Chapter Text
“Ughhhhhhhh…” Kakashi collapsed on his desk, arms outstretched over the stacks of paperwork that still required his read through, opinion, and signature with a final decision. How long had it been? He barely lifted his head to view the clock on the wall. One thirty. Shikamaru had dropped off the initial stack promptly at eight in the morning. That meant for the past five and a half hours, Kakashi had sat in his chair and killed his brain with boredom and monotony of mission reports and village logistics.
At least, if he had also arrived promptly at eight in the morning. Kakashi arrived at the office at the ripe hour of ten o’clock, belly full of a delicious breakfast and his legs fresh after a nice run with Pakkun. Yet, that still implied over three hours of the most boring work Kakashi could imagine. How had he allowed Tsunade to rope him into this job again?
A knock at the door shocked Kakashi from his drawled out position. He cleared his throat, patting down his robe to straighten out any folds caused by his disarray.
“Come in,” he answered, folding his fingers together in front of him. He could at least try and look professional, even if he despised the job.
Through the door, a booming smile in a green suit walked in.
“Kakashi!” Gai thundered. “Why do I have the youthful inkling you have not eaten lunch yet?”
Kakashi slumped in the chair, rolling his eyes. “Because--”
“Because you always skip lunch!” Gai interrupted him, hands on his hips. “Ha! Too predictable for my rival, yet I’m always right. Let’s go, Kakashi!”
“Mah, I don’t know, Gai,” Kakashi gestured to the papers. “I really do have a lot more to get done…”
“KAKASHI!” Gai barked. “That is not a proper excuse to avoid refueling your body.” The giant man jogged to stand next to Kakashi’s side and pulled out the chair from the desk.
“No!...” Kakashi allowed his body to go limp, pressing his torso against the desk. His back bent more and more severely as Gai dragged him backwards, until he fell forwards out of the chair. He would have fallen face first onto the ground without a care in the world had Gai not caught him right before impact.
“Now now,” Gai tutted, hefting Kakashi into the air and over his shoulder. “We both know you are acting childish now, not youthful at all!”
“Mm…” Kakashi said, trying to avoid the only view he had at his current angle, which only consisted of Gai’s ass. The area around him started to move as Gai vacated the Hokage Office. “No, Gai!” He started to struggle.
“You are just too hungry to function, Kakashi!” Gai chortled. “We will get you all set up soon! Do not worry!”
Right as they passed through the doorway, Kakashi flung his arms out to grab the frame. Gai arched back at the sudden force, but did not let go of his body.
“Come on, Kakashi, stop being stubborn.” He tugged on his legs once. From the outside appearance, it looked like a gentle nudge, but Gai concealed his strength with ease, and Kakashi left gaping marks on the doorframe as he succumbed to Gai’s intense pull.
Genma and Raidō both saluted to Gai as he finally breached the premises.
“Shiranui and Namiashi!” Kakashi pointed to them. “Attack this man right this instant! He’s abducting your Hokage!”
The pair smirked at the gray-haired ninja in reply, crossing their arms to reassume their positions on either side of the door.
“Traitors!” Kakashi called as Gai started to trot down the hallway. “I’ll put a bounty on both of your heads for this!” Right before the curve cut out his vantage point, he saw the two guards give each other fist bumps.
“Annnnnd… we’re out of here!” Gai burst through the doors of the Hokage Tower and pushed himself up onto the roofs of Konoha. Kakashi bounced and lurched over Gai’s shoulder, his hip bone protruding into Gai’s musculature in a painful manner. Kakashi closed his eyes, surrendering to the fact he would not be able to escape his friend’s hold.
Vision blacked out, Kakashi’s other senses heightened in compensation. The sounds of the village created a melody of life around him, from the cooing falcons sent from the messaging tower to distant shinobi outputs to the milling citizens going about their average business. All these sounds, he was in charge of, responsible for keeping safe. Kakashi sighed. Fat lot of good he could do strung over the shoulders of Konoha’s Green Beast. Then again, he never felt as though he got anything done signing away the lives of shinobi day after day at his grand desk.
