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myaekingheart · 5 years ago

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44. Tsukuyomi

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“Do you feel sorry for your old village?” a voice asked. Two cloaked figures stood at the edge of Konoha’s borders, harbingers of disaster. His companion hesitated a moment, tilting his head skyward toward Hokage Rock. A churning took hold of his stomach, recollections of the past. And then, after a moment, an eventual answer.

“No.”

Rei strapped her sandals on and fixed her hair up into a ponytail as she sat on the edge of Kakashi’s bed. Her lips were drawn taut, her eyes staring ahead with laser focus. The door creaked open. “You’re up early” Kakashi said as he stepped inside. His hair was still wet from a morning shower, and he had yet to put on a shirt. The clock read 5:45am.

“You say that as if I’m incapable of getting up before noon” she replied sharply. “Besides, I have a lot of shit to do today.”

“Oh?” Kakashi asked, sitting beside her. He ruffled his hair, shaking droplets of water onto Rei’s forearm. “What kinds of shit?”

Rei rose from her spot and checked herself in the nearby mirror. “Naru insisted on having a girl’s day, so she’s dragging us to the hot springs. I’d rather not, but she insisted we needed some quality spa time and wouldn’t take no for an answer.” Something shook inside Kakashi at the thought. He and Rei had been growing mildly distant, but the image of her in the springs triggered something that had since been neglected. He tried to get his mind off of it. He didn’t want her to see the vulnerability of his imagination.

He stood up and quickly slipped his shirt on over his head, then zipped his vest up and pulled his mask over his face. “Wait a minute, don’t leave just yet” he said as he tied his headband to his forehead. Rei glanced back at him expectantly, hand hovering over the doorknob. “I’ll walk you there.”

Despite how much she hated the way he seemed to loom over her as they went, a strange feelng began to take root that made her glad he was beside her. Per usual, they displayed no public affection that coul reeal the true nature of their relationship, and yet somehow she felt as if his fingers were invisibly intertwined with hers. There was a sense of protection deep within the looming that both comforted and terrified her.

They were halfway to the hot springs when something finally snapped. A chill ran down Kakashi’s spine, and the faintest ringing of a bell struck his ears. He looked back over his shoulder and caught one quick flash of black and red, the faintest glimpse of a crimson eye. When he turned back to Rei, she was staring at him with widened eyes. Perhaps she had felt it, too.

“Let me know when you make it home” he said quietly, ducking behind a pillar so that no one could see them before they parted ways.

“I will” she said softly. That feeling, that fleeting anxiety, left her paranoid and unhinged. She recognized it as if from some distant dream. It didn’t make any sense, but when she thought too long about it, she was reminded of someone terrifying. Soemone who made her feel so inexplicably nauseous. Itachi.

Kakashi rested a hand on Rei’s shoulder, looking at her with a deep, intense sincerity. “Stay safe. Please” he said. She nodded once, and then he leaned down and tugged his mask down to slowly plant a kiss on her lips.

A sense of warmth enveloped her entire body, momentarily easing her worries. He lingered for a moment longer afterwards, and she looked in his eyes and whispered “You, too.” Her heart pounded as she watched him leave, her arms going numb, as if she could feel the elastic bond between them stretching too thin and ultimately snapping. She spaced out for a moment, caught up in her thoughts, only realizing after snapping back to reality that perhaps he had not alleviated her fears so much as added to them. An unshakable sense of doom crept over her, and she suddenly felt as if the entire world was destined to implode in a matter of hours.

“Looks like someone kissed and made up” a voice then spoke, startling Rei. She turned to find Sekkachi smirking at her, a towel slung over her forearm. Rei stammereda moment, face turning red, before socking her friend in the arm and stomping through the gates as she mumbled something along the lines of Shut the fuck up.

Kakashi stood outside the dango shop with book in hand, but truthfully he couldn’t concentrate. He searched for Sasuke, whose presence he requested and hoped would oblige. Inside, two cloaked figures brooded over their tea. Kakashi wasn’t sure what was to come of this, but he had be prepared for the absolute worst.

Asuma and Kurenai were a welcome distraction, smugly smiling behind his mask as he watched them approach. “You two seem to be getting along” he commented. The kunoichi’s face went bright red, stammering out a half-assed excuse. Deep down, Kakashi took great pride in poking fun at them. As if everyone didn’t already know of their secret romance. He hoped he and Rei weren’t nearly as obvious.

“What are you doing here, aside from catching up on your reading?” Asuma asked. “I thought you didn’t like the sweet stuff.”

“I need to buy something for a grave” Kakashi replied. It was clear through his tone and body language that something was going on; the couple before him exchanged suspicious glances. “Plus, I’m meeting someone here.”

Asuma hollered and slapped Kakashi hard on the back. “Finally got a girlfriend, huh?”

Kakashi looked back at him, unamused. “No” he said. “I’m just waiting on Sasuke.”

“It’s unlike you to be the early one” Asuma commented.

“So, what did you need to pick up for this grave?” Kurenai asked. “Is it for Obito?”

Kakashi clenched his fist at his side. “Yeah…kind of” he replied. His eyes trailed back to the cloaked figures, their bodies tense. Asuman and Kurenai followed his gaze just as Sasuke arrived, looking as agitated as ever.

