Impossible to Forgive

Chapter 14: The Cup is Half Empty

"People don't change, Kakashi."

He closed the book that he was reading. "You're wrong about that. But, back to the situation at hand, you'd never come by simply for a friendly visit so what do you need?"

"Team 8's report has arrived."

Kakashi stiffened and shoved his book into his desk, "Did they find the hideout?"

"I don't know, the ANBU that they met up with put a seal on the scroll that only the Hokage can release. I don't know why Kotetsu delivered this to my office instead of yours..." I handed the scroll over the desk to Kakashi and walked around to stand behind him so that I could read it over his shoulder.

ANBU Mission Report 03130367

Hideout located, Team 8 returning after successful mission

More details upon arrival

"Well that was practically worthless." I sighed, "Why on earth did that ANBU have to give it such a powerful seal? This was kind of a let down."

Kakashi looked over at me in shock, "Well you're hard to please. They found out the location of the hideout and all you can do is complain about the seal on the scroll? This is great news; we found them."

I shrugged, "I was just hoping that it would contain things like coordinates at least. I mean, I never get my hopes up, but even so this was disappointing."

He sighed, "So you still insist on looking at the cup as being half empty, huh?"

"I don't know why people delude themselves into thinking that the cup is half full. The majority of an atom is empty space anyways so technically the cup is always ninety-nine point nine percent empty."

"Well now, isn't that a cheery way to look at the world if I've ever heard one."

"Wishful thinking and happy thoughts never got anyone anywhere before, and they aren't going to start now."

"Yes, well hating the world and everything in it doesn't do much either. Trust me, I'd know."

I grabbed the scroll of his desk and resealed it so that it could be stored, but I couldn't think of a comeback to Kakashi's words in time, damn it. "I really had better get back to work."

But, Kakashi's next words were so out-of-the-blue that I nearly fell over with shock. "You know, Kaiyo, there's a reason why it was so easy for you to avoid me all of these years: I was avoiding you as well."

"What?"

He stood and positioned himself in front of me so that I couldn't escape out the door, "Like I said, hating everything in the world gets you nowhere. I used to hate everything and everyone; the only thing that mattered to me was the mission. But even after that changed, I could never bring myself to seek you out to try and apologize because I was afraid. I was afraid that you'd still hate me, and I was afraid because it meant that I would have to face up to all of the mistakes in my past. But neither of us can hide any longer so it's time to move on. We've held onto this for twenty-five years longer than we should have, and I think it's time for it to end."

For once in my life, I was completely and utterly at a loss for words. "K-Kakashi?"

He stepped forward and gave me a hug, and I was too stunned to protest, "So I'd like to apologize right now for being a world-class asshole when I was younger. You have no idea how much I regret not attending my father's funeral, and how I regret the things that I said to you even more. I'm sorry, Kaiyo, I truly am."

I swallowed my pride, "I-I'm sorry as well for how I've treated you. Now let me go before I rip your arms off."

He stepped back and chuckled, "Of course."