One Day at a Time

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters and make no money from this.

Day Forty-Two: The Feel Of

When he woke up, all the Kakashi could notice for a moment was the feel of the light breeze against his skin, the warmth of the sun, the scent of the grass and trees that surrounded him... How good it felt to be outside. His eyes remained closed, taking the time to enjoy the calm. Until he remembered the acutal situation they were in.

"Sakura?" The jonin called out as he stood on his knees. No response. "Sakura."

She was immobile. His heart hammered in his chest as he rushed over to her, putting two fingers to her neck to check her pulse and breathing. Both were present, but far too weak for her to be okay. Immediately, he sat her up against and shook her, trying to wake her up.

"Sakura, wake up!" He shouted as he tapped her cheek several times. "You've got to wake up, now!" She couldn't be dying. Not after all this, not for... nothing.

After a violent shake, the girl in his arms gasped for breath, eyes shooting open and a hand grasping at her chest. He watched in horror as she struggled to breathe, only able to take in short gasps. Much to his relief, her breathing evened out a little after a minute or so, though still labored.

"Sakura..." He let out, voice thick with worry, as he brushed the hair out of her face. "Do you have enough chakra to at least help you with your beathing?"

"Chakra has nothing to do with his..." She wheezed, coughing out a small amount of blood. "I've lost too much blood. I can stimulate the red cell production, but it only helps on the long-term." He was very well aware of it, but his mind refused to admit it. There had to be something they could do...

A quick glance at her mid-riff showed him that it still bled, though barely. Most of the blood had dried, so her condition could possibly get better in the following days.

"Don't die on me, Sakura..." The jonin demanded lowly as he hauled her on his back, getting ready to leave. "I can't lose you."

"Heh, I've survived this once. It's not an extra hole in my mid-section that'll kill me..." He couldn't help but smile at her cocky words. She was a fighter. He could already feel the tingling sensation that her chakra created against his back, signaling that she was trying to fix herself as she could again. Encouraged by her lack of fear, he started running at full speed, forcing himself to ignore the increasing pain in his legs.

"Shouldn't we wait for your dogs? I wouldn't mind having a bite..." She let out, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"It's okay, they'll catch up with us. You can eat while we're moving."


Chapter Forty-Three: Click Here