“It’s not like you to show up early” the by spat. “What’s gives?”

“Well, sometimes things are just too important to run late for” Kakashi replied. A strange feeling echoed through the air, and Sasuke peered inside the shop. The table once occupied now sat empty, nealy full cups of tea still piping hot.

Sasuke huffed. “Let’s eat somewhere else. I’m not really in the mood for sweets.” Asuma and Kurenai met Kakashi’s gaze and knew immediately what must be done. They nodded once, then disappeared. The young Uchiha pursed his lips. “Alright, what’s going on?”

Naru leapt out of the spring grinning, grabbing a towel on her way to tightly hug Rei. “I’m so glad you were able to make it!” she exclaimed. Rei peered over her friend’s shoulder to catch sight of the others already relaxing: Yugao, Tenshi, and Mikazuki.

“I wish you would’ve told me this was an ANBU thing” Sekkachi scoffed, flanking Rei. “Or else I never would’ve come.”

Naru shook her head as she embraced her comrade. “But we want you here, too, Sekkachi! I want you here!”

All the blood drained from Sekkachi’s face and she quickly shoved Naru off of her. “Alright, yeah, whatever” she said, ripping her towel off and wading into the water. She refused to look Naru in the eyes, or any other part of her body for that matter.

“So I wonder who the new hokage is going to be” Mikazuki said, smoothing her dark hair back to reveal her third eye.

“Do they really have to pick so soon?” Naru asked. “Lord Third only just died, like, a week ago.”

“Konoha needs leadership” Sekkachi said bluntly. “Without a hokage, we’re gonna shit the bed. Especially after the hellfest that was the chunin exams.”

“I overheard in a meeting yesterday something about one of the legendary sannin” Yugao replied. “Apparently the elders had a long discussion about it.”

“Yeah, probably because it takes them fifity years to get out a sentence” Sekkachi said. Naru rolled her eyes.

“I don’t know much about politics” the blonde chimed in, “but I think whoever assumes the position should know what he’s getting into. Lord Third was a great man, this new guy will have some pretty big shoes to fill.”

As they prattled on about current affairs, Rei couldn’t help but feel mildly awkward around so many people. Not to mention the fact that she was naked in front of them. It didn’t matter if they shared a common anatomy. She felt exposed and vulnerable.

“Is it just me” Tenshi then spoke, “Or does anyone else here have the weirdest feeling like you’re being watched?” The girls looked to each other for reassurance, quickly realizing that they felt it, too.

Jiraiya fixed his telescope firmly against his eye and chuckled to himself filthily. “You’ve gotta love the Leaf village!” he shouted from atop a nearby building. He fixed his gaze on a brunette clouded in steam, sultry eyes and curvaceous figure. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say she fell straight from the heavens. “The girls here are off the charts!”

“Jiraiya” a firm voice then called. “You’re still playing the buffoon, I see…”

Kakashi squeezed his eyes shut and tried to deal with the pain. Another blade sliced into his abdomen, warm blood pouring down his body. Itachi smirked. “I wonder how much of this someone without the kekkei genkai can take.” That damn word kept pulsing through Kakashi’s head with every thumping heartbeat in his ears. Tsukuyomi. Tsukuyomi. Tsukuyomi.

No amount of downplaying it as “just genjutsu” could dull the pain. Another blade, and everything slowly went black.

Naru sighed happily and rested her head back against the edge of the springs. “I don’t think I ever want to get out” she breathed. “I’ve never felt so relaxed in my entire life.”

The caw of a bird echoed overhead. Yugao pursed her lips. “Well, sorry to cut your relaxation short, but it looks like we’re needed.” She pointed up at the sky, a warning sign circling overhead. A summon for the ANBU black ops and by the looks of it, things weren’t good.

Rei’s heart leapt into her throat. She jumped out of the spring so quickly she scraped her knee on the rocky ledge. A voice told her to be careful, but by then the damage was already done. No matter. It wasn’t important. Her mind leapt back to that feeling from earlier, the paranoia and the sense of impeding doom. She saw it. Kakashi saw it. Something was extremely wrong. She raced inside the bath house, got dressed as quickly as possible, and made a run for it.

Tenshi lifted herself out of the springs with all the finesse of a film star, shaking the water from her hair and sighing. “Clearly grace isn’t her strong suit” she said condescendingly as she watched Rei disappear.

Naru grimaced as she climbed out herself. “Not everyone can be Yukie Fujikaze” she commented, then turned and met eyes with Sekkachi. “Sorry to have cut things so short!” she apologized. “You’re more than welcome to stay if you’d like.”

Face pale and hands shaky, Sekkachi shook her head and began wading toward the bath house. “No use stewing alone. Besides, I’m not feeling so great” she said. Naru extended a hand to help her friend up, but Sekkachi refused to take it. She wrapped her towel around her body quickly and shuffled inside.

Naru watched her quizzically. I wonder what’s gotten into her.

Deep breaths. In…and out. This can’t be happening. Rei stepped foot in the hospital dizzy and disoriented. Three jonin turned toward her, fully aware that this wasn’t going to end well. Hiretsuna, the ditsy receptionist, bounded forward with a clipboard clutched to her chest.

