Sorry for how long this took. Life got in the way, as usual. From now on I've decided to start writing shorter chapters... but we'll see how that goes.

A Time for Reparations

Empty.

There was no other way to describe the feeling deep inside Kakashi's chest. It ballooned within him, leaving no more than a hole where his heart should be. Nothing made sense without her by his side.

As he sat in silence, staring at that black stone, he couldn't bring himself to care about anything.

Kakashi had always struggled to envision the future. It was one of the things his father had drummed into him, to always appreciate the present before dwelling on what's yet to come. When he died, the boy stopped looking altogether.

It's only when something is taken away from you that you appreciate its true value.

The future had always been there, Kakashi knew, even when he couldn't seem to see it. But now that Rin was gone, even the minuscule glimpses he'd been afforded had all but disappeared.

He took out his kunai, dragging its tip across the memorial stone in careful strokes. It took an application of chakra for him to make enough of a mark, but he remained diligent in his task.

Soon enough, a new name had been added to the stone.

Kakashi traced his messy handiwork with a finger, reminiscing on the time he'd spent with her. That time she'd dragged him out to a restaurant, despite his many protests to the latter. The day Minato had forced them to climb the hokage monument with Obito hog-tied between them. The memories flashed behind his eyes like the dying embers of a campfire.

A twig snapping from behind Kakashi broke him from his daze. He didn't turn to look at the newcomer, already recognising Aki for his unique scent. The boy stood behind him in relative silence, staring at the fresh name.

"I... used to come here a lot," he mumbled. "It helped me to remember why I'm still fighting."

The jounin sent him a quizzical glance.

"I fight so that one day we won't lose the people dearest to us," Aki knelt as he spoke; eyes level with uncarved stone. "I believe that one day we might be able to understand one another as friends, regardless of our background or our village."

"You don't believe that," Kakashi remarked.

"Well, time works in mysterious ways. I used to believe in it without question, but as more and more people die at the hands of others... seeing how Rin died for nothing- "

"Don't you dare," Kakashi growled, his icy tone sending a shiver down Aki's spine. "You don't sit there and act like some wise old sage when you barely knew her. You're barely even a teammate."

He caught a glimpse of his teammate's startled eyes, and something within him snapped.

"You have no right saying that what happened to Rin was nothing! You could have saved her, Aki! If you hadn't been so incompetent you might have been able to get there in time, but no! You had to go and get caught in some wild goose chase all because you're incapable of taking down a few pointless shinobi!"

Kakashi's rant had left him panting, the rage and hurt he'd bottled up finally breaking loose. He knew he'd crossed the line, but he didn't care. He could see Aki's shoulders quivering with what he could only assume were tears he couldn't hold back.

Of course he was crying.

All of a sudden the jounin found himself knocked flat on his back as his teammate moved faster than he'd thought possible. A hand found its way to his throat, clenching tightly as Aki's face came into view. What little of his face was visible was pulled into a vicious scowl.

"Don't think I don't know whose kunai dealt the killing blow," He snarled before a sudden chop to the neck brought him collapsing bonelessly onto Kakashi.

An ANBU stood over them. He allowed the jounin several moments to regain his breath, then hoisted Aki onto his back.

"Your presence is requested by the Hokage." He muttered simply. "He needs your help subduing Namikaze-san."

"Subduing?"

"Your sensei is behaving in a manner which could only be described... as a shinobi temper tantrum."

/\/\/

There was certainly something going on when Kakashi entered the Hokage tower. Even from two floors below the office, the sound of thrown furniture and muffled yelling was loud enough to attract a small crowd.

At the main stairwell which would lead to the Hokage's office, several people were pushing and shoving in an attempt to gain access. Many were exclaiming that they were simply concerned for the Hokage's wellbeing, but Kakashi recognised several civilians within the crowd who were renowned for their gossiping. It disgusted him that they would prey on such a concerning occurrence for their information trades.

As he finally pushed through the chaos, the jounin came face to face with a rather ruffled looking secretary.

"Hatake-san, am I glad to see you!" She exclaimed. It seemed she'd been made aware of his arrival. "Go straight up, my boy. I fear that you're the only one who can help this situation now."

Kakashi did as he was told, skipping up the stairs with as much speed as he could muster. The door to the Hokage's office had been slammed open - that much was clear from the way it hung loosely on its hinges - and a contingent of ANBU guards was crowded around the entrance. None of them ventured into the room.

Pieces of paper were strewn all around the Hokage's office. Bottles of ink had been swept from the desk, splattering their contents all over the wall; shards of glass joining various brushes and pens in littering the ground.

