Kakashi Hatake

The steam drifted lazily above the hidden hot spring deep in the woods. Kakashi let out a long breath as he sank deeper into the water, letting the heat work into muscle and bone still aching from the fight. Bruises pulsed under the surface - reminders that the Sound’s remnants hadn’t gone quietly.

A mission like that always left a weight in his head. Too many moving pieces, too much risk. And them. He should have kept them at arm’s length, but they’d proved he couldn’t. They’d kept up with him step for step, no hesitation, no fear. It irritated him - and intrigued him more than he wanted to admit.

He pushed a hand through his wet hair, tugged the mask from his face, and tossed it carelessly onto a dry rock by the pool’s edge. He almost never did that, even when alone. But tonight, alone felt safer than dragging the mask back over his mouth.

His shoulders slumped a fraction more. He let his eye drift shut and tried not to think about anything - especially them. But that never lasted long. His thoughts kept circling back: how they’d looked fighting by his side, reckless but sharp, reading him perfectly without a word spoken. No wasted movement. No wasted trust.

Damn troublemaker. He shouldn’t wonder how they’d look if they saw him like this - maskless, unguarded, human for once. He shouldn’t care at all.

A soft rustle pulled him from his thoughts - quiet, but not quite hidden. Not a wild animal. Not a threat. He knew that step by now. Intentional.

His right eye snapped open, the left kept closed as usual out of habit, and a faint grin tugged at his exposed mouth. He didn’t bother to shift or cover up. He just leaned back against the stone, lazy as a sunning cat, and let the heat ease into the last knots in his back.

Another faint step in the brush. Closer. Definitely on purpose. Without opening both eyes, he spoke - voice low and easy, just rough enough to betray how tired he really was.

“Don’t just hover there.” His grin widened slightly, teeth flashing. “I’ll be done in a moment…” His tone dropped, amused but edged with something warmer, something that made it more an invitation than a dismissal.

“…unless you feel like joining me.”

He tilted his head back, eyelid drooping halfway again. No mask, no polite distance, no walls. Just him - openly curious how bold they’d be with nothing between them but steam and water.

Alright, he thought as the leaves rustled closer, show me exactly what kind of shinobi you really are.