Chapter Twenty-Eight – Emergency
As stealthily as he could, Kakashi slipped from the room, his task complete. However, his success had not been without cost. The target had been as tough to take out as he had been informed, and Kakashi was not escaping unmarred. He paused to listen for the guards and couldn’t help but wince as the sudden cessation of movement brought on a whole new wave of aches and pains.
It had been an unranked assassination mission, the level of difficulty so high as to be almost guaranteed kamikaze. Still, the Konoha elders had decided that the mission was too important to risk failure, and thus was worth the price of probably losing one of their strongest shinobi. Convinced that only the Copy Ninja could pull it off, ANBU had recommended him. And, he had accepted – as the elders had known he would; he had never refused the village his services when the mission requested was vital, regardless of the fact that chances of survival were slim. Kakashi hadn't even stopped to question Tsunade's absence during the briefing, though he had found himself wondering about it at the time, for the Hokage would usually be present when a shinobi was assigned a mission from which he would not be expected to return.
The assignment had taken weeks longer than had been anticipated, for the target had been ridiculously difficult to kill. The man had been a deaf-mute, but that hadn’t stopped him from learning unarmed-close combat skills from a long string of masters – appropriately enough, specializing in a silent and lethal technique capable of inflicting considerable internal damage to the opponent. Consequently, his skill level had surpassed all except the most elite of close-combat fighters, and he had been able to give even the legendary Copy Ninja a difficult time.
Of course, the mission would have been much easier if Kakashi had been able to take the man out with a long-ranged attack. Unfortunately, the client’s instructions had been quite specific: another assassin was to be framed for the death, which meant that the target’s body had to show clear evidence that he had been struck down by that individual’s signature technique. Undoubtedly, this was the reason why Kakashi had been suggested for the job, as it had not been necessary for the Leaf jonin to learn and perfect a new technique – he’d already copied it after a run-in with the assassin in question several years previous.
As quickly as he could, the injured shinobi limped down the corridor. He knew that the wandering night security guards weren’t due by on their rounds for another five minutes – which was just enough time for him to make it outside. As he was slipping through a door leading to the last hallway, however, he heard the unexpected sound of footsteps and cursed quietly. Somewhere, deep down, Kakashi had known that he had been getting off too lightly. From the sounds of the footsteps at least five men were coming toward him.
Knowing that he had nowhere to hide and couldn’t hope to outrun the guards in his current state, Kakashi was left with the inevitability that they would find him no matter what he did – he decided that his only viable option would be to use the element of surprise and attack before they found him. Just as he was about to spring, however, the guards stopped abruptly. Kakashi froze as some inner voice of caution warned him to stay hidden. His instincts were soon proven correct – after a hushed conversation, the group hastily retreated. It was then that Kakashi heard the faint sounds of fighting off in the distance and he realized that he was in luck – something was distracting the guards elsewhere in the stronghold. If his good fortune held, he would be able to get clear of the grounds without any other incidents.
He waited only a couple of moments before rushing out of the building. He didn’t know what had drawn away the guards – either someone had already discovered his kill or someone else had decided to infiltrate the stronghold that evening. Regardless, he knew it wouldn’t pay to be inside once whatever seemed to be brewing finally exploded.
Without any further interruptions, he was able to make it to the perimeter of the estate. Unfortunately, just as he was painfully slipping over the wall (the internal injuries he seemed to have were not helping things) one of the few remaining guards spotted him and sounded the alarm.
Throwing as much caution as he could to the wind, he took off into the woods, knowing that pursuit would be only moments behind him.
~*~*~*~
Panting so hard that he felt as though his lungs were going to burst, Kakashi paused on a high tree branch and listened. Other than the sound of his own labored breathing, he could hear only the usual woodland sounds – a good sign, he knew… and, at the same time, a bad sign. Truly skilled shinobi could mask themselves well enough so that the animals of the forest would not be aware of their presence. Therefore, he reasoned, he was either alone or had a highly trained shinobi on his tail.
Forcefully calming his breathing, he surveyed his surroundings and concluded that he was alone. Cautiously, Kakashi dropped down to the ground near a tiny stream to tend to some of his wounds. Ideally, this would be something he would have Sakura do for him, but he knew that if he didn’t at least perform basic first aid he wouldn’t survive long enough to make it back to the village, never mind to Sakura.
