Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Kakashi and Tenzou's unofficial vacation continued, with much less fanfare than their spunky friends provided. They decided to spend the following day just the two of them, which worked out well as most of their friends had conveniently been assigned missions that started that day.
Kakashi brought Tenzou to the memorial stone where he showed him the graves of his old team. It honoured the mokuton user that Kakashi would let him in on such a personal aspect of his life. Tenzou said a little prayer for them with Kakashi as they stood together in silence, acutely aware of how dampened his Senpai's demeanour instantly became.
It suddenly occurred to Tenzou that although he had many fallen test tube comrades, he had no real place to mourn them. He also had no idea what their names were, or where they`d really come from. It seemed sad that so many had died with no final resting place; who knows what Orochimaru had done with them.
The mokuton user felt a gentle touch at his shoulder and turned to regard his Senpai. Kakashi looked slightly concerned.
"I didn`t expect this place to affect you so much."
"Oh..." Tenzou started slightly, no realizing he had looked so upset. "I was just remembering the others."
It didn't take Kakashi long to figure out who "the others" were. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and seemed to concentrate on the ground. Tenzou watched him, completely confused as to what he could be thinking about for so long. Finally Kakashi glanced back up, smiling at Tenzou as he did so.
"There. A prayer for them too, then."
Tenzou stared at Kakashi with his mouth hanging open. For some irrational reason, that gesture had really touched him. He didn't know if he would ever stop mourning The Others, and having someone to understand and acknowledge his grief felt like an indescribable freedom in his heart. Tenzou stepped forward and quickly wrapped his arms around Kakashi's chest, pressing his face into his torso.
"Thanks." The young shinobi murmured into his Senpai's vest.
Kakashi gently held him, uncaring if anyone happened to see them. They stood together for another while before Tenzou's face started to stick to Kakashi's vest with sweat. The two ninja laughed and left, both feeling lighter than when they'd came.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The next day found Tenzou and Kakashi together again, completely against the copy-nin's original goal of spending limited time with his kouhai. They only had three days left of their vacation, and with no small amount of anxiety, Kakashi realized he dreaded going back. He'd never felt so alive, so normal, in his life. He'd spent almost two days doing absolutely nothing with a horde of friends, and spent just as long getting to know Tenzou almost as thoroughly as his Icha Icha book. It was what everyone else in the village did when they didn't eat, sleep and breathe their jobs. It felt so right.
Kakashi and Tenzou currently lay haphazardly about Kakashi's apartment, with Kakashi sprawled out on his bed and Tenzou sitting just at the foot of it. The copy-nin was reading a book about plants to Tenzou as the mokuton user attempted to replicate what was said to him.
"Something called a Bonzai tree..."
"Oh, I've done that one."
"Hmm. Bird of Prey flower?"
Tenzou whirled around with wide eyes. "That sounds great! Show me."
Kakashi smiled and flipped the book around. His young companion looked like his head was going to explode with excitement upon laying his childlike eyes on the beautiful flower.
"Okay..."
He sat down, his back facing Kakashi, and concentrated. Out from the palms of his talented hands blossomed a colourful, branching flower that looked a startling amount like the head of a tropical bird.
"Nicely done." Kakashi praised quietly.
"I think this is my favourite." Tenzou whispered, his eyes glued to his creation.
Kakashi laughed lightly and tousled Tenzou's hair. "You've already said that. Twice."
The young ninja blushed as he gently placed the stem of the flower in a pot of water beside him. "I can't help it. I just love them all."
"You're going to make me jealous."
Tenzou turned to Kakashi, noting the lightness of his voice and assuming he wasn't serious, but wanting to see his face all the same. The jounin's impish grin confirmed Tenzou's thoughts.
"Do you ever...? Get jealous? I can't picture it."
Kakashi glanced up at the ceiling in exaggerated thought. "Maaaa...not that I can recall. Only fools feel jealousy." The copy-nin finished with fake haughtiness.
"I don't think I've ever been jealous, either, but I could see it happening."
One graceful eyebrow swooped up on Kakashi's brow. "Oh? When would you get jealous?"
Tenzou toyed with the ends of Kakashi's shirt as he answered. "I suppose...if you were paying special attention to someone else."
The air around them grew just a smidgeon thicker as Kakashi leaned in close. "You're the only person who can get my attention, Tenzou."
His grip around Kakashi's shirt tightened. "Then I'll never be jealous."
