Hachi woke up to bright lights blinding his vision.
Where am I? Hachi thought. He looked around the room. It was a familiar white room that made his hair stand up. It was when he smelled the antiseptic that he quickly shot up. Antiseptic plus this room could only mean one thing: his recapture. His body immediately shot lightning throughout his body and Hachi regretted his actions. He remembered his broken ribs and looked down to see a compression wrap.
The compression wrap brought Hachi back to his senses as the doctor he knew would never be stupid enough to tightly bind broken ribs; Hachi was still in Konohagakure. He tried to take the compression wrap off but was stopped by a hand.
"What are you doing?" Kakashi said with a stern voice. Hachi looked up, surprised, wondering when he got in the room. Of course, Kakashi had been in the room the entire time. "You broke your ribs, you need that."
"No, I don't," Hachi said with such certainty that Kakashi was taken back.
"Yes, you do. You need that to recover." Kakashi retorted.
"No, because compression wraps restrict your lungs from properly breathing. It's gonna cause more harm than good." Hachi said. Kakashi was surprised at the answer. How did she know this? Kakashi gave an incredulous look.
"God, I thought Konohagakure was supposed to be such a great village too," Hachi muttered under his breath, but Kakashi caught ear and punched Hachi's head. "Hey! Are you supposed to punch a patient?" Hachi cried out, clutching his head to ease the pain.
"Since when did you know so much about broken ribs?" Kakashi asked, ignoring Hachi's complaints. Hachi slightly pouted.
"I just read some books, that's all." Hachi began taking the compression wraps off his chest, making Kakashi panic. He quickly looked away and hid his face with his hands, a blush forming.
"Hold on, hold on, why are you taking that off in front of me?" Kakashi knew now how wrong both he and the Hokage were about Hachi. As the newly appointed guardian of Hachi, all the doctors reported to Kakashi about Hachi's condition. He was initially very surprised. Hachi didn't seem to hold any feminine qualities within her at all, but you can't go against nature.
"What do you mean?" Hachi said, tilting his head to the side.
"You're a girl. You can't just take those things off in front of a guy." Kakashi explained, still looking away. Hachi grit his teeth and clenched his fists.
"I'm not a girl…" Hachi said with a dangerously low growl.
"What do you mean you're not a girl? The nurses and doctors all saw you." Kakashi said, with a confused tone. Was she trying to trick me?
"I told you, I'm not a girl. I'm a guy." The determination and confidence in Hachi's voice made Kakashi hesitate. There seemed to be a fire behind Hachi's eyes. Hachi clutched the hospital bed sheets in anger and his lips were pursed in a thin line. All of these small details didn't go unnoticed by Kakashi and then it hit him.
"Ah… I see. Sorry." Kakashi apologized. Kakashi didn't have a problem, just a little flustered. It wasn't every day that you see people like Hachi.
"It's… fine." Hachi looked down and muttered out barely above a whisper. He thought he didn't care what other people thought about his preference, but after constant scrutiny, he started to doubt his own feelings. "Do you think I'm wrong?"
Kakashi's head shot up in shock. Hachi thinks that people's reactions are that vile? His eyes softened at the vulnerable child in front of him.
"No."
Hachi nodded and looked down. A small wave of relief washed over Hachi. This was the first time anyone hasn't insulted him after finding out, except for his family and the village of course. This feeling of acceptance was very new to Hachi. He never thought he would get this feeling after he left the village.
"Well, I'm gonna check with the nurses and say that you're awake. Be careful when you take off the wrap." Kakashi said and got up to leave the room. Hachi nodded and waited for him to shut the door behind him to take the compression wrap off.
Hachi slowly unbound himself, trying not to damage more of his ribs. He winced since the wrap was tightly bound and the initial release of pressure made a huge difference in his breathing capacities. When he got used to his released chest, Hachi finally took a deep breath. He flinched at the sudden expansion of his lungs.
Kakashi walked into the room with a nurse after a couple of minutes.
"Hello, Kobayashi-san." The nurse said.
"Hello," Hachi replied.
"I'll just do a check-up on you." The nurse said and started the inspection on Hachi's body. She wrapped the blood pressure monitor tighter than you were supposed to with a wicked smile and began pumping roughly. Hachi winced but didn't complain. Maybe these nurses don't know how to properly do it.
Kakashi took out his book once the examination started. It was going to be just like any old examination anyway. He quickly lost interest in the nurse's actions. Once the nurse was done, she turned to go out.
"Well, there's nothing wrong with her checkup. She's a perfectly healthy girl. " The nurse said with a smirk towards Hachi and quickly left.
