They don't speak about it until the next morning.
Kakashi had found himself unable to sleep, making sure Sachi's temperature didn't raise up again and urging the snail on her head to heal her faster. Sachi slept through the night without a hitch, dead to the world, and Kakashi busied himself with her books.
Sachi had an extensive library, which, surprisingly, held tomes he hadn't heard of before. The fact that they were all looking relatively new, and with the same texture and materials, cemented the idea that Sachi wrote the books from memory. Which was something Kakashi wasn't about to dwell on and risk having an existential crisis in the middle of caring for her.
He was a genius too, for fuck's sake, but Sachi was just ridiculous.
"Hmnh…" Sachi moans, turning around and grimacing in pain. "Ow. Hi there."
"Do you even get surprised anymore?"
"I have the Barbican in my head, kinda difficult to surprise me when I know where everyone is."
She gets up slowly and Kakashi pushes her back on the bed. Sachi's mood sours instantly, and opens her mouth to protest when he says "Still early. We have some more time before you need to get ready."
She deflates, blinking suspicious eyes at him. "I see." she grits. "Thought for a moment that you were going to forbid me going to work."
"You do what you want, right? If I told you that there was no work for you today you would've activated the seals and knocked me out. Perhaps killed me, for good measure."
"You know me well." she says, not denying it. She shifts, bringing a pillow so she could sit up somewhat. "Whatcha readin'?"
"The Old World, by Asahi Masamune."
"Didn't peg you for a mythology kind of guy." she comments, craning her neck to see what page he was on. "Kinda boring if you ask me."
"You read it?" he asks as if he doesn't know she wrote it from memory. "Seems interesting to me."
"To each their own, I guess." she says, looking up to the ceiling and watching their reflection together. Kakashi does the same, and the loose shirt she wore for bed had ran down one shoulder, exposing some skin on her cleavage.
Kurenai would have been very disappointed to hear that he stared at the chest of a woman so blatantly, but he was focused not on her breast, but on the scar that was there.
"Not subtle." she chides him, but doesn't rearrange her shirt. "Whatcha thinkin'?"
"Can I see them?"
At that Sachi looks at him, not through the mirror but directly. He had overstepped, and Sachi is openly frowning at him like she did when she was truly pissed at him. "Come again?"
"Can… I see your scars?"
Chakra sparks tickle his body as Sachi ponders his question, not really happy about it at all. She shrugs. "Can I see your face?"
They stare at each other, their usual tension rising between them. That was another line in the sand that they had set for themselves, Kakashi didn't ask her about her condition and Sachi didn't look at his face. To hear her ask, in spite of him asking first, made his heart beat faster in an awful kind of way. There had been times when Kakashi wanted Sachi to see his face, to cross that boundary, but that morning…
"Maybe another time."
Sachi takes his answer with grace. Not today, but someday.
"I'm taking the bathroom first." she says, slipping out of bed and stretching. "We have an early start."
True to her word, they were in the Hokage Tower before anyone else. Kakashi followed after her, watching her do her routine. Sachi let him enter into a secret room at the end of the hallway in the top floor, which connected both offices, hers and the Hokage's.
"Fancy a coffee?"
"No caffeine for you." he says, stealing the cup she made for herself.
The room was small but long, following the curvature of the Hokage Tower. It had a coffee machine that seemed to run forever, as well as a kettle for tea and a stack of neatly organized blends. And cookie scrolls.
"Didn't know you had a break room."
"I requested it when we built the Tower again." Sachi says, listening to him and waiting for her cup of green tea to cool down. "Keep the boys sane, or I would be chasing those two across the village to do their jobs."
"Those two… meaning the Hokage and Shikaku-sama?"
"Who else?" she says, nonchalantly. "You know them as scary people, but truth be told, they're children, both of them."
Sachi was probably the only one that could get away with badmouthing the Hokage and his advisor, but Kakashi had the feeling that she got to see much more than their supposed serious roles.
"Speaking of which, they should be here soon."
