Rating: General
Words: 677
Pairing: None
Warnings/Summary: Team Minato fluff mostly, I adore these three together
Author's Note: Part of my May Drabbles challenge on tumblr. The prompt was tied together and the bonus word was illness.
"Stop pulling," Obito growled, planting his feet in protest. Kakashi and Rin's forward momentum nearly jerked their teammate onto his face as he skidded forward a few steps.
"Stop being so slow," Kakashi mimicked, rolling his eyes skyward.
The trio stood in front a beam that led to a raised platform. Kakashi had one foot on the rickety board, attempting to force Obito and Rin along by willpower alone. Obito uncrossed his arms and jerked hard at the cord wrapped around his waist and almost succeeded in pulling Kakashi back onto the ground. Rin stood between them, murmuring something too low to hear.
Minato sighed as he watched the group. His "team" didn't appear to understand the concept of the word, despite their lesson with the bells. Kakashi remained arrogant and aloof, standoffish even, while Obito fought to live up to the other boy's genius. The Uchiha showed promise, yes, but he hadn't reached his full potential yet. The two boys alone were a recipe for disaster and Rin complicated things further. Who came up with the bright idea of mixed squads?
"The whole point of the exercise is to complete the obstacle course as quickly as possibly," Kakashi growled, bodily dragging his teammates a few feet up the ramp.
"You don't know that," Obito complained. "You don't know everything even though you think you do."
Rin raised her shoulders in a shrug. "We do need to complete the obstacle course," she hedged, looking between her teammates. "Regardless of our speed."
A slight smile tugged at Minato's lips as the trio advanced to the ropes strung between several trees. He rubbed a temple, fighting off the headache that had been dogging him for days. He'd had a cold for the better part of a week, but he couldn't put off training for such a common illness. So, he'd opted for the obstacle course instead, to get a break. Tying the three of them together had been a spur of the moment genius.
Kakashi and Rin moved across the ropes with familiar ease, but Obito trailed behind. He leaped toward the next hold and missed, crashing through the air with a squawk. Rin turned, but her reaction wasn't quick enough. Obito's weight dragged at the band secured around her middle, and Rin's hand slipped free. She let out a soft gasp of surprise when Kakashi caught her wrist. The weight should have pulled the boy down, but he'd secured his hold with chakra.
"Stop screaming and put your feet down, baka," Kakashi growled, fighting to keep his grip.
"I don't want to-" Obito opened the eyes that he'd squeezed shut. "Oh."
Minato disguised his laughter as a cough when the Uchiha's toes brushed the ground. Rin hung suspended, unable to pull up because Obito's weight or move closer to the ground because her connection to Kakashi. They trio wouldn't be able to last much longer before the latter lost his grip.
As usual, the jonin read the situation before his teammates. "We can't pull Obito up, so we're going to have to fall," Kakashi explained. Rin nodded, trusting him completely. "We'll let go in three, two, one."
Rin thumped onto her feet and Kakashi tucked into a roll as he fell. The rope stretched to the extent of its limits as he popped back to his feet. Kakashi brushed the grass off of his pants and surprisingly didn't offer a smart comment. "We should go again," he said, eyeing the course.
"Maybe we should let Obito set the pace," Rin suggested.
The Uchiha's chest swelled with pride at her attention, while Kakashi rolled his eyes. Then, he nodded. "Fine."
The team adjusted the ropes around their waists so that Obito could lead and started up the ramp a second time. Rin had lent Uchiha the confidence that he'd been lacking. And with Obito in front, Kakashi couldn't run too far ahead. Minto grinned as they crossed the ropes with ease. Maybe they'd learn to work as a team after all.