A/N: Minato tries to pretend, Kakashi is helpless.
Together with Minato, Kakashi had come up with a list of things Minato needed. Kakashi had sent Pakkun to tell his guards to move Minato's old belongings to his apartment, where they would reside for the time being. It would be a bit cramped, but he didn't want to leave Minato in the hospital for even one more minute. He wondered why he looked as malnourished as he did; he was sure that Tsunade wasn't one to let her patients starve. They went to buy clothes first. Kakashi had wanted to give him his coat, before remembering that everybody would recognize them if he did. He was sure that Minato and him would rather avoid the unwanted attention. He folded it and carried it under his arms, before he went to his apartment to get Minato some clothes, as well as a jumper to shield him from the cold. He stopped at a store to buy a pair of mittens and a wool hat for him, too. Kakashi never wore hats, but Minato looked like he could use one.
When he returned, Minato was sitting on the edge of his bed obediently, as if he hadn't really moved an inch since Kakashi left.
"Minato-sensei, I got you something to wear, before we go to buy new clothes."
"Kakashi, you don't have to call me sensei anymore. After all, you're the Rokudaime," Minato laughed. It sounded forced. Kakashi ignored his statement, and handed over the clothes he had brought. To give him some privacy, he left the room and leaned on the wall, waiting for Minato to finish. A short time later, Minato stepped out, seemingly ready leave. The only thing he had with him was the book he had been reading when Kakashi had arrived. It looked almost cute how the clothes were too big for Minato, if he didn't know the real cause. The blue hat Kakashi had given him made him look livelier.
"First, we will buy clothes and basic utensils like a toothbrush. I don't think we will need to think of any elaborate disguise," Kakashi stated. They both knew that the "Because no one will recognize you in your current state" was left unsaid. Minato nodded.
They made their way to the clothing store slowly, as Minato wasn't used to walking after such a long period of not being able to leave his hospital room. The woman at the store gushed when she saw Kakashi, and eyed Minato intently. Kakashi tried to keep her away from him, afraid that Minato might be overwhelmed by the human contact that he wasn't used to. Minato handled it rather skillfully, laughing at the right words and retorting to her unnecessary questioning with answers that the persona they made up for him would give. They had decided that Minato should be introduced as a civilian from a nearby town who was a friend of Kakashi. The name they made up for him was Hamasaki Kyoya. After they had bought as many clothes as Minato let him buy (with a generous discount by the charmed shopkeeper), they made their way to Kakashi's apartment. Kakashi insisted on carrying all the bags, leaving Minato to awkwardly trot behind him.
He made Minato fish out the keys from his pockets, before he pushed the door open with his shoulder and entered. He decided to allocate his office to Minato.
"You can use this room for the time being," Kakashi put the bags on the ground, showing Minato the room he would be staying in. "There's no bed here yet, that's why I will take the couch tonight and you can have my bed, sensei."
"Ah- that's okay, I can take the couch, Kakashi."
"No, I take the couch," Kakashi left no room for arguments.
He went into the kitchen to find Minato something to eat, only to find out that his fridge was completely empty. All of his shelves and cupboards were empty as well and the dust had started gathering there. He scratched his head, wondering where all his food went. The grocery shopping he went on the week before seemed to be just yesterday. He went back to Minato's room- yes, it had become Minato's room to him.
"Sensei, I'm sorry, it seems like there is nothing edible in my apartment. We could go to the ramen shop downstairs."
"That's fine, Kakashi. I am not hungry." Minato avoided eye contact. Kakashi made a mental note to ask Tsunade about Minato's eating habits.
"You haven't eaten anything in hours. Even if you are not hungry, would you want your poor student to eat all alone?" he coaxed.
"I suppose you are right. Although you haven't been my student for a long time now."
