#bc this is Kotetsu what do we expect

[firebirdsdaughter]

Ruby:

[number1mongrel]

some various thoughts (read: complaints) about tiger and bunny season 2 part 2, under the cut for spoilers and just general bitching

So first and most obvious, is this meant to be the last season or not. None of the overarching stuff with Ouroboros has actually been dealt with, with Gregory Sunshine mentioning the three leaders of it, and then him being killed by the orders of them. But then on the other hand, Kotetsu retiring with Barnaby going off by himself with the two of them in the museum in the post-credits also gives off real ending vibes? Having their plaque list the years of them together as a team, implying it’s over for real. But on the OTHER other hand, there was no epilogue like there was in season 1. The last we see of everyone is them wandering off in their respective teams. If this was really the end wouldn’t we get like a timeskip to Kotetsu having a different job or something like that?

Besides that, in general I feel like the writers didn’t know what to do with Kotetsu and Barnaby’s relationship this season. They clearly don’t want to make them canon lovers, which fine whatever I didn’t expect them to anyway, but it also seems like without that they can’t find a way to progress their friendship any more than they already have. They’ve got nothing to do or work on. The ending should at least imply that they’re still going to be friends right? But they never even got to go get a drink together like had been built up the whole season! What’s the point of that if there’s no payoff?

Speaking of which, they seemed to just forget about Mattia. They’ve built him up as being more shipbait for Barnaby, but then don’t even go the distance with that like they did with Kotetsu in season 1. The last six episodes Mattia has absolutely nothing to do, and Barnaby doesn’t even mention him or go to see him at the end. So??

The sudden decline of Kotetsu’s power came on too suddenly. It’s been consistently 1 whole minute since the end of season 1 but now it just suddenly stopped for good with no buildup save for Yuri mentioning it once. Plus it happens like offscreen lol. I thought for sure this would be a role reversal of season 1, with Barnaby having to break Kotetsu out of it using the power of gay friendship or whatever. But nope. And also the whole buildup with Barnaby’s leg being an issue is just??? Suddenly not a problem anymore?? Because he uses Kotetsu’s suit???

There’s already a lot of good posts talking about how badly the writers treated Yuri so I’ll skip over him for now lol.

After being built up and foreshadowed SO much for all of season 2, Little Aurora was just a macguffin. She doesn’t do anything except almost get killed. Her power is never used for anything interesting, or to help the plot. She’s just. There.

This part of the season didn’t have as much focus on the other hero teams either. Subaru and Thomas were the only ones to get any real development, though Karina and Ryan did continue to be the best just like the first part of the season. There was much more plot-focus this part as opposed to character development, so it’s a shame that the plot didn’t end up leading up to much.

Also Kaede might as well have just not existed for these last 12 episodes lol. I kept thinking she was going to do something, especially after she remembered the things Kotetsu had said to her, but nope! Just stands there and does nothing.

Lastly, the villains of this arc are just a lot less compelling than all the previous villains. Gregory Sunshine is obnoxious, which I guess is fine bc that’s the point of him, but the other lady who I don’t even know the name of is just boring. You don’t find out her backstory until right before her death, and it doesn’t really make sense with her previous behavior anyway. Fugan and Mugan were a lot more sympathetic, and you genuinely felt for them. And Maverick had a direct connection to a main character, so he was much more threatening. Even Jake as the midseason boss of season 1 was a lot more entertaining to watch.

If we do get a season 3, then a lot of these complaints will be moot, and I’ll be happy for it. The fact that the ending of this season felt rushed won’t be as big of an issue. But if we DONT get a season 3, then honestly I feel like this is a downgrade as a finale compared to season 2 or the rising movie.

[the-fried-rice-symbolism]

The way Kotetsu loves Barnaby though.

Honestly I don’t think he himself knows that yet.

I made a post about Barnaby loving Kotetsu to a degree where he doesn’t even think that he can lie to him. It comes from the fact that Kotetsu is the first person outside of his family that Barnaby can trust, and he has a lot of trust to give once he decides to do so (the fact that it takes him 8 episodes and a near death situation is another thing but once he does he gives it his all and then just never stops. Barnaby’s love for Kotetsu is so obvious that he wears his heart on his sleeve for him and everyone can see it besides Kotetsu).

But the way Kotetsu loves Barnaby is different of course. It’s more subtile, because Barnaby is not his first love so there’s none of that naivitete of “oh we have all the time in the world” (Kotetsu knows that’s not the case, he lost one person he loved already). And he just. Does things for him. Is there for him. Respects his boundaries and tries his best to be what Barnaby needs at that moment.

And he does all that in actions like, making fried rice for him when Barnaby cannot think of that, seeking for the truth behind what really happened. Asking if he’s really okay with the grueling hero work etc.

And it’s like. Kotetsu is so good at hiding his feelings, that he’s mistaken for not caring at all by people who don’t know him. He is so oblivious to them that he’s like “Yeah that’s what partners do” and he is also an idiot, and plays with his stupidity well.

Kotetsu loves Barnaby so much and is so good at hiding it that he’s even got Maverick fooled - that once he’s apprehended he’d give up on him, that he just cares about him bc he’s his partner.

Kotetsu loves Barnaby so much he gives him a nickname that changes everything. And it’s such a 5d chess love language encrypted by societal expectations that nobody pays it any mind, hell even Kotetsu doesn’t think it means a lot.

