I found my mother in the Nursing Home's garden, reading in the sun.
Midori was an inspiration to me. She had lost so much due to her disability: her job, her independence, and most of her freedom. Yet, I had never seen her give up. As the degenerative disease progressed, she fought tooth and nail to keep as much as she could. If she had resigned herself to the medic-nin's diagnosis, she would be paralyzed from the neck down by now. That's what they had predicted.
She had an iron will... and she just threw a stone at me.
I dodged and raised my hands in exasperation. "Good day to you too, okaa-san."
"Young girl, you're late ."
"My apologies." I bowed from the waist. I didn't want to dodge another stone for failing to be polite (shinobi education was a synonym for tough love). I went to hug her only once she gestured for me to step forward.
"I missed you, dear, and you know I worry about your recent habit of getting in trouble."
"Sorry. I had a difficult week," I explained as we went toward the nearest bench where I could sit.
"Well, at least you look better than when I came to see you at the hospital," she said while patting my cheek. "Did your boys take good care of you, then?"
I had told her when I started to date Genma. They had first met while I was in a coma and apparently sympathized about "all the trouble I gave them" (Genma's words). Since then, they'd been as thick as thieves. While that was great, I knew it was going to bite me in the ass later. Those two together were a promise for a lot of sass and jokes at my expense. Midori had even told him childhood anecdotes about me, which was just unfair: he had a lot more material on me than I had on him. I needed to meet his family to even the playing field.
I had never told her about Kakashi however, but she had uncovered (at least part of) the truth while they waited for me to wake up. They hadn't told her, but she had made her own conclusions. As an infiltrator, she was used to unveiling secrets with just a few clues.
The first thing she had said about it was: "Mai-chan, I taught you so well. Not one but two boyfriends at your beck and call? I'm so proud." I was glad to have her approval, but she made it sound a little too creepy and calculated for my taste (which, I guessed, was something I should get used to, that was the kind of comments I could expect once the news spread).
She seemed to scare Kakashi a little. He always found a reason to flee when she was mentioned. I wondered what she could have said to him… something indecent, maybe. I didn't think he would react this way if she had threatened him, and it wasn't her style either. Making inquiries about our sex life, however… yes, I could see that.
"Yes, they did," I replied before giving her a brief recap of my life these last weeks.
"There is something you're not telling me," she pointed out when I stopped for a few seconds.
I sighed and nodded. "Can we speak somewhere more private?"
"I won't like this, will I?"
We went back inside to her bedroom. I closed the door behind us, sat on the bed while she stayed in her wheelchair, and told her of my 'immortality' in a hushed voice. She took a few seconds to come to terms with the news, but her fingers closed around mine and squeezed tightly.
"Every time… every time I think we're done with the consequences of this… every time I learn something worse," she said hoarsely. "Your grandfather hurt you so much."
"And you," I whispered.
She shook her head and bit her bottom lip. I squeezed her hands once in sympathy.
"Who knows?" she asked after a few seconds.
"The Hokage and I. I'm hoping Orochimaru didn't understand, but that's probably wishful thinking."
"Your boys?"
"Not yet. I… I don't know how to tell them."
"You need to."
"I know, but how?"
"Just like you told me. They already know everything they need to understand, don't they? Trust them like you trusted me. If they make a big deal out of it, just give them a good kick in the shin."
I snorted. "We're not like you and dad. They are faster than me. They'll dodge."
"Oh, I'm sure you'll find some way for payback. I didn't raise an idiot."
She was right like always. I shouldn't make a big deal out of it. They were probably going to take their cue from me: if I could be reasonable about it, then they would be too. "But… kaa-chan, what if it happens?" I whispered. "What if I'm stuck in a mutilated corpse or something like that?"
She bracketed my face between her hands and leaned close until our foreheads touched. "That's why you need to trust people, my little girl. Contingency plans, remember? If the worst happens, be prepared, and make sure that someone will have your back. Trust them to do right by you. Your team has your back."
"I don't have a team," I murmured as tears threatened to fall.
"Oh, sweetie, of course you do. Those who cherish you are the best team you could ever hope for, and there are more of them than you believe. Your room was a crowded place when you were in a coma, you know? You made a very poor conversationalist, but I couldn't say the same of your visitors. I had some great fun playing shogi with the new Jounin Commander. I had a lot of stimulating discussions with that funny boyfriend of yours, and I exchanged some book recommendations with the other one..."
