[Closed] A Quiet Mind

[scarecrowboy]

Who: Kakashi Hatake & Kinoe (Tenzou/Yamato).
When: BGS 13, January.
Where: Konoha - One of Orochimaru's old labs.
What: Kakashi is introduced to his new ANBU team-mate and sent on a mission. The two find much more than they bargained for in the dusty remnants of the laboratory...

The day was a bright one; a faint breeze whistled through the trees surrounding the hidden village’s main gate and the sun winked far away in the distance setting the village in a comfortably warm glow. To Kakashi, the sun looked as if it were taunting him and he sighed with frustration in it's glare. If he hadn't been tacked to a two-man squad, he'd already be chasing it's shine well into the forest by now.

He knew sensei meant well giving him an opportunity for another team-mate, but still he couldn't shake the uneasy tightness in his stomach at the thought of taking someone under his wing; particularly if they were ex-ROOT. He didn't know much about ROOT as an organization other than it's existence, but then he supposed that no-one did apart from those in it's ranks. His peers had an automatic distrust of root's secretive ways, no matter how rude it might have seemed, and Kakashi was no different. However, Minato-sensei had entrusted Kakashi with this particular shinobi, putting his faith in his student to gauge the strangers abilities and usefulness, and however much Kakashi disliked the idea he refused to let his sensei - and his Hokage - down.

Tucked just outside the perimeter wall, out of sight and masked, Kakashi sighed again as weary boredom finally settling in his bones. A few more minutes and his partner would be late. He wondered, perhaps, if he was inept enough be dawdling around the gate in full ANBU uniform, having not spotted Kakashi deliberately waiting out of sight of civilians. He could see it now; an emotionless brick of a shinobi wrapped in pale armor sporting a polite attitude and an irritating competency, oblivious to tradition Kakashi thought was common sense. It made his skin prickle with annoyance to imagine and with that he twisted his head, peering around the great gate of the village to scan the courtyard for any signs of him.

Kinoe kept to the shadows of the back streets until he could skirt the perimeter of the village, making good time as he traveled to his rendezvous. The Hokage said that this was his chance to prove himself, that, given his young age, an ANBU Captain would oversee the mission and his performance would be evaluated. Considering his some five years in Root, Kinoe had been surprised by the extra precautions, but then, a certain level of distrust was healthy given the large number of applicants that had no doubt drifted in since Root’s disbandment. He shrugged it off, now wasn’t the time. He would think on that later, when he didn’t have a Captain to impress. Kinoe sprung from roof to boundary wall and dropped silently into the forest below, skimming through his element without so much as a rustled leaf and landing not two feet from the village gate. Masked and silent, he stepped out into the open, making himself known to whoever would be waiting.

Kakashi's ears pricked to the sound of approaching footsteps and turned ready to attack, straighten up or respectfully nod depending on who was making their way toward him. What he saw, however, took all notions of proper reaction from his mind and left him standing dazed and ultimately confused. The face guard caught his glance first, peeking out from the sides of the unique feline mask with its painted wide eyes, then the thin limbs and dull hair... Long since stifled memories pushed to the surface of his mind to supply the exact time and place he'd last seen this combination of unique features, and his eyes widened.

"You..." he balked, voice a mixture of disbelief and suspicion. There was no mistaking it. He was taller, less scrawny and his hair was longer... But this was definitely Kinoe.

Kinoe shifted onto his back foot at the accusatory tone and blinked at the taller figure in front of him. The silver hair, red accented hound mask, the voice, it could only be one person “...Kakashi-san?” His voice was quiet in the fading light, head cocked to the side in question. After all this time, he couldn’t quite believe that the one to test him was someone he had vowed never to remember the existence of. Kinoe couldn’t keep the shade of humor from his voice if he tried “It is good to see you.” and it was true.

Kakashi's hand rose to shift his mask into his hair, revealing his face - or, what little of his face he was able to reveal given that his dark cloth mask covered the lower half of his face, and one of his eyes was closed, shrouded by wisps of silver hair..
"Kinoe.." he confirmed, nodding mutely. "It's good to see you too." At least this was better than what he was expecting.

Kinoe responded in kind, removing his mask to flash the smallest of smiles, before he replaced it again. This was a mission after all and he needed to prove himself, not only to the Hokage but now Kakashi too. Mentally he checked off the full list of his gear and stepped closer to his Captain, posture expectant. “Shall we go, taichou?” Kinoe was eager to get under way, internal clock ticking off the hours they had until the would have to return and ready to take to the trees again.

Kakashi nodded, face already covered again by his hound mask and without another word he pushed off, jumping high into the trees and away. He didn't spare a backward glance for Kinoe as he moved; they were friends, of course, but Kakashi had never been the type to be lenient. Besides, he remembered Kinoe's unique skill set and abilities well. He didn't doubt for a moment that he'd catch up.

Kinoe jumped, caught the branch above him and swung up into the trees, chasing after Kakashi a breath later. He flitted between the shadows, gaining ground again until he was only a step behind his captain and kept pace as they traveled. Body on autopilot, Kinoe thought to the mission ahead; he had been a child the last time he had seen one of Orochimaru’s laboratories and the thought of going back filled him with an unexpected chill. No, he wouldn’t let that impact him, he was a shinobi now, not some defenseless experiment.

Kakashi knew better than to let himself get distracted as he moved, but somehow couldn't sway himself from thoughts of how Kinoe had grown. The last time they'd seen each other he'd been a defiant ball of turmoil and calm; uncertain where he belonged or who he was. He'd baffled Kakashi numerous times, but they'd parted on good terms, presumably never to see one another again. The fact that they'd been paired was coincidence, of course, but Kakashi couldn't help but wonder if this too good an opportunity to be chance.

In moments he turned a few degrees, skipping across branches till he let himself drop between the leaves and hit the ground with almost no sound at all. Before him, a large circular maw sat wide open in the ground; the entrance to Orochimaru's lab.

Kinoe landed beside Kakashi in a crouch, hair spilling forward over his shoulders and hands planted on the ground. Sharp eyes glanced around, surveying the area for visible hints of traps or other hazards but spied nothing out of the ordinary. he shifted back up to his feet, pacing warily toward to opening in the ground; it dropped away to darkness, light source long disrupted or snuffed out. Not in the habit of leaping to his death, Kinoe nudged a near by stone off the edge and counted the few seconds that passed before the sound of rock hitting rock echoed up to meet him..a short drop then. Sparing a glance and a shrug at Kakashi, he hopped up, dropping down and out of sight.

It was strange to see Kinoe with such long hair, especially given his position. He would have thought shorter hair would be more appropriate for his class and for the sake of ease, but the length didn't seem to irritate Kinoe in the slightest. He must have had a strong will, because just looking his hair sprawled and meandering made Kakashi want to tie it back and get it out of the way. He shook his head, dislodging the distracting thoughts just as Kinoe stepped forward and disappeared into the entrance of the lab. Kakashi followed and landed beside him a few moments later.

