When the kids asked him about their mother, Kakashi was in a dilemma whether to tell them the truth or not. He stood there for a moment, looking at their innocent faces.
He was never good with such situations. Anything that had to deal with emotions was something he stayed far away from. Kakashi had always preferred to handle battles and missions rather than matters of the heart. He knew that words could sometimes hurt more than any weapon.
It was the very same reason that he had avoided Naruto when he was a child and just watched over him from far away. Kakashi had kept his distance because he did not want to face the pain of the past.
One reason for that was he believed when Naruto asked him about his parents, he would not have been able to hold himself back from telling how he failed his parents. Thus, he avoided him and did not want to face with his own emotions.
The guilt from his own failures had made him hide away instead of offering comfort. Now, facing these two boys, Kakashi felt that same old fear rising inside him. He took a deep breath and decided he would not repeat his old mistakes.
Kakashi himself knew what it felt like to have your parent dying as a child. He did not know his mother since she died at childbirth but he loved his father. And when Kakashi saw his own father dead, something broke inside him that took too long to repair.
But Kakashi would have any day taken the reality of the situation and would have wanted to know the truth from the start instead of people saying his father was on a mission and would not be home for a long time. Lies only made the pain grow stronger later.
After seeing how Naruto's life would have been better if he had been told who and what happened to his parents, Kakashi knew that it was better to let the boys know about their mother right away. Truth, even when painful, gave a chance to heal properly.
He looked at the two boys as he sat down with them on the ground of the Kamui dimension. The others seeing this decided to give them space. They quietly moved away to another part of the dimension.
Kakashi pulled down his mask as his face became visible to the kids. His scarred face and tired eyes showed his own sadness. "Your mom is dead. So is your uncle Pietro and grandpa Erik." He said the words gently but clearly. He wanted them to hear the truth without any confusion.
The two boys started having tears in their eyes. "No, you are lying," one of them said with a shaking voice. Billy and Tommy looked at each other and then back at Kakashi.
Their small bodies began to tremble as the words sank in. Tears rolled down their cheeks freely. They shook their heads again and again, refusing to believe what they had just heard. The happy thoughts they had about seeing their mother soon were crashing down around them.
One boy wiped his face with his sleeve but more tears kept coming. The pain in their young hearts was clear to see. They had already been through so much in the other reality, and now this final blow felt too cruel.
Kakashi watched them with a heavy heart. He let them cry for some time without interrupting. The boys held onto each other, sobbing softly at first and then louder as the reality hit them fully.
Kakashi felt his own chest tighten with emotion. He remembered his younger self crying alone after losing his father. He did not want these boys to feel that same loneliness. He stayed close, giving them time to let the first wave of grief come out.
"They died protecting you as well as me," Kakashi said softly. "Your mom died a hero so that her boys can have a safe and happy life." He spoke with warmth in his voice. He explained how Wanda had used her powerful chaos magic to fix the broken barriers between realities.
Without her help, the destruction from the other world might have spread here too. He told them that their mother thought of them until the very end. She wanted them to grow up safe and loved. Pietro had given his life to save his sister, and Erik had stood strong with Charles to stop Jean from following them.
"We don't want a happy life. We want mom. We want uncle Pietro!" One of them shouted with snot running down his face. The boys cried harder. Their small fists clenched as they expressed their anger and sadness.
They did not care about safety or new homes. All they wanted was their family back. Kakashi listened patiently without getting upset. He understood their pain completely.
"I can't bring them back to you kid. And I know it hurts but would your mom and uncle Pietro want to see you cry after they sacrificed themselves to protect you," Kakashi said kindly. He placed a gentle hand on their shoulders. "But they are gone," the boys whispered through their tears.
Kakashi nodded slowly. He knew no words could fix the hole in their hearts right now.
Kakashi said, "They are not truly gone in every way. Their love stays with you in your heart. When you feel sad, remember how your mom hugged you. Remember uncle Pietro making you laugh with his speed tricks. That love will give you strength on hard days. You are not alone. Many people here will help take care of you. We will build a new home where you can be happy and safe, just like they wanted. It will not replace them, but it will honor their sacrifice."
He added another paragraph with warmth. "One day, when you are older, you will understand their choice better. You will see how their bravery saved many lives, including yours. Until then, it is okay to cry. It is okay to miss them every single day. But also remember to smile sometimes. Your mom would love to see your smiles. She would be so proud of her strong boys. We will keep their memories alive together. I promise to help you remember them well."
The boys listened quietly now, their crying slowing down.
Kakashi could see they had not slept for some time with their dark puffy eyes. "Sleep for now. We will talk again after you have woken up." Kakashi said as he flashed them in a genjutsu to make them sleep as well as to give them a dream of their family that would help them avoid nightmares.
He knew from his own experience that nightmares were the main reason people did not sleep after a traumatic experience.
Kakashi then headed towards the Avengers Tower in the real world.
-----Author Notes---------
Thankyou Mason Erickson for supporting me!
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