"Kaa-chan," I interrupted as I sniffled to hold back the tears.
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Stop traumatizing Kakashi."
"Aww, but where is the fun in that?"
"You're the worst," I mumbled. "You suggested that awful book, didn't you?"
She squeezed my cheeks, making me feel like the chubby kid I used to be. "I love you too darling."
I escaped her grasp and facepalmed. "No wonder he can't bear to hear your name anymore if that reminds him of hardcore porn."
I welcomed the knock at the door that got us away from this embarrassing topic; even more so when my dear cousin Izumo entered once Midori called him in.
After we greeted each other, he held out a package to Midori. "Here's the new yukata okaa-san made you. She'll come by tonight to see if there is any alteration needed, and she offered to take you out for dinner."
"How wonderful. Izuna spoils me. Thank you Izu-kun."
I leaned on my cousin's shoulder as we idly discussed the latest gossip and news. When it was time for us to leave, I promised Midori to come back more often now that I felt better. It had been some time since our last lunch together.
"How are you?" Izumo asked as we left the nursing home.
"Getting better," I replied, glancing at him distractedly. "Say, Izumo, remind me how old you are?"
He squinted at me, no doubt feeling like I was going somewhere with this. "Fifteen. Sixteen in two months."
I hummed in thought. Midori had said I needed to trust people I cherished. She was right. Izumo was like a brother to me. He had been kept away from all the family secrets because he'd been too young to understand, but he had always been there for me. I owed him the truth. My crazy grandfather wasn't his, since he was my maternal grandfather and Izumo was my paternal cousin, but the grandmother we had in common had been a hero. He should know about that, and about his crumby cousin, aka me. "So, do you have some time to talk in private? Make sure you have a few hours to freak out a little before anything serious though."
"That's not foreboding at all," he said as he scratched his chin cover. "I'm leaving on a mission in six hours."
"That will do. You're wise and mature enough to get back to normal by then."
We went to my apartment to speak in private. There, I explained the long story of my second life.
On one hand, he was looking at me as if I was going to spontaneously combust when he left to prepare for his mission. On the other hand, he thought it was the coolest thing he had ever heard instead of the creepiest thing ever, so… that went rather well.
I expected to be interrogated as soon as he came back, once he got time to think of a thousand questions. He seemed to be fascinated by the concept of another world and wanted to learn more about it, which was a first (Minato had been interested but by a few details only).
"I won't let anything happen to you," were the last words he said before leaving.
"So you're prepared to reduce me to ashes if you have to?" I tried to joke. It was a bad one, and I was going to apologize as soon as I realized it, but Izumo nodded solemnly.
"I've got your back, nee-san, always," he promised before disappearing.
After a second of surprise, I snorted. I should remember I was talking to shinobi who had been taught early on that death was preferable to a lot of things, including capture, torture, dishonor, and uselessness. To kill an ally in those conditions when it was requested was an act of mercy. It was an old concept, but it was still true in the direst situations. I didn't have to worry about requesting this, it just went without saying.
I looked out the window. Kakashi and Genma were working. The former was preparing for a mission: he would leave tomorrow morning for weeks. I wanted to tell them at the same time, and I couldn't wait for so long. I was going to speak to them tonight.
oOo
Unfortunately, Genma had other plans. He had accepted an invitation on our behalf for an evening with Raidou, Rin, and Gai.
Kakashi and I had been reading on the couch, waiting for him to come home for dinner. When he announced the news to us, the faces we made weren't those he was expecting.
"What?" he asked.
Kakashi was stone-faced, which was a clear sign that this wasn't filling him with joy. "I'm leaving at six tomorrow morning, Genma. My plan for the evening was sleep," he pointed out.
"And I was actually hoping to use our last evening together to speak to you about that thing that bothered me this week," I added.
Genma raised his hands to the ceiling, his senbon moving jerkily. "Fine, I'm going to cancel!" He didn't hide his displeasure. To be fair, it had been some time since we all went out with friends, and he was more social than us.
This was going to spoil our evening. It was the last thing we needed when one of us was going to leave for so long.
