"Do you have to go?"

Kakashi remembers his last words to you like it was just yesterday.

He remembers the warm, humid summer that clung onto his skin in a thin layer of sweat as he laid on the grass with you, the grass tickling the back of his neck. He remembers you pointing at the skies, telling him that a cloud looked like a frog, or a dog, or his hair. The two of you were younger back then. Just as the Third Shinobi War raged on, many lives were lost, and he felt as if his worst nightmare had come true. You were considered MIA. Missing in action. Killed in action.

He remembers visiting the memorial stone every night.

The only times he wasn't there was when the days got too difficult, and Kakashi would find himself lingering by your apartment. No clan compound to call home, wishing the lights to your window would turn on, just as he'd come to familiarize with whenever he visited and watched without you knowing when the two of you were still genin. Now, he was in his late 20s, sensei to three little brats assigned to him. All who'd shown the most promise. Now that he thinks about it, you've always wanted kids. His stomach still squeezes at the thought.

The what ifs.

Kakashi's never one to believe in reincarnation. It was impossible and frankly stupid. He would be naive to think that something like that existed. He wasn't really sure if he's lost his mind now, or if he's in some sort of illusion.

"Need any help?" Kakashi's exposed eye crinkles, sliding right next to you as you make supper. His fingers itch to hold you, but he's quick to compose himself. The signs were all there. Your characteristics, that same look in your eye, your likes. It's all you, just.. in a different body.

It's no coincidence.

For the first time in a while, he felt fear. Then grief. Then a burst of love and regret. Who knew that the man they were escorting, Tazuna, housed a family friend that resembled exactly you? Who knew he would meet you in the Land of the Waves, the very place you were sent to die?