You have places to be
Kakashi jolts up, dreams of two wars being mashed together into a nightmare mix slowly fade away. For a second, Kakashi wonders where he is, his mind on the battlefield and his body wrapped in a soft blanket.
He remembers last night quickly and rubs the bridge of his nose. he was a highly competent ninja, with over twenty-plus years of experience and the first thing he did was throw up and then cry. It was just hot in this room, there was no other reason for his face to feel so warm.
He looked out the window, the sky was still dark, but the sun was slowly but surely peaking through the shadows. It was soon to be dawn. His dad had left sometime during the night. Some part of Kakashi was screaming to go find him, twitching really, at the separation.
He slid to the floor of his room, his body still tired, and mind still lagging. Shower. Shower first, and at least brush his teeth three times. His breath was more than just morning breath.
After sliding out of the shower and vigorously scrubbing his teeth, he can now say he is the cleanest he has felt since the war against Uchiha Madara.
Ash, all that was left was ash, he could smell it, he could taste it, he was covered in it. It was his squad's ashes.
He decided he didn't really want to think about it all that much. Kakashi meandered into the kitchen, staring at his tiny feet and wondering when he had ever been so small.
His stomach rumbled, empty of everything.
After he was done eating, he was going to train his ass off.
He had to be ready. He had to.
It was almost noon when he remembered he was probably supposed to turn up for a team meeting. He was nervous, about seeing his team again. Scared, that he would start crying upon seeing them so young and so alive. There must be something happening with his emotions because he's in a child's body. He's not normally so...... sob-ey.
He takes another shower, he's covered in dirt and leaves, the odd twig sticking from his hair. His muscles are pleasantly sore and his mind is more settled than it was this morning. He dresses in what he thinks is what he wore when he was still with his team. It takes him a moment to remember he doesn't have to put his forehead protector over his eye anymore. Years of habit had him walking to the training ground with it over his eye.
He fixes it before he enters the grounds (he takes that moment, to breathe).
"BAKASHI, YOU'RE LATE!!" A look of pleasure was plastered on his face at catching Kakashi being less than perfect at something.
Kakashi blinks, eyes wide as he stares at Obito. Young, healthy, unscarred Obito. His eyes burn with the pressure building behind them.
"Ne, Kakashi, are you alright?" Rin is beside him gazing concerned at his face.
Oh god, he doesn't think he can do this anymore. She looks surprised at the glassy quality of his eyes, and a little panicked.
He had almost forgotten what she sounded like.
"Ehhh, What's wrong with the little guy?"
Kakashi's eye twitched. Okay, never mind he doesn't feel bad anymore.
"Shut up, idiot."
"Boys, what did I say about fighting?" Very suddenly, Minato was looming over them. Kakashi said nothing but could feel the pressure return to his eyes. His sensei. He had missed him and Kushina so much. His deep blue eyes searched Kakashi's face, apparently finding something to be off about him. Kakashi could only stare back, barely holding himself back at this point from crying or throwing himself at Minato.
What is happening today? Why is he feeling like this?
Minato found something off to Kakashi and waved Rin and Obito away. Kakashi stood there paralyzed. Minato crouched in front of him, a small frown on his face.
"Your Father came to me this morning, he was concerned about you."
Kakashi felt his ears heating up, as he kicked up dust with one foot, "It was nothing. He didn't have to do that."
Minato placed a hand on his shoulder, "I just want you to remember that you can speak to me, and if you don't feel like talking to me I'm sure your teammates would listen. You aren't alone Kakashi, and whatever you're feeling you don't have to feel alone."
Kakashi could only nod. Minato gave him a smile. "Alright, now because you were late, you earned your team twenty laps around the village! No chakra." Kakashi paled, just a little. Maybe he shouldn't have trained this morning.
Obito yelled his outrage. "WHAT? what do you mean we have to run laps?!? Only the asshole was late! I was even on time! Why should we have to?"
Rin didn't look very happy either, her smile twitching dangerously.
Aa. This was going to be a long day.