"Wait," I called before he could leave in a huff. "Why don't we compromise? We go, but Kakashi can leave as soon as he wants to get some sleep."
Kakashi hesitated and then shrugged. "Sure. I can go back to my flat so I wouldn't be bothered by you coming back later."
Genma relaxed slowly. "Fine with me. But what about what you wanted to say, Maiko?"
I was going to offer to tell it to everyone but quickly backtracked. I was getting ahead of myself there. Explaining everything to Izumo was one thing: he was family, but explaining it to friends was different. While Rin knew some of it, she didn't know everything. Raidou might have understood some snippets. Gai was in the dark, though. What's more, some parts of my life were now confidential (damn it, did I violate that with Izumo? I'd have to think about it), I tended to forget that. I couldn't go and talk about my life with just anyone… even if I wanted to get their word that no one would leave me as some living-dead abomination.
My hesitation came through. Genma shook his head. "You know what? Let's just all go have dinner and come back early. You'll tell us before going to sleep. Is that fine?"
"Yeah, sure," I agreed.
"Kakashi?"
Kakashi shrugged as he stood up. "Alright. Just go easy on drinks if we're to have a serious conversation."
"Say that to her. I'm not the lightweight one who wants to fight everyone once tipsy."
I jumped on my feet and protested: "I don't drink that much when no one eggs me on! Give me a minute, I'm going to put dinner in the fridge."
"You made dinner?" Genma asked, turning toward the kitchen to see the table was made.
Kakashi passed by him to put on his shoes and clapped his shoulder. "We did. Next time, try planning in advance."
Genma winced. "Right. Sorry."
A few minutes later, I locked the door behind us. "Let's go! I don't want Kakashi's bad habit to rub off on us... Don't make a joke about that, Genma!"
He mimed zipping his lips. I felt a sense of déjà vu. This was becoming routine, wasn't it?
We had to travel from roof to roof to make up for our lateness, but we arrived on time at the okonomiyaki restaurant they had agreed on. You had to make your own okonomiyaki on a hot plate built into the table.
"I've never made one," I admitted as we sat down.
"Never?" Rin asked as she settled in front of me. "Kakashi's really good at it: he can show you or do your own if you want."
I glanced to my left. Kakashi shrugged in a mix of modesty and agreement. After a second, I looked to the right. "Wait. Can you do okonomiyaki?"
"I resent the doubt in your voice, darling," Genma replied, raising a hand to his heart. "It's not hard. You just mix everything together, and then it's like barbecue. It's actually one of the only things I know how to cook, mostly because the ingredients are already prepared."
"Good to know," I said before being distracted by some noise on the left.
Gai was staring intently at Kakashi, and I suddenly realized what a bad idea it was for them to sit face to face. Kakashi was ignoring his 'rival', but when the ingredients were brought to us, he sighed and relented: "Just once, Gai. One okonomiyaki only."
"Yes!" Gai shouted in delight, his fist raised. "I shall vanquish my eternal rival in a conquest of speed and cooking talent, and I shall win or else I'll beg Chouza-sensei's wife to teach me her ways!"
"What?" I said. While I knew about those weird and impromptu challenges, it was the first time I witnessed one of them. Were they really going to have a cooking competition?
"Rin-chan, would you kindly be our referee?" Gai asked.
Looking accustomed to this position, Rin put away her own ingredients and took out a watch. "Ready? Set… Go."
In a blink of an eye, the ingredients were mixed, set on the griddle, and shaped into a circle with spatulas. I was only able to see it cook because they couldn't hurry the time necessary for it, but I barely saw them flip the okonomiyaki onto the other side. The toppings then seemed to magically appear on it. Both of them announced "Done" at the same time.
"It's a tie," Rin concluded cheerfully before going back to her own meal.
While Gai made a face, Kakashi started to peacefully eat his okonomiyaki.
I shook my head. "I have barely seen anything you did so… can you do mine?"
Gai brightened up and moved to grab Rin's ingredients. She slapped his hand away. Kakashi and she said firmly: "No, Gai!"
"I'd like Kakashi to teach me, Gai-san. It means I actually need to see what he's doing," I said to soften his disappointment.
"Of course. I understand, Maiko-san. My apologies!"