“Hello!” she greeted. “What can I help you with today?”

Rei shoved her out of the way, staggering toward the others. “What’s happened? Where is he?” she asked. Her eyes were wide and unyielding, her hands trembling at her sides. Kurenai and Asuma exchanged confused looks, but it was Guy who stepped forward to apprehend their visitor.

“They’re checking him out right now” he said, placing his hands firmly on Rei’s shoulders. “But I want you to know that he didn’t go down without a fight.”

“Oh…oh god…” Rei whispered. The room swayed back and forth, and then she fell to her knees. Her stomach was doing somersaults, and she buried her face in her hands to hide the hot tears pouring down her cheeks. Guy knelt down beside her and rubbed her back in comfort.

After a few moments, Kurenai crept forward and whispered, “Guy, what exactly is going on here?”

Guy simply swatted her away and whispered back, “I’ll explain later.” As she recoiled, she watched Guy lift Rei to her feet, one arm around her for support, and walk her to a chair nearest the hall of triage rooms where Kakashi had been taken. He sat her down gently, then took the seat beside her, and continued to sit there with her until they received word of their friend’s condition.

Rei’s entire body was shaking. She was drowning in a sea of terrible thoughts. What if Kakashi didn’t make it? What if Itachi had killed him? She nearly vomited at the thought. Guy heard her gag and reminded her to breathe. She thought she had been. “I’ll kill him…” she whispered furiously. “I’ll kill him with my bare hands if I have to…I’ll slaughter Itachi.”

Overhearing, Kurenai and Asuma exchanged glances with one another, and then with Guy, who simply shook his head and averted his eyes. She was filled with so much rage, so much desperation. Her love for Kakashi was truly a wildfire. Just then, the door to one of the triage rooms slid open and a nurse stepped out. Rei leapt to her feet.

“What’s going on? Where is he? I need to see him” the redhead insisted.

The nurse was taken aback a moment, calming only when Guy came up behind Rei and placed a hand on her shoulder. “We’re just concerned is all” he reassured. The nurse nodded and a soft smile flickered on her lips.

“He’s stable” she said, but there was a looming sense of exception in her tone. Rei knew not to get her hopes up too high yet. “However, the effects of the genjutsu that was used on him have rendered him completely comatose and I’m afraid there’s nothing more we at this hospital can do. We will need the help of an expert medical specialist in order for a full recovery.”

The woman’s words lingered in Rei’s brain, swirling around and taunting her. Full recovery. Comatose. Nothing more we can do. Nothing more…

“You son of a--!” Rei erupted, reaching for the nurse. The woman gasped and jumped backward just as Guy lurched forward to hold Rei down. “You’re lying! I know exactly how this shit works!” Rei screamed, tears streaming down her face. “He’s going to be fine, I know he is! He has to be! You’re just not trying hard enough!”

“Rei” Guy shouted sternly, trying to restrain her. It was no use. She squirmed in his arms and wailed maniacally, trying to elbow her way out of Guy’s grasp. People in the waiting room were beginning to stare and grow uncomfortable. Asuma and Kurenai ducked into the hallway to avoid the association. After a solid five minutes of fighting, Rei finally broke down. She fell limp in Guy’s arms and wept pathetically, pounding her fist against the ground. Once he knew she was done being destructive, he loosened his hold and rubbed her back, trying to tell her “Alright, Rei, just try to calm down. Everything is going to be fine.”

But it wasn’t fine. Kakashi was comatose. What if he never woke up? She couldn’t handle it. Konoha police officers arrived ready to respond to the commotion, but Rei refused to move.

“Ma’am, we can do this the easy way or the hard way” one officer said. “Come with us willingly and there won’t be any issues.”

She shook her head. “No…please, just…just let me see him” she whispered. The nurse glanced to the officers and then back to the hysterical girl on the floor, and then to Guy who looked up at her with an expression that said she shouldn’t dare refuse. With a sigh, the nurse dismissed the officers and slid the triage door open.

Rei shuffled inside slowly, fearfully. Guy stayed right behind her, a reassuring presence in an otherwise hellish escapade. And then she saw him. He looked so peaceful, so blank. She squeaked and clapped her hand over her mouth, averting her eyes. “D-do you…do you think he’ll ever wake up?” she asked. She inched nearer, almost terrified as if he was a corpse, and rested her hand against his warm cheek. A part of her expected his eyes to creak open and for him to smile up at her, as if her touch alone was some magic antidote like in childhood fairytales, but she received no response. He was out cold.

The nurse bit her lip and replied in false cheer “Well, there’s always hope!”

Hope, my ass, Rei thought to herself. She didn’t want hope, she wanted answers. Or really, if she was wanting things, she wanted Kakashi to be okay. Conscious. Unaffected. She closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. Then, turning to Guy, asked, “Can you do me a favor?”

Kakashi’s apartment felt stuffy, suffocating. Guy rummaged around for the clothing and books Rei had requested she bring, Asuma and Kurenai’s eyes on him all the while.

“Guy, do you care to explain what exactly happened in the hospital?” Kurenai asked.

Guy paused a moment, knowing he wasn’t really at the liberty to divulge such information, but then decided that this was a special circumstance and they had the right to know. “That woman who showed up today and caused a scene was Rei Natsuki. She’s in the ANBU black ops and has known Kakashi her entire life. And she’s his girlfriend.”

