To anyone else, Kakashi's Hatake's activities over the course of the day, while in no way peculiar, were certainly bizarre for him, and especially so given that he lived alone.

To start, he got up early on a Saturday. Not horribly strange, but strange for Kakashi, who frequently sequestered himself away in his bedroom for whole weekends, and strange because he was due to be on the road in a short matter of time.

The bookstore was Kakashi's first stop. While he was a frequent visitor, he did not immediately head to the adult section. He instead stopped to scour every shelf for any sign of either 'Jiraiya' or 'The Toad Sage' and was surprised to find that Jiraiya had, in fact, penned a children's series about ninja's with Naruto as the main character. A fairly well liked one too. He picked up a box set. Collector's edition.

Then it was to the college bookshelves. This of course, could not have been for him because he had his degree, if his resume and living room wall were to be believed. Nonetheless he grabbed two SAT prep books and an ACT prep book just in case.

He also grabbed a brightly colored book full of personality quizzes. Naruto would like those.

Next stop was coffee, which was more for his sanity than anything else. He pulled out his laptop and spent the entirety of his self determined break on google. Once, or twice, he tried to look up Naruto's foster care history, or his high school math teacher, before he felt like a stalker and closed the laptop, hard.

In his head, when he planned this all out, he had thought that he and Naruto would end the evening, perhaps somewhere in a park, most likely together. They would eat hot, homemade ramen, and it would just be the two of them so Kakashi wouldn't have to feel embarrassed about the amount of stuff he bought. Or his now weirdly specific knowledge of Naruto's life and friends. He hated Facebook.

Being nice, he learned, was harder than he thought. He'd been on the phone for an hour already and still found himself talking in circles.

"No, I need to talk to Gaara."

"I'm sure I could help you, if you just give me your name and I can write it-"

"I gave you my name already. Look I need to talk to him right now."

There was silence on the other end of the phone. At last, the salesperson tried again, "Sir-"

Kakashi hung up.

So, he was going to have to go in person. Great.

Kakashi had done some rudimentary research via Facebook. Through Naruto's very public Facebook page he was able to garner that he'd missed his birthday, and Christmas and Valentine's were a bust. Still he figured that the plant and the car meant he was in serious gift debt to Naruto anyways and that thought alone propelled him out of his seat to start setting his plan into motion.

The car dealership was the only one in town, and looked like every car dealership Kakashi had ever seen. Low lying cement building with gleaming windows, and a long, long lot full of every car imaginable. A large banner read "Certified Toyota Dealer" over the entrance and balloons and flags lined the lot. Kakashi pulled into the place feeling immediately awkward and slimy.

He walked into a clean, open lobby, full of sunlight and plants. A woman looked up from behind the front desk and flashed him a bleached white smile. "Good day, how can we help you?"

Kakashi had been told, once, that despite the glaringly prominent scar and weird eye he was attractive to the opposite sex. He hoped that was true.

He leant on the desk and tried to smile. "Hello there, I'm trying to find someone called Gaara."

The woman blinked up at him from cat eye frames. "Um…"

"...can't believe you. We agreed we'd both continue our studies here."

"Berkley has a great Anthropology program. Honestly, just be grateful I didn't pack my bags and fly to London-"

A young couple walked out of a door across the room, and Kakashi recognized the man by his high, black ponytail and sour attitude. He left the secretary without a second thought.

"Wait!" He called to them as they walked towards the exit. The woman, blonde with green eyes in a smart black blazer, looked ready to punch him if he came to close, so he halted about five feet away. "Excuse me, Shikamaru, right?"

Shikamaru regarded Kakashi with a look that screamed 'scheming'. "Yeah. What of it?"

"Do you know where Gaara is?"

The couple exchanged a meaningful look, and then the blonde put her hands on her hips and turned to Kakashi. "Maybe. Why?"

"I have a favor to ask. For Naruto," he added, hoping to gain in ally in Shikamaru, who arched a brow at him.