The rest of the evening progressed much more calmly. I learned how to make okonomiyaki. We discussed each other's life, which was also synonymous with gossip, although no shinobi would admit it (it was intel, not gossip!). I discovered that Iwashi had finally agreed to have children, but only after he married his girlfriend, and we were all invited to the wedding (I had missed the invitation during my coma). Raidou and Rin were now in conjugal bliss, their discrete affection was a pleasure to see. And Gai… didn't know that Kakashi was in a relationship. That shattered the tranquility we enjoyed until now.
"Gai-san, what's wrong?" I asked worriedly.
He had doubled up and only Rin's quick reflex had stopped his face from touching the griddle in front of him. Instead, he was sprawled on the ground.
Did he disapprove of our relationship? That was worrying. Even if Kakashi wouldn't admit it, their friendship was extremely important to him. I thought that Gai would be delighted but maybe…
"Gai, would you stop your dramatics?" Genma sighed. He was unimpressed, leaning with an elbow on the corner of the table, his chin on his fist. "You're worrying my girlfriend, and everyone is looking at us like we burned you. I'm not getting kicked out of the restaurant because of you."
Gai straightened and removed his hands from his face, showing the streams of tears going down his cheeks. That wasn't a pretty sight. He went to grab Kakashi's hands but failed. "My eternal rival! How youthful of you! You beat me on the matters of the heart!"
I blinked repeatedly as I realized what this was all about.
Gai raised a fist to his face and kept crying. "And now how could I ever beat you when you have not one but two sweethearts!"
"Don't call me Kakashi's sweetheart," Genma grumbled with a sigh.
"I would have never imagined that your hip attitude hid so much love and passion ready to be discovered by the most daring and worthy souls!" Gai continued. He was on a roll and no one could stop him. "I'm in awe of your loving and sparkling relationship! I can only wish to ever find half of the treasures you're now basking in! But I shall not despair! Soon, I will join you in the land of conjugal bliss..."
He went on and on, which was a wonder to see, but Kakashi had risen (without Gai's knowledge, who had closed his eyes in his fervor) and pulled me to my feet. "Time to go," he signed discreetly. Genma was already standing, leaving money on the table to pay for our meal.
I felt bad leaving like this, but it was already twenty past nine, and neither Rin nor Raidou seemed shocked by our departure. They signed a "we'll handle it" before making goodbyes.
"Isn't that a little mean?" I asked once we were outside of the restaurant.
"Nah," Genma said. "Believe me, I was his teammate for years. When Gai's in this state, it's better to let him ride it out without getting your own ears bleeding. Once he processed it, he'll find us, and we'll be able to talk normally rather than listen to a monologue. Plus, I would have ended up bursting into laughter around his second tirade about Kakashi's love and passion anyway. That would have upset him and get him started in another longer monologue."
"Alright. You're his friends, I'll trust you on that." After all, I wouldn't know how to deal with Gai.
We went back to my apartment and prepared for bed.
"So," Genma said as we were sitting on our futons, "come on, end the suspense: what's bothering you?"
I buried my fingers in my hair as I pushed it back. I was determined to tell them everything, but now that I had to, the words failed me. They were stuck in my throat, ready to choke me and drown me in anxiety if I didn't just let them out. I crossed my legs, took a deep breath, and blurted out:
"Yondaime-sama told me something that terrified me."
I explained the whole affair as clearly as I could, but I couldn't look at them as I did. It would have been too hard to stay focused.
"So you see, I'm scared of being trapped in a decaying body — or something equally disturbing — for eternity! I mean, can't I die like anybody else for once? I didn't believe in an afterlife, but that doesn't mean I don't want a nice quiet death—"
Genma grabbed my face between his hands and interrupted my rant with a light kiss. I deflated and leaned into him. He hushed me when I tried to speak, petting my cheek gently. "There, there, darling. That won't happen, alright? We won't let it happen."
Kakashi leaned against my back, his chin on my shoulder and an arm around my waist. "Minato-sensei will fix it. In the meantime, you're safe."
I nodded but burrowed a little deeper in their embrace. The firm contact was grounding as much as reassuring.