There was silence as the two jonin tried to process this. “He never said anything” Kurenai said thoughtfully. “I wonder why not.” Guy looked back at her then with an expression on his face as if to say Maybe for the same reason you two don’t, and the kunoichi immediately shut up.

As Guy peered into Kakashi’s closet, something glinting in the sunlight caught his attention. He moved the clothing out of the way to find tucked away in a box was a tiny gold ring. He understood what was going on immediately, and was overcome with equal parts excitement and terror. Kakashi had big plans, but there was no way for him to fulfill them if he never pulled through.

Just then, the door creaked open and suddenly a voice boomed through the room. “What the hell is going on here?” Sasuke insisted. It was clear something was definitely off. There was no reason for three jonin to be rooting around Kakashi’s apartment.

Guy poked his head out of the closet with a grin pasted on his face. “Not much, really!” he lied. And then their plan faltered.

The streetlights flickered on outside as the sky gradually darkened, but Rei refused to let her eye shut. She couldn’t risk falling asleep should Kakashi wake up. Deep down, however, she knew he wasn’t going to. She tugged back the blankets so she could reach under and lace her fingers with his, desperate for just a spark of response.

How could someone be so cold? So heartless? Sure, Itachi didn’t kill him but the damage was already done. In a way, this was even worse. At least with death, it was definite and quick. There was no uncertainty to it. You’re just gone. But this…this waiting was torture. It hadn’t even been a full 24 hours yet and Rei already felt as if she was going to lose her damn mind. And worse than that, what if all of her waiting was for nothing? No matter how much she tried to shove away the negative thoughts, they always weaseled their way back in. If he was to go, she swore she would have nothing left to live for. She couldn’t stand the thought of going on without him. She would take her own life if it came to that, she was sure of it.

Still, there were so many things they had yet to do. So much life ahead of them. Was this really where their future was meant to end? “Please don’t do this” she whispered, despite knowing he likely couldn’t hear. “Whatever you do…do not leave me this.” She lowered her voice to a growl, begging him to wake up, then punched the floor. It was no use.

As she drifted off, all she could think about was how petty she had been the past few weeks. The hokage’s death had stirred something in her, an anxiety about human mortality and a desperation to defeat death. She had felt so helpless, and she fought every instinct in her body to dwell on it but couldn’t bring herself to stop. She remembered how harsh she had been to Naru, insisting that there’s no use focusing on the past because there was nothing more that could be done. More than anything, however, she remembered her argument with Kakashi. Why was she so damn angry about his daily visits to the cemetery? Perhaps there was something understandable hiding in there, some sort of healthy coping mechanism, but the more she thought about it sitting there beside her unconscious love, the more she realized how stupid she had been. Realistically, she knew she was just projecting. She, too, was shackled to the past with no way of escaping. And now it all would cost them their future together.

In her sleep, she found herself in a pastel paradise, surrounded by clouds and stardust. Where am I? she thought, reaching out toward the abyss. It stretched on and on; she could look but could not touch. And then there was a voice calling her name. She recognized it immediately. She whipped around to find Kakashi approaching her, smiling, maskless, but something was wrong. What’s going on? Where are we? She asked. This is death, he replied. This is the nothingness. She reached out to take his hand but he, too, was unreachable. From the mist then approached Rin and Obito, each taking one of Kakashi’s hands in theirs. They were taking him away from her. This was the end of everything. In an act of desperation, she ripped the kanzashi from the base of her ponytail and made a vertical slice all the way up her forearm. The blood trickled down to the floor, creating a neat little puddle at her feet. Take me with you. I belong to death now. Rin and Obito shook their heads in disdain, beginning to fade away along with Kakashi. No…this isn’t right. Don’t leave me…you can’t leave me! She fell to her knees, covered in her own blood, wailing. Don’t leave me….don’t leave me, Kakashi…don’t leave…

She snapped awake to a figure looming overhead, her face blocked out by the sunshine backlight. Immediately on the defensive, Rei leapt to her feet and whipped her kanzashi out only to be met with the startled gaze of a nurse. “W-what time is it?” Rei gasped, wiping the sweat from her brow.

“It’s 6 in the morning. I’m just here to check his vitals” the nurse explained meekly. She should’ve clocked into work an hour ago but quite frankly, she didn’t give a fuck anymore. She alid her head back down on the edge of the bed and sighed, watching Kakashi’s chest rise and fall slowly.

That afternoon, Guy arrived with Asuma and Kurenai to see how their friend was doing. Kurenai looked around the room with great concern, daring to ask, “Have you been here this entire time?” Rei only nodded. Then, “Have you left his side at all?” Rei shook her head. The saddest look then crossed Kurenai’s face as she turned to Asuma, a silent call that something had to be done.

“Is there anything we can do?” Guy asked, standing beside the redhead. He hated seeing Kakashi like this, almost as much as Rei did. If only there was some way he could snap his fingers and will Kakashi back to life, but he didn’t have that power in him. He could only do the same as Rei: sit and wait.

“No, I-I’m alright, but thank you, Guy” Rei muttered. She reached out and patted his forearm, and in that ation they all saw the way her hand shook. Between that and the pallor of her face, a sudden realization struck Kurenai.

