Backslide-Blackkat

Chapter 13

It's a sign of just how terrible the day is going to be when Kakashi arrives at the apartment, long before the sun is even a concept, to drag them out of their beds.

"Up, up, up!" he crows cheerfully, snatching blankets away from their desperate hands and tossing them gleefully to the side. Naruto, attempting to keep ahold of his pillow at the very least, is pulled out of bed right along with it. He yelps as he goes over the side, landing in a heap on the floor, and groans.

"UP," Kakashi repeats, with all the manic cheer of a dog when the rabbit is finally cornered. "We're taking a field trip today! Come on, get moving."

Sasuke, bleary-eyed and ruffled, looks at Naruto sprawled painfully on the floor, and wonders if it's too late to write the whole day off as a loss and just go back to bed.

When Kakashi finally chivvies them, reluctantly dressed, packed, and armed, into the kitchen, it's to the sight of Sakura already there and waiting, looking just as unhappy about the early hour as the rest of them. Even Kurama, who is less a morning person and more a take-every-possible-second-to-enjoy-the-glory-of-existence person, appears distinctly irritated with the Copy-Nin.

"Kakashi?" he growls warningly, clinging to the large mug of coffee in front of him, and the sound is several measures deeper than anything that should conceivably come from a human throat. Sasuke doesn't have time to consider it, though, as two ration bars are tossed directly into his face. He catches them with a growl of his own, directing a blistering glare at his idiot sensei.

"Now, now, Kurama-kun," the jounin says almost gleefully. "Shinobi have to be prepared to move at a moment's notice, no matter what time it is."

As Kurama growls something back, Sasuke decides he's probably best leaving them to it, and slinks over to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his teammates in an attempt at solidarity. Sakura gives him a quick smile, but the usual fawning is entirely absent, and Sasuke is ridiculously thankful for it. He nods in return, because it finally feels safe to do so, and is relieved when this gets no more reaction out of her than Naruto's mumbled, "Morning, Sakura-chan."

"Do you know anything?" Sasuke asks in a low voice, eyeing their sensei warily. He and Kurama seem to be having some sort of debate, and it appears that Kurama is losing if the resignation in his expression is anything to go by. That's...likely not a good sign.

The kunoichi narrows her eyes at Kakashi, looking sleep-deprived and mulish. "No," she huffs. "He stopped by my house, dragged me out of bed, and gave me five minutes to change and pack as if for a three-day mission."

Exactly the same as his instructions to them, then. Damn.

"I vote we dye his hair pink, next chance we get," Naruto mutters, studying Kakashi's silver hair balefully. "It should hold dye really well. Especially the permanent kind."

For once, Sasuke finds himself entirely in agreement, and even Sakura looks tempted.

"Hot pink," Sasuke confirms lowly.

Sakura looks back and forth between them for a moment, clearly torn, and then casts a look at the clock on the wall. (Sasuke hasn't been able to bring himself to check it yet; some things are better left a mystery.) At the sight of it, her expression firms, and she adds viciously, "With sparkles."

They shake on it solemnly.

"Argh. Fine!" Kurama throws his hands up, stepping back in defeat. "You're an asshole," he tells the other jounin darkly, then spins on his heel and stalks into the hall. "Give me three minutes."

Kakashi looks entirely too smug as he rubs his hands together and rounds on the three genin. "Good, good. A nice long hike is the perfect way to start a morning, don't you think?" he asks cheerfully.