"He's in here, Hokage-sama."
"Thank you. You may go now, I do not wish to disturb your schedule any further."
The medic nodded quickly, bowed, and turned on his heels. His fading steps were loud in the hallway, and Minato almost felt himself cringe at the sound.
Hospitals always sounded hollow when someone you cared for was recovering in one of the rooms.
The Yondaime Hokage took a look at the white door he was standing in front of. It was so impersonal. He remembered Jiraiya loudly proclaim that, were his student – Minato – to become Hokage one day, he should order his 'underlings', as the Toad-sage kindly put it, to paint the hospital in bright colours. The doors would all be orange, and the ceilings would be blue – the kind of blue that the sky would have on a cloudless summer day.
Now Minato truly was Hokage, and had the power to do such a ridiculous thing, he decided that white was indeed the right colour for hospitals.
Bright colours would give some patients headaches and such.
And it would be sad to see a once beautiful red, like Kushina's hair, turn into something that was associated with hospitals.
No, Minato did not like hospitals.
With a sigh, he released a small amount of chakra to make his presence known to the one who was inside the room, and opened the door.
The blonde man did not say anything, he just strode inside, his white cloak fluttering as he walked.
The curtains were still opened, and the light of the setting sun cast the white room in orange.
'Here is the colour I wanted these walls to be.' Minato thought, and he wished Jiraiya was here. No matter how much he'd grown, sometimes he too wanted the comfort of a teacher.
But it was not time for such thoughts – his student needed him.
Still, no words were traded as the Hokage sat down next to his student. He did not touch him – Kakashi would recoil under the touch – nor did he try to comfort him with words – Kakashi always had a pessimistic remark when he was in the mood.
Instead, the Hokage just sat there, and waited for the boy to speak first. Or not at all.
Minato stared at the hospital-bed, and made sure his face was devoid of all emotions.
A strong gust of wind caused a sunflower, which had been placed into a vase on the windowsill, fall on the ground. (Luckily, there was no loud crash; glass was not allowed in rooms with severely injured patients.)
Kakashi stood up from his chair he'd been sitting in, and silently closed the window. He picked up the flower, and went back to his previous place, next to his teacher.
He clutched the yellow flower in his hand as if it was a lifeline as he stared at the hospital-bed. For the first time in ages, the silver-haired ninja did not try to hide his exhaustion and sadness.
'It's unbelievable,' Minato mused, 'that the one who could always make Kakashi show his emotions is Maito Gai, no matter what given situation.'
Together, teacher and student watched the steady rise and fall of the chest of a boy who should have been wearing green spandex instead of a white hospital-gown.
After what felt like hours, Kakashi finally spoke. His tone was quiet, yet collected.
"It should've been me laying there."
"It should've been me."
"It was supposed to be me."
Even though the words were harsh, they were said with such a casualness that even Minato almost started doubting the meaning of them. It was as if Kakashi had been reading the list of groceries he was supposed to buy. Had he not known Kakashi, Minato probably wouldn't have detected the despair in them.
Gently, Minato took the sunflower from Kakashi's hand, stood up, picked up the vase too, and placed it back onto the windowsill.
He opened the window.
"I'll take you home." He stated. Kakashi did not look up, and continued to stare at his still rival.
(They were rivals, Gai had once loudly shouted for everyone to hear, because rivals always returned for a challenge, no matter what! Minato had smiled bemusedly as Kakashi silently fumed and told the hyperactive boy to leave.)
Minato walked up behind his student, and placed his hand on the smaller shoulder. Kakashi had grown, he noted.
"You should change," Kakashi still wore the dirty, stained uniform of ANBU, "and then have a good rest."
Kakashi turned his head to look at his teacher, his dark eye heavy with sleep, "Let's go home."
With a cloud of smoke and swirling leaves, the duo disappeared into thin air.
When Gai woke, the sun was shining brightly. The curtains fluttered slightly in a light breeze, and he could hear the distant sounds of the shopping district not too far away. Birds were chirping loudly.
Chirping.
One Thousand Chirping Birds.
Pain.
He breathed in sharply. For just a few seconds, he imagined a sparking pain in his chest. But it was gone as soon as it came, and he didn't pay it any heed.
Funny, how a brain could react to a quite high dose of morphine.
Gai grinned as his senses slowly started to adjust to his surroundings, washing off the dullness of the medication he must've received the previous night. He was
never one be affected much by the daze hospitals would give most patients.
"Good morning!" he said to no one in particular, seeing no one was with him in the room. The lingering chakra of the doctors who had checked up on him, and the fading, trickling sensation of the chakra of the Yondaime Hokage told him that lots of people were up and about.
Gai had grown accustomed to feeling the faint, sharp chakra of Kakashi, and he almost didn't notice it anymore. When he did notice though, his grin grew wider.
The bright sunlight reflected on the white wall, furniture and sheets. This assemble of beautiful bright and shiny things made Gai feel incredibly bubbly inside – he had survived, and it was an amazing day!
