Soldier On || Part 1 ||-•-Yamato-🍃-Kakashi-• ||

Chapter 1

The sound of pages turning, the dragging of his pen along countless sheets, the smell of paper and dust that, unavoidably, gathered around the piles of books, reports and requests that kept amassing around him, summed up his days as a Hokage. A man in his early 30s, a genius ninja who survived two Shinobi wars, Kakashi was finding this particular job to be the most tiring yet.

Leaning forward slightly, he reached out a hand to rub his lower back. "Hm..." he moaned in discomfort and closed his fingers into a fist, pressing the knuckles against his spine. I'm getting old, he thought, closing his eyes as he began to rock the chair. The motion was somewhat soothing his pain, so in-spite of the warning squeaks the chair continue to give out, Kakashi didn't stop.

"Ahh... This feels goo–"

Before the Rokudaime could finish his sentence, the chair yelped a loud and final creak, snapping backwards, the headrest slamming against the curved window frame behind it. Kakashi didn't react, his right hand still locked between him and the back of the chair. He had always complaining that his desk didn't face the window, which stopped him from enjoying the view, but he was grateful for it now, as its position avoided an even more pathetic accident.

He found himself looking up, facing the night sky. So, it was that dark already, hm? Sighing quietly, he slowly moved his hand off his back and let his arms hang down the sides of the chair. The day was already gone by without him noticing, yet again. Kakashi had always been a man of action, so sitting around doing paperwork wasn't something he could get used to so easily. He had come to the conclusion this Hokage business didn't suit him even before he accepted the role, but that was what the village needed, and he complied.

The war was over, his Sharingan was gone, there were more ninjas now than missions to assign and most were transferred to help with the reconstruction of Konoha and other allied villages. There was no need for him to be doing anything else, but this.

"Still..." he said in a somber tone, closing his left eye out of habit. That was how he saw the world for almost 20 years, even if Obito's eye was no longer there, having his regular eyesight back didn't feel that regular. Nothing about his life now felt regular.

Before he could drown himself into an internal existentialist debate, Kakashi carefully stood up from the broken chair, making no attempt to access the damage. Instead, he stepped towards his desk and, with his foot, opened the bottom drawer. "There you are..." he said at the sight of the small dark-green covered book. Sure, his job was boring and brain numbing, but it did grant him opportunities missions didn't, such as free time alone with a book.

Due to the many days and nights spent in the Hokage office, especially when he was still acclimatising to his Rokudaime title, Kakashi used his newly found power to get a sofa and other comforting decor to populate the vastly empty space of that unnecessary large room. The sofa became particularly helpful in days like these, when he was so caught up with work that he forgot he had a home to go back to.

He piled a couple of cushions on one side, and laid down with his book. For a long time he'd held onto this copy. Naruto himself had given it to him, an early copy he got from his other sensei. Their world destabilised quite fast after that, and Kakashi–if he found time to read it–could never focus on it. This was Jiraya-sama's last work, it deserved some respect.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the book on its last chapter. Tonight would be the night he would finish Icha Icha Tactics.

+++

By the time Yamato reached Konoha, it was already very late. The lights were off in most homes, many he himself built after the destruction of the village. Those were things he took pride in, as simple as they were. He wondered, however, if people living in them remembered him at all.

Until he left the Anbu to take over Team 7 while his senpai was injured, the great majority of people had no idea he even existed, and deep down, he continued to feel as if he didn't and sometimes wished that also. The balance of war tipped in favour of their enemies because of him, because of the same power that was able to build homes in a second rather than weeks. If he hadn't existed...

Yamato halted. There was nothing to be gained from where is mind was trying to take him, besides, he still had work to do and a long journey back to Orochimaru's hideout the following morning. Pushing back his dark thoughts to deeper corners of his mind, the former Anbu continued towards his long abandon home.

As he walked along the main street, Yamato looked at the distant Academy building and noticed that a dimmed light seemed to still be on in the administrative section. Maybe someone was still in. That would definitely save him the trouble of coming round tomorrow when the offices would be busy.

Taking a detour, the Jōnin made his way to the Academy gates. They were still slightly open, which was a relief. Although locked doors couldn't stop him, breaking into anywhere wasn't a rule he was willing to break on a whim. He squeezed in and made his way up to the top floor. The building was so quiet that he began to think someone just didn't lock the gates and forgot the lights on. It was unlikely, but they were in a peaceful period right now... and Kakashi-senpai was Hokage, so who knew...

The idea of his senpai as the Rokudaime brought a little smile to his face. Because of his on-going mission of keeping tabs on Oroshimaru, Yamato hadn't been back to Konoha in a long while, and the last time, Kakashi-senpai had just stepped into his new role. It was amusing to see how uncomfortable he looked with the honorifics that accompanied the title, and even Yamato himself dropped a sama here and there as a joke. Kakashi-senpai's reaction was, for lack of better word, cute.

The war had just ended back then. In a couple of months, Tsunade-sama stepped down, Kakashi-senpai became Rokudaime, and Yamato was left with memories of this life he never lived, thanks to the dream world imposed upon him. He knew nothing about what happened, what they all went through. A feeling of detachment began to seed inside him, and he offered himself to follow Orochimaru. The furthest and unending mission. It kept him away from the village and the people in it.

Whenever Yamato came around, this growing angst would stir him away from the people he once knew. He tried not to ponder too much over it, but it was a combination of both hurt and guilt. So conversations were short, mission related, and excuses to promptly leave were urgent and vast. Tonight, it was perfect, even if Kakashi-senpai was in, it was too late for idle chat.

When he reached the Hokage's office door, Yamato raised a hand to knock, but instead, he opened the door slowly and as quietly as possible. If Kakashi-senpai was sleeping, he could just leave the scroll Orochimaru sent and leave without having to exchange a word. His decision to avoid the important people in his life cut him deep, but it had been so long, he didn't know how to look at them anymore.

"Excuse me..." he said in a hushed tone, "... I have a delivery." The Hokage chair was empty. So, they did forget the lights ona fter all, he thought, opening the door further, walking into the room.

"This place has changed," he looked around at the decor as he made it to the desk. The furniture didn't match and the room itself looked messy, even the shoes where left there, as if kicked off the Hokage's feet. "Senpai... you let this place go, you need a maid."

"The position is open, if you wanna take it."

Yamato gasped as his heart skipped a beat. He turned around to see a barefoot and maskless figure yawning by the door.

"Senpai!" Yamato said, his eyes widening in surprise. It had been almost a year since they laid eyes on each other, but it had been even longer since he had seen that man without his mask. It wasn't a sight Yamato had readied himself for, so further words failed him.

Kakashi raised a hand and smiled. "Yo, Tenzō."