"Naruto?" The blonde looked to Shikamaru and Shikamaru shrugged.

"He's a friend of Naruto's. Or at least, Naruto's been hanging out with him a lot lately."

Kakashi glared. Shikamaru did not look the least bit sorry about being unhelpful. But that seemed to mean something to the blonde.

"Please," Kakashi said stiffly. And he hoped that was enough because he had a short list of ideas and if this didn't work he didn't know if it would even matter. He felt terrible at this.

"Fine," Temari said, and then whirled towards Shikamaru, "We will finish this conversation later."

Shikamaru cowered appropriately away from her accusing gaze.

Gaara's office was small, and quiet, and the young redhead sat behind a beige desk doing paperwork and looking dreadfully dull. Temari opened the door, said "This asshole wanted to see you 'bout Naruto," and left him. Gaara continued doing something on the computer for about ten minutes before he turned teal eyes on Kakashi.

"How may I help you, Mr. Hatake?"

Kakashi folded his hands quietly in his lap. He sat across from Gaara in a square, uncomfortable chair, and Gaara's calm, eeriness, though odd, at least warranted less subtlety or pretense on his part. "You're a friend of Naruto's-"

"No," Gaara glare, "We served are a friend of Naruto's."

"I see." Kakashi's finger's itched to go after his book or something but he held still. "I was wondering if you'd be interested in helping me, ah, surprise him."

"Surprise?"

Gaara clearly hadn't expected that, he sat back.

"Yes, well, you see, Naruto gave his car away in December."

Back to glaring. "To you."

"Well I didn't ask for it-"

"You could have returned it-"

"Have you tried returning things to Naruto? He's practically redecorated my entire house."

Gaara smiled, though he obviously was trying not to. "I… see. So what do you want?"

"So, I was wondering if I could buy a car."

Naruto did not get Sasuke alone after he brought him back to Sakura (in one piece and largely mentally stable to boot). He tried not to feel put out about that because, Sakura needed him, of course, but he found himself playing the background character to Sasuke's angsty protagonist more and more as Sakura prepared for lunch. Everyone was coming over to celebrate Sasuke's return and eat lasagna. Ino had Sasuke cornered in Sakura's kitchen.

"What was it like? Prison?"

Sasuke shrugged and drank coffee. The four of them were sitting at the kitchen table, Sakura waiting anxiously for the oven to go off and Naruto sitting silently while Sasuke maintained the attention of both women.

"Please don't bother him, Ino," Sakura said.

"But-"

There was a knock on the door. Naruto sent thanks to the higher powers for the interruption and jumped to go get it, while Ino tried a new tactic.

"Is your brother really a murderer?"

Naruto swung the door open to find Shikamaru and Choji on the doorstep. Shikamaru looked as enthused as ever, and Choji crumpled up and tossed his bag of chips like Naruto didn't know the man was a voracious snacker.

"We heard there was a party," Shikamaru said, looking none too pleased to be there. He lit up a cigarette. Naruto grinned.

"It's gonna be wild. Sasuke's gonna sit there and look cool. We're all gonna be ignored. There's lasagna."

"I'm in," Choji said, and pushed passed Naruto after the smell of the food, which Naruto heard beep in the oven.

Shikamaru hung back on the doorstep.

"How are you?" He asked between drags of his cigarette.

Naruto looked back at the kitchen where already he could see Choji and Sakura arguing, all in good fun, over healthy portion control. He stepped outside and closed the door.

"I'm ok," he told Shikamaru. And he meant it. Really.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Turns out he just disappeared into the wind for god knows how long because he needed to get back in touch with Itachi."

"I see. What'd Itachi say?"

"He won't tell me but," Naruto shrugged, "I think this is the last disappearing act for a while."

