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The first time Kakashi molded his Lightning chakra, he screamed.
The prodigy of Konoha had toyed with the idea since he had witnessed Minato's Rasengan. Trial and error succeeded in a ball of swirling chakra nestled in the palm of his hand. From there, the silver-haired teenager added in his Lightning affinity. It took less than a second. Kakashi's muscles immediately locked up. His mouth opened, gasping around choked screams. Kakashi's small body collapsed in the middle of the empty training ground, lightning still claiming on his palm. To further scare the boy, pale arms and legs started moving and jerking completely out of Kakashi's control. Luckily, mercy was on the boy’s side and the world went black.
* * *
“I want to learn Chidori.”
Kakashi’s body burned at the statement while his eyes scanned over the faint burns on the corners of the young Uchiha’s mouth. The visible evidence of Fire Affinity made his stomach turn. Instead of a verbal answer, Kakashi peeled the glove off his left hand and pulled up his sleeve. He didn’t look at it. The memory was still fresh after all these years. Sasuke moved in for a closer look and gasped.
Kakashi’s arm was spider-webbed in thin red lines. They started at his fingertips and they were even on his palm when the Jonin flipped his hand over. Sasake’s eyes roved over the lines, following them up to Kakashi’s forearm where they disappeared under his uniform sleeve.
The raven swallowed, “Is that…?”
“Lightning Affinity? Yep.”
“How...”
Kakashi could tell what question rested on his student’s tongue. It was the same one that civilians wanted to know if they ever saw an accidentally uncovered patch of burn scar.
“They cover most of my body. Since that hand was the starting point, my upper left body is the most damaged.”
It had been almost a week since he had attempted his jutsu. He was still covered in bandages, but he had been able to sneak a peek during a prior change. His left arm and chest were burned to the point that the lines were nearly black. The doctor had said that because his heart had been affected, the burns had to heal naturally. The burns also hurt so bad to the point that Kakashi couldn’t even move his left arm. The boy had never been so thankful to be right hand dominant.
Kakashi shook himself out of the thought. He pulled his sleeve back down and put his glove back on, relaxing into the knowledge that no one would see them.
Kakashi finally looked at Sosuke. The boy looked horrible. His face was pale and trembling hands with scarred fingertips rubbed the scars by his mouth. Kakashi didn't blame him. The Jonin had never seen another person with lightning burn scars, but he knew plenty of people with Fire Affinity burns. In an impulsive moment, Kakashi wrapped his hands around the raven's wrists, guiding his hands away from his facial scars.
Sasuke's gaze flickered from Kakushi's now covered scars to his face, "I'm sorry I asked."
Kakashi froze. He didn't know how to handle this.
Minato's scarred hands grasped Kakashi's as the boy took his first steps after the incident. The silver-haired teen's bums hurt horribly, but he wanted to leave the hospital as soon as possible.
The pair made it a few feet from Kakashi's room and the boy couldn't stay quiet, "What happened to your hands, sensei?"
Minato stopped in surprise and looked at his hands. The Yellow Flash chuckled, "These are scars from my Wind Affinity. The Chakra is so concentrated near my hands that it literally tears the skin."
Kakashi didn't answer, but his face must've given away his true thoughts.
"Don't feel bad, Kakashi. I see these scars as steps I had to take to protect my village."
"I see my burn scars as a necessity to keep the Village safe."
Kakashi didn't mean to say that out loud after he had finished the memory, but Sasuke did look at him with less guilt in his eyes.
"Come on," the older man said, "I dumped a lot of information on you. Let's meet back here tomorrow."
The young raven nodded much to Kakashi’s relief, "Okay. Bye, sensei!"
Kakashi waved and teleported home.
The apartment the Jonin called home was nothing special, but he felt his body relax nonetheless. He made his way to the bathroom. Once there, he turned on the shower and started undressing.
The gloves came first. "C'mon, Kakashi. You can do it." Minato softly encouraged as the boy's still wrapped fingers spasmed around his Physical Therapy tools.