He attempted to block out even the sounds around him, letting his favorite sensation overcome everything. Scent.
The damp moss smell wafted in from the distant forest, mixing with the everyday smells of humans that consisted of sweat, oil, and metal. The concoction marked his very existence, penetrated every memory he had, and it would have been fine if it were not stained by the addition of iron in blood, rotting flesh, and the spark of lightning.
Kami, those scents corrupted every part of his life, and while they faded, they never fully departed.
Another aroma perked Kakashi’s interest. This one contained grilling chicken, sauteed vegetables, and the mouth-watering fragrance of saucy eggplants.
Kakashi began to struggle again in Gai’s arms, and this time the large man allowed his Hokage to escape, assured in the knowledge his friend had picked up the scent of his favorite meal awaiting them inside.
Making sure Kakashi held some dignity before he walked into the restaurant, the pair entered the establishment. The hostess greeted them, bowing deeper to Kakashi who insisted on dropping formalities, and led them to their reserved table.
“You made a reservation? Gai, that’s a bit overkill,” Kakashi commented from behind his friend.
“It was not me who had such a brilliant plan!”
“Then who?”
“Take a look for yourself.” Gai side stepped, giving Kakashi a clear view of their destination.
Sitting at the table they approached sat Sakura Haruno, in all of her beautiful glory. Adorned in her hospital whites, she stood up from her seat to wave, a blinding smile on her face.
“Gai! Kakashi! Over here!” she called them over, despite the obviousness they were clearly headed in her direction.
“Sakura? What are you doing here?” Kakashi asked, eyes shifting between her and the many entrees waiting to be eaten on the table.
“I know how hard you have been working lately,” Sakura said, approaching Kakashi and removing his Hokage robe to drape it over the chair beside him. She pushed him into the seat with her hidden force. “So I wanted to make sure you actually ate your lunch today. I recruited the best person I know to get the job done. He was more than enthusiastic.” She winked at Gai, who beamed back and shot her a thumbs up.
Kakashi grumbled. “Hey, who’s actually Hokage here? I’m the one that is supposed to give out assignments, not you.”
“Well,” Sakura leaned down to whisper beside Kakashi’s ear. “It’s a good thing my team was never that adept at following the rules.” She stood up and patted him on the shoulder. “Now, eat up. I ordered your favorites. You too, Gai, as your mission payment. I’ll even make sure it’s logged in the official mission files.”
“Oh? How will you do that?” Kakashi questioned as he began piling up his plate with a mountain of food.
“I have my ways.” Sakura winked at Gai, who winked back. “See you boys!” She waved once more before she left the men alone to gorge down their meal.
Stomach stuffed sufficiently, Kakashi led Gai back to the Hokage tower in the most indirect, roundabout manner possible. Hands entwined at the base of his neck, he threw his eyes to above, having the Hokage Rock act as his compass. Fat lot of good it did, considering they could practically see up into the previous Hokage’s noses.
“That was delicious, thank you Gai. I really needed that,” Kakashi said, burping between words.
“Of course, rival!” Gai whooped, hands on his hips. “You would not be able to participate in any more challenges, at least in a meaningful way, if you did not maintain your peak physical form. But, I must admit, this outing is not my own to take credit for. The young Haruno recommended that I take you out, as you know.”
“Hmm.” Kakashi moved to take his usually slouching stance, hands in his pockets, face down. “Yes, that is what she implied. I suppose I should thank her as well.”
“Indeed, and we are all quite experienced in how well you are at gratitude,” Gai laughed, crossing his arms.
Kakashi frowned under his mask. “I’ve been trying to improve.”
“I’m well aware, do not worry Kakashi,” Gai said. “However, I do suspect Sakura does not anticipate a thank you. Not because she believes you are incapable, but because she simply craved to help you out of the pure virtue of her upstanding heart.”
Kakashi’s mask moved, his frown turning into a soft smile. Gai’s eyes quickly shot to his friend’s face, then back to their road.