"Sure," Shikamaru said.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while. Naruto met Shikamaru before he left for basic back when Sakura had first enrolled in university. He had been in her psych class freshmen year while Naruto had struggled through another senior year of high school. Somewhere along the way the asshole decided that Naruto passing was his personal God given mission. Back before he smoked.

"You shouldn't smoke." He thought of drunk Kakashi lecturing Genma on the subject and smiled.

Shikamaru grinned, and blew a bunch of smoke in his face.

"Oh, gross!" Naruto coughed.

"Listen." Shikamaru dug around in his pocket and pulled out a letter. "Here. Temari gave it to me. It's from Gaara. They're having a small get together tomorrow. By the way, you have your license, right?"

"This is very fancy." Naruto flipped open the letter and laughed. "Oh my God, this is from Bee."

He held up the letter so Shikamaru could see the well thought out rhymes and severe handwriting.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Right, right. You have a license though?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Just checking, c'mon, we should get back in there." Shikamaru put a hand on his back and led him inside.

Kakashi wound up waiting until nightfall to pick up some ramen.

He started reading the 'Gutsy Ninja' series instead, and found he had to put down the book every time the main character did something a little too stupid (or too Naruto).

He still found himself jumping when his phone buzzed, with a text from Naruto.

Can you give me a ride?

Naruto did not have a horrible time at Sakura's, but he definitely kept looking for an exit. Bee's party wouldn't start for another hour and a half, and Sakura was insistent on driving him. They all sat in the living room. Naruto found and claimed a corner of the couch while Sasuke claimed the lounge chair. Shikamaru sat perched on the back of the couch and Choji worked his way through thirds at the coffee table.

Can you give me a ride?

He stared at his phone. He'd texted Kakashi an hour ago. Maybe he was being too casual. They weren't even really friends, hell, Naruto had wrecked his car and his Christmas and his house, who was he to even ask for a ride when-

What did you do?

Naruto had...never received a text back from Kakashi and he stared at the phone grinning like an idiot while the other's arguing over dishes faded into the background.

Nothing!

He was thinking out a more detailed reply when suddenly Sasuke was over his shoulder. "Who are you talking to?"

Naruto yelped. "N-no one!"

Suddenly every eye in the room was on him. Shikamaru smirked, and Naruto knew something was up because Shikamaru was never that pleased, but it was Sasuke who spoke.

"It's that guy, isn't it?"

Sakura seemed to know instantly. "Oh, Kakashi? How is he?"

Naruto sometimes hated their weird ability to mind-read each other (and him, if he was being honest).

"I- I mean, fine, he's just. Yeah."

Sakura smiled and paused mid trying to shove some dishes at Choji to gush. "That's great. I'm glad you're still talking to him. He seemed nice."

"He's cursed," Sasuke spat.

"And that's where I check out," Shikamaru stood and walked out of the room, waving at Choji and Ino, who sighed, and departed from where she was lurking over Sasuke. "Come on you two."

Sakura watched them go. When they had closed the door behind them, she sighed. "Sometimes I can't tell if he believes us or just finds us incredibly annoying."

"Same difference," Sasuke said.

"You didn't tell me he was cursed," Sakura said, "He doesn't seem it." Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other and Sakura sighed again. "It's very obvious, isn't it?"

"He looks like a rain cloud," Sasuke said.

"I'm trying to help him," Naruto said.

"Well you shouldn't." Sasuke glared intensely at his drink. "You'll get hurt. Like always."

"Say's you."

Sasuke tensed. Naruto thought he might snap and leap at him, but he seethed silently. Sakura looked nervously between them. "I don't think this is a good conversation for us to be having."

Sasuke sat down heavily beside Naruto, glowering at the wall. Sakura lowered her plate and sat beside him. The three of them, together again. "If you need a ride we can give you one."

"I don't need you reading my messages, thanks. Besides, maybe I want to go with Kakashi."

"Why?"

"I'm allowed to have other friends, Sasuke."