Next was the vest and shirt, He couldn't breathe! His heart was going to pound out of his chest. Kakashi barely remembered an oxygen mask being placed over his mouth and nose as green hands hovered over his mottled torso. The boy succumbed to unconsciousness seconds later.
Then, the uniform pants were free. "Your legs received the least damage, but your thighs still got severely injured," a nurse said. Pain shot up Kakashi's spine every time someone made him walk.
Kakashi stepped under the hot water, wanting the memories to go back to their box. His first shower was hell. Minato was the one to be with him in the hospital. The ordeal ended up with a sobbing and naked Kakashi being held to Minato's completely clothed chest under the spray while a nurse gently washed the young teen. Kakashi would've been embarrassed if the pain hadn't taken over his entire brain.
Kakashi shook his head, turning off the water and getting out. He dried off and wrapped the towel around his waist. As he was leaving the bathroom, the caught a glimpse of the scars branching across his back. Kakashi was like every other 18 year old boy. He found himself in a small village, currently making net with a girl his age. They eventually reached the part where clothes were closer to a hindrance. He pulled his shirt off in one fluid motion. The fabric had barely just left his hand when the girl screamed. He turned around and found her staring at him in horror. She had not gotten undressed at all and she fled the room, gasping in horror as she looked back at Kakashi once more. The door slammed shut, leaving Kakashi alone.
Kakashi entered his bedroom. He found a pair of sleep pants and laid down on his futon. "It hurts!" he cried out. He had moved in with Minato and Kushina after being released from the hospital. That meant he had no access to the strong painkillers he needed. Kushina held Kakashi, rocking him to try to calm him. Minato came back into their bedroom. He pushed two pills into the boy's mouth, following it with water. Kakashi swallowed obediently. He wanted the pain to disappear. Darkness eventually swallowed him.
sleep eventually claimed Kakashi's mind. He couldn't resist praying for pleasant dreams. It had been five months since that day. He was still with the Namikazes, but no longer had the urge to sleep next to them. His body was slowly loosening into his previous state. The apartment door sounded as someone knocked. The next minute, Kakashi was wrapped in a hug. Obito was pressed against his shoulder, crying into it. Rin stood behind Obito, staring at the silver-haired boy. Kakashi returned Obito's hug and tried not to flinch as Rin gasped at his scarring burns he hadn't covered up that day.
Kakashi jolted awake. It wasn't necessarily an unpleasant dream, but he knew Rin's reaction was the catalyst for him always wearing long sleeves. His mind unwittingly went to Obito. The boy never flinched or showed any reaction to Kakashi’s burns, even at their most row and weeping. The Uchiha had started visiting the hospital as early as he could.
* * *
"Bakakashi," the boy greeted softly as he entered Kakashi's hospital room. It had been two weeks since the incident.
Kakashi couldn't reply. He was too drugged up and he could barely move his body. That didn't deter Obito as the boy just sat in the chair, pulling out a book and opening it.
"The history of the Fire Country has a long and rich history. Before the creation of the Hidden Village…"
The injured boy's eyes fluttered shut. He was so close to sleep that not even the opening door was enough incentive to pull him out.
"You got him to sleep," Minato's voice breathed in disbelief, "How?"
A beat.
"Thank you, Obito."
* * *
"No more! Stop!"
It was a dressing change and the burns sucked in the cloth, pulling harshly when it was time to remove them. The two nurses ignored him, trying to just do their job. Through every dressing change, Kakashi involuntarily cried and begged from the pain. In the haze, a hand settled on his check and another in his hair.
"C'mon, Kakashi. Only a little longer."
Pain-glazed gray eyes looked up, locking onto pitch-black ones. Obito was there, holding Kakashi as much as he could. A tug pulled a cry out of Kakashi's throat. The Uchiha's hand stroked his sweaty and greasy locks, gently shushing him. The other boy's presence didn't mask the pain, but it made the process much easier.
* * *
Kakushi woke up with a gasp. He looked around, not recognizing his surroundings. His whole body hurt. He saw the dressings and tore off as much as he could, not understanding why they were there. He got both arms and was halfway through the ones covering his chest. He stared at his burns, not really seeing them. They were glossy and red, skin warped in some places. Kakashi screamed in horror.
