Darkness
Kakashi woke up in a bed that it wasn't his. Actually, it was too comfortable to be his, and it didn't even smell like his. It wasn't a hospital bed either, and surrounding him were many people looking at him from above. He couldn't quite place their faces, he was sure many of them were wearing Anbu's masks, but his vision was still blurred and pained. His left eye was closed now, and the only one exposed was still tired and hurting. Everything around him was still a little red and black, but his conscious part was sure that he had gone out of the Kamui soon enough like to go out from the water and even lay on the grass to rest a bit. He even remembered Tiān'é trying to stand on the water before... before he... was he dead? If he was dead, this wasn't how he imagined it could be.
For sure, Kakashi wasn't expecting to see the famous and peaceful bright light that welcomed the good people to the other side, in case something like that would exist; instead, he was waiting or aiming for something a bit more violent, just as his life had been. Some blood, the clashing of swords, shouts and fires everywhere, and of course, his father, Minato Sensei, Obito, and Rin finally there having their revenge and making good fun of him and his fate. Kakashi would bet everything he had that none of them would follow him to hell and remain there with him, maybe except for his father. Still, the rest would only be his Charon, and there once on the edge of hell, they would turn around and return to their eternal life full of peace and light between laughter and accurate but low comments.
Either way, he deserved it well.
The truth was that dying sucked. Not because of the dying part. Kakashi knew he would die eventually, and some days he hoped that sooner was better than later; what sucked about dying was doing it in such a pathetic low-rank mission. He would be remembered as de Ninja, who died training a ballet dancer, but it was ok if that meant that his head would finally rest.
But there was one problem: his head wasn't resting. His thoughts were not calming down and were not getting to an end. Was this a limbo? How long did it take for the brain to finally shut down and lower the final curtain?
Kakashi grunted in pain and frustration.
"What were you thiking boy?" Ok, so it was a Hokage's voice, but not the one he was waiting to hear. Kakashi tried to sit in the bed but got easily dizzy.
"Great..." He managed to say. His mouth was dry, and his voice terrible scratchy, "Then I'm not dead."
"Of course you are not, Idiot." The Sandaime was really annoyed. "What the hell were you thinking?" He repeated once more.
Kakashi opened his right eye and scanned the room. In a corner far away from the Hokage and the Anbu agents was Tiān'é. She was standing there, head hanging down, shoulders tensed, bracing herself. That little minx, now she was acting so shyly when only moments, hours, or whatever ago, looked so talkative and dared to hug him.
If it wasn't for her, If he didn't have the intrinsic need to help her and give her one chance in this process, nothing like this could have happened.
"How long has passed?" Kakashi began. "Where Am I?"
"Only a few hours, you are mastering the Sharingan, Kakashi, yet, you are too young and it's not yours." Kakashi looked again at Tiān'é, who lifted her head for the first time. Now the explanations were unavoidable.
"You are at Tiān'é's house, you were brought here after the Anbu agents herd her screams." Hiruzen finished sitting at the edge of the bed.
"Ok..." Kakashi tried to stand up, but he was stopped by the Hokage, "I want to go home, I'm fine, I just need some rest."
"No. You are staying, you need to rest, you need to eat, and we need to talk."
Kakashi didn't have an escape plan, so he made himself more comfortable on the bed that was not his, and like an angry child, he just crossed his arms over his chest and waited for the talk.
Tiān'é was cooking in the kitchen, and Kakashi was trying not to overthink his stupidity and what he was going to answer the Sandaime. He knew the dancer would listen to everything they would be talking about, the apartment was not that big, but he chose not to concentrate on that part if there was nothing he could do about it. Everything was against him, and for once, he was only trying to think on his own and with good intentions. But it seemed that nothing was enough.
"How are you felling?" Hiruzen said, stripped of his robe and Hokage hat.
"Fine."
"Kakashi..."
"Tired..." Kakashi conceded.
"Why did you think you were dead?" Oh... that question.
"Because it felt like."
"You've been there before. Why this time was more real?" The Hokage was clever.
"I don't know... I have sleep terrors again and nightmares." Kakashi was looking at his hands, they were always full of blood.
"I sense so much darkness on you..." Hiruzen spoke softly, "I don't think Minato had been fair with you."
"How dare you... Minato sensei was... we are all weapons for all of you."
"Easy boy. I'm just worry about you, I'm afraid that..."
"What? I turned out to be like him?" Kakashi chuckled. "That's why I rather die, Hokage Sama."