They stared at each other, Tenzou's breath coming quicker, the energy between them almost tangible in the air. Slowly, Tenzou rested the tips of his fingers at the base of Kakashi's neck. They seemed to freeze there.
"Have I ever told you how handsome you are, Senpai?"
Kakashi actually had to think about that question for a second. "I don't know."
Tenzou swallowed just slightly. "You are. It's...arresting, actually. Even with your mask, even when you're terrifying and dangerous, it's the first thing you notice."
A warm pressure descended on Tenzou's hand as Kakashi pressed down on his fingers, his eyes unrelenting and intense. "You think I'm arrestingly handsome?"
As hard as it was, Tenzou refused to be bashful. He stared back, though his answer was soft.
"Yes."
A little wolfish grin popped up just at the corners of Kakashi's mouth. "The first thing you noticed about me was that I was handsome?"
Tenzou could not stop a blush this time. "It...sounds ridiculous when you put it like that."
"I'm just teasing." Kakashi chuckled. He pressed a soft, lingering kiss to the side of Tenzou's mouth.
"When I met you again for the second time, when you were 13, you flustered me." Kakashi breathed against Tenzou's skin. "I didn't understand why, but I was nervous. I'd never really been attracted to anyone before."
Tenzou felt a shiver rush down his body.
"Oh..."
They'd never talked about this before; their first meetings. Their first impressions. Kakashi had been attracted to him, too. He almost couldn't believe it.
"This might seem kind of creepy, but to me, it was the closest thing to a first date I ever had."
Tenzou smiled. "You think one of Orochimaru's old labs is romantic, Senpai?"
"You didn't?" Kakashi teased the words into Tenzou's skin, and the younger shinobi couldn't help but giggle just once as he shuddered against him.
Kakashi slowly pulled back until their noses touched. For just the slightest moment, they paused like that, barely connected but burning hot against one another. The next second they were kissing, deep and slow. They fell back against Kakashi's bed, clawing at clothes, gripping flesh. The book lay forgotten at the side of the bed, leaning against the pot of flowers Tenzou had created.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Their vacation was over far too fast for either of their likings. The last day was spent in Kakashi's apartment, laying in bed, reading books, cooking, and generally doing nothing. The copy-nin couldn't believe how wonderful it was. Tenzou was like an extension of himself, another person but not at all. He had never felt so safe and comfortable around another human being. He found himself content merely being in his presence. They both knew that moments like this could be few and far in between when they returned, so there was a heavy air of almost sacredness about them the entire day. Tenzou became obsessed with filling Kakashi's apartment with life. He potted all the flowers he created, and placed several more around the copy-nin's apartment.
"They give off a positive energy." Tenzou stated as he gently positioned a large fern in Kakashi's window.
Kakashi chuckled lightly. "Whatever you say."
That night, as they lay in bed, Kakashi found himself speechless. He didn't know how to describe what he had experienced during their time off together. Despite being hesitant, and in some cases rightly so, the time they had spent with his friends meant a lot to him. He felt a little flame reigniting in his heart, one that craved fuel to grow. He knew he would be seeing a lot more of them in the future.
The time he and Tenzou had spent together, well...he was still trying to piece together what that had birthed in him.
The next morning, as soon as they arrived at the base, Kakashi was handed a very hefty mission scroll and it was business as usual for the two ANBU. Mission debriefs, planning and intelligence gathering commenced immediately. The nice thing was that everyone on their team was in good spirits, having been refreshed from the same week long break the lovers had been.
"Can you believe that; one week in between missions? It's like the holidays."
"Pft. As if we get holidays."
Their team chattered amongst each other as Kakashi drew up some formations before concluding their second debrief. It was a week long mission, mostly travel time, but it was one that required intense study of the country and mission parameters before going. Normally, Kakashi loved being immersed in his work, but he couldn't help but feel disappointed this time. He'd kind of hoped they'd have an easier first week back so that he and Tenzou could slowly wind down the time they spent together instead of having to stop cold turkey. They would be with their team the entire week; no chance for any time to themselves.
Thankfully, the mission kept them both busy enough that they didn't notice. It was mostly travel time, but they were journeying through enemy territory so every single one of them had to be on high alert at all times. And, according to recent intelligence, the enemy may have been tipped that they were coming. That was extra scouting for Tenzou, and far more caution for the rest of the team.