"You will always be Minato-sensei to me," Kakashi smiled at him slightly. Maybe he was no longer the man's student, but for his own sake, too, he would continue to call him sensei. If only to remind himself that he had no chance for anything more than their past relationship as teacher and student. Kakashi took Minato to Ichiraku Ramen, seeing as it was Naruto's favorite shop. Minato should get used to Naruto's obsession early on.
"Kakashi-san!" Ayame gushed. Minato looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Kakashi sighed.
"Ayame. Two bowls of Miso-Ramen, please."
"Right away!"
Kakashi sat down on the chair that was closest to the wall. Minato sat down next to him and turned to face him.
"So Kakashi, she obviously likes you. Are you going to ask her out?"
"No," he said flatly. "She was my face one time and now she's like this."
Minato chuckled. "I'm envious. She got to see your face! "
Kakashi looked away. "I wouldn't mind if you saw my face. Although you already did."
"But that was when you were small! Now you're not cute and pudgy anymore, but all handsome I bet." Minato grinned.
Kakashi felt the warmth creep into his cheeks, but didn't reply.
"Here you are, Kakashi-san!" Ayame said enthusiastically.
Two bowls of Miso-Ramen appeared in front of them. They ate their meal in silence. Kakashi wondered if his comment had made Minato uncomfortable. After all, he was his former student, not a friend or confidante. His heart sank when he realized that the man had had no other choice but to go with him, as no one had really asked his opinion on the matter. When they were finished, Kakashi paid, while talking to Ayame for a few minutes. It could never hurt to be nice to her, as she sometimes gave him free bowls of ramen. He just tried to keep it light, not giving her any openings.
Minato and Kakashi walked home in silence. Somehow, Minato was different than he had been before his "death". He had never been someone who chattered aimlessly or who tried to force conversation, but Kakashi felt that their silence was an uncomfortable one. Finding himself unable to say anything to lighten the mood, he stayed silent. He still had a long way to understanding Minato's state of mind. Maybe Kakashi had simply gotten used to the idealized version of Minato he had created in his own mind.
"The bathroom is over there, sensei. If you need anything, just call me," Kakashi offered.
"I will. Thank you." Minato answered politely.
Kakashi retired to his bedroom to read until Minato was done in the bathroom. No matter how hard he tried to concentrate, he found his thoughts drifting again and again. He couldn't erase the picture in his head; Minato sitting on the hospital bed, staring blankly ahead. In front of him, Minato acted normal, except for a few moments in which Kakashi caught a glimpse of sadness in his eyes, when he was lost in thought. He pondered on how to get the man to open up to him.
When he heard the bathroom door open and the door to Minato's room close, he went to brush his teeth. When he grabbed his toothbrush from the glass he kept it in, he noticed that Minato's lay next to the tap. While brushing his teeth, he went into the kitchen, to get a glass for Minato as well. He also noticed that he hadn't given Minato a towel. Some host he was; forgetting the most basic of rules. He ran a hand over his face, looking at his tired reflection. He hadn't felt as exhausted as he did that moment in a long time.
The next morning, he woke up to Minato bustling in the kitchen. Kakashi stood in the doorframe, watching Minato bustle around with a soft smile on his face, before the blonde turned around.
"Morning, Kakashi. I made scrambled eggs with beef, I hope you like it." Minato laughed heartily. Kakashi's smile warmed at the man's expression. The sadness and grief from the day before seemed to have vanished. Back when he was Kushina's Anbu guard, he saw them laughing with each other, looking at each other lovingly, and eating together. Back then, he wondered if there would ever be someone to make him breakfast and now there was Minato-sensei in his kitchen, preparing breakfast.
"I will," Kakashi said, before entering the kitchen to get plates and cutlery for their breakfast. He set them on the small living room table. It was a small, square shaped wooden table that was barely used ever since he had been living on his own, as he never had guests over. He took in the shape of his apartment. There were no photos or paintings that gave off a homely vibe. Kakashi decided that his apartment needed to be redecorated so that Minato would feel at home as well… Home, Kakashi scoffed. As if Minato would want to live with him, after Naruto returned from his mission. Still, he would seize the time that had been given to him.
