Hello! Thank you in advance for giving my stor(ies) a chance! This is within months after 'Blinded By Fault', and obviously after 'I Loved You Instantly'. If you haven't read them (1 story, 1 oneshot), I highly recommend you do before reading this story. They all tie into one another. This story is in each characters' POV, mainly Kakashi and Kushina, though, so it gives y'all insight of their personal thoughts and their character traits. This is probably the biggest story in my series, so this is obviously a HUGE risk in my writing. This took forever to think of and connect and calculate and it took so much blood, sweat, and tears of frustration. Hahahahah - the life of an aspiring writer.
This explains everyone's thoughts and feelings and reasons for actions. And it's a revelation of Kakashi's past.
Rated T. Please R&R, even if you just say 'toast' lolol. It's good to know that people are taking interest. Enjoy!

KAKASHI

AH, CHILDHOOD-THE TAKEN-FOR-GRANTED LAUGHTER. The can't-live-without hot summer days at the local playground with a melting ice cream cone in one hand and a stinging blister on the other. The unforgettable winter nights when your mother baked cookies before bedtime, and the smell of the oily diabete-infested pellets that filled the house and remained until the following night. The sense of unsurpassable excitement you got when you hear your father's car pull into the driveway in the evening.

It seems like a hell of a life, probably because I didn't get to enjoy any of that cliché trash growing up at my old house. Nope, the way I see it, there, I had two childhoods, neither of which were anything like what I had described. It was literally as if I were two different people: Kakashi Hatake the White Fang's kid and Kakashi Hatake the useless retard. Day and night. Talented ninja v. dyslexic epileptic. That being said, I was always expected to be in three and a half places when I went out-the training field, at home, or the hospital. Erika and Dad never wanted me to be out of the house for longer than necessary. Probably because they didn't want to be stuck at the hospital if something were to happen to me when they could be on another wasteful date.

The half was my master's and my aunt's house. Erika told me not to bother them that much, even though they always welcomed me with food and hospitality. It was probably a requirement to be nice to me; I was his student and her nephew, after all.

That's how it was...before Dad's suicide and before I killed Erika. Wonder how it would have been like if she was remotely normal. Like she is in my dreams. I wonder if I would have ever known about Oba being my aunt, then.
I have no clue - this is all I can think about as I am laying here alone.

When I asked Oba that question, she just gave me a full plate of food. Basically, shut up.

Oba's a dork sometimes, but she's the best guardian. Like, a strange combination of a mother and a big sister with a teaspoons-worth of a brother, which is pretty hilarious. Of course, I can't tell her that last part; she's not afraid to kick my ass at any given moment. Embarrassing, yes. Necessary, probably.
It could be worse, I tell myself, often thinking back to my years as Erika's punching bag and find myself unable to breathe. That's usually when I have to take a look around the living room for reassurance. My room. Strange as it sounds, yet it's been years since Ani and Oba took me in. I hope it's safe to say they're my family.

Now what am I supposed to do when said family is speeding to the hospital I've been rushed to? I know they're panicking and worried as hell and most likely breaking every law concerning driving safety.

Let's just hope one, I'll only ask for one, of them is calm enough to handle the situation. My only chance of not being crowded and hugged to death is my master. But Oba's a pretty laidback woman, that is, unless I've done something I shouldn't have or if I'm on the verge of death. That's when she gets kind of scary.
I know Ani is as obedient as a military dog when she tells him to be. He backs off in a heartbeat once she's told him off.

Havoc is a huge understatement when the two of them are full of anguish and go into protective parent mode. I'm praying to The Lord they won't cause more of a scene.

"Kakashi?! Hey, where's my baby?!"

Damn. I feel my face burning and my head begins to throb again. I can hear harsh, staggering footsteps stomping around on the tile floor. Nurses are squealing in either shock or fear. Or both. This is exactly what I'm afraid of.

"Ma'am, I'm gonna have to ask you to calm down-"

"Shut up and tell me where my baby is!"

"Shina, I know you're worried. I am too, but-"

"Dad, do NOT start!"

Uh-oh. Whenever either of them say not to start it usually means they've been arguing beforehand. I almost snicker, knowing that my self-proclaimed new grandpa is miserably losing the fight. I guess 'Sage' is meaningless when it comes to his tongue. Ani's probably on another mission.

"Shina-"

"You be quiet!"

I want to get out of bed to tell them to keep it down and stop acting like children, but I can barely move. My body is foreign.

