Chapter Text
He was seven when the Hokage died. He was a newly minted genin, just a few missions out of the academy. They had told him he was exceptional, but after that night he never felt that way again.
He was doing his job, protecting the village. It was nothing to be praised for. After all, they had all failed, all the ‘exceptional’, ‘prodigious’ ninja. Even the Hokage couldn’t protect his own family.
There was nothing to be proud of at all.
He was 19 now, an ANBU agent of nine long years.
“Focus, Taka, we’re on a mission,” His thoughts were broken by his superior, for this mission, Neko was commanding officer.
God he was fucking annoying. Technically he was only half right, they were on mission but they were making camp- no reason he can’t space out for two goddamn seconds.
“Yes Sir,” He was glad for these masks sometimes. He didn’t hide his expressions well, even when he could mask his tone perfectly.
They didn’t send him on many undercover missions.
“Did you hear? They’re making the Kyuubi into a genin,” he scoffs, it’s a disgusting sound, “We better keep on our toes, can’t be having outside threats when we’re going to let a monster in our midst,”
Taka gets the strong feeling that if Neko wasn’t wearing a mask, he would spit.
“How old are you?”
Neko looks confused, a little taken aback, but he answers, “22”
“And when did you graduate?”
“Normal age, 12”
He looks at him balefully for a few long moments, “You didn’t see it then, did you? The Kyuubi?”
Neko, and their other associates look uncomfortable. None of them saw it. He was the only one who had.
“Well, no, but-”
Taka doesn’t let him finish speaking, “If you had, you wouldn’t call that boy the Kyuubi. It was a monster. Not a boy. I don’t expect you to understand, I just expect you not to open your mouth in front of someone who knows better again, understand?”
His mouth clamps shut. Taka can hear the click of his teeth.
“S-sorry,” He looks scared.
They all look scared.
He guesses, on a level, he can understand Naruto. People find him scary too. A girl told him once, something like ‘you look down on people, and it really seems like you could kill them if you decided to. I won’t live like that.’
That had always confused him. Had they been dating? She liked to kiss him a lot, but he never responded and she hadn’t asked his opinion on the matter.
Oh well, she was in the past anyway.
He lets out a noise of derision. These are supposed to be ANBU? Cowering like a citizen? His specialty isn’t even ninjutsu- it’s weapon’s usage, but these dumbasses wouldn’t even know that much.
He turns away and jumps into a tree to keep watch. He doesn’t trust these guys with his life. They’re all incompetent.
----
A week later, heading home after reporting in on that mission, karma decides to bite him in the ass for that comment.
He falls off a roof.
It wasn- okay, it was his fault. Completely.
He ends up blinking back into consciousness to a single dark eye staring down at him with a glint of amusement behind the bored exterior.
Kakashi- the reason he had fallen off the roof in the first place. Catching sight of Kakashi had distracted him enough that he lost his footing and tumbled off the roof, straight into a dumpster (where he temporarily lost consciousness) and apparently, onto the ground.
When he glances around, he realizes there are three more kids there. Kakashi had a team? Why didn’t he know this? It was kind of his job- oh shit, it’s Naruto and the Uchiha kid.
No wonder they gave this team to Kakashi, what a handful. Maybe they were hoping he’d fail them.
He drags his gaze back to Kakashi, who he can tell is just a heartbeat away from laughing. He groans, and pulls himself up into a sitting position.
“That was on purpose-” and that does it, Kakashi starts to laugh. The way he laughs is so full of life. It’s full, and deep, it's- okay, it’s a little mocking, but the way Kakashi bends over with it, placing a hand on the wall for support, and just looking happy far makes up for the humiliation. Not looking happy often is a trait they both share. He’s almost smiling before he realizes it, but quickly erases any trace of the expression.
He likes seeing the generation Kakashi is from happy. Protecting their smiles makes him feel a little better about life, that’s all. It didn’t have anything to do with Kakashi specifically.
He watches Kakashi with a raised eyebrow, waiting for the laughter to die out. The idiot adds a final touch of wiping a fake tear from his eye before finally quitting his mocking laughter, “Sasuke, make sure Takashi here manages to get home without falling off any more roofs, you can catch up with us later.”
Yeah, the people who assign ANBU code names aren’t subtle.
He pushes himself up off the ground, managing to suppress another groan that wants to come out, “I’m fine Kakashi, just a loose tile. There’s not even a scratch on me. I can get home by myself”
The bastard smirks at him.
“As a citizen after a fall like that, I would be remiss in my duties as a shinobi to let you go home without an escort, Takashi”
He was going to slaughter whoever said that ANBU couldn’t pose as Chuunin in their daily lives.
Sasuke fucking tsks. At him! He was going to stab Kakashi later. Literally stab him.
“Let’s go, I don’t have time for this”
Oh, Naruto and the one with pink hair have been practically yelling at each other and everyone else this whole time, he’s just been ignoring it. He doesn’t respond to rude queries made in outside voices. It’s the principle of the thing.
He tsks back at the kid, again, for the principle of the thing, and sighs like he’s very much put out by this. Like it’s the end of the world.
“Fine, but this is the last time I babysit for you, Kakashi”
Kakashi grins, and jumps to the rooftop, getting one last statement in before disappearing with Pinky and Naruto, “What, so no drinks tonight?”
Was that an invitation? Or was he just mocking them both? Or both? He glares at the space Kakashi disappeared from a second too long for the emo Uchiha.
“Get moving loser, I don’t have all day,” Sasuke is already walking, he’s already most of the way to the main road. Wow, what a way to treat a civilian.
He nearly smiles, and follows Sasuke as quickly as he assumes a civilian could.
They’re walking for a few minutes before Sasuke opens his mouth again, “You know Sensei,” he says, in a way that oddly reminds Taka of a question.
“We go to the same grocery store.”
That much was true. They did. It was weird every time to be honest, especially because Kakashi was always reading, so he always ended up staring for too long, and then he would look up, and then it would be really awkward.
Every. Single. Time.
Sasuke doesn’t believe him, but he doesn’t say anything more. He leaves without a word as soon as they get to his apartment.
He slips inside, locking the door with a flick of his wrist. He doesn’t bother turning on the light. He grabs a stale bun from the cabinet where he knows he left it, and goes straight to bed.
It’s not like there’s much for him here anyway.