When they returned, everyone was so thankful they were still alive that no one complained about immediately filling in mission reports. Silence hung around the ANBU shinobi like a shroud as they went about their tedious work. Kakashi and Tenzou were, naturally, the last ones in the room. With a loud sigh, the captain sealed their reports. Kakashi sat back against his chair, running a tired hand through his bangs.
"What a way to end a vacation." he muttered.
Tenzou nodded. "That was a difficult mission, Senpai. Everyone handled themselves well, though."
"Mm."
They sat in silence for a moment longer.
"Want to spend the night with me?" Kakashi blurted out quickly.
Tenzou smiled brightly and bashfully at Kakashi's request.
"Of course, Senpai. I would like it very much..."
In a flash, Kakashi was up from his chair. He comically tossed his bundle of scrolls behind his back, then shot his hand out to Tenzou. With a light laugh, Tenzou accepted it, and they were gone.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Tenzou and Kakashi's relationship continued to blossom under the dark, secretive world of ANBU. However, Kakashi's therapist refused to cut his sessions short, so Kakashi was still required to see his friends at least three times a week. To Hiruzen and Ami's delight, they never heard Kakashi complain about their arrangement. Most of his time was spent with Gai, but Kurenai and Asuma began to see Kakashi so much that they felt he had finally returned to their circle. Slowly, Genma and Raidou were added to that list. Hayate was a bit of a loner by nature, but the group saw him from time to time.
Missions went on with much less anxiety for Kakashi than they initially had. Tenzou continued to improve, to the point where the copy-nin was so confident in his abilities that Kakashi hardly paid attention to what he was doing. He would assign him a task, go about his business, and in record time Tenzou would return successful. It was almost a joke.
Their personal time varied depending on the business of missions, but they always found time to be together. Kakashi refused to spend time in Tenzou's "depressing" ANBU apartment, and so most of their alone time was with Kakashi in his apartment. In reality, the copy-nin was just selfishly hogging Tenzou's warmth. His apartment, once cold and empty, now seemed like a real home. He feared an absence of Tenzou for an extended period of time would revert his now humble abode back to its former bachelor state.
To Kakashi's delight, Tenzou took to his group of friends easily and seemingly effortlessly. Genma, though he had teased him mercilessly at first, clearly had a soft spot for the little mokuton-user. Kakashi realized he'd eventually have to divulge more 'information' about Tenzou to them, but Kakashi never put in more effort than was absolutely necessary in those situations. He'd wait it out.
"Everything is going well, I assume?" Gai asked around his sake. The two rivals sat alone at a bar one evening, quietly enjoying each others company.
"Yes." Kakashi answered softly as he toyed with his cup. "I couldn't ask for anything more. I never would have expected this."
Gai chuckled and slapped Kakashi on the back in his usual rough manner. "Excellent! It does seem that all worth-while things come unexpected, don't they?"
Kakashi could only murmur lightly in response. His friend stared at him in question, obviously sensing something was on Kakashi's mind.
"What is it?"
A small exhale. "I just keep expecting things to fall apart. For missions to make it impossible for us to see each other, or for one of us to become too jaded by our lifestyle to continue. Actually, maybe I'm afraid of that happening to me. Tenzou...he's so open minded. He just accepts things as they are, no over thinking involved. He's the opposite of me..."
Kakashi slowly put his cup down and slunk a little lower in his chair. Gai chewed on his lip, genuinely worried as he watched his friend's melancholy increase. He knew Kakashi; everything he'd been through had permanently warped his mind to always look forward to the 'end' of everything. It was probably a self-fulfilling prophecy; if he kept thinking about how he and Tenzou would cease to be, they would.
"My friend. What is the sense in anticipating the demise of your relationship? You're happy now, aren't you? Enjoy yourself."
Kakashi ran his finger around the lip of their sake bottle, unable to find the words to answer. Gai sighed.
"How long have you, happily and without issue, been together?"
Kakashi thought for a moment. "Seven months?"
"Very well. I have a challenge for you, Kakashi!" Gai suggested with a large grin. "I challenge you to make it to one year with Tenzou without any Kakashi-antics. No running off, no getting scared, no pushing him away. If you win this challenge, I shall run around the village 100 times whilst knitting a sweater!"
Kakashi blinked. Gai grinned.
"W...what if something else-"
"Ah, ah, ah!" Gai interjected, waving his finger in admonishment. "No excuses. I do not believe in this 'something else'. It is up to you, I know it is."