Sachi makes another two cups but lets them on the table, taking her own and going into her office. Like yesterday, the office was grandiose and sort of ominous; Kakashi lounged on her heavenly sofas while she went to her desk.
"We begin in five minutes." she says, watching the sun just appearing on the horizon. "It's a pretty busy day, so you know."
Kakashi, who has taken The old world with him, waves a hand at her.
He had underestimated how busy Sachi was.
"Ma'am!"
"Begin the second phase, and I want the reports by the end of the week with how it's going. Tell the constructors to begin with the lower level, south-eastern sector." The messenger nods and disappears, another coming instantly after he leaves.
"Sachi-sama! We have the monthly reports from the Academy." Sachi points him to a corner of her desk, even more filled with papers. "What should we do?"
"Take this." she throws a scroll to him. "The director will know. I'll summon you with details later."
"The guarding roosters!"
"Active duty reports!"
"New updates on the Bingo book!"
"Requests for entry!"
"Merchant treaties!"
"What should we do with—"
"Sachi-sama!"
"Sachi-sama!"
"Sachi-sama!"
Kakashi ended up wishing he had slept the night previous, because now he had a headache that threatened to stay for the whole day. Sachi, who was supposed to be the contused one, was calmly rearranging the stack of papers as if she hadn't seen half the village in a scarce few hours.
"I did tell you today was going to be a busy day."
"... I'm starting to believe that you're more serious than I expected." he amends, getting up and catching the pill bottle that she threw at him. "Thanks. Are these hard drugs?"
"Sensei's special blend. Does wonders for the head." she says, getting up and sealing the paperwork in different scrolls. "So, what do you think about a day in the life of the Watchtower?"
"Do you do this everyday?"
"Some days even more. It's still morning, though."
Kakashi stares at her for a moment before deciding it was not worth it. "You're a workaholic."
"That's rich, coming from you." she accuses and guides him through the break room where Kakashi was able to down a few of the pills. "Good morning, Hokage-sama, how's your day?"
Kakashi greets his sensei, and somehow, he got the impression that Minato didn't have nearly as much work as Sachi did. He still looked tired, and Kakashi saw one of the mugs Sachi prepared on his desk.
"Still going." he complains.
"And I'm here to make it worse." Sachi smiles, the sort that made people cower in fear. "Here. Please have them signed by the end of the day."
He knew his sensei enough to understand that Sachi had just put the final nail on his coffin. He takes the scrolls and puts them on a box that is precariously full. "... thank you, Sachi. About the…?"
"I'm taking care of it." she reassures, but her tone is definite. "Unless you want to do so by yourself?"
The Hokage, perhaps understanding much more than Kakashi, just shook his head hurriedly "No! No, it's fine. I trust you."
Sachi is satisfied with that answer, and Kakashi squints his eye at the strange display. Had he not known better, Sachi appeared to be more of a Hokage than his sensei, and that thought was sure to keep him up at night.
"Kakashi!" his sensei calls, trying to get away from Sachi's questioning eyes. "I see you're still here. How are you finding working with Sachi?"
"He won't give you an honest answer as long as I am here, Hokage-sama." Sachi teases, turning to Kakashi to wink at him. "I'm going to fetch Shikaku-san, consider this your break."
He doesn't want Sachi to leave, but Kakashi knows that Sachi had work that didn't involve him. Whatever she must want Shikaku for, it must be a delicate matter. He gives her a nod, and watches her leave. The tunic is a little loose, but it's tight in all the right places, and damn, she really had long legs—
"She never stops, that one." Minato says once she's out of earshot, and even then he's quiet about it. "Take a seat, take a seat! How is this week going?"
Kakashi indulges his sensei and leans on the wall behind him. "Not as I expected." he says, sincere. "I didn't know Sachi… was like that."
That seems to brighten his mood, as he smiles widely at him. "Right? I was surprised too."
"How come?"
Minato falters for a moment, a Hokage but too expressive when it comes to his emotions. "Ah, nothing, nothing. It's just… she's different than I thought, isn't that right?"