He looked around into the opening of a corridor leading to blackness. His hand blurred through a few seals to ignite the candle rungs dug into the walls before he looked to Kinoe.
"I suggest we avoid splitting up," he stated, removing his clay mask and attaching it to his hip to better squint through the dim light. "We don't want to get lost in a maze."

Kinoe followed suit, removing his mask and blinking into the murky light afforded by the torches. The tunnel smelt of damp and decay; tree roots having encroached long ago in the absence of any caretaker and idly he touched the crumbling masonry of the wall behind them, it clearly wasn’t long for this world. “Do we know what we’re looking for in particular, taichou? ‘anything of interest’ seems a little vague..” He stepped past Kakashi as he voiced the thought, cautiously approaching what appeared to be an internal door further down the tunnel.

“It does,” he agreed, unsheathing a kunai and brandishing it just in case. “But our intel is vague, so all we have to go on is ‘anything of interest’... Any information that will assist the leaf we are to take with us, and any traps or threats we are to disarm.” He followed at Kinoe’s back, sharingan active and trained on the door ahead of them.

Kinoe frowned at the answer but continued on down the tunnel. It was not their place to question a direct order and though he wasn’t exactly happy about where they were heading, he wouldn’t back out from the the mission either. The torches were weaker at this end and he struggled to make out the seam and hinges of a large entryway, but the paper tag sealing the doors shut was unmistakable. He glanced at Kakashi, head tilted in question.

“It’s still active?” There was a faint ebb of latent chakra, but it said little for the power that could still be trapped there.

Kakashi shrugged a shoulder, stepping around Kinoe. He raised his hands - “Release!” - and tore the paper from the door. Immediately he knew he’d made a mistake. The bright light came first, his eyes widened and he pushed himself back from the telltale hissing, calling Kinoe’s name to alert him to the danger. The explosion followed shortly after, and Kakashi felt a force hit his front as he was thrown bodily down the corridor they’d just walked down.

Kinoe reacted even before his name left Kakashi’s mouth, flinging himself away from the threat and taking the impact of the blast across his back. He skidded to a halt, landing on his stomach in an untidy sprawl of long hair and limbs and coughed into the eerie quiet the explosion had left behind. With a grunt, he pushed up onto his hands and knees and squinted back through the dust to glare accusingly at the rubble that had once been a door. “..I guess we should have expected that...Are you okay, taichou?”

Kakashi let his body fall from the small indent in the wall, coughing through the misty rubble to try to spot Kinoe and assess their situation. His words quietly stung because yes, they should have expected that - he should have expected that - but he brushed the thought off as he caught sight of long hair meandering across the floor.

“I’m fine,” he said quickly, dismissively. There was an ache at the base of his spine, but he supposed that’s what he got for throwing himself at walls. “Are you alright?” he asked as he made his way over, holding out a hand to help his teammate up.

Kinoe turned back in time to see Kakashi loom out of the unsettled dust and accepted the offered hand with a grateful quirk of his lips. “Unharmed and limbs accounted for.” he chirped while trying and failing to brush the dust and debris from his person. Finally he shrugged, giving it up as a lost cause and turned to continue on their way, paying particular attention to the walls and floor, prepared now for any other nasty surprises.

Kakashi nodded curtly after heaving Kinoe to his feet, quickly taking the offensive and stalking into the dust. The force had shattered some glass and destroyed a wall leading to an adjoining room, but other than that Kakashi saw no signs of serious damage or - more importantly - danger.

“I think it’s clear.” he announced, squinting through the slow settling haze to double check his claim.

Kinoe dropped back to allow Kakashi to take point, but still followed close behind. Beyond the rubble of the entrance, lay a typical lab set up; long benches and side boards dominated the space and another door, this one open, lead off to the left. He glanced around at the papers strewn about, any information they held, long bled away by damp and dirt and fought off a feeling of disappointment. This had been what he had feared coming down here? Kinoe scoffed mentally, he had been foolish thinking that any terrors of his faded past would be laying in wait and he peered into a shattered cabinet, thinly veiled relief plain on his face.

Kakashi progressed forward, past a few tables coated in a blanket of dust and over to a darkened bookcase that looked as though it were struggling to hold the few volumes on its shelves. He rummaged in his pouch for his torch, switching it on and holding it in his mouth as he flicked through it’s pages.

Kinoe rifled through the drawers and shelves of the cabinet, before moving on to the scant files and papers left on the middle benches and frowned when he found little of interest. He supposed it was to be expected, it would have been dangerous to leave too much evidence behind, but if Orochimaru had been so quick to leave human experiments behind before, surely the case could be the same here? Frustrated, Kinoe left the thought there, pushing away from the table and called out softly as he stepped closer to the other open doorway “..Anything?”

Kakashi had moved onto his third book and was fast growing tired of finding nothing to report. He scanned the room, unable to pick up anything of worth in his search, and turned to Kinoe.

“Nothing.” he almost grumbled. This was a practically a reconnaissance mission, there wasn’t a whole lot of action or excitement involved in typical circumstances, but Kakashi had at least hoped the Sannin would have given them a little something to chew on.. This was just boring. “What about you?”

Kinoe shook his head “Anything useful has either been destroyed or is beyond recognition now. Orochimaru may have left in a hurry but he was very thorough..” He trailed off and reached for his own flashlight, casting the beam into the gloom of the next room before cautiously stepping over the threshold. He cast a glance back at Kakashi and shrugged his shoulders “This room is empty, but there is another door at least.” Kinoe cast the light about, noticing nothing but more papers and a few broken chairs, but still approached the door cautiously.

“Anything of worth could be hidden or sealed,” Kakashi muttered into the gloom, following at Kinoe’s back and using their height advantage to see over his head. The worry was starting to settle in now; a cold chill at the back of his spine. If there was something here, there would be traps and he’d been prepared for that eventuality. What he hadn’t been prepared for was the almost medicinal tidiness of the place, the lack of the smell of damp and rot despite the lab standing undisturbed for years… If Orochimaru left in a hurry, why was this place so /neat/?

“These rooms could be dummies,” he mused quietly. “A false sense of security either to pull us into danger, or to the maze of the rooms themselves.” and with that, he turned to drag his kunai in an X across the door they’d just entered through. Just in case.

Kinoe hummed his agreement as he inspected the next door. It appeared safe enough and he cautiously tried the handle. Finding it locked, his hands flashed through a series of signs, before pressing his fore finger against the keyhole; the mokuton jutsu formed into the shape required and with a turn of his wrist, the lock gave way with a muffled click. He released the breath he'd been holding, watching as the wooden key shape reformed back into the regular shape of his finger and glanced back at Kakashi “It’s open, taichou..”

Turning back from his work, Kakashi was just in time to see Kinoe’s finger transform back into it’s original state before the other boy spoke. He was impressed. Before Tenzou's skills were constantly on the defensive, but now his talents seemed so much more.. defined.
A locked door was never good. A locked door meant there was something to hide, or something to be kept safe.

