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Sunday, January 20, 2013

One Day at a Time

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

Day Forty-Five: Hey Sunshine

Blurry... Everything was blurry. Where was he? Where was Sakura? Kakashi's came up to rub his tired eyes, hoping to clear his vision. Blinking a few times before he tried to assess his surroundings, the jonin could now easily recognize the much-dreaded ceiling of the hospital. Of course. The hospital. Why would he be elsewhere in the state he'd been when the rescue team had met up with them. With a groan he hoped no one would hear, the Copy Nin sat up and tore the covers away from him.

He winced at the sight. The medics had been nice enough to leave his shirt on him, but his bottom half was naked save for his underwear. Yet, this wasn't the worse that assaulted his poor eyes. His tighs were wrapped thickly in several layers of bandages but blood still soaked through. Had Tsunade been too exhausted to heal him or something? He couldn't remember a time where his wounds had remained in such an awful state after a trip to this horrible building. They'd even slathered a foul-smelling ointment to his skin. Most likely a courtesy of the Fifth.

"Sakura?" He called as his mismatched eyes roved the room. It was empty.

The silver-haired man pushed himself off the bed when he noticed her absence, all sorts of gut-wrenching scenarios wreaking havoc on his mind. The sudden pain in his legs when he settled hid weight on his feet caught him completely off-guard, resulting in an annoying meeting with the floor.

The Copy Nin breathed out an exasperated sigh as he waited for the throbbing in his thighs to subside, though it seemed stubborn and didn't stop.

"Hatake, you better be awa-" The voice of the Hokage growled as she shoved the door open. The sight before her made the words die in her throat, though not for long. A roaring laughter exploded from her generous chest as she slapped her hands to her knees in disbelief. Well, there went the last of his dignity...

"How nice of you to come and visit me, Tsunade. Sadly, I think the floor requires my attention." He replied cheerfully as he propped his head on one of his hands, appearing perfectly comfortable in his embarrassing position.

"I'm the Hokage, I schedule the meetings. So back in your bed so I can have a little chat with your sorry ass." She growled as she hauled him off the floor and back onto the hard mattress.

"Where's Sakura?" Kakashi asked, suddenly serious. Tsunade hadn't barged in and kicked him in the nuts, so she most likely wasn't in danger anymore.

"What do you mean where is she? In her room, where else?" The man stared at his superior dumbfounded. In her room? Why wasn't she here?

"Why isn't she here?" He asked after a slight hesitation, obviously confused. The Hokage looked back at him the same way, as if expecting him to sprout a new head.

"Did I punch you too hard yesterday?" The silence seemed to encourage her to keep going. "Why the hell would I let my twenty-four year old apprentice sleep in the same room as you?"

The Copy Nin still didn't reply, processing her words instead. Reality hit him like a ton of bricks. It was only natural that a female wouldn't share his room. There was no reason for them to sleep in the same space anymore, they weren't locked up together. They were back home. A particular image of Sakura grounding her hips into his, above him, flashed into his mind. He'd better keep his mouth shut. If Tsunade learned about this, his punishment would be worse than death.

"The information... Sakura knows every-" Before he could finish, the blonde woman nodded and cut him off.

"Yes, she told us everything. We've sent an appropriate team to intercept the sale." A relieved sigh escaped his lips, the enormous weight on his shoulders lifting. Surely Kosuke had needed to take a detour to avoid Konoha patrols. Either way, he would be at the bridge only at the date Sakura had mentioned. Another five days from now.

"How is she?" The question seemed to make her pause. Kakashi's heart raced as he imagined why she would hesitate to speak.

"She'll make it." Tsunade spoke up, as if sensing his worry. "She's lost a blood, we're giving her transfusions as we speak and have her on IV."

His stomach sank further with each word the medic spoke. Sakura was in the intensive care unit and he couldn't visit her today, most likely not tomorrow though it wasn't certain just yet. The amount of blood she had lost would have been enough to kill her had they spent one more day out there. Even as it was, it was obvious to the older woman that her apprentice wouldn't be back on the mission roster for a good two months.

The woman went on about his own condition once she'd explained everything about his teammate's situation. Koroku had aimed perfectly. It was most likely that he wouldn't even be able to stand up for a week, no matter how much they sped the healing process with chakra. The blonde considered it a miracle that he'd even been able to carry the girl all the way back. It would be two or three months before he was back in his original shape.

Once he was alone again, the jonin slumped back against the wall, staring at the opposite one as he thought about everything that he'd just been told. About everything that had happened in the past month and a half. About the way his life was back to normal now. The worse was the feeling of emptiness that came with knowing that Sakura wouldn't be around him most of the time anymore. He had no idea what to make of their relationship at this point. The girl had never returned his confession, but she had slept with him. Did it mean anything? Or had it really been just a desperate attempt to forget what was happening?

"Hey, Kakashi." He heard Genma greet as he stepped in the room. What happened to knocking on doors? Had that practice been eradicated while the duration of this awful mission?

"Yo." Kakashi returned with a small wave of his hand. At least this was a face he didn't mind seeing right now. Even if he had the image of a sleazy womanizer, the man was actually very reasonable.

"Thought I'd bring you some food." The brunette let out as he lifted a bag of takeout. Now that was definitely a visit he could appreciate.

"You must be able to read my mind... I'm starving." The silver-haired man replied as his friend took a seat on the chair next to the bed. He watched intently as his friend tore the bag open and retrieved a container that he handed out to him with chopsticks. "Thanks."

"No problem." They ate in silence for a while, until Genma's curiosity got the better of him. When Kakashi was thrown a funny look, he could pratically guess all of his companion's questions.

"Are you okay?" The inquiry was sincere. Being both jonins, they knew all too well how much just one mission coul fuck you up. Seeing the state that Sakura had been in, the senbon-chewing man already knew that Kakashi's mind must me a mess.

"I'm fine. We made it alive, it's all that matters." The answer didn't seem to satisfy his friend, which was understandable. If he hadn't asked about the mission, then it was because he was aware of the details already. How much had Sakura told them?

"Was she...?" Kakashi shook his head quickly. "Okay." The silver-haired jonin continued eating without speaking a word more, feeling uneasy about sharing more with his comrade.

"Mate, I hate to ask but... You look like shit. What happened between you two?" Before he could even reply, Genma raised a finger to hush him, eyeing suspiciously. "No bullshit. No amount of pain could make you look like that." This guy knew him too well.

"Genma..." He started as he pinched the bridge of his nose in mild frustration. "I had to sit back and watch her be tortured. For more than a month. What do you expect?"

"I don't know, man. I just got this strange feeling that you don't see her as just... another girl, after all this." Was he really that transparent? It was a bit scary.

"Why would you even ask me that?" He replied, obviously irritated.

"Because if you watched the woman you love be kicked around, I can't imagine what's going on in that sick head of yours." Gennma threw back, watching him carefully. Kakashi only stared at his lap in silence, unable to reply. How was he even feeling after all this?


Chapter Forty-Six: Click Here

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