For once, Kakashi allowed me to cuddle against his side when we laid down.
oOo
Two weeks later, I was at the Hokage mansion in the middle of preparations for Naruto's fourth birthday. While Mikoto had offered to take care of it, Minato had insisted to do it himself, feeling it was his role as a father. Unfortunately, an unexpected political argument was currently keeping his attention. Knowing he would be upset about failing his son and sacrifice his sleep if necessary, Rin and I had taken it upon ourselves to take care of everything left.
"Maiko."
Recognizing Genma's voice, I threw over my shoulder: "Hey. Is it dinner time already? Just let me finish this." The orange furoshiki, a traditional wrapping cloth, was really pretty and I didn't want to wrinkle it.
"Maiko, it's about Kakashi."
I froze. His grave tone scared me. Slowly, I turned around to see him. He was grim. My heart grew heavy, and a shiver went down my spine.
"What happened?"
"His team brought him back. He's badly hurt."
I shoved the gift into a closet, closed it, and jumped on my feet. "How bad? Can I see him?"
"I came to fetch you as soon as I had the green light. Medics managed to stabilize him. He's out of danger."
I breathed in relief and reached for Genma.
He hugged me and rested his cheek on my hair. "I have to warn you though… he doesn't look pretty. I know I have always been the most handsome, but still."
I snorted and tugged on a strand of hair. "Bring me to him, handsome."
Thanks to Genma, I was allowed inside the restricted area where Kakashi was kept. He was in an observation room. I couldn't go inside, but I saw him covered in bandages from head to toe.
I pressed a hand to my face and tried to breathe calmly, repeating to myself that his prognostic was good. He would be fine. It would be alright. Still, I settled in Genma's arms as we watched the medics leave the room. I had barely recognized Rin and Tsunade with all the sterile equipment they were wearing.
"How is he?" I blurted out as soon as they were out and free from their masks.
"Badly burnt," Rin explained sombrely. "That's why you aren't allowed inside. I'm sorry, but the skin needs to heal first to avoid any infection."
I nodded distractedly. "Of course. But he'll be fine, right?"
"It's mostly second-degree burns. His teammates gave him first aid, which prevented anything too deep, so he should avoid most scarring and after-effects."
I glanced at Tsunade, who was staying unusually quiet and who shouldn't even be here for simple burns: she was content with her role of consultant. There was something else going on and I asked: "But?"
Although Rin hesitated, Tsunade didn't: "There is something wrong with his Sharingan."
"How so?" Genma asked.
"It seems to have evolved, but it's something I have never seen."
Evolved? Kakashi's Sharingan was already at the three tomoe stage, all there was left was… the Mangekyou Sharingan. "What happened?" I blurted out. "What happened during his mission?"
"That's classified," Genma said.
"I know that!" I replied, annoyed. I would have asked sooner if it wasn't. "Where's Hokage-sama? I'll ask him!"
"I'm here, Mai—"
Minato was walking toward us with several ANBU. I rushed to him and blurted out: "Was it Tobi? Did he fight Tobi?"
Minato hesitated but nodded. "You know what's wrong with his Sharingan?"
"If it's what I think, it's nothing wrong, per se. Well, yes, it is, in a way, but…" I breathed in and forced myself to slow down. "I need to know what happened when they fought. Was Kakashi put under a genjutsu? Or did one of his teammates die? Or… Did he kill Tobi? Or someone else did?"
Minato glanced to an ANBU by his side, in a silent invitation to reply.
"We thought so," the young man said. "But in the end, the person taichou killed was some sort of clone."
"But Kakashi thought he had killed him?"
"Yes."
"That would have done it."
"Done what, Maiko?" Minato asked.
"Uh… I don't think you would want me to explain in front of everyone."
He brought me to an adjacent room. Tsunade closed the door behind her, Rin, and Genma.
"There is another stage to the Sharingan. It's supposed to be super-secret and most people, even among the Uchiha, don't know about it. It's awakened when they witness the death of someone they love," I explained. "It grants abilities that are specific to each user. For Obito, it's Kamui, his teleportation technique. Since Kakashi's eye is the same as Obito's, he'll get the same ability." Now that I thought about it, in canon, they had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan because of Rin's death. In this reality, Obito had somehow awakened it despite Rin living (in the same way he had turned against Konoha maybe? Genjutsu? Madara must have mentally tortured him, the bastard), but not Kakashi… until now. Despite knowing Obito was the enemy, it must have been a shock for him to kill him — or at least a clone. I hoped he would talk about it with someone when he woke up, if not me then his sensei or Rin.