It had been fear of pursuit which had kept the elite jonin from stopping until now. He had managed to take out most of his pursuers after a long series of evasive tactics had ended with a carefully calculated ambush. Unfortunately, three of the shinobi that he had thought were down for the count had managed to drag themselves to their feet long enough to launch a volley of kunai, shuriken and senbon at him as he took off from their brief skirmish – several had nearly struck their mark. That had been almost six hours prior, and Kakashi had been running (well, moving as fast as he could) ever since, the weapons still embedded in his flesh.
Gingerly, he began to pull out the weapons, cursing softly with each tug as he felt fresh blood begin to seep into his clothes. However, when he tried and failed to reach two particularly well-aimed blades which were lodged in his back, he realized that he needed assistance. Panting with pain, Kakashi considered his options, knowing that the longer he paused the easier it would be for someone to track him.
Unable to find an alternative, he reached carefully into his precious remaining chakra and created a clone to help him. Quickly, the clone pulled the remaining weapons from his back, helped him out of his shirt and cleaned the wounds. Before he had the clone bandage his back, Kakashi pulled the salve Sakura had given him for Christmas out of his pouch; then, he had his replica smooth it liberally over his entire back, in the hope that the chakra-infused medication might somehow not only do his wounds some good, but also his severely battered organs. Belatedly, he realized he had not gotten off as lightly from the deceased target as he had thought – he now knew that he definitely had some internal injuries. Unfortunately, he couldn't do anything about them except hope he could hold out until he made it back to the village.
~*~*~*~
With a muttered curse, Kakashi clumsily pulled his arm back from the now lifeless body and hissed with pain. Due to his debilitated state and probable over use of his Sharingan, he hadn’t been able to brace himself properly before performing his chidori and was now paying the price via a large and fairly severe burn gracing his entire arm. Despite being distracted by the pain of the fresh burn and the now re-opened wounds on his back, he managed to note that his heart didn’t quite seem to be behaving quite properly – another likely side effect of the improperly performed jutsu, he thought.
With a quiet groan, he managed to stagger through the underbrush until he found a spring. Cautiously, he knelt down to rinse his painfully charred arm. He eased the injured limb into the water, then sighed a little as he allowed himself just a moment to enjoy the temporary relief the icy temperature brought. After he carefully dried his arm, he applied Sakura’s salve liberally to the burns before bandaging the whole thing as best he could. Then, after a moment's contemplation, he smeared a generous amount on his chest as well, hoping once again that it would have a positive effect on the internal damage… and the shock which he was certain was threatening to set in. He could already feel a chill that he knew had nothing to do with the icy spring water he had just used to clean his wound.
Determinedly, the jonin continued on toward Konoha. He hoped that the enemy he had just killed was the last, as he wasn’t sure if he could even make it back to the village, never mind survive another fight. He knew that he had nothing left – that that last chidori had taken the remains of his chakra, and that his energy was fading fast. And, Kakashi knew that if he stopped one more time, he probably wouldn’t be able to start again.
~*~*~*~
The gates swam into a fuzzy focus as he staggered closer and closer. Though he could see the tantalizing landmark, Kakashi knew that he was still a couple of miles away from his destination.
The assassination and dealing with the pursuit, combined with his long journey home, had taken more out of him than he had had to give. The pain had gone beyond unbearable and his whole body felt numb. He knew that he had lost enough blood to leave a fairly sporadic trail right back to Konoha if someone were skilled enough to find and follow it. And, he was certain that the last chidori had done more damage to him than the massive burn covering the majority of his right arm – he wasn’t as young as he used to be, but he sincerely doubted that his age was the reason why his heartbeat hadn’t felt quite right after receiving the massive chakra backlash. In addition, Kakashi knew that there was also something off with his sight; even with his Sharingan closed and covered, he seemed to be having problems not related to his extreme fatigue – no doubt, he figured, he had over-used it again. Plus, judging by the way his legs were behaving, he had strained them beyond their limits. It was only through sheer willpower that he was able to move them at all, never mind lurch determinedly for miles without rest.
All in all, he was in bad shape. Very bad shape, in fact – enough to make him regret having accepted the mission in the first place. He couldn’t count the number of similar missions he had taken in the past, each time with the understanding that his luck might not hold and that he might not return to the village. But now, as he was stumbling back, he began to wonder if, this time, he might have been wrong. Kakashi had had plenty of time to think while observing his target, and part of the conclusion he had come to was that he now had more to live for than just the village. During his long trek back to Konoha, he had thought many times of giving up and allowing himself to sag to the ground in defeat – the pain practically demanded that he do so. Regardless, he doggedly kept on, with only one goal in his mind.
