Hachi woke up. He regretted it immediately. Without the sweet spell of unconsciousness to act as a morphine for him, his body lit up with flames of pain licking every inch of his body. Hachi could only groan as his eyes adjusted to the bright lights in the room.
Just where was he? He thought. Hachi tried to bring up his arm to block the light source from burning his eyes, but soon found he couldn't move without his bones and muscles creaking in noncompliance.
Hachi gave up on trying to move for the time being. Instead, he tried to figure out where exactly he was staying. Once his eyes adjusted to the harsh lights, he looked around. The familiar small one-room came into view and Hachi let out a sigh of relief.
Kakashi's…
"How are you feeling?" A voice broke Hachi's thoughts. He tried to turn his head slightly at the source of the sound, but his neck protested violently.
"Just stay still." Hachi recognized Kakashi's voice and visibly calmed down. "This is already the second time you're this injured." Hachi couldn't identify the emotion that Kakashi was portraying. Anger? Bitterness? No. It was completely different.
Hachi stayed silent, not knowing if he could even speak without straining something in his body. Kakashi let out a sigh.
"So… you want to talk about what happened with Raido and Gai?" Kakashi said, breaking the silence that had befallen the room.
Hachi's breath got caught in his throat. He had just forgotten about Raido's actions, but to be reminded so suddenly after he woke brought a shock to his body. Hachi clenched his fists, ignoring the strain on his arms.
"Raido was being a dick so I asked Gai to teach me instead." Hachi tried to say nonchalantly. His voice was low and scratchy after just waking up. Luckily his body allowed him to talk without any problems.
"That's no way to talk about your teacher. Raido is one of the best jounin in the Leaf—"
"Yeah, well he's not the best in my book. He's a dick." Kakashi was taken aback by Hachi's language. Just what happened for him to be talking about Raido like this? Hachi was completely ecstatic to start his training just yesterday morning.
"That's why I'm asking you… What happened between you two? You were so excited that you got up early to impress Raido yesterday." Kakashi said. Hachi wanted to look away in embarrassment, but his neck wouldn't allow him to.
"Shut up…" Hachi mumbled as he tried to hide himself under the covers, which was a futile attempt. Kakashi watched Hachi squirm in amusement, but couldn't let go of the previous topic.
"Did Raido train you too hard or something? I can ask Raido to dial it back if it's too much for you."
"Don't treat me like a child!" Hachi shouted.
You are a child … Kakashi thought with a sweatdrop. Hachi got his upper body up, ignoring his protesting muscles. His body lit up red with anger at the thought of Raido.
"Hey, don't go overboard. You're still recovering from yesterday." Kakashi said with concern laced in his voice. He had his arms out to catch Hachi as if he would fall over any second. Hachi stared at Kakashi's outreached hands in surprise.
"I'm fine," Hachi muttered under his breath and looked away. Kakashi sighed in frustration at the disobedient child that lay in bed in front of him. How did he get stuck with such a job? It amazed him how the Hokage could entrust such a mission to him.
"Just tell me what happened," Kakashi said, his patience wearing thin. He didn't have all day. Kakashi watched as Hachi grasped at the bedsheets harshly.
What did Raido do? Kakashi questioned. He knew from the start that Raido was a harsh teacher, but Hachi was also a stubborn child. They would match each other perfectly.
Kakashi waited in silence. Knowing that Hachi wasn't going to talk anytime soon, he got up from his seat and headed over to the kitchen. Hachi didn't eat anything in nearly 24 hours, so he better prepare something for the starved child.
Kakashi checked his fridge but was disappointed to find that it was empty. Hachi remained silent as Kakashi rummaged around his cupboard only to find ramen. Kakashi bit his lip; he couldn't keep feeding Hachi junk food. Like Gai had said, Hachi was a stick.
"Hey, can you move?" Kakashi asked, suddenly breaking the silence within the room.
Hachi looked up at Kakashi. He pulled the bedsheets off of his body and slid his legs to the floor. Immediately, white searing pain licked at his muscles, but Hachi grit his teeth to ignore the pain. He stood up harshly which he regretted instantly. The room spun and his vision was dotted with black spots. Hachi couldn't tell what was happening and a tingling feeling made its way down his body.
