A/N:
I once again forgot to write a chapter like the genius I am
tbf though i was sick for like 2 weeks straight so ;,D
anyway, posting it today bc thursday is thanksgiving... if i don't goof up again, the next chapter should be up next thursday :)
"Oh, excuse me. You are Akira-kun, aren't you?"
Akira takes a moment to process that someone had spoken. "Tsunami-san," he lets out slowly, tongue heavy in his mouth. "Do you need something?"
"Well, I don't want to cause you any trouble, but I thought I might ask if you'd like to help me with dinner. Your friend mentioned that you're a talented cook, though if you'd rather relax, that's alright with me," the blue-haired woman explains with a patient smile.
"My friend?" Akira echoes, then frowns, eyes flicking towards the living room. Kaho meets his gaze for all of a moment before turning away and whistling a broken tune. "Ah."
"She really seems to care for you," Tsunami says, looking at his teammate before her warm gaze slides towards him. "All of you seem very close."
We haven't even known each other for a full month, Akira thinks, but doesn't say. Instead, he plasters on an empty smile. "Yeah, I guess so." Then, before she can push on with the conversation, he glances towards the kitchen. "You wanted help with dinner, right? What do you need?"
"Oh! Well, I'd appreciate it if you could help me prepare the vegetables," she says, gliding past him to pull out a cutting board and a set of partially-dulled knives. "Just chopped is fine."
Akira hums and takes her place when she moves to reach for a pot. "Can I ask what we're making?"
"Nothing special. Just a simple soup." She offers a slightly apologetic smile. "I wish I could offer more, but the taxes have been getting out of hand lately, and with Gatou controlling shipping… Well, it's best to make filling meals with enough substance to have leftovers."
"It's fine," Akira replies, taking the sharpest knife he can find. It's not great, but it's not awful either. "...It must be hard."
"Ah…," Tsunami lets out, dimming slightly. "I won't say that's not true, but…" She bites her lip, glancing towards the living room as she fills up the pot and speaking more softly than before. "Many others have it worse…"
"That doesn't invalidate your own problems," he responds absently, cutting into a carrot.
"I suppose not… But it's still hard to process, I'm sure you know. It was especially difficult to see Kaiza as hurt as he was…" She exhales, voice quiet. "As silly as it is, I feel a bit guilty for not having been there. Maybe if I had…"
"That's… stupid," Akira eventually settles upon. "That wasn't a situation you could control."
There's a moment of silence before he hears soft, bell-like laughter. "It is, isn't it?" She hesitates briefly before adding, "But if you truly feel that way… Is it fair to punish yourself as you are?"
Akira fumbles with the knife, then breathes out a pained hiss when it cuts into his finger.
"Oh dear," Tsunami says upon noticing him, moving closer, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—"
"It's fine," he interrupts, maybe harsher than necessary. After a moment, he forces his lips to curl upwards. "I'll just go grab something for this. Don't want dinner getting all bloody or anything."
She moves to stop him, but he glides out of the kitchen before she can do more than part her lips.
"What are you— is your hand bleeding?! "
Akira shoots Kaho a tight smile. "It's just a cut," he replies pleasantly as he rifles through the medical bag. His hand momentarily hovers over the disinfectant before he passes it over to grab the bandages. It's practically a paper cut; he doubts he'll die from a bit of missing skin.
"What happened?" Kaho asks with a frown, leaning forwards.
"Don't play with knives," Akira responds airily, hoping to brush off her (slightly odd, given her usual demeanor) concern. "Now, if you don't mind me, I have to go wash this off."
His eyes flick towards the kitchen before a frown settles on his face and he steps towards the front door instead.
"Where are you going?"
"The lake," he answers, because there's no way he's going straight back to Tsunami after whatever just transpired. At least this way, he'll get a minute or two to himself before he has to face anyone else, and he can pull himself together before he starts slipping even more. "I'll be back in a few."
With that, he steps outside and lightly closes the door behind him before heading towards the forest. He remembers Tazuna mentioning something about a body of water somewhere around there, and since he's literally in the Land of Waves, he doubts that even a random one will be too hard to find.
He's proven right when he finds a dirt-made pathway in the forest that leads to a small lake. It's quiet aside from the sound of rustling leaves and the occasional bird, and as far as he can tell, there's not another soul around.
With a huff, he pushes away a branch and makes his way to the lake before leaning down to rinse off his cut. While he's doing so, his lips press together as his mind drifts.
