A/N: I like the idea of Kakashi having a little crush on Sakura (but only when she's older, otherwise it's creepy). And I learned there are four different types of shock. Thank you, Wikipedia :) So... please read and review!
"I'm fine."
"But, senpai…"
Kakashi casually dismissed the guard's concern with a wave of his hand. "A few superficial wounds, that's all."
"But shouldn't you go to the hospital, senpai?"
Straightening to his full height, Kakashi glowered at the newly-appointed chunin, a young man covered in baby fat and trying not to cower before the infamous Copy Ninja.
"I'm fine," he said again.
This time, the guard didn't argue.
Had Kakashi been in a better state of mind, he might have considered going to the hospital. As he proceeded into the village, he walked with a distinct limp and his left arm hung uselessly at his side—and those were just the injuries you could see.
Inside, there were at least three broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, and most likely some serious internal bleeding in his midsection. And he hadn't slept in 42 hours.
Shaking his head to try and clear his mind, he gingerly trudged through the streets toward the Hokage Tower. The sun was rapidly sinking below the buildings so there was a brief lull in market traffic, but he still felt the occasional stare and heard the shocked gasps at his condition.
He didn't care. What really mattered was turning in his report and returning the missing scrolls to the Daimyo—although he'd forgotten what the scrolls meant or why they were so important in the first place. What did it matter to them anyway? Hadn't they ever seen an injured shinobi before?
He made it as far as the academy building. The little bench just seemed so inviting and there was no one around to gawk at him.
Kakashi fairly collapsed on the bench. He was so sore. His entire body ached. He could feel bones grinding against one another in his shattered arm, the tendons ripping in his knee, the blood seeping out of his many lacerations with every heartbeat. Even his breathing, normally strong and even, was laced with gasps of pain.
He shouldn't be alive. Not just after this mission, but period. The boorish teacher from his academy days had warned his class that more than half of the students would die before they turned thirty. Obito had been there, as had Rin. Asuma, too.
But Kakashi was thirty-two, had been thirty-two for the last three months. He was living on borrowed time, so he figured that some god—or gods, as the case may be—liked him.
Then again, said god or gods couldn't have liked him that much. He wouldn't be sitting exhaustedly on a park bench with his own warm blood pooling in his lap if they had.
"Kakashi-sensei?"
It hurt to move his head, but he made the effort to twist his neck just enough to catch sight of the speaker's face. All he saw was a thick shock of pink hair.
"Mind if I join you, sensei?" Sakura asked, sitting beside him. "When did you get back from your mission?"
He shifted painfully, his leg throbbing. "Today," he mumbled tiredly.
"Today?" She stuck out her bottom lip. God, she's adorable… "I didn't see you in the Tower."
He tried to chuckle but it came out as a wheeze. "Didn't make it there yet."
"Oh." Sakura smiled and his already irregular heartbeat quickened. "That's okay, sensei. I'm just glad you made it back in one piece."
"You could say that, I suppose…"
Suddenly he felt something warm touching his hand. He thought it was more blood or possibly an organ, but it was too soft. Glancing down at his lap, he saw Sakura had grabbed his hand and was squeezing it gently.
But then she drew back her hand quickly and he almost regretted it. Almost.
"Kakashi-sensei, you're wet," she said in disgust, but then her voice caught as a shaft of moonlight fell upon them. "Sensei, you're bleeding!"
"Nothing gets by you, huh?" he murmured.
"Oh my God sensei, we have to get you to a hospital!" Suddenly she was standing up and trying to lift him as well. "Somebody help me! Please, somebody help!"
He saw a couple of ninja, possibly ANBU, come running up and he felt them hoist his body in the air.
"Don't worry Kakashi-sensei," Sakura whispered, squeezing his hand comfortingly. "You're going to be okay."
But Kakashi was having difficulty seeing straight. It looked like there were two Sakuras speaking to him, holding his hand, looking beautiful…
That had to be the shock setting in.
"Kakashi, can you hear me? Stay with me, okay?"
"Forever and ever," he mumbled. He felt lightheaded.
"Please hurry." She was speaking to the ninja now. "I think he's going into shock."
"Sak'ra-chan." She glanced down at him and he was floored by just how pretty she was… It must be the shock. He squeezed her hand and smiled dreamily, reaching up to pinch her cheek. "You're so cute when you're worried."
Sakura frowned before laying a hand on his forehead. "You're burning up, sensei," she replied matter-of-factly, her brow creasing further.
When they reached the hospital, Sakura sent the two ninja ahead to locate an expert healer, preferably Shizune, leaving her standing outside with Kakashi slumped over her.
"Sak'ra-chan, when did you dye your hair green?" he murmured, fingering the strands. Sakura was too busy trying to staunch the bleeding in his chest to acknowledge him.
"Sakura?" The pink-haired girl looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks. After staring at her face for a moment, still playing with her hair, Kakashi leaned down and covered her thin line of a mouth with his own.
Later, when he would try and analyze that particular instant—which would prove difficult considering most of the night was a blur—he couldn't explain why he kissed her. She just looked so sad… it seemed the only appropriate action.
Then he shrugged. It was probably shock.
The kiss was over before Sakura could even close her eyes and Kakashi fell into unconsciousness. As his vision darkened, he could vaguely see the two Sakuras fading in and out of sight. Their eyes were wide, their lips were parted, and their cheeks were bright red, but their tears had stopped.
Then again, he wasn't sure. He just blamed it on the shock.