He walked back into the kitchen, looking at the breakfast Minato had prepared. It not only smelled delicious, but looked appealing as well. Kakashi's mouth watered at the sight. Normally, he always bought a bento to eat in his office. There had never been someone who had cooked for him before. Minato looked relaxed, while he stirred the eggs, one hand on his hips. He had somehow managed to dig out Kakashi's ancient white apron. He snickered a bit at the bizarre sight of an S-rank Shinobi wearing an apron. Minato noticed his reaction and pointed at him with his spoon.
"Are you laughing at me?" he asked in mock-annoyance.
"What if I am?"
Minato gasped, "Then I have to punish you for that!" He raised his spoon as if he was going to strike Kakashi with it.
Kakashi quickly ducked, evading the attack. Both men looked at each other, and began to laugh. He hadn't felt as carefree as he did when he was in Minato's presence for a long time. Then Kakashi moved closer to Minato who was looking at him questioningly. Unable to stop himself, he wrapped his arms around Minato tightly. Minato didn't move and Kakashi hoped he hadn't alienated the man too much. If he wanted to move out on his first day of living together with Kakashi; well he didn't know what he would do.
"Kakashi?" Minato's voice was small.
"Minato-sensei," his voice hitched. "Please, just for one moment…" Kakashi buried his face in the other man's shoulder. He inhaled his smell, the proof that Minato was there with him and the sadness overwhelmed him. Unwittingly, his eyes watered. He was acutely aware of how Minato must feel the wetness on his skin and shirt. Pathetic, he thought, a grown man crying over something like this. He prided himself on being aloof and distanced from his emotions, not letting them rule him, but the bizarreness of having Minato cook breakfast for him was overpowering. If Kakashi hadn't been as focused as he was on getting his emotions back into order, he would have noticed how Minato's tears fell on the top of his head.
A minute later, Kakashi retracted his arms and wiped at his eyes. He turned around so his back was facing Minato, not sure how he should proceed. Minato had enough problems of his own and didn't have to be burdened by Kakashi's, too.
"It's okay Kakashi. If hugging me helps you, you can go ahead. I'm sorry. In fact, I should have been there for you much sooner." The remorse and guilt was so evident in Minato-sensei's voice that Kakashi turned around to face him.
"Sensei, you were there for me. You specifically assigned me to Kushina-san so I would be distracted and learn the value of new life, isn't that right?" He would give anything to make Minato smile again. If only he had controlled himself.
"Yes," Minato's eyes hardened. "But in the last four months, I had a lot of time to think. If only I had sat down with you, if only for an hour, maybe things would have been different. I left you alone. All I knew back then was to speak through actions, but I realized that you needed words, not actions." Minato had put his hands on the kitchen counter, avoiding eye contact. Kakashi unconsciously followed his thin hand, as it seemed to caress the surface. "I decided that I am going to be there for you now, even if I am sixteen years late."
If Minato's words hadn't been right to a certain extent, Kakashi would feel worse than he already did. Obviously, Minato felt a lot of regret concerning his handling of Kakashi's situation. It was true that his PTSD would maybe have been less severe if he had had someone to talk to, but he couldn't blame Minato for that. He would never blame him.
"Maybe," he conceded. "But the important thing is that you didn't abandon me. I was no longer in your care. I was a Jounin. I never blamed you for the way you handled things." It was important to him that Minato understood that there was no resentment on his side.
"Kakashi," Minato smiled softly. It seemed like Kakashi's words had their intended effect. "You were always too forgiving for your own good."
"I don't think this is a character flaw," he smiled at Minato.
"It's not."
They carried the slightly cold breakfast to the living room table and started eating. Kakashi tried to keep track of how much Minato ate inconspicuously. Minato noticed and looked at him apologetically.
"Kakashi, I will be honest to you from now on, as I have promised. I noticed that you were concerned about my food intake. You are probably wondering why I am as thin as I am now. It's not that Tsunade-sama treated me badly. The other nurses didn't either. I only ate enough to survive."