“Rei, have you eaten anything in the past two days?” she asked. The redhead averted her eyes. She didn’t want to answer for fear of facing shame in the truth. Her silence, however, was answer enough. Kurenai drew her hand to her mouth and sighed. She tugged Asuma’s sleeve and then said, “We’ll be back in a little while.” Rei already knew exactly what she was doing, but she didn’t have the energy to protest. She supposed that if Kurenai was willing to go out of her way to bring her food, it would be nothing short of disrespectful not to eat it.

And then they were alone, just Guy and Rei and an unconscious Kakashi. They sat in silence for a long while, the bushy-browed ninja studying his rival’s girlfriend. He watched the way she sat, how her back was arched and her eyes heavy from exhaustion. He doubte she had been sleeping very well, if at all. He admired her dedication, however. A small smile tugged at his lips as he patted her on the back. “I know this hasn’t been easy for you, Rei, but even when he’s unconscious I’m sure Kakashi knows what a great job you’re doing keeping him company!”

For a moment, he was met with no response. And then, slowly, Rei turned to look up at him with teary eyes. “Thank you, Guy…” she whispered hoarsely before finally breaking down. She didn’t want to cry, especially after the scene she caused yesterday, but she couldn’t help herself. She was weak and this was all far too much for her to handle.

Kurenai and Asuma returned a few hours later with a to-go carton of Ichiraku and some gyoza, which Rei happily scarfed down. The three of them stayed a little while longer, but one by one as the streetlights outside flickered on, they left and once again she was all alone.

In the darkness, she took solace in the fact that no one was watching her. Her back ached from sitting up for days on end, and her eyelids were growing heavier. With a sharp inhale, she tugged the covers back and carefully climbed into the hospital bed, curling up beside her boyfriend. She cupped his cheek and stroked the hair out of his face, studied the contours of his body, and held his hand tight against her chest. “I don’t know if you can hear me” she whispered, “but it’s getting pretty lonely here. I-I know you’re right here next to me, but…I miss you. I miss you being awake. I wish…I wish you would just come back to me. Please…please come back to me.” She watched him for a moment longer, resting her head on his chest, until finally she couldn’t restrain herself any longer. Her eyes drooped shut and she fell fast asleep.

Weeks passed with no change. Rei could hear the murmurs of nurses in the hallway, as if they were betting on how much longer she was going to hold out. Joke’s on them, she thought to herself. The only way I’m leaving without Kakashi is on a gurney to the morgue.

“I’m really beginning to worry about you” Naru said one afternoon when she stopped by. “The whole world hasn’t stopped turning just for you, you know. Life is still going on out there.”

Rei rolled her eyes. “I don’t care about any of it” she spat. “Doesn’t mean a thing unless Kakashi is okay.”

Naru pursed her lips, then sighed. “You know, they threatened to remove you from the black ops if you don’t come back to work soon.” She knew Sekkachi had threatened her if she so much as dared to tell Rei what the elders had said, but Naru thought she had a right to know. She needed to know.

Shaking her head, Rei replied, “What’s the point? There’s no hokage to take orders from. Let the village elders die mad about it. They’re old enough, it probably wouldn’t take very long.”

“Rei!” Naru’s face turned bright red. She crossed her arms and approached the doorway. “I know this is a rough time for you but you have to keep your head on your shoulders. I think staying here for weeks on end has screwed with your head. You need to go home and get some rest. At least for tonight. Shower, get some clean clothes. Sleep in an actual bed.”

Rei shook her head. “No” she insisted. “No, the minute I leave will be when he finally wakes up and I can’t…I can’t risk that.”

No matter how much she protested, Naru assured her that Kakashi was well taken care of and Rei had no room to protest. If anything should happen, the hospital would surely notify her, right? She was the closest thing he had to family anyway, even if they weren’t related by blood or marriage. She was still responsible for him in a way. After all, she still held true to the mission Lord Third had assigned to her two years prior. Recent events meant nothing for her duty to Kakashi. The thing that finally convinced her to go, however, was Naru’s insistence that it would be what Kakashi wanted.

“Can you imagine how bothered he would be to find you neglecting your own self care for him?” she asked. “I’m sure he would appreciate you staying by his side all this time, but not at the expense of your own wellbeing. He would want you to go home, to get some rest, and then you can come back when you’re fresh and clean, alright?”

That logic was hard to argue with, and Rei almost resented Naru for pulling such a dirty trick. She notified the nurse at the station that she would be going home for the night, and that she would return early the next morning, and then went on her way feeling guilty all the while.

So long as she kept herself busy, it wasn’t so bad. She took her time showering, scrubbing her skin hard until it shined red and shampooing once, twice, three times over. She dug through her dresser and tried on five different outfits before landing on the right one. And then, when there was nothing else for her to do, she picked up a book. She knew it wouldn’t be much help, and that books always ended up serving as vehicles for a wandering mind, but at least it was something.

