He's there, right in front of you. Standing beside your hospital bed and looking at you, just like nothing ever happened. He looks different in some kind of way – a face protector that reminds you of the second hokage's, the standard jounin outfit you have seen so many other people wear.
Despite all that, he doesn't look like a hidden leaf shinobi. Not quite.
He looks more than that.
The man runs his fingers through the brown thatch and smile with closed eyes.
"It's been a while, senpai."
He sounds so happy, calm and in control of himself. Like everyone should sound.
How a human can develop during just a few years is really fascinating. How a human can change but still look exactly like than is even more interesting.
From a beginning, you hadn't believed Tsunade. Even when he stepped in though the door it had been a little too unreal too be true, and thinking about the circumstances it wouldn't surprise you if it was all your imagination.
But apparently it wasn't.
After a lot of information about how Tenzou – now Yamato – was suppose to take over Team Kakashi while you were in the hospital, you could understand a little more. Even though Tsunade and Jiraiya left him with a lot of questions, Tenzou had stayed, and now he's here by your side, greeting as if nothing ever had happened between you.
"T-Tenzou. I never thought I'd see you here again."
You manage to return a strained but truly happy smile. It is not like you don't want him there, no, you're really was happy to see him, it just feels a little… Strange. Unreal.
"I hope you understand why I'm here, and that I can help."
You nod silently, and he continues; "Many things have happened since we last saw each other. You think now's the time to catch up a little?"
You watch him sit down on a chair beside your bed, legs crossed and a hand under his jaw, to keep his head up. That same smile still decorating his lips, just like when he first stepped into the room.
Sit up. Your body is still stiff and it hurts like hell, but at this point you can tolerate it. Tenzou's face doesn't look happy with you when you turn your head against him, but you silent down his only try to protest with a raised hand.
A strained motion and you're up, sitting with your legs over the edge of the bed, facing him and his unhappy countenance.
You snort a little, "I need to get up a little. You know I hate hospitals, and the nurses are only making it worse."
For a moment you glimpse a smirk on his lips, but it's gone almost as quick as it appeared.
"Yea, yea I know… So. You want me to start?"
Looking at each other, a warmth is spread in the atmosphere. Trust. Faith. Just like back then…
"That would be nice."
The brown haired man lean back in his chair and think for a second, it looks like he's gathering memories from a past time. Well, it's true that it's been a while since you last saw each other.
Finally he opens his mouth and start to talk, slowly and soft, like usual. Calm and secure, like no one in the whole world could disturb his peacefulness. Like the bear in the forest.
You've missed his voice.
"When you left I was elected as the next captain. I wasn't half as good as you were back then, but our teammates trusted me and we all managed to get along. Mission after mission we succeeded to escort, protect, assassinate or fight people, and it all continued for years. I guess we were all bored after a while. Comrades from other teams died, some people left and never came back…"
Here he looks you hastily in your eyes before continuing, "… But we others managed to get along. I trained every day, chasing the dream of becoming stronger. Now I'm here – taking over as captain of your team. It's a little frightening, I have to say, you've been with them for a while, and now I'm suppose to take over…"
Thoughts are spinning inside your head, but you look up and smile again. "It's fine. They're really good kids, and they're strong as a team. I guess Tsunade told you about Uchiha Sasuke already?"
Tenzou nodded. "I know about him. It's not a nice story if we put it like that…"
Silence in a few seconds, then he opened his mouth again. "Enough about that. How about you?"
You feel a little surprised as you look down on your hands that are laying on your lap. "Maah, I haven't really done anything. I've finished the Icha Icha series, I've met people who mean something to me. Naruto, Sakura… Other than that I don't know. That's a little of the point why I left. Doing nothing has made my life better."
You exchange looks. It's suppose to go very fast, but there's something inside those dark eyes that makes you stuck for a while and just… Feel. Sit down and let your emotions bubble up to the surface, wait to explode in laughter or tears or a scream or just… Something.
The attraction is back. The attraction you used to feel in the ANBU, whenever you looked at each other.
"I understand."
Up til now it have felt like nothing but a dream, a lousy daydream that just came to your mind a boring day at the hospital, but Tsunade's words and the presence of a warm body right in front of you makes you realize that it's actually happening now.
It's reality.
Your old friend is back. Not back from the dead, but almost like it, since it's not usual that an ANBU gets out from the camp.
He's there, right in front of you.
You lift your hand, hold it in front of your face. Look at it, then reach out for the man in front of you.
It's obvious that he's embarrassed when the outside of your fingers touches his cheek.
But for you, it's like a light inside your head. Skin against skin, reality that's thrown right in your face without being prepared for it.
This is real.
"S-senpai…"
You can do nothing but stare, stroke your finger up and down along his cheeks and chin, down his neck and shoulder…
"…I-I don't…"
He grabs your hand. The motion is so hastily that you almost stand up by surprise, and the bed's swaying under the weight of your body. Pain strikes down along your spine before you're able to react and you have to close your eyes and breathe, breathe clear and as normal as possible.
The man in front of you looks a little scared, and he lets go of your arm to lay his hand on your shoulder instead.
"Are you okay?"
You cough and look up, meet his eyes again – this time you're not able to handle it.
Despite the pain and the adrenaline that's pounding through your veins, you can't resist but grab his field jacked and pull him even closer.
Your foreheads smash together, and you look him desperately in his eyes.
"What are y-you-"
"You're here… You're actually here again, Tenzou…"
He looks so insecure, but just a glance at your desperate countenance makes him relax and smile a little incredulously.
