Notes: Hi guys! It's been... a while (please don't kill me). The reason for that is that I've been slowly losing interest in Naruto, the characters and this ship, and so I haven't had that much motivation to write. I took a month off from even thinking about Naruto or this fic altogether just to feel better and to explore another fandoms. But I also love this story so much and would love to finish it someday. That's why I'm nowadays writing this fic on a "if I happen to feel like it" basis. That means that either my updating schedule will be slow or that there might be no new chapters coming at all. I just don't know. I wanted to let you guys know what the situation is, and also to thank you for sticking with the story so far.
On a happier note, it's been ten chapters since we last started with Sasuke waking up, so I get to have my fun now.
35. Dog Days
The 14th of July, the fifth year of peace
Konoha, the Land of Fire
Birds are singing outside.
The late morning sun shines on the east wing of the Hokage Tower and heats up the large stone building. Even though the window blinds are shut and most of the light can't get in, the bedroom of the Hokage's private residence is still hot and stuffy, the air inside heavy with remnants of sleep and sex.
Sasuke, still half-asleep and happy to be so, pushes the thick blankets off his sweaty upper body with a grunt and buries his head back into the pillow. The persistent bright light slips past the blinds and glows behind his eyelids, turning his world warm orange and red and brilliant white. His body is heavy and sore and aching, his muscles stiff, as he turns away from facing the window and lets the light warm his bare back. The sheets stick on to his sweaty skin, his annoyingly long hair is a tangled mess at his neck, and his throat is dry and parched. The discomfort is what woke him up in the first place, but he can't still quite force himself to get up and do something about it.
One of the dogs is sleeping on the floor next to the bed – it snores softly, sniffing something in its sleep every now and then, the sound just loud enough to keep Sasuke from drifting back to the dream that is still lingering behind his closed eyelids. The other dogs are home as well, as the tapping of several paws trotting around in the apartment carries through the slightly open door.
A sleepy glance through his lashes tells Sasuke that Kakashi has got up already. The other side of the bed is empty and made, the sheets cool and smooth under his touch when he reaches a hand over, his foggy mind slow to catch up.
While Sasuke feels like the whole world stopped for him yesterday, it hasn't done so for anyone else – life goes on as it always has, and Kakashi had to wake up hours ago to make it to the office on time.
Sasuke blinks at this revelation for a while, then surrenders to his fate and looks over his shoulder at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It's almost noon.
Defeatedly, he forces his complaining body to get up. The floor is cool under his toes, and the bed creaks when he lifts his weight off it. As if on cue, Shiba, Bisuke and Akino appear at the door and make a beeline for his warm spot on the bed, beating the just only waking up and slightly baffled Pakkun on the floor to it. Sasuke rolls his eyes at them before heading towards the bathroom.
After a quick shower and rummaging through his side of the closet, Sasuke wanders to the kitchen. He turns on the old radio neither Kakashi or he has got around to replace, and the slightly rattling sound fills the room. There is some overly-enthusiastic radio host, whose inhuman speed of producing words reminds Sasuke of Naruto, describing the weather outside and promising them more sunshine they can deal with along with sweltering heat for the rest of the week.
The fridge hasn't magically filled itself during the night, and that fact has Sasuke wondering the pros and cons of having the suspicious-looking cup of instant ramen he manages to find for breakfast. He is just about to give up and go on a search to find a kettle to boil water in when the window behind him gives a screech as it opens and a pleasant breeze wafts into the room.
Kakashi's hair waves in the gentle wind as he climbs through the window, balancing two full grocery bags in his arms. He has rolled up his sleeves and discarded the dark vest of his Hokage uniform somewhere, probably at the office, to bear with the heat of the day. He pushes the window wider open with a gloved hand, glances up from what he is doing and spots Sasuke watching him.
Kakashi stops, forgetting himself perched on the windowsill, and blinks in has lost the dark circles from under his eyes, and there is ease in the way he moves, his shoulders relaxed even after a morning at the office. The bags he is carrying swing dangerously because of his jerking stop. They are so full and stretched that the white plastic is almost translucent – Sasuke can read the labels and logos through the bag.
Cheerful chatter and joyous laughter of the village children drifts through the open window. A playful song fit for summer and dancing plays on the radio in harmony with the wind that sways the light curtains of the window.
"…Morning."
Kakashi's voice comes out gruff with surprise and the word tentative, almost a question. His eyes are sharp when he watches Sasuke for a reaction, for a clue of how he should proceed or if he should do so at all.
Sasuke, who hasn't even seen a cup of coffee this morning, only stares at him groggily before grunting something that vaguely resembles a greeting. Then he turns his attention to making some coffee.
There is only a quiet thud when Kakashi jumps down from the window. Apparently, Sasuke's incomprehensible grunts and glaring were understood as an invitation to approach. Kakashi comes and dumps the grocery bags on the counter next to Sasuke. He starts to unpack them, stacking the cans and bottles on the shelves and in the fridge. He glances at Sasuke from the corner of his eye after loading his arms full of milk cartons.
"Did you just wake up?"
"Hn," Sasuke answers, rubbing his eyes, and doesn't fight it when a yawn escapes his lips. This earns him a chuckle and an amused glance. As small as that exchange is, it is so much more than what Sasuke had this time yesterday and has him wondering if another, possibly somewhat badly-faked yawn would earn him another look.
The coffeemaker starts gurgling and making some other funny noises next to them. Sasuke drums his fingers against the countertop, then considers the large amount of food the Sixth Hokage has gone his way to buy and deliver during his short lunch hour.