It wasn’t fair, he knew, but… if he was going to be leaving the world of the living, he wanted to give his pink haired medic the chance to pull him back. He knew that if she wasn’t at least granted the chance to do so, she would grieve unnecessarily over him – she would wonder if she would have been able to save him had she been there. That was the question which had plagued him in the depths of the nights following his mother’s death. He would not knowingly inflict it on anyone, never mind someone he cared for as much as he cared for her.
This was the only goal which had filled Kakashi’s mind and which had kept him moving. His world had narrowed to the road in front of him. He told himself that every step he took was one step closer to her… and that all he wanted was to make it back. He didn’t care if he collapsed at her door; he just wanted to make it there.
Once again, he lost himself in his own thoughts as he continued to move painfully forward. Each step brought him a little closer to his goal and a little further away at the same time. He knew he was beyond seriously injured and that the odds of him making it back the village under his own power were slim – and, that the odds of him actually surviving were even slimmer.
~*~*~*~
Almost before Kakashi knew it, he found himself stumbling through the gate. He realized then that he must have blacked out for the last couple miles, even though he had somehow managed to keep his body moving. Vaguely, he became aware of voices. He couldn’t determine what they were saying, but he could understand their tone, which was laced with what he imagined to be concern. Painfully, he tried to wave them off. He would go to her on his own. It was the middle of the night – she was sure to be either at home or the hospital.
The voices became more agitated. He could tell that they were arguing either with him or with each other. Single-mindedly, he continued on, ignoring whatever was agitating the pair of jonin on gate duty. Unbidden, fragments of their exchange drifted to his ears.
“…came back a couple days ago…not too far… to her… ahead to warn…”
“…no … not there…”
“…steer him to her then…”
“…not here… not in village… didn’t come back…”
Fear clutched at his numb stomach as he suddenly tried to understand the brief snatches of argument he was hearing. He just knew that he couldn’t have heard correctly. Determinedly, he kept on, finding a reserve of energy he didn’t know he had and pushing on to her apartment.
What he had heard couldn’t possibly be true.
~*~*~*~
His brief burst of energy was flagging but he knew he was almost there. Kakashi could see her building up ahead. Then, just as he was rounding a corner, he sensed several unfamiliar chakra signatures… too late. He cursed himself for his weakness as he watched the ANBU operatives circle him warily. The elite jonin was in no shape to fight and he knew it – but, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t go down without at least trying.
He put up as much of a fight as he was able, but the outcome was inevitable. Kakashi felt a perverse satisfaction in the couple of blows which he was able to land on his assailants. However, after an all too brief scuffle, he was rendered completely unconscious and carried to the hospital.
~*~*~*~
A strange, annoying, monotonous beep invaded his sleep. Cautiously, Kakashi opened his eye to seek and destroy the source of the sound. He was in pain – lots of pain – and all he wanted to do was sleep. Upon glancing around the room, the groggy shinobi realized that he was not in his pink haired medic’s apartment as he had assumed and that the sound he wanted to silence wasn’t her alarm clock.
Waking up a little more, he took better stock of his surroundings. There was no mistaking it – he was in the hospital. Foggily, his mind tried to make sense of this. The last he remembered, he had been staggering to Sakura’s apartment. Giving little thought to what he was doing, he pulled off the various sensors that were attached to him and swung his legs over the side of the hospital bed, cringing in pain as he moved. Ignoring the discomfort, and the shrill alarms from the machines to which he had been attached, he found his backpack and slowly removed and donned his spare pair of pants
Just as he was searching for a shirt, a couple of nurses barged into the room.
“Mr. Hatake! What are you doing?!” one cried sharply, horror clear in her voice.
The second nurse beat a hasty retreat looking for backup.
“Leaving,” he grunted, then paused for a moment as a flare of pain temporarily incapacitated him.
“You’re still in critical condition! You can’t leave!” the nurse cried, going to his side. However, with another grunt of pain, he brushed her aside.
“I’m fine,” he replied. “If I need help I will get it.” Kakashi was thinking of Sakura and wondering where she was – he wanted very much to see her, and it was unlike her not to be handy when he woke up in the hospital.
The nurse hastily got to her feet, her eyes narrowing. “You mean Ms. Haruno will finish the job, don’t you?”
Kakashi didn’t respond. Instead, he chose to make his way to the door. He was in no shape to leave via the window – his usual means of exiting the hospital – and he knew it.
Quickly, the nurse moved to block his exit, fear of losing him keeping her from thinking too much about the actual phrasing of her response. “She’s not here… she didn’t come back with the rest of her team.”
