Chapter 8: The New Friend
The park was a different world at this hour.
The morning crowd had thinned out, leaving behind a scattered collection of parents and grandparents, nannies and older siblings. The swings creaked in the breeze, their empty seats swaying gently like they were waiting for someone to come back. The pond shimmered, reflecting the willows that drooped over its edges, their leaves trailing in the water like lazy fingertips.
Kakashi had a spot. He always had the same spot—a bench beneath an ancient oak, its branches spreading wide enough to cast a generous shadow. From here, he could see the entire park. The jungle gym. The sandbox. The pond. The open stretch of grass where Karu liked to run until he was breathless and dizzy and giggling so hard he couldn't stand up.
He settled onto the bench, the wood warm beneath him, and pulled out his book. It was a dog-eared copy of a collection of poetry he'd been teaching for years. He knew every line, every footnote, every essay prompt he'd ever assigned. But there was comfort in familiarity, in the well-worn pages and the margins filled with his own scribbled notes.
"Dadada." Karu was tugging at his pant leg, his face tilted up, his blue eyes intense with purpose. "Let's go."
"Go where?"
"To the ducks."
"You want to visit the ducks again?"
"YES. DUCS. NOW."
"Can you say 'ducks' properly?"
"Ducks." The word was careful, deliberate, each letter given its due. Karu had been practicing. He'd spent the whole morning with his rubber duck, holding it up to the light, studying its painted eyes, whispering "duck" over and over until it came out right.
"Good job, buddy."
"Now let's go."
"Okay, okay. Let's go see the ducks."
---
The pond was alive with activity.
Ducks paddled in lazy circles, their bodies moving in that effortless, gliding way that made them look like they were floating on rails. A group of them had gathered near the far edge, where a woman was throwing breadcrumbs into the water. The ducks jostled for position, quacking and splashing, their wings fluttering in brief, chaotic bursts.
Karu stood at the edge of the grass, his hands clasped in front of him, his whole body still. It was the same stillness he showed the birds in his picture book, the same focused attention he gave to anything that had wings.
"Ducks," he said, reverently.
"Yep, buddy. Ducks."
Karu crouched, his small fingers brushing the grass. He was so close to the water's edge. The ducks were swimming toward the breadcrumb lady, away from them, but Karu didn't seem to care. He was watching them with the intensity of a scientist studying a rare species.
"Quack," he said softly.
The ducks ignored him.
"QUACK."
A duck looked up. It regarded Karu with a beady, unimpressed eye, let out a single quack, and went back to the breadcrumbs.
"HE QUACKED BACK!"
"He did, buddy. He said hello."
"Hello, duck!"
---
The pigeon came out of nowhere.
One moment, Karu was still crouched at the edge of the pond, watching the ducks. The next, a pigeon landed on the grass a few feet away, its head bobbing with that strange, cooing rhythm pigeons always have. Its feathers were a mottled gray, its feet a startling pink, its eyes bright with that unreadable pigeon intensity.
Karu's head snapped toward it.
"BIRD!" he shrieked, and then he was off.
He ran with his arms outstretched, his legs pumping in that unsteady, two-year-old way that somehow still managed to be surprisingly fast. The pigeon, alarmed, took off in a flutter of wings, landed a few feet away, and repeated its bobbing walk.
Karu chased it.
Kakashi was on his feet immediately, but he didn't run. He watched as Karu zigzagged across the grass, the pigeon always staying just out of reach. It was a game now—the bird teasing, the boy chasing, both of them locked in a ridiculous, ancient dance.
"BIRDBIRDBIRDBIRD!"
And then—
Karu collided with something.
It was a solid, unexpected, small-person-shaped something, and both of them went down in a tangle of limbs. There was a yelp, a wail, and then the unmistakable silence that follows an accident when everyone is trying to figure out if they're hurt.
Kakashi crossed the distance in three strides, his heart hammering. He crouched beside Karu, his hands hovering, checking for blood, for bruises, for any signs of serious damage.
