Work Text:
The day began as normally as it could have. Kakashi and Anko woke up to get ready for the day, each going through their respective morning routine. Kakashi had just stepped into the kitchen to get breakfast ready when he was called back into the bedroom by his wife. Something was wrong; he could tell by her tone.
There Anko stood, holding their months-old son, blinking back tears. Kakashi rushed to the both of them, glancing between his wife and his son. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice thick with worry.
“He’s burning up,” Anko replied, her own voice on the verge of breaking.
Kakashi flipped a mental switch, immediately going into crisis mode. “Take him to the hospital as quickly as you can. I’ll get Sachiko and meet you there.” He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, the other caressing their son’s forehead. “It’s going to be okay.”
Anko nodded, quickly grabbing a blanket and wrapping their son in it. Luckily, she’d just changed out of her pajamas, so she bolted out the door and made a beeline for the hospital. Kakashi quickly slipped into something more appropriate for going out. Just as he finished, he heard a small, sleepy voice.
“Daddy?”
Kakashi turned to see his four-year-old daughter standing in the doorway, rubbing her eye and clutching her stuffed puppy. The silver haired father quickly scurried over and scooped the girl up. “Sachiko, sweetie, what’re you doing up?”
The small girl gave a yawn, resting her cheek on his shoulder, her lilac hair framing her sleepy face. “I heard Mama. She left really fast,” she mumbled.
“Yes, Mama had to take Genji somewhere. Come on, let’s get you dressed and we’ll go meet Mama, okay?” Kakashi brought the girl back to her room, setting her down and gently setting her stuffed puppy on her bed. He knelt down and kissed her cheek and smoothed her lilac locks out. “Go on and get dressed, sweetheart. I’ll be right back. I just have to get ready.”
Sachiko gave a small nod, yawning again. Despite her sleepiness, she got ready while Kakashi grabbed a bag of things that the baby would need, as well as grabbing some snacks and water for everyone. He poked his head into Sachiko’s room, who wore a dark green pinafore on top of a plain white long-sleeved shirt with black leggings. She clutched her stuffed pug puppy as she looked up at him with curious dark chocolate eyes.
“Ready?” Kakashi asked, a large tote bag slung over his shoulder. His daughter nodded, reaching for him. The silver haired man scooped her up, giving her another kiss on the cheek before he pulled his mask up. Just as they stepped outside, Kakashi squeezed her against his side. “Hang on tight, okay?”
The girl made a noise of acknowledgment and tightened her grip on her father’s shirt. Kakashi wasted no time and sped to the hospital.
The hospital was surprisingly quiet. Kakashi set Sachiko down and led her by the hand to the receptionist. “Genji Hatake?” the silver haired ninja hurriedly asked.
The maroon-haired woman flipped some papers on a clipboard, scanning for the name. She turned to the distressed father. “Second floor, room fourteen. I believe Lady Anko is waiting for you in the second-floor lobby, Lord Hatake.”
Kakashi let out a sigh. Sometimes he loathed the frivolity of his position as Hokage, especially when it came to his day-to-day affairs. He simply nodded and thanked the woman, leading Sachiko to an elevator and heading up to the second floor. Just as the receptionist said, Kakashi and Sachiko found Anko in the lobby, nervously rubbing the left side of her nape with her right hand.
Sachiko immediately let go of Kakashi’s hand, scampering over towards Anko. “Mama!”
The voice of her daughter snapped Anko out of her trance. She caught the small girl in her arms, scooping her up and kissing her cheek. “Hi baby, did Daddy wake you up?”
The little girl shook her head, resting her cheek on her mother’s shoulder. “I heard you leaving. Where’s Denji?”
Anko let out a sigh, cradling her daughter’s head. “Genji isn’t feeling very good right now. The doctors are checking him and are gonna help him feel better.” She set the girl down, leading her to the small play area. “Here, why don’t you play for a little bit while Mama and Daddy talk?”
Sachiko hummed, quickly becoming engrossed in a set of wooden blocks. Anko turned to her husband and fell into his embrace. He kissed her forehead, taking her hands in his. “How is he?”
“Sakura saw to him personally. They’re running some tests right now; she said she’d come out when they get some results.”
“Okay, good. Sakura is a fantastic doctor, Anko. I know she’ll take care of our son.”
The violet haired woman stifled a sniffle, releasing his hands and sitting down. “Why did this have to happen again?” she asked no one in particular.
Kakashi placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Anko, dear, sometimes these things happen—”
“But twice?” Anko poised, looking at Kakashi with red, glistening eyes.
He could only sigh. “Anko, I know this is scary, especially after what we went through with Sachiko, but just don’t lose hope. He’ll be okay; just like she turned out.”