Settling into her desk chair, she cracked open a novel she had only started years ago but never read past page 25. As she did so, the bookmark she had placed in there years earlier slipped out and fluttered into one of her drawers. She paused, staring despondently at where it fell, then propped her book open with her forearm as she rummaged around to find it. It was a simple scrap of paper, it didn’t need to be this difficult, and yet as she searched, her fingers found something quite different. She pressed her hand against the cold steel and a shiver ran down her spine. She let her book slap shut, instead devoting all of her attention now to this long lost gem. Rei slowly removed it from the drawer, turning it over in her hands. It was the kakute she had received when she was six, the present she was going to give Kakashi for making jonin. She never did muster enough courage to give it to him. Now she was kicking herself for even forgetting about it. Grandma Teiko would be genuinely disappointed.

As she stared at it, she wondered if it would be well-received. She wondered what Kakashi would think of it, and if he would be more accepting of it now than when he was eight. She thought perhaps so. He was more mature now than he was back then. He had faced far more adversity, and so she assumed he would likely place a higher value in things of sentiment than before. The longer she looked at it, the more an energy began to swell inside of her. She never did officially congratulate him on becoming a jonin at all. What a terrible friend, nonetheless girlfriend. They had been absent for so many moments in one another’s lives, filled with so many missed opportunities. Well, no more. Rising from her seat, Rei tucked the ring into the pouch on her backside and made a firm decision. If and when Kakashi was to wake up, no matter what, she would give him that ring. No more forgetting. No more waiting. It was now or never.

As she made her way to the hospital the next day, she took the long route for no reason in particular. Her anxiety about Kakashi had made it hard to sleep the previous night, and she was eager to get back to him, but at the same time had no idea when he would wake up and she missed the fresh air. Besides, she hadn’t seen her family since before the chaos of the chunin exams and she had heard Kaminoki got hit hard. It was only fair that she make sure everyone was okay.

Grandma Teiko immediately noticed something strange in Rei’s eyes and pulled her aside for a private conversation. “Something’s going on, I can tell. What’s on your mind, girl?” she asked. Rei didn’t exactly want to go through the entire spiel but knew Grandma Teiko of all people deserved an explanation. She sucked in a deep breath and bravely tried her best to explain the situation without crying. She failed and was in tears by the time she explained Kakashi was comatose. Teiko wrapped an arm around her granddaughter and cooed at her softly as if she was a child who had scraped their knee. “Everything will turn out fine” she reassured.

“But how do you know?” Rei asked. On one hand, she understood that Grandma Teiko was trustworthy and, in a way, somewhat clairvoyant, but at the same time a part of her found it hard to feel confident in a happy ending. Kakashi had been out of it for three weeks with no signs of improvement.

“I just know these things. What? Have you stopped trusting the words of an old woman?” Teiko replied.

“No, I just—” Rei started, but her grandmother interrupted.

“Besides” she started, “I’ve heard rumors that they’ve finally found the fifth hokage.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Rei asked. Not that she was ungrateful for the news, of course. Konoha had gone far longer than it needed to without a proper leader, and she hoped that whoever had been appointed would fulfill the position well. But that meant nothing for the fate of Kakashi. Or so she thought.

“Maybe if you didn’t speak so soon, you’d let me finish telling you!” Grandma Teiko snapped. Rei blushed and muttered an apology. “I’ve heard rumors that the new hokage is the sannin herself, Tsunade, who, if you don’t already know, is an expert medic ninja. She can fix Kakashi right up in no time!”

Rei’s heart swelled up into her throat. Was it really that easy? All she needed to do was track down Tsunade and her problems would be solved? This was too much. There was no way it all was that simple. But if it was… It was a chance she just had to take. She bid Grandma Teiko a fond farewell, hugging her tightly and thanking her for the intel, before rushing off to see what else she could find about this Tsunade. She skirted around corners and eavesdropped behind storefronts in hopes of overhearing something—anything—but nobody seemed to have any solid information. At least nothing like Grandma Teiko provided. After roughly an hour of running and searching, she had grown incredibly weary and was almost about to give up when she ran into none other than Might Guy. Perhaps he would know something.

“Tsunade?” he asked. “Naruto’s been off searching for her with Jiraiya these past few weeks and turns out they found her. She’s a legendary medic ninja, and I’m going to ask her to see if she can fix Rock Lee!” It took Rei only a couple seconds to remember who, exactly, Rock Lee was but then memories of the chunin exams flashed in her mind. Perhaps Guy had taken the idea of a protégé a little too far, but no matter. She remembered at least overhearing of the damage the young ninja had sustained in the fight, and she truly hoped he would be alright.

“Do you think she can heal Kakashi, too?” Rei asked. She tried not to let her hope bubble up too high.

“I don’t see why not!” Guy enthused. “If I’m not mistaken, I’m sure Naruto had already insisted she work her magic on him already.” Before he could say another word, Rei leapt up to hug Guy tightly and thanked him over and over again, then rushed off to the hospital with newfound purpose. She didn’t want to think of what may happen if Tsunade was unable to fulfill her promise and fix him. If she was as good as everyone said she was, she would have no excuse to fail in the first place. Rei greeted the nurse on duty in a flash as she raced into the room to find Kakashi laying exactly as he had been all that time. It was eight in the morning, and she wondered when Tsunade would arrive. No matter, she was willing to wait as long as it took.