"He's not your friend. He's some creepy old man-"

"Fuck off."

That was it for Sasuke. He turned and swung without warning the his fist connected with Naruto's side before he could blink and then he lunged at him.

Sakura screamed.

Naruto broke Sasuke's weak hold. His face burned red with shame, and even Sasuke refused to meet Sakura's eyes as they froze mid grapple.

Naruto laughed. "Fuck. Sorry Sakura. We're such idiots."

"Sasuke, stop," she said.

He hung his head, and Naruto settled back down into the couch. "You don't know him. He's nice."

Sasuke said nothing. Naruto shifted awkwardly, and looked towards the front door. "I think I should go."

Sakura looked helplessly between the two. At last Sasuke stood. "Let's get air."

"That was real fucking weak, man," Naruto said, when they were outside, and Sakura had rounded up the other's so she could continue playing party host.

Sasuke shrugged. They were out on the curb of the apartment complex. Afternoon was already fading to blue and cold and Naruto welcomed it compared to the stuffy feeling of being in the tiny apartment with the others.

"I talked to Itachi," Sasuke said.

"You mentioned."

Sasuke sighed and turned his hands over in front of his face. Naruto recognized the gesture. It was how the other man tested his vision.

"How are the eyes?"

"Worse everyday."

"Go see a doctor."

"Next week. Sakura made me schedule the appointment." Sasuke said it with a small smirk, and the pure fondness in his voice was enough to reassure Naruto of everything. Despite the months, despite his idiocy, his friends still loved each other.

"Why do you hate Kakashi?"

Sasuke sighed. He took a long time to answer, preferring to play with his hands. "You remember when we were kids, and you followed me around?"

"You followed me."

"Whatever. You remember how you told me you would stick to me even if it killed you?" Sasuke looked at Naruto and Naruto knew he was not seeing him properly.

Naruto laughed. "What, this?" he raised his plastic arm.

Sasuke shrank back. "I break everything."

"I'm not broken. Fuck off."

Sasuke regarded him from under dark hair and an oppressive silence. "You know. People like Kakashi and me. We can't be fixed."

Naruto stared up at the sky, left hand going to feel out the place under his coat where what was left of his arm and shoulder met fabric and plastic. "Yeah, Sasuke. I get it."

Naruto waited for Kakashi on the curb about a block from Sakura's. If Kakashi realized this he didn't say so, and Naruto got into the passenger side of the Toyota grinning despite the chilly evening.

"Fancy seeing you here."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. He looked his usual self, buttoned up in a grey coat, hair eschew. Naruto buckled up.

"Thanks for this, by the way, I haven't seen some of these guys in forever." he said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, Army friends, you know?"

Kakashi nodded, but seemed distracted. He glanced over at Naruto. "Those aren't your work clothes."

Naruto laughed and unzipped his coat to show Kakashi his rumpled button up.

"You look good."

The humor drained out of Naruto immediately. He zipped his coat and sat back and tried to decide why suddenly that made him uncomfortable.

"Sasuke doesn't like you." He tried out the words and tried not to let it hurt.

Kakashi didn't look the least bit concerned as he drove them through the dark, sleepy town. "I didn't think he did."

"You aren't creepy you know."

"Thanks."

Kakashi kept looking over at him, and Naruto decided he needed to act less weird. "You'll like these guys you know. If you want to meet them."

It didn't seem to work. Kakashi cast him and peculiar look and said quietly, "Thanks but, I think I'll pass. Call me when you need a ride home?"

Naruto got dropped off in front of the bar feeling put out and a bit on edge. He watched Kakashi pull away and sighed.

Naruto always forgot why he loved the Army until he was sitting in a room with people like Bee. Bee who three times already had tried to turn the quiet bar into open mic night.

Killer Bee had him sitting to his right all night. He had been the one to show Naruto the ropes as the 'weapons guy' and though senior, managed to act with the maturity and tact of someone half his age. Gaara, who had been medical almost his entire career, sat with Utakata who had also been medical and had been a lot less boisterous in showing Gaara how to do things than Bee had been back in the day.