Kotetsu loves Barnaby so much that he doesn’t try to hug him when Barnaby doesn’t want to, and stops inviting him over for dinner after like tenth time Barnaby declined. But the minute Barnaby expresses interest in going to drinks together Kotetsu holds him to that - because he loves him.

But he doesn’t know that yet.

[scarecrow-supremacy]

A/N: Oookieee, so I decided to start writing a new fic bc I have great ideas for a story line. Yet I can’t bring myself I writing an actual beginning. Like I’ve already written some random chapters, but I can’t do anything with them because they don’t really make much sense without the context of the rest of the fic/my ideas. Like this chapters is where the romance/actual x reader gets into actual action. Hopefully you get the gist of what the plot is, and aren’t confused as hell from this part. Sorry if it’s a bit long, it’s around 4.8k-ish words. Enjoy 💜

Hatake Kakashi wasn't one to celebrate his birthday.

He simply thought that they were foolish excuses to let loose and party. To Kakashi, birthdays were no reason to be happy and celebrate. They were just reminders of how long he had endured the pain of living. Each year marked another without the people he once held close in his heart. His father, his sensei, his teammates, and (y/n)...

The day that (y/n) gone on that horrible mission was his special day. The mission he was supposed to go on, but (y/n) filled in for because she wanted him to go celebrate with Gai and the others. So much for having the day of joy...Kakashi thought to himself mournfully.

With a great sigh, he grabbed the last of his belonging, shoving them in his mission pack. He'd promised to take his students out of a group mission for the day, but it had been mostly for selfish reasons. Kakashi had hoped that this would take his mind off of the weight in his soul, yet knowing that his efforts would be futile. The loss would never leave him, it would always follow him like a darned shadow. It would forever haunt him. There was not letting go of the horrors of his past.

Slowly, Kakashi strolled to the gates of Konoha to meet his kids, shoving his hands in his pockets as he mumbled a little tune under his breath. The dark cloudy sky and drizzling rain seemed to mirror how he felt inside.

Drip, drop. Drop, drop. Drop, drop.

Each raindrop fell upon the dirt paths of the town, dampening Kakashi's Jonin uniform. If only he'd gone on that mission, if only he hadn't let (y/n) take his place. If only so many things that happened hadn't. If only he felt whole again. He could feel the heavyweight of guilt on his shoulders, spreading pain throughout his body. Sure, Team 7 filled the void, but they could only do so much. If there is one thing I wish for, it is that these kids will grow up to be happy.

A soft smile played upon Kakashi's face as he approached the three teens. "KAKASHI-SENSEI!" His hyperactive blonde student, Uzumaki Naruto, yelled at him, "YOU'RE LATE-TTEBAYO!" He raised his fist in anger. Sakura glared at both Kakashi and Naruto, slapping the boy's back to calm him down. Off to the side stood Sasuke, his hands in his pockets as he briefly kicked the dirt and pebbles around him to form his clan's symbol. "Usuratonkachi," he grumbled at the group. To be honest, Kakashi did feel a little guilty about keeping the kids waiting for him. They were being held back just because he was wallowing in self-pity. And Kakashi felt ashamed of that; ordering his mind to push his thoughts further to the back of his mind.

Kotetsu and Izumo, guards of the gates, turned to the team and smiled in greeting. "The gate opening mechanism is broken, so we have to manually open the gates," they explained. "Heading out yet again, eh?" Kotetsu chuckled. "I thought you lot just came back from a mission. Ya leaving so soon?" Izumo asked. Naruto pumped his hand into the air, "Yeah! Dattebayo! It's only a C rank, but it'll be fun-ttebayo!"

He's a lot like you, eh Obito, Kakashi's mind wandered as he looked up at the clouded sky, a drop of rain fell upon his nose and slid down his mask. If only you, Minato-sensei, and Rin were here to see us in action. You would be proud.

But what about (y/n)? Part of Kakashi was surprised that he didn't think of her immediately. Did he still believe that she could've been alive? After the Hokage had told him that he'd lost contact with (y/n), Kakashi didn't know what to think. It had been 3,650 days since she left. 3,589 since she was supposed to come back. And 3,529 days since they fully lost contact. What were the chances she'd come back, alive or injured? Kakashi wanted to believe that she was still alive. Was that realistic?

"She's gone, Kakashi! You need to understand that!" He flashed back to when Asuma, Gai, and Kurenai had tried to slap some sense into him. Well actually, Kurenai had slapped him. "Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura gently tugged his sleeve, straining her arm up so her red umbrella would also cover his head. "Are you okay? You've been spacing out a lot lately." She whispered as she looked up at him.

"I'm fine, Rin," Kakashi weakly smiled, "It's nothing that you should worry about." Sakura flashed him a questioning look, "Rin?" Sucking the air, Kakashi's whole body tensed up, "Sorry." He looked away, turning his attention to the bickering Sasuke and Naruto. "Just a little mix-up, Sakura." He put on a fake smile, breaking up the boy's fight. "Let's go, shall we?"

"Alright! Shanaroo!"

"Dattebayo!"

