Book II: Promise?

Kakashi walked slowly down a game trail through a thick forest, his footsteps deliberate and plodding like a weary beast of burden hauling a cart. The analogy floated through his muzzy thoughts for a minute before he finally registered it and coughed out a weak laugh. His focus on the path in front of him was momentarily broken and he tripped on an upturned root. Nothing in his body would respond properly, and he fell hard onto his side before he could catch himself.

The ground was delightfully cool through the thin fabric of his masked cheek, and he lay there for a few moments while he gasped for air. He couldn't breathe. He just couldn't breathe with his vest suffocating his boiling skin. Grunting, he rolled onto his back to unzip the uncomfortable green vest, and shivered violently as a strong breeze skated across the sweat-soaked shirt that was now exposed. He didn't have the energy to close the vest against the cruel wind, and after a few minutes of grimacing torture the chills eased.

A brief sensation of clarity came to his mind as he panted on the ground. Fumbling in one of the pockets of his vest, he pulled out a small bottle and looked at the contents. The two yellow pills rattled softly against the glass as his hand trembled. Only two left... How long had it been since he took the last one? How many hours? How many days? Weeks? Months? Years? What day was it, anyway? And where the hell was he?

He closed his eye and rested his wrist against his forehead protector, all that thinking giving him a stabbing headache. Maybe it had been long enough. Maybe he should take another pill. They had to last him till he made it across the border and found help. He felt himself begin to drift away, the coolness of the ground seeping through his clothing and urging him to relax. Just stay for a little while. Just lie still. Just keep your eyes closed and sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up. Just lie still.

"Three hours."

The voice startled Kakashi into opening his eye, his muscles flinching painfully at the surprise. A tinkle of glass hitting the ground drew his gaze to the side, and he stared open-mouthed at the person sitting next to him.

"Wha?" Kakashi croaked, his voice rough and his throat dry.

"It's been three hours since you took the last pill, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said, looking down with fearful concern.

The Jounin pushed himself to his side, propping himself onto his elbow. This couldn't be happening.

"You have to hold out for as long as you can before you take another dose," Naruto continued firmly.

"Where am I?" He asked, looking up at what had to be an illusion.

"I don't know," Naruto replied sadly. "But you're not home yet, and that's where you need to be. You have to get up and keep walking."

"How do I know I can trust you?" Kakashi narrowed his eye, wishing the poison hadn't stolen every last ounce of his power.

"Get up, Kakashi-sensei. Get up and keep walking."

"Who are you?!" The idea of a genjutsu encouraging him to press forward was ridiculous, and without his ability to mold chakra he couldn't dispel it even if he tried.

"Promise me you'll get up and keep walking. Promise me you'll come home," Naruto said softly, his expression begging the Jounin to obey.

Kakashi groaned in defeat, dropping his head and picking up the fallen bottle of pills. Even as a hallucination, that damn kid had eyes that could break him. "Fine, fine, I got it," he grumbled, pushing himself to unsteady feet.

"Promise?" Naruto's voice asked from behind him.

"Yeah, I promise..." he sighed, clumsily stuffing the bottle back into his open vest and forcing his aching burning body to start walking.

The world eventually became a blur of brown and green, slowly getting darker the further he walked. It felt like his mind was doing the same thing, and he scrabbled and clung to his fading sense of direction. He was dimly aware of stumbling over things that stuck out of the ground, sometimes falling and having to pick himself up. Other times he didn't reach the ground, his shoulder banging against a tree long enough for him to weakly claw at the bark and get his feet back under him. But he had to keep walking. He had to keep going till the darkness swallowed him up.

Something tapped against his temple with an irritating slow rhythm. It hurt. He wished it would stop so he could go back to sleep.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, you shouldn't sleep here like that, you know?"

Kakashi groaned, keeping his eyes closed and trying to sink back into unconsciousness. ...not him...god, save me...

"You're gonna get bugs in your hair." There was a pause as the young teenage Naruto waited for a response. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, are you dead? If you're dead, can I take your mask off?"

"No..." he croaked, the word barely audible from the dryness of his throat.

"Stingy..." Naruto grumbled petulantly. "You don't sound good, Kakashi-sensei, you should probably get up now or you're gonna get sick. And you're gonna get bugs in your hair."

"Go away..." The ground was so wonderfully cool against his blistering chest.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, you know what? Know what? There's a spring over here, you can get a drink if you want. I'll show you where it is, it's right over there. Aren't you thirsty Kakashi-sensei?"

