Kakashi quickly bought some flowers before he went to the memorial stone. It had been so long since he visited, it wouldn't have been right to go empty-handed. When he arrived, he was somewhat pleased to find the area void of people, it was perfect. It meant he would have some privacy. He gently placed the bouquet of sunflowers he bought before the stone as he looked at the three names carved next to each other on the stone. Kakashi put his hands in his pockets and continued to look at the names carved in the stone of the only people who had managed to make their way into his heart. He let out a shaky breath but otherwise remained indifferent before he took off his mask and faced them.
"You guys would never guess who I happened to meet today." Kakashi waited in silence as he pictured their reactions, his sensei would be excited that he met someone new, Rin would look at him with her curious brown eyes, and Obito would practically be leaning off his seat at the fact that Kakashi had chosen to speak to them at all. He wasn't exactly the most talkative person in their squad at the time.
"I met Sensei's son, Naruto Uzumaki. An exact clone of Sensei, with Kushina-san's ego." Kakashi smiled sadly and remained silent for a few minutes before deciding to speak again. "He wasn't the only one I met today, though." He paused before continuing, "I met someone who is my opposite. He is why I am probably still alive right now." Kakashi chuckled half-heartedly, "I guess I won't be meeting you guys again quite yet." What felt like hours passed by as he stood staring at the stone. He vanished into a tree when he felt the presence of someone's chakra. Kakashi looked over his shoulder a final time before he replaced his mask and decided it was time once again to part ways, for now.
It had been nine days since he had last eaten a proper meal, but his pack needed to eat every day, and he was almost out of food. He had to stop by the market to get food for them, maybe some treats. Kakashi took his sweet time to get there, not wanting to push his body harder than it needed to be. He landed in front of the pet ninken store with his hands in his pockets and earned a startled gasp from the young girl sweeping outside the shop, a civilian. Kakashi frowned he knew of his somewhat infamous reputation for being a merciless killer, but he wasn't about to kill the very people he was trying to protect.
Kakashi turned away as he opened the door to the shop and walked inside. He immediately went straight to the back, where he proceeded to pick up his order of ten bags. He wished they delivered or that there was a place closer to his home, but there wasn't. The tiny shop was the only place that sold ninken food in all of Konoha. Kakashi picked up a bag of treats and took out his wallet to pay, eyeing the nervous cashier behind his mask.
"G-good afternoon, A-anbu-sama! You c-came on s-sale day! F-food is half off!" Kakashi didn't feel the need to remark about how every time he came, it was always sale day. It wasn't like he ever threatened anyone in the shop; hell, the only time he ever really spoke to them was when he ordered the food for his pack. Though he did spook them that one time when he wrote a transportation seal on the bag of food with his blood, regardless of how strong he was, he couldn't functionally carry ten bags of dog food several miles in one go. He handed the money to the cashier, "I'll need another ten bags by the same time next month."
"M-my pleasure!" Kakashi nodded and pricked his thumb, quickly drawing the transportation sign with blood so fast the cashier's untrained eyes couldn't see. They disappeared with a poof, and he was left still carrying the bag of treats. He'd forgotten to put them in the pile, oh well. Kakashi turned a corner as he walked out of the store, before he was pushed back for a second. It was rare for someone to bump into him; most people usually kept their distance.
It was even rarer that that said person just so happened to be a brunette-haired chunin teacher. Iruka looked up, just as surprised as he was, or would have looked without his mask, "I-it's you!" Iruka blushed slightly at stating the obvious, but the words had slipped out before he could have stopped them. Kakashi nodded quickly, still slightly shocked himself. He was about to leave when his clawed hand with the treats was suddenly grabbed, "Do you have dogs?" Kakashi nodded, he wasn't good with small talk like normal people; he was a very blunt and straight-to-the-point type of guy. Iruka smiled at him, "How many?"
"Eight," he drawled. It was weird seeing Iruka again. Fate was strange like that; it had a way of drawing people together, especially so soon. Iruka's mouth fell open slightly, eight was indeed a large number of dogs for a ninja. He was confused for a moment before he realized the only way Kakashi would be able to take care of them was if they were ninken. Somehow, he never really took the ANBU to be an animal person. It was at that moment Iruka felt as stupid as he must have sounded, of course, Hound had ninken, he was even legendary for it. He inwardly groaned, grateful that the ANBU was nice enough not to call him out on the mistake.