"That's awesome," Genma said.
"Why did you imply it could be a bad thing then?" Rin added.
I made a face and admitted: "It requires a lot of chakra and puts a strain on the body. It also leads to blindness. The more you use it, the faster your vision deteriorates." Kakashi would become one-eyed instead of completely blind, at least, but the price to pay was high.
"Shit," Genma sighed, pursing his lips around his senbon.
"I'll need to study it, to see if anything can be done about it," Tsunade told the Hokage, who nodded in agreement. "For now, we can only wait for him to wake up, but he's going to stay in an artificial coma for a few days to allow better skin regeneration."
oOo
As soon as Kakashi was taken out of coma and the sterile room, I was by his side for most of my free time.
"Yo," I said the first time he opened his eyes while I was present.
The bottom of his face was hidden by the sheets, but I knew he smiled. That simple thing soothed me.
"Water?" I offered. At his small nod, I helped him drink. I waited for him to settle before teasing him: "So, you were jealous of all the time I spent sleeping, weren't you? I get it. The burns are a little unnecessary though."
"Agreed," he replied. He was still covered in bandages, although his face was mostly unscathed.
I played with his hair, gently pushing it away from his eyes. His left eye was closed. I gently tapped under it. "Do you know? About your Sharingan?"
He hummed in confirmation.
"I'm sorry, Kakashi," I whispered. "It must have been hard… fighting him to death."
He nodded but didn't say anything. I gathered that he didn't want to talk about it, at least not with me, as I thought. I didn't push and simply caressed his cheek to give him some comfort.
"Rin said you knew I would get it? Obito's teleportation technique?" he asked after a moment of silence.
I blushed a little. "Actually, I had forgotten… it came back to me when they said there was something wrong with your Sharingan."
"Can I fight him? Obito?"
"Your Kamui is as strong as his, if that's what you're asking… but I'm pretty sure they cancel each other."
"That's good. I can counter him."
"Yes, but the price is high, Kakashi," I warned him, worried he would overdo it. "It's a last resort only."
He grunted in understanding. "I will need time to master it anyway."
The door slid open and Genma came in saying: "I bought ramen." He did a double-take before grinning. "Hey, sleeping beauty. Good to see you awake."
"Maa, are you camping in my room?" Kakashi muttered.
"Yes," I replied while accepting the cup Genma held out. "I would offer you some of mine, but I'm pretty sure you aren't allowed any. Sorry. I will bring you some good food as soon as Rin says I can, I promise."
"It's fine, I'm not hungry," he replied. He was staring at me intently, though, while I pulled apart my chopsticks.
I became a little self-conscious and smiled uneasily. "What is it?"
"Gimme a kiss," he murmured so low that I barely heard him. I needed a second to convince myself that was truly what he said. I put aside my dinner and stood up to carefully touch his lips.
"Missed you," he murmured with a half-closed eye.
I grinned. "I missed you too."
"I'm not kissing you," Genma announced from his seat on the other side. He had a leg up, with his ankle resting on his knee, and he was eating his ramen with gusto. "You stink, and I bet your mouth tastes bad after all this time in a coma."
I threw the ramen bowl's lid at him. "Would you shut up, you git? See if I kiss you the next time you end up in the hospital."
"Come on darling, I didn't say you were the one who stunk," Genma whined, but he winked not so discretely at Kakashi.
"Just eat your ramen in silence, or I'll kick you out of my flat."
"No, you won't. She's been needing a lot of cuddles since we learned you got hurt. Thanks for that buddy, I appreciate it."
"That's it, no sex for you," I concluded, rudely pointing at him with my chopsticks.
"Maa, as entertaining as this is, I do hope you came here for more than bickering," Kakashi interrupted.
"Sorry. Are you getting tired? We can go if you want."
"Darling, he's jesting," Genma pointed out before turning toward Kakashi. "Don't tease her. She would build you a blanket fort if you told her that would help."