"Hachi!" He could hear Kakashi dashing towards him in a hurry, but he couldn't see anything in front of him. He couldn't even tell what his body was doing at the moment.
When Hachi finally regained his senses, he saw Kakashi's face full of worry. Hachi was sprawled out on the floor in Kakashi's arms.
"Sorry. Just got a little dizzy." Hachi said, brushing off his earlier episode.
"A little? You were stumbling around like you were blind!" Kakashi raised his voice. "I asked you if you can move. That doesn't mean just start walking around."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Hachi mumbled, "You got your answer though, right?"
Kakashi sighed. He didn't know what to do with such a reckless child. He stood up with Hachi in his arms and placed him into bed again.
"Just… try not to get out again. I'm going to the store for food." Kakashi said and Hachi nodded in response, still recovering from his dizzy spell. "I won't be gone for too long, so stay still."
With that Kakashi was out the door. Hachi stared at the ceiling, finding nothing to do. It wasn't long before Hachi grew restless and bored. He couldn't just stand still and do nothing . He needed to be doing something productive; it would ease his mind.
Hachi tried to get up from the bed once more. He can't just stay in bed all day and count how many dead bugs are trapped in Kakashi's light bulbs. Hachi looked out the window to see that the sun was pretty high in the sky. He had been asleep for quite a long time. Hachi's body itched for action.
Hachi moved slowly, trying not to collapse again by getting up too quickly. Once his feet touched the ground, Hachi pushed himself up from the bed. He was careful in moving too suddenly, but his vision still spun slightly, although it was nothing compared to before. Hachi stayed still for a moment so he could catch his bearings.
When his vision cleared, he let out a sigh that he didn't know he was holding. Still moving slowly, he got down on his hands and knees. The training session from yesterday humbled Hachi tremendously. He couldn't even finish 50 push-ups without feeling like he was gonna start decaying on the spot. It was embarrassing to show that side of Hachi while Team Gai finished the task within five minutes.
Hachi knew he shouldn't be moving his body so recklessly after yesterday, but he wanted to do something, anything .
He started moving his body. Hachi struggled with even the first push-up. With grit teeth, he barely completed his fifth push-up. Hachi could feel his muscles tearing again, but he pushed his body even further. He would be able to forget about the pain if he got his body into a rhythm.
His arms practically gave out at the twentieth push-up and Hachi crashed down on the floor. Hachi almost busted his chin open, but he swiftly turned his head to his side. Now the left side of his face would have a matching bruise with his right side which Neji was so kind to gift Hachi.
Hachi let out a groan. He tried to get up again but the bones in his arms creaked. Although Hachi shouldn't give up, he let himself stay still, lying in his own sweat covering the floor.
There was nothing he could do right. That thought infuriated Hachi to the core. He was hopeless in bukijutsu and ninjutsu, two of the main forms of combat between shinobi. How could he be so useless ?
As Hachi laid on the floor, he couldn't help but let his thoughts swallow him. Hachi even forgot about his burning body.
At the thought of his failure, Hachi's mind was brought back to Raido and he scowled. Even the mere mention of Raido left a bitter taste in Hachi's tongue. Of course, he was mad at Raido for setting up the genjutsu, but Hachi knew that in the back of his mind, Hachi was angrier at himself.
He was angry and disappointed. Hachi shouldn't have left Raido to train with someone else. Hachi should have stuck it out with Raido, but that was just another one of Hachi's weaknesses; he runs away from his problems.
Hachi knew that Raido was casting the genjutsu without being fully aware of Hachi's background. It was genjutsu testing, so Raido was only trying to help Hachi.
Even though Hachi knew everything, he still chose to run away. That was what frustrated him about himself. Was he that weak ? He couldn't even go through one genjutsu about his past. He should be used to the feeling of being tied down to a hospital bed. He should be used to the feeling of having hands all over his body. He should be used to being raped .
Still, every time something like those experiences occurs, it freezes Hachi on the spot and he finds himself unable to move away. He can't defend himself nor run away when something like those hands slithers around Hachi's body.
Yeah… I should be used to it… Hachi thought. It's not like it was the first time. He had been used countless times to satiate their hunger. He should be used to it.
