A "Peaceful" Morning: Sharing a Bed

The sky looked freshly washed, clear and blue.

On that summer morning, a few scattered stars still hung on the horizon. A gentle breeze carried a faint scent of grass and leaves, while green leaves danced on the branches, rustling in the morning light. The air after the rain was fresh and pleasant, with a hint of coolness.

The fresh scent of earth and grass filled the air as Shisui slowly opened his eyes.

He usually got up at dawn to train, but today he had slept in until now. He really shouldn't have.

He had school today, so Shisui prepared to get up and wash, and help Mikoto make breakfast while he was at it.

But then he felt the little tyrant lying beside him roll over and hug him, slipping an arm around his body. "Itachi, stay with me a little longer..." Koki murmured in a soft, coaxing voice, then hugged him tightly.

Koki had mistaken him for Itachi.

Shisui went stiff all over in his embrace, at a loss for what to do.

After a while, the person behind him quieted down. Shisui carefully turned around and gently removed Koki's hand from his waist.

But no sooner had he turned around and moved the hand away than Koki wrapped it around him again.

"Kakashi-senpai..." Having no other choice, Shisui appealed to Kakashi, who was also sleeping beside Koki.

Kakashi had woken up at some point and was now lounging half on his stomach on the bed, watching the two of them.

His cool, tousled silver hair seemed to take on a touch of warmth in the morning light.

"Mm." Kakashi answered absentmindedly, but remained half sprawled on his pillow, with no intention of rescuing Shisui. He even reached out and gently patted Koki on the back, making him sleep more soundly.

Shisui wanted to cry but had no tears. Unwilling to disturb Koki, he could only let him hold on tight.

Seeing that he really couldn't put it off any longer, Shisui called softly to Koki, "Koki, I have to get up. If I don't get up now, I'll be late..."

His persistent calling finally wore out Koki's patience. Still thinking he was holding Itachi, Koki suddenly pulled Shisui into his arms and pleaded, "Baby, please, let me sleep a little longer."

"All right, but only a little longer," Shisui said vaguely.

"Okay, Itachi's the best. I, I..." Seeing that Koki was about to drift off again, Shisui took care not to make the slightest movement.

Ah, there's really nothing I can do. Everyone knew how much Koki loved to sleep in. If he was late, he was late. He would just have to think of a way to fool the teacher. A blush crept onto Shisui's face; he had never lied before.

Kakashi remained comfortably half sprawled on his stomach, his gaze fixed on Koki. His half-closed eyes grew increasingly hazy, as though he too wanted to drift off to sleep.

Obito, meanwhile, slept sprawled out beside them, oblivious to everyone around him. He was another one who usually needed an alarm to get up.

Each of them was "doing just fine," and the scene was a picture of peace and beauty.

"Koki, hurry up and get up. Don't make him late for school." Mikoto's gentle voice came from outside.

She knew all too well what her son was like in the morning. Oddly enough, even Shisui, who usually rose early, hadn't gotten up.

Mikoto had prepared a hearty breakfast, but when she glanced at the clock, there was still no movement from the children. With time running out, she had no choice but to wake them.

At Mikoto's call, Kakashi and Shisui opened their eyes at the same time.

Kakashi glanced at Koki, who was still fast asleep with his arms around Shisui. Sitting up, he gently gathered Koki partly into his own arms. Finally freed, Shisui quickly and quietly got up and went out to wash.

Kakashi laid Koki back in the warm covers, settled him into a comfortable position, and carefully tucked him in, letting him continue to sleep.

As Kakashi passed Obito, he gave him a hard kick in the butt.

"Damn you, Kakashi!! I'm going to kill you!" Obito's voice rang through the sky.

A chaotic day had officially begun.

The once-peaceful morning was broken by Itachi's crying. As Koki drifted toward sleep, Itachi's repeated calls finally shattered his dream.

Helpless, Mikoto brought Itachi to Koki's bedside, shook Koki hard, then quietly left.

"Who is it?" Koki opened his eyes impatiently and rubbed them, still drowsy. Through the haze, he saw Itachi sitting by the bed, his eyes red and swollen. He had clearly been crying not long ago.

Koki's heart tightened, and his drowsiness vanished. Now fully awake, he quickly sat up and pulled Itachi into his arms. "Itachi, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asked softly.

Itachi looked up pitifully, gazing at Koki through tear-filled eyes. "Big brother, you didn't stay with me last night," he said through his sobs. "I opened my eyes and couldn't see you. I was so scared."

Koki felt a pang of guilt. He knew his little brother had always depended on him, and they had always slept together. Last night, because he had wanted to sleep on the veranda and Itachi had already fallen asleep, he hadn't woken his little brother. He hadn't stayed with Itachi, leaving him feeling lonely and afraid.

It had rained last night, too. Had Itachi been scared?

He gently patted Itachi and stroked his hair, trying to comfort him.

"I'm sorry, Itachi. I saw that you were asleep last night, so I didn't wake you or stay by your side. But you have to believe me: I'll always stay with you and protect you."

Itachi nuzzled against Koki and gradually stopped crying. He looked up at his brother stubbornly. "You have to stay with me from now on, big brother. Even if I'm asleep, you have to wake me up."

"All right, all right. Shall we make a pinky promise? A pinky promise can't be broken for a hundred years!" Koki took Itachi's little hand and spoke with great solemnity.

"Mm!" Hearing his brother's promise, Itachi finally broke into a bright smile again.

Koki stood up, scooped Itachi into his arms, and carried his little brother out to wash and eat.

The table was laden with all kinds of breakfast dishes, steaming hot and fragrant.

There were golden fried eggs, Japanese omelets with a special sauce, fragrant milk, fresh fruit and vegetable salad, and toast giving off a tempting aroma, with an assortment of jams beside it. Rice was served with richly flavored miso soup, and there was even a bowl of udon noodles in front of Koki.

"Mom! What time did you get up to make such a big breakfast?" Koki's eyes widened in amazement as he looked at the table, astounded by the sheer amount of food.

Mikoto smiled behind her hand. "I didn't get up too early. As long as you like it, that's all that matters."

Obito was taking big bites of bread spread with blueberry jam. Hearing this, he said, "I do! Auntie Mikoto, I love it so much! Can I come eat your cooking often from now on?"

"Of course. You're welcome to visit anytime." Mikoto nodded, then said to Koki, "Koki, we haven't been out in a long time. Let's go shopping today. We can clear out two empty rooms so Kakashi and Obito will have somewhere to stay when they come over. We also need to buy clothes while we're out. You're all growing so fast that your clothes are getting too small."

"Yay!" Obito's eyes sparkled with joy. Was he going to have his own room at Koki's house? That was wonderful! Now he had a home too.

The excitement he felt was like that of a long-absent traveler who had finally found a warm harbor.

"Okay." Koki readily agreed. It really had been a long time since he had gone shopping with his mom.

"Thank you very much, Auntie. Next time, I'll come with my father to pay you a formal visit," Kakashi said in all seriousness.

Obito's eyes went wide as he stared at Kakashi in shock, as though he had seen a ghost!