“Be on your guard,” he warned, holding his kunai aloft again as he resumed his position behind Kinoe.

Kinoe nodded and with a hand on his sword, pressed the handle down, standing tense as the door swung into the awaiting room. The attack or trap he’d been expecting didn’t come, but what he saw beyond the doorway made the blood run cold in his veins. The room was vast, suffused with a dim green light that emanated from seals and sigils engraved in the floor and dominated completely by several containment cylinders and still bubbling vats. At the sight, Kinoe’s breath caught in his throat, cold sweat breaking out across his face as he swallowed around the panic quickly swelling up inside of him. He’d been so very, very wrong earlier, this was exactly what he had feared coming down here.

Kakashi moved past Kinoe, striding into the faint green glow of the room with a curious but poised air about him. This was the kind of thing he was expecting; the tall cylinders, the shelves of countless jars and bottles, cabinets stacked with papers and scrolls and who knew what else. There was bound to be something in here to assist the leaf, and at any rate at least it explained the strange smell in the air.

“Kinoe,” he called. “Check out those tanks.” he ordered as he moved over to the nearest bundle of scrolls.

Large eyes darted from Kakashi’s retreating back, to the tanks lining the wall and Kinoe frantically willed himself to move. He was disobeying a direct order, but he was also struggling to breathe, let alone move further into the lab and found himself arrested by the very real fear of never being able to leave. It was a ludicrous thought, but he trembled under the weight of it and gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly his knuckles ached. Lord Danzo would be so disappointed… It was that thought alone that forced Kinoe to take a shuddering breath, releasing the death grip on his sword hilt and taking one faltering step after another into the room. No past, no present and no future; the tenants of Root repeating in his head and the only thing stopping him from retreating.

A few scrolls were still sealed, while some others proved useless with only vague scribbles of thought etched onto them. Kakashi bundled the sealed ones to the end of the desk, thinking he’d send Pakkun to ferry them back to the leaf later on. They might have been useless, but anything was worth a shot. He started on the next desk, one a little closer to one of the large vats, and the strange substance inside caught his eye as he approached.

“Any ideas what this stuff might be?” he called to Kinoe, who he could see through the vats’ contents.

Kinoe flinched at Kakashi’s question, knowing exactly what it was, even down to taste, texture, warmth and in a twisted burst of curiosity, he reached out a hand and placed it against the glass of the vat. Immediately, the heat of the liquid spread across his palm, turning his stomach, even as his voice trembled in reply “..It’s a suspension formula. Used to preserve whatever is contained within it..more dense than water, won’t rot living tissue o-or warp, ah..” Kinoe bit his tongue, eyes finally focused enough to see his captain through the glass; overlaid in green and surrounded by bubbles as if he were-.. just like-.. The calm he’d managed to claw back, crumbled to nothing at the sudden horrifying thought of Kakashi suspended amongst the others trapped in his memory. He stumbled back, landing against one of the colder containment cylinders and gasped lowly for breath.

Kakashi watched Kinoe closely as he spoke, brows set low to study his face. He’d been expecting a shrug, a pass, something noncommittal and nonchalant - not a genuine answer. He had agreed at the conclusion of his last mission with Kinoe to omit all details of a mokuton user, for a reason that made sense at the time. His curiosity had eventually gotten the better of him, however, and he found himself discussing the possibility of an existing mokuton user with his sensei, the appointed Fourth Hokage. Minato had told him all he could and as far as Kakashi could assume, Kinoe had been one of the few successful threads of a failed village-wide experiment… But here, in this place, surrounded by these symbols… Kinoe seemed tentative, agitated… Scared.

The stumble worried him. Kakashi pressed his hands flat to the glass, his face coming closer as he tried to look closer at his teammate.
“Kinoe,” he called, banging on the glass lightly when no response came. “Kinoe, are you alright?”

He looked on in horror as Kakashi’s face became more defined through the glow of the tank and at the echo of strikes against the glass, Kinoe covered his ears, blocking out the sound and shut his eyes tight. A part of him was outraged at the childish response, but the rest of him was so occupied with being desperate and panicked, it failed to hold much sway. He couldn’t think about it now, the mission, he had to focus, needed to pull himself together and not think about- Small hands banging on unwavering glass in a futile attempt to escape, gasping desperately for breath.. Please don’t die, please not another one, not here, not again- drowning in the memory, Kinoe sunk to the floor. He couldn’t watch that again, couldn’t let another person die there.

“Kinoe!” he called, louder this time. Was he in some kind of genjutsu? No, he was responsive. Was he sick? No, he was too professional to put the mission in danger so selfishly. “Kinoe, what is it?” He demanded, louder still, unable to quell his sudden frustration. He’s slowing me down. He knew what he was getting into he should have prepared, should have declined, should have- Kakashi huffed, annoyed with his own attitude. He was doing it again. Kinoe was helpless and Kakashi couldn’t see a way to assist him; the feeling of being completely useless as a captain seemed to drill into the base of his skull, making his blood boil. Yet instead of doing something about it, he chose instead to stand and shout. That was all it took. Kinoe began to fall to the ground and Kakashi propelled himself to the left, darting around the tank in a white flurry of movement. He was at Kinoe’s feet in moments, snapping fingers in front of his face and calling his name to bring him back.

He could feel someone near him, noise, his name, there had never been anything but the bubble of liquid and wait.. his name? Kinoe jerked away from the displacement of air near his face, dragged from the memories by the perceived threat and blinked owlishly up at Kakashi. Slowly, his hands dropped away from his ears, settling limply in his lap, as shame and confusion twisted his expression and forced him to look away. He couldn’t meet his captains eyes and instead sat, trembling and rendered useless by visions he had not been prepared for.

A thread of worry curled tight in Kakashi's stomach, searching Kinoe's expression for any sign of what might be wrong. He looked shell shocked; something he rarely saw, but something he had seen in a few shinobi that hadn't been cut out for ANBU. Then it hadn't mattered to him much, but this was different. He knew Kinoe was good enough for this, but something was beating him.
"What is it?" he asked again, more demanding this time.

Kinoe kept his eyes down, cowering under the intensity of Kakashi’s gaze and fought to find his voice, to explain himself.

“..F-forgive me, Kakashi-san..this place, I-” He trailed off, closing his eyes against a wave of nausea and hands clenching into fists. He had to explain himself somehow but the words lodged in his throat, choking him every time he reached for them and Kinoe silently cursed his own weakness. Kakashi’s knowledge of his past was limited, he was sure of it and his silence was endangering, not only the mission, but potentially his service in anbu too. With one last deep breath, Kinoe steeled himself and forged on “Orochimaru, he..conducted experiments. My mokuton, I-I was one of sixty children, test subjects to implant the first hokage’s cells..” He looked up then, brows drawn in pain and voice quiet “Only one survived, taichou..”