His eye widened as the fragments of memory from his arrival in the village returned to him. Angry and hurt, he reached out to brush her out of the way again. He needed to find out where Sakura was and what had happened – it just couldn’t be true.
As he was making a second attempt at the door, with questions as to what had happened to Sakura on the tip of his tongue, it suddenly flew open and several off-duty jonin poured in – Guy apparently leading the attack.
“Alright, my Eternal Rival. The Hokage didn’t nearly kill herself saving you just to have you ruin all her hard work by trying to leave early,” the green-spandexed man chided Kakashi. “Get back to bed – you’re in no shape to be up and about yet. Even Tsunade isn't in any kind of shape to be up and about, and she wasn't the patient.”
If the Copy Ninja had needed proof that his condition was still critical, this was it – Guy, he knew, was only serious in situations where someone could actually die. Then, as he was contemplating his next move, several of the other men pounced, grabbing hold of the elite jonin and securing him so that one of the nurses could administer a sedative injection.
He struggled a bit, but knew it was a losing battle as the world slowly started to fade into black.
~*~*~*~
Kakashi awoke slowly, feeling as though his entire body had been pushed through a meat grinder. Unable to stop himself, he groaned a little before opening his eye to take in his surroundings. He sighed with frustration upon realizing that he was still in the hospital, though his room seemed to have been changed – there were now bars on the windows. Obviously, he realized, he’d been moved to the high security sector.
Still feeling fuzzy, he shook his head. When that didn’t clear the sleep induced cobwebs, he raised a hand to rub his eyes – at least, he tried to do so. With a muttered curse, he realized that both his arms and legs had been restrained and, when he looked down to confirm it, he noticed the IV in his arm and cursed again. They’d decided to keep him sedated, too.
As he lay there, foggily wondering what his next move should be, but having difficulties concentrating on anything for more than a moment at a time, he suddenly remembered Sakura. With renewed effort, he tried to clear his mind. When that didn't work, he tried freeing himself from the restraints.
After quite a few attempts, and completely exhausting himself, he had to admit defeat. He slipped back into a light doze, unaware that he had almost freed himself – and that he had been closely monitored the entire time by members of the hospital’s security team and several of the floor’s staff. Some of the more nervous nurses heaved sighs of relief when he finally gave into sleep.
~*~*~*~
“So, here he is...” The female voice intruded upon his hazy, fog-filled thoughts.
“You sure that’s him? I heard he doesn’t do hospitals…” another feminine voice replied, sounding slightly worried.
“’Course I’m sure. He is my patient after all,” the first voice (his nurse, he guessed) responded.
“Oh… Okay then. What are we doing here?” the second voice asked with some confusion.
The sound of giggling which followed alerted him that his nurse seemed to be up to no good. He groaned to himself. The restraints and sedatives were bad enough – what else could they possibly come up with to humiliate him?
“Well… I got to thinking that he’s been here almost two weeks right?”
“Um, yes, I think you’re right.”
The first voice giggled again. “It’s an awful long time to go without brushing your teeth isn’t it?”
He could barely make out the gasp which came from the other woman – obviously, Kakashi concluded, she didn’t have quite the same mischievous streak as his nurse.
“Oh that’s naughty, Noriko,” the second woman then scolded. “You know as well as I do that it states explicitly in his file not to remove his mask under any circumstances.”
His nurse snorted. “Actually, that’s not a real order. It was just penciled in by that medic. You know the one.”
“I don’t know…” the timid woman hesitated. “He’s legendary for liking his privacy… I don't think I've ever heard of anyone removing his mask for any reason...”
“I bet he’s a total hottie under there and she just doesn’t want to share, as usual.” The nurse’s voice almost dripped with venom. “You know she takes all the hot ones for herself. She took one from you a couple months ago… um, the Uchiha, was it?”
“Now that’s not exactly fair…” the more rational woman interjected, apparently trying to placate her friend. “We don’t know why she has so many exclusive patients. It could be any number of things. And, she didn’t come take him from me until after he refused to cooperate. Come to think of it, she was kind of annoyed with him about the whole thing, good-looking or not…”
“Feh, yeah right. It's all probably because she was the Hokage’s apprentice and now no one will dare to cross her or tell her ‘no’ without fear of drawing the ‘kage’s wrath. I'll bet she isn't even all that great – it's just the Hokage's reputation she’s living off of now... half her patients probably don't even know that she isn't all that good.”
"Noriko!" The second woman sounded scandalized. "Neither of us have seen her work before! You can't just assume that she can't do her job as well as the next medic."