Kotetsu and Izumo went to open the gates but stopped to exchange worrisome glances. "Someone just knocked from the other side of the gates. Which is weird because our list says that we shouldn't be expecting anybody." Izumo knit his eyebrows together. Kotetsu, who had been looking through a glass which allowed him to see the incomer, hastily urging Izumo to help him. "ANBU!" He had barked at his partner, "Bleeding! Dying, wounds, whatever! They need medical attention!" That had caught Kakashi's attention, he got ready to act as the guards opened up the gates, heaving on the rusted hinges. Yet he was not mentally prepared for what awaited on the other side of the grand doors.

There she stood. Uniform torn, stained and ripped up. The wakizashi sword that was strapped to her hip was blunt and scratched, the sheath dented. Skin scratched and bruised, wounds dripping with blood and gore. A long x shaped cut on the inner side of her left thigh. Gasping and choking for air, she started to wobble, blood dribbling down her limbs and stomach. The rain continued to fall, now hard and heavy; burning and searing the wounds of the lady. Yet she still managed to keep her face from wavering In an instant, Kakashi recognized who the woman was based on her cracked porcelain ANBU mask. (y/n).... "Sakura! Go alert the hospital. And you two boys, clear the way for Sakura so she can get there. Quickly!" Kakashi ordered them as he took the heavily wounded woman in his arms. Anger and fear coursed through Kakashi's veins as his heart thumped erratically. He could feel (y/n)'s body twitch in pain. "Izumo, go let Hokage-sama know that Ibara-hime has returned." Kakashi let out one last demand before zipping off to follow his kids.

"Kakashi..." (y/n) mumbled out his name, "Kakashi..." she shakily rose her hands up to gently cup his masked cheeks. "What is it?" He whispered, gently rubbing her skin through a torn patch of her ripped uniform. "Happy birthday, Hatake..." She softly breathed, her tight grip of Kakashi's chest loosened as her eyes dropped closed. Please don't die, (y/n)... I've waited all the fucking years. You aren't leaving me again. A tear formed in Kakashi's eye, flying off with the rain as he bolted towards the hospital. Stay with me a bit longer, will you?

"My sensei will be here any second with an ANBU woman in need of immediate medical attention!" Kakashi heard Sakura's voice quiver as he barged into the hospital. "I'm here, kids. Go to Gai-sensei and stay with him until I'm back." He quickly barked, flashing all of the nurses who flowed into the room a nervous look. "Please, help her. I'm begging you." He pleaded with the staff uncharacteristically. I need her to live. Need. "We do what we can, sir." One of the medic-nin nodded, putting (y/n)'s unconscious body onto the stretcher. If (y/n) lives, that would be the best birthday gift ever.

Kakashi jogged after the nurses and doctors, peering into the emergency clinic room through the window. "I'm sorry, Sir, but you won't be able to visit the lady until all the major injuries have been cleaned up and treated." A male nurse out his hand in his shoulder from behind. "But..! Okay..." Kakashi let out a sigh, "Isn't there any paperwork that needs to be filled out?"

The nurse shook his head, "The Hokage has come and is speaking to one of my colleagues about it. Don't worry about it. You won't have to take care of any of that." He tried to reassure the angsty shinobi, "The woman is part of the ANBU ranks, right? Her mask is of the uniform." Kakashi nodded his head, biting his lip inside of his mask, "Yeah...she is... but it's kinda complicated." The nurse raised his eyebrow but just shrugged. "Can I speak with the Hokage?" The Hatake requested. "Come this way," the other man sighed, leading him away.

Kakashi let out a deep and long sigh as he held (y/n)'s scraped hand in his gloved ones. He had been told by the same nurse from before that (y/n) was in a decent state to accept visitors, yet was still unconscious. He could tell that the nurse was hiding something from him, but he was too worried about (y/n) to give it a second thought. Hesitantly, he brought her hand to his masked lips, gently pressing them against the fabric. "Ya know, (y/n). After you left, I decided to give those goddamn books a try. And you're right, they are addictive. Thanks for the gift," Kakashi sadly chuckled before pausing for a moment.

"Those books, they helped me a lot. They helped me get through my days, just like you told me."

"They also helped me realize something. They helped me realize that I don't hate you. I don't want to hate, and I never should've."

"I've realized that I was such a dick to you at the beginning and that it was all my fault that our relationship became how it was. I regret it... So when you wake up again, I just want to start over again. Maybe not entirely, but just so that we can leave all the hate behind us. How does that sound?"

Kakashi stared at the sleeping (y/n), her chest heaving up and how slowly and rhythmically. It hurt him to see her like that, her skin swollen in the places of the stitches and anointed bruises. "Listen, (y/n). I'd never been able to tell this to you while you're conscious, so I might as well let it out now. I...I love you." Kakashi rightly shut his uncovered eye. "After feeling your loss, my dumbass self finally realized how much you are worth. After they pass on, you and the others were all I had left. But then you also left me, that hurt like hell." His tone started to break.

"Lord Hokage told me about the whole fake-death move, and I was relieved that you weren't gone for good. And then we lost contact, everybody assumed the mission had been finished, and your squad sacrificed your lives for it. I couldn't let the fact that you could be a dead sink in. It didn't feel right. Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai tried to get me out of another depression cycle. Kurenai even went to the lengths of quite literally slapping some sense into me." Kakashi played with a loose strand of (y/n)'s (h/c) hair.