"This is a bribe, isn't it" Sasuke says, feeling courageous, and nods towards one of the half-empty bags.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kakashi answers without a beat, bats his eyelashes innocently and hands Sasuke an apple from one of the bags.
"This is a peace offering. You're trying to get on my good side," Sasuke muses, his mouth full of apple, and scrutinises Kakashi who is busy stuffing vegetables in the fridge. "Or in my bed. Again."
Kakashi considers this, pulls back from the fridge and takes a slow, long look at Sasuke, his expression as blank and flat as his voice.
"Is it working?"
Sasuke throws the half-eaten apple at him.
The coffeemaker finishes, and Sasuke helps himself to some coffee. He pours the mug so full it almost overflows, then carries it to the table with the hot mug scorching his fingers. He slumps down at the end of the table and sips the coffee, wincing when it burns his lips.
Sasuke hears Kakashi snort at him. He gives Kakashi a dirty look, which only results in Kakashi raising one split brow at him.
"Shut it," Sasuke mutters, hunched over his mug, then tests if the coffee might have cooled down at all. It has not.
"I didn't even say anything."
"Shut up anyway."
Kakashi just shakes his head, holding back his chuckles, and glances at the clock. He needs to go back to work soon.
"Did you send a group to the cave?" Sasuke asks and glares at the offending coffee, leaning his cheek on his hand and drumming his fingers against the surface of the table.
"As soon as I got to the office. And I let your team know that you won't be on the guard for a while, but I didn't specify why. I thought you might want to tell them yourself."
Sasuke nods, he appreciates the gesture.
"I could also get a new ANBU mask made for you," Kakashi says as he turns to get himself some coffee too. Sasuke watches him, the lines of his back as he moves, stretching his arm to reach for a cup on the highest shelf.
They both know that even in the best case, Sasuke won't be needing that mask for a good while, and the chances of him not needing one at all for the rest of his life are far higher than either of them wants to admit.
Sasuke lets his fingertips rest against the hot porcelain of his coffee mug for so long that his skin starts to sting.
"If you want to," he answers in a quiet voice, his eyes fixed on the red skin on his fingers, and presses his hand against the mug again, wincing at the contact.
"I'll arrange it then."
For a while the kitchen is quiet, there are only the sounds of Kakashi turning off the coffeemaker and the dogs breaking something on the other side of the apartment. Kakashi is pouring the coffee, his back still to Sasuke, when he asks: "How are you feeling?"
He doesn't see it when Sasuke cringes at the question.
"I'm fine," Sasuke answers in a tight, clipped voice and refuses to meet Kakashi's gaze when he glances over his shoulder at Sasuke.
Before Kakashi can come to sit at the table, there is a flap of wings as a messenger bird arrives and lands on the windowsill of the open window. Kakashi quirks an eyebrow at the hawk, leaves his steaming coffee at the table and walks over to the bird to take the note. The hawk tries to peck at his hand, but Kakashi evades it, rolls his eyes at the violent bird and opens the message scroll. Sasuke studies him over his mug of coffee, slowly waking up, and blinks in surprise when Kakashi hands him the message after barely glancing at it.
Curious, Sasuke takes the note and finds that it is in fact addressed to him. Dread falls over him like a bucket of icy water when he recognises Tsunade's handwriting, curvy and flowing, though her hand is sloppier than usual. There are only so many reasons why Tsunade would send him a note now, and his careful avoidance of thinking about last night is forcefully thrown out of the window.
Clenching his jaw, Sasuke glances at Kakashi to find him looking back. He is leaning his hip against the table, one hand resting on it, fingers spread out, his face carefully schooled into showing nothing but sober resolve.
Sasuke unfolds the message, his fingers white, and reads the note.
Uchiha,
I went through my personal archives and notes last night and ran the lab tests. (I spent the whole night on it, you ungrateful brat!) and compared your symptoms to several old, known cases of the hereditary disease of the Uchihas. The symptoms don't match, and the lab tests came back negative. You don't have it.
I can't say anything else about your condition yet, but I'll keep looking into it.
T.
P.S. Don't forget, you have a check-up in two days.
P.P.S. I told you so.
She has underlined the don't in the you don't have it three times, and pretty much everything except the last line is barely readable because of the messy handwriting, but there is no misunderstanding the note.
Sasuke closes his eyes. He hunches forward to lean his elbows on the table, his shoulders sagging, and covers his eyes with his hands. He lets out a long, shaky sigh so that his chest heaves and presses uncomfortably against the edge of the table. His limbs feel weightless and wobbly, and he is glad to be sitting down because he is not sure whether he would be able to stand on his feet right now.
It's not what Itachi had.
"What did she say?"
Sasuke spreads his fingers to look up at Kakashi. He is clutching the back of a chair, his knuckles white as bone, his chest unmoving as if he is not breathing, carved out of stone.
Sasuke knows he should say something when Kakashi has so clearly misunderstood his reaction, but he doesn't trust his voice. He forces his hand not to shake when he holds out the message to Kakashi who is slow to take it.
Sasuke watches in silence as Kakashi reads the note with his brows furrowed and jaw tense, but it's not until Kakashi has read the message at least twice that he lets himself breathe and slump against the table.
"Goddammit…" he chuckles and rubs his forehead, eyes closed. "The first heart attack of the day."
He reaches his hand towards Sasuke, and Sasuke takes it, squeezing back.
He is not going to die.
At least not of what Itachi had. But that doesn't mean that whatever unknown condition he has won't kill him.
"But we still don't know what it is," Sasuke says and looks up at Kakashi, his voice quiet. Kakashi's face reveals that he has come to the same conclusion himself.