"I would," I confirmed immediately. "Actually, I brought you several books — including your favorites and the ones on your to-read list — several pajamas, clothes, underwear, toiletries… It's all here," I said as I lifted a bag. "Do you need anything else? Did I forget something? I promise I'll bring you snacks soon, really…"
"Geez, now I want to be hurt so I get the special treatment."
"Shiranui Genma, if you get hurt because you just jinxed yourself, you're looking toward months of abstinence, I swear. Don't you dare ," I warned him with a pointed glare.
Kakashi snorted as the idiot of our triade pretended to seal his lips and raise his hands in surrender. "I'm fine, Maiko. It seems you thought of everything."
"I tried. I know how much you hate hospitals, and I would appreciate it if you could stay as long as Rin demands, for once."
"Ah. Bribery."
"Of course. What did you think this was about?" I replied with a lopsided smile.
Genma chuckled and twirled his chopsticks between his fingers. "Notice how she said 'Rin' and not 'medics'."
"I noticed. She knows me."
oOo
Kakashi's recovery went well. Not well enough for him to be leaving anytime soon, though, so I wasn't pleased when, a few days later, I found him standing, dressed and ready to leave out of the window.
"What are you doing?" I shouted — a little more shrilly than I had planned but hell if he didn't deserve bleeding ears for trying to pull this shit.
"Ah, Mai-chan, I was just… admiring the view," he said, leaning on the windowsill as if he wasn't going to climb on it a minute before.
"And I'm the daimyo's wife," I replied deadpan, as I threw the bento box I had brought on the bedside table. "Kakashi, you're not in any way ready to leave. That's not reasonable even for you."
"It's October twelfth… isn't it?"
I understood.
Officially, Naruto's birthday was two days ago, but his party was today. It was never celebrated on the tenth, due to the village's homage to the dead from the Kyuubi attack. Naruto was fine with it because his father spoiled him on both days to make up for the delay.
"You want to go to Naruto's party?"
"He would be disappointed if I didn't show."
"He would understand. He knows you're hurt. He came to see you two days ago just so you could wish him his birthday."
"It isn't the same. If I show up he would be surprised and even happier."
I pursed my lips, staring at his bandaged hands. I didn't like it at all, but I understood his motivations and, when I thought about it, Rin would be there, so he would be safe even if he overdid it, right? Unless I tied him to the bed (and even like that, he could probably escape most knots, the genius), he would manage to take off anyway. When he had something in mind, no one could stop him.
The door opened brusquely.
"Kakashi! How is my eternal rival doing today? Oh, and Maiko-san, hello!"
I grinned widely. "Gai-san! Perfect timing!"
Kakashi immediately feared the worst. "No."
I put my hands on my hips and tilted my head pointedly. "Either Gai is carrying you or we're taking a rolling chair, but you're not walking or jumping there. Your choice."
Which is how I ended up running after Gai carrying Kakashi on his back. Despite his burden, I still ended up breathless when we arrived at the Hokage mansion.
I let Gai jump inside, but I crouched on the roof to catch my breath. I chuckled at Naruto's exuberant greeting of his older brother. Kakashi was protected from Rin and Minato's questioning by a gaggle of children surrounding him excitedly, although I couldn't be sure which he would have found preferable.
I watched the party with a tender smile. It seemed everything was going well: Naruto was enjoying himself tremendously, his voice carrying in the courtyard as he gathered his friends for a game. Several parents had stayed to spend time with the Hokage, including the Nara and the Uchiha, and they were all inside enjoying some tea.
I had the day off — contrary to Genma who was somewhere around — and, since I had planned to spend it with Kakashi, I had nowhere to be. I settled on the warm tiles of the roof, basking in the sunlight and taking a few minutes to simply enjoy the moment. The opportunities to relax were few and far between.
The Hokage's arrival startled me. I straightened, ready for any request. However, he simply sat by my side with his forearms on his knees as he looked down on his son and students with a soft smile.
"You should join us, Maiko," he said.
"Oh, I wouldn't—"
"If only to rescue Kakashi from Gai's exuberance."
I chuckled at the jest but didn't move, and Minato wasn't in a hurry either. He had something in mind. I waited patiently for him to speak up.