Potent killing intent saturated the air, laying a pressure upon Kakashi's shoulders that was almost as strong as the despair he felt whenever Gai challenged him. He stared at his sensei, who was clearly too busy glaring at the Hokage to notice him, and idly wondered if he realised how childish he looked right now.

The Sandaime was apparently thinking the same thing, as he folded his arms and stared cooly back at him.

"Minato, you know I can't allow that," he was replying. "You're far too valuable an asset to-"

"Finish that sentence, Hiruzen, and I'll show you what it feels like to lose a valuable asset."

From behind him, several ANBU guards were attempting to stifle their laughter. Perhaps on a better day, the boy would have joined them, but the incident with Aki had left a sour taste in his mouth. Kakashi couldn't bring himself to find amusement in his sensei's anger.

Instead, he strolled into the room, shrugging off the hands that half-heartedly attempted to hold him back.

"You sure are acting like a child, sensei."

He had to admit, it was a little amusing how Minato turned to snarl at him, only to catch sight of his face and quickly attempt to backtrack.

"You're intruding on a private meeting, Kakashi." It seemed like the blond was clutching at straws, grasping at a response in an attempt to look more like the adult here. It didn't work.

"Hardly private when your 'discussion' can be heard from the waiting room," He replied. "Now, are you done throwing a tantrum, sensei?"

Minato spluttered, momentarily losing his cool. But the killing intent that washed over Kakashi felt like little more than the sun on a warm day. When it seemed like he wasn't going to respond, the jounin grabbed ahold of his wrist and began to drag him towards the door.

The ANBU members parted ways in stunned silence, only regarding him with what seemed to be a new sense of respect. They had almost turned the corner when his sensei finally registered what was happening, stopping in his tracks for long enough to glare at the Hokage.

"Give me a mission, Sarutobi. I don't care what mission, just give me something to kill," He growled. "I'll go rogue and find a mission for myself if I have to, so don't tempt me."

Kakashi thanked his lucky stars that the man stayed quiet. He wasn't sure what he'd have done if Minato had gotten angry again - it was only the shock of his appearance that resolved the situation this time around.

He was about to pull his sensei down the stairs and towards the exit when he remembered the crowd of people awaiting them.

"Flash to your house," He commanded, leaving no room for arguments. "Our path is otherwise blocked."

Luckily for him, Minato didn't seem to want to argue. With a trademark flash of yellow light, the two of them vanished from sight.

/\/\/\/

[One week later]

Kakashi. Meet me where we parted ways last week. -M

Kakashi strolled down the path to his sensei's house, eye fixed on the piece of paper he held before him. It wasn't the first time that Minato had sent him an ominous-sounding message like this, but he was a little concerned all the same.

When Kakashi had been put onto his team, he'd given his sensei permission to place a hiraishin seal onto his hitai-ate. For the most part that seal remained unused, but on some rare occasions Minato decided to scrawl a hiraishin seal onto a piece of paper along with a message, sending it over to him in a sort of lazy note-passing game.

Of course, he would always send those messages at perhaps the worst times, when he really did not want a flash of bright yellow light to give away his position. Such as today, when he'd specifically taken a route home that would not involve the green spandex-clad maniac that liked to challenge him to things.

He had been travelling strategically, not hiding. Not hiding.

As Kakashi raised a hand to knock at the door, somebody appeared in his peripheral vision. He knew almost immediately that it was Aki, so he waited until the boy reached his side before knocking.

The two of them stood in silence, pointedly avoiding one another's gaze. The jounin almost sighed in relief when Minato finally opened the door, grinning widely at them.

"Kakashi, Aki, I'm glad you could make it!" He beamed, "Do you know why I've brought you here today?"

Aki was the first to speak up, casting a glance towards Kakashi as he did.

"Because we got into a fight, I guess?"

"Indeed!" The jounin placed a hand on each boy's shoulder, still smiling. "Which is why-"

Suddenly their surroundings flashed yellow, and Kakashi found himself standing in a training ground.

"-you're going to settle your differences with a spar!"

Despite the frosty air between them, they both seemed to speak in unison.

"A... spar?"

As much as he hated to admit it, a spar did seem to be the best course of action. Kakashi himself had had a lot of pent-up frustration since Rin... well, since then, and with Minato clearly feeling similar, he was pretty sure that Aki would be just as pent-up.

"Let's do it," He eventually responded, taking up a loose combat stance.

Aki nodded, turning to face him.

"No holds barred?" He asked, though he already knew the answer.

"No holds barred."

