Author's Notes: I just had to do a Kakashi/Gai friendship fic, didn't I? *laughs nervously* Please note that I changed some events from the original timeline… Well, I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!
The Copy Ninja was silent and withdrawn by nature. Working alone and speaking only when it was absolutely necessary or when it matters most.
On the contrary, the Green Beast was lively and boisterous since birth. Often spending time around his fellow Jonin and always spouting one thing or another about youth.
However, despite all these differences in their respective personalities, somehow, they managed to become more than comrades. Most would say friends, others best friends, but the Beast himself would say eternal rivals.
It was weird seeing the eternal rivals now. The loud one was hushed while the quiet one was never before seen talking as much as he was at that time. Numerous ninja of all ranks came by to visit the ailing shinobi, but one never left. His eternal rival was injured, and he cared… not that he would admit it to anyone. Once he was again left alone with the barely-alive man, his voice began filling the empty void that suffocated the room.
He had known the other for a long time. Never once on their meetings had he been this silent. Despite the fact that he more often than not found that booming, high voice annoying, he would do anything to hear it again and see that blinding smile just to make sure that his childhood friend will be alright. He finished his speech after what seemed like hours and sat back on his chair with a sigh. As he watched his usually cheerful friend, he involuntarily remembered that time.
*Flashback*
"Hey! Kakashi!" Someone screamed at the top of their lungs. The silver-haired boy frowned beneath his mask as he looked up from his book. He was surprised when he came face-to-face with an odd-looking person. The boy was wearing a green spandex, was the first thing that came to mind. And as if that weren't unusual enough, he had a weird-looking bowl cut for hair and bushy, shiny tufts that could be anything but eyebrows… yet they surprisingly were.
"I've been looking all over for you, my eternal rival!" The unidentified boy continued voice as loud as ever. Kakashi merrily blinked at him. Eternal rival? What was this boy talking about?
"Should I know who you are?" the silver-haired boy asked.
"We fought in the Chunin exams!" the boy replied, seemingly not deterred by the other kid's lack of interest, "And although you won that match! I, Might Gai, will rise above all difficulties and defeat you with my youth!" Kakashi sighed before standing up closing his book and walking off with Gai hot on his heels. Kakashi ignored the other boy, not even listening to the various challenges he threw at him. He made it to his apartment, and the black-haired boy was still there. He locked his door, not allowing him to enter, but he could still feel the other's presence right outside. He sighed but didn't take action. The bizarre boy would get a hint eventually, he told himself.
The next morning, the silver-haired boy woke up early. He quickly washed his face and had breakfast. His sensei had scheduled training for today and although a teammate of his was always late, he got ready to get there before it was time for training anyways. Maybe he could get some work done on his in-progress jutsu. He unlocked his door and was surprised when a green object fell right at his feet. Once it hit the ground, the thing jumped up to its feet. 'Oh…' It was that boy from yesterday. Kakashi fought the urge to hit his head on the wall.
"Hello, my eternal rival! I see that you have finally woken up to greet this youthful day!" Gai exclaimed while Kakashi wondered how someone could be so annoyingly loud this early in the morning.
"What do you want?" the silver-haired Chunin snapped. Nevertheless, the future Green Beast did not seem the least bit intimidated by the Hatake's hostility.
"Oh, my eternal rival! I merrily wanted to engage in a youthful challenge with you!" His ears told him to put his fingers in them so that the boy's voice would be dulled if not completely unheard, but being the proud Chunin he was, he turned down their demand. He settled for rubbing his forehead instead.
"Let's have a battle! May the man with the greater youth win!" Gai didn't wait for the other boy to respond. He opted for grabbing his self-proclaimed rival's wrists and pulling him to the nearest training grounds. The Hatake shook him off and trailed after him. Perhaps if he showed the dimwit just how much better he was, he would leave him alone. They finally made it to one of the training grounds. After having challenges including bow and arrow, sickle and chain and shuriken with Kakashi always winning, the silver-haired Chunin lost all hope of the other kid leaving him alone after losing. If anything, he seemed even more determined to get him tied up in some other silly challenge.
"Let's have a taijutsu only match!" the loud boy suggested, getting into his stance.
"Hai…" Kakashi answered with much less enthusiasm. The two clashed in the center, one arm blocking while the other aimed for the other's face. They both followed that with a flurry of kicks and punches, all of which were blocked by their opponent. 'Well, at least he has a bit of skill in taijutsu,' Kakashi thought while blocking another punch. Gai was on the offensive now. Kakashi could do nothing but try to block the many hits. Punch. Block. Kick. Block. Hit. Hit. Block. Block. They went over and over before Gai got the upper hand and sent Kakashi spiraling through the air and onto the ground. A bright smile lit up the bushy-browed kid's face. The boy laughed.
"Maybe I overdid it a little!"
However, the grin gave way to a look of confusion when the black clad figure disappeared and was replaced by a log. He didn't have a chance to retaliate when an arm shot out from behind him, choking him that he couldn't get a breath in. His face slowly turned purple as the lack of oxygen took its toll. The arm didn't let go until Gai was slumped due to lack of air.
"Have you had enough?" the emotionless boy asked, "Next time, just know your place," he said as he walked away. He didn't get far before a hand grabbed his ankle.
"Let go, you scum!" he yelled.
"No, I'm not finished challenging you, yet! Don't run away! I'm not scum!" Gai exclaimed, tears streaking down his face.
"I've beaten you in every challenge," Gai shut his eyes. He finally found the perfect rival. He didn't want to lose him. However, it didn't seem like he was good enough for his rival. The other boy's innate talent has beaten his hard work and determination, in every way possible, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself otherwise.
