Disclaimer: All Naruto characters belong to the mastermind Masashi Kishimoto. Everything else, such as plot, original characters and situations belong to Nobiki and myself.
Warning: Will be yaoi of the IruKaka kind later on. Don't like, don't read.
Author: Beatrisu and Nobiki
About: So I had this wonderful plotbunny that wouldn't stop nagging me, and I eventually managed to pester Nobiki into roleplaying it out with me. This is what came out in the end - a huge monster. It's not entirely finished yet, and I'm planning on finishing it myself, but the first chapters should be out fairly quickly. Whenever I have the time, I will edit and post.
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Wolf's Winter – Prologue
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"Get him onto a stretcher! Careful, don't jostle him. We don't know which bones have been broken! If he ends up paralyzed, I'm not taking the blame for you, Hokage-sama will be furious!" The ANBU team bustled about the small clearing in which they had found Kakashi. The man was heavily injured and had been lying face down in a pool of his own blood. The squad leader stepped forward, helping with lifting Kakashi over onto the stretcher they had made, supporting his back to secure it in case it was broken.
"Good. Now, let's hurry back to the village. Medic, check his injuries first, see if he'll live!"
When Kakashi was checked, healed up a little and the worst gashes were bandaged, he was carried back to the village in a hurry. They were met by Tsunade at the gates, where she was waiting with a team of medics. The ANBU team set Kakashi down and disappeared in the shadows.
"Shizune, I need you to close the wounds that are still bleeding. Then we take him to the hospital and continue his treatment there. The gates are not proper accommodation for injured people." Tsunade frowned, walking back and forth, barking out orders. As soon as the Copy Ninja was well enough to be moved further, they would carry him to the hospital. She had never seen him this bashed before, and was rather worried. Hatake Kakashi always managed on his own, never failed a mission.
She looked him over one more time, this time noticing the small object hanging in a pouch around his neck. "And you never fail a mission, do you, Hatake Kakashi..."
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He could vaguely recall a shout of warning and then searing pain - which had, by now, dulled to a vicious throbbing - before everything went black around the edges and he passed out. After that, everything had been blurry. He thought he remembered stumbling along winding paths, supporting himself on nearby trees, sometimes standing there for hours, just to regain his breath and not pass out.
The fact that he had managed to return to the village in one piece astounded him. He wasn't quite certain about the details of his return, he wasn't sure whether or not he'd managed alone or if someone had found him, but he knew for a fact that he was at the hospital. The scratchy sheets against his still-sore skin was a testimony to that.
Kakashi had been awake for a while now, but he couldn't quite open his eyes. That every limb on his body felt heavy and achy didn't exactly help, either. His eyes didn't seem to want to open – the lids were too heavy – so he figured he'd just stay put, trapped between awake and unconsciousness for a little while longer.
He could vaguely remember Tsunade-sama's voice as she barked out orders after he'd been wrapped, nearly head to toe, in bandages, giving out orders on how best to heal him, what kind of treatment he should receive, and also how long he was confined to laying on his back. At the moment, he didn't quite protest the orders of bed rest. He would be quite happy if he was allowed to sleep for at least one more year, maybe two, maybe for the rest of his life. The light poking through his eyelids did not help him grow more tired, though; it just made him all the more aware of his aches and pains, and the slow throbbing in his head.
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"Just perfectly fan-fucking-tastic." He murmured to himself, his voice raspy and hoarse from continuous disuse. And then, he remembered. His mask. Was he still wearing it? Had anybody seen him? Had they taken it off? Where was it now?
He could feel himself grow more and more frantic as he tried to lift his hand in order to feel it. He needed to know, needed! What if someone had taken it off?
Due to his panicking, he didn't notice the scent of lavender before a calm voice drifted into his awareness.
"Your mask is still on. Hokage-sama saw to it that they didn't remove it from your face. She reckoned you deserved your privacy." Ryu sat down beside Kakashi's bed, making himself comfortable, legs propped up on the bars keeping the rickety construction up.
"How do you feel, Kakashi?" Through his detached murmur Kakashi could detect a vague sort of concern. He debated with himself for a few moments on whether or not he should reply, before finally managing a small croak.
"I'm sorry. I didn't catch what you said."
"I said; 'It feels like someone tied me to a railway and had the train run over me before backing up again.'" Kakashi's voice was a small whisper, but this time Ryu could, hopefully, make out his words.
Apparently he did, because the tall jonin let out a soft snort and a chuckle. Kakashi cracked an eye open, only to shut it again, wincing at the blinding glare of the sunlight.
"You know, the sun's almost set. And there are no lights on in the room."
"Doesn't stop my head from hurting," Kakashi's voice was still unclear, but he was fairly certain that his slurred words were fairly intelligible.
"Perhaps not, but you should probably get used to being awake. And the fact that sometimes, being awake hurts."
Why did Ryu have to be so fucking sensible? It was unfair, really. Kakashi should feel scorned. And he would have, had he had the energy and will to contain such an emotion.
As he got no reply, Ryu stood and adjusted the pillow resting beneath Kakashi's head. "I hope you get better soon. I'll probably come visit again later… And I think you can expect to see Naruto some time before he leaves. Which is to say, before tomorrow."
Kakashi simply grunted in reply. He was well on his way to passing out again, and all too happy to oblige to his body's needs.
When the door closed behind Uzuki Ryu, he didn't even hear it.
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That was it! I hope you all liked it! Don't forget to let us know what you think XD (hint - REVIEW)