"You're still recovering, you don't know what you're talking about…"
"So I don't know what I'm talking about when I'm mentioning the years we spent together, doing more than what just friends should do?"
It was the one thing that shouldn't be said out loud, but it simply slipped out from your lips faster than you expected. He looked surprised, a little ashamed thinking back on how desperately they had thrown themselves on each other as soon as everyone had left.
"I… I've told myself to not think about that again…"
You snort, "Why? Didn't it mean something?"
"Of course it did."
"Then why…?"
Brown locks of hair covers his eyes when he look down on the floor. "It hurt too much."
Your body's shaking, you want to scream back that you know exactly what he means, but instead you just stand there and stare at him, unable say something in return.
All that's left inside the room is a dull silence.
Suddenly, the man stands up from the half sitting position he earlier had to bare with, and turns around. Slowly walking away from your bed, towards the door he's leaning his head to the left and talks to you over his shoulder. "I should go to my new apartment and get some rest, we're heading out tomorrow. Looking forward to see what those kids have learned from you, Kakashi-san. We can talk more when we all come home. See you in a bit."
He didn't wait for a specific answer, and since he didn't get one either he just stepped out through the door.
You stare at the opening, still picturing the silhouette of his head, shoulders, his back and his legs… Just like he still was standing there.
Why did he leave?
Your head is spinning, you can't get rid of the picture of him in front of your eyes. He was here so recently, just a few seconds ago… But why did he leave?
It was ages since you last saw him, and of course since you last touched him – and now, when he finally was there, his body just a few inches away from yours – he left. Without really saying why.
Naked feet on the cold stone floor, weak legs that are trying to hold up a tired body. Despite all that you're still standing. The first steps away from the bed are unbalanced and insecure, but when you've reached the door you can almost walk normally. Directly when you've stepped over the threshold you start to run, ignoring that you probably shouldn't. Patients and guests, family members and friends are shocked moving out of the way when you run by, not completely in control of what your feet are doing or where you are going, but as long as you're able to reach your goal before it's too late, it doesn't matter.
Down two floors and you've reached the last corridor.
The first thing you lay your eyes on are the back of a green field jacket, messy brown hair and a face that's dreamily looking out through the windows on his right side. No one else's out there, no nurses or medic nins, only him, and that's only good of course. He's walking slowly, relaxed, and you have to stop for a moment to take a deep breath and just look at him.
The afternoon sun that's shining in through the window is giving his face a completely different look. Much younger, much more innocent.
You open your mouth.
"Tenzou!"
A body freezes. He turn his head around. "K… Kakashi-senpai? You…. Wh-what the…"
Legs are moving automatically, and his eyes are just getting bigger and bigger the closer you come to him.
Finally reaching your goal, you lift your hands, put them on his shoulders and look him deeply in his eyes.
"Don't… Don't leave me when you just got here… I waited for… For years and now when you're finally here you just… Go away without even saying good bye properly…"
It's hard to speak when you've just run three floors down in a bad condition, but the smile he gives you in return makes it all worth it. It's supplied, but so warm and so happy that you almost can feel your heart beat two times faster than ever before. He opens his mouth and tries to speak, but it's not working, the only thing coming out is a small sigh.
After bringing himself together a few seconds, he's looking up at you again and meeting your eyes.
"B-baka… You can't run down here in your condition…"
"I need to see you, don't you understand? I need to be with you, just like back then…"
It's so obvious how he's fighting with himself. The part that doesn't want to get hurt, the part that wants it to be like back then. Exactly how you felt yourself back there.
"Please… I will never leave you again… I haven't forgotten what we had…"
With those words and a last look in your eyes, he just can't say no anymore.
Pulling you closer, letting you feel the closeness of a warm body against your own again, is more than you ever thought you'd get. He's hugging you, comforting you and you're too filled with emotions to do anything but bury your face in the mane of short, brown hair and inhale the scent of soil, water and everything that makes you safe.
His arms around your back makes it feels like your bodies are one, and you whisper in his ear;
"You're the key to my happiness."
He giggles a little, probably because it's tickling, and then he's hugging you even harder, grabbing the thin fabric of your undershirt.
Minutes of just standing there, completely lost in each other, feels like seconds.
He's murmuring something with his face buried in the cloth over your torso.
"Do you know what they called us back at the camp?"
You lean back and he's releasing you from his grip, lifting his hands to your face to finger a little on the edge of the mask.
One black, one red eye looking at him. "No, I've never heard that."
Two finger have searched themselves down under it, exploring your cheekbone. They're pulling the black fabric down, carefully like it was the most brittle glass.
He looks up into your eyes, and you just simply can't resist to lift your hands and cup them around his face.
You're both moving towards each other at the same time, and in one silent motion, lips meet.
Softness, heat, it all comes flowing over you in a rush, making you so dizzy.
United again, after such a long time.
After a few seconds you have to separate from each other in order to breathe, just like so many times before.
He's relaxing and running his finger through your hair. You close your eyes and rest your head against his shoulder.
"We should get you back to your room before anyone sees you here… Especially the medical nin's. You know, you actually run down three floors in that condition… I almost think that's against the law or something."
You only mutter as answer, "Yea, I know…"
Bodies turn around, make ready to walk the stairs up again.
Like a horror movie.
But the arm around your waist, and the fingers entwined with your own makes it a little lighter, a little easier.
Just when you're about to move, a warm breath heats up your cheek with a kiss.
A soft voice whispers,
"They called us The Inseparable."
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