"We'll deal with it, no matter what it is. There is no other option. And you can start that by letting Tsunade know about yesterday. She'll be the one to figure out what this is, so you'd better not hide anything from her."
"Hn."
Kakashi tosses the note on the table. It's wrinkled on the corner where he was holding it.
"So, what's with the I told you so?" Kakashi asks as he reaches for the coffee he forgot on the table.
Irked that Kakashi caught that, Sasuke leans back on his chair and crosses his arms over his chest.
"Nothing," he gnarls and glares at Kakashi, daring him to ask any further questions about it. "It's just a stupid joke she thinks is funny." Of course Tsunade would have the guts to send the bird here, so sure that she was right about Kakashi letting him in that she would rub it in Sasuke's face.
"If you say so."
Kakashi checks the clock again, glances at the untouched coffee he is holding and sighs heavily before he pushes it towards Sasuke.
"You can have that, I have to go. I have a date with a scandalously attractive pile of D-rank mission reports."
"Are you cheating on me?" Sasuke asks and accepts the offered coffee and swirls the hot spoon Kakashi has forgotten in the cup.
"Yes. I was too weak to resist the allure of monotonous, grammatically incorrect descriptions of weeding gardens and hunting for noble ladies' cats. I'm sorry," Kakashi answers and can't quite keep the grin out of his face. He closes the distance between them in two steps and leans down to press what would have been a kiss on Sasuke's cheek if the mask hadn't been in the way.
"I'm breaking up with you," Sasuke states in a bored voice and wonders where the newspaper of the morning might be as Kakashi's clothed lips brush against his skin.
"Naturally," Kakashi chuckles, his eyes closed with the smile, as he straightens up and heads towards the window he came from – skipping over rooftops and balconies to get to the Hokage's office is faster than jogging through the building.
The bright sunlight shining through the window behind Kakashi makes his white hair shine like a halo as it frames his face and falls over his neck. His bare forearms have got a slight tan this far into the summer, the smooth, unconcerned way his hips move when he walks should be illegal, and when he reaches a hand to the window frame for support, his shirt rises and reveals a tiny patch of skin on his lower back, faintly shimmering with sweat.
Sasuke jerks up from the table – his chair screeches against the floor – and leaps forward with a couple of purposeful steps to grab Kakashi's wrist.
Kakashi merely quirks an eyebrow as he allows Sasuke to turn him around and pull him away from the window.
"What, did you miss me already?" he asks with the laidback, almost bored tone of his in his voice as Sasuke walks backwards, dragging him along. Once Sasuke's back hits the table, he plants his hands on the table and pushes himself to sit on it. He yanks Kakashi forward so that they end up flush together, their legs brushing each other's, their eyes level.
"Yes," Sasuke breathes out, and while Kakashi might have been joking, he is not. He rests his forehead against Kakashi's, his eyes half-closed, his lashes fluttering, breathing in the earthy, familiar scent of Kakashi's shirt. Kakashi's eyes widen just slightly at this before his hands come to rest on Sasuke's waist, a light touch, and he leans against Sasuke so that Sasuke feels it when he sighs deeply.
Sasuke raises his hands and lays them on Kakashi's chest. He runs ups one hand and traces the lines and curves of Kakashi's body, over his collarbones and up his neck, all the way up to his cheek where Sasuke's fingers are gentler but just as agile. He hooks one finger under the dark fabric and slowly pulls down the infuriating mask, his own lips pressed together as he focuses. He doesn't think he will ever quite lose the sense of excitement he still gets every time Kakashi allows him to see his face.
A faint tan line crosses over Kakashi's cheeks and nose and Sasuke follows it with the slightest touches of his fingertips. He used to tease Kakashi about it all the time, saying it makes his stupid face look even dumber and asking what's the point when he has a perfectly fine face in the first place and wearing the mask leaves him looking like that. But who is Sasuke to complain when he finds it almost arousing that he is the one of the few, if not only one, to know what Kakashi looks like under that mask? And if he is – possessively – happy of the fact that Kakashi makes the effort to meticulously hide his face from everyone else, nobody needs to know.
Kakashi's white, almost translucent lashes flutter at the touch of Sasuke's fingers on his skin. Boldly, Sasuke runs his fingertips over the silver scar. He feels Kakashi twitch under his touch, just a small shift, but he doesn't back away. The scar is soft and silky to the touch and runs from Kakashi's forehead all the way down to his chin, barely missing his lips. Sasuke traces its path and finds his way to the slit brow, and from there down over the flickering eyelid to the tender skin on the corner of Kakashi's mouth. Kakashi has shaved since yesterday, and Sasuke is not certain whether he misses the stubble or not.
Kakashi lazily wraps his arms around Sasuke and leans against him, resting his chin on Sasuke's shoulder. He is warm, nearly annoyingly so on such a hot morning as this one, and uncharacteristically clingy, and Sasuke would absolutely mock him about it if he wasn't the one who started all this sappiness. So, what is Sasuke to do but to first make a show of scoffing and huffing for the sake of appearances and then relax into the embrace. That earns him a hum from Kakashi– it's a deep, low, content sound that makes Sasuke just close his eyes for a moment.
He missed this.
Brows furrowing in concentration, Sasuke angles himself so that when he draws back a little bit and turns his head just so, his lips brush against Kakashi's almost like on accident. He grazes only the upper lip first, pressing a kiss on the tender skin on the corner of Kakashi's mouth, and enjoys the sudden stop in the warm breaths breathed against his own. The pause doesn't last long though, as Sasuke barely has the time to register the smirk smiled against his lips before Kakashi claims his mouth in a kiss, and the only appropriate response to that is to kiss him back, deeply and properly and with more passion than is suitable for the early hour of the day.