"I guess." he says, just to dispel the awkwardness. "The Watchtower is very busy."
"Ah…" he sighs. "Try and tell her that. If Kasui-san can't convince her... But let's stop talking about work, please. You… um… haven't gotten into any fights, right?"
Minato was worried about him, and Sachi's words haunt him. He hadn't realized that others were looking out for him, and he finds the realization sitting uncomfortably at the back of his mind. His sensei didn't deserve to be treated like this, because he had lost two of his students, and he had grieved for them too.
"Not anything serious." he admits, because they did clash somewhat. "She's still recovering."
"Seems fine to me." Minato says, and that offhanded comment strikes a sensitive nerve Kakashi hadn't thought he had. "But Sachi isn't the type to show these things."
It wasn't true.
Sachi laughed and joked and teased, and she was honest if you asked the right questions. Kind in unexpected ways, she was hardworking but still found time for those she loved. And yet, Kakashi also knew that he too had been fooled by the façade of the Watchtower, so composed and with a plan at the ready, when in reality her health was as brittle as a castle made of sand.
Kakashi wondered, just what was more to Sachi than her life as a Watchtower, like the snippets or the odd jokes she threw around when no one was paying attention to her. The songs she hummed to herself in the shower every morning, or how she liked to watch the stars when she allowed herself to stop. The snores when she fell asleep in a strange position, and the monstrous bed hair she awoke with afterwards.
Kakashi wanted to know them all.
"Maybe you can be friends now."
"Friends?" he echoes, coming out from his deep thoughts.
"Yes! It would be nice, you see… I think you two would get along well, if you put an effort to try."
"I nearly killed her."
His sensei hesitates. "But that was an accident!"
What bothered Kakahsi the most, apart from Sachi working too much, was that not even a near death experience had been able to stop people from using her. Sure, Sachi had a penchant for getting into trouble, but one would think that they would be more… worried. Instead, they fell right into the ruse Sachi had crafted, choosing to believe she was fine until the moment she wasn't.
If Sachi had died, would they be so laid back?
"Hear, sensei…" he says, Minato perking up at how he addressed him. "Sachi did much more than end the war."
The statement raises a concerned expression, the type he had seen during those awful months between the battles. His sensei knew something he didn't about Sachi, and it was irking him to no end. Shikaku, Kasui, Anko… even Orochimaru and Tsume, they all were in on something that the rest of them didn't. The reason why they cared a bit too much about her, that they relied on her so easily.
"That's something only Sachi can answer."
And as if on cue, the door opens, and there she was.
She was sporting that smile that said she was planning something, her eyes shining with happiness as she bounces into the office, Shikaku behind her much less thrilled. "Enjoying your break?"
"I was about to see if you hadn't died by now." he says, and he feels more than sees the other men in the office stiffen. "Watch the village burn without you."
Sachi is the only one that laughs, and Kakashi gives Shikaku a lazy glance before peeling himself off the wall. He hadn't realized that Sachi's laugh was quite nice to hear, and it ringed amusedly.
"I see you two are getting along." the Nara remarks, regarding them with those keen eyes of his that couldn't compare to Sachi's. "Your plans don't disappoint, Sachi."
"Isn't that why you're keeping me around for?" she says, catching something in his words that she didn't like. "Also, don't forget that your reports are overdue. I want them done today."
Sachi might not be able to blow them away with a jutsu, but she sure knew how to keep them in check. The mention of paperwork made them cringe, and Sachi, unaffected, went to Kakashi with a victorious smirk. "Come on, you too, we have things to do."
Kakashi leaves with her, two pairs of eyes set on his back as he does so, but he soon disregards them as they get onto the street. "I don't suppose this is your lunch break."
"Oh no." she chuckles. "I have to oversee a few things, and you," she puts an accusing finger on his chest that he would have broken a week ago. "are my bodyguard."
"Will you pay me?" he says, falling into step with her without the lazy slouch, as Sachi rushed everywhere.
