A Few Weeks Later:
Kakashi woke up in the middle of the night. Again.
He opened his heavy lids with a stifled release of breath, and reached out an arm out to turn on the lamp, clumsily knocking over the pills that were placed on his bedside table. Squinting his unfocused eyes with an exhausted sigh, he wearily checked the time on his alarm clock.
It was almost four in the morning.
Kakashi sat up with a groan and slumped against his head board; He knew from experience that laying down just made the pain worse. Sighing, he leaned over the side of the bed to retrieve the bottle of Ibuprofren from the ground. As he fumbled around for the painkillers, the pressure cloaking his head seemed to weigh down on him heavily, his face flushing with heat as the intensity of the migraine increased.
Wincing, he slowly made his way up, careful not to move too suddenly as he sagged back into the covers. With trembling hands, the Hatake popped the cap of the orange bottle and hastily took two pills, not even using any water. It had been a few weeks since his physical, weeks since Tsunade had prescribed him the medicine. The pills weren't working. If anything, the headaches were becoming even worse.
Exhaling shakily, Kakashi leaned back against the pillows and covered his burning eyes with an arm. He could try to go back to sleep right then, and get up in a few hours.
If I keep going on like this, I won't be able to function.
The headache was rather hard to ignore, but slowly, his consciousness began to dim and he once again drifted off into a fitful slumber.
Three heads jerked around when they heard the sluggish noise of sandals lazily shuffling across the grass.
"You're late again!"
"…Sorry, guys…Guess I overslept," he admitted with a quiet yawn. Kakashi sheepishly scratched the back of his head, unconsciously squinting his eyes against the obnoxiously bright sun. His pupils stood still in shock, surprised that he hadn't come up with a stupid excuse like he usually did.
He was telling the truth; after waking up before dawn, he'd gone back to sleep, but had found it very hard to actually wake up on time.
"Are you drinking again, sensei? You seriously need to cut down!" Naruto told him disapprovingly, crossing his arms, and shaking his head as he took in the man's shockingly haggard appearance. His silver hair was even messier than usual, and his lone eye looked puffy and sunken, the visible portion of his face a concerning ashen, grey color.
Kakashi exhaled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, catching sight of how his students were staring at him curiously, waiting for a response to the accusation. Lately, it had become a common occurrence for them to ask him why he looked so disheveled, and visibly tired. Usually, he was able to throw them off; it also definitely helped that Naruto had just assumed that he was frequently hungover.
"I already told you...I don't drink..." Kakashi said tentatively, not wanting to tell the truth, but also not wanting to give them the impression that he was an alcoholic.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's just go on a mission already! I've been waiting for forever!" Naruto exclaimed in annoyance, pouting childishly.
"Sorry, Naruto…no missions today. You'll just have to make do with regular training," Kakashi drawled, eyeing the blonde's passionate demeanor with a bored, unimpressed look.
Naruto groaned and dramatically slumped to the ground, his two teammates rolling their eyes at his antics.
"Now, now, training is just as important. Come on, straighten up." Naruto sighed dramatically in response, and rose from his defeated place on the ground, the corners of his lips pulled down into a displeased frown.
"We might as well get started. Naruto and Sasuke, you two spar with each other. Sakura, you're with me."
The two boys immediately ran off further into the field, screaming about how they were going to beat each other up. Well, Naruto was the only one screaming–- Sasuke was rather quiet in comparison.
Sakura directed her gaze towards Kakashi, ready to hear what they were going to do.
"Your goal is to try and land a hit on me; I don't care how strong, just try to actually hit me," he explained, confident that he could pull out his book and still easily dodge her attempts.
"Ready, Sakura?"
"Ready as I'll ever be!" Sakura got into a fighting stance, her jade eyes gleaming with determination.
"Start!" He took out his obscene novel and turned to a random page. Sakura ran at him, emitting a loud battle cry.
She threw a strong roundhouse kick at his side, but he easily dodged it with his palm, sending her skidding a few feet back. She didn't take long to shake it off and come right back at him. The young kunoichi leaped up and swung her leg with a frustrated scream, aiming for Kakashi's head.
If only he would take me seriously for once and put that damn book away! I'm not strong...but I'll show him. One day, I'll show all of them!
He quickly ducked down, narrowly missing the swift boot to his skull. With the sudden movement, a flash of hot pain reverberated throughout his sensitive head. Kakashi gasped at the unexpected intensity sheeting his skull like stabbing hot needles, but Sakura didn't notice him losing his composure, and relentlessly plowed on.
