Red (Kakashi Hatake x Might Guy)

Chapter Two

Kakashi Hatake was conflicted as he practiced throwing shuriken, each one hitting the tree in front of him, the three pointed weapons landing in the wood in a straight line. It was a skill that he'd already perfected, a skill that he probably didn't need to be practicing, but it was an easy way to get his anger out without beating the absolute shit out of a clone or training dummy.

Plus, he was on the public training grounds, so someone walking in on him openly throwing one of his little tantrums would be embarrassing, to say the least.

Still... He was upset with himself, and he wanted to be able to channel that into something. That something was shuriken throwing.

He was growing increasingly agitated with himself for putting off the soulmate issue- or, the Guy issue, he reminded himself. Part of him was growing impatient. He wanted to say something and get it over with, to have the romance that all the soulmates in those dumb books he read always had- to be held in the morning and kissed goodnight in the evening, to have someone to be around who would change his routine and make sure that he didn't come home to an empty apartment every night.

Well, Guy already did some of those things- some mornings, he'd hug Kakashi despite the silver-haired man pushing him away, and some nights, he'd drag the younger man to do something or challenge him to one of his many contests. The kissing him goodnight thing hadn't happened, though, as often as Kakashi had dreamed about it.

The main issue was that Guy did those things out of friendship- rivalry, just about anything but romance. Guy was just a nice person, and honestly? Kakashi often felt like he wasn't good enough for Guy- that letting the older man be oblivious as to who his soulmate was for his entire life would be better than bothering Guy with all of his issues. Kakashi had come to the conclusion that he didn't deserve the ravenette. Everyone he loved who loved him in return ended up dead, and as irrational as it was, he didn't want to risk it again. He'd rather suffer in silence and let Guy live a happy life.

It was weird- he hadn't actually realized that he was in love with Guy until he was twenty despite knowing that the older man was his soulmate for a good fifteen or so years before that. Soulmates weren't always romantic- most were, but some were just best friends like Obito and Rin had been. He was hoping that maybe him and Guy would just have that connection as best friends, and as much as they did, it ended up growing into more than that on Kakashi's end. Kakashi had tried for years to ignore the older man's efforts to make him happy, to ignore his feelings, but it hadn't worked.

And here he was now, struggling with it.

One of his shurikens went astray, landing somewhere in a bush, and that's when he realized that he'd used all of the ones he'd brought with him.

Obito had always been terrible at aiming his shurikens, he remembered before frowning under his mask at the thought. Even when he was doing something that had nothing to do with his former friend, he still thought of him, Rin, and Minato.

Almost as if on cue to get him out of his depressive mind, Guy suddenly popped up from the bush, holding the stray shuriken in one of his hands as he approached Kakashi with a bright smile.

"You look frustrated, my eternal rival!"

"Did-" Kakashi paused, aimlessly raising a finger as his dark eye landed on the shuriken in the ravenette's hand. Had he really not sensed Guy's chakra? Usually, he could feel when the other Jonin was within a few yards of him due to the older man's lack of subtleness and thought to hide his chakra. "Did I almost hit you with that?" He questioned, tilting his head. Guy was skilled enough to catch it, at least... Kakashi was glad that he hadn't injured him.

"DId you not notice me there? That's out of character! What's throwing you off, rival?"

"Long story," Kakashi mumbled, not really wanting to explain the details. He walked over to the tree where he'd landed most of his shuriken, pulling each individual weapon out and putting it in his bag. Of course, Guy only followed, curious dark eyes trained on him. Kakashi looked back, making eye contact.

Might Guy wore an obnoxiously green jumpsuit and had dark eyes and matching hair that was put into a boyish bowl cut- one that Kakashi hated to admit he was fond of. He was clearly colorblind based off of the fact that he had worn green and orange together for so many years, but Kakashi figured that was his own fault. Regardless, it was a bit endearing.

"Is it a soulmate issue?"

How did he know that?

Kakashi sighed, not wanting to have to lie directly- at least not to Guy. If the truth did end up coming out later, he didn't want the older man to be angry at him for lying all those years... Albeit, avoiding the subject and withholding the truth was arguably as bad as outright lying about it.

Oh well.

"...I suppose you could say that."

"If it makes you feel any better, I haven't found my soulmate yet," That was sensitive information and he knew it, but of course, it didn't surprise him considering that he himself was the soulmate. Kakashi could only bring himself to raise his eyebrows and blink in an attempt to feign shock. "So I haven't been able to see color! Is that what's happening with you?"

"I guess. At the very least, I know that they haven't seen color, either."

"That's a weird way of putting it, but I understand!" Guy offered a bright, reassuring smile before crossing his arms. "Is there anything I can do?"

'Just you existing is enough. I wish you'd understand that you don't have to do so much.'

"Train with me?" Kakashi asked, smiling under his mask as he gently took a kunai out of one of his pockets, holding in hid hand and getting into a fighting stance. "It's been a while since we've sparred."

Of course, Guy grinned, and for a moment, Kakashi wondered if he'd even be able to focus on fighting with this gorgeous man in front of him.

For another moment, Kakashi was thankful that Guy wasn't able to see the huge grin that had taken over his face due to the mask that covered it.

"You're on!"