The muscles of (y/n)'s hand twitched ever so slightly. Kakashi's drooping head snapped up; he'd almost fallen asleep in the chair. "(y/n)?" He murmured as her eyes started to flutter, "(y/n)?"

(y/n) chapped lip parted ever so slowly, taking a big breath of air, her (e/c) eyes squinting. "Hatake..?" She shakily managed to mumbled, her voice hoarse and dry. She tried to prop herself up on the bed, but Kakashi eased her back into her resting position. "Rest, (y/n), you're not ready to stress yourself yet." Kakashi to her, "I'll be back with a nurse and some water for you, alright?" (y/n) opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She simply looked down and nodded.

Moments later, Kakashi came back with the nurse and water. "Here," he carefully put the cup to her lip, gently tipping the cup, "Good." He turned to the nurse, who seemed to be scribbling something down from the little monitor to his clipboard. Kakashi's eyes followed the cord attached to it, to the long x shaped hash in (y/n)'s inner left thigh. What worried Kakashi was the anxious look on the nurse's face.

"(l/n)-san, your vitals are doing alright, but you'll have to stay here for a night or two just so that we can keep an eye on something's that may need monitoring." He curtly nodded his head, "Lord Hokage wished to speak to you. So, sir, that means you may have to leave."

Kakashi tried to reason with the other man, but (y/n) reached to weakly squeeze his thigh. "It's okay, Hatake. You can just drop by later." (y/n) tried to smile. "Fine," Kakashi grumbled, leaving the room and letting Hiruzen in.

After what seemed like an eternity, Hiruzen came back out. "How's (y/n)?" Kakashi asked him impatiently. The Hokage put his hand on Kakashi's shoulder as if trying to soothe him, "She'll be better soon. Don't worry, alright." The silver-haired shinobi let out a small grunt, "I know that she'll get better with time. But what about now?"

Kakashi knew that Hiruzen loved (y/n) almost like a daughter, he cared about her deeply. Hence the elaborate cover-ups to protect (y/n) and her squad on the unconventionally lengthy mission. The Hatake could see the sadness that had tried to be tucked away in the Sarutobi's eyes. "The main concern of the moment is the poison in the gash on her left thigh. The medic-nins have tried to extract as much of it as possible, and try to find something that will counteract the effects." The elderly man explained to him. "Did they find an antidote?" Kakashi questioned.

"That is where the problem lies," Hiruzen explained, "There is a certain medicinal herb that is used alongside a jutsu to nullify the effects, as the poison has traces of chakra. We have a few medics on hand who support the skill to perform the jutsu, but we don't have the plant. Even so, that won't be a permanent cure." Kakashi knit his eyebrows together, "How would it not be a perfect cure? Plus, since there are traces of chakra, could we possibly track down the person who created the poison and make them fess up on the cure?" He questioned.

"Great thinking, but..." Hiruzen groaned, "(y/n) said that they performed a self-destruction jutsu just after striking her. He probably thought that it would be in their best interest to take their secrets to the grave with them." Kakashi cursed under his breath, "Fuck... This is terrible."

Hiruzen nodded in agreement, "No duh."

Kakashi's head shot up, "Uh?!"

The elder man's eyes widened, "Did I use the term correctly?! I'm trying to pick up on the phrases the kids are using these days..."

Kakashi gritted his teeth, "Right idea of the meaning, I guess. But the context and timing...wasn't quite fit." Looking ever so slightly dejected, "Oh...alright." Smoothening out the wrinkles in his robe and putting in his cob pipe, "Kakashi, if you are going to stay here with (y/n), could you at least pick up some good food. The food in the hospital canteen is quite bland." Kakashi nodded his head and obliged, only to be stopped in his tracks by Hiruzen.

"Kakashi, I'd like to ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"What caused your change in actions towards (y/n) change so much?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've observed you two whilst you were in the ANBU together, and you never got along that well. And suddenly you act so attached to her, Kakashi. You don't need to answer. It's just that as your leader, I want to understand what is going on in the heads of some of my most trusted people." Hiruzen explained to Kakashi, puffing out a cloud of smoke from his cob pipe.

Kakashi frowned from behind his mask, trying to figure out how to explain his change of feelings in a professional manner. "I think that after I was given the impression that she was gone, I noticed that I cared about her. It made me realize that I was wrong to not see how much she meant in my life." He tried, his voice fading off into a whisper. Hiruzen smiled and nodded, "You really are something else, Kakashi."

Kakashi silently strolled over to Ichiraku's to grab some takeout. The paper lanterns lit the nearly empty streets of Konoha, creating a soft and soothing ambiance. The smell of the rain and moisture still clung to the air, the dirt roads had muddy dampness to them. "Yo! Kakashi, my eternal rival!" A boisterous and friendly voice greeted the said man. "Hey, Gai," Kakashi responded, he noticed his students sitting alongside each other and gave them a quick wave and smile. Naruto and Lee were arguing about who'd get Sakura. Sakura insisted that Sasuke would come around in her favor. Sasuke was quietly eating his food. And Neji and Tenten were discussing a new sword they saw in the windowsill of a weaponry shop.

"I'll take two eggplant miso soups with brown rice noodles," Kakashi leaned over the counter space between Lee and Naruto to order his meal, also effectively stopping the argument. "Thanks, Ayame," he thanked the daughter of Teuchi, owner of the quaint place. "No problem, Kakashi-san!" She chirped.