"I'm just getting back from my shift at the Mission's office, my home is near here, would you like to have some tea?" Kakashi examined Iruka's behavior simply out of habit. He was guarded yet relaxed and judging by his hand twitch, slightly nervous. The chunin's reactions were understandable; not everyone could invite a highly trained assassin to their home for evening tea. Most people who were not ANBU didn't dare to even talk to them unless they received orders. Iruka was an anomaly in the way he seemed to treat everyone the same.
"What happened to ramen with Naruto?" He asked lazily, putting his free hand in his pocket. Iruka let a long-drawn-out sigh at that, "That little...bugger got in trouble again, so as punishment, no ramen!" Iruka crossed his arms and huffed as he seemed to recall the memory. Kakashi, being mildly curious, was tempted to have Iruka elaborate when his tattoo began to burn. He rolled his eyes behind his mask, seriously?
"I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei, it seems I'm being summoned. I'll have to take a rain check on that tea." Iruka nodded dumbly before Kakashi coolly disappeared. The brunette's shoulders slumped in disappointment as soon as the ANBU left. Of course, the ANBU had more important things to do than sit and have tea with a lowly chunin. He looked up when another ANBU appeared in front of him, kneeling. What was going on?
Meanwhile, Kakashi was fuming while he was standing in front of the Head, not bothering to kneel with his injuries. The Head chuckled, clearly amused, "Now, I know you're mad because I interrupted, but trust me, it wouldn't have been fun to be there when he realizes his house was broken into by a lazy jounin." Kakashi said nothing as a file was handed to him, labeled Umino, Iruka. Once again, the Head chuckled, "Relationships are something even an ANBU needs." Now that was something you didn't hear every day.
Kakashi cleared his throat, "What is this about?" The Head intertwined his fingers, "Hound is a weapon, but you can't only be Hound, you are Kakashi as well. Weapons break without proper care. To put it simply, I don't trust you not to break or care for yourself. For example, when was your last meal?" Kakashi didn't have an answer to that, he honestly took only enough vitamins and nutrients to survive.
"As the best ANBU we have, I can't let you break, so I've taken several precautions. I know you won't care for yourself, and what better way than to let the person you've been eying be responsible for that?" If Kakashi were any less unprofessional, he would have facepalmed, he didn't even need to ask to know who had been assigned to follow him.
"He's just a chunin, I will be nothing but a bother." The Head dismissed him, "I assume you know by now that he is not that type of person. You are dismissed, now go home, eat a meal, and care for your wounds, because I'm not assigning another mission until you're fully healed."
"Maa~ so you do care, I'm touched." Kakashi put his hands over his heart in a mock gesture, its effect partially diminished by the bag of treats in his arms. The Head scowled at him, "Dismissed," he said sharply. Kakashi sighed and used his last remaining ounce of chakra to transport home, not fully knowing what to expect when he arrived. He didn't even bother disabling his traps, figuring they were already gone anyway, and he was right when he didn't get electrocuted as his hand touched the doorknob.
Kakashi entered his home slowly, cautious of any surprise attacks. He had a feeling about who was sent to pick or tell Iruka, but he wanted to make sure it wasn't Guy, oh hell no. He let a quick sigh of relief as he found Cat sitting on his couch, holding a cup of tea. Kakashi was tempted to take off his mask, but due to the clanking and muffled cursing in his kitchen, the fiery chunin was currently in his home. He could feel Tenzou's amusement, and he wanted nothing more than to slap the smugness off his kouhai's face.
"I didn't know you were so fragile you needed a caretaker, senpai." Kakashi's eye narrowed, in an instant, his weapon was pulled and at his kouhai's throat as he took a seat next to him. He heard a glass break and another curse before Iruka stomped out of the kitchen, finding Kakashi with his katana at the other man's neck. Iruka froze for a moment before shaking his head as he noticed Kakashi's casual position and the unaffected presumably kouhai.
"You have no food."
"Ah~ Sorry, I forgot to go shopping." Iruka glared at him, "You bought like twenty bags of food for your dogs, but you never thought to buy something for yourself? Every single cabinet is empty, the only thing I found was a bottle of soldier pills and an empty fiber bar box that dates back to last month." Kakashi sheathed his sword and scratched his head, he didn't know what to say. Iruka clapped his hands together in a sign, "Stay here," he said quickly.