As he breathed, he could feel his lungs fill up with air, and as he flexed his hands, he felt his muscles move – he felt like exercising today.
"Yosh!" With a loud exclamation, he sat up, the sheet that previously covered him falling over the edge of the bed. Immediately, he felt that sharp, crucifying pain in his chest.
He groaned, and placed his hands over his chest. His fingertips touched the soft fabric of fresh bandages.
Gai laid back into his cushion, not bothering to pick up the fallen sheet. Perhaps he could do with staying in bed for a few more minutes…
He closed his eyes, and thought about the future, about his dreams, about his village.
With a shock, Gai realized he had no idea what happened to him to land himself in the hospital.
The bowl-haired boy frowned – a very rare sight – and he tried his uttermost best to remember his mission.
Oh, right. He and his Eternal Rival had accompanied a rich merchant, who had lots of enemies. And then they had been attacked by the most un-youthful and brute foes – a group of Kumo-nin, who had been hired by a competitor of the same business as the merchant. There was an huge fight, and Kakashi had been knocked out, and Gai had felt an immense power well up in him, and he'd defeated his honourable enemies with a blast of fire and strength, and… and…
Nothing.
Gai remembered nothing after that.
But his current memories didn't tell him anything about any injuries that were worth an overnight stay in hospital. If someone was supposed to be in hospital, it was Kakashi, who had gotten quite the beating during the fight.
Gai checked his arms, stretched his muscles, and then touched his eyebrows. They were as big and fuzzy as ever. Now he was sure he and his Rival had not switched bodies or something. The concept might've sounded ridiculous, but he remembered that the Yamanaka-clan could posses a body, and who knows what kind of weird jutsu was invented in the other villages.
Luckily enough, there was no weird jutsu, and it was really him who was laying in a hospital-bed with a bandaged chest.
Though, the concept would not be considered 'Lucky' by most people – but then again, Gai wasn't most people, and he wasn't even like most people anyways.
Gai twisted his head as he heard the door open, "Hello, my youthful friend!"
Sarutobi Asuma raised an eyebrow at the loud statement, "Hey, Gai."
The hospitalized boy grinned brightly, his teeth flashing, "How are you feeling today? It seems like the weather is truly beautiful and sunny – the perfect day for training and embarking on new adventures for our most beloved village!"
Asuma sighed, and sat down in one of the chairs next to Gai's bed – unbeknownst to him, it was exactly the same chair Kakashi had occupied the previous night.
"It is … an awesome day for training and missions indeed, Gai. And I'm feeling fine, thank you, but I should be the one asking you that…" the brown-haired boy sighed.
"I'm feeling rather well today, though I do wonder for how long I will have to enjoy the hospitality of the doctors and nurses." No matter how grateful he was for the care of the medics, Gai was not one for being cooped up in bed for a long amount of time.
Asuma cracked a smile, "It's good to hear you're feeling well. You gave us quite the scare when you came in yesterday… I've never seen the doctors look that panicked."
"…Was it that bad…?"
The other boy avoided Gai's eyes, and he scratched his chin.
"Oh, Asuma – are you growing a beard?" Thankfully for Asuma, Gai did not possess a large attention span, and was easily distracted.
"Uh… Yeah, I am…"
"How great! Soon you will grow up to be a fine man, just like your honourable father, Sandaime Hokage!"
Asuma sighed, "Please, don't remind me…"
Gai continued to rant about the 'youthfulness that Asuma was displaying' and after a few minutes, an irritated nurse came in, saying it they were still in hospital and asking if they could be so kind to be a little quieter.
When a dishevelled-looking ANBU-agent came into Gai's room, Asuma stood up.
"Asuma-sama! We've been looking for you all over the place!"
The young ninja waved dismissingly, and shot Gai one last smile before walking towards the door, "Sorry, Gai, that's my cue to leave. Hope to see you in a better shape soon." And with that, the Sandaime's son walked away, accompanied by a lecturing ANBU. (The nurse next door was not happy.)
A few minutes after Asuma's leave, Gai relinquished the silence. Everyone always took him as the 'happy-go-lucky-let's-make-noise' kind of person – which he definitely was – but he too liked the silence. He was a shinobi after all.
He could hear the frantic footsteps of doctors and nurses on their way to emergencies, and the rolling of wheels of stretchers and beds. He heard the clattering of scalpels and other tools. He could feel the tingling sensation of chakra being used everywhere around him. He smelled the standard 'hospital-smell'.
But most of all, he heard the sounds, and smelled, and felt people.
As his eyes drifted shut, and the muscles of his cheeks relaxed from all the laughing and smiling, Gai fell into a deep slumber.
When Gai woke up, it was night.
He knew his bandages had been refreshed, and he had been checked upon again.
The busy-browed boy felt hungry – he hadn't eaten anything, and he hadn't seen a single doctor to check up on him. He did feel their chakra and presence though.
And he was still hungry.
Gai sighed, and closed his eyes again. He let his energy run free, enjoying the way it tickled his fingertips before being released into the air, where it created warmth and a sense of home.