Slowly, Kakashi's startled look faded away. He smiled lightly under his mask, his eyes turning up into a very familiar 'U' shape.
"I hope you like sweaters."
"Haha!" Gai stuck his hand out with vigour. "And...if you fail, you must leave ANBU immediately."
Kakashi was about to shake Gai's hand, sealing the deal, but yanked it back as soon as Gai finished setting his terms.
"I can't do that. That's out of my control..."
"No." Gai answered firmly. "It is not."
"Running 100 laps doesn't come close to quitting ANBU."
"No..." Gai started. "...but, I do not expect you to lose this challenge, Kakashi. So. I WILL be running 100 laps, while you shall not be leaving ANBU. In that way, it is fair."
Kakashi couldn't help the grin that came to his lips. He glanced down, trying to hide his mirth from his friend. Kakashi finished what he'd started a moment before and clasped Gai's hand firmly.
"Deal."
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
For reasons Kakashi would only understand later in life, the challenge actually helped him forget about his paranoia. Who wouldn't want to see Gai running while knitting a sweater? It needed to happen. Focusing on some kind of goal other than he and Tenzou's relationship seemed to take the pressure off of him. He stopped worrying about what would happen, and instead felt determined to make it as far as he could with his kouhai.
Their relationship not only progressed emotionally, but professionally as well. It was almost coming up to three years working with the mokuton user, and Kakashi was honestly beginning to feel ridiculous thinking of Tenzou as his 'kouhai'. The kid had ridiculous skill that was very quickly surpassing every other shinobi in ANBU. He was, hands down, second only to Kakashi in their team. Sometimes Kakashi heard people murmuring Tenzou's name in the hall, especially in association with Kakashi, as they knew he was his captain. In no time at all, Tenzou would surely be a dominating force in the organization, if he wasn't already. With a light smile, Kakashi wondered how long Tenzou would call him 'Senpai'.
"Senpai!"
Kakashi chuckled to himself at the echo of his thoughts as he turned. Tenzou, his eyes bright and his smile wide, advanced on his Senpai from the locker room.
"Were you out with Gai today?"
"Mmm." Kakashi answered as he touched the small of Tenzou's back in greeting. They kept their interactions as discreet as possible in public for obvious reasons.
"That's great. I was just training with Shuju-san. He's afraid his taijutsu is getting rusty, so I helped him with it a bit."
Kakashi couldn't help the pride that swelled in his chest. Damn right Tenzou was already training people.
"Maaaa. Better watch your place, kouhai. Your still our rookie."
Tenzou pouted and Kakashi fought hard to keep his expression schooled.
"Senpai..."
"What? I'm only trying to keep peace and order in the team."
Tenzou's incredulous look continued and Kakashi soon broke down into a grin.
"I thought you would learn not to take me seriously by now, Tenzou."
"The art of deciphering your moods still eludes me." The mokuton user replied flatly, clearly not as amused as Kakashi.
The copy-nin just sighed dramatically and threw an arm around Tenzou's shoulder.
"It's alright. I understand being insecure. I'd give it another year at least before you rise in the ranks. Don't worry; it'll go by fast."
Kakashi jumped away as Tenzou playfully made for his sword.
Another ANBU walked by and the two waved pleasantly to him. When their comrade was out of sight, Kakashi tilted his head as an indication for the two of them to leave.
"Where to?" Tenzou whispered.
The corny line 'anywhere as long as I'm with you' popped into Kakashi's head instantly, and before he could even snicker at himself, he realized it was true. It took him so a-back that he stood there staring blankly over Tenzou's shoulder for a few seconds. When his kouhai gently waved his small hand in front of his face to snap him out of his revere, Kakashi's instinctive reaction was to bend down and kiss Tenzou through his mask.
The two ANBU shinobi stood there in shock, staring at each other.
"Senpai..." Tenzou finally whispered, more of a question than anything. Both of them obviously wanted to remain as private as possible, but Kakashi was definitely the adamant one out of the two of them.
"It just kind of happened." Kakashi murmured lamely.
A slow smile spread along Tenzou's pleasant face.
"It was nice."
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
It seemed that Gai had had proper faith in Kakashi for their challenge. Eight months, nine months, ten months passed like they were nothing. Some were harder than others, especially the nine month mark, where the ANBU missions were particularly long and gruesome. Kakashi and Tenzou got into their worst major, blow out fight at that point. They had just returned from a mass assassination mission; the kind of mission where ANBU recruits were notorious for losing their marbles. The two lovers were stressed, bloody, injured and tired. They had both seen too much death; had caused too much death.