Tenzou leaned back lazily on the couch, "He's interesting. Very forceful, almost knocked me out when I transported us. He is very skilled at what he does."
"So much praise is rare for you." Kakashi took his mask off to get some cool air on his face for a few brief seconds before replacing it yet again. Tenzou shrugged, "He's a lot more likable than you, senpai. I think he will do you good; you've been on a destructive path lately, and it's quite noticeable. Especially if you almost die on the road, luckily for you, Iruka volunteers for late night shifts at the Missions office, or you would've been dead with all of that poison inside of you."
Kakashi nodded, "I've already repaid my debt."
"A life is worth more than a five-minute demonstration." Kakashi scowled at that, Iruka had said it was fine. Kakashi ran a hand through his hair, "Does he know my identity?"
"We are unsure, but Head said depending on the circumstances, identity exposure is nonpunishable, such as if you must take off your mask to have your wounds cleaned, etc..." Kakashi nodded, "He's not going to be living with me, is he?"
"No, he will be doing daily checkups before work, lunch break, and dinner. If there is a problem, he will report it. Whether or not he chooses to stay here instead of commuting is entirely up to him." Tenzou took his mask off for a few brief seconds as he took a few sips of the tea. Kakashi's eye twitched, "How long are you planning on staying?" Tenzou frowned and his mask was replaced, "Tell me if something interesting happens, oh, and thank Iruka-san for the tea as well." Kakashi waved him away, and Tenzou quickly left through the window. It was another fifteen minutes when Iruka arrived with groceries, and frankly, the most food Kakashi had seen in a long while.
"Do regular people eat that much?" Iruka shrugged as he stared, dumbfounded, at the little orange book Kakashi was holding in his hand. It was obvious the chunin disapproved, but he kept his mouth shut and went back into the kitchen, leaving Kakashi to continue with his reading. He looked up from the edge of the book at several particularly loud clanks and mumbled curses. Slowly, a delicious aroma filled the air, and he could feel his empty stomach groan. Kakashi was gradually becoming more impatient as that scent lingered in the air, tantalizing him and, more accurately, his stomach.
When Iruka finally emerged, looking slightly annoyed, from the kitchen holding two plates of fried rice, Kakashi let out a relieved sigh and closed his book. He easily slid it back into his weapons pouch and took the plate and chopsticks from Iruka. Iruka looked around for a seat and, not finding any, took a seat next to Kakashi. He turned so his back would be to the jounin to give him the privacy to eat. It would not do to expose his identity on day one.
"It's not much, but at least it's better than fucking pills," Iruka barked out.
"You're mad," Kakashi stated simply. "You have every right to be, being inconvenienced like this. Being stuck babysitting an ANBU isn't something you hear every day. I apologize, none of this was done with my knowledge, honestly, I was probably as surprised as you were." Iruka shrugged his shoulders, "It is a surprise, but that's not what I'm mad about. I looked through every single one of your cabinets and found no trace of actual food! What is wrong with you, don't you know that people need to eat to live?!" Kakashi scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "I honestly forget that I'm human sometimes." Iruka's shoulders drooped, "That's why I'm here," he said quietly.
The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, and neither said anything to the other. Iruka picked up the plates after Kakashi readjusted his mask and left for the kitchen, returning quickly. Iruka sat down as Kakashi stood up and walked over to one of the bags of ninken food, tugging at the edge as he placed eight bowls in a straight line before he began dumping the contents. Iruka raised an eyebrow as he dumped about a fourth of the bag into one bowl, but Kakashi ignored him as he filled the other bowls quite moderately.
Kakashi kneeled, his injured body protesting at the movement, and brought his hands together as he gathered up every ounce of his chakra. Eight poofs appeared in the room, and the biggest dog Iruka had ever seen, caught the ANBU, who almost fell back after fully depleting his chakra. Kakashi patted the big brown dog, "Thanks, Bull." The dog licked his mask as he steadied the man, who then came face to face with a tan dog with a pug-ish face.
"Pakkun," Kakashi said simply.
"Idiot," the dog replied before turning to Iruka. "Who is he?"
"Iruka, meet my pack."