Anko’s lower lip quivered. She buried her face in her hands, letting a sob escape her. “This is all my fault,” she breathed.
Kakashi’s demeanor took a sharp turn. “Don’t you dare say that, Anko,” he gently rebuked. “Both of the children were born premature. Sakura and Tsunade told us when we had Sachiko that babies born prematurely might run into health problems at any given point in their lives.”
Anko turned to her husband, tears staining her cheeks. “How could it not be my fault? I carried them, Kakashi. For all I know, Sachiko’s and Genji’s poor health could be because of what hap—”
She was silenced by Kakashi pulling her into a tight embrace. “Don’t. Don’t ever say that any of this is your fault; because it’s not,” he whispered.
Anko peered up at him, fresh tears pooling in her eyes. Kakashi wiped them away with his thumbs, cradling her face in his hands. “Sachiko and Genji are the most precious things in the world to me. I know this is scary and feels like a horrible, horrible repeat of events, but it’ll be okay. Sachiko turned out fine after her fever. Remember, she was worse. She wasn’t eating for a couple of days.”
The Hatake matriarch leaned into his embrace, resting her head against his chest. “I remember that,” she said quietly.
“And do you remember who took care of her?”
“Sakura personally made sure everything was done right.”
“That’s right.”
A silence settled over the couple. Regrettably, they separated, but Kakashi held onto his wife’s hands. “I know you’re worried. I’m worried, too.”
“You have a funny way of not showing it,” Anko remarked.
“You know me,” Kakashi said coolly.
She stuck her tongue out at him, drawing a chuckle from the silver haired Hokage. Their moment was interrupted by clacking heels against the linoleum floor. The couple turned to see Sakura approaching with a clipboard. They immediately rose.
“Don’t worry, Sensei, Miss Anko—he’s stable.”
The couple heaved a sigh of relief, feeling the weight of the world being lifted off their shoulders. Anko furiously wiped at her eyes, sniffling and regaining her composure. Kakashi grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.
“What’s the diagnosis?” he asked.
“As hard to believe as this is gonna sound, he has a cold,” Sakura said plainly as she flipped through the papers attached to her clipboard. “The main reason he has a fever is because his immune system is still a little weak.”
“I’m guessing it’s because he was born premature,” Anko concluded.
“Exactly,” Sakura confirmed, sighing quietly. “It’s really a shame and can be pretty scary, but babies born premature tend to have weaker immune systems, which means even minor infections or illnesses can cause a more severe reaction than normal.”
“But he was eating normally. Plus, he was really quiet, at least compared to Sachiko,” Anko pointed out.
“Well, every baby is different. My best guess is the cold just finished incubating, and he’s just now getting hit with the symptoms. Could also be his appetite was stronger than the cold,” Sakura explained, trying to lighten the mood.
“He does eat more than Sachiko,” Kakashi remembered.
“So he’s a hungry boy. But, at any rate, he’s doing okay. We gave him some fever reducers and are keeping a close eye on him. His fever has actually gone down slightly.”
“Thank the heavens,” Anko breathed.
“That said, we can either keep him here for the night to monitor him, or you can take him home. He’s on the road to recovery, and should be better with some fever reducers and cold medicine.”
Kakashi and Anko exchanged a glance, a clear indicator that they needed a moment to discuss their decision. Sakura gave a nod, tucking her clipboard under her arm and going to say hello to Sachiko. The couple turned to each other.
“What do you want to do?” Kakashi prompted.
Another silence settled over them. Anko reached for his hand. “I…I want to take him home.”
Kakashi returned the gesture, taking her hands in his. “Are you sure?”
The Hatake matriarch nodded. “Positive. He’s already doing better than Sachiko was. And I trust Sakura’s word.”
Kakashi nodded, wrapping Anko into a tight embrace. “Alright. Let’s get the kids and go home, then.” He kissed her cheek gently.
Not a moment later, Sachiko scampered to her parents. The couple turned to their daughter, who wore an expectant look on her face.
“You okay, sweetie?” Anko asked, her eyes still slightly puffy.
“Is Denji feeling better?”
“Yes, my little lilac, he’s gonna be okay.” Kakashi let go of his wife to scoop up the little girl, nuzzling his nose into her cheek. The little Hatake giggled, resting her cheek on his shoulder once more.
Anko’s heart warmed as she looked at her family, and she knew that Genji would be okay. She’d been through a lot, but none of it mattered now. She skittered back to Genji’s room and asked the nurse to let her take him home.
The Hatake family left together, with Sachiko riding on her father’s shoulders, while Anko carried a bundled up Genji in her arms, eager to nurse him back to health.