Kakashi’s eyebrow quirked as he quickly processed the words and gave a firm nod of understanding despite his surprise.

“That one was you…” he muttered, not a question but a confirmation.“Why did you accept the mission knowing that? Why didn’t you alert the Hokage to this? I understand that you are to accept all missions given to you, but this is a special case.”

At Kakashi’s words, Kinoe’s face twisted into a scowl, lips thin in his frustration and voice sharp.

“I am a shinobi and a former member of root, taichou and this is not the same laboratory. I had no reason to believe that I would be affected in this manner, I should be stronger, I should-” As he spoke, his eyes were drawn from Kakashi’s level gaze, to a place behind his captains shoulder where he watched the darkness behind the tank writhe. Kinoe cut himself off, eyes going wide and with a wordless yell, launched himself forward and tackled Kakashi to the floor. Above them, glass and cold steam exploded into shards; the squirming body of the biggest snake Kinoe had ever seen, hissed and recoiled from the hole its strike had made, preparing for another against their prone forms.

He didn’t have time to think before his back hit the ground and glass spilled around them; his body going stiff against the ache of impact. Immediately his sharingan opened once more, scanning the dark and quickly locking his sight on the writhe of slick, unnatural scales... A snake?... At least that cleared up why he hadn’t sensed the beast sooner - snakes don’t sweat, and therefore don’t have a scent. He rolled from under Kinoe, getting to his feet and brandishing his katana.

With Kakashi out of the way, Kinoe got to his feet, sword drawn and panting for breath. His previous panic had almost cost them their lives and with uncharacteristic anger, he stomped viciously on everything he had been feeling. He would not let another person die because of his weakness, not again and it was with that thought in mind that Kinoe darted in front of his captain. Chakra built in his left palm, forcing a mokuton spear towards the snakes open maw, while his right parried the lash of its tail; scale ringing off steel as his katana collided with the force of the blow.

Kakashi’s blade was poised to strike.

It was definitely a good thing that he’d opened his left eye, because if he hadn’t then Kinoe’s quick movement could have been a fatal one. He jerked his katana back, missing striking the boy’s shoulder full on but unsure if he could avoid contact with his skin entirely due to their close proximity. He hopped back, his stance flung wide.

The pulled strike slashed a cut across Kinoe’s exposed shoulder, but it in the flurry of his movements, it went unnoticed and his defense held against the creature. He slid back from the force of the parry, spear crushed easily in the creatures fangs and barely managed to dart back far enough to avoid being caught by it’s next strike. Tiling cracked under Kinoe’s feet; the snake recoiling from the place he had been only a moment before and spitting with animalistic fury at missing it’s targeted prey.

Kinoe moving back only forced Kakashi to shift his position further, and he swung to the side to get a good aim without putting the other in danger. It had been a stupid mistake that Kinoe had gotten into the range of his blade, but no doubt he’d keep his distance now; both of them had close to mid-range attacks, there was no reason for Kinoe to protect him. Just to make sure, he re-sheathed his katana, opting for a different method. His hand flew through a couple of signs, and a bright blue light erupted into his right palm, screaming through the din. The beast took notice of the noise, rounding on him as he raised the attack high, ready to strike.

Kinoe dropped to his knees as the snake rounded to his right and the metallic tang of static filled the air. The creature's large head struck down, impossibly fast for its size but a wall of interlocking planks was already snapping together to meet it. Free palm flat to the floor, Kinoe used the narrow space to their advantage and trapped the snake between the far wall and his jutsu, but didn’t account for the creatures speed. Instead of blocking it out, the wall caught under the creatures jaw, slamming it upwards against the ceiling, raining dust and debris down around them both.

Kakashi had intended to use the snake’s speed against it to strike under it’s jaw at the last minute - only the strike never came and once again he found himself reeling back. His arm flung away, his jutsu extinguishing almost as quickly as it had come; leaving him mostly unarmed with a halved chakra reserve. He frowned at Kinoe’s back. The first time he could write it off as an accident, but to get in the way a second time?
Once he was sure Kinoe had the creature pinned, Kakashi held his hands aloft, prepared to sign.

“Kinoe!” he called, voice authoritative and steady. “I can take care of this, let it come at me.”

He shot Kakashi an alarmed look and cast aside his katana, putting both hands behind the jutsu. The snake was pinned and as much as he hated ignoring a direct order, there was no way Kinoe was letting it go long enough to cause anymore damage. No, he wanted to end this now. Chakra surged through him, funneled directly into the mokuton wall and with a sickening crack, Kinoe forced it into the ceiling, severing the writhing creatures neck in one blow. The packed dirt and stone above them gave an ominous rumble; the head was falling, the mokuton wall retracted and with it came the crumbling arch of the roof above them.

Kinoe realised his mistake almost immediately , lashing out with his voice and mokuton ability “Kakashi-san!” and shoving the other shinobi from the path of tumbling rubble, with little thought for himself.

Kakashi lowered his hands a fraction as he realised his jutsu wouldn't be needed, and though he wasn't impressed with Kinoe's disobedience he couldn't deny that it had been an efficient method of disabling the threat. Before he could even think to give his team-mate praise, however, he felt the ground beneath his feet shudder from the ceiling downwards in an all too familiar sensation.

A cold weight dropped into his stomach as his eyes flew wide, scanning the space above them to see the canopy of dirt begin to crumble and pour downwards where the beast had impacted the beams holding it steady. He watched immobilized as the head fell, wood and muck spilling downwards- and then his view lurched as he was pushed aside, falling, his eyes screwing shut as a cloud of dust blossomed from a shuddering boom of impact.

He pushed himself up moments later, disorientated and confused, till he looked back at where he'd previously been standing.. The dust cleared to reveal a mess of muddy rocks and rubble piled up the side of the wall, the beheaded corpse of the snake interwoven between the fragments alongside splintered pieces of wood.
The cold weight got heavier, almost flooring him for a second as he span around, realizing Kinoe was nowhere to be seen.

..."Kakashi-san!"...

Kinoe had pushed him out of the way of the falling ceiling. Another friend had put themselves in in his place and saved his life for their own. The similarities were jarring. He felt sick.

He stumbled forward to drop onto his knees, batting and clawing his way through the debris, shoving at rocks with his palms. The desperation in his movements was visible, his breathing picking up as he dug his way downwards.

"Kinoe!"

Someone was calling his name, sounding panicked, but far off..muffled? Kinoe groaned, opening his eyes to ink black surroundings and the cedar tinged scent of his own chakra. Again the sound of his name and the clattering scrape of weight on wood, something heavy being displaced and- the ceiling!

The memory swam back into focus and Kinoe checked off his mental inventory; apart from a few scrapes, he was unharmed and the mokuton shield he had hastily summoned had persisted enough to keep him safe. It also sounded as if his Captain had survived any serious injury and he allowed himself the burst of joy and large grin that accompanied that thought; pushing up to his knees and fighting fatigue to shove away the rubble keeping him trapped as he did so. He maintained the pull of chakra long enough to forge an opening big enough for his slim frame to fit and emerged, coughing and dust covered, but very much alive, into the dim light of the lab.