"...make it stop..." Kakashi almost sobbed, cracking his eye open to look up at the short punk in the bright orange outfit squatting next to him. ...really? Even in his hallucinations Naruto was trying to trick him into showing his face?

"What are you talking about? Make what stop?" Naruto screwed his face up and craned his neck forward to squint at the Jounin's face with intense scrutiny. "Did you hit your head, or something?"

"You know...for a cute kid, you can make the ugliest faces."

"Huh?" He blinked, blue eyes wide with innocent confusion.

"So cute..."

"Mmmm...Kakashi-sensei, you know you're not making any sense!" Naruto grumbled, lacing his hands behind his head and sitting back on his heels as he made a sour expression.

"And so ugly..." Kakashi rasped a chuckle, dragging one trembling arm up to push himself onto his side so he could at least gasp for air a little more comfortably.

Naruto stuck his tongue out, then peered down at the silver-haired man with concern. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, are you sick?"

"Yeah."

"Then you really should drink some water, you know. Come on, it's right over there, I'll show you," he said brightly, jumping to his feet and trotting off a few paces. "Here, see?

Kakashi sighed and lolled his head back so he could see where the young Naruto was. The first thing he saw was his own forehead protector in the boy's grasp, and as he refocused his eye just beyond the object he could see flashes of water in the dim pre-dawn light. Every cell in his body screamed in joy, the very thought of drinking water giving him a small boost of energy. Wanting or needing something, and being able to actually get to it were two different things, however.

"That's real...?" He asked, not daring to believe it.

"Of course it's real, why wouldn't it be? Man, you know you're acting weird..."

"I'm sick, remember?" Kakashi said, gritting his teeth and trying to get his legs to move. "Hey, Naruto, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Go stand guard," he grunted, pressing his face into the ground and pushing his arms to get under his chest.

"Eehhh?!" Naruto protested loudly.

"I don't know...where I am," Kakashi panted, taking a break from the effort of just propping himself on his elbows. "You'll watch my back, won't you?"

The ugly little clenched face relaxed into wide-eyed astonished delight, his cheeks turning pink as he blushed. "Sure!" Naruto saluted, leaping forward and taking up a post on top of an old fallen tree trunk at Kakashi's back.

"Thank you." ...so cute, damn it...

Having caught his breath as much as he could in his condition, he turned his attention back to the water pouring from the rocky outcrop a mere 15 feet away. It took him a few minutes to literally drag his unresponsive body to the bubbling spring. All he could think of was drowning his face in the cool water, and drinking till he burst.

"Don't."

Kakashi paused, startled at the force behind that young voice.

"Kakashi-sensei, you shouldn't drink too fast or you'll get a tummy ache, you know," Naruto's voice said brightly.

"Heh, that's right, isn't it..." he smiled gently, sliding his mask down and filling his mouth with water...but no more than that yet.

"Yep!"

"Tell me if you see anyone, okay, Naruto?" He said, letting the water cascade over his throbbing head and waiting till his first drink cooled his burning stomach.

"You can count on me, Kakashi-sensei!"

"I know."

Dawn came and went. Kakashi forced himself to drink slowly and steadily, one mouthful at a time. He paced himself to the rhythm of Naruto's heels tapping against the log the boy was sitting on, not letting himself gulp more when he desperately wanted to. Dipping his head under the water and letting it cascade down his back and chest helped distract his thirst and cool his burning skin. Soon he could practically feel all the cells in his body start to absorb the moisture like tiny sponges, and he continued his regiment.

Sunlight began to filter into the tree-filled glade. The frantic thirst lost its edge, and he kept on drinking. The thirst vanished completely, and he continued forcing the one mouthful of water down every few minutes. The sun was high in the sky by the time he felt he might possibly be somewhat hydrated. The stone was cool against his back, and he pulled his mask up before letting his arm flop to the ground. Idly, he wondered if he could sleep here for a few hours.

A very loud sigh from an obviously bored thirteen year-old dashed those hopes, and he chuckled in spite of his aching disappointment. He figured it wouldn't be long before Naruto would start pestering him. He closed his eye, determined to take the opportunity to rest while he had the chance. An almost imperceptible giggle and the bright scent of sunshine roused him from his doze. Cracking his eye open, he saw a hazy image of something in front of his face and jerked away reflexively.

Blinking in the afternoon light, he glared at the young blonde crouching in front of him with his hand again reaching out toward Kakashi's mask. His arms wouldn't move properly yet, the muscles slow to respond as he tried to bat away the little hand. Naruto snickered impishly, easily ducking out of the way and reaching forward again. This time Kakashi managed to awaken his legs and push himself to his feet using the rock outcrop behind him for support. The world rocked and spun beneath him, and he clutched at the stone till the feeling passed. He had to stay out of range of those small persistent hands.

