Reckoning Arc: Amiss

Minato said it was normal to not be put in leadership positions right away. That they were often reserved for more experienced chunin. That didn't mean it wasn't disappointing.

Life felt like a constant tug of war. One side complimenting his talents and abilities and trying to further push him into the spotlight whereas the other side wouldn't trust him to do the same things as everyone else. He wanted to know which it was. Being 'good for his age' wasn't a compliment. He stood on equal grounds as everyone else so he couldn't understand why there continued to be a gap even to people he had proved himself to.

Their words, they were hollow.

He didn't need a reason to train and push himself further, but it was certainly a good motivator to keep going even when facing exhaustion.

Kakashi's kunai clashed with Minato's. They exchanged blows. Every time Kakashi improved Minato would use more of his skills. It was good. It helped him grow, but one day he was going to catch up to Minato and would make him regret the days of ever going easy on him. For now that meant a lot more training.

They stop.

"Your improvement is showing."

Kakashi preens.

"I think that's enough for today."

He sulks a little. There's more he wants to practice. Kakashi would have to do it on his own.

"But first how about dinner?"

"Okay." He liked spending time with Minato. Kakashi may not enjoy food as much as others, but even he could tell that eating together was a shared bonding moment. Whether the people involved chatted or embraced the comfort of silence.

They walked towards their destination when Kakashi spotted someone.

"Sakumo." A haunting sorrow gloomed over him. Minato didn't call it out in particular. There were plenty of reasons it could be and it was tactless to bring it up in public, if at all. "We're about to get some food. Did you want to join?"

"I'll have to pass. My attention is needed at the hospital." Sakumo looked at Kakashi.

Kakashi couldn't understand why.

"We should eat out next time instead," said Minato.

"Why? We're almost there."

"Kakashi." Sakumo's voice has a soothing quality to it. "Yuina's been admitted."

A crack formed in his mind. "Did she hurt herself while training?" He didn't understand why she would be admitted. Get treated and continue on, or at least rest at home.

"She was stabilized enough to come back, but she's still in critical condition."

The cracks in his mind spread until they shattered. Yuina was his sister. She was Sakumo's daughter. She was smart, competent, and strong. There was no way she could be in critical condition. She'd never let it get to that point.

The reality nagged him gently of the recurring thoughts that have occasionally plagued his mind.

Yuina started to change after graduation. It was small, but it became more and more noticeable with time.

She always looked to him for guidance. That was true for as long as he remembered. Yuina was always able to pick certain things up easier. Writing. Reading. Arithmetic. Navigation. Plenty of small odd specific things. Even then she looked at him for guidance like he had the answers.

Then there were the areas he could surpass her which she continued to watch him raptly. Training came easier to him and he could actualize theoreticals into practical use extremely fast. He purposely kept in view for her to catch up in the same manner she did. As such, he had grown to expect her to be a few steps behind.

After graduation Kakashi wondered whether Yuina was still a few steps behind or whether she was falling behind. It wasn't that she was lazing off, but something was different even if he couldn't pin point why. She didn't look at him the same way anymore, though. She no longer followed him a few steps behind. Instead, she looked at him more and more like Dad, but even that conclusion didn't feel quite right.

He was ahead. He was the chunin, so why? What changed?

Whatever it was, it was enough to break his understanding that Yuina would be fine.

Even as he split from Minato and walked to the hospital, he imagined the state she would be in. He was told critical condition but he still expected something lighter. Something that would bedridden her, but something that would clearly indicate she was fine. Something that was a dumb mistake than something that would hint at incompetency. Incompetent and Yuina didn't belong together in the same sentence.

Then they arrived. The moment they stepped into the room Orochimaru left without saying a word.

Her torso and arms were bandaged and her breathing was shallow. Her complexion pale.

Sakumo placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder and pulled him a little closer to himself, but it did nothing to comfort him as his stare remained fixated on her form.

Kakashi thought it was different. It was different seeing a stranger's battered body and seeing the injured body of someone he cared for.

He came and went for days.

He needed her to wake up. To break the cycle and confirm the outcome one way or another.

The medics had previously mentioned something about hoping she didn't reach the two-week mark, but all signs had been pointing that may become the case.

Kakashi walked back in on Day 12.

"Kakashi." Yuina tried to wave but she winced.

"You're awake." He blinked. He'd been expecting the day to be like the past eleven.

"Somehow."

"You're an idiot." That wasn't what he wanted to say, but it rolled off his tongue. "You let someone beat you."

Instead of the grumbling or soft scolding he'd been expecting in response she laughed. A soft breathy chuckle that lead to a coughing fit. She raised her arm to cough into her elbow. "Yeah, I am." He approached as she coughed. Once she was done she reached out for his hand. Her hand was a little cold. Nothing like the warmth of her embraces.

She was going to say something but closed her mouth before speaking. Instead, she continued to look at him. It was oddly relieving. It's the look he hadn't seen in a long time.

Kakashi didn't know the reason for the change shortly after graduation and he didn't know the reversion back now. It felt too simple to say it was because of her injuries, however, the cause didn't really matter. He felt like something clicked back into place.

A stomach growled and it wasn't his.

"Are you allowed to eat or do I need to sneak you in food?"