"You okay, buddy? You didn't get hurt, did you?"
Karu's face was crumpled, his eyes watering, his lower lip trembling. But he hadn't started crying yet. He was too confused, too startled, to commit to the tears.
The other boy was already sitting up.
He was about Karu's age, maybe a little older, with dark hair that stuck up in messy spikes and green eyes that were wide with shock. He stared at Karu, and Karu stared back, and for a long, tense moment, neither of them moved.
Then the boy's face scrunched up, and his chin started to wobble.
He was going to cry. This was about to become a double-crying situation.
Kakashi reached out, putting a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "Hey, you're okay. It was just a bump."
"My k-knee," the boy managed.
He pointed at his knee. It was scraped, a thin line of red welling up against his pale skin. No blood dripping, no serious damage, but to a small child, a scrape could be the end of the world.
"Let me see." Kakashi examined the knee, his touch gentle. "It's a little scrape. We can clean it up. It'll feel better in no time."
The boy sniffled. He was trying so hard not to cry, his face a study in stoic struggle.
"What's your name?" Kakashi asked.
"Ka-Kaito."
"Kaito. That's a good name. I'm Kakashi. And this little guy who ran into you is Karu."
Karu was still sitting on the grass, his legs splayed, his rubber duck lying beside him. He'd brought the duck, of course. It went everywhere with him now, a constant companion, its yellow plastic body showing the wear of constant love.
Kaito's eyes landed on the duck.
He stared at it. Then he looked at Karu. Then back at the duck.
"Duck," he said.
Karu blinked. His tears forgotten, his face transformed into an expression of profound recognition.
"DUCK!"
"DUCK!"
"DUCK! DUCK! DUCK!"
The two of them were shouting it now, a call-and-response that was rapidly escalating into a full-bellied chorus. Kaito was smiling. Karu was smiling. And then, without any apparent decision, they were both laughing, their voices bright and pure, echoing across the grass.
Kakashi sat back on his heels, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
Okay. So maybe this was going to be fine.
---
Karu held out the rubber duck.
It was a peace offering. It was an invitation. It was the only currency Karu knew, the only thing he had of value, and he was offering it to this strange boy who had appeared in his path.
"Duck," Karu said.
Kaito took the duck carefully, his small fingers wrapping around its rubber neck. He examined it with the reverence of an art dealer appraising a masterpiece. Then he held it up, and his face broke into a smile that seemed to light up the entire park.
"DUCK!" he shrieked, holding it to his chest.
"DUCK!" Karu agreed.
Kakashi watched, bemused. The entire incident was being resolved through the power of enthusiastic repetition.
He stood up, brushing grass from his pants, and looked around for the boy's parent. There was a woman sitting on a bench across the path, her face pale, her phone clutched in her hand. She was watching the scene with a mixture of relief and surprise, as if she'd expected the collision to end in tears and was now trying to recalibrate.
Kakashi gave her a small wave. She waved back, a hesitant, embarrassed gesture.
"They made friends," he called.
"Apparently," she called back. "I'm sorry. He's usually more careful."
"He's fine. No harm done."
---
The next hour was a blur of grass stains and laughter.
Karu and Kaito discovered that they were both, independently, obsessed with birds. This revelation opened up an entire universe of shared play. They ran through the grass with their arms outstretched, making impressive attempts at bird noises. Kaito could do a passable pigeon call. Karu could do a duck call that was less a call and more a loud, determined quacking noise that scared the actual ducks away.
"Your kid is very loud," the woman said, approaching Kakashi.
It was said with affection, a smile tugging at her lips. She was younger than Kakashi had initially assumed—mid-twenties, maybe, with dark hair and tired eyes and the careful, coiled energy of someone who spent a lot of time chasing after a small child.
"He's got a lot to say," Kakashi replied.
"I noticed. My son can't stop talking about him. 'Karu, Karu, Karu.' I think they're best friends now."
"They did bond over the duck quite quickly."