"What are you doing?!" Kakashi demanded, scowling at the impudent brat.

"Hee!" Naruto laced his fingers behind his head with a grin of triumph, Kakashi's forehead protector still in his grasp. "I got Kakashi-sensei to stand up!"

"You devious little shit..."

Naruto just laughed wickedly, dancing back and jumping onto the log he'd been sitting on earlier. "You know you gotta get moving, Kakashi-sensei. You gotta start walking, or you're never gonna make it back to Konoha."

"I got it, I got it," Kakashi sighed, lurching forward and taking a few unsteady steps toward the boy. "I need that back," he said, pointing at the forehead protector.

"Eh? Oh, right!" Naruto nodded with a smile and held out the cloth and metal object. "You're gonna make it back to Konoha, right Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yeah, I will," Kakashi said, stretching out his hand and wondering how he was supposed to take something from a hallucination.

"Promise?"

"I promise," he said, fingers clasping over the solid metal strip as the beaming Naruto vanished.

He stood there for a moment, lifting the forehead protector off the outstretched branch it had been hanging on. The cloth on one side was torn, and he could see a few strands of silver hair caught on the end of the broken branch. Tying the band around his head, he let his fingers brush against the scratch at his temple. It throbbed somewhere beneath the pounding of his head. He felt his knee buckle, and he stumbled forward against the log. He couldn't let himself get distracted, he had to start moving.

One foot down. Head North. Next foot. Again. Again. Again. Don't stop. Don't look back. Don't go that way. Don't think. Walk. Again. Still North? Again. The heat was becoming unbearable, his head splitting open and blinding him with sharp flashes of light in the dim surroundings. He'd reached his limit, he had to take another pill or he would go mad. His hands shook dangerously as he somehow managed to pull out the bottle from his pocket with numb fingers.

Only two left. How much farther to the border?! Did he already make it across?! How much farther to finding help?! His lungs hurt from gasping for air, and he tried to swallow to ease his dry throat as he pulled his mask down. Letting his legs collapse beneath him, he clutched the bottle in both hands so he wouldn't drop it. Once he'd forced his limbs to arrange themselves properly into a semi-balanced sitting position, he used his knee as a stabilizer and opened the bottle.

A vicious chill shook him, and he doubled over. Just one. You can do this. Ignoring the tremors in his body, he reached a finger into the bottle and captured a yellow pill. Popping it into his mouth, he bit down on the vile bitter thing. He quickly put the lid back on the small bottle and then stuffed it in the pocket of his vest, willing himself not to vomit. Not that he had anything in his stomach anyway, but heaving up nothing was a painful experience that he didn't want to go through. The taste only lasted a moment, thankfully, the medicine dissolving quickly along with his consciousness.

"Kakashi-sensei, wake up!"

...let me sleep...

"Wake up, now!"

...don't want to...

"You're going to regret not listening to me, damn it! Wake up!"

...go away...

"WAKE UP!"

Kakashi's head exploded at the voice screaming in his ear, the pain making his back arch as every muscle in his body tensed. "Holy hell!" He gurgled, desperately clasping at his skull to keep his brains from spilling out. "I'll kill you..." he gasped, curling up onto his side and cradling his pounding head. "I'll fucking kill you...!"

"Try it," Naruto laughed derisively, his voice somewhere above and to the left. "Just try it, I dare you!"

"Don't...even...tempt me..." Kakashi snarled, panting as he struggled to uncurl himself and get to his knees. His balance wobbled ominously, and he sank his fingers into the dirt to steady himself.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Naruto needled persistently. "You said you were going to kill me, right? Get your ass up, or you'll never get the chance. Not that you actually have a chance in hell."

"Shut...up...!" Kakashi moaned painfully, resting his forehead against the ground and wishing it would simply open up and swallow him. Even his bones were on fire, the flesh melting away under his blackened and crispy skin. How was it possible for a person to be this hot and still be alive?!

"Make me! Get up and make me! Get up and walk! I'll take you on any day and curb-stomp the shit out of you for even thinking you could lay a finger on me, you withered up old mongrel!"

"So...dead...!" Kakashi growled, using his rage to force unwilling limbs into action. The world tilted on its axis when he got to his feet, but he endured it and held firm till things went back to the way they were supposed to be.

"Now walk!" Naruto ordered furiously. "You think you're going to make it back to Konoha by standing there like a dumbass, waiting for crows to come shit on your head?!"