So that was what it was about… Hachi realized and threw a glare towards the back of her head. It was a reaction that Hachi was used to, but no matter how many times he had gone through it, it still stung. There was no point in fighting those types of people, they were never going to change anyway.
Kakashi took a moment to take in the nurse's words and his eyes widened in horror. There was a reason Kakashi left Hachi. Other than to let him get the wrap off, it was to get a nurse for a check-up and to make sure they didn't hurt Hachi with their mistakes. He specifically told the nurse that Hachi was indeed a boy to avoid this situation, but it turned out to be useless. For a nurse to be so unaccepting was definitely cruel in Kakashi's eyes.
"I'm sorry… I told her to make sure something like this doesn't happen." Kakashi looked down to the floor with his hand scratching his head in shame. Hachi stared at him with a bewildered look.
He did this for me? Hachi wondered. This was the first time in forever that he had felt such kindness. Since he left the village, there was no use in expecting anything other than pain. Any positive emotion was a luxury for Hachi.
"It's okay," Hachi said and he reveled at this new feeling. "Thank you…" Hachi's voice was close to a whisper, but Kakashi caught on and smiled. Hachi looked down to make sure he didn't cry in front of Kakashi. It was much too early in this relationship to show the latter a snot fest.
"Well, the nurse said you were good to go if nothing went wrong with the examination," Kakashi said, still worrying about the small incident.
"Okay." Hachi brushed off Kakashi's concerned expression and got ready to get out of the hospital. He couldn't wait to forget about the smell of antiseptic and white rooms. Hachi got ready quickly since there was nothing for him to pack. He only had his meager supply bag which was almost unrecognizable as a bag due to its tattered form.
"Let's go," Hachi said.
The walk to Kakashi's house was silent, though neither minded the quiet. Kakashi was about to take another step when he realized that Hachi didn't eat. Kakashi stopped in his tracks, making Hachi run into his back. Hachi rubbed his stinging nose and looked up at Kakashi, questioning why he stopped silently.
"You never ate," Kakashi said bluntly, putting away his book to get a closer look at Hachi. Hachi was bone thin. It was a miracle that this scrawny kid went against a special jounin and survived with only 2 broken ribs.
Hachi had a puzzled look. When did he eat? It's been so long that Hachi had forgotten about it. He only had water and didn't trust himself enough to forage for berries or mushrooms.
"Now that I think about it, I haven't eaten in three days," Hachi said and Kakashi's eyes widened.
"Follow me," Kakashi said with a stern voice. He wondered how Hachi could fight against Raido with no food for three days. Within a few minutes, Kakashi led them both to a restaurant (though it looked more like a booth than a restaurant). The sign on the restaurant read 'Ichiraku Ramen' which piqued Hachi's interest.
"Welcome in. What can I get you?" An old man that looked to be the owner spoke up with a hearty voice. Hachi looked around, finding nothing interesting until the smell hit him. He almost melted on the spot. He didn't realize he was so hungry. It probably didn't register in Hachi's brain since running away was the top priority on his mind.
"Uhh… can you order for me?" Hachi said while instinctively clutching to Kakashi's jounin vest. Hachi was too busy looking at the wonderful food and smell to order for himself. Kakashi glanced down at Hachi to find him with child-like wonder glistening on his face. He chuckled silently to himself. This image was a complete change from yesterday.
"Two tonkotsu ramen please." Kakashi said to the man.
"Two tonkotsu ramen coming right up." The man replied with a grin and started getting the broth ready. Hachi stared at the owner get to work in amazement. He has never seen ramen being made like this. Back in his village, they've never had such a variety in ramen. Hachi has only had spicy ramen before.
Kakashi stared at Hachi with a small pleased look. While he knew Hachi was a child, it never truly dawned on him until now. Hachi carried such a defensive demeanor that he seemed like an adult. Hachi was truly a product of this cruel world. He didn't have a chance to be a child.
"Am I that cute or something?" Hachi asked suddenly, breaking Kakashi's bittersweet gaze.
"Huh?"
"You keep staring at me. If anyone saw, it would seem like you were grooming me." Hachi curtly said, making Kakashi choke on his spit.
What kind of thought process is that? Kakashi thought with a baffled expression.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. You're not that cute and I'm not a pedophile." Kakashi snapped, a little pissed off that Hachi would think so lowly of him.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Hachi grumbled, his mood a little tarnished. He didn't like having unwanted attention. It reminded him of them.
"Here you go. Eat up before it gets cold." The owner of the store noticed the dull atmosphere and quickly brought out the two bowls of ramen.