"As if you need more money." she scoffs, and Kakashi doesn't want to know if Sachi has access to his finances. "Stop complaining, I'm taking you out of the office. Aren't I nice?"
"You, nice?" he teases, just for the sake of it. The midday sun is filtering through the canopies, and anytime Sachi looks up and goes through a patch of light, her eyes glow a lovely golden. "It seems you're taking your dog for a walk."
She looks at him, and he can tell she has a dirty joke on her lips. "Oh Kakashi," she sighs, and his name on her mouth sings like a tune. "sometimes I think you're doing it on purpose."
Kakashi thinks he should do it more often.
They take the rooftops, and Sachi is playfully rushing him as they round the village and eventually go down. Even the genin, who had only got out of the Academy, change roofs when they see them together. Their reputation was something to gape at, and Kakashi finds himself wanting to scare them a bit, loosen them up. They weren't monsters, there was no need to be afraid of them.
Sachi does a feint, and Kakashi jumps to the next roof while she drops to the street. He squids on the wooden platform and looks down at her. "I'm disappointed."
"Do you say that anytime you look into a mirror?"
"Yes."
Sachi waits a second before grimacing. "Ew. Come down here, you and your self deprecating humor."
They're in front of a construction site, and when people spot them, they freeze. However, Sachi takes the lead and they relax, obviously wary but trusting her enough. Kakashi is tempted to take offense, because they weren't that bad to sabotage the village.
"Sachi-sama." a big burly man bows to her "We weren't sure if you would come."
"Don't worry, Fushin-san, I am as diligent as you are about this project." this puts the man, Fushin, at ease. "Show us around?"
Much to his shock, Leaf was in the process of expanding. Fushin Takeo was a famous architect that had come to their village to aid them in creating a new sector for working shinobi, as well as another sector for civilians on the other side of the level.
"This way, those ninja that are just beginning to enter the workforce can live here without going into the Genin Corps apartments." Sachi explained to him, Fushin point where the units would be placed and the communal training ground in the middle. "Or even retire."
"They will be all soundproofed. And the seals…"
"I have the design already." Sachi says, and that's shocking to hear. "Mito-sama had a very good idea to use seals when Leaf first was built, and I intend to follow her path in this. Better than to pay for security, hmm?"
"Security in a village of ninjas! That's funny!" Fushin laughs, going into depth about the layout and the materials.
Sachi is completely focused on what he says, and she is making changes on the blueprints and advising him what to look out for. "The terrain is filled with roots, this spot should be reinforced and not put too much weight on…"
In Kakashi's case, he's enjoying the ruckus around them. He hadn't paid attention to the village, since he didn't venture out from his apartment or the bars he hung out with his friends. With so many missions, he hadn't noticed how the village was changing, or had already changed.
Leaf was being reborn, the lower level getting a new plumbing system that would avoid the nasty leaks from the upper side of the village; the Academy had been renovated, and there were more genin than ever, coming and going over their heads. All of the training grounds were taken care of regularly, with new features for training as well as security measures in case they got too out of hand.
Around them, Leaf was gaining another sector for their growing working force, after the boom of the war. More ninjas were settling down in-village, but couldn't fully integrate themselves with civilians while they had active duty. Kakashi heard Sachi talk about the needs of civilians, and the merchants and various folk that were already waiting for them to put them for sale.
Alive.
Leaf was alive.
"Thank you for your time, Sachi-sama." Fushin bows, and glances at him and bows to him too. "You as well, Kakashi-sama."
"We should be thanking you, for taking time away from the capital to aid us."
"Oh! No trouble at all! Sachi-sama is difficult to refuse."
"Keep that up, Fushin-san, and we might not let you leave." the man is relaxed, and he laughs with his belly. "We will see each other soon, keep up the good work."
"Will do, ma'am. Sir."
They leave, afternoon in full swing and hunger forcing their feet towards the food stands. "That was smooth." she says, quirking a brow. "Didn't think you would be paying attention, you were dozing off."
