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Tenzo gasped for air, shocked by the blast radius of the jutsu the enemy had unleashed. They were deep within Wind country, fighting against a relatively unknown shinobi.
Shit. Tenzo had no idea where Kakashi was, or if he had gotten caught up in that jutsu. He forced himself to his feet, blinking as debris still flew around his face. He couldn't see more than two feet ahead of him, the dusty terrain making an inopportune place to fight against someone who favored explosives.
Still, Tenzo trudged on, listening for his captain as best he could.
"Chidori!" He heard the familiar shout of Kakashi, right before the loud chirping noises he had come to recognize anywhere.
Something else was shouted out, in the voice of the female enemy they had been fighting against, but it was in a language Tenzo didn't understand. He raced in the direction of their voices, stopping immediately when he left the dust cloud and was able to see again.
Kakashi had his hand through the woman's chest, but his eyes were opened wide in shock as purple chakra forged a connection between her fingertips and his body.
Panic gripped Tenzo, and he sprinted forward, his voice calling out for his captain before he could stop it. "Senpai!"
The enemy's body went limp, but Tenzo couldn't relax. Not when Kakashi was glowing and patting himself down in raw panic. He didn't understand what was happening either .
There was one final moment, when their eyes locked, that Tenzo was certain Kakashi was done for.
There was a large puff of smoke, similar to the release of Kakashi's shadow clone technique, and Tenzo huffed a sigh of relief.
It was just a clone.
Tenzo looked around for the real Kakashi, frowning when his captain still didn't reveal himself. "Kakashi?" He called out, starting to worry once again.
"Tenzo?" A small voice called out, gripped with obvious fear. He turned back to where their enemy lay dead, watching as the smoke dissipated to reveal Kakashi.
The only problem… was that Kakashi was very small . Tenzo moved to the area, his jaw dropped as he walked up to Kakashi.
"Tenzo? Why the hell does everything look so weird?" The tiny voice asked, before his left eye opened to find the sharingan missing. Small hands reached up to the eye instantly, frantically searching for the gift that Tenzo knew had come from an old teammate.
"What the fuck." Kakashi cursed, and Tenzo suddenly found it very hard not to laugh when it came from someone who was 3 feet tall and looked to be around four years old.
"Why am I so young?" Kakashi asked, looking down at himself worriedly. His gray eyes shot up to meet Tenzo's. "Why haven't you said anything?"
"I… I don't understand." Tenzo replied blankly. "You… you're just a kid."
"Just a kid?" Kakashi said with some attitude. "I'm still your captain, Tenzo."
Tenzo rolled his eyes. "I know that, Senpai. How do we fix this?"
Kakashi huffed, crossing his arms indignantly. Tenzo was grateful that his mask wasn't shattered in the blast, so his smile was hidden from Kakashi.
"We need to get back to Konoha. Tsunade will know what to do." Kakashi spoke with authority, even in such a tiny body. "Let's go."
Tenzo didn't hesitate to take off towards the trees, knowing Kakashi would move in tandem with him. Only… he wasn't. Tenzo stopped quickly, looking back to see that Kakashi was way slower as a small child then he was as an adult. They probably should have predicted that.
"Senpai… this isn't going to work." Tenzo commented dryly, watching as Kakashi finally made it to the same tree as him.
"We'll just have to move slower." Kakashi answered stubbornly. Tenzo rolled his eyes. Of course the captain would never shame himself by being carried home… even though Tenzo had carried him a million times while the man was unconscious.
Tenzo reached down quickly, snagging the boy by the waist. He wouldn't throw him over his shoulder, as much as he wanted to. Regardless of how much shit he gave Tenzo, he still respected the man. Which was why he felt a slight sting of shame as Kakashi kicked, struggled, and yelped in frustration when he pulled him to his chest.
"Tenzo! What the hell? Put me down. " Kakashi growled angrily.
Tenzo couldn't help the small chuckle that formed in his throat. He cut it off as quickly as possible. "Captain, I'm sorry about this. But we don't know what the situation is with this jutsu, or how long it will be reversible. We need to try to make it as far as possible before we have to make camp." Tenzo tried to appease him, hoping that Kakashi would understand the position he was in. He took off through the trees, and Kakashi quickly latched onto his armor.