In the locker room the team slowly peeled off their bloody uniforms. A staff member was actually there to gather their things and get them professionally cleaned; that only happened on very specific missions, especially ones where all evidence had to be destroyed.
Kakashi and Tenzou's lockers were on opposite sides of the room since Tenzou had joined so late. But, as always, the two were the last ones in the room. Everyone else slowly departed without saying a word; some home, some off to the hospital.
Senpai and kouhai rifled through their belongings in silence. Neither felt like talking. Kakashi went to shut his locker, but instead of merely closing it, ended up slamming it shut instead. Both Tenzou and Kakashi nearly jumped out of their skins. With a loud sigh, Kakashi opened his locker and closed it properly again, fiddling with his lock.
"Are you alright, Senpai?" Tenzou asked quietly.
"What a stupid question." Kakashi snapped.
With a large frown, Tenzou turned back to his locker, refusing to dignify his captains harsh answer with a response.
Tense, thick silence dominated until Kakashi finished with his things, turned on his heel and simply walked out of the locker room.
"Senpai-!" Tenzou called after him, but Kakashi merely closed the door between them in response.
Tenzou's jaw dropped. He felt rage burn its way up his chest. He had been on the SAME mission as Kakash, yet he wasn't acting like an asshole. What the actual fuck.
Despite all logical thought in his brain telling him to leave Kakashi the heck alone, Tenzou stood, slammed his locker shut and stormed out after his Senpai.
When the mokuton-user reached the hallway, he found it empty. Kakashi had merely teleported home without a word.
Well. Fine.
With a loud huff, Tenzou formed his hand sign and returned to his own apartment.
The next morning all team members, unless in such a mental state that they could not safely attend, were expected to have a mission debrief meeting. It was the most awkward hour Tenzou could remember in the last half a year. If his team didn't know something was going on between them, unless everyone was too out of it to notice the tension, they sure as fuck would know now.
Kakashi and Tenzou literally glared at each other the entire time. Whenever Kakashi addressed Tenzou it would take the young shinobi a good five full seconds to muster up the professionalism to answer him. Not that it was that much of an issue, because Kakashi did his damned best to ignore Tenzou the whole time. As soon as Kakashi announced the meeting was done and dismissed them, Tenzou stood almost violently and stormed out of the room.
When he reached his apartment it took all of Tenzou's willpower not to slam his door shut like a child. He tried to steady his breathing, but he was furious. Furious and hurt and...and frustrated. It was horrible. Never in his life had he felt like this, so out of control...the only other time he'd been so emotional was the night he confronted Danzou, when he'd left Root.
That thought process reminded him of Kakashi coming to his rescue. It was like a cool blanket being placed over his shoulders. Kakashi...he was good. He was kind. He really was.
Some of the anger dissipated from him. He felt like he could breathe normally again.
A loud knock sounded at his door, and suddenly, his temper flared again. There was only one person that could be.
Tenzou threw the door open and came face to face with Kakashi, his chest heaving just as much as Tenzou's was.
"What is your problem?" Kakashi snapped.
Tenzou was, for just a second, mute from shock.
"WHAT?" He practically screamed. "MY problem!?"
"The way you acted at the mission debrief-"
"-YOU were the one who was rude to me-!"
"I hardly think that constitutes-"
"I can't see how you're thinking AT ALL, or we wouldn't be HAVING this conversation!"
Kakashi went silent, and the two of them glared absolute daggers at each other, their chests heaving so heavily the sounds of their breathing seemed to echo down the hallway.
"You were cruel yesterday and now you're cruel again today." Tenzou concluded, his voice shaking from anger.
That seemed to snap Kakashi back to reality. He spun, walked to the other end of the hall, seemed to have a momentary thought before he turned around and stomped back to Tenzou. He rested his arm on the door frame above his kouhai's head and leaned forward. He seemed to still be considering things, considering his actions.
"I-" He started, but decided that was not the thing he wanted to say. "I was not being cruel. I was just tired."
"Tired? I was tired too, Senpai. We were both there together, remember?"
Kakashi pursed his lips. He glared. However, despite his stubbornness, he seemed considerably less wound up. "I...may have been harsh, yes."