Kakashi's eyes widened. "Minato-sensei, why?" he whispered.
Minato sighed heavily. "I guess it was a way to punish myself. I blamed myself that Kushina died. If only I had taken better care of Obito, Rin and you…. Maybe she would still be alive." He had started scratching the inside of his forearm.
"Sensei…" He abruptly stood up and walked around the table to put a hand on Minato's shoulder. He looked down at the man who seemed so childlike with his blue eyes looking up at him, searching for forgiveness and reassurance. "I, too, blamed myself for Obito and Rin's deaths for many, many years. When you died, it was like the final blow. I could barely function." He had never talked about his feelings regarding Obito and Rin's deaths with anyone, but this was Minato-sensei he was talking to: the only person who could possibly understand. "It takes time to heal the wounds and to let go of the guilt. Even now, it still haunts me. But I have learned to accept the past." His grip tightened, making Minato flinch. "Let me help you heal your wounds, sensei." He looked at Minato earnestly. He was no good when it came to talking about emotions, but he wouldn't abandon a man that was in a similar state as him. Minato put his hand on Kakashi's.
"Why does it feel like you are the teacher and I am the student?" Minato laughed, but it sounded hollow to his ears.
Kakashi didn't know why, but he had expected the man to be his usual happy and optimistic self. He hadn't expected him to be marred and scarred by the evens sixteen years ago. He decided to consult Tsunade about how he could try to ease the man's guilt. He wanted to distract Minato from his dark thoughts, so he proposed that they should take a look around town, so Minato could get reacquainted with it. He sent Pakkun to tell everyone that he would take the day off. It was cold outside so that their breaths turned into small puffs of smoke. The sun was shining and it seemed like a good day to take a walk around town. They walked around in a leisurely pace, stopping here and there to take a closer look at some shops and buying a few snacks on the way. When Kakashi spotted Gai, he grabbed Minato's arm and tried to make a run for it.
"Kakashi! It's time for another challenge!" He shouted, making Kakashi shake his head.
"Damn," he whispered. "I thought we could evade this…" He shot Minato an annoyed look, when he started laughing at Kakashi's reaction. They had managed to run away from Gai, but he knew that he would have to listen to Gai's whining the next time the man saw him.
"Gai grew up to become quite a fine young man, ne?"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "You sound like an old geezer, sensei."
"Maybe that's because I am."
Kakashi looked him up and down. "If you're old, than Tsunade must be ancient," he drawled.
Minato chuckled nervously looking left and right as if he was afraid the woman would jump out of a shop any moment and hit them for their insolence. "Better not say that out loud, Kakashi…"
They had ended up in a small street that was cut off from the bustling of the main road. Kakashi looked around. He knew that the street was filled with small cafés, often frequented by young couples on dates. He made a motion for Minato to follow him and they walked along the street until they found a café they wanted to enter. It's sign read "Mokutou". It was a small café with a rustic interior, most tables and chairs made of wood. They were almost the only ones inside, except a young boy and girl who seemed to be in their teens. The waitress was a young woman who was humming to the relaxing song that was playing inside the café. They sat down at a small table next to the window, leafing through the menu. Kakashi scrunched up his nose when he saw all the varieties of pure sugar the shop offered. At the end, he decided to ask if she could make a plain black coffee.
"What can I get you?" She asked cheerfully. Kakashi shot quick look at Minato, and was satisfied when he saw how the man smiled in return. It seemed like they had made the right choice.
"Just a plain coffee please."
"Yes, sir! What can I get you?" She turned her attention to Minato.
"One strawberry ice shake, please!" He grinned.
Kakashi grimaced. Who knew that Minato had such a sweet tooth. Even thinking about all the sugar his shake would contain made his teeth ache.
"You certainly have better taste than your boyfriend," She winked at Minato.
