Hajoka and Kakashi
Characters: Hajoka Butsukaru (my OC), Kakashi Hatake Fandom: Naruto Drawn: 2020 _
This piece was drawn for a Naruto OC confession contest, so it comes with a short story about the relationship between these two. Hajoka first met Kakashi on the day an ANBU squad rescued a group of children from Rain shinobi after their sensei had fallen in battle. She had lost consciousness during the fight, and Hatake Kakashi carried her on his back the entire way.
The ANBU squad escorted the genin back to Konoha. The twins exchanged uneasy glances as Kakashi continued carrying their friend all the way to the village. Ever since Hajoka had asked where their sensei was, she had kept her face hidden. “Are we… going home?” Kimiko asked carefully, hoping to get at least some kind of response. Hajoka said nothing. “You two should head back,” Kakashi said quietly. “I’ll take her home.” Without waiting for an answer, he turned and walked away from the others. Instead of going straight to the residential district, Kakashi stopped in a quiet park. He glanced around, making sure no one was nearby. “You can get down,” he said, crouching slightly. “There’s no one here. No one will see you cry.” Hajoka slid off his back. The moment her feet touched the ground, she began frantically wiping at her reddened eyes. Her shoulders trembled as she struggled to keep everything inside. “Hey… stop that,” Kakashi said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to hold it in. No one’s watching.” “A shinobi… shouldn’t cry,” Hajoka forced out through clenched teeth. She lifted her head to look at the one who had saved her - but his face was hidden behind an ANBU mask. It looked like a fox… or maybe a cat?.. “Big Brother Cat…” she said quietly. “How can someone not cry… when it hurts this much?” Her fingers clenched the fabric over her heart. “Right here… it hurts so much.” For a moment, Kakashi was silent. “I know,” he said at last, his voice low. “I’ve lost everyone who was important to me. Every single one.” The wind rustled softly through the trees. “But you still have people waiting for you,” he continued. “Your mother is probably worried sick right now. And you have your teammates. They understand you. They’ll stay by your side.” Hajoka blinked, looking up at him. “Then… Big Brother Cat…” Her voice was small. “You’re all alone?” Something in her expression changed. Now the pain she felt wasn’t only her own. Kakashi slowly removed his ANBU mask. Though the lower half of his face remained hidden, the warmth in his eyes formed a quiet smile. “Call me Kakashi,” he said, gently ruffling her hair. “The shinobi world is cruel… but I think you’ll grow strong enough to survive it.” Hajoka stared at him. His eyes were smiling. And yet somehow… she could feel the loneliness hidden behind them. Before she even realized what she was doing, Hajoka stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around him. “I believe… that someday you won’t be alone anymore, Kakashi.”