The nearest doctor leads them to my bed. Instantly, Oba rushes and hugs me tightly, but gently, as Master Jiraiya thanks the woman.
Let me tell you, this doctor was so freakin' hot. Was. I tried hitting on her when I came to. All I said was that she had pretty eyes...meaning tits. I tried not to laugh when she took that long moment of silence to button up her uniform's collar-she was blushing. It WAS a compliment, after all. She then just patted my head and called me "cute," which is like poison. An automatic hell no.
Eh, it's not like I was trying to flatter her or anything anyways...

"Oh, Oi!" Oba cries. I do my best not to groan wearily, and bring up a hand to grasp her shirt. She just came from a mission, too, I guess.
Master Jiraiya comes over and places his large hand on my head, ruffling my hair, gingerly. The white wrapping around my head feels tighter with every heartbeat. "What's wrong with you? Making us worry..!"

"My bad, Oba." I say gulitly, dropping my head. She fixes the blanket on my lap, trying to keep me warm.

"What hurts?" Master Jiraiya asks, arms crossed.

"Nothing. I'm fine." I'm such a liar. From what I've heard, I had had a seizure hours ago while on a mission with some other higher-ups on the Fire's border. One second I'm thrown against a boulder in a fight, the next I'm on the ground, completely unable to control the rapid vibrations in my center. Unable to move. Pretty sure I scraped my head; that would definitely prove the blood that leaked from my temples. I passed out and woke up in this white, asylum-looking room with nurses and doctors arguing over my body.

"No, you're not." Oba begins scolding. The sharpness in her violet eyes make me flinch. I can hear her voice raising with every word. "You just had a seizure and hit your head hard enough to make it bleed. How are you so passive about this, Kakashi?!"

"U-uh..." I stammer. Usually I'm referred to as 'baby' or some kind of random term of endearment relating to a food. "I'm sorry, Oba. Master Jiraiya." When I'm in deep shit, then I'm Kakashi - my name being used kind of depends on the situation; it's more of the tone that says it all-or, if they're too pissed off to even think of my name, You or Smart-Ass.

Oba sighs and runs her hand through her hair as if that were not the right answer. She turns around, gives her adoptive father a look, and then speaks up, placing a warm hand over my IV-ed arm. "Honey," which is a food, "what happened? How did you get here?" She is talking slowly to me like I was some illegal alien or a dumb-ass. I know she's not doing this intentionally. I DID just have an episode.

I glance at Jiraiya, who now stands on my other side, watching me with razor eyes. I notice that his hair needs to be trimmed. Why's he looking at me like that?
Why did Oba react like that? I look back to my aunt, deciding not to lie. "I honestly don't remember much. But I remember not being able to move. And I was on the ground. Next thing I know, I'm here."

The two adults make eye contact and then look again at me. Oba's thumb smoothes over the needle in my skin, and it sends shivers up my spine. I really, really hate needles. Master Jiraiya comes over to my bedside and sits down by my legs, seeing no point in being pissed off at me. His eyes have softened with sympathy.

Oba's studying my face and I automatically know she can see how afraid I am. She can read me without even trying. Besides Ani, I believe she's the only person who can. The annoying beeping of my heart monitor speeds up for an instant when I get nervous from all the attention. I can feel my palms sweating. I break eye contact with her, declining the observation session. Right now, a cliché and random stethoscope that rests on the counter to my left holds more importance. Oba's eyes shift from the screen of my heart monitor to Jiraiya when he gasps in surprise at my pulse's jumpy pace and then back to me. I gulp, inside and out.

"Y'know, if the doctor says you're okay," she says, "we can drive along the lake like you wanted the other day." They both smile, one excitedly, the other gently. It's funny how a small tragedy comes with perks.

Despite the fact that I'm totally psyched to hear her actually agree to something like that, I'm taken back, my nose crinkles on cue. "You said that that area's full of homeless people and lazy potheads." I remember when she muttered that to me on the drive home from school last week when I had originally asked.

"I don't recall saying that." she claims, though I can see through her lie. Master Jiraiya looks back and forth between us.

"You went into a whole political tangent about it for the next two hours, for Christ's sake!" I say. "And then you got pissed and started mad-dogging the Hokage's 'empty-headed materialism'."

Oba flushes and looks away for a moment, probably feeling her dad's eyes on her. She forgets that I remember almost everything I'm told, especially when it's in an argument. Almost.

"That sounds like you." the old man says, voice full of I-told-you-so. He continues watching her play with her hair until she speaks to me.