He couldn't be- No, this couldn't happen, not again, please...

Kakashi tore through the rubble, his mind racing with images long since buried - a weak smile, a shaking hand, a bright gaze that faded by the second - and focusing was all he could do to keep himself from vomiting. When his hands hit formed wood he knew he was close, and within seconds he could hear movement from under it. Before he could even think of trying to break through, the planks warped and a small body emerged from them. For a moment he'd found himself expecting to see an orange collar, goggles, dark hair and scarlet eyes; so when Kinoe looked back at him with his ANBU uniform spattered with muck, faceplate framing his large, dark eyes, and his long hair ragged and messy over his shoulders... Kakashi didn't know what to think. What's more.. Kinoe was smiling.

He didn't think, all he could do was let his body move for him. He punched Kinoe square in the jaw.

Pain blossomed hot and sickly sweet under the force of the blow and Kinoe sprawled backwards against the rubble he’d just climbed out of. Completely caught off guard, he spat blood, peering dazedly up at Kakashi’s tense form and probed disbelievingly at his rapidly swelling jaw with a trembling hand.

“..K’kashi?”

The name slurred oddly in his mouth, but Kinoe was already tensing for another attack, wary of his Captain for the first time since their mission had started and senses rapidly overcoming the shock that had sent him back into the dirt.

Kakashi balled his fists against the hot throbbing heat prickling over his knuckles. He was livid, rage tinting his vision scarlet as he glared down at the frail little form looking up at him as if he didn't know what he'd done wrong. That only made him angrier.

He didn't have much time to rationalize, however, as a loud hissing broke the tense silence like a hammer. Kakashi immediately changed stance to attack, head whipping around to focus on the sound, and that was when he noticed the faint puce cloud tinting the air making its way toward them. Poison. He lunged, grabbing Kinoe's arm with a firm hand and yanking him to his feet to pelt toward the door.

"Mask. On." he ordered, hand at his own waist to unhook his own and place it over his face.

When Kakashi grabbed for him, Kinoe almost fought back, flinching into a visible block, before noticing the danger and allowing himself to be dragged to his feet. Once upright, he stumbled, momentum and his captains firm grip, the only thing keeping him upright and he responded to the command on simple reflex. They crossed the threshold of the lab in record time and Kinoe caught the door as they skidded past, jerking out of his captains hold to slam it closed behind them. A pulse of chakra was all it took to ensure the entryway was air tight; the wooden door expanding to seal completely under his command, before he slumped wearily against it’s surface.

Kakashi stood in the center of the room, watching closely as Kinoe sealed the door. He was efficient and professional, he had to admit that much, but he was definitely tactless. What did he think he was doing blundering around playing the hero? Especially for something like that. Kakashi could have moved this time - he would have moved - so there was no reason for Kinoe to be so overprotective; that was why he'd gotten in the way of Kakashi's blade earlier.

He resigned himself not to think about it, pushing his clay mask into his hair and folding his arms with a heavy sigh.

"Are you alright?"

Kinoe palmed his mask away, panting lightly and eying Kakashi warily at the question. What emotion had been behind the punch, he had no idea, but the confusion was dwarfed almost completely by his own relief and tentative pride at seeing them both safe from that awful place. He made a small show of licking the blood from his teeth, tongue probing for loose teeth and gentle humor clear in his voice.

“You ask that now? I think you did more damage than the cave in did, taichou.”

Kinoe fought off the smile that was threatening to break across his face, mouth twitching briefly upwards even as he tried to school his features, the bright pain in his jaw doing little to stop the childish reflex.

Kakashi's fists balled again as he eyed Kinoe closely. Seeing the blood at the other boys lips pulled at a particularly painful thread of guilt in his gut, but it was soon smothered by anger again as some dark part of his mind made him wonder if Kinoe had intended to make him feel bad.

In a quick movement he lurched, hands hooking the straps of Kinoe's ANBU vest and hauling the shorter boy up against the door. He narrowed his eyes, sharingan glinting in the dim flickering light of the torch brackets on the wall, as he regarded Kinoe closely.

"Don't ever do that again." he hissed, his typical quiet mumble turned vicious and dangerous.

Small hands caught at Kakashi’s wrists, mask clattering to the floor as Kinoe fought the older boys grip. His gaze dropped, not out of disrespect, but in response to the threat of the sharingan and he struggled, breathless from the impact and all positive feeling erased.

“What, save your life? Forgive me, Kakashi-san I’ll let you die next time and concentrate on saving myself.” It wouldn’t be the first time.. He grimaced at the thought, words sticking like ash in his mouth and temper flaring his chakra in a heated burst.

Kakashi snarled at that, slamming Kinoe’s shoulders back against the wood of the door to regain his attention. Kinoe had made a mistake looking away from him, Kakashi didn't see that action as anything but rude and faced with an action so insulting and this obvious impertinence was doing nothing to calm his temper. He felt Kinoe’s chakra pulse and instinctively tossed him aside, letting him drop with a harsh amount of force.

"If you had spent your time focusing on yourself instead of me, this wouldn't be an issue!"

Kinoe winced at the harsh treatment, letting out a pained grunt as he hit the ground and keeping his eyes lowered throughout. He levered up onto his arms, temper rising as he shifted to his feet, using the wall for support and risked a glance at Kakashi’s face to gauge the severity of his captains mood. His stance screamed threat, snarl visible even under the fabric mask obscuring his face; but it was the hurt that flashed across his dark eye that incited Kinoe’s own anger the most. He was the one being thrown about like a doll and it was Kakashi that felt betrayed!?

“The last time I checked, concern for a teammate was not forbidden, taichou. I was certain of my own safety, but not of yours and I had to be!”

His usually soft voice twisted with volume towards the end, hands clenching into fists as he pushed away from the wall, refusing to be cowed under the threat of Kakashi’s red and black stare.

"It's more important for you to have trust in your teammates, especially your captain!" Kakashi fumed, stalking closer to Kinoe like a predatory hunter. Every part of this conversation hit a little too close to home, close to places Kakashi hadn't wanted to return to, things he hadn't wanted to ever think about again. All he could see in his minds eye was his friend disappearing under a rock as it fell, over and over again, his nightmares resurfacing violently, making him sick.

Deep down he knew that Kakashi was talking sense, that later on, he will feel ashamed at his conduct from the moment he stepped into the lab; but the only images his mind provided, were 59 green lit faces, each one going dim and lifeless, one after the other and lost to the dark. He matched Kakashi step for step, crowding recklessly into his captains personal space, voice loud and full of emotion that he was struggling to control

“This place is cursed, taichou! I had to be sure, can’t you understand that?!”