Aki was the first to attack, lunging forward with a left jab that Kakashi easily sidestepped. He then quickly closed the gap, and sent his fist flying forward. It connected with Aki's nose with a satisfying crunch, and he stumbled backwards, holding his face.

He... hadn't intended to punch quite as hard as that, but the adrenaline coursing through his veins left him little room for regret. Aki fell back into his fighting stance with a growl, but there was definitely a smile hidden behind that mask of his.

He took out a couple of shuriken, bracing them in front of him as his opponent took a step backwards. So, he was going on the defensive, eh?

That was fine. Kakashi had no qualms about going on the offensive. One moment he was standing calmly a few meters away, the next his shuriken were flying through the air towards Aki's shoulder.

To his credit, the boy was successful in dodging the first few shuriken. But as he ducked and weaved, using a kunai to deflect those he couldn't avoid, a single shuriken managed to break through his defense. It buried itself into his arm, not too deep but still enough to draw a little blood.

It was clear that Aki was still holding back on him, and Kakashi worked to bite back a frustrated shout.

"Take this seriously, already!" He yelled against his better judgement, "I'm not stupid, I know you're holding back on me!"

Aki didn't attempt to retort, he was too busy dodging another volley of shuriken thrown by his adversary. But Kakashi was growing tired of the dodging games, and he charged forward to deliver a swift hook to his opponent's stomach.

Aki bent over, but managed to block the next few punches that were aimed at his face. Kakashi lifted a knee to catch his chin, but he threw himself into a crisp back handspring, driving two feet directly into the jounin's neck. He stumbled backwards, and as he did he managed to catch his foot on the ground, tripping himself up.

The blow to his throat left him gasping for air, fingers digging into the dirt as he struggled to get his breathing back under control. He was wide open; Aki could have held a kunai to his face and ended the fight, but for some reason he chose not to. Instead, the boy held out a hand, offering it to Kakashi.

For a moment, he considered slapping it away. But Minato had brought them here to settle their differences, so instead he took it, and accepted the help back to his feet. Aki had let his guard down though, and the jounin made full use of the opening he was given to sweep his legs from underneath him, twisting the arm he'd been offered until it was trapped behind his back.

Aki fell forward with a yelp; Kakashi kneed him in the face, and then twisted his arm even tighter until he thought it would rip from its socket.

He glanced at Minato, who nodded and declared Kakashi the winner of the fight. This time it was him who offered a hand to Aki, though he kept his guard up for his teammate to turn the tables.

Just as expected, the boy used the offered hand to pull Kakashi off-balance, lunging up to meet him. He raised a hand to counterattack, but he could do little as Aki… tackled him to the ground in a bear hug!

Despite the utter shock, Kakashi found himself leaning into the hug. Breathing in Aki's scent, his warmth. He blinked, suddenly aware of a wetness in his eyes. They must have started to water when he hit the ground, right? Right.

"I'm sorry for hurting you before!" the boy mumbled into his shoulder. "I just… I lost my temper, and I acted without thinking and-"

"It's alright, Aki. I was too harsh on you, too. Rin wasn't- It wasn't your fault," The words began to tumble out of his mouth, "You did everything you could, it wasn't fair of me to blame you. I was just looking for someone to pass responsibility on to, and-"

His throat seemed to clog up. Almost as soon as his words began to flow, they came to an abrupt stop, sticking somewhere around his jugular and making it rather hard to breathe without hiccupping. It wasn't a sob. Kakashi wasn't crying. Definitely not.

"You have no idea how lonely I've been this week…"

Okay, maybe he was crying. Aki's voice was the only thing that registered within his mind right now, so sad and broken and warm and soft and-

"You're the only friend I've got left, Kashi. When I thought I'd lost you too, I didn't know what to do."

Kashi. The word brought him straight back to that day, when Kamen had turned his whole world upside down. Back then, he'd detested that name. It had just been a cutesy phrase that Kushina used specifically because it annoyed him.

But when Aki said it? It was different. It felt nice, in the strangest of ways.

Suddenly Kakashi didn't feel quite so alone.

/\/\/\/

Kakashi was beginning to wonder where his sensei was.

It had been three weeks, two days and seven hours since they'd parted ways after that fight, and while he'd spent plenty of time with Aki, Minato was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't all too frequent an occurrence for him to disappear - after all, his sensei was one of the strongest shinobi in Konoha at the moment, so he'd definitely expected these things to happen. But after his breakdown a month previous, the jounin couldn't help but feel a little worried.

'No, I shouldn't be worried. This is Minato we're talking about… he'll be fine, right?'

