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KakaYama Week 2k15 Day 2: ANBU

Kakashi’s feet tapped softly against the wooden floor, barely audible to those without his canine hearing. He held his breath, steadying his katana as his eye’s flicked towards Tenzō’s. He was greeted with the blank expression of a cat, his porcelain mask. A small nod confirmed his was ready.

Kakashi slid the door to his left opened while Tenzō mirrored his actions across the narrow hallway. A small gasp from inside was the only sound that escaped the occupants as their blood began to flow over the polished floor.

The two men reappeared in their respective doorways, holding up their fingers to signal the number of men they had taken out. Only 4 so far. The house was large, there were still many more rooms to sweep.

Kakashi wiped his blade on his pants, the blood of his target smearing an ugly dark stain along his thigh. He signalled to move on, they had wasted much of their designated time doing recon from the outside and waiting for the last of the occupants to fall asleep well after midnight. Taking out the guards had been the easy part to say the least.

As morning fast approached Kakashi found himself itching to finish this mission. He hated assassinations more than any other mission type. Especially when the reasons for the target’s demise was sketchy. He doubted this family had done anything more than piss off someone in a position of power. They may have had guards stationed out the front if their abode, but judging by the sparse contents of their large house, they were not vastly wealthy. They probably spent more money on the house itself than anything else.

He pondered the implications of his actions as he wiped the scene clear of any evidence that he and Tenzō had been there. It wasn’t good practise to leave any indication of which Village was hired to assassinate someone.

Kakashi rubbed his thumbs over his palms, they slid together easily, slick with innocent people’s blood. Where a few years ago he would have felt his stomach turn he simply looked away, sheathing his sword and turning on his heel. This was his job, his life, his reason to live.

He stopped abruptly in the hallway as he heard it. His katana at the ready as he immediately bent his knees and dropped to a defensive position.

Breathing.

He stepped carefully in to the large bedroom, straining his ears to hear where the sound was coming from. The closet next to the bed. When he had entered this room earlier, the man in here had already been awake. He struggled only briefly before giving up and allowing the hands around his neck to suffocate him. He must have instructed his bedmate to hide.

Kakashi flung opened the cupboard door, prepared for an attack and ready to strike. He stopped himself, his arm falling limply to his side as his eyes fell upon the only occupant of the small space.

He swallowed hard, his hands feeling unusually clammy inside his gloves as he sheathed his sword once more. He ran them up and down his thighs, trying in vain to remove the blood from them as he lent down to pick up the infant in front of him.

The baby stirred, obviously shocked awake by the force of him wrenching the door opened. It was small, not newborn but definitely under 6 months. Kakashi felt guilt well inside him as he felt the weight of the small human in his arms. It seemed impossibly heavy for its small size. He stared in to it’s eyes, feeling something inside himself break as he realised the man was awake because he was trying to save his child’s life. 

Small tears began to well in the child’s eyes. Kakashi exhaled shakily, wiping his thumb over the small face, cursing himself as blood smeared it’s dainty features.

There was a rustling behind him. He spun, immediately regretting his decision as he realised he wasn’t willing to drop the baby to reach for his weapon. A sigh of relief escaped him as his eyes locked with Tenzō’s. His cat mask was pulled to the side and sitting over his left ear.

“Senpai.” He said softly, eyeing the small bundle Kakashi held surprisingly close to his chest. “Our orders were to leave no one alive.” He said firmly, a tinge of regret finding a way to the surface of his voice. Kakashi stared at him, shock rooting him to the spot as he contemplated his lover’s words.

Tenzō moved forwards slowly, his stride one of a man doing his duty.

“No!” Kakashi said hastily, finally finding his own voice.

“Senpai.” Tenzō repeated, his tone apologetic.

“Captain.” Kakashi corrected. He didn’t like pulling rank on Tenzō. But if their relationship had taught him anything, there was always an exception to the rules.

“Kakashi.” Tenzō tried, sounding tired.

“No.” Kakashi said again, softer this time as he eyed off the discarded body of the baby’s Father. “I’m not killing an infant Tenzō.” He said, his voice changing to something more familiar. He shifted the baby’s weight to one arm and removed his own mask. “I can’t.” He whispered, his eyes begging his lover to understand so he didn’t have to explain.

Tenzō nodded, picking up immediately on the change in his lover’s body language. “You don’t have to.” He offered softly, his own stomach turning and heart clenching as it started to dawn on him exactly what he was about to do.

“No one, is killing this baby Tenzō.” Kakashi said firmly, his alter ego “Hound” coming out in his voice.