"Hachi!" A voice rang throughout the apartment. Hachi flinched at the sudden disruption of his thoughts. He moved his head to see Kakashi standing by the door in shock, still holding the groceries...
"Oh… Hi Kakashi," Hachi managed to say while trying to get up. He put his hands underneath his torso and tried to push himself into a sitting position, but completely forgot about the sweat that was pooled under him. His hands slipped on the sweat and his body crashed forward again.
Kakashi couldn't even move at Hachi's actions. He was boiling with anger and concern.
"I specifically told you to not move." Kakashi almost shouted but bit back his tongue. "What were you doing?"
"Tra—" Hachi cut himself off. If he told Kakashi that he was training, he would probably get even angrier. "I was just trying to get water." Hachi shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant way. Kakashi's eyebrows twitched, signaling that he didn't believe a single word that Hachi had just said.
"Hachi, stop the bullshit. We both know that you were not going to get water." Kakashi said with a sigh, moving from the door to the kitchen with the shopping bags. Hachi stayed silent at Kakashi's critical eye. Once Kakashi set down the groceries on the kitchen counter, he spoke up again, "Now, what were you actually doing."
"Nothing much," Hachi mumbled under his breath.
"You were collapsed face-first on the floor with a pool of sweat around you. Do you really think that I would believe you when you say 'nothing much'?" Kakashi's sharp voice cut through the room causing Hachi to flinch. Kakashi caught onto Hachi's small actions and his eyes softened. "Just tell me what you were doing. I'll try to not get angry." Kakashi said with a calmer tone.
"You promise?" Hachi glanced up at Kakashi from his position. He had gotten onto his knees without slipping when Kakashi had moved the groceries. Kakashi nodded, a bit worried at Hachi's answer.
"I was trying to train." Hachi answered barely above a whisper, but Kakashi caught every word.
"What?!" Kakashi's face turned red. "You are basically bedridden from yesterday, but you're still trying to train? You collapsed on the floor because your body can't handle it!" Kakashi started ranting.
"You said you wouldn't get angry," Hachi shouted back.
"I said I'll try not to." Kakashi retorted. Hachi had a baffled expression before an annoyed face took over.
"Stop that bullshit. You can't get angry at me."
"Oh yeah? And why is that?"
"You fucking promised!"
"I didn't promise you anything."
"Fucking hell. You're so annoying." Hachi let out an exasperated sigh while looking away with his hands crossed.
"That's what I should be saying, you brat," Kakashi replied, only riling up Hachi even more.
"Why am I stuck with such an old man?" Hachi grumbled, ticking Kakashi off.
"I am not an old man! I'm only 26." Kakashi had enough of Hachi referring to him as old with the sole reason being that his hair is gray.
"You're saying that to a 12-year-old. You're gonna be old, no matter what your age is." Hachi spat. Kakashi was stunned in shock with a bewildered expression.
"This is why I can't deal with children," Kakashi said and turned around, unable to face Hachi anymore. His face irritated Kakashi too much.
"That's what I should be saying, old man." Hachi mocked Kakashi and steam almost came out of Kakashi's head. How could such a child be so annoying?
Huffing, Kakashi started taking the groceries out of the bag and into the fridge. He was done with this conversation. Trying to calm down, Kakashi started to wash the vegetables that he bought. He took out the cutting board and knife. Although it might be a little concerning, he found it a little stress-relieving to cut up food.
While Kakashi started to violently slice various vegetables, Hachi couldn't help but stare at Kakashi's back, concerned about his own well-being. Was Kakashi thinking about Hachi while cutting up those various produce?
The room was silent except for the occasional clang of utensils from Kakashi's cooking. Hachi didn't know what to do, so he stayed on the floor until his legs were numb. He couldn't move his legs now, otherwise lightning would shoot up through his limbs.
The bubbling of soup brought a new smell to waft throughout the apartment room which cued Hachi's stomach to grumble loudly. Kakashi stopped his actions and turned around to face Hachi with an amused face. Hachi looked down in embarrassment. He hadn't eaten since the day before, but even then, it was only a few fruits that he grabbed from Kakashi's counter.