"You're so lucky you weren't born when Papa was. If someone heard you say that, you'd earn me an immediate execution."

I smirk patronizingly. "Care to enlighten me as to why that was?" Master Jiraiya cackles at her.

"Ah, so even after a seizure, you're still a little smart-ass." Oba returns. I give a face. She chuckles at me. "Anyway, what I said doesn't matter. As long as we all stay in the car and LISTEN to me," she emphasizes through gnashed teeth to my 'grandpa', who rolls his eyes and clicks his tongue, "we'll be fine."

"Really?" Jiraiya glares at her, dangerously. "You want to start this again? In the ER?"

Oba shrugs. "I was just saying. What, now I can't ask for something that stupidly simple?"

"Did I say that, Kushina?!"

"You implied it, Dad!"

I cannot hold back the small laugh that rips from my throat. It's rare to see her get so angry with her dad that she'd keep the argument going after it's done. I'm surprised she hasn't snapped his head off yet. Both of them look at me in realization that I'm a witness. Immediately, I'm crowded with stutterous Kakashi-we-didn't-for-you-to-see-that's and Look-we-weren't-fighting-we-were-discussing-an-issue-in-a-kindly-manner's. I shake my head and croak, "That sounds like fun, you guys," in the efforts to spare them from each other's wrath. "You know what we should do there?"

"What?" both ask simultaneously.

"Slow down and offer a hobo a ride and then speed off when he tries to get in."

The heavy blanket of grey is lifted...for now. Oba is laughing the hardest, and she has to cover her face. Jiraiya's just smiling and shaking his head at my display of blackheartedness.

"What'd be even better would be if we actually let him get halfway in the car and then speed up and let him fall out on his face." Oba adds. That makes me laugh-all three of us, actually. "Or maybe that's too cruel."

"And what would you do if he actually got hurt and couldn't move?" Jiraiya asks.

Oba and I both shrug, almost like twins. Copying each other. In sync. "Grab a beer and pull up a chair." she says.

"I second that." I declare.

I'm actually amazed that Master isn't joining in on our little plot. From all the stories I've heard from Ani, he was a very wild person during his childhood. I also heard that Oba used to drag Ani around all day long like a puppy. Funny how people change, but it's even funnier how some things never do. Like how she can still drag him around to places he doesn't want to go and how he can still swoon her in a reserved manner. Except now, it's the grocery store instead of the Third's forbidden quarters and breakfast in bed instead of packages of ramen at her doorstep.

After the laughter dies down, I feel Oba's soft hand hold mine. She's smiling affectionately at me as if she's proud of me. "You're gonna be okay, kiddo." She turns to Jiraiya. "I'll go find the doctor. See how long it'll take to dispatch him."

"Okay. I'll be here, of course." he says with a smirk.

"Be right back." She gives my hand a tight squeeze before getting up and pushing aside the curtain to leave. There is a moment of silence between me and Jiraiya. He's frowning, hands running through his white hair. He's panicking.

"Master Jiraiya?" I croak. My throat is full of bile, so I swallow it down hard.

He shakes his head. "It's nothing. I'm okay." This is the first time I've seen this strong, outspoken man shrink down to a little boy. I feel like I'm the adult here, standing at six feet with a body full of classy liquor and expensive cigar smoke. All I need is a fedora and I'm all set.

I guess people get like that when they're worried.

A mischievous grin curls on my face. "So...who's losing the fight? Oba?"

"You know she'll never admit it."

"What happened? I could hear you two fighting the minute you came up the elevator."

His eyes enlarge as if asking 'We were THAT loud?' I nod. And like a tomato he flushes and looks away. "Wow," is all he has to say at first. "It was just over something stupid. You know how fed up your Oba gets when something's not as she wants it, especially when it costs money. Only this time, she forgot that SHE left the fridge open. Not me."

I snicker. "That's not what it seems like."

"No! It is! I'm winning; she's just a sore loser!"

Master's the sore loser. When he realizes that all he has done is make a scene and once I give his my own I-told-you-so face, he calms himself.

"Is Oba mad at me?" Now I feel microscopic. Heat rises to my face and neck again. I break eye contact and rake my bangs out of my face with my free hand.

He gingerly pats my head, dropping his frown, now bearing a light smile. "Isn't she always?"

I smile broadly. I can see Oba through a crack in the white curtains, whispering harshly to a frightening receptionist.