"Kakashi?" Gai raised his brushy brow, "Your kids told me about what happened this morning..." Kakashi sighed and pulled him aside so that they were at a comfortable distance, "It was (y/n)..." he told his best friend, "She's back and in the hospital because she's not in good health at the moment. I just came here to pick up a meal for her." Kakashi watched as Gai's jaw dropped, "(Y/N) IS ALIVE!" He exclaimed a touch too loud for his eternal rival's taste, "CAN I MEET HER?!" Tears of youthful joy waterfalled down the jumpsuit-clad man's cheeks. "I'll see if you can come tomorrow, alright Gai." Gai smiled broadly, "This is very...unusual. Youthful, nonetheless!" He grinned.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head and nodded, "I'm glad she's back..." he murmured barely loud enough for Gai to hear. Knowingly, Gai patted Kakashi's back. "Oh! Yeah! Happy birthday, my youthful rival!" He gently punched his comrade's shoulder. A smile formed on Kakashi's lips, "Thanks, Gai." He flashed his eccentric friend his signature close-eyed smile.

"I'll see you later."

"Bye, Kakashi! Have a good night!"

Knock knock, Kakashi rapt (y/n)'s door, "Can I come in?"

"Come in," (y/n) murmured, a small moan of pain escaping her lips, "Ouch..."

Kakashi quickly set the takeout on a little table, rushing to (y/n)'s side. He wrapped his arm tightly around her waist and helped her to the table. "I got us dinner because the food at the canteen isn't that good." He explained with a slight shrug. "Thanks, Hatake," a weak smile formed on her lips. The silvered-haired Jonin served them their meals. "Itadakimasu," they both mumbled.

Heavy tension filled the room as they ate in silence. (y/n) knew that Kakashi had his mask down, but didn't look up. "It's been a while..." Kakashi breathed, in hopes of hearing (y/n) speak, "Too long..." The kunoichi rested her forehead on her palm, "I- Yeah..." she mumbled, eyes growing classier by the second. So much for trying to start a conversation... Kakashi thought sadly as they resumed their meals without a word. The silence seemed to be killed him. Kami, it had been 10 goddamn years! 3650 days since he had gotten to talk to the woman. He missed her. Hell, he could even say that he missed all of their little spats. Hatake Kakashi missed everything about (y/n).

"I missed you..." was all Kakashi mumbled as he pushed his finished food away and pulled up his mask, "All these days, months, and years."

Hot tears slipped down (y/n)'s cheeks, forming a puddle on the table. "I-I came back be-because I didn't want-want to hurt you and the r-rest. Dying on passed down pain to the people who love you. I can't afford to c-carry the guilt of t-that." She mumbled shakily, "I promised to be back, a-and I held up the promise." Kakashi sadly smiled as he awkwardly reached under the table to gently caress (y/n)'s thigh.

"You care about others so much, but you should really take a moment to care about yourself, (y/n)." Kakashi scolded the injured kunoichi, "You had me scared for you; all those gashes and open wounds... You could've died," he knit his eyebrows together in worry. "Don't do that ever again."

(y/n)'s dull smile faltered as Kakashi spoke on, "Now you know how I felt when I saw you doing all those suicidal stunts back then on those missions. It was like you were in a hurry to die... I mean, I was too, but you did some seriously dumb shit," she giggled emptily. Kakashi sweat-dropped, "I see... I guess you are right..." (y/n) rolled her (e/c) eyes as the masked shinobi let out a drained sigh, "I'm always right, Hatake."

"Really, (l/n)? You've been through torturous pain, and you still act like a child." Kakashi groaned, "All these years..." (y/n) shot him a hard glare, "All these years and you still think you're in charge of me." He cast a confused look, "It's my duty to protect you, as a comrade." As a comrade... "I guess, but you're just annoying, Hatake," she huffed.

"I'm sorry about ruining your birthday with my arrival and stuff. I probably ruined your plans with those kids." (y/n) looked down, breaking the silence that had fallen upon them, "I could hear you guys through the gate; they seemed pumped about going out. I'm sorry, I didn't think about the flaws in my whole plan." Kakashi's head snapped up from its resting position on the table, "It's fine, they don't even know it's my birthday," he paused, "But you planned to come here? As in, today in particular. With all those injuries, (l/n), you should've just tried to take care of yourself. My birthday isn't as important as your health."

The (y/n) shook her head, "I was going to stay at a small village pretty far from here before finally coming home. I planned to just heal up there and see how things went from there. I even considered settling down there. But that just didn't feel right," (y/n) face set in a frown, "Once I realized that your birthday wasn't that far off, I decided that I couldn't stay and needed to come back. I doubted I would even live to be back. But here I am..." she said with a soft wince of pain. "It was terrible, I hated every second of it," Her (s/t) fingers made their way to the raw mark on her inner thigh, “I’d already lost so much; there was nothing for me to lose at that point.” Kakashi's face softened as he understood what she meant. (y/n) wasn't put in the mission alone, she had her team. They all must've been killed with time.

"Ouch!" (y/n) yelped as she let out a moan of pain, clenching the fabric of her hospital-issued pajama pants. “Shh..." Kakashi whispered into her ear, quickly leaning in to soothe her, "What's causing all this pain?" He asked with a frown as (y/n) bit her lip. "It's the thing in your thigh, right? Lord Hokage and the nurse told me a bit about it. But I still don't fully understand it and how it can't fully be cured."

