"As in my report, Zabuza and Haku are now dead, as is Gato and his hired men."
The two jonin stood lazily, Aki with an easy smile and Kakashi with his normal 'this is such a drag' look on his face. After reassuring the other adults that, Yes, our kids are fine and No, no one is suicidal, they were finally dismissed, walking together silently all the way to the Memorial Stone.
"My first C-rank was botched, too, y'know."
Kakashi sighed, his body sagging. "Of course it was. How could it not have been?"
Aki laughed- a breathless kind that was more of a light chuckle if anyone thought about it.
Which Kakashi did.
"Yeah, it's not too surprising. At least it didn't go worse. We got a nice vacation out of it, after all."
Kakashi shrugged, pretending not to be paying attention to the red-head. They stood in silence for a long while- well, Kakashi did. Aki plopped down, crossed his legs, and started meditating, soon entering Sage Mode. Kakashi took the time to really study the Uzumaki, trying to solve the puzzle that was the red-head.
Orange eye-shadow. A toad sage, then. Does he know Jiraiya...? Who taught him Sage Mode? When did he learn? Uzumaki, obviously. The red hair, ramen obsession, sealing talent, and huge chakra reserves are plenty proof. Younger than me, probably. Smells around 22. Can't be older than 24. Great with kids. Sees potential in everything. His fighting style is a mix of Hyuga, Gai's, mine, Uchiha, and Tsunade's. Has he met some of these people before? No, no one said anything about knowing him and Gai would share about how youthful he is. Has experienced heavy losses. Hasn't said much about himself.
Then a terrifying thought struck Kakashi, but one he couldn't just throw away. How strong is he, really? What are his limits?
He looked at the red-head, curiosity burning in his eyes.
"You can just ask, y'know."
Right. Sages have better sensing. Plus he's an Uzumaki. A terrifying combination for anyone trying to sneak up on him, but can he seriously sense emotions?
"I'm curious."
Aki snorted, opening an eye. "No duh. If it's about me, I'll answer what I can. Anything else, I can only guess on."
Kakashi nodded, blurting out his most recent question. "Can you sense emotions?"
Aki snorted but nodded all the same. "It's an Uzumaki thing, but Sage Mode expands that range." One of his eyes opened, normally violet turned yellow with a horizontal pupil and looking over at Kakashi. "But we both know there's another question you're dying to ask." The eye closed once more, and Kakashi had to pause.
Am I that easy to read...? Or is it just him?
Instead of the thousands of questions burning in his mind, Kakashi asked, "What was your family like?"
Aki shrugged, opening his eyes and looking straight at Kakashi. "I was an orphan. A major disaster happened on my birthday, killing my parents and a lot of the villagers. I never knew any family. People blamed me, mistaking me as the thing that harmed their loved ones." Kakashi caught his breath, realizing the similarity to Naruto. What were the odds...? Maybe he should ask Shikaku about the chances...
"That's... horrible."
Aki shrugged and smiled (it doesn't look like it belongs there, that's not a smile that's acceptance-), letting a hand rub the back of his neck. "I get it. They needed something physical to get their grief out on. I was the perfect target. Sure, it hurt, and I'm ridiculously lucky I don't really scar outside of life-and-death injuries, but I don't blame them. Not for their emotions. I've lost my cool and senses to rage before. Quite a few times, actually. I've hurt people I cared about..." Aki looked down, his eyes seeing something that wasn't there. "But it's okay now. I'm doing... better... And it doesn't really matter anymore." Kakashi only looked at the Uzumaki, barely keeping his calm.
"Didn't anyone help you?"
Aki blinked at the man, smile fading. "No..." He only had time to blink before the Hatake was in his face, expression demanding explanation. So Aki sighed and rubbed his neck- a gesture Kakashi was starting to realize was connected to either nervousness or uncomfortable thoughts. "The hospital staff blamed me, too. Any doctors or nurses that helped me got hell from everyone else, so... Sometimes the shadows that followed me helped when someone got a bit... too physical, but the mental and verbal injuries ran deeper. There was an... event on my birthday..." Aki leaned back, scooting a bit and curling his knees to his chest, his arms folding over them and Sage Mode fading.
"An event?"
Kakashi squatted in front of the red-head, a hard expression on his face as Aki nodded. "A kind of... 'retribution for what I did', they called it. Chased me through the village and if they caught me..." Aki shivered, phantom burns running over his back and thighs along with... other pains he wouldn't think about. An awkward and shaky smile wormed its way onto his face. "Well, I'm just... really glad I heal fast and don't scar." Aki shook his head as Kakashi's veins filled with rage he hasn't felt since... Well, ever. Who would hurt such a kind soul?
Someone with a death wish, the impulsive part of his mind whispered. And for once, he had to agree.
"They're idiots," he said, though he knew it wouldn't help much.
But Aki smiled, grateful for the attempt. He let out a deep breath, relaxing his limbs and laying down on the grass. "Yeah. Thanks." Kakashi nodded from his place next to the Uzumaki, watching the man slowly relax into the ground.
.
.
.