"Thank you!" Hachi said excitedly. The sight of the food brought out to him made him completely forget about Kakashi. The smell of food was gnawing at his stomach and he couldn't wait to dig in. He rapidly grabbed the chopsticks and started stuffing his face. Kakashi nodded at the owner to signify his thanks and also started to eat, although in a more dignified manner than Hachi.
Kakashi quickly finished his ramen so no one would see his face and waited for Hachi to be done as well.
"You're surprisingly decent looking." Hachi randomly brought up, still slurping his ramen.
"Am I supposed to say thank you?" Kakashi replied.
Hachi shrugged. "No, just saying."
Kakashi deadpanned. He really does say whatever comes to mind.
Hachi finished his bowl of ramen and thanked the owner. When he was about to turn from his chair to get off the stool, Kakashi grabbed his wrist. Hachi recoiled at the sudden contact.
"Are you really full after just one bowl?" Kakashi asked with a worried tone.
"Yeah, I'm full. Plus, you're not supposed to eat a lot after starving anyway." Hachi responded, pulling his wrist from Kakashi's grip harshly. A cold glare swept Kakashi before Hachi looked away. Kakashi dropped his hand quickly with a wary expression. Did he not like to be touched?
"You sure?" Kakashi asked once again. He was concerned for the skinny kid in front of him.
"I told you, you're not supposed to eat after starving. You get refeeding syndrome. You're gonna get electrolyte imbalance and might die." Hachi said, his face contorting to one of annoyance. He didn't want to repeat himself. He thought for a jounin this was basic knowledge but apparently not.
The new information shut Kakashi up quickly, making him nod. Without another comment, he paid the owner, and the two of them set off to get to Kakashi's house.
Hachi took in the environment and made note of any landmarks to make sure he could make it to Kakashi's house by himself without getting lost. It wasn't long before they arrived.
Hachi looked around the tiny room that was Kakashi's house. It was neat without only the essentials for living. A bed and a desk with not much room for anything else. What was the Hokage thinking? There is no way two people can live here comfortably. Hachi thought. While viewing the cramped living space before him.
"Go shower first, I'll give you an old pair of my clothes," Kakashi stated. Hachi shook his head.
"Where is it?" Hachi asked and Kakashi just pointed towards a door to the left of the narrow room and Hachi silently went in. He turned the water on so the hot water would be running by the time he got in.
He looked at himself in the small mirror that was attached to the wall. When viewing the person he called himself, a stranger stared back at him. There wasn't a single feature that was the same as when he was back in his village. Did he change that much? Did the old Hachi even exist anymore?
He was completely covered in sweat, oil, and dirt, completely becoming one with nature to say the least. Hachi didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his predicament. He took off his shirt carefully to see how much the nurses of Konoha mended him.
There was a fading bruise from the initial contact with Raido. The bones were fused together through medical ninjutsu, but it would still take a few days to be completely healed since the bones were still sensitive. Once Hachi finished examining his body, he stripped the rest of his clothes and got in the bath.
The running water ran down Hachi's body, immediately relaxing his tense muscles. His body was so strained for a long time that the immediate relief that Hachi felt was painful. He winced but soon embraced the warm water.
Hachi stood there without doing anything for a couple of minutes. It's been a while since he took a shower; he should cherish this moment while he can. For all he knows, the Hokage could change his mind any minute and cast him outside the village.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
"I brought your clothes." Kakashi's voice rang through the door.
"Put it by the sink," Hachi said, sliding his arm to point at the empty spot near the shower, so he could easily reach it. Kakashi caught a glimpse of Hachi's thinning arm and watched in slight horror at the scars that adorned it. He didn't notice it before since his entire body was covered in dirt, but now everything has washed away and he could see any and all details that garnished Hachi's body.
"How long are you gonna stand there? Get out!" Hachi snapped. He clutched at his body as if Kakashi could see through the curtains.
"Sorry." Kakashi blurted out, embarrassed and surprised at Hachi's raised voice. He didn't realize that he was standing there for so long. He just was taken back by Hachi's body. He definitely needed to ask him about that later. Kakashi hastily left the bathroom and shut the door on his way out.
Even though Kakashi found Hachi and initially thought he was very annoying with no control over his mouth, once he saw how Hachi played with the little kids and fought Raido, his opinion has slowly broadened. He definitely had a tender side considering how he had played with the children of the village, but he was also calculative and persistent in battle. It was two completely different sides from each other. His attitude towards Kakashi, and most other adults, were defensive and hostile, while he immediately warmed up to the children, even enough to play with them within minutes. Did he not like adults? It was clear that Hachi did not trust people—especially grownups.