He's getting sloppy, to say the least. He's known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, though that's usually only true when he's comfortable, or when whatever he's feeling isn't particularly problematic. But now…
He knows what set him off. He knows, and he's trying his best not to think about it, but sage is it difficult. He's exhausted, and he has no reason to be. Out of everyone, he should be the last one to complain; it was his fault that his team ended up in this mess in the first place, and he'd still been the one to come out the most unscathed.
And yet here he is, moping and blaming himself like a cliche anime protagonist, while Hotaru and Kaiza are fighting off fevers, Kakashi is working himself to the bone, and Kaho and Tsunami are both helping to keep the house in running order. Even Tazuna seems to be doing more than him, what with him being trapped in his own head more often than not ever since they'd gotten back.
He knew, realistically, that something would eventually go wrong. It's practically a rule among shinobi that the first C-Rank always spin out of proportion, but they hadn't run into trouble until they'd already finished their mission, when he decided to lose all semblance of common sense and leap out into a brawl.
Akira's not upset about that part, since they'd saved a man and all, but he wishes he hadn't dragged his teammates into it. Or, at the very least, he wishes he'd bothered to stick around and try to formulate some sort of plan.
It's… well, irritating and shame-inducing in equal measures. He's better than this - he knows he is. There's no reason he should've lost it there. And yet, here he is, drowning his finger and sorrows in a random lake out in the middle of Wave Country because he decided to be a total idiot.
With an exhale, Akira drags his hands down his face. He thinks the worst part of it all, aside from Hotaru having been injured because of him, is still having to face a disappointed Kakashi after all of this.
He knows he deserves it, but that doesn't make him feel better in the least.
"You need to stop avoiding him."
Akira pauses, turning to meet Kaho's startlingly stubborn gaze.
"You haven't been up to see him once," she continues. Her words aren't unkind, but they feel like daggers piercing through his chest nonetheless. "He's worried about you."
The two hold gazes for several more moments, though Akira is the first to back down. "I—"
" Don't ," she murmurs quietly, dangerously . "Don't start with any of that self-deprecating crap." She forces out an exhale when she sees his startled expression. "I get it, alright? You feel shitty. But you need to suck it up, at least for now, because Hotaru is the one that's injured and he wants to see you ."
Akira swallows, eyes flicking upwards. He can't see Hotaru, nor can he hear him, but he knows exactly which room he's in, even from the bottom floor. "Fine," he eventually says. "I'll go."
"Great. Take this with you then," she says, then proceeds to shove a pack of supplies into his chest. He looks at her, brows furrowed, and she smirks. "If you're already going, might as well be helpful too, hm?" she says a little smugly, patting him on the shoulder before walking away.
Akira remains completely still for a good thirty seconds, trying to process what just happened, before he shakes his head and starts for the stairs.
He's not actually been anywhere near them after the first day, which is why he hadn't seen anyone except for Kaho and Tsunami - and the occasional glimpse of Tazuna - in the past few days. Both Hotaru and Kaiza are resting up in their rooms, Kakashi is doing who-knows-what, and he's fairly certain that Inari is alternating between his own room and his father's, if his memory of the boy's character is anything to go by.
After another moment of hesitation, he forces himself to take the first step, and then another, and continues all the way to the top. Once there, he peers around the hall, then places Hotaru's room as the one just across the hall from the bathroom.
His hands are suddenly clammy, for whatever reason, but he soldiers on. He's fine, perfectly fine, and he won't freak out about seeing his injured teammate.
Akira steps inside, and the moment Hotaru's eyes fall upon him, all of the words he might've said shrivel up and die on his tongue.
"...Hello," his teammate eventually says, voice slightly nasally - thanks to the fever, he's sure.
He lets out a strangled noise that's frankly embarrassing, and Hotaru frowns like he's the sick one.
"Are you okay?"
No , Akira wants to say, swallowing a hysterical laugh. Absolutely not .
"Just peachy," he replies, and Hotaru's expression falls flat.
"You sound like Kakashi," he says, almost sounding disgusted by the observation. At that, Akira really does laugh, and he thinks he surprises both of them with the sound.
"So," he eventually says, stepping further inside, "What's up?"
Unlike Kaho, who would've undoubtedly replied with an airy, "The sky," Hotaru gestures around the room and responds in a monotone.
"Wonderful. I feel like I'm being pampered at a five-star hotel. I haven't even had to move in days."
Akira huffs out a laugh and feels the knots in his chest loosen, though only marginally. "Sounds like a pretty good deal to me."
Hotaru scowls. "It's awful," he admits. "Kakashi won't even let me use chakra. I've read every book in this house, some more than once. And one of those books is a several-hundred-page building manual."
