village and many town's people have questioned whether he was wrongfully overlooked for Hokage candidacy.

The mention of Kabuto and Orochimaru was certainly curious. High ranking rouge shinobi. The latter of which was a member of the legendary Sannin. However, neither of them were genjutsu visionaries to his knowledge. He doubted that they, alone, could be responsible for a genjutsu of this calibre. Then again, they did use the reanimation jutsu, so genjutsu users could be at their disposal.

Hmm…

Blurry memories of a night out drinking with friends lingered in his memory, but nothing of a mission capturing Kabuto Yakushi, which according to this paper was successfully completed only yesterday.

"That's you dad," Minori giggled as she pointed out the portrait accompanying the article.

Sakumo gave the young girl, who apparently didn't have the reading comprehension skills required to read for herself, a brief, dumbed down synopsis for the article which included the phrases, "you're very brave father" and "captured the bad man" and "did the entire village proud."

It was strange. Whilst you could read the second half of the article as a commending report on Kakashi, and it seemed that was the way his father certainly took it; to Kakashi, more so it was a scathing review of the practices of the Fifth Hokage.

And as he recalled from the mountain carving he had observed shortly before, a completely different Fifth Hokage than should be.

More questions raised than answered, yet again.

Kakashi's shoulders drooped and he couldn't contain a deep, exasperated sigh from escaping. He was still so physically unhinged. A threatening fatigue clouding his ability to interpret even the very basics of this nonsense.

Why me?

"No need for such a solemn look son, it's not the worst photo," Sakumo chuckled, patting Kakashi's back.

Kakashi barely managed to refrain from flinching at the touch. How long had it been since his father pet his back?

Sakumo thought he was dissatisfied with his picture. How ridiculous! People so easily filled their own narrative for abnormal behaviour. Even people as intuitive as his father.

Nevertheless, it was a good thing.

After all if he noticed someone in his village acting out and suspected them of being stuck in a genjutsu, he'd insist they'd be locked in a cell until they could be helped. They could be a danger to society and themselves otherwise.

Kakashi needed more information, and considering how these phony family members seem to volunteer up useful images and articles willy-nilly, if he could just keep his cool and focus he might just figure this out.

Act the part.

"Shame they didn't put up a team shot, it's not like I was the only one there," Kakashi drawled in a manner of deflection.

Rather it was a shame he couldn't remember who was on that team. He wondered briefly whether it was his Team 7. But the article had stated 'jonin' team. So there was that. Unless of course the members of Team 7 had in fact graduated to jonin. He couldn't be sure.

"Modest as ever," Sakumo deadpanned bringing his hand to rest on Kakashi's arm. Squeezing slightly. The gleam in the man's eyes. He was just about overflowing in pride.

Kakashi couldn't help feel bashful as his cheeks reddened. It was crazy. He didn't deserve any of the praise, he didn't actually complete the mission. And more importantly, that man wasn't really his father. But the way he congratulated him was so reminiscent of the real man.

There was such a harsh juxtaposition between the wholesome way he lived and the egregious way he died. But Kakashi had always tried his best to remember him as he was, when things were good… so good.

He was proud and grateful and modest and kind. He made him feel strong and whole. He made him feel, at home, at peace in a time of war.

The abrupt clatter of chopsticks into an empty bowl and a chair scraping against the floor stole away all focus.

The boy, Hatachi, who had remained entirely disinterested in the article and any person in his company swiftly made quick work of cleaning his dishes and fetching a pre-packaged bento lunch box from the refrigerator.

"I'm off," he muttered, by way of goodbye, hardly addressing anyone in particular.

"Wait, Hatachi before you leave," Sakumo spoke up, almost too slow for the quick paced youth.

"What?"

It wasn't like he was angry or any particular emotion at all was evident on his face but the boy looked… inconvenienced.

Kakashi remembered that exact feeling when he was young. Just wanting to go about his routine the way he had set it. The annoyance of having to put up with, people.

He remembered, regretfully, treating his father as if he was a disruption on occasion. It was remarkable seeing this replica of his past self, acting so similarly.

"Would you please take your sister to the Sarutobi compound on your way to the academy?"

So he was still in the academy. Kakashi caught himself wondering what sort of potential the kid had, before shaking the deranged, irrelevant thought from his mind.

"Mom said you would do that," Hatachi grimaced, hesitantly, knowing he was in cautious territory.

If Sakumo was peeved by the back chat he didn't show it. "Yes, and I would, but I have a nurses appointment I need to go to in the next 30 minutes. It was rescheduled only this morning."

Sakumo's expression was so kind and sincere, charming even. You'd think that would be the end of it. You couldn't possibly say no to that.

Hatachi wiped his brow in annoyance, "But, I'm training with Tadaki before the academy, I'll be late if I don't leave right now."

He turned briefly to glare daggers at his sister who was still clad in paw print pyjamas, her breakfast unfinished. She wasn't in a state for leaving the house. Knowing this, her face fell into a guilty frown.