"Okay, so she's likely to be at least a half-decent medic," the annoyed woman grudgingly admitted. "But, I bet she isn't all she's cracked up to be. No one's that good... 'cept maybe the 'kage herself..."
There was a moment of silence during which the restrained shinobi desperately wished for something, anything, to happen to distract his seemingly determined nurse from violating his privacy. He already knew from experience that the restraints were tough and extremely tight. And, the drugs they had been pumping into his system were too strong for him to focus long enough to accomplish anything, never mind actually freeing himself… which he’d been trying to do since waking up and remembering being told that Sakura hadn’t made it back from her last mission. He needed to know if it was true that she was gone and not coming back. Unfortunately, he was having a hard time staying awake and focusing long enough to ask someone about her.
~*~*~*~
Feeling absolutely exhausted, Sakura finally made it to the village gate, reflecting that she had never been so glad to be home. As she was passing through the gates, one of the jonin on duty caught her arm to stop her. She turned to look at him questioningly.
The man smiled apologetically at the surprised woman. “Sorry,” he said. “Couldn’t seem to get your attention.”
She flushed and realized she must have been so focused on her return that she hadn’t been paying too much attention to her surroundings – something that could be lethal to someone in her profession. “Er, sorry about that. It’s just so good to finally be home.”
“Er, yes,” the nervous man agreed. In fact, he just wanted to deliver his message and get away from the legendarily volatile woman. He’d heard more than one story involving messengers turning into pincushions after delivering unfavorable news to the pink haired medic and wanted nothing to do with learning all about it first-hand. “Um, anyway,” he added, “you’re wanted urgently at the hospital.”
Sakura looked at him as if he had three heads. “What?” she asked. She had just returned from a prolonged mission and was absolutely exhausted. Even Tsunade, she knew, would not expect to see her until the next day – only something extremely important would necessitate her being waylaid as soon as she entered the village.
“Uh, well, it would seem that one of your patients has been causing trouble since he returned to the village a couple weeks ago…” The nervous jonin sidled a half-step away from the occasionally frightening woman before continuing. “Guess he was refusing treatment and they had to send people after him...”
The medic’s eyes widened as she realized that a certain silver haired shinobi must have returned to the village while she was away – and apparently, with wounds serious enough for treatment. And, of course, as was usual for him, Kakashi had refused it figuring that she would be there to heal him. “Shit,” was all she managed to get out before finding a reserve of energy she didn’t know she had and taking off in the direction of the hospital.
Faster than she would have thought possible, Sakura found herself at the sprawling medical building. Upon entering, the nurse assigned to the front desk looked up, startled at the kunoichi’s sudden and rather dramatic appearance.
“Oh! Ms. Haruno, you’re back! Thank god!” The woman exhaled with some relief. “That pain-in-the-rear you call a former sensei has been making a right mess of things here while you’ve been away!”
Sakura sighed. She had hoped to have a little time off before having to go back work in the hospital. “And, I had hoped the jonin at the gate had been over-stating things,” she replied. “Alright, where is he? I’ll go take care of it.”
The nurse smiled at the young medic, suddenly able to find the whole situation kind of cute in a way… now that there would be no more headaches for her caused by the troublesome patient. “He’s in the restricted ward, high security sector, room number 212,” she said with a little bit of embarrassment. “I'm sorry to say that there were a couple of, um, incidents…”
The pink haired woman groaned. “Ugh, he would just have to come in injured while I was out of the village, wouldn’t he...? And, of course, it would be too much trouble for him to behave himself until I returned." Feeling slightly frustrated, Sakura shook her head. "What am I going to do with him?”
The nurse laughed. “You spoil him.”
“Huh?” Sakura asked with a bit of confusion... and denial.
“Just go – take care of him and, for Pete’s sake, try not to be out of the village for so long next time!”
“Right, right.” The pink haired medic nodded and took off into the maze of halls.
Several minutes travel found her outside of room number 212. She paused to catch her breath and quickly scan the chart on the door. Then, Sakura's face paled as her eyes skimmed the pages and pages of new notes attached to the file – she had to swallow a couple times upon seeing the long laundry list of Kakashi’s injuries and the fact that, not only had Tsunade herself had taken him on as her patient, but that the Hokage had literally spent hours and hours working on him when he had been admitted.