"Yuki? Darling snowflake? Wonderful daughter and best Uzumaki in the universe?"
She didn't look at the oldest Uzumaki, paying more attention to the pan in front of her. "Yeah?"
"Please tell me you didn't use it."
"I didn't use it. I may not."
He paled at the implications, mind whirring through thousands of different scenarios.
Yuki, meanwhile, was internally cackling as she hadn't done anything but ask her friends to play along. She wasn't a moron, but she wouldn't give up the opportunity to make her eldest brother/father-figure earn gray hairs just that much faster.
Oh, the rascals.
.
.
.
In Konoha, connections meant everything. Connections and power. Too much power and too little bonds, and you would be swept into the Foundation, ANBU, or worse. However, too little power but enough bonds would ensure you'd still find a decent job somewhere and have someplace to call home.
Luckily, Aki had both. Well- had, before the jump through time (though he was well on his way to making the kinds of bonds he'd need). He knew Hiruzen in a way few ever got to see, knew the village like only a prankster or hider could. He knew the people in a way few even realized was possible- saw both the hatred and love they could give. He had the skills to get just about anywhere, had the experience to sneak around without being questioned or caught, and had the knowledge to find just about anything.
Finding the files on the Uchiha massacre was child's play compared to some of his higher-end pranks.
Taking said files without anyone knowing the difference was even easier- all he had to do was leave a replacement and put some dust on it. An earth jutsu was more than enough for that.
Giving those files to their true owner after skimming and adding notes he knew the files left out? Slightly more difficult. Or, Aki should say, slightly more delicate. Too early, and he feared Sasuke would have a breakdown- try to find the answers to the wrong questions and act out against someone who Aki couldn't have out of the game just yet. Too late... and it would be too late. Too late to change his mind, too late to save the brother he knew the genin deserved, too late to foil yet one more plot concocted by the shadows. So, he'd wait for now. Keep the files on hand for when the Uchiha was ready to learn, and be ready to answer the questions he knew the boy would have.
.
.
.
Lee wasn't in a good mental place after Gai died, sacrificing himself early in the war.
Lee didn't give in, though. Always looking to do him proud and to keep his nindo alive. He kept a smile on his face, always doing his best and trying his hardest to save as many people as he could. That was his priority- to save, instead of to destroy the enemy. Lee seemed to realize that there wasn't any point to winning the war if there wasn't anyone left to rebuild, to move on and prevent another war of that size.
Naruto had to give him props for that. He didn't know what he'd do if his sensei died fighting the same enemy he had to fight for who-knows-how-long.
Except when it happened.
It took a solid 5 years of constant war and battles, of late nights and night terrors and panic attacks and death and loss and crushed hope, but it happened.
Kakashi's death hit him the most, probably because that's when he realized he would go alone. He'd be alone when facing all too familiar faces. Alone when his nightmares set in, when his thoughts got too loud but the people who could silence them made him panic. When he needed someone there who understood- who wouldn't need to ask questions because they saw what he went through.
No more waking up in the middle of the night, another human already beside you and ready to help. Kakashi and Sasuke were there for him, and he, them.
He'd suffer alone, trying to differentiate from his precious people and his other self's. He'd be alone when he needed someone the most, just like in his childhood. Alone when he spiraled, when even Kurama couldn't save him from himself.
That thought alone nearly paralyzed him in fear and dread. Having to experience anything like his childhood again...
That may break him. He just hoped he kept his adult body and skills. He didn't have the time to retrain and pretend to be his old self or to go to T&I because of his abrupt change in personality.
.
.
.
The waves always calmed him, the rhythm calling to his very soul and washing the pain away for a while. Soothed his blood, his mind, his heart, his very soul.
But he wasn't at the beach. Couldn't hear the waves crashing against the shore, the gulls calling to the wind.
He was on the roof of the Uzumaki compound, staring into the sky and trying to imagine the waves crashing, Naruto back asleep and in bed. Aki sighed, letting his head dangle between his knees and his arms relax. "Guess it's harder than that..."
He sensed the Hatake long before he heard the man, too tired to raise his head. "Hey, Kashi." The Hatake hummed in acknowledgment, plopping down beside Aki. "Shouldn't you be asleep," the Uzumaki asked.
"Shouldn't you?"
He sighed, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "Fair enough."
For a while they sat in silence, Aki with his eyes closed and head down and Kakashi watching the world go by. "Do you always have trouble sleeping?"
Aki peeked at the man beside him, dark circles under his eyes partially hidden thanks to the night. "It's not... usually this bad," he eventually settled on. "But tonight was just... a bit too recent. A bit too real, too..."
Kakashi nodded, still looking at the sky. "Some of them are like that. When a small voice in your head says it's not real, but it feels real and you can't remember how it ends."
Aki nodded, running his hand through his long hair, pulling some of the strands out of the braid. He sighed, letting his shoulders relax with the reassurance that he wasn't alone.
For now, at least.
But the 'for now' was good enough. It was sure enough to calm him, enough to let his guard down.
There they sat, on the roof of the house, Aki starting to doze off.
