Have a lovely fluffy chapter after that shock to the system! Thanks as always to katydid001 dealing with my appalling grammar!
Katsumi was hit with overwhelming déjà vu as she forced her heavy eyelids apart. The bright lights in the hospital room stung her eyes as she tried to focus on her surroundings. She let out a hiss before she pushed herself into a seated position and noted the stiffness in her muscles. Her gaze landed the silver-haired figure asleep in the chair beside her bed. The dark bags under Kakashi's eyes deeply concerned her. Even in his sleep, Katsumi could tell her brother was seriously distressed. Her body ached in protest as she scooted to the edge of the bed and lowered her sore legs to the floor. Chills traveled along her skin as she felt the cool wood against her tender feet.
"Woah, imouto, don't!" Kakashi's sudden outburst caused the kunoichi's weak knees to buckle underneath her. Katsumi let out a squeak as she fell towards the floor.
Warm arms wrapped around her and halted her descent. "Why is your first instinct to get up? You have extreme chakra exhaustion! Do you have any idea how long you've been asleep?" Kakashi's voice sounded desperate as he cradled his shell-shocked twin to his chest. His grey orbs gazed into her heterochromatic eyes, his raw emotions on full display. Katsumi shook her head gently while clutching onto her brother's arms as he held her steady.
"Eight days and sixteen hours…" The silver-haired boy finally broke. Tears trickled from the corners of his dark eyes. His shoulders shuddered as he let out a loud sob. Katsumi wrapped her arms around her brother's neck and hugged him with all the strength she had. The twins slowly sank to their knees as Kakashi emptied all of his pain into the growing wet patch on Katsumi's hospital gown.
"I-I didn't know if…" A lump formed in the teen's throat as he attempted to speak once again.
"I'm here, nii-san." Katsumi pulled back to cup her brother's wet cheeks with her palms, wiping his tears away with skilled thumbs. Her mind reeled with memories of the Nine-Tailed fox and the claw that was frozen in its deadly path. "Obito… H-His eye was bleeding! What happened when I passed out?"
A smile graced his masked lips. "Yeah, Obito-kun… He used his mangekyou sharingan to hold the beast, which stopped the fox from killing you. I don't know how he did it exactly, but it bought Minato-sensei enough time to seal the monster away."
The kunoichi raised a silver eyebrow at her brother. There was an unmistakable hint of fondness in his voice. It was a stark contrast to the contempt his tone usually held for her boyfriend. She decided to let it slide in favour of asking more pressing questions. "So Kushina-sensei? Is she okay?"
Kakashi smirked at his sister and nodded. "Yeah, thanks to Rin. She woke up four days ago. Minato-sensei and Naruto are safe too."
Relief washed over the teenage girl before she hugged her twin close, recharging her energy in his familiar warmth. He returned the cuddle and rubbed tender circles on her back.
There was a light tap on the door. Kakashi pulled back from his sister before asking her a question with his eyes. She nodded and relaxed into his strong arms. He lifted her with ease and plopped her down on the edge of the bed. Katsumi laughed as her stomach fluttered with the rapid movement.
Kakashi grinned at her laughter as he straightened the shoulders of her gown. Finally he cleared his throat, "Enter."
Obito slipped through the door and closed it swifty behind him. When he turned back to the twins his whole being lit up. "Katsumi! You're awake!" He rushed to her side, happily standing next to Kakashi.
Katsumi raised her eyebrow in suspicion when her brother stood his ground, not even flinching at the Uchiha boy's proximity. "Since when did you two get so close?" She glanced back and forth between the two boys with narrowed eyes.
Obito let out an awkward chuckle as he turned to look at the boy beside him, the silver male returned his gaze with the ghost of a smile. "Let's just say we realised we have a few things in common," the Uchiha answered.
Kakashi scoffed before rolling his eyes and turned back to his twin with a crooked smile. "I'm going to get Tsunade-sama, she wants to check you over now that you're awake." He placed a kiss on Katsumi's head before giving the couple privacy.
As soon as the door swung shut, a set of strong arms wound their way around Katsumi's waist. Obito pressed the girl against him in a desperate embrace; his face buried in her messy curls. "I saw that beast aiming straight for you and I … just lost it." Emotion made his voice crack.
Katsumi snuggled deeper into her love's arms, enjoying the comfort of his musky scent. "You saved my life… again. I owe you..."
Obito pulled back to stared into her doe-like eyes. He snatched her chin with strong fingers and he shook his head. "Protecting you is my job."
A warm blush spread across her nose as she giggled blashfully, "W-well, you're very good at it." She chewed on her bottom lip, her fangs glinting in the artificial light.
"Besides," he leaned down to nuzzle their noses together. "You save my ass all the time. I couldn't do any of this without you."
"You're getting soft in your old age," the curly-haired kunoichi teased with a snicker.
"Cheeky minx," Obito growled back playfully before capturing her mouth in a hypnotic kiss.
The Leaf Village spent the next few months rebuilding the damage caused by the Kyuubi. And the Hatake twins were no exception. Katsumi sat on her brother's shoulders stretching upwards to try and paint the top of the wall they were working on together. Kakashi stroked his brush across the wood lower down, holding her thigh with his other hand to hold her steady.
"Need a hand, guys?" Obito called out to the pair as he jogged over to them with a clean brush and fresh pot of white paint.