Kakashi cursed his short baby legs. He cursed at younger him as well. He couldn't have waited until he was a little older to graduate? Kakashi misses his longer legs. He misses his adult stamina too. Just because he's a prodigy doesn't mean his body isn't one of a little kid's.
Obito was dragging his feet behind Kakashi, muttering under his breath. Kakashi pretended like he couldn't hear that Obito was cursing him out. Rin was slightly more out of breath than the two boys.
If he wanted these two to survive, he was going to have to take drastic measures he decided.
He couldn't lose them a second time, He couldn't slowly forget their voices and smells again without going mad.
Minato smiles, like the evil, evil man he is. "Now that you're all warmed up, I think it's time for D ranks!"
Kakashi's nostalgia must have clouded his memories of Minato because he doesn't remember Minato being this mean.
Obito wines, Rin groans and flops to the floor. It takes all of Kakashi's stubbornness to not huff like a child. (He isn't. He is a grown man goddamnit.)
Three dejected genin trail after Minato like disgruntled ducklings.
Kakashi hates cats. Next time he sees a cat he's biting it. Obito and Rin don't look much better than him, both with scratches all over their faces. Kakashi has significantly fewer scratches but is equally covered in cat hair like the other two. They had done various D ranks throughout the day, and while he understands why, it doesn't mean he has to like it.
War is brewing, and Konoha is trying to keep civilians from noticing. He doesn't miss this, the tension that is quietly building.
How many more wars, he wonders, will he go through before he breaks?
How many more times can he lose his important people, his family, before he joins them?
He decides to act his 'age' and plops down into the middle of Obito and Rin. Both are too exhausted to find his actions strange. He almost wants to reach out. Lean some of his weight on his teammates.
He can't.
Not yet, they don't know how much he's changed overnight.
Kakashi decides that he will start on that today. Minato has just left, leaving with a cheery wave and the promise of an all-day training day starting at 5 am tomorrow. He suddenly aches with the longing, the need of his own genin. He feels their absence so strongly and out of the blue that it feels like he lost a limb.
Obito stands up, and it seems like he's going to leave. He mumbles something to Rin as he passes and curses Kakashi's name quietly. Some deep-rooted fear makes Kakashi tense at the thought of Obito leaving.
"W-Wait!" Kakashi is very suddenly aware of how hot his face feels. Obito turns around to stare at him judgmentally, Rin, practically digging holes into the side of his head.
"Would...Would you like to come over..." Kakashi tugs his mask farther up his face and feels like drowning.
Obito looks at him with such bafflement that Kakashi shrinks back instinctively.
Obito's face is blank and says "Who are you and what have you done with bakashi?"
Kakashi bristles against his will and speaks without thinking, "Shut up bastard! There's nothing wrong with me!" He thinks his emotional restraint is shot to hell because that is not what he wanted to say.
"There's totally something wrong with you! You're always like 'oughh I'm all angsty I don't need anyone.' And now you're inviting us over? Are you possessed?" Obito is poking him with an actual stick.
Kakashi's face flashes with hurt. He hides it quickly, so fast it might not have been there in the first place.
Rin interrupts their bickering. Kakashi and Obito freeze with their hands pushing at each other's faces. Obito is a child Kakashi repeats to himself, Obito is only a child, and Kakashi is not about to throw hands with an eight-year old. (He is.)
"That sounds nice, Kakashi, thank you for the invite." Kakashi lets go of Obito's collar to gaze at Rin. She has a small smile on her face and there is a warmth there that makes Kakashi gulp. Kakashi's face is warm again but all he does is kick the ground again.
"Really!? You're actually going to--" At a sharp look from Rin, Obito stutters.
"Well if you're going, I'm coming too! I won't leave you alone with this alien pretending to be bakashi." Obito gazes at him with something like suspicion but he does it so badly that it looks more like he's constipated.
"Whatever." Kakashi mumbles. He turns on his foot and starts walking, he can hear Rin and Obito scrambling after him. Kakashi allows himself a small smile, ducking his head down. There is a gentle breeze and gentle sunlight.