“We can’t take it with us. It could be weeks before someone comes by here. It’s so out of the way. It will starve.” The brunette argued as his eyes took in the firm stance of someone that wasn’t prepared to loose this argument. He faltered when he caught the look in Kakashi’s eye. “But… I suppose we could… I don’t know, leave it outside a hospital or something.” He said, scratching at his head as he thought. Kakashi nodded once in agreement, pulling his mask back in to place and readying himself to leave.

Tenzō watched his lover as he pulled the infant closer to his chest. Petting it affectionately as it began to cry. A small smile crept on to his face as he imagined what the rest of their team would say when they met up and someone other than himself realised that Kakashi had a heart.

The smile disappeared as he realised Kakashi was definitely going to tell the others that it was his idea to spare the child. He couldn’t let his juniors know Tenzō was slowly melting his icy heart.

Slowly the smile returned as they leapt in to the forest towards the rendezvous point and he thought about the sizeable reward he would surely get from his lover for the amount of teasing he was about to receive on his behalf.

–

Author’s notes: It takes them a few days to reach the nearest Village which according to Kakashi’s report is swarming with enemy nin as word of the assassination has just reached them. He decides it’s too risky to enter even if it is just to drop the baby and run, so they moved on. Tenzō’s report states the same, but if you were to ask him he would swear he didn’t see a single enemy from their post outside the Village. But then again his eyes were pretty firmly attached to a clucky Copy Ninja.

I hope you guys liked this one shot. I’ll be posting it on AO3 as well. You can read it again here in the future, if you feel so inclined :)

KakaYama Week 2k15 Day 1: Team 7

Tenzō smiled at the playful banter between the people in front of him. Kakashi had not let the fact that he was now the Hokage change the way he interacted with people. The small smile hidden firmly behind the familiar mask was known only to him. He loved that fact.

Tenzō shook his head, his smile growing wider as Naruto leapt towards his lover’s mask, reminiscent of the first time he has ever tried to remove it nearly 6 years before. It was ridiculous to think that so much time has passed and what exactly lay beyond that mask was still a running joke between the 4 of them. Sakura scolded Naruto heavily for disrespecting the Hokage as Kakashi deflected the frontal attack with ease. Sasuke rolled his eyes at his friend’s stupidity. Sai however stood slightly to the side, looking as left out as Yamato felt.

Tenzō motioned to him once and he immediately moved to join him under the shade of the trees where they watched the other 4 play fight.

“It is hard to find an opening to speak around them.” Sai admitted softly, looking to Yamato for reassurance. He nodded once, understanding brewing inside him as he agreed.

“They have a bond that is beyond what you or I could hope to have with them.” He said softly, feeling the other man slump slightly. “That’s not to say that we can’t be friends with them” Yamato clarified. “It just means that…” He paused. “They are team 7 and we are… More like spare parts.” He finished.

“Oh.” Sai answered softly, turning back towards his team and sighing. “Well, I was only hoping for friends so… Perhaps that will suffice.” He said cheerily. Yamato eyed him wearily. He has to admire the kid’s attitude.

~

“What’s wrong?” Kakashi asked, his nose nuzzling in behind his partners ear as he wrapped warm hands around his front.

“Nothing.” Tenzō lied, keeping his eyes focused on the sauce he was stirring despite the warm breath on his neck. Kakashi waited a second. There was only so long these days that Tenzō could keep in his feelings before he broke down and spilled his guts. The record was 5 minutes and 6 seconds Kakashi recalled. Give or take the minute he spent opening and closing his mouth before he actually spoke.

But this time there was nothing. Kakashi was surprised to say the least. He hoped beyond hope that this was it. The sign he had been waiting for to show him that Tenzō was recovering from the torture he received during the war. The silent nod of approval that they needed to move forwards.

His heart sank hours later as he lie in bed waiting for his lover to join him. It was very brief, but he knew what he had seen. Tenzō’s tortured soul shone through his dark eyes as he pulled his undershirt from his frighteningly thin frame. The dark circles under his eyes had begun to fade in the past weeks, but in the low light of the bedroom they seemed darker than ever.

Kakashi held his arm out, inviting his partner to lay on his chest. Tenzō obliged, sighing contently as sharp fingernails ran softly over his scalp. Working behind a desk for the last few months had allowed them to grow. Although the felt soothing working through his hair, there was nothing Tenzō enjoyed more than the feel of them raking down his back as his lover climaxed under him.

“What’s wrong?” Kakashi tried again, hoping to shake loose whatever horrible thought were flying around in his lover’s head. Tenzō rolled his eyes in frustration. He was actually starting to relax, he didn’t feel like talking about his selfish woes right before bed.

“Nothing.” He lied again. Kakashi stopped his petting immediately, his hand falling by his side instead of wrapping around Tenzō as it usually would.