(y/n) buried her face in her hands, "Oh..." She mumbled, "The poison can't de be removed because it's already been inside of me too long. And since it is laced with chakra, the properties of it aren't completely like normal poison." She blinked back the stinging agonizing tears in her eyes, "The herb that I need is just going to ease the effects in my body, whilst the jutsu will seal it from triggering anything that was layered in with the chakra." (y/n) explained. Kakashi could tell she was trying her hardest to keep her face straight, pushing back the pain and hurting inside. "The thing is–"

"What?" Kakashi asked the pained woman, his tone soft and soothing, "I can help if I know what's going on."

Warily, (y/n) agreed to speak on, "The place where the mission was stationed at was just underground of the nuke-nin outpost I was from. And the guy who poisonous me was one of the other kids' experiments were done on, along with me. He was a few years older than us, and his name was Hiroto Myoga. His parents were in owed debt to the rogues, they were forced into being test subjects until they died. Which left Hiroto in the nuke-nin's hands." She rubbed the temple of her head pushing away the images that sent a shiver down her spine, "Something similar had happened in the case of my parents and me. But unlike me, when the ANBU did the raid, Hiroto was snuck away just in time."

Kakashi's heart sank as he heard what she was telling him. (y/n) had never known much about her past, the damned curse seal had caused. “Since he was older than most of the other kids there, the nuke-nin's of the outpost decided that they needed to trust their information. It was all precautionary, just in case they were taken down. And that's just what happened. Hiroto was the one ordered to put memory restriction curse seals on us, the kids, before he fled to be underground, where the actual harm was being done. That meant that all this time Hiroto had been working in those old plans." (y/n) closed her eyes tightly, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

With a subtle groan, Kakashi supported (y/n) up from the chair and rested her in her cot. "Don't stress yourself, (y/n). You can just tell me later; it's getting late anyway." He told her. "It's fine, Hatake. Letting this out helps me feel better." She reassured him.

"The ANBU caught wind of suspicious activity in that area and decided to send out a squad to go check out. I overheard Danzō arguing with Lord Hokage about it, and got interested. It was really dumb, but I just wanted to go to learn more about what happened in my past. I learned, but that can with lots of twists and turns. 10 years of going undercover..." (y/n)'s (e/c) eyes met Kakashi's single uncovered black one, "It wasn't long before Hiroto became suspicious of us, slowly narrowing the group down till it was just me." (y/n) took a deep breath and continued, "After Hiroto killed himself in our final fight, my curse seal was lifted. That's how I suddenly was able to remember all of the past. All of it."

A pit formed in Kakashi's stomach as he watched (y/n) cry in silence. He wanted to help her feel better, he really did. But he was afraid that he'd make things worse; dealing with feelings just wasn't his thing. "I'm here for you, (l/n). We've been through so much together, you've helped me through it all," Kakashi tried to reassure her, "It's my turn to look after you. Please, just don't cry." He reached out his hand to brush a tear-off of her streaked cheeks.

“Are you okay with me staying here for the night?" Kakashi asked (y/n) as they sat at the bay window, looking down upon the empty moonlit streets of Konoha. The soft light cast down by the moon seemed to make everything look beautiful, serene, and at peace. "(l/n)?" He asked again, turning to look back at her. A gentle smile played on Kakashi's lips as he saw that she'd fallen asleep. (y/n) had been through so much throughout the day, she not only deserved to rest for a long time but also needed to. "Good night, (y/n)..." he carefully lifted the sleeping beauty and placed her on the cot. Sitting back at the bay seat, Kakashi took in a deep breath. "I love you."

She's finally back.

She's finally home.

[daybreakrising]

@fightingdreamcrs​ asked: five times kissed [izumo & kotetsu] from this meme

Under a cut bc these will all get long.

ONE

He wasn't in love with his best friend.

Sure, they had an incredibly close bond that, to him, seemed entirely different to other friendship pairings he witnessed amongst their peers. But that was just who they were. They'd been friends since they were kids, they'd grown up together, trained together, fought together. They were a team, both as shinobi and as people.

They were just friends.

Right?

Well, there was only one real way to find out. He wasn't shy. He wasn't scared. They'd laugh about it afterwards because nothing – nothing – could ruin their friendship. He was certain that there was nothing that would cause Izumo to hate him.

He was sat in their usual spot, a book in his hands, no doubt some means of training or study. He was always a hard worker, his Izumo. His Izumo. It didn't take him long to join him on the bench, pluck the book from his hands, and silence his protest with a kiss.

What he'd expected to happen was… well, nothing. That it would just feel like kissing his friend. Instead, he felt his heart skip in his chest and an unfamiliar fizzy warmth in the pit of his stomach. Uh oh.

Turns out, he was in love with his best friend.

TWO

"Don't drop your guard, Iz!" Kotetsu grinned, materialising at his friend's back and delivering a swift, sweeping kick, aiming to knock him off balance. He almost succeeded, too, but Izumo was too damned quick-thinking. An artful dodge, and he was poised to strike or defend a few paces away. Damnit.

They both charged at once, kunai and shuriken flashing, deflecting. It was nothing more than a distraction, intended to shift the focus of the mind, but neither of them would fall for that trick. They'd been sparring together for too many years – they could read each other's movements perfectly.