She rapidly advanced towards him with a new vigor, empowered by her motivation to be strong; to be more than just average. Sakura was tired of feeling as if even her own sensei didn't believe in her.
Kakashi just stood there, immobilized in pain, as the kunoichi attempted to land a hard sandal somewhere on his body. He couldn't bring himself to move, afraid that any type of motion would aggravate his headache even further.
Move…Move…Move, dammit!
Kakashi pumped chakra into his feet and clumsily leapt back in the nick of time, just barely dodging her kick. He dropped his book and clutched his pounding temples, a wave of unforeseen nausea overpowering his senses.
Not this again...
"S-stop...Stop…" he wheezed, holding out a shaky hand. Sakura froze mid-kick, a determined scowl still set on her flushed face.
Kakashi, on the other hand, was doubled over, his hands weakly gripping his trembling knees. As he stood, more like slouched, in front of Sakura, the world spun uncontrollably, his sense of balance gradually diminishing. Before he could completely fall over though, she ran over to his side and gripped his swaying form, finally noticing how uncharacteristically off kilter he was.
"Sensei? W-what's wrong, Kakashi-Sensei?!" she asked confusedly, barely able to keep a grasp on his tilting frame.
I didn't even hit him!
"It's nothing, really…But I should probably…sit…" he reassured her quietly, giving her a pained smile. This time he closed his eyes into crescents to make sure that they wouldn't reveal his growing malaise. He felt his face warming underneath his mask, feeling a growing embarrassment at how his student had to take care of him; it was supposed to be the other way around.
"O-okay… just hang in there, Sensei." Sakura pulled one of his heavy arms around her shoulders and started the journey to the nearest tree, stumbling under the limp weight of a grown man. He shakily straightened up after realizing that he was unconsciously leaning on his pupil, probably due to the fact that he was in danger of losing his consciousness.
Because of the lightened load, the two were able to find a resting spot rather quickly; a large oak tree that provided them with a close view of Naruto and Sasuke's "duel". Kakashi collapsed to the ground with a stifled groan, unable to stand any longer, even if it was with Sakura's help. He leaned back against the rough, splintery tree trunk, not caring that the dewy grass was dampening his shinobi slacks.
Sakura plopped down next to him, her brows furrowed deeply in concern upon taking a good look at him. He was completely still, as if moving would hurt. The visible portion of his face was as pale as a sheet, glistening with a thick sheen of sweat.
He doesn't look too good…
"…Sensei?"
The kunoichi's anxiety grew when he failed to respond. The way his eyelids had drooped closed, and how unnervingly motionless he was, made him seem unconscious.
"K-Kakashi Sensei!" She gripped his shoulders and shook them hard, her eyes wide with worry.
"Hmm?" He replied tiredly, a little bit annoyed. Kakashi cracked open an eyelid, gulping deeply to push down the bile that had risen up his throat with all of the violent movement.
"Good, you're awake! I was so worried!" Sakura exhaled in relief, wiping the drops of sweat that had accumulated on her brow.
"Of course I am. I wouldn't sleep on the job, would I?" he said flippantly, reaching into the pocket of his flak jacket. Kakashi pulled out the familiar bottle of Ibuprofen he had stuffed into his vest and popped the cap. Although it rarely made a difference, he took it anyway, thinking that doing something was better than doing nothing at all.
He shook three pills into his gloved palm and slowly brought them closer to his mouth. Sakura followed every movement of his hand with wide eyes, aware that to take the pills, he had to pull down his mask. This is it! I'm finally going to see Kakashi Sensei's real—
Out of nowhere, a strong gust of wind decided to blow a pile of leaves in their direction, conveniently obscuring his face from Sakura's view. When her line of vision was intact again, she was astonished to see Kakashi capping the bottle and tucking it back into his vest pocket.
"DAMMIT!" The profanity blew past her lips, much like the wind that had just blown past them. Realizing that she had said a "dirty word", Sakura quickly clapped a pale hand over her mouth, her cheeks dusted the same color as her hair.
"Is something the matter?" he asked, feigning innocence.
"N-NO, no, everything's fine, HAHA!" she gushed loudly, her face even redder than before. He raised an eyebrow, amused at her antics.
I'll show them my face someday…but not any time soon! he thought with a chuckle, leaning back onto the tree trunk. Sighing, Kakashi crossed his legs and rested his head in his hands, waiting for the headache to go away.