He shivered as a gust of wind suddenly blew through the room.
The window had been opened, and someone was coming inside.
He cracked open one eye, and carefully peered through his lashes to look at the intruder.
"My Rival, so you have come."
Kakashi nodded tiredly, "How are you feeling?"
"Hungry," Gai croaked, "and thirsty."
The standing shinobi handed him a plastic cup filled with water, and the busy-browed boy gulped it down in just one, huge sip.
"You should rest." It was a statement, and Gai couldn't help but wonder why and how he'd sustained an injury worthy of a two-night stay in hospital.
And again, he drifted off into sleep.
The following morning, Gai woke by the gentle prodding of a nurse.
"Maito-san! I didn't mean to wake you up! I'm so sorry!" She said as she noticed him being awake.
Gai grinned, his teeth flashing, and he gave her a thumbs up, "Good morning, nurse-san! How diligent of you to check up on me this early in the morning! It will probably be another beautiful sunny day, right?"
"Ah… yes, it will be…" she answered awkwardly, "But, how are you feeling today, Maito-san?" The nurse said, falling into her role again.
"I'm feeling most youthful today, miss!"
"How nice to hear, breakfast will be served over an hour, I hope you don't mind." She said as she heard Gai's stomach growl.
He grinned embarrassedly, and rubbed the back of his head with his hand.
"Do you mind me changing your bandages, Maito-san?" she asked.
Gai shook his head, "Please, do your duty, miss!"
She unwrapped the bandage, already holding a fresh one in her other hand, "Your wounds seem to heal quickly, that's great news!"
The young ninja looked down at his chest, and he felt himself grow cold.
On the place where his heart was, the left side of his chest, was covered with a way too familiar scar.
The pattern of smaller, already healed silvery scars was like a spider's web, and the only way he could've obtained such an injury was by the trademark, most deadly attack of his hip Eternal Rival.
He had been stricken down by Chidori.
Outside, the birds chirped loudly.
One Thousand Chirping Birds.
The nurse had just finished wrapping the new bandages around his wound, as he grasped his white hospital-shirt. With a speed that no normal civilian could match, he shot forwards, opened the window, and jumped on the nearest roof.
He heard the nurse yell after him, but he didn't pay it any attention.
He only felt his heart beat painfully in his chest.
In a way he only ran when he was being chased, or was chasing someone else, he sprinted over the rooftops.
Faster.
Faster.
He finally stopped when he reached the memorial.
Kakashi looked up, surprised to see him there, "Gai? Arent' you supposed to-"
Before he knew it, Gai had slammed him into the marble stone he had been praying in front of, "Why?"
Kakashi let out a pained yelp when Gai grasped his wrists and twisted them so he could not move, "What do you mean?"
Gai was trembling, and he did not know why. Was it because of realization he had been attacked by the one he considered his best friend, or if it was because of withheld anger because he had been attacked by his best friend.
"You-you, you punched a Chidori almost through my chest!"
Kakashi's eye widened, and with a speed Gai could not match in his weakened state, he kicked the other boy solidly in the chest. With a cry, Gai fell backwards, and Kakashi collapsed against the memorial.
Gai got up and groaned, seeing blood soak through his bandages and shirt.
Kakashi made no move to help. His fingers were clawing into the earth, and he had a seriously frightened look on his face.
Gai got onto his knees and managed to crawl towards his rival, "Why?"
When Kakashi spoke, it was not the usual lazy, unconcerned drawl. It was sad, broken even, "Your heart…"
"…Your heart stopped beating, and I didn't know what to do."
"I quick-started your heart."
"I didn't know what to do." 'I thought I lost you!'
It was that moment memories came flooding back into Gai's head.
Memories of how he'd opened the Fourth Gate for the first time, how he'd beaten his enemies with such a strength he'd wanted more, more, and how he fell down, losing control of himself. He remembered feeling like he was dying and burning up, disappearing in a blaze of glory – as his teacher once predicted how he would die. He remembered how he was caught, the distressed cry of 'GAI!' and the feeling of everything fading around him. And, in the end, the sound of One Thousand Chirping Birds…
"Rival…" Gai breathed, and Kakashi grinned weakly, trying to put up a brave front.
Kakashi then pulled out the three-pointed kunai from his pouch, and threw it at a nearby tree.
Immediately, as if summoned – which he actually was – the Yondaime Hokage Namikaze Minato appeared, "Kakashi?"
Without another word, Minato scooped up Gai, and transported him to the hospital. The head-doctor had been furious, and Gai had been carried off towards the surgery room again. He did not leave the hospital for another three days.
Kakashi had been brought back home (to be precisely, Minato's home) – to a very angry Kushina, actually – where he'd recovered of something that should've been noticed three days before: shock.
And by the end of the week, on training-grounds number 13, two Rivals were sparring again, as if nothing ever happened.
'Cause after all, as a ninja, worse things were bound happen in the future. They would just have to grow stronger to overcome them.