If they ended up facing each other in the upcoming final stage of the Chunin exams, it could very well be a long battle.

In the end, Izumo managed to get in a lucky – although almost certainly well-calculated – strike, and Kotetsu found himself on his back in the grass, pinned in place by his friend. Izumo smiled above him, pleased with his victory. Well, he couldn't have that.

He hooked a leg over one of Izumo's, managed to get a hand in the hair at the back of his neck, and leaned up to press their lips together. It worked like a charm. Thrown entirely by his unexpected action, Izumo loosened his grip enough for Kotetsu to promptly reverse their positions. Now he was the one grinning down at the loser.

For about thirty seconds, before hands clutched at his collar and dragged him in for another kiss.

THREE

It seemed like forever since the last time they'd had a decent break. It felt like it was just one thing after another with no give, no time to take a step back and piece yourself back together before the next disaster struck. Up until now, their breaks had been snatches of time scattered here and there, just enough to recover from injury or exhaustion, but not enough to truly relax and unwind.

Now, they had a week. A week. Of course, if a situation called for extra hands that would be cut short, but Kotetsu liked to think positive.

Content and full after the lunch they'd just shared together, Kotetsu slung his arm around Izumo's shoulders as they walked the streets of Konoha. He was already thinking of how they'd spend the rest of their day, running through the various possibilities and knowing that his ever-studious partner would likely want to do some reading along the way.

"Kotetsu…"

He turned to Izumo so swiftly the other man had no time to pull back to a safe distance, their noses bumping together with the close proximity of their faces. Kotetsu's lips lifted into a grin as the faintest hint of colour rose to his partner's cheeks.

He couldn't stop himself even if he wanted to. He pressed a kiss to each flushed cheek, and a final one to the tip of his nose. "Hm?" Izumo blinked at him once, twice, and then his eyes filled with warmth and a smile graced his features.

"…Nothing."

FOUR

Some days, sitting on the gates of Konoha was a wild ride, with plenty of excitement or activity to keep the mind from wandering. Others, it was a total drag. They'd seen off a couple of teams heading out on various missions, but beyond that, no one had come and gone and there was absolutely nothing happening.

Needless to say, Kotetsu was bored.

He paced behind the desk at the gate, restless, until Izumo shot him a glare, finally looking up from the clipboard he had been avidly studying for the past ten minutes. He stopped, instead dropping onto his chair with a deliberately drawn out whine.

"You should be focusing on the job, Kotetsu."

"Oh, come on, Iz, nothing's happening…" He rested a hand upon his partner's knee, smiling when Izumo didn't immediately brush him off. His fingertips traced idle patterns through the cloth of his trousers, and he caught the fleeting lift at the corner of Izumo's lips. "Hey, I know how we can pass a couple of minutes…"

The fact that Izumo didn't put up much resistance when he slid into his lap and drew him into a deep, lengthy kiss told Kotetsu that, despite all appearances, Izumo had been just as bored as he was.

FIVE

They packed up their gear in silence, nothing but the sound of tools clinking together and clasps being buckled filling the air around them. They were both avoiding talking about what lay ahead of them, but they would have to face it eventually.

Kotetsu set aside the pouch he'd been packing with a sigh. They had faced battle, war, before this, but he knew this was something else entirely. There was always the risk of death on any mission, but this time, the odds were highly stacked against them. There was every chance that one or both of them would not make it back to Konoha.

He glanced across to the man who had been at his side since childhood, the man who had helped him discover who he was, who had been his support through every bump in the road of life. He loved him. Loved him more than he could have ever thought it possible to love a single person. Izumo was his life, his partner, his friend, his other – and better – half. He knew if he lost him, it would destroy him.

His arms encircled Izumo's waist from behind, no words uttered as he simply held him tight, his face buried in the hair at the back of his neck. When Izumo turned in his arms to face him, when hands lifted to guide his head up, framed his face, Kotetsu sank into the kiss offered to him like a drowning man finally breathing air once again.

He poured every ounce of his love into that kiss, knowing it could be their last. If the worst should happen, his only solace had to be that Izumo would know just how much he meant to him before the end.

[crescentmoonrider]

@kakashiobitos i hope youre prepared. you asked for it so dont complain afterwards

but yeah lets talk about kakashi’s various coping mechanisms this will be fun

first one is obviously kid!kakashi’s total rejection of his own emotions following sakumo’s death (kakashi no) and therefore rejection of just anyone’s emotions especially obito’s (who is so emotional and kind and if faced with a choice between his team and the mission he would definitely choose the team and Die one way or another) (we’ll get back to his projection problem later bc this is a whole other issue he has) mixed with typical kakashi “this is a memento of my father” hatake hypocrisy

because if there is one thing kakashi cant do, ever, its letting go

dad died ? let me just bury all my emotions and pretend i manage to not feel stuff while also keeping a piece of my dad with me at all times

obito died ? and gave me his eye ? oh geez i guess im gonna have to fuCKING ABSORB HIS PERSONALITY AND BECOME THE ULTIMATE FRANKEN-NINJA oh and lets not forget about how he spent half his life in front of the memorial stone