Kakashi froze. She looked at her incredulously. Then he looked at Minato. The man had lowered his gaze to the table, ignoring the whole situation.
"I- Im sorry!" The girl shouted. "I just thought… " She seemed ready to burst into tears at her mistake.
"That's fine," Minato quietly said, still looking at the table.
She got the hint and quickly went to prepare their beverages. Kakashi was kneading his fingers, still being ignored by Minato. He didn't know how to ease the tension between them, so he looked out of the window, waiting for their beverages to arrive so they could leave. Only five minutes later, the girl set down both of their drinks in front of them.
"These are to go and on the house! I am so sorry misters, I hope you can forgive me!" She babbled. Her eyebrows were furrowed in worry. Kakashi opened his mouth –
"No, I can't accept that." Minato stated firmly. "My boyfriend here is treating me," he winked at Kakashi, who got the hint.
"That's right. I promised to treat him. He took out his purse, putting the money with a small tip on top of the table.
They both stood up, taking their beverages with them.
"See you next time," Minato waved to the dumbfounded girl.
When they were outside, Minato turned to him.
"I'm sorry, Kakashi. I just felt like she was beating herself up over it. A little white lie doesn't hurt, ne?"
"Sure," Kakashi ground out. He quickly downed his coffee that burned the inside of his mouth and threw the cup away before burying his hands in his pockets. He ignored Minato's inquiring gaze. That comment had hit a little too close to heart. He doesn't know about my feelings, Kakashi told himself. There was no need to be upset by such an innocent remark. He noticed how Minato shot him a few worried looks, but he was too annoyed to react to them. He kept his stoic mask in place.
They continued to walk around for half an hour, Minato making remarks about a few buildings or places, only to be rebuffed by Kakashi's short "Hn," to everything he talked about. Occasionally, he was graced by a few grunts here and there. Minato sighed.
"Let's go home, I'm tired." I don't want to put up with this anymore.
Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "Sure."
They walked home in silence, stopping at the bookstore on their way back as Minato wanted to buy a few books to inform himself of the events that had happened in his absence.
"I'm going to the Hokage office. I don't want Shikamaru to chew off my ear tomorrow," Kakashi said. Normally he wouldn't care if Shikamaru or anyone else would scold him for his laziness, but he needed to get out of Minato's presence.
"That's fine. Will you be back for dinner? You look like you could eat a bit more."
Kakashi's frustration melted a bit, when he saw Minato's concerned face.
"I will," he promised. Then he took out his wallet. "Here, take this for groceries."
"Don't come back too late, Kakashi!" Minato waved with a smile as Kakashi left. Kakashi waved back. It was kind of a nice thought to think that Minato was waiting for him at… home.
When he came into his office, Shikamaru was sitting in his chair, an annoyed look on his face. He was working on some paperwork, probably left over from the day before. He looked up, when he felt Kakashi's presence
"About time, Hokage-sama," the annoyance was easily discernible.
Kakashi looked bored. "Any news?"
"There have been a few sightings of rogue ninja at the border to the Hidden Sand." Shikamaru handed him the reports the investigating Anbu team had handed in.
"Send in a team with stealth expertise." He handed the report back to Shikamaru.
Shikamaru stood up to put away the report and Kakashi sat down on his chair.
"I know you are wondering why I was absent both yesterday and today," Kakashi started. He had decided that he shouldn't withhold the information from Shikamaru. "The following information I will only tell you because I want to hear your opinion. It has to be kept secret under all conditions."
Shikamaru raised his eyebrows.
"The Yondaime Hokage has returned to Konoha," Kakashi folded his hands in front of his face. "In case you were wondering, I will tell Naruto when he comes back. We agreed that he shouldn't be informed at this time."
Shikamaru looked at him as if he had grown another head. Then he walked closer to Kakashi, sniffing the air around him. Kakashi shied away.
"Have you been drinking, Hokage-sama?"