While Kakashi thought intensely about his new roommate, Hachi got done with his shower and came out of the bathroom.
"You're gonna shoot holes through the wall if you keep staring at it," Hachi said nonchalantly while drying his hair with a towel. Kakashi got a little annoyed at Hachi's comment but decided to brush it off.
"How does the clothes fit you?" Kakashi asked while getting up from his seat. He walked over to his closet to get a spare futon.
The clothes that Kakashi gave were a little too big, but it wasn't to the point that it restricted his movements, so Hachi was comfortable with it.
"It's fine." Kakashi nodded in satisfaction. He rolled out the futon near the bed and got a spare pillow and blanket.
"I'll sleep on the floor. You go sleep on the bed." Kakashi said, smoothing out the blanket on the floor.
"I'm the guest in the house. You can sleep on your bed." Hachi argued, trying to move Kakashi off of the floor.
"You're injured. Go on the bed." Kakashi argued back, refusing to move from his spot.
"You go."
"No, you."
"You."
"Before I break the other side of your ribs, get on the stupid bed." Kakashi threatened, having enough of this bickering. Hachi scowled, but gave up and slowly got up on the bed to make sure his ribs didn't get irritated.
"Now that wasn't so hard was it?" Kakashi retorted as he turned off the lights to the room.
"Shut up you old man." Kakashi glowered at Hachi's insult. He got into his makeshift bed and tried to go to immediately fall asleep so he couldn't hear another word from Hachi.
Surprisingly, both Kakashi and Hachi fell asleep pretty quickly. Hachi felt it was due to the fact that he fought Raido and he finally had a full stomach. Kakashi fell asleep for a different reason, however. Unbeknownst to Hachi, Kakashi stayed up the entire time Hachi was in the hospital.
It may have been a foreshadowing to their future relationship, but deep down Kakashi knew he had already gotten attached to the child he had only known for three days.
Kakashi's peaceful rest would only last a couple of hours though, as Hachi's whimpering soon caught the attention of Kakashi. He was awoken by the sound of short bursts of screaming and heavy breathing. It had been a while since he had heard such sounds.
He reminisced bitterly. He, himself, would be the culprit of those sounds many years ago. Kakashi looked at Hachi with a sympathetic expression. He doesn't know what Hachi had experienced to be crying out in the middle of the night, but he could guess how painful it must have been.
Kakashi got up from his futon and walked over to Hachi. He reached his hand out to pet Hachi's head, but Hachi violently jerked away from his grasp. Kakashi became more worried about this reaction.
"Hachi," Kakashi shook Hachi's shoulders, "Hachi!"
It took multiple tries to get Hachi to awaken since he flinched away at every touch.
Hachi woke up in a pool of sweat. He looked to his side, only to see Kakashi's worried expression staring back at his own terrified face. While the fact that Kakashi was concerned about him was reassuring to Hachi, he was also weirdly annoyed.
Kakashi, once again, reached out to Hachi to pat his back.
"Don't touch me!" Hachi screamed, abruptly stopping Kakashi in his tracks. Kakashi's hand stayed frozen in the air due to Hachi's outburst. Hachi was shaking severely. He looked like a cornered animal and Kakashi knew that a cornered animal is the most dangerous.
"Okay… I won't." Kakashi said calmly with both hands in the air as if to signal he was surrendering. He needed to tread carefully. He didn't know what Hachi would do at that moment. Granted, he doesn't know what Hachi would do at any moment.
Hachi hugged his body tightly and his fingers dug at his shoulders, drawing blood. Kakashi smelled the familiar scent of iron and tried to pry Hachi's hands away from his body.
"I said don't touch me!" Hachi screamed again once he sensed Kakashi's movement.
"You're bleeding," Kakashi said.
"Why do you care?" Hachi yelled. Kakashi did not expect such harshness at 2 AM.
"Isn't it natural to care about someone who is having a panic attack in their own home?" Hachi stayed quiet at his response. Kakashi sighed and got up. He should probably make Hachi some hot tea to calm down his nerves.
"Where are you going?" Hachi interrogated, his senses were heightened and he became wary of any tiny thing. Hachi's eyes seemed to glow in the dark and contrasted from the dark room. Kakashi truly felt he was taking care of an injured animal with Hachi's deranged behavior.
"I'm making you tea." Kakashi's answer didn't relieve Hachi's growing anxiety. Everything in Hachi's body was screaming at him to leave Kakashi's house and permanently leave Konoha, but he couldn't move—he wouldn't dare.