"Maybe, if you had of told her to get ready instead of flaunting that paper around," he mumbled.

Kakashi was taken aback by this statement. Whilst he could empathise with the boy in that he remembered the uncomfortable feeling of running late (not that that trait remained with him into adulthood). He even used to lash out at teammates or comrades for being the cause of delay, daring enough to tell off his own sensei at one point.

Sure, he was prone to whining and complaining about his father's decisions and notions, usually rightfully so. But even he had known there was a boundary. And he would never have spoken to his own father like that lest incurring a swift flogging.

And, not that he had ever had any grandparents or younger siblings of his own, but back talking those people would be cause for even worse punishment, surely.

"Could you not train with Tadaki after school instead? We all need to pull our weight when your mother's away."

"I agree," the boy chuffed, "Maybe Dad should take her then, since he's not doing anything."

Sternly now, Sakumo rose his voice, a well-practiced disciplinary tone emerged, "Now, Now, Your father has his first day off in over a month, he should be catching up on sleep if anything."

"But"

"No 'buts'!"

The situation was spiralling out of control and it was not helping his headache at all. This had to stop.

In the interim of the bickering, Minori placed her small hand over Kakashi's fingers, squeezing ever so slightly. Her eyes were brimmed with tears. Wordlessly pleading with him.

Of course her feelings would be hurt. Having to watch her family fight in front of her and they were fighting about who would be burdened with her this morning. He couldn't take that helpless teary look for a second longer.

"Argh, this is so unfair!" Hatachi growled.

"It's fine, I'll take her!" Kakashi spoke up.

"Kakashi please, you really should rest," Sakumo insisted.

"I should, but since I'm up anyway, it's no trouble."

Actually it was a lot of trouble. For one, he wasn't entirely certain if the Sarutobi compound would be where he thought it was, nor which residence exactly he was taking the girl or even for what purpose. Having to ask someone was sure to blow his cover.

Plus this little girl was wildly effecting his judgement and decision making skills. He needed to be separated from her as soon and possible hopefully avoiding as much one-on-one interaction as possible.

Thanklessly, Hatachi nodded and dashed out the door before anyone could object.

That boy was an aneurysm waiting to happen. Why anyone would willingly choose to be a parent, Kakashi did not know. The contraceptive advertisement wrote itself.

"That boy! He's exactly like your father used to be I swear, fortunately they'll grow out of it," Sakumo chuckled as he hugged his granddaughter goodbye, "Don't you ever grow up little angel."

She grinned, tears finally dried, "I won't." She kissed him on the cheek. Before he wheeled away, taking their collective dirty dishes to the sink.

"I'm so sorry to do this son, I know you really need to rest but I was supposed to get these things done for your wife."

He presented a short list of chores. The same hand writing as the note from the mysterious 'M'

Shit.

Weird, all this time the children had been referring to their mother Kakashi didn't even think about the whole 'wife' implication. Hadn't stopped to put it all together.

M, was his wife. The mother of his supposed children. They were this… family. And they all lived together in one house with his elderly father. The five of them. And they ate breakfast together at the dining room table. And she made bento lunch boxes and left them in the fridge.

"It's just a few things in town, I'm sure you can get it all down after you drop Min off and be home before lunch to sleep the rest of the day."

"Yeah, I guess," Kakashi shrugged, his attention divided, as he mentally reviewed every woman he knew or had ever known with a name begging with M. None stuck out to him as potential 'wife candidates'. Not that he had a clear idea in mind of what he would look for in a long term relationship.

"I'm off," Sakumo waved, "See you later."

"Okay… See you later."

Only realising after he had left that there was a high chance he'd never see him again.

Kakashi opened just about every drawer and cupboard in the kitchen searching for more drugs to cure to his pounding head.

What sort of people need to own an electric crepe maker? How often do you really need to make crepes? Really! And is it still so often that an entire independent appliance would be so much simpler than using a normal pan?

"Where the fuck?!" Kakashi muttered, almost pulling a drawer filled with plastic spoons clad with colourful happy characters from its hinges.

At last, he found a small cupboard up high, where a child couldn't reach, containing a sophisticated med kit including some little white miracles.

"Thank God!"

After downing two more pills with a glass of water only then did Kakashi realise the girl had returned from her room, dressed and ready to leave. He wasn't certain exactly how long she had been standing in the doorway.

Had she seen him tear apart the family kitchen like a mad man?

She was crying again.

"What? No, what's wrong"

She sniffed, wiping the tears from her eyes and ensuring she looked him directly in the eyes, "You're not my real dad, are you?"

A/N: Don't forget to review, follow and fave on your way out. Reviews remind me that my writing is actually being read… and hopefully enjoyed. And gives my pathetic self a teensy ego-boost…

Plus, gives me the motivation to update much quicker.

Let me know what you think… xx