"Kids are weird like that." She laughed, running a hand through her hair. "I'm Hana, by the way."
"Kakashi."
"I should probably hang around and make sure they don't cause any more trouble."
"Mind if I keep you company?"
"Please. I was about to die of boredom anyway."
They settled onto the bench together, watching the boys through the afternoon light. Karu and Kaito had discovered the jungle gym—a wooden structure with slides and ramps and tunnels, all painted in cheerful primary colors. They were climbing it with the reckless abandon of children who had no concept of consequences.
"That one's a climber," Hana said, nodding toward Kaito. "He's been going up walls since he learned to walk."
"Mine's a runner. And a chaser. And a chaoser of birds."
"Chaoser?"
"I'm a literature teacher. I enjoy making up words."
Hana laughed, and Kakashi felt the sound settle in his chest like something comfortable. It was easier to talk to parents now that he was one. There was a shared understanding, a common ground that didn't need to be explained.
"How old is Karu?" she asked.
"Two. He'll be three in a few months."
"Mine's three and a half. Big boy now." She paused. "Is it just you and him?"
Kakashi shook his head. "No. His mother—she works. I usually pick him up and bring him here."
"That's sweet. You're a good dad."
"I try."
---
The birds came back.
They swooped down from the trees, a family of sparrows that scattered across the grass, pecking at invisible seeds. Karu and Kaito had abandoned the jungle gym and were now crouched in the grass, watching the sparrows with the same intense reverence Karu showed the ducks.
"Birbs," Kaito said.
"BURBS."
"NO. BIRBS."
"BIRBS."
"WE SAID BIRBS."
"SORRY. BIRBS."
"GOOD."
They were having an entire conversation in a language only they understood. Kakashi watched them, a smile tugging at his mask. There was something magical about this—the way children could move from strangers to best friends in the space of an hour, the way they could find common ground in a shared love of something as simple as birds.
"Quack," Karu said. "Quack quack quack."
"Quack quack," Kaito echoed.
"Quack QUACK quack."
"QUACK!"
The sparrows, unimpressed, flew away.
"NO!" Karu wailed. "BIRBS! COME BACK!"
"BIRBS! COME BACK!" Kaito echoed.
The birds were gone. Karu's face fell, and for a moment, his whole world seemed to crumble.
Then Kaito grabbed his hand. "Let's find MORE birbs."
Karu's face cleared like a sky emerging from a storm. "YES. MORE BIRBS. LET'S GO."
And they were off again, running across the grass, their hands clasped, their laughter trailing behind them like a kite string.
---
The pond was quiet in the late afternoon.
The sun had shifted, casting long shadows across the water, turning the surface a deep, golden amber. The ducks had grown bored of the breadcrumbs and had moved on to sleepier pursuits, bobbing gently near the reeds, their heads tucked under their wings.
Karu and Kaito were sitting at the edge of the grass, their feet dangling over the water, their reflections wavering beneath them. They had found a bag of crackers somewhere—Kakashi didn't remember giving it to them, Hana didn't remember either, but somehow, it had materialized, and now the boys were sharing it.
"Wanna feed the ducks?" Kaito asked, holding up a cracker.
"Yes. Yes. I want to feed the ducks."
"Okay. Here."
Kaito broke the cracker in half and handed the larger piece to Karu. They each held a piece over the water, waiting. They were so patient, so focused, their small bodies leaning forward, their eyes fixed on the bobbing ducks.
The first duck swam over.
It was a mallard, its head a glossy green, its eyes bright with opportunistic interest. It approached the crackers without caution, its beak open, its neck extended.
"DUCK!" Karu shrieked, and the duck startled, paddling backward.
"Shh," Kaito said. "You scared it."
"Sorry, duck. Sorry."
"Try again. Be quiet."
Karu nodded, his expression serious. He held the cracker out again, and this time, he was silent—completely, unnaturally silent, the kind of silence that only a toddler in deep focus could achieve.
