Ace

The Glimmer

The talk with Kakashi had weighed heavily on both Asuma's and Kurenai's minds. Not even sex had broken them free of the thoughts that ran rampant. They saw a side to Kakashi he usually kept hidden. The man always tried to shoulder the weight of the world all on his own. Taking everything as it had been his sole responsibility. It was what made him so distant when they were younger. He felt responsible for his father falling to suicide, for the death of Obito, then Rin, then Minato and Kushina. Nothing was innately his fault, but he bore the guilt. Ultimately there was nothing he could have done about any of it. He couldn't accept that though. Driving himself mad in the pursuit to reach perfection. To reach a level where he wouldn't fail again. All that effort, all the honing of his skills, and he felt he failed Naruto still despite that all. He did what he could, but it never seemed to be enough. Now with this, it was an attempt to put all the eggs into one single basket. That basket being the next generation.

It was true. No other generation had so much potential at once. His idea, the reasoning was all right. That was so much pressure though. He must have felt completely and totally incapable to request their help in fostering the future. Kakashi was feeling desperate. There was nothing good coming if it could make the strongest that they ever knew outside of two to reach desperation. All the factors at play, it was truly daunting. Facing total collapse. The end of Konoha as they knew it. He was right. There wouldn't be another chance to save the village from these dividing factions that would eventually feud for power. There was no guarantee another generation like this one would ever come again. If the village was to be saved, collapse to be stopped, this generation needed to become strong, and they needed to have bonds with one another. Only together could they succeed. Hands work in pairs...a King can't win on its own, nor a Queen. With all the divisions, it would take a unity to bring about success.

This did show growth on Kakashi's side. Even if born from desperation. That was the point of the Genin exam, wasn't it. Teamwork born from the desperation brought about by an insurmountable force. He was putting trust, dependence on them, his fellow classmates at one point, his fellow Jonin, his friends. Most importantly, in Naruto. He saw that the blonde would be the glue that binds this unity together if fostered properly. No longer was Kakashi operating alone. Bearing the weight of the world himself. He would bear it with his friends, and someone who he saw as a little brother. Without even going into total detail, it scared them, so to imagine the full scope of what Kakashi knew was utterly petrifying.

As Kurenai lay naked atop an equally naked Asuma, she frowned. "Do you think this will work?"

Asuma sighed, running his hands along her back. "We can only hope so, and work to do our best."

That hadn't made her feel better. Leaning her head back to look up at him, she still felt so unsure. "Asuma...this is beyond me. It's not what I signed up for."

"I know." He sighed, rolling to be on top of her. "But hope pushes us forward. Just as you are my light at the end of the tunnel, what brings me home every day. We wanted to guide the next generation, impart our knowledge. It's still the same thing. We are still doing what we planned to do. The stakes are larger sure, but Kurenai, I never doubted your ability to guide students. I still won't. Besides...if we don't even try, then we're sure to fail."

Kurenai bit her lip, nodding. "I'm worried about Kakashi."

Asuma smirked, kissing her. "Outside of my old man, there's no one I trust more than Kakashi. There's no one that could make me doubt them."

"You did once."

"Yeah, and I learned. It's because of that that I am so sure of them now." smiling, he kissed her again. "One day, we will get married and have that family. I promise."