Arms wrapped around the terrified boy. Kakashi thrashed. A hand started combing through his hair. Soon the boy quieted. His mind cleared and he saw it was Obito. Who must have sensed Kakashi was back as he pulled away but keeping his hands on the injured boy.
"Hey, Kashi," he smiled, "Are you back?"
"Why're you here?" Kakashi asked thickly.
Obito didn't seem fazed by the question, "We're having a sleep-over at Minato-sensei's. This is your room. Rin is sleeping in the living room. My futon is right there." He pointed to the opposite wall.
Everything came back to Kakashi in a rush. "I'm sorry for waking you," he apologized, red coloring his cheeks in embarrassment.
"It's fine," Obito took a deep breath. "Does it hurt?"
The boy's hands immediately flew up to his mouth, eyes wide in horror as he stared at Kakashi, "Oh my god. I am so sorry. I promised myself I wouldn't ask and I just open my big mouth-"
"Obito."
That drew the distraught boy back to Kakashi.
"It's fine."
"It's not fine, Bakakashi!" The boy geared up for a yelling rant, "Of course you hurt. I should've been thinking!"
"Obito," the boy stopped, so Kakashi continued, "Can you help me replace the dressings?"
The Uchiha bounced to his feet, the prospect of helping replacing the previous panic and horror.
"Heck yeah, Bakakashi!" he danced around the room, then stopped, "So… what do I need to do?"
Kakashi blinked, "Maybe Sensei knows?"
The hyperactive Uchiha nodded and bounded to the adults' room. Within minutes, Obito was entering Kakashi's room followed by a mostly awake Minato. The Yellow Flash raised an eyebrow when he saw Kakashi. In response, the boy just shrugged and gave a sheepish smile.
* * *
Kakashi didn't remember falling back asleep, but he woke up to the dawn rays shining into his room. The man got up ready to start the day. He gathered clean clothes and made his way to the bathroom. Before getting ready, he got a bottle of prescription lotion from a drawer. His arms and fingers were feeling stiff and the lotion had been specially engineered for Lightning Affinities. He put a drop on his right hand, hovering it over his left palm. Normally the thin, ropey burns wouldn't bother him, but he would also be lying if he didn't admit Sacuke reopened some old wounds. Taking a deep breath, he started massaging the lotion into the old burns.
Kakashi was lying on his futon shirtless. Obito was kneeling above him, rubbing medicated lotion into the silver-haired boy's muscles. The burns were officially classified as healed, but to Kakashi, they still looked as horrid as the day he first saw them.
"Am I ugly?"
The question sneaked out, settling loud in the silence of the atmosphere. Obito's hands stilled and proceeded to pull Kakashi to sit in front of him. Obito's burned and scarred fingertips nestled against a scar that nestled halfway up Kakashi's cheek.
"What made you ask that?"
Kakashi shrugged, "I just feel like people will be scared of my scars."
"Let them," Obito smiled, gaining a matching one from Kakashi.
The Jonin finished getting ready and went to meet Sasuke for training. It didn't take long to reach and the raven was already there. Kakashi neared and found the boy meditating. The man cleared his throat and Sasuke jumped to his feet.
"Good morning, Sasuke. Let's focus on getting your taijutsu smoother."
The boy nodded and jumped into a fighting stance, "Ready when you are, sensei."
20-year-old Kakashi, Rin, and Obito were by the main gate, waiting for Minato. Even though they were all Jonin, they continued being given missions for the old team.
"Sensei!" Rin cried.
The Yellow Flash waved. He got to the group and looked around, "Everyone have everything?"
"Yes, sensei!" The three chorused.
"Excellent! Then let's make our way to Kannabi Bridge!"
Minato set off from the gate in a sprint. Rin followed. Kakashi and Obito shared a look. The Uchiha flashed a large smile, burn scars pulling the corners down slightly. Kakashi beamed back. Obito ran off, laughing. Kakashi shook his head, finally running after his teammates.