“Yes… no one seems to know you quite like the young Haruno does,” Gai remarked in an odd display of normal volume. “Of course, no one, except for me, HAHA!” He slapped Kakashi’s back, hard enough to force the other man into a coughing fit. Not acknowledging Kakashi’s discomfort, Gai continued.
“Truly, since you two moved in together, I’ve noticed many changes in both of you.”
“Changes?” Kakashi said, voice hoarse.
“Yes, you especially. You are more talkative, for one,” Gai said, hand on his chin. “You reach out about fifteen percent more than you did before you declared your love for Sakura. That has not gone unnoticed, especially by Kurenai who appreciates you taking such an interest in her and Asuma’s youthful Mirai. The corners of your mask are pulled upwards instead of down, as you smile more than you have since before your father passed away. And best of all, your eyes glow a softer gray, instead of the sadness I used to perceive.”
“Do you stare at my eyes often, Gai?” Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow.
“And while you still have a propensity for the act, you change the subject with poor attempts at humor much less,” Gai said, narrowing his eyes at Kakashi.
“I’m not quite sure what you are getting at.”
“Would you answer me one question? Directly and honestly, please, rival.”
Kakashi shrugged, but Gai knew to take that as an affirmative.
“When do you plan on asking her to marry you?”
If Kakashi had been drinking, he would have spit out any contents from his mouth at that moment.
“Excuse me?”
Gai sighed, crossing his bulging arms over his open flak jacket. “I know you resigned yourself to being the last Hatake quite a while ago. However, that was decided under very different circumstances than you currently find yourself in. Your clan is no longer shunned, ROOT has been dismantled, and you are cohabitating with a fine young woman whom you love.”
“I’m not… I’m not sure…”
“And yes, Sakura is at the top of the field, and with her knowledge and skill she might even stretch the envelope further and force the zenith of her career even higher. Maybe children aren’t what she has planned for in the immediate future. But have you even talked to her about the possibility for the distant future? I suspect not, considering my previous remarks. You should hear what she has to say. With medical jutsu like hers, having a child would not even be that debilitating for her youthful figure, if that was a concern.”
“I would not marry Sakura just to make her into some breeding animal,” Kakashi said, voice firm.
“I was not suggesting that,” Gai said, taking on a much softer tone. “I am just asking… Do you know if she still wants children in her life? Where do you see this going?”
“Is it not enough that I am happy right now, Gai? Why do I have to think of the future?” Kakashi found his face rising in temperature. “All my life, I’ve acted because of the past. Because of my father, I stuck to the rules. Because of Obito, I changed my nindo. Because of the fucking Sandiame, I got stuck with the last Uchiha and the fallout that came with it. Because of the Akatsuki, I am in this current position!” He gestured to his robes. “I just want to enjoy the moment, and treasure what I’ve accomplished and achieved, I want to appreciate what I have. I don’t want to linger on why I have it,” Kakashi looked down, heat starting to push behind his eyes, “since if I do, I’ll start to question why I deserve it. I don’t want to think of the future, since I’m afraid of what I might have lost.”
In his hysteria, Gai must have led them more directly to the tower. They stood in front of the main door, the usual guards having run when they saw their fuming, and then sorrowful, Hokage.
Gai held up a hand, shaking his head. “Kakashi, I say this because you are finally happy, truly happy. Life is good, there is peace, and you are spending precious time with those that you love. Yes, I implore you to enjoy the moment. But I do reckon you should consider the future. Our tainted past has contaminated our thoughts, always making us doubt the security of our lives. But if there is a better time to plan for a joyful future than now, I shudder to think of when we are ever allowed to hope for a marvelous life.”
Gai bowed, deeper than he usually did to Kakashi considering their difference of status.
“And allow me to say one more thing--” Kakashi snorted. “I don’t think I could even stop you.”
“I think you would make a fantastic father.”
He straightened back up, and gave Kakashi a signature Gai grin and thumbs up.
“Think about it.”
He left a dumbstruck Kakashi by the door, white robe bellowing in the wind.