For some reason my eyes advance to her engagement ring. Its gold brilliance shimmers in the solar-powered lights that beam over my head. I can imagine Ani's face when he spent a fortune on it-a hand balled to a clammy fist, the other rubbing the back of his neck, a glean of nervousness in his hesitant, passionate eyes. Maybe even a migraine. He's sensitive when it comes to money. And he taught Oba.

Once, I accidentally left the sink running after washing dishes after dinner. I was about to leave to spend an eternity in my room like any other teenager when I came face-to-face with her chest.

"Um..." I dragged out, my eyes popped up to look her in the eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"You tell me." She was giving me The Look while her arms folded, impatiently. "IS something wrong?"

I shrugged and gave her my own version of The Look, which earned me a long lecture about the "value of money and the treasure that is reservation" and a month to pay half of the water bill. It was hell; I had completed an assful of C-ranked missions and still just barely made it, probably because I'm still on the minor's budget. I should've just taken the grounding for my attitude.

Oba reenters the room with a very uncomfortable-looking doctor. The old man looks at me furtively while I glance at my guardian. I meet my aunt's eyes and let her read them, 'What did you do to him?'

Her violet irises reply, 'Nothing at all. You needed a doctor, I got you a doctor.'

'He looks like he's gonna shit himself.'

Oba's face tightens in a scowl. 'Language.'

"So," The old man catches our attention. "Kakashi Hatake...age thirteen...Jonin..."

I cock an eyebrow. "Uh...hi...?"

He's scribbling on some paper while flipping through a few on his clipboard. He has a very sad-looking pair of eyeglasses resting on the tip of his enormous nose. His grey eyebrows scrunch downwards in thought. "How do you feel?"

"Fine. Can I go now?" I ask, tired of this whole hospital thing. Master mutters my name in warning, telling me to be patient and not to give the poor bastard a hard time. His black eyes are serious. He rarely scolds me like this. I groan and close my eyes.

Expectedly, the trauma doctor chuckles at my getting into trouble while he scans my test results from the MRI I had received hours ago. I am certain that my foot needs to connect to his ass. "We'll see, son. From what I'm reading and analyzing, it shouldn't be long. But I want to look into your medical history first, just to be safe."

"You WANT to?" I ask stubbornly, my voice full of annoyance.

"Excuse me?" His brown eyes peel up to me, his head still bowed. He gives Oba and Master a concerned, confused frown. They look speechlessly at me.

"You said you WANTED to. That doesn't mean you HAVE to. You said I'm good, so I can go, right? Like, now?" And just like that, my smart-ass-ness is showing.

"Kakashi." Oba's smooth voice startles me. I make sure my eyes do not switch to her, though I can already picture her face. It's not a pleasant one.

"Okay, okay." I say before she can go on to lecture.

She gives the doctor an apologetic smile; probably making up for whatever she said or did earlier that horrified the elderly man in the first place. "I'm sorry...he's not having such a good day, obviously. Take as long as you need."

The doctor nods at her and then at Jiraiya, who returns the gesture. "I'll be back in a flash." He's trying to comfort me. When he leaves, I wish he didn't because-

"What the hell was that about?"

I sigh. "What? He couldn't've brought whatever he needed with him when he came in here? We would be done quicker!"

"I told him not to. For your privacy. Stop giving him hell just because you're not getting what you want." Oba growls back. Her dad takes her hand, forgetting about their recent dispute.

"Why?" I snarl. "You want to wait another ten hours just to hear that I'm freakin' four-ten this year?! Oh, yeah, that calls for a celebration!"

"Kakashi, you better-" Her threat gets cut short when her dad whispers something in her ear. Oba's frown remains, but she's listening to him. Everything's put on pause like a movie. When he pulls away, she nods before turning back to me, hands in pockets. "Where was I?"

"'Kakashi, you better...'" I mock her tone, pleating the blanket into folds on my lap. "Since when can't I speak my mind?"

"Since you started being rude."

"I was only being rude when YOU started pushing me."

"I wouldn't've pushed if YOU had listened to Papa when he told you to stop."

My monitor's beeping begins to race-the irritation swelling inside my chest burns. Which is not good. I'm stupid when I get angry. "Well, maybe I wouldn't've been so pissed if you had found the doctor faster! What, did you stop for ramen on your way?!"

Oba looks like she wants to slap me. The second those words escape my mouth, I want to snatch them back and shove them down my throat. I can be a little demanding sometimes; I expect her to coerce me, "If you don't knock this crap off now, I'll make sure you spend a week in the hospital." To my displeasure, she remains silent. Instead, she is grimacing at me in the way that automatically forces me to shut up.