'Hey, Obi!' The girl signed and waved happily at the sight of the raven-haired teen. Her rapid movement caused Kakashi to gently sway under her.
"Mah, mah, imouto! Calm down." The teenage boy slapped the thigh under his hand, trying to get her to still. He turned his head to the Uchiha beside them, grinning at his friend. "Did Rin-chan tell you where to find us?"
"What? Rin-chan?" Obito smirked at the silver-haired boy. "Absolutely!" He turned to the wall the twins were painting and chuckled as he noticed the gap at the very top. "Looks like you guys need a little more height. I'm definitely taller, you should climb onto my shoulders, Katsumi."
Kakashi's eye twitched at the Uchiha's audacity, before he sucked in a deep, calming breath. He looked up at the gap in the paint job then back at the taller boy before finally relenting. "Fine."
Katsumi gaped down at her brother in shock, before letting out a surprise laugh. 'Really?!' Her twin gave a grunt of confirmation before crouching down so she could get off of his shoulders.
"No funny business, Uchiha." Kakashi warned as he watched Obito get down on his good knee. The Uchiha smirked in response before he turned his attention to the curly-haired beauty approaching and tilted his shoulders in a silent invitation.
Katsumi giggled as she climbed on, her thighs straddled Obito's broad shoulders. "Smooth," she whispered down to him as he stood up with ease.
"Shit, babe. You need to loosen up on that diet plan," Obito teased her, bouncing her on his shoulders playfully as if she weighed nothing. A blush spread across his cheeks as he became acutely aware of the friction of Katsumi's soft thighs against the sides of his head.
Kakashi rolled his eyes at the couple's interaction, pushing his petty jealousy to the side as he handed them freshly dipped paint brushes. With Obito's extra height, Katsumi found she could finally reach the top of the wall. Her hips gave a happy wiggle as she filled in the gap in the paint work. Obito flushed harder as he fought to keep focus on the wall in front of him. The three worked in companionable silence, falling into the rhythm of their brush strokes.
A low whistle pierced their serenity. "How's the weather up there, Katsumi-senpai?" Shisui strolled past the trio, a mischievous grin plastered on his face.
Katsumi yelped in surprise, crimson spreading across her cheeks. 'Shisui-kun! How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?' She jabbed her paintbrush in his direction.
"The real question is when you two are gonna get married?" The curly-haired Uchiha taunted the pair with a sly expression.
"You cheeky shit! Get back to your punishment, Shisui-kun!" Obito growled menacingly at his cousin, flicking paint in his direction.
Shisui dodged the droplets and raised his hands in mock surrender. "Yes, Dad…" he drawled sarcastically. "You kids have fun." Mocking laughter lingered in his wake as he hurried off on his way.
Katsumi turned her attention to the boy holding her, silver eyebrows raised in concern. 'Punishment?' She signed down to him.
"Yeah. Shisui-kun broke rank to help Itachi-kun escape during the battle. They had little Sasuke-kun with them too, but he broke the rules so…" Obito gave an exasperated sigh, glancing up at her. Her sharp eyes shone with understanding.
Kakashi huffed as he continued his work, vehemently ignoring the chemistry between the two. He glared daggers at the brush as it spread the thick paint evenly, and directed his frustration towards the strokes instead of his sister and her boyfriend.
Gentle snores came from the sleeping baby cradled against Katsumi's chest. She swayed gently from side to side as she watched her sensei flutter around the kitchen with a content smile.
Kushina hummed happily as she dropped the chopped mushrooms into the pot on the stove. She stirred and checked her dish before moving on to her next task.
Katsumi gently stroked Naruto's back as he slept while making sure to keep him warm.
"I don't say this often, pup, but… I'm proud of you." The red-haired mother smiled fondly at her student. "That seal is incredibly difficult to pull off, especially under those circumstances. You know, when I first took you on I knew you were talented, but you continue to amaze me." Her voice cracked with emotion before she cleared her throat and wiped her hands against her apron.
Pride flooded the silver-haired kunoichi as she beamed at her sensei. She gently shifted the baby in her arms so that she could sign back, 'I learnt from the best.'
The front door swung open. An exhausted Minato strolled inside with a cheery greeting, Kakashi trailing closely behind him.
"Welcome home." Kushina rushed to meet Minato halfway to the kitchen and wrapped him in a tight hug.
"Mm, you feel stronger tonight. How is our son behaving today?" The blond shinobi kissed his lover's forehead, relaxing in her embrace.
"He was being fussy all day, but my cute little apprentice seems to have the magic touch." She jerked her head in Katsumi's direction.
The female twin cooed gently to the sleeping infant in her arms, making her way over to the pair with a smile. She gestured for Minato to take his son from her arms.
With a smirk the yellow-haired shinobi scooped his son into his arms and mimicked the way Katsumi had been cradling him. Naruto babbled in his sleep before snuggling into his father's neck, resuming his deep slumber. "Thanks, sweetheart. Naruto is lucky to have you." He winked at the kunoichi while ruffling her messy curls.
Kushina chuckled happily as she returned to the kitchen to finish dinner.
I love this chapter ❤️ Kakashi's character progression and Obito's relentless flirting! I am glad people are happy that Minato and Kushina survived! It was a hard fought for win! See you all next time!