im... actually kind of suprised i dont find any for rin but i guess a mangekyou kind of makes up for this wait nevermind i forgot about ANBU, obviously the best way to cope with someone’s death is trying to get yourself killed in S-class missions haha (he probably falls back into hand-washing in dire times i think tbh)

kakashi no

but seriously his absorption of obito (of his idea of obito) is. scary. and like, the way its handled in gaiden is. so g o o d kishimoto did not fuck around with the gaiden. he fucked around with a lot of things but not the gaiden but yumi we dont see kakashi absorbing obito’s personality in gaiden - no youre right we just see hiM COMPLETE HIS SIGNATURE JUTSU WITH OBITO’S EYE, PREFIGURATING THE WAY HES GOING TO ACT HIS WHOLE FUCKING L I F E

im fine this is fine

so about his projection issues - where do i fucKING START

i already mentioned sakumobito before, but let me just add that obito never gives up why does he never give up why did sakumo give up but not obito it makes kakashi so goddamn angry

but really no projection issues could ever prepare him to the absurdity that is Team 7. like. who thought it would be a good idea to put kakashi in there. making him an instructor is already a bad idea enough and now you put him with The Cold Genius, The Village Idiot, and The Sweet Girl With A Crush and ask him to keep it together and not fuck it up ? what is wrong with this village for real

(a good thing sakura doesnt actually look like rin that much aside from the crush and medic stuff - which only comes later, kakashi’s hell-brain thanks you)

oh god seeing sask try to kill sakura must have been so terrible for him oh god this is why you dont project yourself onto your students kakashi you never know when one of them might turn into an actual friend-killer

but the worst. the very worst of it all. is narutobito like. he idealises obito so much. and then projects all of it onto nard. “i will kill the current obito and protect the obito of the past” *picture of naruto there* Kakashi my boy this is. not healthy. for anyone (yes i remember this page by heart no im not going to look for it bc im lazy)

(seriously everyone projects their dead loved ones on naruto pls leave the boy alone holy shit how is he supposed to live with everyone’s impossible expectations thrown at him fuck)

also im sure the mask is probably A Thing(TM) because no one keeps the same look for 25 years (and also @ sakumo why is your 4yo son hiding his face he is 4 being a genius ninja doesnt explain everything)

(please let me talk about my headcanon for kakashi’s mask it physically hurts me and its all my friend’s fault)

anyway you wanted to talk about the ninja system ? lets talk about it. in bullet points after the cut bc its going to be Long

first of all this is the same village that let sask live in the compound where his whole family got slaughtered im like 100% sure no one took care of 5yo orphan kakashi who found his father’s dead body after weeks/months of hearing people badmouth said father

what could possibly go wrong

speaking of which why is a 5yo even allowed with weapons, im not even talking about the missions just giving a 5yo weapons is never a good idea

also the Rules are so. fucking. this is a 5yo child why does everyone think him killing his emotions is a good idea

not even talking about the Actual killing

what even happened between the time he passed genin and the time team minato was formed who took care of him was it minato was he working on his own instead of in a team

also chuunin at 6 ? really ? what about the Emotional Maturity(TM) kotetsu and izumo were talking about during shikamaru’s match that a 6yo does definitely Not have

like i get it was war-time but still what the fuck chuunin can lead teams why would you let a 6yo lead a team of people most likely older than him im like 100% sure they wouldnt like it

also a 11yo jounin like. ok. at this point i dont even know why i ask anymore

HE A CHILD KAREN HE SHOULD NOT BE FIGHTING A WAR AND KILLING PEOPLE DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF THE EMOTIONAL DAMAGE 

shit soldiers get so many complications from that and you put a child through the same stuff how do you expect him to be even remotely alright

also did anyone take the time to talk with him after obito and rin’s respective deaths

like im not even talking about therapy that im pretty sure doesnt exist in this world but like. did minato know about the nightmares/hand-washing/stuff ? or did he wait until kakashi was Ready To Talk ?

wait nevermind i keep forgetting about the ANBU what the fuck minato you know the child has problems with emotions and you put him thERE ??? minato why

sure let the child who feels guilty for all his friends’ deaths into the squad that does the most danagerous missions im sure this will go well

why would he try to kill himself (or get himself killed same thing really)

nothing can go wrong with this plan

There Is No War In Ba Sing Se

also how old was he ? 13 i think ?

‘dont let the children fight the kyuubi’ yeah sure minato because there are no children getting themselves almost killed on the regular none at all

like he Tried but. i guess when you grow up in a ninja system you have trouble finding the right ideas so. another point to the fucking up of kakashi indirectly this time

who even let kakashi instruct children

who even let kakashi-the-never-child-never-adult instruct children

no i mean seriously if you dont let a child have a childhood theres no way he can grow up correctly and become an Adult(TM)

did no one tell him absorbing the personality of his dead best friend isnt a good idea

gai is the only good thing in kakashi’s life and thats. Bad. gai is a lovely man but seriously why does kakashi have no one else

oh wait theyre all dead

sorry

is kakashi sent on missions underground too sometimes or do they actually have some sense

kakashi is the main reason i believe they dont know therapy in this world

probably dont even have meds

this is stupid mentally sound soldiers are more effective than completely fucked up ones

are there even some studies on the consequences of war ? shell shock anyone ? ptsd ?

the only guys who know some stuff about the human mind are I&T guys and thats not good

this post is already too long i cant talk about Obito AU here sorry