After five hours of running, Kakashi spoke again. He had been giving Tenzo the silent treatment the entire time. "Tenzo, we need to stop. These small arms won't be able to hold on much longer. I think I need to eat."
Tenzo nodded, dropping down from the trees swiftly with Kakashi still in his arms. The captain pushed off of his armor violently, launching himself away and landing gracefully on small feet. Tenzo had never seen the outfit he was wearing before. He was wearing shorts, a long sleeved black shirt, and a green scarf. Infuriatingly enough, he was still wearing the mask. Albeit a very small mask.
Tenzo dug a ration bar out of his pack, pausing before holding it out for his expectant captain. He took off his porcelain cat mask, smirking down at him. "What do we say?" Tenzo asked, teasing his captain as if he were actually a child.
Kakashi growled , a feral sounding noise Tenzo had never heard him make. "Just give it here, Tenzo!"
He was clearly frustrated with being so small, but Tenzo couldn't help getting some form of payback for the merciless teasing he endured from his senpai. "Come on, Kakashi. Just say it." He said with a smile.
Kakashi glared at him, jumping up to reach the food. Tenzo avoided him easily, holding the bar just out of his reach with a small laugh. If he hadn't been watching closely, he might have missed the tiny eye-smile that flickered over Kakashi's face, before promptly disappearing.
All the watching in the world didn't prepare him for the chakra enhanced kick to his kneecap.
Tenzo went down with a pained grunt, and hardly noticed when the ration bar was ripped from his hand. "Ow! You little shit!" He called out, having a hard time containing his laughter. Kakashi was ten feet away from him, huddled down and facing away as he quickly inhaled the ration bar.
Once the food was gone, Kakashi walked back over, watching as Tenzo remained on the ground wallowing in his defeat.
"I may be little, kohai, but that just means it will be so embarrassing when I kick your ass ." Kakashi announced happily. Tenzo chuckled, rolling to his feet gracefully, grabbing Kakashi by the ankle as he went. Kakashi was excessively light, and he held him out in the air easily. The other man squealed childishly, reaching up to claw at Tenzo's hand. The Anbu let go, knowing Kakashi would land on his feet somehow. He was right.
The next few hours were spent traveling again, with Kakashi clinging to his front since he still wouldn't allow his captain to slow them down.
~
They made camp in a small clearing, still over a day away from Konoha. Kakashi didn't have his things with him, so he didn't have his scroll containing his bed roll or supplies. Tenzo shared his food without a second thought. It's not like Kakashi was able to eat much with such a small body anyway. When it came to their sleeping arrangements, however, he wasn't sure what to do.
Nights in Suna were cold, and Kakashi wasn't wearing his weather resistant Anbu uniform anymore. He would freeze during the night if Tenzo couldn't convince him to take his bed for the time being.
"Kakashi?" He called out quietly, watching as his captain absently sat by the fire, staring off into space. Kakashi snapped to attention, turning to look at his kohai silently.
"You should use my bed roll tonight." He commented simply, hoping his captain's stubborn streak would miraculously end. Kakashi didn't even answer, just turned back to the fire with a resigned sigh. He was stressed beyond belief, so Tenzo decided not to push it.
~
Kakashi hated this with every fiber of his being. He was small, and weak in a way he could hardly remember actually being. The fire warmed his tiny body, but he knew it wouldn't last long.
Kakashi looked at Tenzo, who was checking out the perimeter dutifully. He didn't blame the man for picking on him. It was a little fun, honestly. Tenzo had always silently accepted whatever Kakashi dished out, and never fought back. Kakashi wanted his kohai to joke around with him, and tease him even… but Tenzo never found the courage to do it.
He knew that he shouldn't be stubborn, and accept the man's offer of his bed. In reality, they should probably just share.
"Senpai?" Tenzo called out, trying not to surprise the man with his presence. "You should get some sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."
Kakashi nodded, standing up on shaky little legs and heading to the bed roll. Tenzo actually seemed surprised that he was willingly accepting his help, and settled on the other side of camp.
"Oi! Tenzo. There's room for both of us in here." Kakashi called to him, hating how small and vulnerable his voice sounded. Though Tenzo's shock at his invitation was worth speaking again.
If Kakashi had known at the time that sharing a bed meant that Tenzo was going to cuddle him to his chest like a stuffed animal… he might not have agreed. As soon as the older man was sound asleep, an arm dragged Kakashi closer. He couldn't deny that it was nice and cozy… but he still had his dignity to think about.
He just wasn't moving away because he didn't want to wake Tenzo up. Not because he enjoyed it. Definitely not.
Kakashi's honed Anbu senses startled him awake in the middle of the night. Tenzo still had him wrapped up protectively, but woke as soon as Kakashi's body tensed.
"What is it?" Tenzo whispered, loosening his grip to attempt to take a look around. The fire had died down a while ago, but the moon was out enough to see.
"I don't know." Kakashi answered back, almost silently. Tenzo could sense the concern in his voice, and started shifting out of the bed.
"Stay here." He whispered. "I'll go take a look."
Kakashi nodded, though Tenzo was already gone by the time he responded. His kohai knew all too well that Kakashi's instincts never woke him up like that for just anything.
~
Tenzo was on edge. He could feel the lingering presence that Kakashi had sensed, but could not tell how big it was. If they were surrounded… he wasn't sure what the hell they would do. Kakashi probably wouldn't be much help.
In fact, he hadn't even left the little bastard with a kunai.
Tenzo turned around quickly, but didn't make it back to the bed before he was attacked. A man jumped from the trees, tanto out and aimed for his head. Tenzo blocked it easily enough with his own blade, pushing the man off with as much force as he could muster.
More enemies dropped out of the trees, five at the least, and Tenzo's heart dropped.
Dodging that many kunai was a nightmare. He could hardly see, didn't have enough time to make anything except for defensive moves, and was trying not to allow stray kunai to head in Kakashi's direction. The amount of skill that Kakashi had was exceptional… but he was still trapped in a child's body.
Just as he was wondering what sort of things Kakashi could do, the man slid between the legs of an attacker, kunai slicing through the arteries in his ankles. The man shrieked, and all of the enemies were suddenly very aware of Kakashi's small presence.
Tenzo tried with a lot of difficulty to keep from focusing on his captain. Kakashi was using his size to his advantage, even if his movements weren't as quick as they normally were.
The brunette used the mokuton to take care of one nin, just as more jumped down from the trees. They were screwed.
The night lit up in a bright blue as the familiar chirping of chidori rang out into the air. Tenzo panicked at that moment. Even when he saw Kakashi launch himself up into some other man's chest to punch a hole through it. He knew that the silver-haired man needed the sharingan to use chidori effectively, and that was proven when Kakashi couldn't block the chakra infused punch that sent him flying off of the man's body before he even dropped.
Kakashi's body hit the ground hard, and Tenzo was already halfway there, using the mokuton to extend his reach and snatch him off of the forest floor. He dodged hits all the way across the campsite, feeling blades graze both his right arm and his left side.
Tenzo couldn't think of anything else, not until his wood style brought his captain's miniature body into his arms, and he could jump back a few times to put some distance between them and the enemy.
Even by the dim light of the moon, Tenzo could see they were all grinning from ear to ear as they closed in. There were eight enemies left, and they knew that Tenzo didn't stand a chance.
Before they moved too close, the sky lit up once again in a fiery red.
Two fireballs burst from the trees behind the line of enemies, covering them completely before they could even comprehend what was happening. Tenzo's breaths were harsh, and he desperately tried to see over the flames to determine if their savior was friend or foe.
The flames died down to a simmer, the embers of the scorched body lighting the way enough for Tenzo to see two people drop down into their camp. He clutched Kakashi closely, the man not responsive in the slightest.
"Cat?" A familiar voice called out, and Tenzo's shoulder relaxed instantly. What were the odds? The other half of their team had been sent on a separate mission two days prior to them heading for Wind. The fact that they were here now was insanely lucky.
"Weasel." Tenzo called out in relief. Kakashi finally started to move a little bit, and Tenzo loosened his grip just enough to see the man's eyes open.
"Captain, are you alright?" Tenzo spoke softly, not flinching a bit as both of his Uchiha teammates landed gracefully beside him.
"Not enough chakra to use chidori, it seems." Kakashi mumbled to himself. Tenzo hadn't even thought about how low his chakra reserves must be.
"Uh… what is happening here?" Shisui asked suddenly, his eyes red and focused on the child in his arms. He reached up to remove his mask, Itachi following his lead.
"Kakashi was hit with a nasty jutsu. We're trying to get back home to have Tsunade take a look at him." Tenzo announced, watching as Shisui reached towards the older man with a smug grin on his face. He stopped when Kakashi pulled a kunai out. "Shisui, if you touch me, I will castrate you." Kakashi threatened immediately.
"Don't be like that! You're just so cute! " Shisui whined, taking quite a bit of amusement from Kakashi's situation. Tenzo had enjoyed teasing the man earlier, but there was no way he was going to allow Shisui to get his hands on him. His grip tightened subconsciously, watching his teammate closely. Shisui was a great ninja, and a nice person… but he would be relentless in his teasing. Kakashi may be a dick at times, but he didn't deserve to be teased like that.
"Shisui, have some respect for our captain." Itachi calmly scolded, reining his excitable cousin in quickly.
Shisui deflated a bit, but kept his smile. "Fine. But maybe we should find a new camp. This one smells."
Tenzo chuckled a bit, looking around at the charred bodies that now littered the place. "Yeah. Probably."
After finding a new camp a few miles away, Tenzo grew a bench for Kakashi to rest on while they got things sorted out. He was clearly exhausted from using so much of his chakra, and hadn't said much of anything since they left. Tenzo was just thankful to have more back up.
The Uchihas watched as Tenzo climbed into the bed roll after Kakashi, both remaining professional enough to keep from pissing the captain off.
~
Tenzo woke up with his arm around Kakashi again. He couldn't help it. He felt an insane need to protect the older man when he was in such a compromised state. Truthfully, he always felt that way… but it was currently amplified when Kakashi didn't even stand tall enough to reach Tenzo's waist.
Shisui and Itachi were up already, cooking something over a fire. They apparently had much more energy since they weren't ambushed last night. Tenzo's eyes shifted down, looking over the small form huddled next to him.
Kakashi was latched onto his arm, burying his face in Tenzo's chest. He really was an adorable kid… but he hoped the man wouldn't be stuck like this for long. Kakashi was a very proud person, who's self-worth was linked completely to his abilities as a ninja. It had to be difficult for him to be so weak.
Twin gray eyes opened, and Tenzo was struck by how strange it was to see him without the sharingan. "Comfy?" Tenzo said with a smirk, watching as Kakashi's small face wrinkled and burned red in embarrassment. He violently shoved his way out of the bed, brushing the dust off of his clothes. "Shut up, kohai."
~
They traveled quickly. Kakashi was latched onto his back like a little monkey, and both Uchiha followed them on either side. With the rest of the team present, they wouldn't run into any more problems. Still, there was a rush to see Tsunade.
Unfortunately, it was daytime when they reached the village. Tenzo had thrown his cloak over his back, leaving Kakashi as a small lump and letting him peek around his neck under the hood. They didn't need any unnecessary attention. Plus, Kakashi didn't have an Anbu uniform on.
They skipped right past the mission room, jumping up the side of Hokage tower and knocking on the window instead. One signal from Lord third, and Tenzo stepped inside, Shisui and Itachi hot on his heels. They all stood at attention, waiting to be addressed by their leader.
Hiruzen looked contemplative, clearly wondering how the three of them had ended up returning together. "Where is Hound?" The man asked first.
Tenzo pulled off the cloak and tossed it to Shisui. Hiruzen's eyes were already wide as he took in the child clinging around his shoulders. Kakashi jumped down, moving to stand in front of his team. "Lord third, I was hit with an unknown jutsu. The assailant died before it could be reversed."
The authoritative words coming from such a tiny voice was too much for Shisui, who failed to hide a small chuckle. Kakashi turned, glaring at him angrily until he controlled himself.
"I see. And you are having no memory issues?" The old man asked. Tenzo knew right then that Hiruzen knew of the jutsu. He wasn't called "The Professor" for nothing.
Kakashi shook his head. "No Sir."
Hiruzen hummed, nodding his head. "Then I shall call Tsunade back to the village. I'm afraid she is the only one who can reverse this jutsu."
"Call her back? " Tenzo spoke softly. "Lord third, how far is she from the village?"
"Two days out. I will have my assistant send a Hawk out immediately. In the meantime, stay with him." Hiruzen spoke, giving no room for arguments.
Kakashi sighed. "With all due respect, Lord Third, I hardly think it's necessary for me to have a babysitter."
"Kakashi. I know this is frustrating." The Hokage spoke calmly, leaning forward a bit so he could actually see him clearly over the desk. "This jutsu has been known to have medical side effects. They are rare, but it happens. If you experience these side effects and have no one to bring you to the hospital, you will certainly die."
Kakashi's head dropped. "Understood, Sir."
~
Tenzo ran across the rooftops, cloak once again over his back. Shisui and Itachi stayed behind to report on their own mission, while Tenzo headed straight to Kakashi's apartment.
The older man disappeared into the bathroom immediately, leaving Tenzo to stand awkwardly in his apartment.
Honestly, he was still tired. Not only were they ambushed in the middle of the night, but they had a pretty intense battle during the actual mission as well. If Kakashi didn't want him to make himself comfortable, he shouldn't have disappeared. Tenzo removed his armor, leaving himself in the sleeveless undershirt and his standard pants.
The couch didn't look too uncomfortable, so Tenzo sprawled out on it, laying on his back with his feet up on the arm.
Tenzo was almost asleep when he registered Kakashi's presence. He was standing by the couch, looking at Tenzo with narrowed eyes. A familiar orange book was in his hands, and Tenzo rolled his eyes. "Aren't you a little young to be reading that?" He asked with a smile. His smile didn't last long, because Kakashi jumped up onto his stomach, knocking all the air out of him before settling comfortably as if he was just another chair. Tenzo gasped loudly, but didn't remove the captain. He was very light, after all, and once Tenzo had caught his breath again, he hardly noticed him.
Tenzo was falling asleep again. Kakashi was still reading, sitting comfortably on his stomach. The other man was a warm, comforting presence, and Tenzo felt tension leaving his body that had been hanging around for a while.
~
Tenzo drifted back awake slowly, barely remembering that Kakashi was sitting on him before almost rolling over. He cracked his eyes open, spotting Kakashi slumped over with Icha-Icha dropped down into his lap. Tenzo huffed a small laugh, tilting his head back to check the clock behind him on the wall. It was much later than he expected.
Tenzo reached over, gripping a small shoulder and squeezing, knowing that was enough to wake his captain. Kakashi roused easily, looking down at Tenzo with a blush rising over his mask.
"Are you hungry? You should eat something." Tenzo spoke softly.
Kakashi opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by the loud growling of his stomach. Tenzo chuckled, rolling out of the couch and grabbing his friend around the waist at the same time. It was kind of fun having Kakashi be so small… not that he appreciated being handled like a child.
"Tenzo!" He whined, kicking out as his kohai carried him under his arm. Tenzo laughed as they moved into the kitchen, quickly standing his captain up on the counter.
Kakashi remained still, standing on the counter with his arms crossed grumpily. Tenzo chuckled deeply, reaching a hand out to ruffle silver hair. Kakashi's eyes widened in shock, and suddenly Tenzo felt like he had maybe crossed a line somewhere. He retracted his hand quickly, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I'm sorry… Senpai."
Kakashi stared down at the counter for a moment before shaking himself out of his thoughts. "No. It's fine. It's just… my father used to do that."
Guilt wrapped itself around Tenzo's heart immediately. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I won't do it again."
"No… I enjoyed it." Kakashi whispered. He said it so quietly that Tenzo almost didn't hear it.
Tenzo smiled, choosing not to comment on something Kakashi clearly was ashamed to even admit. He reached out to ruffle the soft hair one more time, smiling wider at the slight way that Kakashi leaned into it.
"What would you like to eat, Senpai?" Tenzo asked, leaning on the counter and smiling up at his captain.
"You can't cook, Tenzo." Kakashi said pointedly.
Tenzo blushed, embarrassed thinking about the disastrous last time he had tried to cook on a mission.
"Well… no." Tenzo admitted.
"And I can't really cook in this condition." Kakashi added.
Tenzo frowned. "You can't possibly think it's a good idea to go out with you like… this. " He commented, gesturing to Kakashi's tiny form.
Kakashi rolled his eyes. "I'll wear a wig and take my mask off. No one will even know it's me."
Tenzo reluctantly agreed. After all, Kakashi didn't even have his scar anymore.
Tenzo couldn't quit staring as they walked through the street. Kakashi with short brown hair was weird enough… but no mask? Tenzo had seen his face before, but this was different. His young face was so innocent in a way he had never seen before.
When Tenzo managed to pull his eyes away, he noticed the villagers were watching them as well. Kakashi was a little young to be walking on his own, now that Tenzo thought about it. Even in a ninja village, younger children were taken care of. This wasn't a time of war like it was when Kakashi and Tenzo were younger. Children remained children much longer.
After the tenth parent glared at him and he started to sense the Uchiha police force lingering, he stopped following Kakashi, and scooped him up playfully. Kakashi squeaked, and Tenzo placed an exaggerated sloppy kiss to his forehead. While he was close, he used that moment to speak. "People are becoming suspicious of you, Senpai. Kids don't act so independent anymore."
Regardless of how annoyed Kakashi was at Tenzo's behavior, (though he surprisingly hadn't put up much of a fight) Kakashi knew that he was right.
"Fine." He whispered. "Put me down."
Tenzo set him carefully on his feet, and Kakashi reached up for his hand reluctantly. His hand was so small, and Tenzo couldn't quite get over how his adult hand completely encased it. Kakashi walked close to his side now, allowing Tenzo to lead him to the ramen stand instead of acting on his own.
Things smoothed out after that. People stopped staring, and they were able to travel in peace. They reached Ichiraku's quickly, and Tenzo was moving before he even thought about it. He grabbed Kakashi around his chest and lifted him to the stools. The man turned to glare at him, and Tenzo immediately mumbled an apology.
They ate their food without incident, with Teuchi being the only person that spoke to them. "You have a very polite son." He spoke with a smile, looking down at a now profusely blushing Kakashi.
"Erm… thanks." Tenzo answered sheepishly, picking Kakashi up and leaving as quickly as possible.
~
The two days with Kakashi went by quicker than expected. Tenzo made an attempt to keep from treating Kakashi like a child, but sometimes that was difficult when the older man was randomly falling asleep on him, or leaning against his side for no reason. Tenzo was confused, to say the least. Kakashi had never shown any sign of wanting or needing affection before all of this happened.
Even now, as they were heading to the hospital to see Tsunade, Kakashi was sitting on his shoulders, small fingers buried in his brown hair. They made the trek quickly, finding Tsunade and the Hokage waiting for them.
"We need to go to the private wing." Tsunade spoke promptly, watching as Tenzo lowered Kakashi back down to the ground. The older woman didn't even wait for an answer, walking down the hallway away from them. Kakashi and Tenzo exchanged a glance, but followed her dutifully. It didn't escape Tenzo's attention that Hiruzen had stayed behind.
They moved to the far end of the hospital, deep into the privacy of the Anbu wing. Concern was dragging on Tenzo's mind, to the point where he barely noticed Kakashi's hand nudging his. He looked down, and his captain looked insanely worried. Instead of taking his hand, Tenzo scooped him up into his arms. Kakashi didn't fight it this time, just allowing his kohai to carry him into the room.
Tsunade went straight to business. "Alright. You there, sit on the exam table." Tsunade spoke strongly, pointing to Tenzo.
"Uh… I'm sorry?" Tenzo replied, becoming even more confused by the second.
Tsunade huffed. "Sit on the table, and scoot back so that there is room for Kakashi to sit in front of you. You're going to need to hold him for this."
"I can handle it myself, Lady Tsunade." Kakashi spoke confidently, though Tenzo did as he was told. Tsunade was a scary woman, and he didn't feel like getting his teeth kicked in today.
"Listen here, Hatake. This is a complicated process, and it's going to hurt like hell. You're going to need him… trust me." Tsunade explained slowly.
Kakashi sighed before hopping up on the table, settling between Tenzo's spread legs. Tenzo moved his hands out, but decided against actually holding Kakashi yet.
"Alright. Take a deep breath." Tsunade ordered, her voice much softer than it was earlier. Her palm moved over Kakashi's heart, green chakra flowing easily.
It only took about ten seconds for Kakashi's entire body to tense up, his jaw snapping shut as a cry of pain burst from his throat. Tenzo gripped his shoulders, and tiny hands flew up to grab his. His whole body was shaking, and whimpers of pain echoed through the room.
Another ten seconds, and Kakashi's back arched, his teeth clenched as he growled painfully. Tenzo wrapped his arms around him tighter, one reaching up to move through his hair. Kakashi's fingernails dug into his arm, but he didn't move.
"It's okay, Kakashi. You're doing good. I'm right here with you." Tenzo spoke into the man's ear. He continued to move his hand through his silver hair, trying to support him in the only way he could.
Kakashi was already growing taller, his voice changing as he cringed and hissed in pain. He tried to fold in on himself more than once, but Tenzo held him across his shoulders, and Tsunade had her free arm across his legs.
"Fuck." Kakashi yelled, drawing blood on Tenzo's arm with his grip.
His breathing was erratic, and he leaned back against Tenzo bodily, trying to escape the pain.
It was a solid ten minutes like that. Kakashi was screaming for bits of it, and all Tenzo could do was tell him that it would be over soon. When Tsunade finally stopped the flow of chakra and pulled her hands away, Kakashi went limp in his arms, dragging his legs up to curl into a ball. Tenzo kept his hold on him. "It's done, Senpai. It's all over now."
Tsunade wiped the sweat off of her brow, and silently healed the extensive claw marks on his arm. She gave him a solemn nod before leaving them alone in the room.
Kakashi clung to his shirt, allowing Tenzo to comfort him. He thought that maybe his captain wouldn't allow this sort of thing once he was back to normal… though Tenzo hoped that things would be different now. He felt so much closer to Kakashi than he ever had before. There was an affection there that he knew wouldn't go away easily. Tenzo cared for Kakashi. There was no way around it.
It was another five minutes before Kakashi's breathing returned to normal and his body stopped shaking. "Tenzo?" He asked quietly. It was strange hearing his adult voice again.
Tenzo tightened his arms around him. "Yes, Senpai?"
"Can you take me home now? I want to go to sleep." Kakashi mumbled quietly. "I don't think I'll make it if I try to walk."
Tenzo smiled fondly down at him, even though the man couldn't see it. "Of course."
Kakashi moved out of his arms slowly, standing on shaky legs for a moment before he started to drop down to the floor. Tenzo caught him easily, pulling him in close to support him. Shockingly, Kakashi moved in all the way, pressing his face to Tenzo's chest. The brunette held him tightly, warmed at the thought of his Senpai trusting him so much.
"Tenzo, will you stay with me?" Kakashi asked, his voice quiet and a bit desperate.
Tenzo huffed a laugh, placing a soft kiss into silver hair. "I'll stay as long as you allow me to."
His senpai never did ask him to leave, and he retrieved all of his belongings from his own apartment after two weeks. Tenzo was happy with the realization that things were different now. Kakashi cared about him as well, maybe even as much as he cared for the older man, and he would never be asked to leave his side.