She seated herself beside Kakashi’s bed and kissed him on the cheek, before pulling the kakute from her pocket and looking it over. She knew logically that he was totally unconscious and that there was no way for him to know what she was doing but still, removing it in front of him even now felt forbidden and like ruining an anticipated surprise. Soon, she thought to herself, then rested her head on the bedside and involuntarily passed out.

When she came to, she heard an unfamiliar voice overhead. “And who is this one?” a woman asked, and Rei knew immediately she was speaking of her.

“This is Rei Natsuki, Kakashi’s girlfriend” the nurse explained. “She’s been here by his side the entire time he’s been in the hospital. She refused to leave him.”

“I see…” the woman said. Rei blinked awake and watched as this strange woman skirted around the hospital bed and began looking Kakashi over.

“Hey, what the fuck do you think you’re doing? Get away from him!” Rei shouted, rising from her seat.

“Excuse me?” the woman asked, gritting her teeth. She was, admittedly, beautiful. And also, erm…well-endowed. “Well, it’s nice to see you’re finally awake” the woman scoffed.

The nurse rested a gentle hand on Rei’s shoulder in an attempt to ease her, whispering, “This is Lady Tsuande, the one you’ve been waiting for.” The moment her name rolled off the nurse’s lips, Rei’s face went bright red. She sank back down into her seat and apologized quietly. The last thing she needed was to ruin Kakashi’s chances of ever waking up solely because she had a short fuse and was quick to judge.

Rei watched with wide eyes as Tsunade smirked and then rested a hand over Kakashi’s forehead. A pale green light pulsated from beneath her palm, healing chakra. And then came the one thing Rei had been waiting for all this time. Kakashi furrowed his brows, flexed his fist. A soft groan escaped his lips, and then his eyes creaked open.

“There he is” Tsunade said triumphantly.

“Huh…? W-what’s going on?” Kakashi slurred, rubbing his head as he sat up. He looked to Tsunade, then her assistant Shizune, and then finally to Rei at his bedside. She stared at him with wide eyes, her mouth slightly ajar, on the verge of tears. “Rei…”

“Kakashi!” she shrieked, then lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He could feel her hot tears spilling down her cheeks and onto his back.

“How long have I been out of it?” Kakashi asked, wrapping an arm around Rei as she wept into his shoulder.

“About three weeks!” the nurse chirped. Kakashi’s face went pale. No wonder Rei is so excited to see me. She probably thought I was dead.

As Rei pulled away, Kakashi’s eyes instantly darted to her balled up fist. Her hand was covered in blood. “Rei, what happened?” he asked, gently taking her hand in his. Her cheeks blushed, and she averted her eyes, remembering the kakute.

“I must’ve fallen asleep holding onto something” she replied sheepishly.

“Like what? Broken glass?” Tsunade asked, taking Rei’s hand from Kakashi. She pried her fist open to find the little steel ring in her palm, the spikes having stabbed Rei in her sleep. The sannin arched a brow before instructing Shizune to take Rei to get her hand cleaned up and bandaged. As the brunette carted her to the other end of the room, footsteps pounded down the hall and in burst Naruto Uzumaki.

“So were you able to do it?” Naruto asked. “Did you fix Kakashi-sensei?”

“Well” Tsunade started, “Physically, yes, but I doubt his pride is anywhere near perfect.” Rei’s ears perked up, honing in on the conversation as Shizune cleaned her wound. Tsunade shook her head and placed her hands firmly on her hips. “Disgraceful” she sighed. “To be taken out of the game by two low-life punks like that. I thought you were supposed to be the best.”

Rei gritted her teeth, clenching her fist. Shizune cleared her throat to attract attention back to her. “Um, Miss Natsuki…? You’re making it difficult for me to bandage you up…” she said. Rei relaxed her hand and muttered a half-hearted sorry. Who did this Tsunade think she was? Belitting Kakashi’s abilities like that. Kakashi was the best. Itachi was likely just manipulative and strong. Clearly this woman had no idea what Kakashi was up against.

“Sorry to…disappoint you” Kakashi said, voice low, and it was clear that he was feeling like shit about himself. Rei’s heart ached.

In the meantime, Might Guy had barged into the room with a look of sheer anticipation on his face. He could hardly contain himself. Triumphantly, Naruto raised a fist in the air and shouted, “Alright, that’s Kakashi-sensei! Now one more and you’re all done!”

How many people has this kid been dragging her around to heal? Rei thought to herself. Shizune finished bandaging her hand and smiled softly at the redhead. “Alright, that should do it” she said. She then reached over and lifted the kakute off the counter, looking it over quizzically. “You might want to wash this off with peroxide just to make sure you get all the blood off” she suggested. “There should be some right under here.” Rei watched as she leand down and began rummaging through the cabinet. Before she could find the bottle, however, Tsunade approached the door with her entourage and called for Shizune to join them. The brunette smiled back at Rei apologetically and then ran off. Well, at least her assistant is nice, Rei thought to herself as she watched them disappear, and then Rei and Kakashi were all alone.

A veil of silence draped over the couple in that hospital room. Now that this was all said and done, she almost feared what would happen next. Of course she was more than happy that he was awake and alright, but still. Where were they supposed to go from here?

“Three weeks, huh?” Kakashi then sighed, leaning back in bed. Rei nodded slowly, turning toward him.