The duck returned.
It took the cracker from Karu's hand, its beak grazing his fingers in a quick, impossible gesture of trust. And then it paddled backward, swallowing the cracker, its throat bulging with the effort.
Karu's eyes went wide. "I FED THE DUCK."
"You did!" Kaito said. "You fed it!"
"I FED THE DUCK! DADADA! I FED THE DUCK!"
Kakashi was already walking over, Sakura's car having pulled into the parking lot a moment ago. She was crossing the grass now, her work bag slung over her shoulder, her pink hair catching the light.
"I FED THE DUCK!" Karu was pointing at the mallard, his whole body vibrating with excitement.
"I saw, baby! You did so good!"
"Kai helped. Kai gave me the cracker."
Sakura looked at Kaito, who was watching her with large, curious eyes.
"Hi," Kaito said.
"Hi. You must be Kaito."
"I'm Kaito. I'm three and a half. I like ducks."
"I'm Sakura. I like ducks too."
Kaito nodded, satisfied. He turned back to the water, breaking another cracker in half, offering a piece to Karu.
"More ducks."
"More ducks."
---
The sun was sliding toward the horizon when Hana called out.
"Kaito! Time to go home!"
The boy's face crumpled. He looked at Karu, who looked back at him, both of them frozen in the same instant of shared devastation.
"No," Kaito said.
"Yes, buddy. Dinner time."
"But—Karu—"
"You can see him again, right?" Hana looked at Sakura, her expression hopeful. "Could we maybe set up a playdate?"
Sakura's face broke into a smile. "Absolutely. We're here most afternoons."
"MEET HERE!" Karu shouted, his arms spread wide. "MEET HERE! WITH BIRBS!"
"I'll bring my bird book," Kaito said. "I have a bird book too."
"YOU HAVE A BIRD BOOK?!"
"YES! WITH ALL THE BIRBS!"
"BIRBS! BIRBS! BIRBS!"
The two of them were jumping now, a uncoordinated, joyful dance that took them in circles, their laughter filling the air.
"Okay, okay," Hana said, laughing. "We'll see you soon, Karu."
"Bye, Kai! BYE!"
"Bye, Karu! DON'T FORGET THE BOOK!"
"WILL NOT FORGET! WILL NOT! WILL NOT!"
They hugged—a brief, full-body embrace that was more of a tackle than a hug, both of them going down in a heap of giggles. And then Hana was pulling Kaito away, and Kaito was waving, his arm whipping back and forth with frantic determination.
Kakashi watched them go, a warmth spreading through his chest.
"Looks like he made a friend," Sakura said softly.
"Yeah." He slipped his hand into hers. "Looks like he did."
---
They walked home through the fading light, Karu's rubber duck clutched in one hand, his other hand swinging between Kakashi and Sakura. He was already starting to fade, his steps growing slower, his eyelids drooping.
"Did you have a good day, buddy?" Sakura asked.
"Good day. Good friend. Good birbs."
"You made a lot of good things happen today."
"Kai's my friend now. Kaito. Kaito is my friend."
"That's awesome, baby."
"Bring bird book next time. Show him all the birbs. ALL of them."
"I'm sure he'll love that."
Karu nodded, his head bobbing with the authority of absolute certainty. Then he yawned, his jaw cracking wide, his grip on Kakashi's hand loosening slightly.
"Tired, buddy?"
"No."
"Your eyes are half-closed."
"They're resting."
"They're closed all the way."
"RESTING."
"Okay, buddy. Resting."
Karu made it two more steps before his knees buckled. Kakashi caught him, scooping him up, cradling him against his chest. The boy was out instantly, his head lolling against Kakashi's shoulder, his mouth slightly open.
Sakura leaned over, brushing a strand of hair from Karu's forehead. "He had a good day."
"He did."
"You're good with him, you know."
"I'm trying."
"That's all that matters." She threaded her arm through his, and they walked home under the streetlights, the rubber duck swinging gently from Karu's sleeping hand.