"Ninja." he points to himself. "Keeping an ear out is my job."
"And an eye." she muses. "What are your thoughts on the new sector? Maybe you'll be able to leave that shoebox of an apartment you sleep in."
"Not everyone can live in the Hokage Residence." he hisses, his apartment wasn't that bad. "It's fine, I guess. You're taking care of it too?"
"It was my idea, so yes." she says, although not gloating. "If we want good ninja we need good places for them to live."
"And the civilians?"
"They too. Civilians are just as important, because they keep this village going when you are away. Or do you want ninja to be forced to work on a kitchen roster like we do with the gates?"
"Such an inclusive way of thinking."
Sachi punches him lightly, and Kakashi guides her into a ramen stand.
"Oh! Such a sight!" the ramen vendor exclaims, not quite fearing them. "What will you two have?"
"Miso ramen." Kakashi says.
"Yamagata for me, please."
"Coming right up!"
Sachi stretches her muscles, and Kakashi puts his head on his hand, watching her. "That's what you do?"
"Hmm? Haven't we had this conversation this morning?" she says, and flips her ponytail over her shoulder. "I like to keep busy, and solving problems. I can't stay in my pretty little tower all the time, now, can I?"
Kakashi supposed she could, but she won't. Sachi didn't stop, that much Minato was right about, but it was more of Sachi's willingness to work than her so imposed role as the Watchtower. Just how much was Sachi involved in the village, and why hasn't he realized until then?
And yet, he's glad.
(Leaf was alive, and it hummed with a familiar presence.)
"What more problems are you solving, surprise me."
"Pulling my tongue, Kakashi?" she challenges, and Kakashi would have been willing to show her just what would he was going to do to her if she kept that up. Instead, he shrugs, and urges her on. "I know where everyone is at any moment, so this allows me to watch over any that's happening. People come to me with their complaints, and I am the one that says if it poses a problem or not. If it does, it goes to the Hokage and we plan a solution, and if it's something minor, I usually take care of it."
"Minor… like building a new sector kind of minor?"
"Yep." she says, cheery. "Minato-san can't be bothered to be planning this kind of thing, since we would need to have regular meetings. It's easier if I, who has the Barbican and the knowledge, do it instead."
"So… he just signs and then you do it?" he says, not sure if impressed or suspicious. "Sachi, are you the Hokage?"
It startles a laugh out of her, and Kakashi doesn't find it funny, since he was starting to get very worrying ideas about what his sensei is truly doing in his office. "Oh, gods, no! I would make a horrible Hokage, you know this." He hums, not sure of his answer anymore. "I still need permission for some things, but they trust me enough to do my job properly."
"I thought you only watched out."
"And that's what I'm doing. I watch out for everyone, but I am no god, Kakashi; I can get involved."
There laid her purpose. Kakashi looks at the small ramen stand, and the cook and his assistant, the one he knows is his daughter, are working hard without worry that the village would collapse to the ground. Around them, people were living their lives knowing that Leaf was safe, and they were all looked after.
Kakashi looks at Sachi, who thanks the vendor as he brings out their dishes. She was a strange one, and Kakashi had never been able to look away from her the moment they met. She was infuriating, just as she described him, but… she was a good kunoichi.
"For the glory of Leaf, and the life of your comrades." he entones, the same saying that they taught them in the Academy.
"What's that about?" she chuckles. "You full of patriotism all of a sudden?"
"I should be saying that to you." he says, and enjoys her frown at not catching his meaning.
The waitress peeks around a corner, but Kakashi was already done with his meal, scorching hot as it was. Sachi, who was slowly eating her cold noodles and chipping away at her ice cube, nods towards the girl.
"May I… ask a question?" she says shyly, and Sachi swallows her mouthful and nods. "Are you perhaps… on a date?"
Good thing she did so, because she would have choked at the implication. Kakashi enjoys seeing her surprised, and the sincere emotions that she displayed. That's why he's prompted to answer "Yes." and see her surprise turn into shock.