The table isn't of the sturdiest kind of breeds and gives a screech under Sasuke's weight when he leans back, pulling Kakashi along with him, and plants one hand behind him to support himself at least somewhat upright. Sasuke offers one careless thought to the full coffee cups somewhere behind him and whether they might have to clean up spilt coffee after this but isn't bothered to be particularly concerned.
"I'm going to be so late, aren't I?" Kakashi mumbles against his lips and slips his calloused hands under Sasuke's shirt. "Tsunade is going to have my head when she hears about this."
"I'm keeping the apartment if she kills you."
"You're supposed to protect me and not to count what you inherit if I die," Kakashi remarks in a dry tone, faking the exasperation, but seems to be in no hurry to leave and save himself from Tsunade's wrath.
Sasuke raises one unimpressed brow and keeps his voice completely level and flat:
"If you haven't noticed yet, I am fucking an older guy in a position of power and wealth. Really, what did you expect – that I wouldn't have you killed and steal all your money?"
Kakashi pulls back to stare at Sasuke with both amusement and wonder, his eyes crinkling with laughter. He squeezes Sasuke's hip, his hands almost hot on Sasuke's skin now that the sun has already warmed up the room. There are wayward silver hairs stuck onto his forehead and falling over his eyes. The tan line divides his face, the skin on the lower part of his face is almost as pale as Sasuke's, and the hickey he has right below his jawline stands out brilliantly.
Kakashi catches Sasuke staring and a sly grin spreads over his exposed face when he realises what exactly Sasuke is so intently studying.
"You have one here as well," he says and places his fingers on Sasuke's left collarbone and pushes the collar of Sasuke's shirt off his shoulder, his calloused fingertips hard to bear on such a sensitive spot.
"Oh fuck," Sasuke lets out and has to elaborate when Kakashi gives him an amused but slightly questioning look. "That will last for weeks with my skin. Seriously. Don't laugh, you don't get to laugh, you have that stupid mask so nobody sees anything."
"It's not that bad if you keep your shirt on," Kakashi offers, not concerned in the slightest.
"Yeah, but did you miss the part where I said it lasts weeks?" Sasuke scoffs, nagging for the sake of nagging and not because he is really angry.
"Uh-huh."
"I hate you," Sasuke whines as if Kakashi's shenanigans brought him great suffering, grabs the front of Kakashi's shirt and yanks him toward him, a demand nobody says no to. He has barely finished his sentence when he crashes his lips to Kakashi's, sneaking one hand into the light hair, and when Kakashi pushes him down on the table, he gladly goes along with it.
That day, the Sixth Hokage returns from his lunch hour very, very late.
o0o
The next few days are just as busy as they are hot. July scorches them with sunlight and swelter heat, but Sasuke tries his best to escape it by sprinting from one building equipped with a cooler system to another, rushing back and forth between the Hokage Tower and the hospital. Once Tsunade heard about his second episode, she dragged him off to another set of tests in less than a heartbeat, and so far Sasuke has spent half of the week sitting at the hospital while Tsunade and a herd of nurses poke and prod him with various instruments.
It's with a furrowed brow when she informs him that there is new damage to his chakra system, more pathways burned to crisps only after less than twenty-four hours since the last examination. It's not hard to guess the reason for it. Tsunade absolutely forbids him from having another attack ever again, and so Sasuke is banned even from thinking about his chakra. He is stuck to walking on the dusty streets of Konoha instead of flying over the hot rooftops warmed by the sun, to gazing up towards the birds gliding through the air overhead.
But after several daily check-ups and long dull days of being tied to the ground, Sasuke gets some good news. As soon as he stopped using chakra, the disintegrating of his chakra pathways slowed down considerably, if not ceased altogether. Some detective work later, they are ready to put the blame for his attacks on the substantial amount of chakra Sasuke demanded from his body during the mission. The first attack came a couple days after he had exhausted his chakra system to get to Danzou's hiding place in record time, and the second similarly after many long days of travelling with the aid of his chakra. The worrying aspect of the revelation is that time between the excessive use of his chakra and his pathways scorching themselves in a violent episode seems to be shortening, and with a frightening speed at that.
And they still don't know what the original reason for Sasuke being in this situation in the first place is. But there are some test results they will have to wait for a couple of weeks for, so Tsunade is not giving up on him just yet. Her attempt at consolation is to slap Sasuke on the shoulder and tell him to try to see his forced sick leave as a vacation, if he knows what the word means.
When Sasuke isn't being a puzzle for Tsunade to solve, he tries to mend the little there is to mend at the Council meetings after his absence of over a month. The Council members are well-aware that Sasuke was accompanying the Hokage during his tour around the country, but that doesn't stop the Elders from bullying him because of it. But Sasuke is far too clever to give them what they want, and so he merely brushes off their insults.
Sasuke half-expects the Elders to corner him at some point to blackmail him further about his possible involvement with their Hokage, but that intervention never comes. Though the old farts harass Sasuke as much as they can, there are considerably fewer suspicious glances thrown towards Kakashi and him during the Council meetings. It's not that far-fetched to think that a word about their loud fight and icy mission briefing might have got back to the wrinkly couple, and while that incident may have proven that there truly was something between them, the Elders now seem to think that their fight put an ugly and bitter end to it.
