Kakashi sighed, watching as his friend and rival, Maito Gai, started heading his way. It was just his luck that he'd get pestered or challenged on his only day off in months. He pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eye shut as Gai neared, trying not to sound too exasperated when addressing the green-jumpsuit-clad shinobi.
"Hello, Gai," he muttered. "What is it this time?"
"Kakashi!" Gai exclaimed, giving his traditional goofy grin and thumbs-up. "I challenge you to a race!"
"What kind of race?" Kakashi grumbled, putting the most recent copy of Icha Icha Paradise away.
"A footrace through the forest surrounding Konoha!" the green-jumpsuit-clad shinobi declared with utmost confidence. Kakashi just sighed.
"Fine," he mumbled, looking towards the forest with what was almost disdain. Without warning, Gai broke into a sprint for the forest, leaving Kakashi behind to sigh and sprint after him.
Somewhere deep in the forest, Kakashi sighed as he continued to sprint. Gai was very far ahead of him, and probably gaining distance fast. Oh, well; the silence gave Kakashi room to think. Gai was always challenging him to things, no matter how stupid, and was always losing and pushing himself altogether too hard to make it up to himself. Gai never challenged anyone else like this; just Kakashi, it seemed. It was rather strange, and yet, at the same time, one little idea made perfect sense in the context. Gai never seemed to look at girls, was always hanging around Kakashi, and cried a lot, even if he covered it up as "manly" tears. There was no way Maito Gai could be straight – no way in hell. And there was no way any other explanation could fit so well as the one that stated—
iSlam!/i
Suddenly and almost inexplicably, Kakashi found himself flat on his back on the forest floor, the wind knocked out of his lungs. He opened his eye and found himself looking up at…
…none other than Maito Gai himself. Just Kakashi's luck, he'd gotten pinned to the forest floor by the only ninja in Konoha who wasn't openly in love with someone and instead chose to hide his affections for Hatake Kakashi, better known as Sharingan Kakashi to foreigners. Luck just didn't favor Kakashi very well, so it would seem.
"I won," Gai muttered, oddly quiet and sober for him. "I made it to the edge of the forest already. You lost, Kakashi."
"That's a first," Kakashi muttered. "What are you going to do about it, Gai?" Unexpectedly and without warning, Gai reached up and pulled down Kakashi's mask.
"What I've wanted to do for a long time," Gai said, leaning down and kissing Kakashi gently on the lips. Kakashi, who was completely unprepared for that, just froze, staring at Gai as he pulled away.
iIt had been the most amazing thing Kakashi had ever experienced./i