"I knew it!" The girl cheers and is gone before Sachi can say otherwise.
Sachi turns towards him, her eyes wide and mouth ajar. "What did you do?"
"Answered her question. Why? Don't you agree?"
He feels content, happy if he dared to put a name to it, as Sachi flounders searching for a way to counter what he just did. Kakashi thanks the contusion, because it's wonderful to see her out of her depth.
Ah, small mercies.
"You're horrible." she says to him, pouting as she hurries to finish her meal. "This is going to be all over the place by tomorrow."
"So?"
Sachi kicks him under the stand. "So? Actions have consequences, you'll see."
"That so?" he says again, making her roll her eyes. He could get used to this and Kakashi doesn't have any regrets as she gets more and more annoyed at him.
Good, the dark voice whispers, only look at me.
"Yes." she says, gathering enough grace to get up and put a few coins on the table. "Thank you for the meal, Teuchi-san. Greet Ayame-san, too, as I didn't have the chance."
"Not a problem!" the man smiles, spotting the coins and shaking his head "This one is on the house. Please visit us some more on your dates."
Kakashi chuckles at the pained look on her face. "My, you're so kind, Teuchi-san. We will make sure to do so."
"I hate you, I hate you so, so much." Sachi prays, ducking undernath the cloth onto the street. "Did… did you just say that to get away from paying?" Kakashi doesn't say anything, whistling innocently at her side. "Ugh. Being a cheapskate will be your undoing, I've said it first."
"Yes, yes, dear. Anything else?"
Sachi stops in the middle of the street, and she spirits a kunai from her sleeve. She always appeared glorious anytime she got ready for a fight, and Kakashi can feel the excitement want to match her stance. People around them come to a halt, and they're watching them with fear.
"Fuckin' asshole." she breathes, hiding the kunai and passing him with muttered curses.
Kakashi smiles underneath his mask, revelling in that fluttering sensation in his stomach as he winks at the crowd before going after her. She's walking fast, her long legs carrying her quickly as she is fuming.
"Maa, so mean." he says, and Kakashi can feel the sparks of her chakra rise and crackle like a storm. "Can't you be more nice to your boy—"
Sachi takes him up by the collar and pulls him into an alley. She's shoving her entire body against him, and Kakashi feels the sharp end of a kunai on his neck. Even in the dark, her eyes are blazing, and her chakra has an irked flutter that he had caused.
"Careful with what you say and don't mean, Kashi-chan." she threatens, and Kakashi feels his own temper come up for the challenge. Perhaps this was never going to change, no matter what they did, and Kakashi finds he doesn't care.
"Or what?" he slurs his words, and leans forward, the kunai pressing harder. "What will you do about it?"
Sachi considers, and her breath smells of the ramen they just had, and that sweet tang that she carried over that was just her. She was warm, oh so warm, and Kakashi stopped himself from brushing a strand of her hair that slipped from her hitai-ate. Something must be wrong with him, because he looks down at her lips, painted red and open to show her teeth, and he wants to—
"Huh." she releases him, and Kakashi thanks the Sage she did, because had she not… "See you later."
Sachi disappears in a body flicker, and Kakashi is stunned until he hears "Eternal rival!"
.
Night falls before he manages to lose Gai. He was his best friend, or the most close friend he had, but sometimes he didn't have enough energy to put up with his incessant challenges. He was cranky that Sachi had left him in the dust, since Gai wouldn't fall for the excuse of taking care of her if she wasn't near, and so he had to humor him until he got to the Hokage Tower.
"Had fun?" Sachi says, giving him a shit eating grin. "You should've taken the ANBU tunnels at the cross with Pine Avenue."
"You threw me to the wolves."
"So rude! Gai-san is not a wolf, thought you knew, since you two are so close."
Kakashi, out of respect for the very expensive desk, takes a deep breath to calm himself before he takes out a kunai and cuts that smirk off her. "Still working?"
