Kakashi lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Who knew doing nothing would be so… boring. Two weeks of no missions and if Kakashi hadn't been told he was going to lose his mind before, he was sure he was going to lose it now. He didn't even have the motivation to get up and train; what was the point? The stupid psychologist, Meino or whatever her name was, had mentioned she thought Ibiki's report was too soft.
He sighed, sitting up as he heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?" The door opened, Kakashi sighing as he looked at the man in the green spandex suit. "Oh. You."
"Kakashi, my eternal rival! I've been worried; no one has seen you in over a week. I asked Lord Hokage if you were on a mission and he told me you've been temporarily dismissed of your duties," Gai said, abnormally serious. He closed the door behind himself, his arms folded as he leant against it.
Kakashi sighed. "Yeah, it's bullshit."
Gai looked surprised. Sure, he knew Kakashi had a temper hidden under that normal nonchalant demeanour of his, but Kakashi had never let it out before. At least not in front of anyone else, unless it was brutally killing an enemy in which he was well and truly renowned for. "Kakashi."
"Hm?"
Gai frowned. "Do you want to get out of the house?"
"Or the village. That'd be nice," Kakashi said as he lay back on his bed. That concerned Gai even more; Kakashi had always been a loyal ninja of Konoha. Now he'd been removed of his duties, was he thinking of leaving to go elsewhere he'd be more useful?
Gai walked forward, reaching for Kakashi's arms. Kakashi immediately knocked Gai back, a kunai to his throat. Gai knew Kakashi was fast and strong but even with his guard down, Kakashi had never overpowered him like this before. Not to mention the look in his eye; Gai could feel shivers running down his spine. This was worse than when he'd snuck up on Kakashi in public just after Rin died. That time, there was a kunai scratching at his throat. This time, blood trickled ever so slightly, demonstrating how close Kakashi was to the efficient kill he was known for.
Kakashi sighed. "Sorry about that," he said, putting the kunai back in his weapon pouch. He slowly got up, putting out a hand to help Gai to his feet. "I haven't had a break this long since I was a kid."
Gai nodded. He could understand being antsy; Gai wouldn't be able to sit still either if he'd been told not to go on a mission for a while. The ninja thought for a moment; what was a way he could help his friend let off some steam? A jog around the village wouldn't be enough and with Kakashi's already edgy behaviour, going for a drink was out of the question. "Do you want to spar? We're currently even; eighteen all."
Kakashi was silent; Gai was sure that Kakashi was going to disagree. Kakashi never fought, instead opting for something much less injury prone, like rock-paper-scissors. Kakashi claimed it was because he had to be ready for any missions he might be called on but Gai knew he was just lazy. "Sure."
"You serious?" Gai asked and Kakashi nodded. "That's great! I've been waiting for this day for a long time! Kakashi, you're finally embracing your spring time of yout-"
"Don't push it, Gai." Kakashi walked over to his drawers, pulling out his ninja gear. He took a deep breath and sighed as he looked at the ANBU mask in the corner; how he longed to put it on again. "How serious?"
Gai, being Gai, was much too excited by that single statement. "We will fight with everything we have! We cannot improve if we hold back."
"Is that sparring or a fight?"
"Sparring, of course. We need to still be able to complete our missions as ninja," Gai replied, shooting one of his trademark grins. Sparring with Kakashi; surely he was dreaming.
The field they chose to train in was far enough away from the village that no one would notice them, nor did many travel in this direction. They didn't want to be stopped if it got intense; it was about time they faced one another. Of course, it wasn't a real match but it was enough they could gauge how much each of them had improved again. Both of them knew that the other would put up a formidable fight; it was just the test to see how well they could compete with each other.
Kakashi knew Gai's stance immediately. He prepared himself as Gai watched him carefully. "Not going to use the sharingan?" Gai asked. "I thought we were being serious."
Kakashi shrugged. "Eh, I'll use it later if I need to."
Gai felt his blood boiling. "Kakashi, why are you so hip? Acting all cool like that!" he exclaimed as he watched Kakashi crack his neck, stretching his arms as if he was just about to do some push ups or something much more menial.