“What’s wrong with you?” Tenzō asked in amusement, lifting himself up on to his elbow to study the other mans tired face.

“You always do this.” Kakashi sighed, his eyes staring firmly at the ceiling.

“Do what?” Tenzō scoffed, the way the tables turning becoming comical to him.

“You won’t let me help you when I’m available. You wait until I’m in an important meeting with a diplomat from another country or discussing plans for new public buildings to break down. Then I’m the asshole because I wasn’t there when you needed me.” He replied, his eyes flicking towards Yamato’s before back to the ceiling.

”I’m so sorry my mental health is so inconvenient to you.” Tenzō retorted flatly. Kakashi rolled his eyes, sighing heavily before setting them on his partner once more.

“Let me help you. Tell me what’s wrong.” He said firmly, sitting up and crossing his legs in front of him. “Please?” He asked, resting his hands in his lap. Tenzō sighed as well, mirroring Kakashi’s actions so he was sitting in the same position opposite him.

“You want to know what’s wrong with me?” He asked, his tone defensive. Kakashi nodded in earnest. “You really want to know? Like you will listen to all I have to say and then respond with something helpful?” He asked. Kakashi nodded again, motioning with his hands for the other man to continue.

Tenzō screwed his eyes shut and rubbed his face in his hands before dropping them once more in to his lap. He looked around the room, his hesitance to speak his thoughts out loud had his mind screaming for a distraction. When he found none he resigned himself to finally telling his lover what was bothering him.

“I’ll never have what you have. It’s too late for me to become a Jonin Sensei. I’ll never have my own team. Besides even if I had the opportunity I’m body guard to the Hokage, I’m not sure I could give that up to be a Sensei.” He said softly, relief starting to fill him as his inner turmoil was released. There was a small silence as Tenzō stared at the shrunken blanket covering his lap. He looked up, anger coursing through him as he realised Kakashi was trying incredibly hard to suppress a laugh. One hand covered his mouth as he forced back the laughter while the other one was held out in front of him in either a sign of surrender or because he was preparing to deflect an attack Tenzō couldn’t decide.

“What the fuck Kakashi?” He asked, launching forwards to push the other man’s chest. Kakashi let himself fall backwards, removing the hand from his mouth and using it to push Tenzō off him.

“I’m sorry!” He laughed as their hands locked together and they began to wrestle. “You’re just so stupid.” He finished, the silence after his speech deafening as Tenzō stilled.

“What?” He asked, the angle he was on making his features look ridiculously menacing.

“I said, you’re just so stupid.” Kakashi repeated, teasing the bull and receiving the horns as he was flung from the bed in to the opposite wall. “Ah, fuck.” He groaned as he pulled himself in to a sitting position. “I’m an old man now, go easy on me.” He said softly, rolling his shoulder and cracking his neck.

“What do you mean I’m stupid?” Tenzō asked from his position on the bed. His arms were folded tight against his chest. Kakashi stood, walking towards his lover and holding out his hand.

”Haven’t you realised it yet?” He asked, a smile playing on his lips.

“Realised what?” Tenzō asked, reaching out to take his lover’s hand.

“That this is where you belong.” Kakashi said softly, pulling him to his feet and kissing him passionately. Tenzō closed his eyes, falling in to the kiss. His eyes flew opened as Kakashi pulled back, a wave of déjà vu sweeping over him. The words he had spoken were vaguely familiar, as if he had once dreamed them. “You don’t need a team of your own. You already have one. You are a part of team 7.” Kakashi whispered, his hand stroking lovingly over his partners face. “Team 7 may have started with only 4 members, but now it has 6.” He continued.

Yamato felt his heart swell as tears pricked at his eyes. He had never thought about it that way before. He had always envied Kakashi and his team and dreamed of some day being a part of it. Not realising that the day he had stepped in for Kakashi his dream had already come true. He was their Captain. He protected them and they loved him for it. Without him they would never have gotten as far as they did.

He blinked a few times, a smile creeping on to his face as he realised Kakashi was right. He was stupid. 

END.

–

Author’s note: Then they frick fracked.

Ironically I don’t remember if they do or don’t remember their dreams from the Infinite Tsukuyomi. But in this story they obviously don’t. ;)

I hope you guys liked this little one shot. I’ll be posting it on AO3 as well. You can read it again here in the future, if you feel so inclined :)

DON’T CHANGE A CHARACTER’S PERSONALITY FOR A SHIP

DON’T CHANGE A CHARACTER’S PERSONALITY FOR A SHIP

DON’T CHANGE A CHARACTER’S PERSONALITY FOR A SHIP

DON’T CHANGE A CHARACTER’S PERSONALITY FOR A SHIP