An Unknown World

Memories

Where am I?
What am I doing?
When did I get here?

I immediately threw myself at the nearest bush and purged the burning hot liquid from my stomach. The smell of bile and Sake filling my nostrils and making me want to vomit again. A hand rubbing the back of my shirt was the only thing stopping the waterfall from coming up again.

"Are you really going to let Gai out drink you, Kakashi?" Asuma's booming voice echoed in the air around me

I groaned, trying to piece together the blurry memories of the night before. Gai and Asuma had convinced me to join them for drinks after a mission. How many shots had I taken? How did I end up here, in a bush, feeling like I had been hit by a stampede of wild boars?

As the pounding headache intensified, I realized that I had no idea where "here" was. The last thing I remembered was the bar, loud laughter, and the clinking of glasses. Now, I was surrounded by trees and the chirping of birds.

Asuma helped me to my feet, his strong arm supporting me as I swayed unsteadily. "Come on, Kakashi, let's get you back to the village," he said, his voice tinged with amusement.

I groaned again, feeling the weight of my own embarrassment and the consequences of my poor decisions settling in. Where was I? What was I doing? And when did I get here? These questions echoed in my throbbing head, as I stumbled alongside Asuma, trying to make sense of the hazy memories and the unfamiliar surroundings.

As we walked, Asuma filled in some of the blanks, recounting how Gai had challenged me to a drinking contest, and my competitive nature had gotten the best of me. I winced at the memory of downing shot after shot, trying to keep up with the legendary Green Beast of Konoha.

The familiar sights and sounds of the village slowly came into view, bringing a sense of relief as I imagined just how comfortable my bed was and how the silence would soon take me into its loving arms.

Asuma's voice broke through my thoughts, bringing me back to the present. "You really outdid yourself last night, Kakashi. Looks like you'll be the talk of the village for a while," he chuckled, his tone a mix of amusement and concern.

I grimaced, knowing that my reputation as a skilled ninja was now overshadowed by my embarrassing display of drunkenness.

"You know Kakashiiii" Gai mused from the side opposite of Asuma. "You're beginning to worry us with your drinking. Maybe we just call it quits for awhile".

For Gai to call off what was surely a war against his rival meant he was worried. I brushed him off as usual about the situation, knowing good and well that this would not be the final hurrah in our drinking endevors.

"I just need sleep". I slurred out and shot him a look of 'do not continue your next thoughts out loud'.

The truth was that my drinking became an issue months prior to this escapade. Taking every chance I had to drink and wash away this deep aching feeling of loneliness and heart break that I had no idea why existed. It felt like I was missing a piece of me every morning when I woke up and no amount of missions or booze was curing that pain, but sake did a hell of a good job numbing it.

Asuma just raised an eyebrow and shook his head, choosing not to push further. I couldn't deny that these two were my best friends at this point. They took care of me during every drunken night, every bottle I drank pushing me slowly back onto their shoulders to carry me home in the early mornings and I with no recollection of the events always wondering what I was doing, where I was, and the biggest question...why?

As we reached my semi-new apartment I was taken inside and put to bed, having sold my childhood home to try and escape demons that hid around every corner taunting my very existence. It was a bitter sweet move to make, but in the end it was for the best.

The two men soon left as always to let me get through the day in my alcohol induced coma, weighed down by my emotions and unable to move from my pillow. The emptiness in my chest seemingly growing stronger as sobering thoughts entered my mind, no amount of sake able to fill the dark void.

As sleep took over I was once again haunted by dreams of a past that I couldn't quite remember and a future that was full of uncertainties. The only thing keeping me sane was the soft voice in the back of my head that would occasionally sweep through my dark thoughts and calm my soul and the sweet smell of cherry blossoms that would waft through the air and tickle my nose making me smile like a man in love. These things feeling like a distant memory that I held onto tightly for fear that they would disappear and leave me a complete shell of a man.

Time would heal me, just as it always had, but in what ways would I become damaged? The emotional scars that I would cause myself would surely become my own demise...my obsession with the past was constantly growing stronger and I had to let that feeling go or it would consume me.

So over the years I let it harden my heart, I allowed the pain I was feeling become a part of me to where nothing hurt anymore. I lost comrades, my mentor, my friends...every loss hit harder until I didn't feel the pain anymore and I was left with nothing more than being known as the carefree, laid back, and dangerous man that walked the village reading dirty books with no sense of time or responsibility to anyone but his village.

Until...

"Kakashi Hatake, you are going to be the Jonin leader of team seven. You will meet with your students in the morning". Lord Third Hokage announced to me and three other Jonin—Asuma, Gai, and Kurenai, in his office one fateful day. "Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno".