A Couple MORE Steps Back (Sequel)

Chapter 1

Kakashi scooted towards the edge of his bed. His chunin self would hop up and get ready for the day with efficient gusto, right? He wasn't planning on being that big of an asshole, of course. Where was the fun in that? Obito would never fall for him if he continued to be a jerk. He had to somehow shift his focus from Rin to himself, and that meant channeling every inch of charismatic charm he'd managed to build up over the years. He already knew Obito wasn't completely straight, so there was no reason to worry about that. Even so, Kakashi was willing to cross dress if needed. 

He hopped off his bed. Only his legs were not nearly as long as he remembered, so instead of standing up like he expected, he simply flopped forward. Face first, right smack into the floor. Like a fish that had flopped out of the water and straight onto land. Kurama immediately began to howl with laughter, and Kakashi sighed. So much for having literally any motivation to do anything. Whatever small ounce of will he'd had before was now gone. He just wanted to lay here and take a nap. He deserved a nap, right? He hadn't gotten a single chance to breathe since Naruto became his student. 

Curling up into a ball, Kakashi wasn't even surprised that the floor was more comfortable than his bed. 

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Minato was becoming increasingly antsier as the minutes ticked by. Rin was too, fidgeting with her fingers and holding back the urge to once again ask if he was sure Kakashi was fine. Minato wasn't sure he'd be able to answer that question as confidently as he had an hour ago. Kakashi being a few minutes late one day hadn't seemed totally out of the realm of possibility. But now it had been more than sixty, and he could feel his own panic beginning to grow and twist into something frantic in his chest. This had never once happened. Kakashi'd been just fine yesterday, and the day prior, and the day before that, and so on! Kakashi was absolutely anal about the rules. He was the most punctual child Minato had ever met in his entire life. Him being this late... it was unspeakable.

Kakashi was always here fifteen minutes early. Minato had clearly been disillusioning himself when he told Rin it was fine he wasn't here five minutes after their set meeting time. It clearly was not fine in the least! Where was he? Minato had checked the entire training grounds and the ones next to it and he was nowhere to be found. It was astonishing to realize, but Kakashi wasn't here. He wasn't here! He was late. It couldn't possibly be his own fault, however. Something must've happened. He had to be hurt, or ill, or worse!

Rin kept her eyes peeled and her ears open, listening for any indication that Kakashi was coming. Even in the academy Kakashi had been early. He'd die before being late to anything-- especially if Minato-sensei was the one requesting them. He looked up to the man more than anyone else in the village! It made sense. After Kakashi's dad had died, Minato-sensei had taken up taking care of the boy and training him. It made total sense that Kakashi would idolize him! That's why it was so utterly concerning that he wasn't here. After over an hour, there wasn't a single sign of him! Rin was going to pass out from concern alone at this rate.

Before she could open her mouth and ask if they should go check on him, a rustle to her left caught her attention. She and Minato both whipped towards the bush with wide, hopeful eyes. The anticipation was so thick Rin was almost drowning in it. She swallowed heavily as the noise got closer. The bush gave another few shakes before a figure stumbled out. Rin felt herself deflate, but it wasn't in relief. The brunette tried not to let her disappointment show too plainly on her face. 

"Sorry I'm late!" Obito yelped, brushing a few leaves off his jacket sleeves. He looked up at them, grinning in a sheepish manner just as he did every morning. "You see, I ran into this little old lady who-- hey, where's Bakashi?" 

Minato looked like he was going to shrivel up like a moldy grape at the question. Rin wouldn't be all that surprised if he started crying. She was about to. She could only imagine what horrible thing must've happened to keep him from showing up, or at least letting them know that he wouldn't be here. Minato stared helplessly at Obito, who stared confusedly back. Rin and Minato-sensei were gazing at him like they were upset he'd even bothered to show up, and that masked prick was nowhere in sight. 

"He uh... H-He isn't here yet." Rin admitted. Obito blinked at her as though he didn't quite understand, processing her words at a snail's pace. Minato let out a groan, scrubbing at his face with his hands. He couldn't just sit here and hope he showed up. He had to go check on him. This was too unlike him! 

Obito's first instinct was to perhaps make fun of him. How could Bakashi scold him about being late all the time if he was going to be a hypocrite? He swallowed the scathing remark before it could spill out, his own begrudging worry bubbling up. He didn't like the guy much, but they were teammates, and this was... it wasn't like him. He was always on time! No, it went beyond that! He was always early, sometimes even by a whole half hour. Obito had no idea how he did it, but the fact that he wasn't here couldn't be pure negligence alone on his part. Something could've happened to him. The notion of something happening to the 'all powerful Kakashi Hatake' seemed absurd, but weirder things had happened. 

"I'm going to go check on him." Minato decided, nodding to himself. He took a deep breath to steady himself. He looked to his other two students. The pair looked to him with alarm, waiting for his orders. "You two stay here and wait for me. I'll be right back, okay? Keep working on your water walking while I'm gone."

The pair nodded. If there was ever a time not to protest, it was probably now. The stress lining their sensei's shoulders was telling enough of that. Minato let out a slow breath at their easy compliance, shooting a reassuring smile before he was vanishing in a blur of yellow. All of them had Hirashin seals outside of their homes, and Kakashi was no exception to this. The pair watched their sensei vanish, sharing a bit of a concerned look. Rin was notably more worked up than Obito was. That being said, Obito hadn't had to sit here in suspense waiting to see if Kakashi would show up either. And he didn't... well, he didn't have a crush on Kakashi like Rin did. The mere thought was enough to make her cheeks heat.

Minato was at Kakashi's in record time. He was immediately able to feel his student's chakra inside. It was a dose of cold relief that allowed him to breathe for just a moment. He was here. He wasn't missing, and though he could still be hurt, he at least wasn't dead. His chakra signature felt just as strong as it ever had. Minato shook his hands out to try and dispel his shakiness a bit. Maybe he'd accidentally slept in? His alarm could've come unplugged, or he could be sick. There were several very simple explanations for his absence. Minato jumping to conclusions was going to get him nowhere fast. 

He took a deep breath, raising his fist and knocking firmly on his student's door. He waited for a moment, listening closely for any signs of movement. He swallowed. Nothing. Not a single sound was coming from behind this door. No acknowledgement of him knocking. Minato's hand twitched slightly. He gnawed at the inside of his cheek anxiously. He had a key to Kakashi's apartment for emergencies only. The fact that the masked boy gave it to him so willingly was a huge, huge sign of trust. Minato didn't want to break that. Was this situation dire enough?

He knocked again, this time even louder than before. There was a muffled groan from somewhere beyond the door, sounding somewhat pained, or maybe exhausted. Minato's heart seized. 

He didn't even need the key. His foot was more than enough to get the door open.