Tenzou crossed his arms and tilted his head.
Kakashi sighed. "FINE. I was harsh. It was unnecessary. Sometimes I'm just...I'm just so sick of all of this. Sometimes I don't know why I'm here. And I couldn't control myself..."
The copy-nin ducked his head slightly. "I'm sorry. I am."
Well. Tenzou felt like a cape of lead had fallen off of his shoulders. He took a tiny step forward, so that he was almost standing directly under Kakashi. "I understand, Senpai. It was a hard mission. I should have been more patient, but I...I was just so affected by your mood."
Kakashi smiled very faintly, brushing his knuckles gently under Tenzou's chin. "I guess I do that to people." He frowned again. "I'm sorry. I acted childish, and I didn't mean it towards you."
Tenzou found himself blushing from embarrassment. "Ah...speaking of childish. I'm sorry, too. I really should have been able to keep it together better than that..."
They both shared a bit of a laugh, neither one believing how over the top they'd been.
"You really...affect me, Senpai. Really." Tenzou whispered, his wide eyes capturing his lovers.
Any residual anger evaporated as they gazed into each others eyes. It had become clear, long ago, how much either one meant to the other. But still...it was moments like this that really drove it home.
"I guess I should be more sensitive then, shouldn't I?" Kakashi murmured as he slowly dipped his head. He paused, unsure if Tenzou wanted to kiss him. But, sure enough, the softest lips pressed up against his. Before either of them had any idea what they were doing, they were on Tenzou's bed. A little voice in the back of Kakashi's head asked him if he'd even bothered to close the door. He had no idea, but there was no way in hell he was stopping now.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The next three months passed by in a whirlwind. The cold season was coming, which every single ANBU shinobi dreaded with a passion. There was a large calendar hanging in the main hallway with the first week of snowfall highlighted in red marker. Weather was not a factor in missions; there could be a blizzard and you still had to sit out there and assassinate/guard/monitor. ANBU had nearly lost body parts from frost bite before. Generally, the people of ANBU were skilled enough to use chakra to warm themselves...but you didn't always have much chakra to spare.
Kakashi and Tenzou strolled through the cold, yet still bustling streets of Konoha on one of their days off. The goal: dumplings. Kakashi had finally admitted he actually really liked the steamed ones. Tenzou was so pleased he decided he would take Kakashi out and treat him to them.
On their way to the dumpling stand, they ran into Gai. The green clad shinobi waved enthusiastically and ran over.
"MY FRIENDS!"
"Hello, Gai." Tenzou greeted cheerfully. Kakashi raised his hand in greeting.
"Yo."
"It has been weeks, my friends!" Gai exclaimed as he posed before them.
"Ah...yes, sorry. We've been much busier than usual." Tenzou answered softly.
"I meant to come and see you yesterday, actually." Kakashi commented casually.
Tenzou turned bright red.
Gai rubbed his chin. "Oh? Busy with work?"
"Yes." Kakashi responded far too easily. "Working very hard."
Tenzou's red index increased to the power of ten.
"Well, that is only natural, I suppose." Gai sighed. "All the same, it is good to see you now! Where are you off to?"
Kakashi could see Tenzou was busy passing out from a rush of blood to the head, so he went ahead and answered. "Steamed dumplings."
"AH! I love dumplings! I...would not be intruding if I joined you?" Gai attempted casually.
Kakashi smiled. "Of course not."
Tenzou, recovered from his unspoken embarrassment, smiled as well. "You're always welcome."
Gai's jaw dropped, but he quickly picked it back up and laughed it off. He still wasn't used to Kakashi easily accepting his company, despite the fact that it had been around seven months since he became active in his life again.
The three continued the short walk to the dumpling stand. As they sat down to order, Tenzou realized he had forgotten to specify something and ran back to the counter. As soon as he was gone, Gai leaned in to Kakashi with a giant grin on his face.
"Do you realize what month this is?"
Kakashi blinked. "Yes...I own a calendar."
Gai laughed easily. "No, no, my friend. Do you remember our challenge?"
All the colour seemed to drain from Kakashi's face. He sat there, obviously in disbelief. Gai merely grinned.
"Wait."
A nod from Gai.
"No."
Another nod from Gai.
Kakashi raised his hand and started counting off fingers. He finished both hands, then counted two fingers again on his left. He stared at them like they were made out of gold.
"...It's been a year." Kakashi gasped.