Being challenged wasn't something he was used to due to the fact that under normal circumstances he rarely put himself in a situation to be challenged in the first place, so this level of insubordination was somewhat unsettling. He didn't let it sway him, though. He'd never had the patience for exchanges like this - arguments, yelling, butting one point of view against another - it was tiring and all too familiar.

"And by doing so you put yourself in danger!" He raised his hands to push Kinoe away from him, forcing him back into his place without the slightest regard for any injuries or discomfort he might have had. "The way you were acting was reckless and childish, can you understand that?"

The shove was the last straw. Kinoe barely conceded half a step backwards, before he barreled into Kakashi’s taller frame and slammed him against the wall, forearm forced to his throat.

“I don’t care, I couldn’t let another person die down here, Kakashi! Not again!”

His voice cracked, yell too loud in the small space and large eyes wet with sorrow. His gaze was locked with his captains, all self preservation and fear of the sharingan, burnt away in the wake of the guilt that was threatening to choke him completely.

Kakashi's mind wasn't processing anything other than his furious rage, even as he was knocked back and pinned. The awful concoction of frustration and guilt he'd locked away and held in for four years was finally bubbling to a peak, spilling over and pooling in his fists. Kinoe's arm was weak against his throat despite the power he pushed into it, and it didn't take much for Kakashi to raise a leg and knock Kinoe's knee backwards, driving him floor-ward. He hadn't even heard him speak, unable to shake the image of Obito ingrained into his retinas.

"You never care, you never think! All you do is act, you never think about what the consequences might be, you throw your life around like it's nothing, for people like me! You stubborn moron!!"

Gloved hands futilely grabbed at Kakashi’s armor, trying to maintain his footing, but Kinoe still crashed to one knee with a cry. His captains words made little sense but still forced their way deeper than any physical blow and he could no longer contain the sob that burned through his chest. Why couldn’t Kakashi understand? To see the light of another person go out down here.. He wouldn’t let it happen. Kinoe was stronger now and he’d be damned if he saw another tree added to that grove, watch another person lost to the darkness here because of his own failing. No. Never again and he’d done that, they were safe, so why this? What was he missing?

Kakashi dragged a hand through his hair as the other boy went quiet, trying to calm his thoughts once more and rationalize just as his training had taught him... but there was a hot fire burning in his veins and that same gross, heavy feeling of frustrated guilt was still swirling like a monsoon in his stomach. Somehow the fact that he'd gotten no answer only made it worse. He hadn't talked about this enough to accept silence, hadn't come to terms with it, hadn't gotten a hold on his feelings. He'd wanted to be hit back, to be fought and to fight and to scream and bite till nothing was left, till he felt better and the guilt was finally gone... But he also found himself wanting to run. From himself, from everything that had brought up the feelings he'd denied himself. He couldn't see, couldn't think, all he could do was screw his face up tight and tear away, pelting himself through the door leading back to the string of rooms and back to the main corridor.

Kinoe fell forward as Kakashi ripped away from his grip and he clumsily caught himself on his hands, narrowly missing face planting the cold surface of the wall. This was the last thing he’d expected. All that vitriol and fury, gone in an instant, without so much as an explanation? If that hadn’t twisted the kunai in his gut, the flagrant disregard for what remained of their mission had him completely incensed. How dare he turn tail and run after tearing Kinoe down for exactly that. Emotionally compromised? Oh he’d show him compromised all right.
He slapped the ground with his palm, anger and hurt twisting his chakra into gnarled coiling branches, that raced ahead and erupted from the dirt floor to block Kakashi’s path, flailing to grasp his captains retreating form.

“You coward!” Kinoe’s usually soft expression, twisted into an ugly snarl, the words spat out like poison into the half light of the room.

Kakashi ran - not looking for anything but air to breathe, space to think. His mind was a mess; in a state it hadn't been for years and the lack of collected calm and control he usually had was scaring him more than anything had for a long while. His chest felt tight, barely able to inhale deep enough to keep up the pace of his running. He saw the threads of bark chasing him and before he knew it there was a wall of brambles in his path, forcing him to skid to a halt.

The words came next, and Kakashi's confusion and fear surged from it's trough to a livid peak again. He rounded on Kinoe, eyes wide and blazing.

"What did you call me?" He hissed, trying with all his might to avoid letting himself think of it as true. "What the hell did you just say?"

He was at Kinoe's side again in a flash, bodily picking him up by one fist hooked in the front of his armor, other balled and poised at his side.

He expected the speed, the hold; Kakashi was, after all, feared by many for exactly those skills but it was the last emotion Kinoe felt as he was dragged to his feet again. Yes, he’d been reckless, he could see that now, letting the shock of memories and old hurts colour his actions; but his captains conduct since then had been verging on the cruel and he was no ones punching bag.

“You heard me, coward. Explain yourself!” The words were cutting, loud even to his own ears and his gaze never wavered for a second, challenge clear in dark eyes. It felt natural to lash out then, small hands coming to grasp Kakashi’s head and use his height advantage against him; the headbutt connected and Kinoe clenched his teeth against the impact, jarring his already sore jaw but caring little if it managed to knock some sense into his captain.

Kakashi had been expecting Kinoe to crumble at his captain demanding he repeat his disrespect in such a tone - Kinoe was pushing the mark with Kakashi’s patience as it was; first covering him like this was his first mission, then needlessly risking his own life in the most inconsiderate fashion, and now this? If Kinoe had been trying to make a good impression to his ANBU captain, he was doing a poor job.

The last thing Kakashi prepared for was the headbutt. It came with a clang, Kakashi’s bare forehead reverberating against the insignia on Kinoe’s faceguard and he reeled backwards from the other, dropping him a second time as his body went limp. He landed on his back with a groan, disturbing a small cloud of dust that made him cough while he pressed a hand to the site of impact, stemming a small trickle of blood. All his anger was gone, replaced solely by the distraction of pain.

Kinoe barely kept his footing, stumbling forward as Kakashi reeled back and hit the dirt. He was left panting, looming over his captains prone form and waiting for the next attack or rebuttal. When it failed to come, the fight bled from him completely and Kinoe was left feeling sore, sad and entirely disappointed in himself; he’d let every emotion possible get the better of him and compromised their mission beyond repair. Lord Danzo, the Hokage, Kakashi..none would find his conduct acceptable or worthy of a place in ANBU. That thought dropped through his stomach like a lead weight and Kinoe followed it down, sinking to the ground in a dejected slump of long hair and limbs.

Kakashi stayed sprawled on the ground, suddenly aware of every point on his body that ached, but all were overpowered by the pounding in his skull. Kinoe had made his brain rattle to the point that it was hard for Kakashi to even think for quite a while. Eventually, he let his hands fall to his side and, still panting, pushed himself up. The world righting itself made his vision swim and he hoped beyond hope that he wouldn’t throw up. Eventually, he cracked his good eye open in the midst of a wince to give Kinoe a once over. At least he looked calmer now; Kakashi didn’t think he’d be able to handle another blow now.