"…Sensei?" Sakura called tentatively, fidgeting with her fingers.
"What is it?" Kakashi mumbled, eyes still closed.
"Um…It's just…Well…Are you alright?! You took THREE pills, and I usually just take one!" she rambled uneasily, gesturing wildly with her hands, "I know Naruto's always accusing you of drinking too much, but you said you don't drink...so is there something else going on, sensei? You can tell us, you know that, right?"
He sighed, opening his eyes at the sudden barrage of questions.
"I'm fine, Sakura. Thank you for your concern, but please don't worry about me," he said bluntly, refusing to open up about the true state of his health, even if it was glaringly obvious at that moment that he was feeling under the weather.
No, I'm not okay…but I don't know what's wrong with me either…
"Then what was that just now? You practically fainted during training!" she cried, her green orbs locking dangerously with Kakashi's own dark ones, as if she knew that something was up,"This isn't like you, sensei...You seem...unwell…"
"Well, I spent most of the night reading, so as a result of that, I woke up late. I didn't want to be even later to training, so I skipped breakfast and ran all the way here. And because of all of that, I have a bit of a headache," he lied swiftly, waving off her question and closing his tired eyes.
"He expects me to believe that?! I know for a fact that he couldn't care less about being late!" she thought incredulously, her eyes narrowing in a combination of suspicion, puzzlement, and worry,"But I guess I shouldn't push it out of him…"
Sakura took one look at how his pasty skin clashed with the deep black of his mask and decided to stop probing him—she could do that later, if she wanted to.
Maybe I can help...
She slowly got up onto her knees, scooting closer to her sensei's side, and reaching out her hands toward his silver, gravity-defying hair, softly beginning to massage his scalp.
He jerked up abruptly, his spine stiffening, and his eyes widening considerably at the sudden, unwelcome touch.
"You don't have to do that, Sakura…" He leaned away from her, not used to such contact. As sad as it sounded, it had been years since anyone had given him a massage, or displayed any form of affection.
Actually, if they tried, he usually just ignored them, or distanced himself. Caring gestures could lead to friendship, and friendship was a very dangerous thing. Every single friend that Kakashi had made ended up dying.
"Come on, Kakashi-sensei, I know your head hurts! You'll feel loads better, I promise."
She continued weaving her fingers through his silver mane, the spiky strands tickling her palms. He exhaled loudly and slumped in defeat, too tired to argue with his student.
"Fine then…if you're sure it'll help…" he muttered under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose and squinting his eyes shut.
Comrades weren't necessarily friends…they were just fellow shinobi, people who shared his interest in protecting the village and completing missions.
"Trust me, it will!" Sakura reassured him cheerfully, ignoring his obvious uneasiness.
If Rin were here right now, she would do exactly what Sakura's doing…
He pushed back the unwanted memories, mentally slapping himself.
She's dead.
"Relax, sensei! You're so stiff," she chided, chuckling lightly. He loosened his taut muscles on command, releasing the accumulated tension. Kakashi hadn't even realized how rigid his body was becoming.
She continued to gently massage his head for a while, grinning to herself when he finally stopped leaning away from the touch, as if he was starting to enjoy it. In truth, he really did feel much better. Whatever Sakura was doing was working way better than any of the useless pills he had taken.
But she should be training too, he thought guiltily, gazing at his two other students' exchange of fists.
"Why don't you go spar with those two, Sakura?" he said suddenly. Sakura's eyes widened for a moment before she sadly gazed down at the grass.
"I-I can't…" she told him solemnly.
"Why is that? You've really been helping me out, but I think you should go and train. Thanks to you, I'm feeling much better," he admitted with a genuine smile.
"It's not that. It's just…they're so strong and powerful. Compared to them, I'm nothing. A-and I bet they wouldn't even want to spar with someone as weak as me…I'd just get in their way," she finished in a whisper, her face tilted down and her fists tightly clenched.
To Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke were like two peas in a pod. Even though they "hated" each other, their constant rivalry and fighting pushed the other to become even stronger. She hated to admit it, but she felt out of place, like the outcast she had been as a child.
I'm useless…
"No, Sakura," Kakashi started firmly, interrupting her thoughts, "Believe me when I say that you would not get in anyone's way. For what it's worth, I think you have the best analytical skills out of all my students. Let's not forget your near perfect chakra control either; with skills like that, you could become a great medical ninja. And based on the way you punch Naruto, I would definitely consider you strong; I would even be a bit scared of you."