When Kakashi and Sasuke realise this, they put their heads together to form a plan and immediately further cool down the little interaction they have in public. No more openly backing each other in the Council meetings, no more subtly rolling their eyes or kicking each other under the table when someone says something stupid. It almost becomes a game between them, a game of who can throw a better icy glare or a veiled insult toward the other while discussing the finances of the academy, the latest nosy letter from the Daimyou or the village's complicated relationship with the Shinobi Alliance.
Sasuke can't say he doesn't enjoy it, the friction they manage to artificially create between them, because there is just something so delicious about it. Kakashi is breathtakingly skilled at delivering a biting remark in a flat voice from his place at the head of the table while coming across as completely disinterested, and sometimes the so-masterfully crafted condescending look in his steely eyes alone is enough to drive Sasuke up the walls and make him answer with just as much venom in his words. And Sasuke doesn't miss the flash of both irritation and immense satisfaction in Kakashi's eyes when Sasuke presents a particularly cutting comeback after what Kakashi thought was his last word.
But to be completely honest, Sasuke enjoys the rough making up afterwards even more.
Sasuke tracks down the member of his ANBU team soon after that morning at Kakashi's to let them know about his reason for backing down from being the leader of the Hokage's guard. He doesn't sugar-coat the situation or his small chances of ever returning to the job – he is blunt about it because that's the only way he knows how to do it. Otter almost cries, Eagle goes pale, and Hare disappears somewhere with a pack of cigarettes and a tight set of shoulders. Owl hugs Sasuke before he leaves. Lion's mouth is a thin line when he accepts the marks of the leader from Sasuke.
Once Lion officially accepts the position as the leader of the Hokage's security detail, it seals the deal with the Elders. When the Council members ask Sasuke about the decision to step down from the leadership and whether the situation is temporary or for good, the only answer he deigns to give is that he is leaving for personal reasons. It's not a lie, but if the sudden, chilly shift in his relationship with the Hokage guides how most people interpret that statement, Sasuke is not going to correct them.
And so, during those days of sun when everyone else is busy gossiping about the Hokage's guard losing one member barely two months into the Sixth's reign, Sasuke tries to accept the fact that his chakra might never again be what it used to be, and that consequently, his career as a ninja might be coming to an end. His method of coming to terms with the situation is to actively avoid thinking about the problem and denying it even exists. Being a snarky, clever asshole at the Council meetings is a lovely distraction, listening to Sakura gossip over a cup of tea another, and spying on Naruto and his little genins works too in a need of a better option. And when nothing else keeps his mind off the ever-growing problem, Sasuke goes to bother his second-favourite Hokage – Tsunade is his favourite by default, so Kakashi has to concede to the second place.
During the lazy days of Sasuke having nothing to do, he and his Hokage do absolutely nothing productive when they manage to sneak off to have some time together. They laze on the patio of Sasuke's house that gives to a small backyard garden, sitting on the patio in the sunlight with a book or two and watching the dogs run around the garden in excitement.
That is, of course, only after the ANBU guards have checked the perimeter and confirmed that there is no one to see it when they waste an afternoon throwing a ball for the dogs to fetch. There is no one to witness it when Kakashi, lying on his stomach on the wooden patio, abandons the mission reports he was signing to use his brush and ink on Sasuke instead, drawing wonky hearts on the inside of Sasuke's wrist just to hear him whine about ink poisoning. No one to see it when they almost fall off the patio as a result of a strategic, analytical and ruthless tickle fight when Sasuke just has to find out whether the infamous copy-nin has that particular weakness, or when Sasuke finds Kakashi sitting outside in silence, staring at the sunset with his face pale and jaw clenched tightly, and kneels down behind Kakashi to wrap his arms around him, closing his eyes.
o0o
The 18th of July, the fifth year of peace
Konoha, the Land of Fire
The village of Konoha disappears in a flash of colour when Sasuke draws the curtains over the large windows of the Hokage's office. The light shining through the fabric of the colour of sun-bleached brick stains the room with a shade of red that isn't necessarily a pretty one.
Sasuke steps back and takes a look at his handiwork. Every inch of the grand windows is covered, even when the curtains sway slightly as the fan in the corner of the room turns to blow already stale air towards them.
"That should do," Kakashi offers from somewhere behind Sasuke where he is crouched down over the drawers of his desk, his arms elbows-deep in the archive of case files.
"Hn." Sasuke scrunches up his nose, regards the windows again just to be sure, and finally turns his attention to the Sixth Hokage. "Are you going to find it or not?"
"Don't be so impatient, I know I put it somewhere around here –" Kakashi says as he fishes though the files, stopping only to read the title on them before moving on. " – Aha, here." He straightens himself up and holds a thin file towards Sasuke. "The newer reports are on the top."
Sasuke takes the file and skims through the pages while Kakashi takes on the desperate job of trying to clear up some space on the desk. Most of the information in the file Sasuke is familiar with, as it contains all the intel Konoha has acquired on Danzou and his group since they fled the village, and it's certainly not the first time Sasuke finds himself studying the few notes of the possible sightings of Danzou or his men inside the borders of the Land of Fire. There is also a new report that arrived yesterday telling them that there has been no activity near the abandoned hideout.
While everyone who knows about Sasuke's chakra situation – that is, mainly Tsunade and Kakashi – would want nothing more than Sasuke to rest, twiddle his thumbs and generally just be a waste of air and space, Sasuke is having none of it. His ability to use chakra might be compromised, but that doesn't mean he can't use his brain. Out of his two relentless guardians, the easier one to blackmail into letting Sasuke continue to investigate Danzou's case was obviously Kakashi, since Sasuke seriously doubts that he could seduce Tsunade into doing anything or survive the attempt of threatening to burn her non-existent collection of porn novels unless she let him work again.