"It's almost done." Kakashi chortled, only making Hachi hide his face even further, almost making it look like he was bowing. Kakashi's anger had died down a long time ago, but that wouldn't mean he would let Hachi off the hook just yet. He was going to interrogate Hachi thoroughly while they ate Kakashi's food.
Soon Kakashi turned the stove off and set a small folding table in the middle of the floor.
"You know you can sit comfortably right?" Kakashi said nonchalantly to Hachi, seeing that he was on his knees for the entire time Kakashi was cooking.
Hachi let out a nervous laugh, "My legs fell asleep…"
"Do you want my help or something?" Kakashi asked while scooping miso soup into a bowl for Hachi and himself.
"It's fine. I'll just eat like this." Hachi said, ending the conversation. Kakashi hummed in response, not wanting to get into another argument.
Once Kakashi was done setting the food down, the two were left with uncomfortable silence.
"Eat," Kakashi commanded, having enough of the awkwardness between them. He took his bowl of rice and took off his mask to eat.
"Thanks for the food," Hachi muttered and also reached for his own rice bowl. The food was a pleasant break from the emptiness that filled Hachi's stomach.
After Kakashi assumed that Hachi was halfway down with his food, he proceeded to ask Hachi about Raido. The mere mention of Raido struck Hachi still.
"You need to tell me. It won't get better if you don't." Kakashi said calmly. Hachi knew that Kakashi was right, but his lips wouldn't part. Raido brought back unfathomable memories. Kakashi saw that Hachi had started to shake and took a hold of Hachi's hand.
"You're alright." Hachi looked up into Kakashi's eyes and his lips quivered. He quickly averted his gaze back to the floor.
"H-he was testing me… and he put me in a genjutsu for me to get out of." Hachi bit back a curse at his sudden stutter. Kakashi looked at Hachi thoughtfully. This much wasn't that out of the ordinary. It seemed like standard training. "But the genjutsu… was my worst nightmare. T-they were t-touching me a-and I couldn't get out of the damn genjutsu…" Hachi started rambling about his failure, but Kakashi understood the situation perfectly.
"Raido didn't know, so it wasn't his fault. I should have been able to get out of the stupid genjutsu." Hachi tried to make up excuses for Raido, only angering Kakashi even further.
"He knows what happens in a genjutsu that he created. He should have stopped it the second it got bad." Kakashi said through grit teeth. Kakashi was beyond pissed. Hachi was nothing more than a child. Raido went too far this time. "It's not your fault."
"But it is! I should have gotten out of the genjutsu easily. It's not like I'm not used to it. I've already gotten raped so much. I should be used it. I-I—" Hachi slammed his bowl of rice down on the table in anger, but his trembling hands gave all the information Kakashi needed.
"Hachi! Don't say such things. You should absolutely not be used to it. You're still human, and no human should go through such things." Kakashi cut Hachi off. He couldn't believe his ears. The only thing keeping him from chasing after Raido was Hachi, who looked like he would crumble under the slightest touch.
Kakashi pushed away the small table to move any blockades between him and Hachi. He engulfed Hachi in a hug and started to stroke Hachi's long hair.
"I-I still shouldn't have run away. He was just trying to help." Hachi talked aimlessly, only tugging at Kakashi's heart even more. Just how broken is this child?
"No, you did the right thing. Raido was completely in the wrong. Stop trying to defend him and his actions." Kakashi said.
"B-but,"
"No buts. We're done with this conversation." Kakashi completely cut Hachi off and left no further room for any arguments. "Now… just go to bed. You shouldn't be moving around so much."
"No!" Hachi's outburst surprised Kakashi. His voice grew quiet, "If I do nothing, I feel like I'm suffocating." Although Hachi's words were ambiguous, Kakashi understood. He understood that feeling of frustration of not doing anything. Also, if you do nothing, your own thoughts eat you up.
"Fine," Kakashi agreed, making Hachi look up at him with hopeful eyes. "We'll do some spring cleaning then."
Hachi immediately stood up; an action that he immediately regretted. Lightning shot through his legs and he found himself collapsed in Kakashi's arms once more. Kakashi looked down with an amused expression.
"I'll just wait till my legs are awake…" Hachi said, unable to meet Kakashi's gaze.