Tomorrow, there would be more birds. More ducks. More adventures.
But tonight—tonight, there was just this. The three of them, together in the fading light, building a life one ordinary day at a time.
The three of them, together in the fading light, building a life one ordinary day at a time.
Two days passed in that comfortable haze. Karu talked about Kaito constantly—at breakfast, during his bath, while Kakashi was trying to read. He rehearsed the name like a prayer, turning it over in his mouth until it felt like his own. "Kito," he'd say, then correct himself. "Kaito. Kai-to. KAI-TO." The syllables became a chant, a mantra, a song he hummed while he played with his rubber duck in the bathtub.
Sakura texted Hana that first night. The conversation was tentative, testing the waters of a new friendship, but it warmed quickly. By the second day, they'd settled on Thursday afternoon. Hana would drop Kaito off at their house. They'd play in the backyard. It was simple, low-pressure, exactly the kind of casual arrangement that didn't require anyone to clean their house or panic about snacks.
Kakashi spent Wednesday evening at a toy store, standing in the pool aisle with a slightly bewildered expression. The selection was overwhelming—inflatable flamingos, floating palm trees, a pirate ship with water cannons. But his eyes landed on a set of floating penguins and a small foam duck that looked suspiciously like the rubber duck Karu had been dragging around for months. He grabbed both, plus a whale that sprayed water from its blowhole when you squeezed it.
He brought them home and hid them in the garage, feeling oddly secretive about the whole thing. Sakura caught him coming back inside and raised an eyebrow. He shrugged, face perfectly blank under his mask. She didn't push it. She just smiled and went back to the book she was reading.
Thursday morning broke warm and clear, the kind of day that made you want to be outside from dawn until dusk.
Sakura left for work with a kiss on Karu's forehead and a pointed look at Kakashi. "Don't let them exhaust you."
"Two toddlers. How hard can it be?"
"Famous last words."
She was still laughing as the door closed behind her.
The yard needed a little work. Kakashi spent the morning picking up stray leaves and straightening the patio furniture. He dragged the kiddy pool out from under the oak tree, inflated it properly this time, and set it in the sunniest spot in the yard. The water would be warm by the time Kaito arrived.
He filled the pool slowly, watching the water catch the light. Karu circled him like a small shark, fascinated by the rising water level.
"Kai swim?" he asked.
"Maybe. We'll see if he wants to."
"Kai swim. Kai play. Kai see my room?"
"Maybe later, buddy."
Karu nodded, satisfied with this answer. He trotted back to the house, returning moments later with his bird book clutched to his chest. He set it carefully on the grass, a few feet from the pool, and opened it to the duck page. He studied it with the intensity of a scholar preparing a presentation.
"Kai like ducks," he said, firmly.
"I think he does, buddy."
"Kai like birbs."
"Probably. He seemed really into them."
"Kai my friend."
"Yeah, buddy. He's your friend."
Karu nodded, satisfied, and returned to his book. Kakashi watched him, warmth spreading through his chest—he could not help the smile that pulled at his mask.
---
Hana's car pulled up at exactly two o'clock.
Kakashi was at the gate before she could knock, Karu bouncing excitedly at his side. The passenger door opened, and Kaito scrambled out, his face bright with anticipation. He was wearing a pair of green swim trunks and a t-shirt with a whale on it, and he immediately made a beeline for the gate.
"KARU!"
"KAITO!"
They collided at the gate, their small arms wrapping around each other in a fierce hug. It was just as chaotic as their park encounter, just as uncoordinated and joyful. Kaito was laughing. Karu was laughing. They pulled apart, looked at each other, and immediately started jumping up and down.
"Birbs!" Kaito shouted.
"BIRBS!"
"DUCKS!"
"DUCKS AND PENGUINS!"
"PENGUINS?!"
"YES! I HAVE PLUSH PENGUINS!"
"SHOW ME! SHOW ME NOW!"