Gai slapped him, hard, on the back. "Congratulations! You are, by all social standards, in a long term relationship."
Kakashi couldn't believe it. He'd barely paid attention to the time. He'd just been so busy, and with the challenge he'd just been determined not to stress about it...he had really wanted Gai to run and knit a sweater at the same time.
Tenzou returned and Kakashi tried to act normal, but he was in disbelief. He felt...normal. He'd successfully been with someone, romantically, intimately, for a YEAR. Without leaving him, without freaking out. It was impossible, but he'd calculated it, and Gai was right.
He'd shared himself, and he'd shared someone else, for a YEAR.
Tenzou tried to get Kakashi's attention several times, but the poor man was in a stupor. Gai was grinning from ear to ear the entire time, shamelessly unhelpful to poor Tenzou. Finally, the taijutsu master stood.
"I believe I will get going now, my friends."
Tenzou gaped. "But...the dumplings."
"They are on me. Consider them a congratulatory present."
The poor mokuton user looked genuinely flustered.
"What..."
Gai winked at him, then placed a firm, warm hand on Kakashi's shoulder.
"I will begin my payment now. If you would like a purple sweater, please let me know. For some reason the purple colour called to me that day."
Kakashi merely nodded mutely. As Gai walked away, Tenzou stared in slight frustration. Something was clearly going on and everyone felt it would be awesome to leave him out of it.
"Senpai." Tenzou called sternly. "Really. What is -"
Tenzou yelped loudly as Kakashi tackled him from the bench. They landed, thankfully in a comfortable position, just under the table they had been seated on and relatively out of sight. Tenzou merely stared up at his Senpai in shock. He had no idea what to say.
"Tenzou." Kakashi breathed. His eyes almost seemed to glisten. The mokuton user could not believe the emotion in them.
"I love you."
The entire world froze. There were no sounds, no movements. There barely seemed to be air. All Tenzou could fathom was Kakashi, his warmth, his eyes, and his words. He opened his mouth to speak, but only a soft puff of breath escaped him.
"I love you." Kakashi repeated, his grip on Tenzou tightening.
"Senpai." Tenzou whimpered, as two small tears streamed down his face. "How...you couldn't..."
Kakashi kissed him, he hugged him, he pressed into him.
"I love you, I love you, I love you..." Kakashi chanted, as if he wanted to get them all out, get them all out before he couldn't say them anymore.
Tenzou wept and gripped Kakashi, barely able to speak.
"I...love you, Senpai..." Tenzou breathed, holding Kakashi so tightly his arms hurt. "I...really, really-"
He was kissed again, and again, and again. They lay on the ground, their dumplings thankfully taking much longer to come than they reasonably should. They lay on the ground and said all the things it had taken them a year to say.
All the things Kakashi never thought he'd say to anyone.
All the things Tenzou hadn't known existed.
For the first time in his life, Kakashi wasn't concerned with endings. He wasn't drowning in the past. He was just so grateful to have Tenzou, to have met him, to have loved him, that at least for the moment, he didn't care what happened.
Their dumplings came eventually. They took them to go.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
I AM SO EMOTIONAL RIGHT NOW GUYS.
I can't handle Naruto ending. I can't handle Kakashi, going off on his own, 40 ish years old. I also can't handle Tenzou getting like three panels in 699 and then that's it. That's probably going to BE it. It's all just so final. I CAN'T DEAL I CAN'T :(. It's so unmotivating...although I guess it did motivate me to finish this epilogue. I'm gonna miss those crazy guys, especially Kakashi...I guess I can always read the ENTIRE series again, but...it's not the same.
I didn't want to continue the fanfic past this point, because...it would take a LOT of creative writing to keep them together past the war since Tenzou was MIA for like...a hundred chapters? Years? Yah. YAH. And I couldn't stand writing them breaking up for some ridiculous reason like Kakashi starting his life over and leaving ANBU. People do stuff like that in real life all the time, BUT THIS ISN'T REAL LIFE.
I thought I wouldn't want to write anymore past Yamato not even getting half a panel in the epilogue, but it just made me more determined than ever lol. Although. I guess I should be thankful that he's a) not dead and b) showed up at all. He deserved to, since he was in a pretty good chunk of the manga, but you never know sometimes. So, we'll see! I can sense One Shots on the horizon...
Thanks so much for all your reviews, guys! Means a lot! KEEP STRONG SHIPPERS * sobs *