Impatient as ever, Gai struck first, his fist making strong contact with the person he'd call his best friend. Kakashi barely moved, raising one arm to catch the blow with little to no effort. Then Gai moved again and Kakashi continued to block it. It was the sixth or seventh strike when Kakashi finally had to move from his spot, a grin of glee emerging across the dark haired ninja's face.
"Ha ha! I've got you now, Kakashi!"
Kakashi, noting that Gai's strikes had doubled in difficulty each time, decided it was time to use the sharingan. Sure, he wasn't going to use any ninjutsu as this was, of course, a sparring match but that didn't mean he wasn't allowed to use both eyes. Limited depth perception was an unfair advantage to Gai and Kakashi wasn't the kind to try and use excuses. Gai wanted serious; he was getting serious.
Kakashi's movements were much sharper than Gai's fluid blows; the man in spandex moving simply from one move to the next like a coordinated routine whereas Kakashi's moves were strong, sudden and singular. Gai would kick, Kakashi would catch, Gai would use the momentum to kick from another angle, Kakashi would block again. Gai moved with momentum in contrast to Kakashi's force, which would have spelled trouble if Kakashi wasn't so good at it. He could predict the movement and be ready before it the second the muscle contracted to move, a skill he'd perfected since receiving his sharingan.
Gai was panting, stepping back for a moment as he looked at Kakashi. The copy-ninja gave nothing away, only years of experience alerting Gai that his silver-haired adversary was starting to struggle as well. That meant Kakashi would strike soon; the thing that made Kakashi one of the most dangerous ninja in Konoha was his ability to examine his opponent and determine the most efficient and effective way to strike. If Gai gave him an opening, it'd be over in less than a second.
"Your skills haven't dwindled in your time off, Kakashi," Gai complemented, examining the indifferent face that stared at him. "I shouldn't have expected any less from my rival."
Gai barely caught Kakashi's strike. Gai had learnt a long time ago that he had to concentrate in sparring matches – and, of course, any real fights – when he spoke. It was too easy to get caught up in his words and enthusiasm that he forgot that the opponent wasn't necessarily going to wait until he was finished.
Suddenly, Gai was on defence, Kakashi's strikes forcing him back as he tried to turn Kakashi's momentum against himself. Kakashi knew Gai's strategy and kept his blows short and sharp, filled with force as he refused to let any movements continue further than they needed to. If they didn't make impact where they were supposed to, the limb would retreat in preparation for the next attempt.
Each blow was more frustrating; Kakashi was better than this. He was ANBU – well, was – and Gai was barely a jounin. He should have been much easier to defeat than this. As the frustration grew, each strike got stronger, desperate to be the last. Before he knew it, he was making contact, Gai falling as Kakashi continued to deal blow after blow.
Gai caught one, forcing Kakashi to a halt. "Kakashi, you are still stronger than me," he coughed, the weight of the other ninja's knee pushing into his sternum and making it hard to breathe. Kakashi could feel his arm shaking as Gai held it with all his might. "It's over. You win this time."
Kakashi pulled his fist back enough to force it forward, escaping the other man's grasp. He was dead silent, standing up as he walked away. Gai didn't move. He stared at the sky, well aware that even if he wanted to, he couldn't. He heard voices eventually, Asuma and Kurenai running over with concern written all over their faces.
"Gai, what happened?" Kurenai asked as Asuma slowly helped Gai up. Pain soared through his body, Gai barely able to breathe as he held his chest. Kakashi must have broken a couple of ribs or something. He wouldn't have been surprised if he had a slightly punctured lung.
They knew it was serious when Gai had a solemn look across his face. "I challenged Kakashi to a sparring match," he said, though that didn't explain the extent of the injuries. Sparring was not meant to cause serious injuries. It was controlled fighting to simulate a real one. The next words forced Asuma and Kurenai to look at each other, both stunned at the sudden lack of control in their friend. Gai took a deep breath before he spoke; "Another strike and I think I would be dead."