Karu grabbed Kaito's hand and dragged him through the gate, his story already pouring out in a torrent of half-formed sentences and excited gestures.
Hana watched them go, a smile on her face. "Well. That went better than expected."
"He's been talking about this all week," Kakashi said.
"Same. Kaito woke up at six this morning asking if it was time." She handed over a small backpack. "Extra clothes, some snacks, and a bottle of sunscreen. He's a bit sensitive to the sun."
"I've got him covered. And I have sunscreen here too."
"Good. You're prepared."
"I try."
She lingered for a moment, her eyes tracking the boys as they disappeared around the side of the house. "Thank you for doing this. He's been asking about Karu every day."
"Thank you for trusting me with him."
"Kakashi." She smiled, stepping back toward her car. "You're a good dad. I can tell. I'll pick him up around six?"
"That works. We'll have fun."
---
The backyard was chaos in the best way.
Kakashi had set up the pool in the sunniest spot, the water already warm and inviting. He'd filled it with the new toys—the penguins, the whale, the foam duck—and they bobbed on the surface like a tiny, mismatched fleet. Karu spotted them the moment he rounded the corner and immediately began shrieking.
"PENGUINS! DADADA GOT PENGUINS! LOOK! LOOK, KAITO!"
Kaito peered into the pool, his eyes wide. "PENGUINS!"
"I HAVE PENGUINS! I HAVE FIVE PENGUINS!"
"You have four."
"FIVE!"
"FOUR!"
"COUNT!"
And they did. Together, with painstaking concentration, they counted the penguins. Four. Then the duck. Five. Then the whale. Six. They could not agree on the final number, but they did agree that there were "SO MANY" and that it was "THE BEST DAY."
Kakashi sat on the lawn chair, taking it all in.
The boys had a system. Kaito would select a penguin, hold it up for Karu to inspect, and then place it gently in the water. Karu would splash it, laughing, and then Kaito would retaliate by splashing back. The water flew in shimmering arcs, catching the sunlight, turning the air gold around them. It was a beautiful mess—the kind of memory that sticks to you in the best way.
There was no hesitation this time. No fear.
Karu climbed into the pool without a second thought, his body hitting the water with a belly-flop that sent a wave splashing over the side. Kaito followed, his entrance somewhat more graceful, but no less eager. They both emerged sputtering, then looked at each other, then exploded into laughter.
He had gotten water in his ears and his mouth. He had gotten water everywhere, but he did not stop laughing.
"AGAIN!" Kaito shouted.
"YES! AGAIN!"
They climbed out and did it again. And again. Each time, they laughed harder, the sound of it rolling through the yard like a wave. The grass around the pool was soaked, mud forming in patches along the edges. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered except this moment, this simple joy.
"Look! Look!" Kaito had found the whale. He squeezed it, and water shot from the blowhole, arcing over the pool and splashing down on both of them.
Karu shrieked. "DO IT AGAIN!"
And Kaito did.
It had been a good idea, bringing the toys. Kakashi allowed himself a quiet moment of satisfaction, watching them play. It was a good trade—a little bit of money for a whole afternoon of magic.
---
The bird books came out after the pool.
Karu had insisted on bringing his book outside, and Kaito had brought his own—a slightly battered copy with a blue cover and a torn corner. They spread them out on the picnic blanket, side by side, and went through them page by page with the solemn concentration of academics cataloging a new species.
"Owl," Karu said, pointing to his book.
"I have an owl too!" Kaito flipped to a page in his book. "HORNED OWL! SCREECH OWL! SNOWY OWL!"
"SNOWY OWL! I LOVE SNOWY OWLS!"
"They're white!"
"I KNOW! THEY'RE MY FAVORITE!"
"They're not ducks, though."
"No. But they're still birbs."
"All birbs are good birbs."
Kakashi watched from his chair, his book forgotten in his lap. The boys were having an entire philosophical debate about the relative merits of owls versus ducks versus "PENGUINS." Neither was willing to concede the category of "best birb," but they both agreed that "ALL BIRBS ARE GOOD BIRBS."