So, here they are. Kakashi told the secretary in the outer office to let nobody through when they came in – nobody needs to see them getting along after all the effort they have made these last few days to make everyone believe they are still fighting. As far as excuses go, the Hokage and his ex-right-hand-man are having a very difficult conversation about the consequences of the said right-hand-man's resignation and are not to be disturbed in any case.
"Not much help, is it?" Kakashi notes and steps aside to let Sasuke spread the file and its contents on the desk.
"No."
There are only half a dozen different reports of encounters with Danzou and his men arranged on the table in chronological order – and most of them are just rumours, someone maybe saw someone that might have been him. The only one that has any credibility to it is the one that sent Sasuke rushing from the village in a mad race to find an empty cave and an abandoned camp.
When they now compare the locations of those rumours to the location of the hideout on the map they spread over the desk, it's easy to see that almost all the sightings were at a reasonable distance from the cave. Not close enough that they should have made the connection and pinpointed the location of the hideout, but close enough that the hindsight tastes bitter.
"Knowing that does us no good when we know Danzou is not anywhere near the hideout anymore," Sasuke snaps and runs a hand through his hair, messing it up.
"Hush," Kakashi stops him and places a hand on his shoulder, frowning in concentration. "Look at the map."
He nudges Sasuke to the side to get him to move a little so he gets a better view, a determined look on his face. Sasuke glances at him, then turns to the map. It shows the Land of Fire, its villages and cities, but also the forests and lakes, rivers and swamps, all the obstacles shinobis need to know about.
"They can't move fast when their group is so large. Or over difficult terrains," Kakashi thinks out loud, his eyes moving back and forth as he scans the map and the areas around the cave. "We know that they haven't returned to their camp since you and your team left about a week ago. That's not a very long time for them with their speed."
Sasuke follows the black line marking the border of the Land of Fire with his finger.
"The border surrounds them in the west, north and even in the northeast. They won't go there unless they want to risk the other Shinobi Nations getting interested in them," he says and hears Kakashi agree.
"The swamp you guys came through is here, in the southwest. Your team had difficulties with that, and there were only five of you, all competent ninjas. Danzou and his people have children and elders with them."
The swamp is a large, dark patch on the map, of the size and shape of a coffee cup stain, and while Sasuke might sneer at the discovery that their route back from Danzou's hideout wasn't exactly the straightest possible or without detours, the landmark drawn next to the swamp brightens his mood considerably.
"Konoha is in the south," he says and lets a grin quirk up his lips.
"Yes. The only direction they can go is east," Kakashi finishes and rocks on his heels, hands in his pockets. He tilts his head to the side. "See? Not so impossible."
"Don't look so proud of yourself. Your east is a broad term, not their exact coordinates. It'll still take weeks to track them down," Sasuke snorts, but that doesn't stop him from taking another look at the map. "You're sending someone after him, then?"
"Several someones, I think."
Kakashi taps his fingers against the map, glances at Sasuke and then looks away.
"What?"
"I have been thinking about going after Danzou myself," Kakashi says, his words slow. "I was ready to leave when we had heard nothing about your team for days, but you came back before I had the time to do anything and after that…" A pause. "You have seemed to be feeling better the last couple of days, so I thought maybe I should go now." He crosses his arms, then brings up one hand to lean his chin on his fist. There is a beginning of a frown on his face. "At least to look for him, at first. We can come up with a plan to take him down once we know where he is."
Sasuke blinks. He looks at Kakashi, his own face blank as he stares at Kakashi's unmoving profile, then at the map again. It's not a bad idea to have one of the most experienced and strategical-minded shinobi go after an enemy of the village, especially when Danzou has been dodging their scouts for the last year. It's just not necessarily something Sasuke wants to hear.
"Can you and the guard leave without any rumours starting? Danzou will make sure you won't find him if he hears you are coming after him."
"I'll go alone. I'll draw less attention that way, and Tsunade can cover for me for a while. Nobody will notice I'm gone. And it's better to have the team here in the case Danzou – or someone else – gets some funny ideas about attacking the village while I'm not here."
"And that's not reckless at all."
"I didn't say it wasn't," Kakashi says. "But I need the team here. And you can't come – I know you can still fight, but – "
" – I can't use my chakra and that would slow you down. And you'd still have to cover for me in battle. That won't work," Sasuke finishes, saying it as it is. There is no use tiptoeing around the matter.
"If I had a team with me that would be no problem, and I would be glad to let you tag along – if Tsunade approves, that is. But I don't want to bring anyone new into this when I can't be sure who is loyal to the Elders. They were on Danzou's side before – who is to say they still aren't?"
The fan turns in the corner and blows Sasuke's hair over his eyes. He brushes the locks away.
"When are you leaving?"
"I'm not sure yet. Soon," Kakashi says and massages his neck. He lets his gaze roam over the map to the gently swaying, always growing mountains of paperwork stacked atop and next to the desk. His eyes narrow in distaste. "I'll have to finish those first."
The chair gives a whiny screech when Kakashi slumps down on it with far less elegance than he possessed a minute ago.
"Why did I take this job?" he mutters as he glares at one of the offending stacks of mission reports. He slams one hand over his eyes, drawing in a deep breath, before moving the hand to rub his forehead. His next words are for Sasuke. "Why did you talk me into taking this job?"
"Taking over the world is going to be so much easier when I already have one Kage wrapped around my little finger."