"Okay, just stop it. Both of you." Jiraiya interrupts. "Kakashi, stop with the attitude. The doctor's trying his best to get you home and your aunt's doing this for your own good. Shina, can I talk to you?"

She nods and gives me a sharp glare. "Don't move."

"Damn, how'd you know?" I joke, my version of an apology. I know it worked because a small smirk forms on her face before she turns her back to me, opening the curtain for herself.

Jiraiya shoots me a look on his way out. "Jerk."

I shoot him one back. "Jack-ass."

The makeshift room falls silent. I can hear their bickering voices fading with every step. Adults are so weird. I rest my head against the headboard and shut my eyes again. I can smell rubbing alcohol everywhere and it's making me nervous. In the next room, a child-I can't really make out the gender-is hollering as a nurse is trying to stick an IV into its arm. I can hear the mother comforting it while the father is trying to distract it with a toy. As if that will work...

It really makes me wonder what my parents did when I got my first shot. When I first discovered my fear. I wonder if they brought me toys and tried to make me laugh or if they simply held my hand. I try to remember. I can see their faces, but somehow cannot backtrack to that day. I remember how scary it was, how I had to be held down by two frantic nurses. I hear someone talking soothingly to me, but I can't make out who.
"...Koki," which is my family nickname, "I get that it's scary, but you gotta stay still. It's gonna be over soon, I promise. C'mon now...hold my hand." It's probably Dad. "'Atta boy! I KNEW you could do it!"

Thinking about it makes my head throb more. Maybe going on a memory scavenger hunt right now is not such a good idea. I cringe just as Oba comes back. She looks so exhausted and fed up with this place. Her chakra smells kind of weird-not bad weird, just different as if it's being exercised. I can sense it draining slightly. It's probably the medicine. She's a busy woman most of the time, but she rare lets anyone see that she needs to rest. Luckily, the Third's giving her some time off the battlefield with pay.
She sits on my bed.

"You okay?" she asks.

"Mm-hm." I notice that she is alone. "Where's Master?"

"He's getting coffee. All the worry is stressing his out." Oba says, and she squints her eyes. Usually she does this when she's thinking, brooding maybe.

"Whatcha thinking about?" I ask, tilting my head. A habit. She stares at me intently for an instant. She chuckles and takes my hand again.

Usually I get embarrassed when people show affection towards me. Probably because of my history: Dad used to kiss me and hold my hand or imprison me in a bear hug in front of everyone everywhere we went. All hell broke lose when he tickled me when I tried to escape.
You know those scenes in those heartwarming family dramas where the kid would be getting dropped off at school and the parent would say, "Where's my hug?" or "I'm not leaving until I get a kiss goodbye!"? Welcome to my world, when everything was as it should be. Before all the rest happened.

But despite that, right now I do not even think about pulling away. Secretly I allow myself to hold onto Oba's hand in return. "C'mon, tell me." I say. I sound like a nagging housewife. "I feel like you're hiding something from me."

"You sound like a nagging housewife." my aunt jokes.

I cock an eyebrow. "Like Ani?"

"Is that your way of telling me you want me to pay more attention to you?" Her thumb runs over the back of my hand.

"Yeah, I'm totally desperate like that. Thanks a lot." I snap, though it only makes her smile mockingly. "Now would you just tell me? You know I hate suspense."

"Well, aren't you impatient today?" she sighs.

"What are you thinking about?" I push, not allowing myself to be bested.

Oba looks away for a moment, maybe watching my vital signs. "What I'm thinking about. You worry about yourself, Oi."

I want to ask her more, but I know I'll only make a fool out of myself. Instead, I bite my tongue and look at our entangled hands, at the different shades of our skin tones. At our matching bullet scars that rub against each other. Oba's staring at my tattoo on my right forearm. It's been months since Tengoku, and still the numbers have not even begun fading. They still look pretty brand new - minus the burning skin and bulking.

Her eyes are full of regret and hurt as they trace out the digits - all through the entire thing: 0021148. We do not talk about it much, but it's almost like I'm a branded cow that was rescued from the slaughterhouse.

When I let myself get drawn into her focused irises, I can see how much she hates the damn thing. Every design of my charcoaled flesh she wants to tear off and burn. Never to see again. It cannot be healthy for her to think like this, with the stress and all. "Oba-"

"Alright!" Right on cue, the same idiot doctor from before returns. He's awfully cheerful. Guess he's built back some confidence after being told off by Oba.