"Thank you for your help organizing Naruto's birthday. I wish I could have done it on my own, but…"
I glanced at him and noticed the wistful spark in his eyes. This period was always difficult for him. It might be the birthday of his son, but it was also the anniversary of his wife's death. I suspected it was the main reason why he postponed the party for Naruto: he didn't have the heart to celebrate on the tenth.
I hesitated briefly before reaching out for his hand and patting it tentatively. The man looked like he needed a hug, but I wasn't that bold. As it is, as soon as he looked at me, I blushed and rested my hands firmly on the tiles, looking right in front of me. I cleared my throat and replied: "It doesn't make you less of a father that you aren't the one taking care of every last detail for your son's party. I understand that you wish you could do more for him, but don't doubt for an instant that you're a good father. You do the best you can."
When no answer came, I looked at him from the corner of my eyes and noticed the peaceful smile on his lips. My shoulders loosened, and we stayed in companionable silence for a while.
"Come in and try this apple pie that mysteriously appeared in the kitchen this morning. It's excellent," Minato said as he stood up.
I chuckled and nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama."
I would have made waffles for Naruto, but I wanted him to eat some fruits today, and not just candy.
oOo Kakashi's and Minato's PoV oOo
Kakashi bit into the slice of pie he had been given and waited patiently for his sensei to speak up. The kids had gotten bored with him and were playing some sort of game in the backyard — it wasn't any he was familiar with, which made him feel old and asocial. The adults had gathered for tea in an adjacent room.
Minato and he were sitting on the patio, apparently alone, although some ANBU weren't far. Sounds of conversation and laughter reached them as sunlight dwindled. Kakashi appreciated these surroundings more than his hospital room.
"I'm sorry to ask this of you, considering the risks in using this technique, Kakashi," Minato finally said, "but I need you to learn how to use Kamui."
After a few seconds, Kakashi nodded. "I understand." He didn't bother to say he would have learned it anyway.
Minato sighed and lowered his head in regret.
"Stop worrying, sensei. If Obito can do it, it will be easy."
Minato chuckled briefly. "I got words from Utakata-san. He has been successful so far. We can only hope that warning all jinchuuriki of the danger will work in our favor."
Kakashi finished his treat and shrugged, immediately regretting it when it pulled on his sensitive skin. "At least we threw a wrench in Akatsuki's gears. Obito said so himself."
Minato hummed in agreement, but he didn't look convinced. Fair enough: it was his job to plan for the worst option. After a minute, he shook his head and smiled. "Thank you for coming, even if it wasn't very wise. Naruto was overjoyed."
"Maa, I only came for the food."
Footsteps covered the noise of Minato's amusement, and they glanced at Maiko coming toward them with a tea tray. Two cups were on it, clearly separated. She presented one to the Yondaime before offering the other to Kakashi.
"My medication is in it, isn't it?" he asked with a weary expression.
"Yes. Rin's orders. Or else Gai brings you back to the hospital right away. Her words," Maiko replied with a grin, glad to have the support of a medic to order him around.
Kakashi sighed but swallowed the cup in one go and then pointedly raised his face toward her. She smiled and leaned forward to kiss the corner of his lips. "Love you too. Can I bring you back anything else? Kakashi? Yondaime-sama?"
"That will be all, thank you."
She bowed and disappeared toward the kitchen.
"I'm happy for you," Minato said. "Genma, Maiko, and you… You all make a good team. I'm glad you have them."
Kakashi hummed and rubbed the bridge of his nose as the bitter taste of the medication rested on his tongue. Soon the itchiness he was ignoring would recede. "I'm not sure what I'm doing," he admitted. "I'm not one for a conventional relationship so a triad…?"
"I can see it. You all balance each other. They're both good for you. Maiko spoils you, and you deserve some pampering," Minato said, ignoring the noise of protest from his student, "while Genma is more down to earth."
"They would be better without me."
"That doesn't seem to be their opinion, and I trust them on that one. You're biased."
They barely blinked when hands came to rest on their shoulders and Rin leaned between them to chirp: "I agree!" She laughed, jumped in front of them, and held out her hands to help them stand: "Come on, you two. It's time to open gifts! I hope Naruto likes mine!"
"Of course he will, those pajamas are orange," Kakashi pointed out as he let himself be dragged forward.
Minato watched them tenderly, the heaviness in his heart diminishing a little as he basked in this family moment.