"Ah, I knew there was an ulterior motive. Could you consider conquering the world now so I won't have to sign all these?"
Sasuke just rolls his eyes as he snatches the report Kakashi is reaching for and hops to sit on the desk. He crosses his legs, touches his finger to his mouth to wet it and then turns the page.
"If you just got to work instead of whining, you would be done in no time," he says and side-eyes Kakashi. "You're such a procrastinator. How Konoha hasn't fallen yet is beyond me."
"I blame the walking distraction that just stole my report and is currently occupying my work space," Kakashi grunts, toying with a brush in his hand and twirling it in his fingers. "Go away."
"Not a chance. You won't get anything done unless someone is here to keep an eye on you," Sasuke informs him. "You'll just disappear somewhere to read your stupid books if I leave you alone." And with that, Sasuke promptly ignores the slightly surly look on Kakashi's face and returns his attention to the report – Kakashi has dozens of others to start with, he doesn't need that one just yet.
The heavy, humid silence of the office is filled only by the rattling and hissing of the fan and the loud ticks of the clock on the wall. A shadow of a bird flies by on the other side of the windows and the closed curtains.
The papers rustle when Sasuke turns the page.
"Sasuke."
Kakashi's voice is low as he draws out the word, narrowing his eyes when Sasuke doesn't bother even to glance at him. He stops the motion of the twirling brush in mid-spin.
"Get your ass off my desk."
Sasuke lifts his gaze very slowly from the paper to stare down at Kakashi from his vantage point on the desk.
"No."
Kakashi squints his eyes at him, an annoyed frown on his face. He twirls the brush again, this time with more speed and determination.
"Don't pretend that this bothers you. I have sat here many times before, and besides, what does it matter when you would like to have me on this desk anyway?" Sasuke scoffs. The paper quality isn't that good, the fresh ink of the report has stained his fingers, and he has to rub his thumb and forefinger together to get the colour off.
"That's the problem."
Kakashi's words are rough and husky when he breathes them out, and that's what makes Sasuke finally put down the mission report.
Kakashi's eyes are dark when they meet his.
"How am I supposed to concentrate with you there?"
Sasuke eyes him silently, his face blank, not making a single move to get down from the desk and out of the door. The wind from the fan softly sways his hair.
"I have to finish these by tonight, and you're not helping," Kakashi says, motions towards the papers with both his hands and almost glares at Sasuke. "So, darling. Go away."
Nothing on Sasuke's expressionless face suggests that he heard the last part. He hasn't looked away from Kakashi still and doesn't do so even when Kakashi moves from scowling at him to strategically ignoring him.
Kakashi should have known he was doomed from the very start.
Ever so slowly, Sasuke slips his shoes off, flexing his toes, and lets the shoes fall on the floor with two identical quiet thuds. Kakashi purposely doesn't react to the sound, but he can't help the shiver that runs through his body when Sasuke lays one bare foot on Kakashi's thigh and slides it upwards, earning himself a deep, gruff noise.
"Sasuke…" Kakashi groans and looks up at him, his eyes dark and hooded.
"What?" Sasuke asks flatly, uninterest, and snakes his foot higher between the other's legs. Kakashi's breath hitches when he hits a sensitive spot.
"Sasuke," Kakashi growls again, his voice impossibly deep, and there is a warning in the word.
That doesn't mean Sasuke is going to take the hint. His face is blank as he stares at Kakashi and moves his foot again.
Well, he tries to. A strong hand snaps a hold of his ankle before he can do any further damage, and then Kakashi pulls Sasuke towards him to the edge of the desk with a sharp tug.
Sasuke merely quirks an eyebrow at the rough handling.
Kakashi's nails dig into his ankle, and the hand nearly shakes. He lowers his gaze, his light hair falling to cover his eyes.
"That's really not fair," he whispers and stands up from his chair with feline-like grace, well-aware of his own power and lethality. His fingers run the whole way from Sasuke's ankle up his leg and thigh and end up lingering on the zipper of Sasuke's trousers.
"That's entirely your own fault. You should have kept your mouth shut," Sasuke offers in an unconcerned voice but doesn't make any effort to stop Kakashi. "Your secretary might hear us."
Kakashi barely stops to glance at the clock on the wall.
"It's his lunch hour still. We got maybe ten minutes before he comes back," he states, his voice and expression matter-of-fact, but the look in his eyes anything but.
"Better make them count then," Sasuke says just as nonchalantly and pulls open a zipper that doesn't belong to him. It's too damn hot today for all these clothes anyway.
A door bangs open in the outer office with a force that almost has the walls shaking. Sasuke freezes when he recognises the booming voice calling for Kakashi-sensei that accompanies the slam. Kakashi, too, halts, his body suddenly stiff and tense against Sasuke, holding his breath when they hear the only a notch quieter berating from Sakura.
With lightning speed, Kakashi and Sasuke pull apart. Sasuke jumps off the desk and almost sends a pile of paperwork on the floor with him. He slams on the mask of slight annoyance on his face, stuffs his feet into his shoes without looking, and tries to pull on his trousers and straighten his shirt at the same time. Kakashi struggles to get his clothes in order but succeeds only so and so. He touches a hand to his face as if to pull up the mask in panic, though they never removed it. He lands on his chair, grabs a mission report from the mess on his desk for a cover story and manages to make an uninterpretable wave of his hand towards Sasuke before the door is thrown open.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yells his greeting with a wide grin on his face, standing at the door like a conqueror in his brightly orange getup. His sun-kissed hair turns strawberry blonde in the strangely-coloured light of the room, but his expression is just as bright as it usually is.