"But don't forget that strength isn't only physical—You have to be mentally strong as well. The guts to never give up are much more powerful than any type of high level jutsu like chidori or rasengan."
Sakura nodded and grinned brightly, wiping away the tears that were running down her cheeks with a loud sniff.
Maybe I am useful…I'm still going to train hard though! If not for me, then to make Kakashi-Sensei proud!"
"Thanks Kashi-Sensei! You're the best!"
Without warning, she jumped onto his lanky frame and tackled him into a bear hug. He sat there awkwardly, his eyes widening in surprise at the sudden gesture of affection.
Eh? What's this?
After a few seconds of sitting stiffly, unsure of what to do, Kakashi hesitantly patted her back, his other hand moving to ruffle her short, pink hair. He smiled to himself underneath his mask, a warm feeling spreading throughout his chest.
Sakura pulled away and jumped onto her feet, still positively beaming.
"I'll go train with them right now, Sensei!" she exclaimed with a fist raised into the air, newly motivated. Kakashi glanced over her shoulder dubiously, watching his other genin trudge towards them.
"Er…Well, It's kind of too late for that," he said, pointing behind her. Sakura jerked around, a bit disappointed to see her teammates approaching the tree that they were seeking shelter under.
"Aww…Guess it'll have to wait till tomorrow, then," she pouted.
"What'll have to wait till tomorrow?!" Naruto asked through pants, his face sweaty and flushed. Both Naruto and Sasuke were now standing in front of the two, exhausted from all of the exercise.
"None of your business, idiot!" Sakura shrieked, glaring at him. Her face turned red with embarrassment.
"Hey, you don't have to be so rude! It was a simple question!" Naruto pouted childishly, crossing his arms.
"WHAT'D YOU SAY?!" she exclaimed angrily, punching his head for good measure.
"OW, THAT HURT!" Naruto cried miserably, clutching his noggin. Kakashi groaned in annoyance, fed up with the constant fighting.
Is this how sensei felt about me and Obito?
"Hey, knock it off, you two! Keep fighting, and I won't take you out to lunch," He threatened harmlessly. The three immediately turned towards their Sensei with various shades of incredulity painted on their facial expressions, Sakura in the middle of pummeling Naruto.
"Lunch?!" Naruto questioned disbelievingly, his eyes gleaming with excitement, "B-But you never get us lunch, Kakashi-sensei!"
"Yes, Naruto, I was actually thinking about taking my students out to lunch." Kakashi deadpanned, shakily standing up from his spot under the tree. He tried his best to hide his headache, hoping that Sakura wouldn't mention anything about what had happened.
He felt that he hadn't been the best teacher as of late; His inconvenient lethargy and tiredness had been preventing him from doing that. As a result, his students had practically been doing most of the work on their own, barely even nagging him about why he was "lazier" than usual. Even if it was because they hadn't noticed, Kakashi still appreciated it.
"Hn. And you're actually going to pay for it too?" Sasuke asked disbelievingly, crossing his arms.
"Of course I am. I'm not a cheapskate sensei who makes his own students pay for a meal that he invited them to." Kakashi gave them all a crescent eyed smile, scratching the back of his unkempt, silver mane.
You guys deserve this.
But you made us pay every other time! The three thought simultaneously, shocked at the sudden treat.
"So where are we going to eat? Ichiraku sounds great, right?! I want ramen! Ramen!" Naruto exclaimed, too hyperactive for his own good.
"There's no way I'm eating that crap right now. How about that BBQ place?" Sasuke suggested, smirking at the fuming blonde next to him.
"Sounds great, Sasuke!" Sakura sided with her long-time crush, speaking before Naruto had a chance to retort.
"You too, Sakura? How could you betray me like that?!" Naruto cried, falling to his knees in agony.
Kakashi chuckled at his melodramatic behavior. Naruto reminded him of a certain someone he used to know very well.
"Sorry, Naruto, can't always have it your own way, can you? Well, I guess it's decided then…BBQ it is." He prompted lazily, gesturing for them to follow him out of the training grounds.
"Yayyy! I can't wait to eat lunch!" Sakura pumped a fist into the air, skipping beside Kakashi.
"It isn't as good as ramen, but I guess it'll do…" Naruto slumped on, upset that they weren't eating ramen, but excited to eat any kind of food.
"Hn. Whatever." Sasuke feigned indifference, but in reality, he couldn't wait to eat either. The exercise with Naruto had probably burned all of the calories he'd consumed for breakfast.
