When his last opponent falls at his feet, gurgling as blood fills his lungs, Minato's focus snaps to his absent student. Head whipping around, he scans the immediate area for Kakashi and does not see him. What he does see is a path of broken tree limbs. Sprinting down the trail, he is relieved and terrified when he finds Kakashi standing still before two more foes.

"Kakashi," he calls as he approaches. "Kakashi," he repeats as he kneels at the boy's side. His heart jumps up and down his throat as he catches sight of his student. His upper half is splattered with blood and his gaze is vacant. A second look over settles Minato a little. The boy doesn't have any visible wounds.

It means he must have caught one of their enemies in an artery with a kunai knife. A glance down at Kakashi's hand confirms his suspicions. In a bone-white grip, he holds a stained weapon. Carefully, Minato takes Kakashi's hand in his own. When he does, life ignites in the boy's eyes.

"Sensei…?" he murmurs as he turns his head.

He exhales. Tentatively, he smiles. "There you are," he says. He lets go of Kakashi's hand in favor of reaching up to wipe some of the blood off his brow. Unfortunately, it's already tacky and all he does is turn it into a smudge. "Hey. You did well."

Kakashi doesn't acknowledge his praise. He's already clocked Minato's alone and his eyes are searching the space behind him. "Where's—"

"Dead," Minato cuts in fast and curt. It's best not to skirt around the loss of teammates. Especially in situations like these.

The life in Kakashi's eyes blinks out. "Oh."

Minato bites the inside of his cheek. Again, he tries to encourage his student. "You did well. You followed my orders to a 'T'."

Kakashi's voice is flat as he replies, "Our teammate's dead."

Minato wants to shake Kakashi. That would be far from productive, however. Instead, he envelopes the boy's shoulders with his hands and tells him, "To no fault of yours. You aren't the team leader." Minato swallows and looks away. "I — I am upset," he admits because he wants to be honest. Because he wants Kakashi to know it's all right to be. Even when he's in charge and there's still a mission to complete. "But. I don't believe the fault lies with me either," he explains, hoping Kakashi believes him even as he doubts himself. "Nor with Kuro really," he adds because Minato's known — knew — Kuro for several years. He is — was a formidable man. "Our foes simply got in a lucky hit."

A little of the tension in Kakashi's shoulders bleeds out under Minato's palms. Thank the heavens. He seems to be listening to Minato for once. Kakashi cocks his head. "It was a quick death?"

"Yeah."

This answer appears to satisfy Kakashi as he nods. "Good," he says.

Minato returns the nod. "Good. Yeah," he agrees. Kuro didn't suffer. For a shinobi, that is a good death. It's a cold comfort Kuro's two daughters will have when they and their mother are informed of his passing.

Shifting on the balls of his feet, Minato peeks around Kakashi's shoulders and looks at his pack. One of the straps holding down the flap is a bit torn but otherwise, it looks like it wasn't opened at any point during Kakashi's battle with their enemies. It probably means the scrolls they're meant to deliver are safe and intact. "Are you ready to move?" he asks.

"Yes, Sensei," replies Kakashi, his small hand unfurling around his kunai knife and putting it away. Later, when they have time and it's safe, Minato will help him clean it (and himself).

Until then, he'll just do his best to not look directly at his student anymore.

His bloody appearance is dredging up nightmare memories of Sakumo's passing.

Gaku passes Minato the bottle of shōchū they are sharing. "I'm sorry, man," he says as Minato takes a long pull from the bottle. "Sucks to lose somebody on a mission."

On his other side, Hiro grimaces. "On your first mission in a month too…" he murmurs as he bumps up against Minato; fingers loosely grasping at the bottle of shōchū.

Minato lets his friend take it from his hands. Belly warm from the alcohol, he sighs heavily. "We must be cursed or something," he murmurs. "Your dad seemed pretty sorry upon our return too. I don't think the mission should have been so deadly."

Gaku makes a noise of upset. "Hey, you're not cursed," he soothes. He drops an arm over the top of Minato's shoulders and tugs him close. "Sometimes stuff just goes to shit."

For a brief moment, he hides his face in Gaku's shoulder and mumbles, "Everything's gone to shit lately."

"Aw, Minato," clucks Hiro, and a hand, Hiro's Minato is sure, starts to run up and down his back.