“Yeah…” she said, toying with the kakute in her hands. “Three long weeks.”

“Is it true you stayed by my side the entire time?” he asked.

“Well, I mean…not the entire time” Rei said sheepishly. “Naru insisted I go home for some clean clothes and to sleep in an actual bed, but it didn’t really do much good.”

“I see” Kakashi said. He watched as Rei wrapped her bandaged hand gently around the ring and then waded closer, hesitantly sitting on the edge of the bed. “You didn’t have to do that, you know” he then said.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Stay here with me” Kakashi replied. “There wasn’t really any reason for you to.”

“That’s not true” Rei said. “If you were to finally wake up while I was gone…or worse…”

It was the or worse that really caught Kakashi’s attention. Did she really think he was going to die? Of course, he assumed that had he been in her position, he would’ve feared the same. At least she had kept her cool the entire time, as far as he knew. “Thank you, then” he said, reaching out and resting a hand lightly atop hers. “I’m glad you cared enough to stay.”

“Of fucking course!” Rei exclaimed. “You mean the world to me, I wasn’t about to leave you behind in a fucking coma.”

Kakashi chuckled and smiled at her, and Rei’s heart raced. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes and willed herself not to cry. No, not this time. She had already cried enough the past few weeks. And still, after all that time, she had been so terrified that she may never see that masked smile ever again. It was only natural she would get a little choked up, she assumed. Regardless, she refused to let her tears ruin a happy moment.

Kakashi let them revel in each other’s quiet company for a moment longer before his eyes drifted down to her bandaged hand, and his smile quickly faded. “Is your hand alright?” he asked. Rei chewed her bottom lip and nodded vigorously. “How did you hurt it, anyway? What stabbed you?”

Rei considered lying for a moment. In all her confident fanfare from earlier, she hadn’t considered how scary actually giving him the kakute would be. Perhaps a part of her assumed it was highly possible for him to stay asleep forever and she could simply cling to it with a strong sense of remorse for not being braver. But now here he was, wide awake and questioning. She didn’t want to damage their trust, and so she had no choice. Sucking in a deep breath, she replied, “I have something for you. I must have been stressed while I was asleep and squeezed my hand around it too tight. You don’t have to like it, I mean, you can give it back if you don’t want it but I mean…I’ve been holding onto it for a long time, and I was going to give it to you ages ago but never had the guts to, so, uh…yeah.” Kakashi eyed her expectantly. She huffed her bangs out of her face and then slowly unclenched her fist to reveal the ring in her hand, still stained with her blood. Kakashi blinked a few times, then reached out and picked it up, turning it over in his hands.

“Where did you get something like this?” he asked. She truly wasn’t sure if he meant that in a positive or negative connotation. Her anxiety raged.

“It was from Grandma Teiko’s arsenal of weird old stuff” she replied. “I was trying to find a good present for you a long time ago and thought this might be fitting but I don’t know, you don’t have to keep it if you don’t want to.”

“No, I want to” Kakashi replied quickly, smiling at her in reassurance. “I want to” he repeated. She watched as he reached over to tug a tissue out of the box near his bed and begin wiping the blood off of it, then slid it onto his left middle finger. He poked the spikes at the end, apparently satisfied with their sharpness. “This could really do some damage.”

“I would hope so” Rei replied. “I mean, that’s what it was made for.”

Kakashi nodded once, then slid the ring off and placed it on the nightstand. “So, you said you’ve held onto this for a long time. How long, exactly?” he asked. That was a loaded question. Did she really want to reveal her original intention? She averted her eyes and began picking at the dirt beneath her fingernail.

“A while…” she replied slowly. She glanced over to find her boyfriend arching a brow. So he wanted a real answer. Alright. She would have to be totally honest. “I was six. You had just been promoted to jonin. I wanted to give you something special to celebrate—I knew everyone else would—but I couldn’t figure out what, so of course I asked Grandma Teiko for advice and she suggested this.”

“What took you so long?” Kakashi then asked, laughing under his breath.

The weight of their broken past lingered on her shoulders. Then, finally, she murmured, “I was scared. Things changed. We…drifted. It didn’t feel appropriate anymore.”

“Oh…” Kakashi said, lowering his gaze. He turned to look at the ring once again, now suddenly catching the inscription on the front. The kanji for love. He hated to think that his child self would’ve likely written it off as a useless gift, shoving it into a drawer someplace and never touching it again. But now he was more mature. Now this gift had meaning. His mind flickered back to the ring he had hidden away in his closet, to his plans for the future. Even as he snuck off to the silversmith to get the ring crafted, he had been so uncertain of whether he was making the wrong decision, if he was moving too fast, if he was out of touch with what Rei wanted. This kakute, however, was a confirmation. A never-ending circle with love written right on the front of it. He reached across the bed and laced his fingers with hers, that smile returning to his face. She looked at him quizzically, uncertainly, as he pulled her closer and pressed his forehead against hers. Her eyes darted down to his lips for a split second, a silent wish, and he obliged. He tugged his mask down and kissed her gently, as if it was the first time, then whispered, “I think this was perfect timing.”

#kakashi hatake #rei natsuki #the scarecrow and the bell #naruto #naruto oc #fanfiction

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