Then there were the engineers. In the Army, engineer was often code for 'blowing things up' and very occasionally putting them back together. That was Fu and Yugara's specialty. They sat at their own table challenging their old captain (Bee's brother known only by the nickname "Third") to an arm wrestling match. Han was referee. Then Roushi pulled them all aside and lectured them on being responsible. The last three of their merry squad, Darui, Omoi, and Arui, sat at a far table, though not for lack of affection. Naruto knew they had nothing but loyalty and love for Bee and his brother, but also a sense of self preservation when it came to the two drinking.

The bar was a cranky, cramped place in a strip mall, a bit too far from town to be practical walking distance. The owner was clearly retired military, and the discount was good. The entire group took up almost half the place with their bulk and refusal to pick one table.

Naruto drank a lot more than he should have.

But he found himself enjoying it regardless, as Yagura and Fu huddled with their own drinks, as Bee's brother tried to keep Bee away from his vodka. It felt like home.

"How are you?" Gaara asked. Gaara didn't drink, but he sipped on a soda while watching the shenanigans of the others with mild amusement. If it could entertain a twelve year old, it could entertain a soldier, Fu always said. His bangs covered up a tattoo Naruto helped him get when they had both left, Naruto with a medical discharge and Gaara of his own volition.

"I'm alright," Naruto said, "Sasuke's being a dick."

"He's just mad he never earned his beret," Utakata said quietly. He was smoking but no one said anything. The pretentious jerk even used a pipe. It made Naruto homesick for other days.

Gaara hmmed in agreement and Naruto rolled his eyes. He waved at the bartender, and she came up to collect his empty glass.

"What's the story with Kakashi?"

Naruto coughed a little. "Sorry?"

"He came by my place today," Gaara said, sounding way, way to disinterested to be anything other faking it. Even for him.

"Why?"

Gaara shrugged. Naruto found Gaara tended to treat a lot of not-cool very odd things with a mundane attitude and wrote it off as another mystery he'd never get to the bottom of.

"You'll find out."

Naruto sighed. After giving it a moment of thought, Naruto looked at his friend. "You like him then? Kakashi?"

Gaara stared at him for a very long time. "I...do. Though I think it is your opinion that matters more."

"But you like him?"

"Yes."

Naruto felt a warm, and oddly satisfied with that answer. "Between you and me. I like him too. But don't tell him. I think he had an ego."

Somewhere around eleven, after the drinks had slowed down, Naruto actually found himself being kicked out. He was trying to finish a drink when Gaara came up behind him and:

"You should go outside," Gaara said.

"What, why?"

"You have work tomorrow. It's getting late."

"I want to stay~"

Killer Bee's hand came down on his shoulder, firm and large. "Listen to Gaara, he knows what's up." There was some more whining and rhyming but Naruto was too tired to argue.

"Jesus, when did you guys become such moms?" The rest of the group went stony faced and silent. This was so like them. Something was up. Naruto ignored his better judgment and started packing.

"Whatever, fuck you guys," he said good naturedly, and waved as he walked out of the bar.

And straight into Kakashi.

Kakashi tried not to look to guilty when Naruto stumbled out of the bar. He could see Naruto's friends peering awkwardly through the double doors but chose to ignore it (though the sight of two large, muscle bound men trying to be discreet was hard not to notice). Naruto looked at him, accusing.

"What is this?"

Kakashi jumped. "Oh. Hey Naruto."

The street was dark, lit only by yellowing lamplight and the lights from the bar. The two were the only ones out on the street and Kakashi tried not to feel self conscious about it. He tugged at his scarf while Naruto started up.

"Didn't you go home? You weren't waiting for me were you? Creep."

"No, I, well, can you come with me?" Kakashi asked, hoping he didn't sound as lame to Naruto as his own ears indicated.