The trickle of blood ran down his eyebrows and along his nose, unhindered by his hands, and he grimaced as it met the fabric of his mask and made everything smell like iron.

As Kakashi sat up, Kinoe finally met his gaze and grimaced as he tracked the path of the blood down the others face. Though the attack had been a direct act of insubordination, he found himself struggling to regret what he had done; the ache in his jaw, warred with the relief of their safety and the sick feeling of doubt over his future, all of which played across his features. Finally Kinoe ducked his head, long hair curtaining either side of his face and let out a long, shuddering breath.

“I-I cant apologize for all of my actions, taichou.. But you were right. No matter my personal feelings, being reckless was inexcusable..”

Kakashi made a soft noise of agreement but found himself unable to say much else. He didn’t crave the apology because he knew full well he didn’t deserve it what with the way he’d acted. He rubbed gingerly at his closed left eye.

He tentatively let the last hour or so roll over in his head; begrudging his own actions to focus on Kinoe’s. The tanks and the test subjects who hadn’t survived had obviously bothered him much more than it first appeared. Kakashi suddenly felt incredibly selfish for brushing over Kinoe’s admission without realizing it’s significance. It was a big thing to share, especially for a ROOT member.

“I have the same things to apologize for…” They had both let their personal hang ups get to them at the expense of the mission, and as much as Kakashi didn’t want to admit it, he knew he was just as much to blame as Kinoe.

Kinoe nodded meekly, the words untangling a little of the tension that coursed through his frame, but his mind still buzzed with questions. Resting his weight forward on his hands, he considered the first of them carefully before letting it escape in quiet tones.

“..Accepted, taichou but, there is more to this isn’t there? At one point you were not talking to me, or at least, it did not feel that way..”

Kinoe kept his face tilted downward, shoulders hunched to disguise the hurt that flickered through him at the possibility of bearing the brunt of a punishment meant for another.

The tone of Kinoe’s voice hit Kakashi’s gut like a punch, winding him for a moment as guilt swirled in his head. He’d let himself go too far, digging masochistic claws into an old wound that should have healed over by now. It had been years, and the mere thought that he still wasn’t stable enough to be reminded of that day scared him.

“... I got caught up in a memory,” he muttered passively, then balled his fist at his own automatic reluctance to share. If Kinoe could be brave and divulge his weakness, so could Kakashi. “My team-mate. He tried to sacrifice himself for me.”

Kinoe sucked in a breath at the admission, pieces of the puzzle between them carefully slotting into place.

“My fear for you, mirrored his past actions..”

It wasn’t a question, merely a statement as his mind flooded with understanding at the root of Kakashi’s actions. It went a little further to easing that knot in his stomach and he kept his gaze trained on his hands, not wanting to intrude on his captains explanation further.

Kakashi bit back his lips into a firm line, nodding solemnly. He hadn’t talked about that day for so long, but there were thoughts and words hanging in the air and Kakashi knew he owed this to Kinoe, and to himself.

“It was my first mission as a jounin captain.” he started, the words starting slow but soon falling like water from his lips. “There was a cave in. I was hit, knocked out, I couldn’t move. He took my place...” Kakashi shut his eyes against the onslaught of painful flashes of memory.

Kinoe flinched at the words; even though he had not been privy to the details before, hearing this story now made him flush hotly with guilt. The similarities were glaringly obvious and he found himself wishing that Kakashi had not had to relive that moment, especially when it was due to Kinoe’s own failing. His tense posture deflated and he risked a glance up to take in his captains stricken expression before closing his eyes.

“In that then, we are the same...This whole mission has been a little too much like history repeating itself..”

The memory of panicked faces trapped behind glass, Kakashi’s included, flashed through his mind and Kinoe swallowed thickly, suppressing the onset of nausea and the burn of tears it brought with it.

He murmured a noise of agreement as he opened his eyes to stare absently at the floor.

“I wasn’t exactly kind to him up to that point. I was rude and demanding. I refused to appreciate him beyond his moronic exterior. I didn’t deserve to be saved by him, and then-” he pressed a hand over his left eye. “How could he do that for someone like me?”

Why me? It was a question that Kinoe had asked himself more times than he could count, rolling it around his head, almost to the point of madness. He understood that guilt and it had been something Lord Danzo had tempered, explaining that sacrifice for the greater good, could not be considered a waste; after all, he had lived, had become stronger and would continue to do so, if only to do that sacrifice justice. It was that thought alone that comforted Kinoe the most and he reached out a careful hand, telegraphing the movement so as not to startle his captain and took hold of his left wrist, pulling his hand from his face gently.

“..Because you would have done the same for him. Because one life saved, was better than two lost..Don’t do his sacrifice a disservice by questioning it, Taichou.. Just make the most of the gift you’ve been given.”

Kakashi looked up with tired eyes as Kinoe pulled his hand away, the weight of his story and of his own guilt finally showing on his face and in his posture. His sharingan was dull, and at the word 'gift' his shoulders sagged only further.

"He did more than just take my place.." he started, swallowing thickly, then pointed to his scarlet eye. "He gave me this. A gift. For becoming jounin."

Forgetting himself for a moment, Kinoe dropped Kakashi’s wrist; fingertips ghosted past silver stands enough that it revealed the glinting red of the sharingan, coupled with a discolored scar marring pale skin and he allowed himself a closer study of something only noted, respectfully, in passing. A sad smile touched his lips at the older boys expression, but not in pity, only quiet understanding. He had known of this gift, of course; Danzo had trained all of Root in combat against the various blood lines and the knowledge of Kakashi’s transplanted sharingan was no exception, though the tale as to how it had happened had been omitted as unnecessary. Hand still raised, Kinoe twitched his fingers back, mind catching up with his actions and an embarrassed flush touched his cheeks.

Kakashi gave Kinoe a long, careful stare. It was… strange, to be treated so carefully by another shinobi. It had been a while since Kakashi had let anyone in - even the friends he already had, he’d put behind a wall for what he thought was their own good, but ran at the expense of his own happiness. Kinoe had blundered over a boundary Kakashi didn’t let many cross, but somehow he couldn’t find it in himself to push him back now. Kinoe had always been constant, unwavering and understanding, even when he didn’t necessarily agree, and for that Kakashi was thankful.

He’d talked with Obito about this of course, but their talk had been muddled by grief and guilt and relief, and Kakashi couldn’t help but find himself slipping into darkness when he was left alone to mull his thoughts over.

“I tried to give it back to him.” he muttered suddenly, sighing and letting his shoulders collapse in with the sound. “To throw it back in his face. I selfishly told him I didn’t deserve it…”

Kinoe dropped his hand back to his knees, wide eyed gaze never faltering under Kakashi’s scrutiny and as his captains next words sunk in, he found himself unsurprised at the actions.

