Ah, Ok, I now I have to look after my younger self? great.
Ah, hospitals. Kakashi- wait, no, he was Sukea now. Sukea hated them. With passion. They were the bane of his existence with their itchy smell and their uncomfortable beds and the time that they gave him to his thoughts. His thoughts, at the moment, were decidedly not very pleasant. Because, well, time travel? Was that what happened to him? Or was he inhabiting a dead body? Would the medics see something off and declare him a medical anomaly?
Sukea had three fractured rips, one absolutely shattered leg, and a deep gash running down his eye. Apparently, he was lucky that he could still see. All that Sukea could see was the irony of it all, how he again had a scar right in the place that he used to.
Honestly, though, the thing that Sukea hated the most about hospitals was the fact that they could keep him away from missions and they would have the right to. Away from missions meant more time for people (read: Gai) to sneak up on him and force him to socialize.
But it wasn’t everyday that his younger self would attempt to break into his hospital room
“So!?” Young Kakashi finished, “Why are they forcing me to live with you? I’m perfectly fine all on my own!” It was almost like the six-year-old was ranting to himself, barely aware that his future-self-made-uncle was still listening attentively from where his nose was buried in the sheets.
“Well,” Sukea drawled, “I would think it might have something to do with the fact that we’re both Hatake. Family, you know?” Sukea was sure that he sounded absolutely unimpressed, and he was as he sounded. Absolutely unimpressed, but more with the fact that he got thrown into the past than how the Hokage was forcing him to stay with his… nephew? Younger self? Fuck, this was confusing.
“But it’s not fair!” If Kakashi was anyone other six-year-old, Sukea thought that the boy might have stomped his foot, and even then this was getting uncomfortably close to being childish. But Kakashi was Kakashi; he didn’t do things like that.
“Maa,” Sukea said, “I know, I know, the world is unfair, socks are always mismatched, and I will never find my true love. But can I sleep now?”
The gennin (was that right?) in front of him was truly disgruntled now, probably thinking something along the lines of ‘how can my stupid relative be so idiotic’, but Sukea took joy in confusing people. This was no different.
“Mismatched socks…?” Kakashi muttered under his breath.
Sukea did his best to shrug under the covers, “I thought that we were listing things that were true?” That excuse was bullshit and they both knew it, but though Sukea wasn’t known for all of the things that he used to pull, he would be soon. Mark his words.
“Now, mini-me-” And oh, how true that is, “-I actually need sleep, unlike you. So either go or stay, I honestly don’t care which, but be quiet.” Oh, wait no, that might have been the bad thing to say. If he knew his younger self, which was questionable at best, the brat would try and ‘accidentally’ make as much noise as possible just because Sukea said that.
Lets hope that he didn’t know himself as well as he thought he did.
Mini-Kakashi actually allowed Sukea to sleep, which was something that Sukea did not expect, but in it’s place Kakashi started to demand more, not half-assed answers from him the moment that Sukea woke up again. Fun, it was not.
Of course, Sukea wouldn’t give into his demands. What kind of annoying future-uncle-thing would he be if he did?
“How are you even related to me in the first place?” Sukea’s mini-me seemed to have tired himself out, now slouching back into the hospital chair. Aha! A question that he actually knew the answer to!
“Oh that?” Sukea said, still trying to become one with the bed, “I’m Sakumo’s younger brother, of course!”
Kakashi looked down at his form with something akin to surprise, and Sukea shifted to reveal his face, which he assumed was fairly similar to his original one, even if his feet still hung off the bed. Wait- a predicament had just arose: should he pretend that he didn’t know about Sakumo’s death? Likely, because no one really told him and Kakashi still wore his gennin outfit when he knew he made chunnin a week after Sakumo’s death.
“You…” Young-Kakashi started, in a slightly shaky monotone, “You do know that- he died.”
And ah, there it was. The conformation that he wouldn’t be able to save his father, not in this life or the last.
Sukea smiled a sad, sad smile, “I had my suspicions. So, you’re my nephew?” He laughed slightly, “I didn’t even know I had one…” and as Sukea stared off wistfully out the window, he realized that he would be living with his younger self. That… that would be difficult. He could barely take care of a ten-year-old Uchiha prodigy, let alone a six-year-old Hatake prodigy. But Sukea had a resolve to make sure that the kid never turned out like him, ever. They would be different, and Kakashi would be happy where Sukea would not.
He could save Obito. He could save Rin. He could save Sensei and he could make everything better for his village.
“Maa, I just realized that I never told you my name,” Sukea sat up slightly, careful not to jostle his leg too much, and said with a small finger-salute, “My name is Hatake Sukea, at your service.”
Kakashi was clearly in a confused sort of head-space, but still, he replied in kind, “I’m Hatake Kakashi.”