Kakashi, she realized, had only just barely made it. According to Shizune's scribbled notes, his heart had actually stopped at one point – Sakura felt her own heart constrict a little upon reading that Kakashi had technically died on the table. The internal injuries alone would have taken down most decent shinobi, she knew, never mind what he had apparently added to it... hastily Sakura pushed these thoughts out of her mind to better deal with the man himself. Worrying over what had already happened would do her no good, although a small part of her couldn't help but continue to be a bit shaken at how close she,( no, she amended to herself, the village,) had come to losing him.
As Sakura walked into the room, she stopped in her tracks at what she found: her former sensei was strapped into a hospital bed with an IV in his arm and bandages covering not only his Sharingan, but most of what she could see of him. And, two nurses were hovering guiltily over him, one of them with a hand outstretched halfway to his mask-covered face.
Feeling her anger explode, Sakura carefully calmed herself down a little before speaking. “Kindly step away from my patient, please,” she said in a carefully controlled voice.
It might have been her imagination, but the silver haired patient seemed to twitch at the sound of her voice.
Hastily, the two women backed away from the man in the bed. One of them narrowed her eyes at the kunoichi. “In case you hadn’t noticed,” said the nurse, “mine is the name on the chart.”
Sighing to herself, Sakura realized it was going to be one of those days. She had, on rare occasions, had encounters with other members of the medical staff over her boys as well as other members of the rookie nine. Generally, she didn’t force the issue. But, on occasion, they did.
Taking a deep breath, the annoyed pink haired medic did her best to stay civil. “I’m sure it is, and I’m sure you’ve done a lovely job taking care of him so far,” she replied. “Thank you – I appreciate what you have done for him. But, if you take another look at the file, you will find that he became my patient the moment I stepped foot back in Konoha.” She smiled as sweetly as she could manage, feeling thankful for the clause she had added into Kakashi's file for just such occasions. “I’m sure you’ve noticed, but he isn’t exactly a model patient.” The pink haired medic then waited a moment for the two intruding nurses to leave. Her hands were itching to remove the restraints, and the IV of what she was positive was some sort of sedative. Seeing Kakashi like that, Sakura decided, was just plain wrong on so many levels.
The nurse who had remained silent slowly made her way to the door. “Come on, Noriko,” she said to her co-worker, “we have other patients to attend.”
However, the still clearly annoyed woman crossed her arms across her chest belligerently. “No. I’d like to see just how well she handles him. She can’t do any better than I have been doing – no one can.”
“Noriko, really, that’s uncalled for!” The shyer woman’s face burned with embarrassment. She had no issue with the kunoichi stealing patients out from under other nurses or medics as, for the most part, she tended to take those who caused the most trouble. Granted, those also tended to be the most attractive of the lot, but that still didn’t change the fact that, for whatever reason, the pink haired woman was able to handle them better than anyone else.
Meanwhile, keeping her anger in check, Sakura waved her hand dismissively – it wasn’t the first time she had been asked to prove her capability with a patient before she took over for an offended staff member. “Stay or not, it doesn’t matter to me,” she said then. “Just step away from my patient so I can get started, please.” A small part of her was happy that, as tired as she was, she had used little of her chakra during her return journey. She would need it to help Kakashi.
Huffing to herself, the belligerent woman backed off and joined her friend at the foot of the bed.
Once both women were clear, Sakura moved over to Kakashi’s side. The first thing she did was to determine if he was awake or sleeping. She was pleasantly surprised at finding his eye open, and she smiled at him as she raised the back of the bed a little so that he was in a more comfortable position. Next, she gently removed his IV, using a little chakra to heal the tiny, but sure to be sore, puncture. As she did this, she heard a gasp from the more timid of the two nurses. However, Sakura was not concerned. Unlike most medics, she didn’t need to pump Kakashi full of sedatives to get him to cooperate.
“That was stupid,” the offended woman remarked softly, though still loudly enough for the pink haired woman to overhear.
Sakura sighed to herself – yes, she thought resignedly, it was just going to be one of those encounters. Again choosing to ignore the comment, she continued on with what she was doing. Next, she carefully removed all of the restraints, this time eliciting another gasp from both members of her audience.
The timid woman found her voice first. “Y-you really shouldn’t do that… It took four of us to get him back in that bed the last time he got out…” Unlike her friend’s voice, hers only held concern.
Sakura turned and smiled at the worried woman. “Don’t worry,” she answered. “He won’t try to leave again. He knows better than to try to do something silly like that when I’m here.”
The one called Noriko huffed, unable to keep her opinion to herself. “Just because you were the Hokage’s apprentice, doesn’t mean that he won’t try to run from you like he has from the rest of us.”