"Don't be ridiculous. I only drink sake in the evening." He denied Shikamaru's claim. "Wait here," he said, before opening the heavy door safeguarding all of Konoha's deepest secrets. He went to get the scroll of the Reaper Seal. When he returned to the room, Shikamaru was organizing the unfilled paperwork. He handed the scroll to Shikamaru wordlessly, waiting for the teen to finish reading it.
"So Yondaime-sama sacrificed his soul to save our village," he mumbled. "Incredible information…" He was engrossed in the details of the forbidden Jutsu.
"You can read that later. To cut things short, I will give you a brief summary of what happened. The Yondaime's body was brain dead, but kept on life support. Orochimaru managed to free the captured souls and the Yondaime's soul returned to his body. He is currently staying with me," Kakashi added the last sentence casually.
Shikamaru's eyebrows were raised again. "That sounds rather… farfetched. But I believe you."
"Well that's that," Kakashi smiled at Shikamaru, trying to make him forget that he had been saddled with his paperwork for the day. "My next step was to compensate Yondaime for his heroic deeds. I was wondering on what amount would be enough for honoring his service to Konoha."
"Did you ask him if that's what he wants?"
Kakashi frowned. "No, I didn't. If he doesn't want to take it, I will just have to force him to accept."
"The records say that his old apartment was kept empty for the last sixteen years, by order of the Sandaime and Godaime."
"That's… good." Kakashi said flatly. I don't want him to leave me. "I will inform him of this." He had no intention to do so. "As for the sum, I think…"
In the end they had decided on a rather high sum that was justifiable. By the time they were done discussing all the urgent matters that had amassed during the day, the sun was already setting.
"Shikamaru. What time is it?" Kakashi hoped it wasn't too late. He was anxious to go home and see how Minato was faring.
"It's around seven, why?"
"I'm going home now, ja ne!" Kakashi disappeared.
"This Hokage…!" he faintly heart Shikamaru yell.
"I'm home!" He called, taking off his shoes.
"Welcome home," Minato called back.
Kakashi sniffed the air. It seemed like Minato was still cooking. When Kakashi entered the kitchen, he saw Minato stirring in a large pot, while holding a book in his other hand. He looked at it in concentration. Kakashi decided to take over the stirring. He took the spoon from Minato's hand, who continued reading the instructions.
"Kakashi, stir this for another minute. I'm looking at the next step."
Kakashi peeked inside the pot. It seemed like it was tomato sauce. Then he looked at the two plates that were already prepared. There were two large pieces of ham on them.
"I'm sorry that I'm not done yet, I thought you would be coming later," Minato smiled at him apologetically.
Kakashi smiled back slightly. "This looks delicious."
Minato nodded absentmindedly. He had begun to fill the plates with potatoes. Kakashi, I bought some wine. Why don't you take out some glasses and wait until I'm done?"
Kakashi did as he was told. He set the glasses down onto the table and poured the wine. He went to the shelf where Minato had put his newest acquisitions and traced his finger over the title. They were mostly history books and cooking books. Kakashi froze when he saw the last one. He took it out to confirming whether his eyes weren't betraying him. It was the book he had read after Rin died: How a Shinobi should die. He went to his room to keep it there, before he would dispose of it the next day.
"Dinner is ready," Minato called him.
"Coming!" Kakashi made his way back to the living room where Minato was already waiting and sat down.
"Itadakimasu!" They both said and started eating.
"This is delicious, Minato-sensei. I never tasted anything like it." If you looked at it from an objective point of view, it maybe wasn't all that special. The fact that Minato had made dinner specifically for Kakashi made it taste heavenly.
"Haha you charmer. Cooking wasn't my forte… It was Kushina's," he had finished in a whisper.
Kakashi looked at his plate. They continued their dinner in silence. The only noise that was audible was the clinking of cutlery and the clock ticking away on the wall. He had known that Kushina used to cook back when she was pregnant with Naruto, but he didn't know just how much his sensei would be bothered by his comment. He wanted to help Minato, but he had no idea how to do so.