Jiraiya scurries to Oba's side, holding a HUGE cup of coffee. Hell, it's almost too big for him to hold with one hand! She gives her dad a displeased face, eyes squinting with drawn down eyebrows. He returns with an oblivious face and mutters, "What?"

She does not say anything, and gestures an open hand at his humongous cup with wide eyes as if testing him. Jiraiya blinks in question and Oba drops her shoulders.

"It's a macchiato!" he says, innocently.

"It's a WHAT?" My aunt groans. "Look, nevermind. That's way too big for you, Papa."

Here we go...
I'm literally counting down to myself, "3...2...1..."

"Don't you tell me what's too big for me!" Master flicks her on the forehead. Oba flinches; it makes me laugh.

"Ahem." the doctor interrupts. They look simultaneously at him with wide eyes, and he nods at me. A silent gesture meaning it's the moment of truth.

Oba turns pink, which is odd. Master crosses his arms and drinks his maca-whatever. The doctor turns to me, "So, you have quite a history, my boy."

I shrug. "I try."

"AH!" Everyone peers at my motherly guardian, who is blushing and smacks Jiraiya, who is trying not to smile, upside the head. When he and I make eye contact, he just shakes his head, disregarding what just happened.

But, living with them for years, I know how they play. Jiraiya is usually the one to start physically messing with people, often bumping into people on purpose or poking them. That's when it's on. Oba gets revenge in a more childish way, like pulling pranks and putting shaving cream on toothbrushes. When she and Ani 'play,' things get...kind of sexual.
And don't think I watch them! I don't! They are both shameless about it. Needless to say, it gets pretty loud in the house. Spend a night there and you tell me how the hell I'm supposed to sleep!

"I'm, uh, I'm sorry." Oba stammers. Again, odd. "Please go on."

Dr. Happy-Go-Lucky laughs. I lecture in a raspy whisper through grinding teeth, "Play grab-ass at home! Come ON! Of all places..."

Jiraiya just laughs in my face. I roll my eyes; I feel like a babysitter. The doctor clears his throat, snatching our attention. "I apologize." The old man smiles broadly. "Y'know how kids are. Can't get them to shut up."

"Are you kidding me?!" I protest.

"Hush, Kakashi."

"If you don't mind," Dr. Jack-Ass speaks out, his glasses still slouching on his nose, which I notice is crooked. I wonder which lucky bastard broke it. "I'd like to discuss the results now."

"Go 'head." Jiraiya says, now a patronizing grin planted on his face.

When the doctor's jaw drops while he looks through my papers, Oba looks like she wants to pass out. She's fidgeting. "Your test results look completely normal..! It's...It's a miracle!" He is shaking in excitement. He pats my IV hand, and I look at him dubiously.

"Uh...What?" I ask.

"It's almost as if you never had the seizure!" He is flipping through my papers again. "That means you're free to go. But, I advise that you rest for a few days to let that gash heal-"

"Screw that." I interrupt. I hate sitting around sometimes, especially when someone tells me to.

"Kakashi!" Both guardians jeer at the same time.

"That's alright." Dr. Pushover waves his hand, unaffected by my outburst. "Like I said, take it easy. Now," he turns to the adults, "he may feel fatigued from all the medicine that's in his system for the next couple of hours. The best thing for him is sleep. If he experiences any other symptoms, give your pediatrician a call. It may be smart to schedule an appointment with a neurologist just to be safe."

"Symptoms how?" Jiraiya asks, sipping his coffee.

The doctor glances at me, cocking an eyebrow. "Loss of appetite, nausea, constipation or diarrhea-"

"Why'd you have to stare at me when you said that?" I snap, face reddening. I shoot a glare at Oba, who, as expected, is giving me The Look for being a jerk. But I don't care right now.

"Oh, I didn't mean anything by it, son. Now, I'll call in a nurse and you'll be out of here in no time!"

Jiraiya stands and shakes his hand, firmly. "Thank you so much." he says, kindly. Oba bows her head at him in respect.

The man smiles and nods at each of them. He waves at me. "Take care, Kakashi."

"Thanks." I say, almost without really meaning it. I start to feel drowsy. Probably a mixture of the drugs and the adrenaline of this whole event. It's been...interesting, but so freakin' irritating. What really makes my night is when the nurse finally gets the needle out of my arm. After that, everything kind of turns to a blur...

Please R&R!