It's redundant to ask, when Sachi is at her table and in the middle of typing what looked to be a book that some poor soul had to revise and approve, probably Minato or Shikaku. How did she do so much was beyond Kakashi, tired just at looking at the 'finished' pile.
"Anko was here earlier to deliver Kasui's message, so I have to hurry before he comes for my ass."
"Oh, so not an all nighter? How kind."
"That's me, a kind bitch." she continues to write, putting and pulling the sheets of paper and stacking them together.
"But you do, pull all nighters, I mean."
"I'm busier at night, believe it or not." obvious, considering they lived in a ninja village. "And I do, but so does everyone else. You the most guilty, giving me headaches with all the pacing you do sometimes."
Kakashi often forgets that Sachi has all the village in her head, and that she knows when someone moves. There had been countless times that Kakashi found Sachi just when he needed her, always there, waiting for him—
"You!" he gasps, but it's drowned by the clink of the machine as Sachi finished her task.
"And that's it. You were saying?" she doesn't wait for him as she tidies up her place, putting the papers and folders in even more scrolls. "I'm locking up, giddy up."
It's Kakashi's turn to be annoyed but Sachi is already slithering away, going into the Hokage's office. It's empty, and Kakashi knows his sensei is having dinner with his family. He worked hard to maintain some semblance of normalcy with his wife and son, but he didn't want Sachi to shoulder his slacker.
"There." Sachi drops the scrolls on another bigger scroll that sits inconspicuously on the middle of the desk. "We're done here."
"Aren't you afraid that someone will come and steal the scroll?" he asks, genuinely curious.
"Ignoring the fact that you're talking to the head of Surveillance, wanna try and see what happens if someone that isn't me, Minato-san or Shikaku-san touches that scroll?"
Kakashi knows perfectly well what happens when someone who isn't meant to use a scroll, for he has one on of his own, and so he shakes his head. "Can't blame a ninja for their paranoia."
"Say that to a Yamanaka if you dare."
Sachi proceeds to close the Hokage Tower, sealing it shut and trotting down the stairs to the ground floor.
"The Hokage Tower isn't open during the night?"
"In theory, it isn't. We are government officials, and we have a daytime schedule, and overworking is known to increase the chance of administrative mistakes, as well as lower morale and cloud judgement." she recites, just like one of those yellow haired shrinks liked to do. "But, ninjas."
They cross the floor, eerily quiet at that time of night. "Shit happens, and it's my job to watch out for it. I have all the missions for regular forces to come and report to the Hokage during office hours, and ANBU folk go to the Commander, since they're in charge during the night." true, all of Kakashi's missions had ended up with them coming back at night, unless it went bad or they rushed to finish. "If someone comes back when they shouldn't, or doesn't when they should, I'm the one to rise the alarm."
"Oh." Kakashi senses a trickle of guilt, remembering that his missions usually fucked up the schedule. He had wondered why the missions were now having estimated times of arrival and departure, to the target location and the village. Now he knew. "So… you're the one that writes up the missions."
"Yep." she opens the secret door to the Hokage Residence, and Kakashi can hear the quiet crickets as they walk the stone path to her house. "And who chooses who takes them. I know everyone in this village, it's obvious that I should do it."
Kakashi swallows a groan, because Sachi was even worse than he had imagined. Recalling everything she did, and what she was supposed to do, made him grateful that he was just an ANBU Captain. Only the fucked up bastards went to Admin, and Sachi—
Was the worst of them all.
"What are you standing there for?"
"You weren't joking when you said you don't have time for anything else." he comments, stepping inside.
Sachi is already half-way through from stripping her Watchtower clothes, frowning at him. "Do you have memory problems? You've repeated everything we already spoken about yesterday."
Maybe he was the one that got contused, and everything was just a dream.
They weren't that hungry, and so they settled for a light dinner from one of the scrolls. Kakashi could sense that Sachi was tired, slouched on the sofa and dozing off in her seat. He lets her fall asleep, and Kakashi sees the exact moment Sachi does, slowly sliding off to the side until she was lying down.