With that, they continued to the BBQ restaurant, laughing and chatting loudly—and fighting, if you think about Naruto's relationship with his teammates—the entire way there.
Team 7 walked through the curtains that hung in front of the entrance of Yakiniku Q, greeted by the mouth-watering aroma of seasoned meat.
"Hurry, hurry! Let's find a place to sit!" Naruto cried, a hand resting on his rumbling stomach.
"Ever heard of patience, loser?" Sasuke muttered, loud enough for Naruto to hear.
"What did you say, you jerk?!"
"I can say it as many times as you'd like. Ever heard of patien-"
"I KNOW WHAT YOU SAID SASUKE!"
Sakura face-palmed at their childish arguing. But it wasn't like she hadn't done her fair share of the same thing.
"Enough! Behave yourselves..." Kakashi scolded, uncharacteristically annoyed. The two angrily turned away from each other, pouting and crossing their arms.
After capping a lid on his emotions, Kakashi sauntered through the shop with the rest of his team, skimming the room for an empty booth.
"FOREHEAD!"
"INO-PIG!" Sakura screeched, her eyes glinting dangerously with anger.
Wait, isn't that what she called Asuma's student? Kakashi thought uneasily.
Turning around, he was met with the sight of Sakura glaring pointedly at a blonde kunoichi that he remembered seeing at the chunin exams.
Ino Yamanaka…
In his haste to find a place to sit with his students, he hadn't even noticed Asuma's team sitting in one of the booths, chowing down on seasoned strips of beef and bowls of rice. The two teams awkwardly stared at each other, before Kakashi started to walk away.
I don't feel like greeting them…Why should I have to?
"Kakashi, wait!" Asuma called out, his eyes uncharacteristically wide. He had gotten up, his hands planted firmly on the table. Kakashi looked towards him and quipped an eyebrow, his attention successfully taken away from the book that he'd mindlessly been skimming over.
...What now?
"You're here anyway, so come and join us," the Sarutobi said awkwardly, demanding it more than asking him.
Kakashi barely hung out with any of the other Jonin anymore, so there was starting to be slight speculation that he was angry at all of them for some unknown reason. Asuma, along with the other Jonin-senseis thought the same thing, not knowing that he really hadn't been showing his face because of how sick he'd been feeling as of late.
Is it because I said Icha Icha tactics is a book for perverts? Asuma thought nervously, waiting for Kakashi's response.
"Hm…I guess that'd be alright," Kakashi replied nonchalantly, tucking his book away.
Team 7 scooted into the bench across from Team 10. Kakashi signaled for the waitress to come over and take their order: the same thing as Asuma, but a bit less. Fortunately for him, Chouji wasn't on their team.
"So, Kakashi…What's up? How are you doing?" Asuma asked awkwardly. Conversations, especially with someone like the Hatake, weren't really his forte.
"Um, I'm fine. You?" he replied listlessly, itching to pull out his book again.
Man, this is troublesome as hell, The Sarutobi thought uncomfortably.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm good…Listen, are you mad at us or something?" he said uneasily. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, cocking his head slightly in confusion.
Where did this come from?
"Of course, not. Why would I be mad at you?"
Asuma looked at him in surprise, thinking that Kakashi would surely mention the book or something else, at least.
So I did this all for no reason. I don't get this guy…
"Kurenai and Gai were saying…Oh, never mind...With the way you've been avoiding us lately, it does seem like you're angry," Asuma explained, shifting nervously in his seat.
Oh, so that's why he said that. I haven't been coming out because I've felt sick, but they think I'm avoiding them…
"No, no, I'm not mad at all," Kakashi chuckled in slight amusement, "I've just…been busy lately."
The waitress came with the dishes Kakashi had ordered and set them down on the table. His three students immediately reached for a plate and a pair of disposable chopsticks, ready to eat. They piled their meat onto the grill, impatiently waiting for it to cook, and heaping a generous serving of rice onto their plates.
"ITADAKIMASU!" Both Naruto and Sakura screamed in unison, clapping their hands together in a prayer before tucking into the meal. Sasuke also started on his lunch, but just wasn't so loud about it.
Kakashi eyed the grilling meat in distaste, his plate devoid of any food. His stomach was still a bit uneasy from before, and he didn't want to vomit again, at least not in front of them. And if he scarfed down his whole meal like he usually did in public (he didn't want to expose his face), he was sure that it would just come right back up.