Startled, Sakura turned to look at the woman who was shooting her a death glare. “Eh? Is that what you think?” she asked incredulously.
Mutely, the two other women nodded – one with embarrassment and the other with a note of challenge, as if she were daring Sakura to try and deny the truth.
The Kunoichi shook her head dismissively and turned back to her patient. “That's not it at all,” she said with faint annoyance. “The fact that Tsunade was my teacher has nothing to do with this.” Gently, Sakura laid her hand on Kakashi’s mask-covered cheek and concentrated for a moment, sending chakra into his system to burn off as much of the sedatives as she could while at the same time taking a quick preliminary scan to see how his rather extensive injuries were healing.
“What on earth are you doing!?” Expecting the now mostly clear-headed shinobi to try and make a break for it, Noriko took a couple steps toward the bed. “That was remarkably stupid of you!! Damn it! He's one of the elite!! We’ll never be able to get him back! This, this will be all your fault.”
Sakura turned and smiled sweetly at the woman, by now thoroughly tired of listening to her. “He won’t be going anywhere until I tell him he can leave.” She turned to the man now regarding the three women in his room disinterestedly. “Right, Kakashi-sensei?”
The older man winced at her use of the defunct honorific – then, he looked up at her, almost as if he was actually considering her question. After a moment, he gave her one of his best fake smiles and made a weak attempt to reach out and ruffle her hair.
Sakura knew that smile. She patted his cheek as she tilted her head to avoid his hand. “Because,” she then continued, “you know I will hunt you down and remove your liver if you should decide to leave before I let you go.”
He glared at her in response, showing none of the pleasure and relief he was feeling at seeing her again. “I’ll stay… Sakura-chan,” he said, a faint hint of defeat as well as annoyance clearly present in his voice.
Sakura turned to look at the two open-mouthed nurses still standing in the room. Her little act had been a bit over the top, but she was certain that it had gotten the message across. She nodded, no longer wanting to deal with the women. “I think I have proven my point and I’m sure you have plenty to do with your other patients.” She left the statement hanging – a clear hint that she wanted them to leave. When neither of them made a move, she sighed. “I’ll take full responsibility for any trouble he may get into, so neither of you will have anything to worry about.”
The more timid of the two nurses pulled on her friend’s arm and they reluctantly took their leave.
Silently, Sakura heaved a sigh of relief (not realizing that she wasn't the only one to do so) and settled herself on the edge of the hospital bed to get a better look at Kakashi.
“You know, Kakashi,” she chided, “things would be a lot easier if you would just behave yourself whenever you need medical assistance and I’m not available. Those two are probably going to go run off to the shift supervisor and I’m going to have to spend ages making up for all the messes you’ve made while I was away.” As she spoke, she placed her hand on the exposed portion of his forehead, starting a full scan to check the true extent of his injuries and the progress he had made.
Kakashi didn’t answer. Instead, he studied her, taking in her summer clothes, the new tan tinted with a bit of sunburn and her travel-weary appearance. She looked as though she’d been traveling for a week or so, nothing more – as far as he could tell, nothing out of the ordinary had happened to her recently. So… then why hadn’t she come back with her team from her last mission?
Sakura felt his eye on her as she finished with her scan and sighed, knowing that he wouldn’t apologize for the trouble he had caused her – or rather, more likely would cause her in the next couple of days. “Anyway,” she said, “now that all that’s settled, I really should go. I’ve been traveling all day and feel disgusting.” Unthinkingly, she patted his cheek, then added, “You know, you really need a shave.” Surprise was clearly evident in her voice. She rubbed her hand across his mask-covered cheek absently and giggled as the short silver hairs poked through the material and into her hand. “Prickly.”
His hand caught hers. “Sakura…” he murmured.
“Hmm? You are a man so I suppose you would have facial hair. I’m just surprised for some reason… on all those extended missions, how on earth…” She trailed off as she realized that her hand was still resting lightly on his cheek, his hand encircling her wrist. “Sorry.” She removed her hand, and was surprised yet again when he didn’t remove his, but instead shifted it so that he was holding her hand.
“Where have you been?” Kakashi asked, doing his best to keep all emotion from his voice, and failing.
Startled, Sakura looked down at him. “Huh?” The pink haired woman eyed him inquisitively; she had heard a note of genuine concern in his voice mixed with something she couldn’t easily identify. “Suna. Why?”
“When I came back… they said you… they said that you didn’t come back with your team from your last mission…” The older man trailed off, not having wanted to be so direct with his answer.