"You don't do us any good dead, Kakashi. We still want you around for many years, I beleave you are destined for great things."
Kakashi only puffed some air from his masked nose, annoyed by the situation.
"Now, why the Kamui?" The Sandaime finally asked.
"Now, why a girl who has nothing to do with the shinobi world? No fighting skills, no exceptional chakra, no jutsus, nothing, just nothing."
"She must have something, Kakashi. She made you use de Sharingan." Kakashi grunted again.
"She needed to learn how to swim fast and she didn't trust the real world." he said, absolutely red. Thank god he had his mask.
"Interesting..."
"What?"
"Nothing; for not being a sensei, you are too worried about your student's learning progress. And too willing to teach. I like that."
"It's not like... I'm not going to..."
Kakashi tried to clarify that he was not a sensei, an instructor, or anything like that, but they were interrupted.
"Oh Tiān'é, dear..." The Hokage said, acknowledging the girl entering the room with a tray full of food on it, "look, Kakashi, your food is ready."
"I'm not hungry." Kakashi said, getting more into the bed and turning to his left side to face the window.
"I can come back later Hokage Sama." Tiān'é said calmly and softly.
"Kakashi..." Hiruzen said more like a father than like the leader of the village.
"Fine." Kakashi said, sitting again.
"Are you staying, Hokage Sama?" Tiān'é asked. Kakashi rolled his eye.
"No, I have things to do." Hiruzen answered already at the door. "Oh, boys, I almost forgot. Tomorrow you will receive your first mission."
And just like that, the Sandaime disappeared.
First mission... First mission, Kakashi thought while he was looking at all the food in front of him. Tiān'é wasn't capable of fighting back one punch, and they were already going out on a mission? Even he wasn't feeling so sure of himself anymore for tomorrow. Would be he ready for an assignment after tonight? Things were getting complicated, and he always had many things in his head.
Too much darkness.
What did that mean? If the Hokage wanted light, joy, and optimism, why didn't he choose Guy?
You are too young, and it's not yours.
I don't think Minato had been fair with you.
Why? Why did the Hokage have the need to remember him all of this right now? He was the most conscious one about the fact that his Sharingan wasn't fairly his. He wasn't even an Uchiha; actually, he was a declassed. And putting Minato Sensei in the middle? that was low, but maybe it was true too. The pain inside was killing him. Luckily, he was feeling pain on the outside too, so there was no need to act like he was feeling nothing.
"Penny for your thoughts." Tiān'é spoke, looking tenderly at him.
"What?" he came back to reality without playing dumb.
"What are you thinking? Are you ok?" She touched his forehead, and for the first time, he didn't oppose.
"Better", Kakashi simply said without looking at her.
"You still have a bit of a fever."
"Probably" Kakashi was waiting for the questions; they would come sooner or later.
"You know..." Tiān'é began, "I think you should eat, have a shower and go to sleep. I can help you."
"I don't think you can do any of your three tasks for me Tiān'é."
"You think you have all the answers, right?" she chuckled, "I can share the meal with you, I can stay outside the bathroom while you shower in case you feel dizzy, and I can watch your sleep."
"Would you do that for me?" Kakashi genuinely asked.
"Well... You did that thing with your eye for me, and look where we are so..." Tiān'é was smart.
"About that..."
"Look, I don't want to know. I mean, I do, but it's only up to you, and if the moment never comes then it will be ok anyway."
After a few moments of silence, Kakashi agreed. It was true, he needed to eat, have a shower and sleep, so why not. Everything was already so twisted that a little more wouldn't cause any more damage, so Kakashi was again on her bed, tugged like a little boy in less than two hours. Beside him, Tiān'é was lying there, too, in comfortable silence.
Would he be able to sleep? Was she going to guard his sleep? Was she somebody he would trust? So many questions, but he needed to sleep so much. For once, he closed his eyes, and he closed his mind.
The following day Tiān'é was already sitting at the coffee table early in the morning, and Kakashi walked toward her and saw the worry on her face. Even if he had been capable of sleeping, he was conscious enough to know that the girl had also rested and that the night had gone smooth and at ease for both of them, so there was something else.
And so he remembered. Still a bit weak, he took the green envelope in his hands and took the short telegram.
Free day today. Tonight Hokage Tower. Mission Name: Spring Tea House. Details delivered tonight.
And what Kakashi feared the most finally arrived, and they both would have to visit a tea house and learn about the dynamics.
Damm sex missions.