Naruto looked doubtful, but sighed, too tipsy and tired to argue. "Take me away, old man."

Kakashi chuckled and started walking. They walked down the street, around the corner, and Naruto had to jog to keep up. Kakashi tried to slow down despite his nerves. He stopped them in front of a red car parked by a meter.

"Ta-da," he said, feeling like an idiot.

Naruto looked around. It was a normal street, with a normal parking meter, and a normal dry cleaners now closed for the evening. Taking this all in, he looked back at Kakashi with an unamused frown. "What?"

"Oh, er. The car."

Naruto turned to look at the obnoxiously red, Toyota Kakashi helpfully gestured at with his gloved hand. "It's a, um, Sienna? I think. I thought you'd want something you could fit your multitude of best friends in."

"What? "

"Um. I'm giving you a car?"

Naruto whirled on him. "You can't give me a car, Kakashi- " Naruto turned back to the cherry red minivan, "How am I supposed to repay this? What kind of present-" Naruto turned and caught Kakashi, who was beginning to feel a bit more smug and far more confident. "How dare you."

"Yes. I can't even imagine the horror. What must it be like to receive a surprise car as a present? No idea." And if he was smiling a little too much, Kakashi didn't care anymore.

Naruto gaped. "Oh. My. God. Shikamaru knew! He kept asking about my liscence. Shit."

Kakashi shuffled back as Naruto collapsed, crouching on the ground and looking for all the world like he was having some kind of crisis. "And Gaara. And Bee. How could you?" Naruto turned to look at the bar around the corner, and though they could not see it Kakashi did not doubt his friends were waiting eagerly. "How dare all of you."

"I was five minutes from calling your high school teacher too, count yourself lucky."

"I take back everything nice I've ever said about you."

Kakashi walked around to the trunk, pulling keys out of his pocket and propping it open. "I wasn't sure if you'd be hungry."

Naruto followed him. Sitting in the back of the car were two steaming takeaway bowls from Ichiraku's, and a pile of silver wrapped presents. Kakashi had almost not wrapped them, but seeing Naruto light up he decided that he made the right call.

"Kakashi…" Naruto said quietly.

"Open them, before you say anything."

Naruto took a seat on the edge of his trunk, and Kakashi followed suit awkwardly. Once they were arranged in a somewhat comfortable way, Naruto cross legged, and Kakashi dangling precariously, Naruto grabbed for the first present.

He tore at the paper to reveal a title: 'Personality Quizzes: Find Your Career, Your Love, Your Destiny'. He laughed.

"I'm making you do all of these."

Kakashi hummed and shifted to get more comfortable as he sat back. His earlier confidence faded replaced my nerves as Naruto grabbed at the next one. Large, rectangular, and solid, and Kakashi hoped everything being books wouldn't be a disappointment.

"You know I have these, right?" Naruto held up the decorative, collectible edition of the Gutsy Ninja series.

"Yes, but do you have the hardcover box set?"

"I have the rough draft." Naruto still grinned ear to ear as he put it down. Finally he reached for one of the last gifts, and Kakashi looked away.

"SAT prep?"

Kakashi had memorized this part. He had practiced what he was going to say waiting in the car over and over so he wouldn't flub. "You still need take the SAT or ACT to apply to college out of the military. Even if you did lose your arm for the greater good. I googled it."

"But I'm not..."

Kakashi stared at him. Naruto stared back.

"You could," Kakashi said, "If you wanted. I could...help you study or something, or Shikamaru. I'm not sure I'd be much good after all this time."

Kakashi tried to say something else else, he wasn't sure what. Something about responsibility and it not meaning anything. Or how Naruto didn't have to do anything, it was just a gift, or how he could return it and they could go eat more ramen instead. It was something along those lines.

But before he could finish that thought Naruto reached out and grabbed him.

Then he kissed him.