Understanding suddenly dawned on the pink haired woman. He had been seriously worried about her, she realized – a small part of her suddenly wondered if his escape attempts might have had something to do with that concern. Unable to help herself, she smiled softly at him, feeling just a faint hint of heat in her cheeks.
“No, I didn’t,” she answered. “As we were getting ready to leave there was an earthquake. The damage to the city was widespread and the casualties and injured lists extensive. There was just no way I was going to leave Sand at a time like that. So, I sent my escort on ahead; they were bored enough as it was and had another mission waiting for them in Konoha. I sent word to Tsunade with them…” She shook her head a little, trying to focus more on the present than the fact that he had been very upset about her absence. “I would have thought someone might have told you about it though… It's not like it was a secret or anything.”
He nodded, still feeling more than relieved that she was indeed okay, but unable to put his feelings into words. “What were you doing in Suna?” he asked.
“Believe it or not, Kakashi, I’m pretty good at what I do. And, what I do doesn’t solely consist of taking care of shinobi too stubborn to seek medical treatment on their own.” She grinned at his discomfiture at her remark. “I’m usually called to Suna five or six times a year.” She flushed a little as she added, “With my research, I’m now uniquely qualified to help with some of their research, you see…”
He nodded, accepting her explanation. After a contemplative moment of silence Kakashi changed the topic. “When you let me out of here, set some time aside,” he said. “I’d like to teach you something.”
She raised an eyebrow in enquiry. “I thought you’d given up teaching… sensei.”
He chuckled. “I think I can make an exception for this.”
“Okay, now you've got me curious.” She smiled at him and rose to her feet. “But, I'm still feeling tired and gross. I've really got to go home and take a shower at the very least.” She eyed him again. “You are going to stay put, aren't you?”
He sighed, then opened his mouth to protest. He really didn’t want to have to stay in the hospital if he could help it. And, now that she was back in the village…
Hastily, Sakura interrupted, sensing his upcoming argument. “Kakashi, you simply aren't in any kind of shape to leave the hospital. You really did a number on yourself... you must have looked like hell when you arrived.” She blushed a little for what she was going to say next, but hoped that in saying it he would understand just how close to dying he had really come. “I-I'm kind of glad I wasn't here to see for myself. I don't know if I would have been able to handle it...” her voice broke a little and she had to pause to gather herself before continuing. “It’s better that Tsunade treated you. I don't even know if I would have been able to save you this time.” As she spoke, she let her gaze fall to her hand – she was faintly surprised that he was still holding it, his thumb moving over the back of it in soothing circles.
He eyed her for a moment… then he sighed and squeezed her hand gently before letting go. He did not want to cause his medic any more pain. “Alright, Sakura. I'll stay.”
Her face lit up and she smiled at him, immediately feeling more than relieved. “Good. If you like, I'll stop by your place to pick up a couple of things for you...” Then, she giggled a little. “…Like, clothes? I'm guessing that they took everything away except your masks when they moved you here.”
He rolled his eye and she laughed.
“If you're good, I might even bring you a couple of your Icha Icha books... any preference?” She winked mischievously at him, knowing that the little smutty books would go a long way in taking the older man’s mind off his own situation.
Surprised that she would make the offer, Kakashi chuckled and shook his head. “No, not really. I'll be happy with whatever you bring... Anything is better than staring at the walls all day.”
Sakura nodded and smiled again. “Okay, I'll be back later with clothes and reading material. Just try to behave while I’m gone, will you?”
He grinned. “I'll try.”
About ten minutes after Sakura had left, Kakashi sat bolt upright in bed, cursing at both the pain of his slowly healing injuries and because of something that had just occurred to him.
In the event that he didn't make it back from the mission, he had left his entire Icha Icha collection in a box on his kitchen table... including the unsealed original novel and the extra drawings of Sakura he had managed to confiscate from Jiraiya. Kakashi had done this to prevent the new resident of his apartment from finding those particular items unexpectedly. He had also considered burning them but, in the end, he hadn’t been able to follow through – as much as he didn’t want to admit it, he liked the thought of returning to their ashes less than the thought of someone else finding them after his name was added to the memorial. The problem now was, of course, that it had never occurred to him that the person to find them might be Sakura… and that he would still be among the living at the time. Granted, she had given him the novel, but he had gone after and obtained the original sketches. And, of course, she had never seriously imagined that Jiraiya had actually faithfully represented her in the story.
Torn, he sat completely still and thought. He had promised Sakura he would stay put, but, if he did, she would find something he really would rather she didn’t...
“Shit.”
