Summer
.
.
The way back home is long,
.
It's Monday, the second day into October and Hatake Kakashi is late.
For Namikaze Minato, this barely even registers- his mind is filled with thoughts of finishing his paperwork early in hopes of having lunch with his pregnant wife. Nearing noon, his finished papers stacked neatly for a chunin to take away, he catches sight of his calendar and his mind goes to his late student again but it's a thought process that's discarded quickly.
Kakashi tended to loiter outside the village for up to three day during non-urgent missions; wandering anywhere from rural towns, the capital city, civilian tourist attractions, festivals that captured his interest (it had taken Jiraiya dragging the teen back when the Hatake came across a festival dedicated to eggplants of all things) to just plain, untamed wilderness that gave even shinobi pause.
Sometimes, more often then not, the teen will return with some kind of souvenir accompanied by a note of interest;
A farmer's scythe, handle broken but blade well taken care of, is displayed with "You know, Tosan initially named me Kama? By the time he got around to registering me as a citizen, he changed it to Kakashi since I had gotten into the habit of scaring birds- screaming at them, throwing things or chasing them once I learned to move."
A golden dragon seal is presented with a bit of bemusement, "I met the Daimyo's son. Some...things... happened. I think Hoshi-kun gave this to me as a sign of friendship. I-...odds are that Hoshi-kun stole it. Do I give it back?"
A dark blue fan made of razor-sharp metal that somehow looks like silk is prostrated with pride, "Girls are terrifying. I saw one use one of these to cut a kunai in half. Another cut off a pervert's hand- it went through everything. It was so smooth, there wasn't even a spray of blood- it was beautiful."
A mask that might have been ANBU if not for the bright colors and feathers is shown with an odd mix of glee and confusion, "There's a festival dedicated to ANBU! Apparently we're lesser yōkai bound to serve the Hokage, a kami in mortal skin. There was a sacrifice."
A blood-crusted claw larger then a hand was produced with awe, "I don't know what they were. I barely even saw them. They're taller then me. As fast as me. Stood upright. They're pack hunters- they hunted me. If not for my nose, I'd be dead- they're used to hunting humans, even shinobi."
October 2, Hatake Kakashi was late but Minato put it out of his mind.
Guest: I'm rewriting everything, Fox&Hound is going first. You asked about Every Step, you can still read it on my AO3 account [Nyodrite also] at ao3. or (g) (slash) works (slash) 24 75 52 1 (slash) chapters (slash) 54 91 25 6