"Why aren't you eating anything, man?" Asuma asked through chews, his mouth full of freshly grilled beef. He had noticed his fellow jonin sitting there with an empty plate, looking a bit lost.
"Ah, maybe in a bit...I'm not that hungry right now…" Kakashi told him quietly, timidly rubbing the back of his head. Asuma gave him an unimpressed look, crossing his arms.
"Come on, now, Kakashi...you're going to buy all this food and not eat it? At least eat some of it, or else you'll be wasting," He told him pragmatically, returning to his own meal.
At that moment, Sakura turned to face her sensei, who she was sitting right next to, and gave him a wide smile.
"I just remembered, sensei! You didn't have breakfast, right? Here!" she said obliviously. Sakura picked up a few of the slices of meat she had set on the grill and slid them onto his plate, adding a bit of rice for good measure. He looked down at his heaping plate in disbelief, almost nauseated by the sight of it.
Shit, now I have to eat it, don't I?
"Er…thanks, Sakura. You didn't have to…" he said tensely.
You seriously didn't have to…
"That's what students are for, Kakashi-sensei!"
Smiling widely, Sakura turned back towards Sasuke, once again attempting to flirt with him. Kakashi gulped loudly, his clammy hands trembling underneath the table.
"Well? Aren't you gonna eat it?" Asuma questioned him, having witnessed the whole thing.
He didn't eat breakfast and he's still not hungry? The Sarutobi thought to himself, his eyes narrowing in both confusion and suspicion.
Kakashi sighed deeply. He had no choice; if he didn't eat, then Asuma, if not all of them, would know for sure that something was up. The copy nin picked up his chopsticks and cracked them open, his palms sweating underneath the black gloves that covered most of his hands.
I don't know if I can do this…
"Itadakimasu…" he muttered, deflated. When Kakashi saw an "opening", he quickly pulled down his mask and stuffed all the greasy meat and sticky rice into his mouth, chewing faster than his mouth was used to. He yanked the cloth back up his face, forcing his jaws to mechanically chomp on the food and swallow it down.
Right away, Kakashi knew that he had made a huge mistake. The oily texture of the meat just felt wrong to him. The clumpy rise stuck to the roof of his mouth. Every time he attempted to swallow, trying to force the meal into his stomach, he gagged.
"You okay, Kakashi?" Asuma asked tentatively, noticing how pale and sweaty his friend had gotten.
Woah, his plate's empty. When did that happen? He thought in amazement, not even seeing him take a single bite.
Kakashi quickly gulped the leftover contents in his mouth, willing himself to not lose his meal.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," he choked out, making it fairly obvious that he was not. Kakashi slumped back into his seat, a hand resting on his queasy stomach. After countless days of avoiding food, or just not being able to eat it, he wasn't taking the sudden meal very well.
I wish I could eat normally again…
The waitress walked over, the checkbook in her hand. Asuma took it and stuffed in a few notes to pay for his team's meal, before setting it down in front of Kakashi.
"Sorry, man. I would pay for you, but this meal has wiped out my wallet." Asuma sighed, side-glancing at Chouji.
"Please, let's not pretend that you would actually pay for me," Kakashi put bluntly, sitting up straighter and taking out his own wallet. He neatly tucked his bills into the book and gently put it back onto the table. Looking around, he noticed that everyone, even Chouji, had finished eating, and were now just loudly talking amongst themselves.
"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Kurenai, Gai and I were going out for some sushi tonight. Everyone wants you to come, man," Asuma said coolly, waiting for a response-more of an affirmation, really.
"I don't know about that…" Kakashi grimaced, remembering how hard the BBQ had been to scarf down. Asuma frowned at his response, seriously wondering if he was angry with them.
"I wasn't asking, you know. You're going to come, even if Gai has to drag you there. Like, it's been so long since we've just chilled together, and Kurenai seriously thinks you have some kind of beef with her. Besides, there'll be sake. You'd better be there by six."
"But why..." Kakashi grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"You're coming."
"…Whatever."
"Oi guys, it's time to go..." Kakashi told his team after a few moments, massaging his aching temples. He slipped out of the booth, debating on whether or not he should wait for his students, or just head home alone. Naruto and Sakura sullenly slid off of the bench, wanting to socialize a little more. Sasuke silently obliged, not really caring.
"Later," he said blandly, waving to Team Asuma before turning to walk out of the restaurant, his three students running to catch up with him.
Once outside, he quickly bid goodbye to his genin, and after refusing their offer to get ice cream from the local vendor, Kakashi trudged home.