"Even Icha Icha?" Akira asks, and Hotaru pauses. He looks like he's genuinely considering it before he eventually shakes his head.
"I'm not willing to stoop that low."
"Careful," Akira says, lip twitching up slightly, "If sensei hears that, he might just seek retribution."
Hotaru rolls his eyes as he smooths out his blankets. "What about you?"
Akira blinks. "What?"
"How have you been?" he asks dryly. "Surely your days must've been more interesting than mine."
Akira thinks back to the day prior, when he'd silently and awkwardly made dinner with Tsunami after returning from the lake, and denies the claim without so much as twitching. "Not really."
Hotaru looks at him like he doesn't believe what he's saying, but thankfully doesn't press the issue. "I guess that's not completely awful," he says with a slight sigh. "I think I've had enough excitement for… I'd say the rest of my life, but considering that we're shinobi, I doubt I'll get my wish there. So I'll settle for a week or two, at least."
"How understanding of you," Akira says, a touch amused. Hotaru nods solemnly in response. "...What about Kakashi?" he asks after a moment, catching his teammate's attention. "Is he…"
Hotaru grimaces. "Oh, he's not happy, that's for certain. Actually, I'm pretty sure he's half-entered ANBU mode or something. Most of the time, he won't even look at me."
"Ah…"
Hotaru waves his hand through the air. "It's not surprising, considering… You know," he says, quieter than before. "It's… weird to see, though. In real life I mean."
Akira swallows, suddenly feeling tired. "It is," he agrees in a near-whisper, scratching at the skin on his arm.
Several moments of silence pass before—
"Do you still have those cards?"
Akira's head snaps up, brows furrowed. "Huh?"
"Those cards," he repeats. "The ones you pulled out before the mission?"
"I do, but why—" he cuts himself off, squinting at his teammate suspiciously. "Are you trying to distract me?"
Hotaru's lips lift in a tight smile. "Is it working?"
The two eye one another for what seems like ages before Akira finally shrugs. "Yeah, sure, why not? Let me just put down this stuff first."
"This time you're losing," Hotaru tells him, a challenging glint in his eye.
Akira laughs in his face, a savage grin worming its way onto his face. "In your dreams ."
The moment Akira sees Kakashi sitting at the table, with everyone else aside from his teammates cleared out of the room, his fight or flight instincts kick in. When the man's gaze meets his own, though, he suppresses the urge and forces himself to move forward, though he chooses to lean against the table instead of taking a seat.
Meanwhile, Kaho grimaces but slides into a chair with a gap between her and Kakashi, and Hotaru does the same, although on the opposite side of the table.
Maybe it's cowardly, but he doubts that anyone would be willing to subject themselves to the full wrath (disappointment?) of Copy Nin Kakashi without taking some precautions - no matter how flimsy they are - beforehand.
"So," Kakashi begins, deceptively calm. "The mission."
Several moments of silence pass, and when his teammates begin to look uncomfortable, Akira forces out a breath.
"I'm sorry," he says, catching their attention. "I shouldn't have…" gone after Kaiza , is on the tip of his tongue. But he knows that he still would've, whether he'd gotten permission or not. "...Done anything without telling you first," he eventually settles on.
Kakashi hums. Akira can't tell whether there's a purpose to this, or if he doesn't know how to lead the conversation. Maybe a combination of both.
It might've been funny, had the atmosphere not been so tense.
"I ran in without thinking, and it was… stupid. I knew the rules, but I broke them anyway. So if you're going to punish anyone," he says haltingly, "Let it be me."
Kaho actually snorts at that, somehow incredulous. "We followed after you, dumbass. After that, we were willingly disobeying sensei's orders too."
"The blame doesn't lie solely on you," Hotaru agrees in a murmur. "I could've stopped you at any time, even before you leapt in, but I didn't."
Akira presses his lips together. "Even if that's true—"
"Because it is true," Kaho interjects, "We're all at fault here. Besides… I don't actually regret what we did," she admits unabashedly. "I wish Hotaru hadn't gotten injured, but we made it out alive, and because of us, a kid still has his dad around. Plus, there was that whole teamwork thing, wasn't there? What kind of teammates would we be if we just let you rush in by yourself?"
Before Akira can even begin to wrap his head around her words, Hotaru kisses his teeth. "I'd like to agree, but…" His eyes drift towards Kakashi. "We still haven't taken care of the biggest problem." When no one says a word, he forces out a breath. "Gatou, remember? He's not out of the picture. Until he is…"
"No one here is safe," Akira realizes, feeling his gut twist with dread. "We need to—"
"Need to what?" Kakashi interrupts, causing each of them to freeze. "Continue to disobey the only orders I've given you?"