“..It was a gift at a large cost to your friend and almost, an even larger cost to you. So I don’t blame you, taichou but..” He paused briefly, gnawing on his lip and considered his next words carefully “..If you can trust a comrade with your life then, you should also be able to trust in their judgement. You were measured and not found wanting..whether you agree or not is irrelevant, the gift was theirs to give.” Kinoe swallowed hard before he voiced his next thought.
“As it is, Kakashi-san..Had I such a gift, in those circumstance..my choice would have been the same.”

Kakashi blinked at that.

Obito was reckless. Anyone who came into contact with the man knew that, and Kakashi had always thought the decision to sacrifice his life for the copy-nin to be a matter of quick thinking - or lack, thereof - in battle. Obito had told him that he wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he'd have let Kakashi die when he could have saved him, to which Kakashi had only selfishly reciprocated. Only he didn't have the chance to save him. Perhaps he was frustrated by being constantly indebted to the other? It was hard to tell.

To know Kinoe would do the same, though... Under normal circumstances, people risking their lives for him would earn them a smack in the mouth, just like the one Kakashi had delivered to Kinoe's jaw earlier. But now he curiously found himself anything but angry. He actually felt better. Kinoe's tactical prowess was unrivaled by anyone he'd met thus far, and if he saw self sacrifice for a team-mate as a viable tactic, it couldn't be recklessness.

The lessons Obito had taught him - to stop putting the mission before his friends, to stop being so selfish - had been pushed aside to make way for his own self-absorbed spiral into himself. That much was obvious as he tried to remember the last time he'd properly talked to the boy who was supposed to be one of his closest friends. He probably owed Obito an apology.

"Thank you..." Kakashi lifted his hand to rest on Kinoe's shoulder, and there was a deepness to his gaze that told Kinoe he was thanking him for much more than just the offer of a similar gift.

Kinoe blinked large eyes at his captain, taking in the hand on his shoulder, the tiny stresses that seemed to have eased away and couldn’t help the wide and genuine smile that spread across his face.
He clasped Kakashi forearm with a warm hand, squeezing briefly in return.
“There is a world of difference between a debt and a gift given freely, Kakashi-san. A lot was sacrificed for what we received, we should count ourselves blessed and make the most of them, hm?”

Kinoe’s own words curled warm in his chest and a flicker of sadness marred an otherwise happy expression, there and then gone in an instant. It was perhaps time he took his own words and those of his old mentor, truly to heart.

He nodded, a little smile of his own stretching the parameters of his mask, and gave Kinoe’s shoulder a squeeze of reciprocation.

He could always trust Kinoe to be honest, to not patronize him, and to never lie to save his feelings. It was reassuring, and under the other boys happy gaze he felt comfortable, even as he realised he shared that affection. That was when Kakashi noticed the dark swelling at the side of Kinoe’s face, and he frowned softly.
“I’m sorry,” he said, lifting a hand to touch and gauge the damage.

Kinoe hardly flinched under the touch and tilted his chin for better inspection.
“I would say we’re even, Kakashi-san…” He released the other boy’s forearm and motioned to the drying blood that had seeped into Kakashi’s mask, smile turning sheepish “..so as much as I appreciate it, I don’t think it’s necessary.” His words huffed into a small laugh towards to end, still a little incredulous as to how they found themselves here in the first place.

Kakashi turned Kinoe’s head to the side, then up. It was just a bruise, but it was a good one. He knew he had a dangerous punch, and being as close up as he had been hadn't exactly helped.

As it turned out he'd also managed to forget about the blood that had trickled and dried on his forehead, and as Kinoe drew attention to it, he raised his eyebrows, apparently surprised.
"I suppose we are.. " he nodded, voice sharing a shred of Kinoe’s laughter.

Kakashi’s agreement has him grinning, shoulders hunched in mirth and the relief of not being reprimanded. Kinoe relaxed afterwards, finally glancing round them as if he’d forgotten their surroundings and levered himself back up onto his feet. Both of them were dust covered and a little bloody, but it looked as if the door behind them had held its seal just fine and he blinked down owlishly at his captain, offering a hand to help him up.

“Where do we go from here, Taichou?”

"I don't see much point in continuing our investigation," Kakashi shrugged after he’d used Kinoe’s hand to wrench himself to his feet. "It's obvious that the room guarded by the snake was the main point of interest, and all it was hiding were the few vats and a couple of scrolls that could have been nothing..."

He felt a little bad for seeming to give up so easily, but Minato-sensei had told him that at most he was going up against a few traps and perhaps some limited intelligence. This had mostly been a test for Kinoe, after all, rather than a standard issue reconnaissance mission.

"Back to the leaf, then." he nodded, voice authoritative as ever, but this time there was a lilt of respect that hadn't been there before.

Kinoe nodded in agreement, confident that the sealed door would hold against anything else lurking around the lab, at least until a clean up team could be dispatched. A frown touched his lips at the mention of the village and the dread from earlier curled uneasily in his stomach. He’d assaulted his captain, lost his sword to the lab behind them and failed to mention the possibility of his compromised mental state on accepting the mission in the first place. All in all, his acceptance into ANBU looked pretty bleak.

Grasping his upper arm, Kinoe rubbed over the red swirl there self consciously and shot Kakashi a meek look.
“Yes.. I don’t suppose we will see much of each other after the debriefing. All things considered, It was good to work with you again, tai-, ah, Kakashi-san..”

Kakashi unhooked his canine mask from his belt, preparing to resume his persona as soon as they made their way out. He felt.. strange; almost like he should be careful now not to upset the balance for the feeling that this might be a very important time in his life. He couldn’t deny that he was thankful for this mission and thankful to Kinoe for being there. It was a stroke of luck that their paths had met again, especially when Kinoe had such an effect on him and such a strong understanding of his own determination and drive. He could remember an indignant young boy petulantly correcting him as he called him by his name, calling it wrong, naming himself 'Tenzou' by the story of a dilluded little girl.

Kakashi couldn't help but smile fondly. He rarely thought of the past in a positive light, but those memories washed over him like a cool breeze, and he let them willingly. He was so content, in fact, that when Kinoe spoke he could barely bring himself to frown.

"You obviously don't understand what team-mate means," Kakashi replied, his smile turning wry as he settled his hands on his hips. "I'm afraid you'll be seeing a lot of me in the future...Tenzou."

Tenzou..? Dark eyes went wide at the name that only one other person had ever called him. Hope and relief burnt through him as he met Kakashi’s steady gaze, searching for any sign of falsity; finding none, his frown melted into a shy and grateful smile.

“Ah.. My mistake, Kakashi-senpai.”

The honorific rolled off his tongue, easy and familiar and he stooped to reclaim his discarded mask, before stepping close to Kakashi’s side. Despite everything, he had proven himself worthy and he could think of no better way to repay the other Shinobi in kind. He would live up to that trust and to the name bestowed upon him so readily. After all, such a gift should not be wasted.

The smile disappeared behind painted porcelain and the name ‘Kinoe’ was left behind. Tenzou morphed into the enigmatic Lynx and feline features tilted into a respectful nod of his head.

“Lead the way, taichou.”