It was an elegant solution.
"Kaito," Karu said, his voice suddenly serious. He was looking at the picture of a duck in his book, the rubber duck clutched in his other hand.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for being my friend."
Kaito looked up. He blinked, his green eyes wide. Then he smiled, a big, genuine, gap-toothed smile.
"Thank you for being MY friend."
They hugged, a surprising gesture of affection that ended with them both tumbling backward onto the blanket. They lay there, side by side, staring up at the sky, their bird books forgotten beside them.
"I like you, Kaito."
"I like you too, Karu."
"Let's be friends forever."
"Forever."
"Forever and ever."
"FOR-EVER AND EVER!"
They were shouting again, their voices rising in a triumphant chorus. Kakashi felt his heart squeeze, the way it always did when Karu found something that made him truly happy. It had been a long road to get here. The fear, the hesitation, the tears. But moments like this made it all worth it.
---
The afternoon rolled on.
They chased each other through the yard, their legs pumping, their laughter trailing behind them like flags on a windy day. They practiced bird calls, Kaito teaching Karu a passable pigeon coo, Karu teaching Kaito his duck call. The backyard filled with their noise, a symphony of quacks and coos and giggles.
Kakashi brought out lemonade and crackers, and they took a brief break on the patio steps. The sun was getting lower, the shadows stretching longer across the grass.
"Tomorrow," Kaito said, "I'm gonna build a nest."
"A nest?"
"Yeah. For the birbs."
"What kind of nest?"
"A big one. For all the birbs."
"I can help!" Karu said. "I can help build the nest!"
"Okay! We'll build the biggest nest ever. Bigger than a car."
"BIGGER THAN A HOUSE!"
"BIGGER THAN THE WHOLE WORLD!"
"THE WHOLE DADADA WORLD!"
Kakashi choked on his lemonade. Kaito laughed, delighted by the rebranding. He didn't understand it, but he appreciated the energy.
"Do you want to stay for dinner?" Kakashi asked, once the laughter died down. "I was going to make something simple."
"MY DADADA MAKES GOOD NOODLES!"
Kaito considered this. "Can I call my mom?"
"Sure, buddy. Let's go find a phone."
---
Hana gave her approval.
"Just try not to get him too wired," she warned. "He's been impossible to get to sleep lately."
"I'll do my best."
"You always say that."
"And I always mean it."
Dinner was a messy, chaotic event. Karu and Kaito sat side by side at the kitchen table, their faces smeared with sauce, their small bodies vibrating with barely contained energy. They ate their noodles with impressive enthusiasm, occasionally pausing to point at something and shriek about birds. Kakashi cleaned up the aftermath, wondering how two tiny humans could make such a large mess.
"Thanks for having me, Mr. Kakashi," Kaito said, sliding off his chair. His face beamed up at Kakashi.
"You're welcome, buddy. Thanks for coming over."
Kaito nodded solemnly. "It was the best day ever."
"Make sure you tell your mom that."
"I WILL!"
---
The sun was setting when Hana came to pick him up.
Kaito was worn out, his eyes heavy, his steps dragging. Karu wrapped his arms around him in a bear hug, pressing his face into Kaito's shoulder.
"Don't forget, Kaito. Forever."
"Forever," Kaito whispered back.
They pulled apart. Kaito walked to the car, then turned back one last time.
"Birbs tomorrow?"
"Birbs," Karu agreed.
"BIRBS TOMORROW!"
The car door closed. The engine started. Karu waved until the car was out of sight, then turned to Kakashi, his face streaked with tears that he was trying not to cry.
"I miss Kaito already."
"It's okay, buddy. He'll come back. Friends always come back."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Karu sniffled, then nodded. He took Kakashi's hand, and they walked back toward the house, the rubber duck swinging from his other hand.
The pool was still there, the water calm in the fading light. The penguins bobbed gently, waiting for tomorrow.