Kakashi nearly jumped when a weight fell on his shoulder, quickly looking and seeing a sleeping Uzumaki. When'd we get so close?
But of course, he couldn't move. He knew the pet rule, having fallen asleep with his pack and vice versa. Did that mean Aki is a pet?
... Let's not think about that.
But Kakashi also knew humans don't like the cold. And it was starting to get chilly at night, a particularly cold breeze solidifying his point. So he had a few options.
A) Stay still and risk both of them getting sick while Aki slept. Maybe cause him to get a neck crick.
B) Leave Aki alone on the roof and go back to bed.
C) Summon the pack and make a dog pile for warmth. (And so Kakashi's dogs meet the Uzumaki and he can grab something with his scent, just in case.)
D) Carry the Uzumaki to bed and leave like a respectable human being.
E) Carry Aki to bed, but stay.
F) An unholy combination of a few of these.
Kakashi wouldn't leave Aki alone like that, especially not after a nightmare. So B and D were out. He didn't wanna get sick or on any of the Uzumaki's bad sides, so A was out.
Now it was between C and E.
...
He chose C and E, like a mad lad.
So he first lifted the Uzumaki up, following the scents around the house to find his room specifically.
It wasn't specially decorated, Kakashi noticed when he found the open door. There were blades lying around- fancy ones with seals in them- and sealing supplies on the desk in the corner, pages and pages overflowing onto the chair and floor. The bed was pushed against one wall, despite the huge size of the room and the queen-size bed. Seals faintly glowed blue from all over the room- barrier, silencing, and chakra suppression from what little Kakashi could read. A black box sat open on the dresser, filled with different earrings, nose rings, belly button rings, and- are those for tongue piercings? What are some of those others...?
(Yes. Yes they are.)
Luckily, both of them were in comfier clothes, so Kakashi just placed the Uzumaki on the bed, swiftly summoning his pack afterward. "Yo, Boss. What is it?"
Kakashi was inwardly thankful for how well Pakkun could read an atmosphere. In a whisper, he replied. "He has nightmares. Probably to do with losing people. I'm thinking sleepover."
That's all it took before the entire pack was laying around the edges of the bed, waiting for Kakashi to join them so they could pile on the humans.
Carefully, the Hatake crawled over the Uzumaki, taking the side closer to the wall despite how he'd much rather be at the edge in case something happened and he needed to move quickly. When he was settled, the pack closed in, surrounding the men with warmth, comfort, and fur.
.
.
Aki yawned, rubbing his eyes and sensing around, nearly freezing at the feel of several chakra signatures surrounding him.
But he recognized Kakashi and his pack and relaxed almost immediately, looking at where they were. He chose to focus on the pack first, for reasons to be explained. Pakkun was on the pillow behind Kakashi, curled up with his back barely touching the Hatake's head. Bull was right behind the other man, by his legs and slightly laying on him. Guruko was over Aki's legs, still asleep and snoring softly. Ūhei was directly behind the Uzumaki, laying right against his back. Akino lay near Bull at the foot of the bed, glasses slightly askew. The rest lay behind Kakashi, taking up the unused bed-space.
Kakashi had his arms wrapped around Aki, keeping the younger in place by pack rules.
His Kakashi explained pack rules back in the war, after getting caught with his pack piled on top of him sometime during the night.
"Never move unless it's a life or death emergency," he said, deadly serious. "Moving before everyone's awake means you're in enemy territory about to be discovered and/or killed. That's how we've trained."
Aki sighed, enjoying the warmth but wondering how he got there. With barely a pulse of chakra, a shadow clone poofed to life at the other end of the room, saluting the original and leaving to take care of his duties. After a thought, he created another and disguised it as Kakashi, so at least something would get done.
He mentally shrugged, closing his eyes once more.
What're a few more hours of sleep? I need to catch up a bit, anyway.
.
.
Kakashi grinned under the mask, Operation Get Aki Asleep a success. His pack was still asleep, and it seems like Aki went back to sleep. Much more relaxed than the first time, Kakashi noted happily. During the night, when the Uzumaki first fell asleep, he was silent and tense in a way that said prolonged sleep in enemy territory. The second time?
Light snores escaped the Uzumaki, limbs much more relaxed and willing to seek out warmth.
AKA, Kakashi himself.
Within two minutes of the red-head falling truly unconscious, his arms were wrapped around Kakashi's torso, slowly snaking under his shirt in search of warmth. His legs were all tangled in Kakashi's, toes pressed into the Hatake's calves. Basically, his entire body was pressed against Kakashi's, probably looking for comfort.
Kakashi knew the Uzumaki was a touchy-feely kind of person- he knew the signs from Naruto, Gai, and Kushina well enough- but he's seen the others truly sleep a few times. Enough to know they weren't this clingy in their sleep.
Who kept him from physical interaction? How long has it been since he was able to fully relax? How long since he felt comfortable and safe in another person's hold?
Kakashi vowed that he'd help the Uzumaki relax and heal, even if that meant healing himself first.
...
Hopefully, it doesn't. I don't wanna go to therapy.