It wouldn't hurt to see if he's home, though. Just a quick hop in and out. It was getting dark enough that he'd be home if he wasn't on a mission, and his place was right on the route to the mission assignment desk after all. Check in, see if he's there, and if not he could go look for a nighttime mission.

Yeah, that's what he'll do.

As he walked, Kakashi thought. He thought about Kamen. About how every day that passed since that first encounter left him less and less sure if Aki truly was Kamen. Surely someone so innocent and naive as Aki could never have lived a whole second life. Surely, if he was forced to live through the deaths of so many people close to him, he would have turned out more like-

'More like me'

No. Kakashi closed that line of thinking before it could even take form, pushing the subject back onto its dusty shelf. Some would call it compartmentalisation, the way he tended to sort his thoughts into shelves. He just called it mental housekeeping.

It's a lot easier to be a shinobi when you can just lock away those feelings into little jars of hurt.

Minato's house appeared in his sight. Even as the sky gradually darkened, no light emanated from those windows. Either his sensei was away on a mission, or he forgot to pay his electric bill again. Well, only one way to find out.

There was a specific window, leading into the upstairs bathroom, that was perfectly sized for Kakashi to fit through. He'd used this method of entry several times, almost always managing to set off the security seals Minato had placed around every possible entry point. Eventually the seals had been updated so that they would let Kakashi through without a problem. Minato usually sensed Kakashi before he even came near to the house anyway.

It meant a lot that he'd been given that trust, even if he'd never admit it.

Kakashi slipped through that window with ease, only pausing for long enough to close it behind him and listen out for any signs of life. Hearing nothing, he carefully exited the bathroom and began to search the house.

Sometimes, he wished his sensei wasn't quite so stringent with his security measures. Being as strong as he was, of course Kakashi understood why he did it. But the seals that messed with chakra sensors' perception? They were frustrating to no end. It would have been so much simpler if he could have just walked up to the house, sensed that there was no one in there and been on his way. But no.

He had to search the whole house, knowing that Minato would usually just stay where he was when Kakashi came to visit. Something to do with punishing him for always entering without permission. But alas, this time around there was no one home. In fact there was a thin layer of dust coating the place, so it was safe to say that his sensei had not been home in a long while.

'Oh well, I tried. I guess I'll see if the Hokage is willing to let me know how long he'll be gone.'

The jounin was about to head up to the bathroom when a flash of yellow light burst through the room. It was blindingly bright, brighter than normal, though that might have just been because he was standing in a dark house with little to no lighting in the first place.

"Oh, hey sensei," he began, suddenly very aware that Minato would still be hyped up from a mission, and liable to attack anyone who seemed like a threat. "I was just checking to see if you were-"

A bloodstained kunai clattered to the ground, its ring feeling far too loud in the stifling silence of the house. Kakashi froze, nostrils flaring at the metallic tang that suddenly assaulted his senses, at the sheer, cold nothingness that emanated from the man he knew as his teacher.

"It's… over."

Minato's voice, monotone and empty… it took Kakashi a moment to realise it even belonged to his sensei. His sensei, who was covered in blood.

"Are you hurt?"

The burning question burst forth unbidden, embodied the alarm bells that were ringing within the jounin's mind.

"Not- not my blood."

He could almost cry, relieved as he was to hear those words. For a moment… for a few seconds, he thought he was about to lose someone else.

Kakashi placed a gentle hand onto Minato's wrist, leading him to the bathroom. He left no room for embarassment as he stripped his sensei of the bloodstained clothing and eased him into the bathtub. No words were exchanged as he slowly sponged away the crimson stains.

He worked diligently, busying himself with working through Minato's red-soaked hair to avoid looking into those empty eyes. He could see it, though. It didn't take a Yamanaka to know that the man was broken.

Water soaked into the boy's shirt as Minato pressed his head against it. But Kakashi didn't care. The only thing that mattered right now was taking care of him.

"It's over…" The blond mumbled again, "I've killed them. All of them."

I'm honestly contemplating moving over to AO3 altogether. For a long time I've had issues with ffnet, from formatting troubles to just having parts of my story deleted for no reason. There's no specific tags, you're so limited with everything... it's just really bad. I'm only still uploading to ffnet right now because I started here, and it wouldn't be fair of me to stop updating stories. So, from now on, any new stories I publish are going to be uploaded only on AO3. I will continue to update the stories that have already been posted, but anything else is a no go. I'm on AO3 by the same name, and I have 2 stories planned for release at some point, so if you want to see those you'll have to go look me up. I'm sorry, those of you who use ffnet. It's just reached a point now where it's not worth the effort to upload things here.