So… A new fic. :P This was just a vague idea that I was staring at, before I just started writing, and then bam! Here we are.

It's so peaceful and quiet today, which is rare, because the neighbours keep playing their tv and music too loud, making it impossible for me to even think. I keep getting the start of migraines lately, too. But it's fine now, which is why I was even able to write anything.

Anyway, disclaimer that I don't own, and enjoy! :)

Walking Backwards

Chapter One

He groaned, his head throbbing horribly. Rolling over, Kakashi thought he should have known better than to indulge in a drinking game with Gai. But there weren't a whole lot of things that Gai could actually do that they used to anymore. So call it nostalgia, call it a moment of weakness, whatever it was, Kakashi gave in.

Did he win, though? That might be debatable. With a pounding head and a mouth as dry as any desert, he felt the tell-tale sign of one hell of a hangover. Groaning at the thought of the chewing out that Shikamaru was going to give him, if he even made it into the office, Kakashi reluctantly opened his eyes, fully intending on dragging himself to the shower to at least alleviate his headache enough to try to wheedle a medic into healing it, only to freeze.

What the hell? Just how much did he drink last night? That ceiling above him… That wasn't his. Sitting up gingerly, Kakashi noted that he wasn't in any room he recognised, though there was a sense of familiarity about it. Had he been here before? Just as he started wracking his brain for the possibilities, he glanced down, and saw that his legs were too short. What the hell? He scrambled out of the bed, only to stumble at the imbalance of the height and weight he wasn't used to.

A quick look in the mirror, and he saw a six year old child staring back at him, one he hadn't seen in years. How in the heck had he ended up in the body of his younger self? Was it some kind of ninjutsu? Genjutsu? He hoped so, otherwise he might end up stuck this way, forced through childhood once more, and then… puberty.

Looking around, he realised now why the room looked familiar. It was one he hadn't been in since a little after his father had died. The room, which was in a half traditional, half modern (at the time) styled ryokan, had been his for a few months until a more permanent solution was found. But how…? Was this a genjutsu? Kakashi channelled his chakra, shouted out 'kai!' and even jabbed himself with a senbon he found with a supply of his old ninja tools. Right where they should be, too.

But nothing changed. He was still here, in the middle of his old room, now with a stinging in his thigh that seemed to be loudly mocking him for his inability to escape. And his head still hurt. Why in kami did his head hurt? Was this proof that this was some ninjutsu? After all, he couldn't remember ever having hangover like symptoms at the age he seemed to be.

Letting out a small sigh, Kakashi closed his eyes and thought. What would anyone gain from turning the Hokage into a kid? If it was to destabilise the village and leave it without a leader, then why were his memories still intact? He could still make necessary, adult decision, his mind hadn't reverted to his child self after all.

Was it an attempt to weaken him, for assassination? Likely, but even at this young age, Kakashi had still been more than capable of defending himself. He'd have difficulty with high levelled shinobi, naturally, but he was confident he could at least hold them off until the alarm could be raised.

Peeking out the window, he checked out what he could of the village. What little he could see with the dismal view looked pre-Pein invasion. It only served to confuse him further. Messing with his physical body was one thing, but messing with the design of the village was another. If it weren't for his 'kai' and senbon in his thigh, he might think he was still in a genjutsu. To be honest, he still might be, so he needed a test… Detail. That was something that was difficult to replicate in a genjutsu, so first things first, he decided to have a shower so that he could go out and actually do that.

The warm water soothed his headache a little, though the throbbing had been subtly subsiding a little after he'd woken. Once clean, he changed into the dark pants and shirt he'd always worn with the arm protectors and straps. This was a style he'd always worn as his 'ninja' clothes until he'd joined ANBU, though he hadn't since then. It was strange to pull on clothing that to him, represented the start of his shinobi career.

So far, Kakashi wasn't sensing anything off in this possible genjutsu. Everything in the small ryokan was where it should be, nothing was missing or added. The calendar that was up (belonging to the establishment, not Kakashi) said it was February of the year he'd guessed, which was two months after his father's death. But none of the days were marked off, so he had no idea when in the month it was.

Kakashi was trying to decide on what to do and where to go, when a knock on the door came. He stiffened at the idea of interacting with anyone, though rationally he knew it was inevitable. Still, he steeled himself and went to answer the door.

"Good morning Kakashi-kun!"

The first thing Kakashi even registered was the loud and cheery voice. The second, was that this person was a civilian. And thirdly, he remembered this was the woman who owned the ryokan. Kokawa-san, he had no idea what her given name was, though. The woman, whom he realised was carrying a couple of bags, invited herself in.

"This just came for you from that lovely fellow that Hokage-sama sends over every now and then," she said. "Some groceries and such, since you always forget to do your own shopping. I added in a few things, I hope you don't mind. It was all just so… bland!"

Kokawa-san was an incredibly motherly person, though Kakashi had found her presence smothering. He put up with her because he had to, and got out of there as soon as he could. But the person he was now, who he was supposed to be, didn't see her that way.

"Arigatou," he said as he followed her through to the kitchen area.

As she put everything away and rattled on about nonsense, Kakashi remembered that her constant chatter was another thing that had annoyed him. He really was a belligerent little shit when he was a kid, something that had only gotten worse as time passed, and only started changing after Obito's supposed death. The old him would have, and probably did, ignore her, but now, Kakashi listened to what she was saying, even if most of it had nothing to do with him.

It seemed Kokawa-san liked to gossip.

He listened attentively until she was done, then he asked hesitantly, "Er, Kokawa-san, do you know what the date is?"

She looked at him in surprise, then her features softened. "It's the seventeenth, Kakashi-kun," she told him. "Remember? You have that meeting with Hokage-sama today."

The seventeenth? That was when… Looking at the clock, Kakashi saw that it was almost eight.

"Sorry, Kokawa-san," he said. "I'm gonna be late."

She smiled. "Well, good luck then," she said as she made her way out. "I'm sure you'll be fine."

A wave, then she was gone.

Kakashi then headed out as well to go to his meeting with the Hokage. The meeting was about his father's death, his upcoming chuunin promotion, and the fact that the Sandaime wanted to put him directly under the mentor-ship of a jounin. Minato-sensei, to be exact. He would be apprenticed under the future Yondaime for almost three years, then…

Then Team Minato would be formed.

As Kakashi walked through the streets towards the Hokage tower, he was becoming less and less convinced that this was some elaborate genjutsu. Kokawa-san's presence had already dispelled the ninjutsu theory, since she was the same as he remembered her. But walking through the streets, he saw some people he didn't recognise, mostly civilians, and that detail he was searching for had been there basically since he'd woken up.

Okay, he was convinced now. But was he really in the past? How on earth had it happened? Had someone slipped him something? Was it a jutsu? Some random 'higher power' thing? In any case, what was he supposed to do? Would anyone even believe him if he tried to say anything? Well, maybe if they got the Yamanaka involved…

No, Kakashi would prefer to not have someone go through his head like that.

He was almost at the Hokage tower now, and a weird chill went down his spine. It was identical to each time that he just knew Gai was approaching, and indeed, a moment later, there was an almighty cry of, "KAKASHI! MY ETERNALLY YOUTHFUL RIVAL!"

A clatter, a crash, a cloud of dust and smoke, and a moment later, Gai stood in front of him, thumbs up, teeth shining, and eyes sparkling.

So what did you think? Y'know, I don't think I've ever read a time travel fic where Kakashi and Gai were the ones to go back.

In any case, review please!

Ryokan: Traditional Japanese Inn.

Arigatou: Thanks.