That is, until he notices Sasuke who is still in cold sweat and subtly tugging his shirt straight. Naruto's smile falters for a half of a second as he blinks at the sight of his slightly dishevelled best friend, then he quite magnificently reins in whatever emotions seeing Sasuke might have awoken in him.
"Hi, Sasuke. Hi. Hello," Naruto blurts out as his brain reboots itself. Sasuke glances at him, caught off guard, the turning of his head quick and twitchy and birdlike, and after a hesitant, slow blink, he straightens his fingers in a small imitation of a handwave.
To his relief, Naruto just grins at him in response. It's the same stupid meaningless smile that is his default expression, and then Naruto launches himself on Kakashi again, sauntering in like the whirlwind he is to come to stand in front of the heavy desk. "Kakashi-sensei!" A pause. "Why are the curtains closed?"
Sasuke is very carefully not looking at Kakashi.
Behind Naruto, Sakura lets herself in. She has changed out of the white coat she wears at the hospital, her clothes more fit for training than healing, and that's what Sasuke guesses the two troublemakers were doing before marching here. Sakura greets Kakashi and Sasuke in a more civilized manner with a small but genuine smile on her face and takes her place beside Naruto.
"Sensei ~!" Naruto, who seems to be trying his best not to jump up and down, squeals, slams his hands down on Kakashi's desk and sends half a dozen sticky notes flying in the air.
"I heard you just fine the first time, Naruto," Kakashi answers dryly and casts a tired look after the now forever gone notes. Sasuke is pretty sure he is the only one to hear the honestly annoyed undertone in his voice. "I'm not quite that old and deaf yet that I would miss your delightful presence."
Naruto either misses the jab or ignores it, as he continues to beam at Kakashi like a more annoying version of the sun, rocking back and forth on his feet.
"I have the best idea ever," he exclaims, then comes to a sudden stop. His eyes dart between Sasuke and Kakashi, and his head follows the movement of his eyes. "But, no before that – are you guys fighting? Because, like, a lot of people have said so, but I said I wouldn't believe it before I saw it because like, heh, why would you two ever fight?"
Sasuke turns to Kakashi, helpless, and finds him already looking back.
"So, are guys?" Naruto asks. "You know, fighting?"
Sasuke shrugs at Kakashi – he doesn't know what to say – but Naruto takes that as an answer.
"Is that a yes or no?" he asks and scratches his head. "'Cos I can't tell."
Kakashi looks at Sasuke again, but Sasuke doesn't have any more answers than he did a minute ago.
"It's a long, complicated story we don't have the time for," Kakashi sighs. "But did you have something on your mind or did you come to bother me for no reason?"
Naruto's face lights up.
"We should do a mission together as Team 7 again!"
"A mission?" Kakashi repeats and raises one eyebrow. He leans back on his chair, one hand on his chin, and glances subtly at Sasuke. Here is a team he could take with him on his hunt for Danzou. Here is a team strong enough to cover Sasuke's back even when he can't use his chakra.
"You know, just like old times – the four of us together, saving princesses and escorting daimyous and – "
"I don't think we ever escorted a daimyou, Naruto – "
" – and defeating a ton of bad guys and saving the world, and it would be so much fun!" Naruto finishes triumphantly, not even listening to Kakashi anymore, and then looks for support from an unexpected party. "Wouldn't it, Sasuke?"
To be completely honest, Sasuke isn't sure what the fun part is supposed to be, but when he finds himself as the sole receiver of the overwhelming attention of the bright blue eyes after such a long time, he hears himself make a noncommittal grunt to answer at least something.
Sakura pats Naruto on the shoulder and steps forward to address Kakashi herself.
"I think it's a good idea. We could all use a little time off, and it's been so long since we did anything together."
"Sakura-chan thinks it's a good idea!"
"It doesn't have to be anything big, a C- or B-rank mission would be just fine. Something simple like that shouldn't be that hard to arrange," Sakura offers, now getting excited since Kakashi hasn't shot down the idea yet.
"Don't you think putting a Hokage, a jinchuuriki, an ex-fugitive and one of our head medics is a little bit overkill for a C-rank?" Sasuke butts in and crosses his arms. It doesn't matter that his old team might be his way to getting back to missions, or at least a mission, this sounds idiotic.
Naruto turns to glare at him immediately.
"Sasuke, don't be such a buzzkill."
"Shut up, idiot."
"You shut up, asshole," Naruto growls and grins like a wolf.
Sasuke swallows his own grin before turning to Kakashi for support. He doesn't get any.
"It could be fun," Kakashi muses, rubbing his chin, and side-eyes Sasuke. If he has already made preparations for leaving, arranging taking the old Team 7 with him shouldn't be that much of a problem. And Kakashi might not have to sneak out of the village – a silly mission with his old team is a proper excuse for him to leave, no matter how funny the excuse is. "I do miss being in the field."
"It hasn't been three weeks since your trip around the whole Land of Fire!" Sasuke scoffs and pointedly ignores the fist-bumping Naruto and Sakura behind him.
"Exactly," Kakashi smiles and bends down to grab a mission file from his drawers. "I was saving this one for one of the genin teams, but since you asked so nicely, I just might let you have it. It's a simple escort mission – we take the civilian client to their home town and come back."
"Yeessh!" Naruto yells, one fist high up in the air. "When are we leaving? Now?"
"Does tomorrow morning sound good?" Kakashi asks, his tone mild. He tilts his head to the side and leans his chin on his hand. "Oh, and one more thing. How would you guys feel about a little detour?"