Minato isn't comforted. He tries to breathe through his distress but finds he chokes on the air instead. "He was sticky with blood," he whispers. "It reminded me of—"

"Shh," Hiro breaks in, hand running more instantly up and down his back. He leans over Minato and Minato can see his frank worry in the dimple that's formed between his brows. "He's okay. He's sleeping in your room with Mami and that summon of his. Pakkun?" he reminds Minato.

He shakes his head. Minato does know that. It still doesn't help. His mind's eyes are filled with Kakashi, dead-eyed and coated with blood. The only thing that's going to make him feel better is seeing Kakashi right now. "I just need to check on him," he says.

Gaku's arm on his shoulders grows heavier. "Minato, you'll wake Kakashi."

Minato doesn't let it stop him from getting up. "He's probably not actually asleep anyway," he says.

Hiroaki, who tumbled out of his way at his abrupt rise, makes a grab for the back of him as he speeds towards his bedroom. "Minato—!"

He ignores the aborted cry in favor of opening his bedroom door and looking into the darkness. He can't see Kakashi's face. It's buried in the side of Mami, Gaku's dog. Pakkun, who has his head resting on Kakashi's shoulders, opens his eyes.

"Hey, teach," he calls.

Minato breathes out. The puppy is calm. He knows how much the dog loves Kakashi. If anything were amiss he wouldn't be so languid. "Pakkun," he returns in a whisper.

The pug must have been listening in on his and his friends' conversation in the other room because he says, "Lil'boss is fine." He wags his tail once. "Me and Mami got him."

Minato glances at Mami. She has her dark eyes open too. She's watching him like Pakkun is watching him. He nods at her, at Kakashi's ninken. "Thank you."

Minato steps back and closes his room's door. Returning to his friends, he sits back down in the spot they've left between them. Their stares burn on his cheeks as he takes up the half-empty bottle of shōchū from the floor by Hiro's feet. Minato sips it. "He's okay," he tells them.

Out of the corners of his eyes, Minato sees Gaku frown. "Are you?"

"Of course," he replies almost instinctively. He runs a hand through his hair. "It's just been a hard couple of days."

Hiro claps his shoulder. "Ya know no one would judge you if you weren't," he tells them.

Minato knows that. Truly, he does. Still, he can't help himself. He tries for a smile. "Really, I am," he lies. "Thanks, though."

Neither Hiro nor Gaku appears convinced. Gaku shifts a bit and clears his throat. "Do you remember when my mom died?" he asks after a beat.

Minato looks at his friend. "Yes."

Tracing an imaginary line on his pant leg, Gaku says, "I acted like I was just fine after the funeral, you remember?"

Minato grinds his teeth. "Gaku—"

Over the top of him, his friend continues, "Then I had that crazy meltdown, like, a month later in the middle of class when Tsume said something stupid about how my mom would have whooped my ass if she saw how bad I'd done on the pop quiz we'd just been given." Meeting his gaze head-on, Gaku tells him, "Bottling shit up isn't good for you, Minato."

Minato can't help but bristle. "I'm not," he argues.

Hiro sighs heavily and leans in close. "C'mon, Minato," he murmurs. "We're your friends."

He closes his eyes. They are. They're some of his best friends right alongside Tsume and Kushina. If there's anybody he can trust it's them. They won't judge him for how he feels.

"I just can't get out of my head finding him," he explains. "He was so still and all the blood. I thought—" he stops. Taking a breath, he skips ahead. "We were doing okay. I think we were even excited about this mission. Things haven't been… easy… in the village. It was our chance to get away. Then it went wrong and I found him covered in blood again and, now, I just keep thinking the next time he gets away from me the blood he'll be coated in is his."

Gaku hugs him. Minato stiffens for a second before he returns it fiercely. Hiro joins in by wrapping himself around the both of them. In their arms, he feels protected. Minato fights the stinging of his eyes by blinking hard.

"I don't think he's just my student anymore," he confesses to the two. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost him."

"It's okay," Hiro mumbles. "It's okay."

Hiro says that but Minato isn't sure it is. He shouldn't be so attached to Kakashi, should he? He's his student. Not his little brother or cousin. Minato wants to tell his friends his doubts but stops himself at the last second. As good as they are, he is unsure they'd understand. It's at times like these that he feels most keenly the difference between him and them. They aren't teachers. They aren't prodigies. Or even orphans.

They are good people, though. They'll tell him it's fine. Maybe they'll really believe it too. It still won't change that Minato feels like a freak. So it's better he just not bring it up at all.

Thanks so much for reading and please let me know your thoughts!