Akira feels a burst of unpleasant warmth in his chest, and finds his breaths coming out haltingly as it increases tenfold. Pressure branches outwards, spreading through his rapidly numbing limbs, and it takes everything he has to keep himself from collapsing against the wall.
All at once, the feeling disappears. Kakashi peers at them impassively from the end of the table, expression unreadable.
"We… we have to do something," Akira eventually forces out, hating how desperate he sounds. "We can't just…" Leave them to die .
"Hm," Kakashi lets out, and it's…
Well, it's awful. He knows that Kakashi isn't heartless, has seen some of that protectiveness leak through firsthand , but he realizes now that he doesn't know how far that extends. If he can bring himself to care about those outside of his close circle, or who aren't under his direct protection.
Akira knows that not everyone can be saved, even if he is a bleeding heart. But this is an instance where they can be. Where there's an opportunity that he doesn't want to let go of .
But he's not in control here. He'd known that while becoming a shinobi would come with freedoms, there'd also be stipulations. But he hadn't expected to face them on his genin team - not so soon .
"...In the end, it's your call," Hotaru says with an exhale, catching his attention. "But I'd like to think that we have some sort of input in this situation."
"Is that so?"
Hotaru presses his lips together and presses on. "We completed our initial mission, we were able to keep ourselves from being recognized by the enemy, and while we didn't come out unscathed, we handled the situation with Kaiza. While that doesn't cancel out our previous mistakes, it should reveal some measure of competence. So I'm asking that you trust us here, or at least take our request into consideration."
A moment passes. "And what is your request?" Kakashi asks, voice not revealing anything.
"That we get rid of Gatou," Hotaru says bluntly, then grimaces. "I understand what kind of power he holds, but… That'll only increase as time goes on. Eventually, it'll become something far more difficult to handle. So it's best for us to nip that in the bud now," he explains, expression grim, but eyes determined. "And if we manage to free Wave… We'll have an entire country in our debt, and the backing of one of the most famous families here."
"Famous?" Kaho echoes.
"Tazuna is a bridge builder," Hotaru elaborates. "A master, if what I hear is to be believed. He's also helped to build a good amount of houses and buildings in the area, so he's a respected figure. Kaiza is too, maybe even more so. He's adored by nearly everyone in Wave. If we can manage to get them on their side, I don't doubt that we can work out some sort of trade deal, plus an agreement for them to offer us free - or at least reduced - services. Not to mention the near-certain possibility of a new allyship with Wave." He exhales. "In other words, it would be downright idiotic for us to pass up on this opportunity, even with the risks."
Kakashi's gaze slides to each of them, one by one, and Akira finds himself holding his breath.
"...Fine," he eventually says. "But I will be the one dealing with Gatou."
"Wh—"
" I will handle Gatou," he repeats, brooking no room for argument, "And you will all remain here and assist Tsunami-san's family with whatever comes up."
"...Okay," Hotaru agrees, eyes flicking between Akira and Kaho. Slowly, they both nod, Kakashi exhales.
"I'll be heading out tonight, so be on the lookout. I'm sure I don't need to go over protocol with you?"
"No, sensei," Akira answers for all of them.
"Good," Kakashi says. Then, after a moment of pause, he haltingly adds, "I am not… angry with you. I will not claim that I'm not disappointed, because I am. You disobeyed my orders, and because of it, you placed yourselves and your teammates in danger. The moment we return to the village, you'll all be going over the proper procedures and rules that you should've learned in the Academy."
Akira winces at that, but nods nonetheless. Hotaru and Kaho are quick to follow.
"Okay," he lets out, suddenly looking far more tired than before, but no less serious. "Since you're all insistent on this… You will act as if this is a Hokage-given mission. You will defend this house and its people with your lives , and you will keep my orders in mind despite whatever feelings you may have. Do you understand?"
Akira breathes, absently noting that the air seems to crackle with electricity. Slowly, he smooths out his expression, forcibly locking away any creeping doubt in the deep recesses of his mind.
When Kakashi turns his gaze on them, Akira is the first to speak.
"Understood, sensei."
A/N:
i know the ending is super awkward (and like, the exact same as the last one) but i totally dropped off in that last section cause i had very little idea wth i was doing B)
i still don't, and kinda feel like i'm writing these guys out of character... which is bewildering bc im the one who made them up
and kakashi... grhghrhgh I built up this overdramatic 'conversation' and then THIS is what comes out of it... how goofy
i'll probably edit it later, but here it is for now ;,D
anyway
Thanks for reading!