The two listened quietly to the small hissing from the tea kettle, neither wanting to confront one another. As the time passed, Hachi could only wait anxiously for Kakashi's next moves. He knew that Kakashi would thoroughly question him and his past.
Dread filled Hachi's stomach and he didn't know if mere tea could wash away such great emotions. The sudden sound of glass startled Hachi and he noticeably flinched. He didn't know why everything started to remind him of him. The sound of glass reminded him of the glass test tubes and vials. This was the worst.
"Drink," Kakashi commanded, handing Hachi a glass teacup. "It's green tea. It helps with anxiety and stress."
Though green tea was common to drink and most people had it in their household, Kakashi didn't drink tea. At least, he used to not drink tea. His years in the shinobi world had proved to take an immense toll on his health, especially his mental health. He was recommended green tea to help his nerves and he used it often, but he grew to not need it as much nowadays.
Although the amount of times he drinks green tea most likely doesn't even add up in one hand anymore, he keeps it around for emergencies. He didn't realize that emergency was for someone else and not himself, nevertheless, some kid who he hasn't even known for a week.
Hachi held the cup to warm his hands. His hands had gotten clammy and cold. It would be good for him to have one source of heat. While Hachi held the cup of tea, he did not drink. This tea would not help him. Was this tea going to help him survive? Absolutely not. So, there was no need to drink such a futile beverage.
Kakashi let out a breath of exasperation. This kid was not going to listen to him any time soon.
"Aren't you going to ask about me?" Hachi said quietly, almost breathless. Kakashi thought for a minute. If he were to question Hachi right now, would he even answer? Probably not.
"You didn't even listen to me when I told you to drink the tea. Why would you listen to me now?" Kakashi answered simply, pouring himself a cup of green tea. One of them should drink it if Kakashi made it with such care.
Hachi thought carefully. He knew deep inside that he had to tell someone about himself, otherwise, he would explode from pent-up burdens. He can't keep holding onto his past; they were an anchor that weighed him down tremendously, but could Kakashi even be trusted? Hachi had a serious problem trusting anyone, especially adults ever since he left his village.
Hachi inspected Kakashi and took any new information that could tell him about Kakashi's character. Kakashi maintained a relaxed posture while he drank his tea. Hachi noticed Kakashi's feet were pointed towards him, which meant that his attention was completely on Hachi at the moment. His body language didn't point out anything significant.
"Are we anything special?" Kakashi spat out his drink at Hachi's flustering question. Of course, Hachi didn't mean anything by it, but Kakashi took it upon himself to misinterpret Hachi's question.
Kakashi coughed out while choking on his tea, "What do you mean by that?" Kakashi pounded his chest to relieve his airways.
"Exactly what I said… Is our relationship anything of significance to you right now? Are we going to be anything in the future? What exactly is our relationship?" Hachi explained, not understanding Kakashi's confusion. He didn't feel his question was too hard. Was it?
"Hmm… Well, as the Hokage said, I am your temporary guardian." Kakashi stated in an obvious tone. Hachi looked down. Of course… that's all we are… a business relationship all under the Hokage's command. Hachi didn't know why he felt so disappointed.
"However, I have taken a liking to you, unfortunately." Kakashi glanced at the side, unsure of how to make eye contact with Hachi and in hesitation; this new information might bring Hachi a heightened ego. "I wouldn't mind if we solidified a stronger relationship in the future," Kakashi said.
Why did this seem like a scene from a romance novel? Kakashi thought with slight disgust. What he said was true, though. While his initial interest was because Hachi seemed to have been honed as a sharp double-edged sword by the cruel world, he realized his interest had quickly changed to a sense of protectiveness towards Hachi.
Maybe it was because he, himself, went through a harsh life, but he couldn't help but feel an obligation to help Hachi avoid a dark road. Kakashi sighed. He was no savior. He was just Kakashi Hatake. What was he gonna do?
Kakashi looked up from his thoughts once he heard soft whimpering. He was shocked at his findings. Hachi's face was completely red with tears and snot alike running down. The great Hachi Kobayashi was crying? Kakashi started panicking, frantically trying to put down his tea while comforting Hachi. How do you comfort a child again?
Kakashi was glad, however, for Hachi to be able to trust him enough to be vulnerable. It was a step in a positive direction. Kakashi buried Hachi's face in his stomach and softly patted his head. He didn't know what else to do. It was an action he saw many people do, so he thought it would fit this situation too.
Minutes passed and the only sound that could be heard throughout the room was the sorrowful weeping of Hachi and the soft comforting from Kakashi that followed suit.
This night had become a strong foundation for their relationship.