That was the consequence of her busy lifestyle. Kakashi crouches, not used to seeing her so quiet. And yet, it's not that jarring anymore; breathing in and out slowly, Sachi doesn't react when he slides a hand underneath her body, and hoists her up.
"Not that heavy."
Sachi was as tall as him, but didn't have the same weight, continuing to be the scrawny kid he had met the first time. He walks them up the stairs, Kakashi used to carrying his teammates after another botched mission, but he takes his time to be careful. He doesn't even bump her head on the edges when he slides the door to her bedroom open; not that she would stir.
Kakashi puts her to bed, and he wants to laugh at how… absurd the situation was. He would have never touched Sachi except for punching her, and now he was tucking her into bed as if she was a particularly tall child.
"Goodnight to you." he mutters, switching off the light and the blinds.
Kakashi doesn't unseal the blanket, and he crawls right up to her, mindful of her still fresh injury. Sachi doesn't wake up when he puts an arm around her, and just sighs softly. She's warm, and her scent is lulling him to sleep.
.
"O-Obito—"
"Shh," he hears, and it's not the ghosts, not his Obito asking him why, or his Rin, begging him to not kill her. "it's gonna be okay, shh."
Kakashi gasps for breath, and his eyes are wet, and he's trembling and doesn't know where he is. The gentle voice tells him to close his eyes, but he's afraid, so, so afraid.
"Trust me, go back to sleep." Kakashi struggles against the too hot body next to his, but there are lean arms around his neck that pull him closer, and he doesn't know what to do, do, do— "That's it darling, close your eyes, it will be fine."
He doesn't want to, because they are going to be there, waiting for him. He's so sorry, so, so sorry that he killed them, but he wants to live, oh please, let him live.
He buries his face against the foreign body and prays to the Sage that they stop haunting him.
When he closes his eyes, a woman greets him.
"Here you are."
She has blond hair, and sunkissed skin. Many, many freckles across her nose and cheeks, and one dimple when she smiles. Her eyes are dark grey, very much like his own, and her voice is motherly and kind.
"He's so ugly." a familiar voice calls, and he can see Pakkun on a plain of grass, sunbathing over a sea of green. "Takes after that one."
"Hush, he's my son, so he takes after me." and there she is, smiling at him so brightly that he feels at ease, at peace. "Isn't that right, Kakashi?"
Kakashi was his father's son, a carbon copy of one another, and yet him and that woman were so alike in how they furrowed their brows when they were annoyed, or how they crossed their arms when they didn't agree, or how they had the same tight lipped smile when they wanted to laugh but couldn't.
"Fuki." a voice, deeper than Pakkun's and one that Kakashi knew well, named the mysterious woman. "How are you feeling?"
"He's teething, look at those tiny fangs." she says instead, coming closer to his face and nuzzling him. "He's growing up so fast."
Sakumo, his father, comes into view and he's… younger, happier than he ever saw him. He leans over the woman, an arm across her shoulders, and planting a chaste kiss on her cheek. She groans, and pouts, saying "Don't do that in front of him! You'll embarrass him."
"Yes, yes." and he leans over again, and he kisses her on the lips this time. "He takes after me."
"Liar. He's my son." she says, and cradles him closer to her, her blond hair tickling his nose as she leans over to plant a kiss on his forehead. He reaches to her, tiny tubby fingers wanting to tangle themselves in her wavy hair. "My little Kakashi."
He wakes up to stare into his own eyes, the Sharingan crimson swirling painfully in its socket as he comes out from his dream. He is alone in the bed, and drenched in sweat, his heart beating with abandon and nausea creeping in.
He takes deep, even breaths to calm himself, closing his eyes to chase the afterimage of that woman he knows is his mother, with her blond hair and gentle eyes, and his untroubled father that didn't have his soul crushed in a million pieces. And perhaps that's the worst of all, to have such a good dream, for reality seems even more bland and cruel than before.
Kakashi looks at the blanket draped over him, and he clutches it in his fists.
.