"What did you have in mind next?" Kakashi asked after a sigh and Gai could not believe his ears. Thus, not knowing how else to respond, Gai smiled. Not his bright, cheery smile, but a true grin of happiness. Therefore, after Team Minato's training was over, Kakashi headed to the rock he agreed upon with Gai for their next challenge. He nodded in acceptance ever so slightly when he found the black-haired somewhat-friend of his already there.
"Here I go!" they shouted in unison, arms held back as if readying for a punch.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors!" they yelled.
"Again! Again! Again!" they repeated over and over.
*End of Flashback*
That was the first time he ever had a challenge with his eternal rival and (dare he say it) friend. Yes, he decided, Gai is his friend. Despite everything that had happened and regardless of the name Friend- Killer Kakashi he had come to be known as, Gai stuck with him through thick and thin. Always watching out for him.
*Flashback*
Kakashi slowly made his way out of his home. That mission had been the closest to death he'd ever been, and he really should have been in the hospital, but he wasn't. He came back home alive while all those innocent people had died just so that he could complete his mission. He rubbed his forehead as if he could physically stop their screams from echoing through his mind and their bloody faces with sightless eyes from bombarding his very existence.
"Hey! Kakashi!" he heard the all-too familiar voice of the Jonin, "I see that your Flames of Youth have finally been revived and that you are now ready for another hot-blooded battle!"
"Hello, Gai," he acknowledged, he supposed the other guy would be slightly calmer if he were so. Somehow, the Green Beast of Konoha did quiet down a bit.
"Kakashi, are you eating right?" the now solemn man asked.
"Huh?"
"You're looking pale. You've got to eat, or you'll ruin your health," Gai said, knowing that his eternal rival should have been at the hospital, but he didn't comment on it.
Kakashi wasn't surprised by his friend's loss of enthusiasm. Gai always got like this when one of his precious people was in danger. He felt his body warm up at the thought. And now that he thought about it, underneath the ignorance the Beast displayed, he was sharp witted in some odd ways. He was always overly aware of others' feelings, yet pretends not to notice anything. Then, he proceeds to give some advice out of concern for their wellbeing. Gai was a true friend, Kakashi's best friend after Obito's untimely death.
*End of Flashback*
Kakashi allowed a sad smile to cross his features under his mask as he watched the steady rise and fall of the man's bandaged chest. Each and every time he need someone, Gai was there. Somewhere in his mind, he could remember when he was still six-years old and not a tad bit lonely and then, by some miracle, this friend popped out of nowhere.
*Flashback*
"Hey!" a green blur greeted as he came to a stop behind the small Hatake. Kakashi looked up from his book but did not greet back. Even at such a young age, he could read and write like he'd been doing it for years… which he had since his father liked it when his son practiced his reading and writing skills.
"You're always reading a book by yourself in the playground, huh?" the boy questioned.
"Is that wrong?" Kakashi wondered out loud.
"I don't mean that!" the boy said with a smile, "I just moved here, so I don't have any friends…" the green clad child approached and sat next to the silver-haired kid.
"Would you be my friend?" he asked loudly. Kakashi nodded his head. He figured it'd be alright if he had friends as long as they didn't interfere with his training.
"Yosh! I'm Might Gai, and I will be Konoha's Green Beast in the future and be the best taijutsu master there is! Nice to meet you!" the boy said it all in one excited breath that Kakashi had trouble deciphering the meaning of the jumbled words.
"I'm Hatake Kakashi. It's nice to meet you, too," he said in a much politer manner as he shook his new friend's hand.
*End of Flashback*
Even then, when everyone steered clear of him, afraid of his inborn talent as a ninja, Gai was concerned and reached out to him. Gai cannot die. No, Gai was not allowed to die! He couldn't die because he was Kakashi's friend and he needed him. Kakashi rubbed the Sharingan eye. Obito's eye was tearing up again.
"Hatake-san, visiting hours are over," the strict voice of a nurse floated lazily into his mind. He nodded when the words made sense to him. He trudged slowly home. He figured he shouldn't go back to the hospital tonight. The nurses and doctors lectured him none too gently and not a little angry when they found him in his friend's room that morning. Another stunt like that would get Tsunade on his tail. He couldn't sleep that night. The horrors of his missions in his ANBU days came flooding down on him since the dam keeping them back was cracked and broken. The screams and shouts of terror and fear engulfed his mind. The soulless gazes of the many innocent corpses stared back at his mismatched eyes with far too much hate and way too much rage than that of what a corpse should be able to express. And he looked back because he knew he deserved their disdainful stare and so much more than a simple glare.
Somehow, morning rolled around and took these creatures of his living nightmare with it. He quickly got ready to return to his post beside his best friend. Once he got there, he knocked even though he knew he would receive no answer. So when someone told him to come in, he was more than a bit perplexed and maybe the slightest bit hopeful.
"Ahh! My eternal rival has come to see that my Flames of Youth have returned to what they once were! You should not have worried my rival for there is nothing in the universe that could put out my Flames of Youth! And if there were something that could, I shall run ten thousand laps around Konoha and double- no, quadruple my training so that my Flames of Youth would be fanned and shine ever brighter!" Kakashi fought the urge to roll his eyes, sigh and smile like a dumb fool all at the same time with great difficulty. Everything was back to normal.
"Huh? Did you say something, Gai?"
"I see that your hip-and-cool attitude has not changed!" Gai fumed that Kakashi was sure he could see smoke being pumped up through his ears.
Yes… everything was going to be just fine.
Author's Notes: And that's the end of that! I hope that neither character was OOC or anything… Please tell me what you thought about this in a review! Thanks!
Side Note: I am currently working on a sequel for my other one-shot 'Hide and Seek' which will be published with the title 'Game Over', so if you like that story, stay tuned for the sequel! ^_^