"Oh...I'll make it back...don't you god damn worry about that," Kakashi hissed, glaring venomously at the angry figure standing in front of him.

"Promise?" Naruto asked, narrowing his eyes and tilting his head arrogantly.

"I promise, you son of a bitch," he grinned maliciously, lurching forward to start walking.

Naruto snorted in satisfaction, tilting a cocky grin and vanishing as he turned to walk down the left fork of the overgrown path. A gentle breeze picked up as Kakashi stepped through the spot where Naruto had just been standing. The wind drifted from his back, cooling his sweat-dampened clothes just enough to make his fever bearable. It was a steady push of fresh air, urging him forward despite his intense desire to collapse on the ground and sleep.

"Damn it...stop trying to help me...I still want to hate you right now..." Kakashi mumbled at the wind, perfectly aware that he was imagining the scent of sunshine when his eye could clearly see the moon in the sky.

The time and distance dragged by in a steadily mounting haze of fevered pain until he was too far gone to try to think, much less pay attention to his surroundings. It was all he could do to keep forcing one foot in front of the other. He didn't know where he was and he couldn't even muster up the brainpower to figure out which way North was after the moon disappeared behind the clouds. The only logic behind the direction he was walking in was the fact that the wind was pushing his back, and he let it guide him.

At least there was some small consolation that he was sure he was vaguely walking in one direction, instead of wandering in circles deliriously. One foot. The next. Again. Again. He was dimly aware of the world becoming brighter as dawn approached. He ignored it and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Again. Again. Again...

Last pill. Last pill. Where was he?! Why was it dark? Why was it so dark and he was so hot? That wasn't right. Something about a pill...last pill. There was a pill that would stop the pain...stop the burning...stop everything...make it stop... Where was it? Where was he? No, wait. Pocket, he had a pocket somewhere. Somewhere...on something green. A vest? Pocket. No pocket...no vest...no shirt...what happened? Oh, right, too hot. Somewhere. Somewhere...there! Vest. Pocket. Pill!

...

Kakashi drifted toward consciousness, idly aware of someone calling his name. He considered answering, but couldn't find the motivation to do so. The dark was so nice, he wanted to stay there. The voice persisted, soft and distant. He wanted to ignore it, but there was something about it that caught his fading attention.

The vicious cycle began. He didn't know why it had caught his attention, which in itself was catching his attention because he wanted to know why he didn't know why. Reality fragmented and fell around him like a broken window, the pieces slowly putting themselves back together so he could look out of the glass.

"...sensei..." a woman's voice whispered in his ear.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

His eye snapped open in a dead panic, his heart pounding painfully as his chest heaved and he desperately gulped in air as if he had somehow stopped breathing for too long. The world was a foggy mass of dim color and swaying shadows. He couldn't be sure, but he suspected he was laying on his side. His head was threatening to crack open like an egg, and he was certain there wasn't a scrap of flesh left on his ash-covered bones. But this wasn't what was bad about the situation, this was nothing! Where was she?! He had to get out of there, now!

"Are you awake, Kakashi-sensei...?"

Shit, she was behind him! He coughed and gurgled something unintelligible, frantically willing his body to move. His fingers twitched.

"Oh, something moved, didn't it," she hummed. "Let me see it..."

He had to calm down, he had to focus. This was all an illusion. It wasn't real! He felt something slide across the ANBU tattoo on his arm, and he glanced over to meet a pair of luminous blue eyes. She flicked her tongue off his skin and licked her lips sensuously.

"You taste nice..." she purred.

Are you fucking kidding me?!

"G-get away!" The Jounin choked, flinching his shoulder and somehow getting his hand to move a bit. There was nothing left of him, all the muscle had been melted away in the ungodly fire consuming his flesh.

"Mmm...don't want to..." she said slyly, leaning over and letting her long, loose blonde hair fall across his bare arms and waist.

"No!" Kakashi snarled, lifting his trembling arm to weakly try to push her back. Her fingers wrapped delicately around his wrist, holding it there with a gentle but firm grasp that he could feel! He looked up at her in unguarded horror. "What...?!" She kissed her way down his forearm, brushing her teeth against his elbow where it was bent. "Stop!" He practically sobbed, an overwhelming amount of self disgust making him want to vomit. There was no physical way his body would respond to her urgings in his condition; a fact he was beyond thankful for. This bitch was flat out mind-fucking him!

"As long as you stay here, I'll never let you go, Kakashi-sensei..." she said hungrily, her free hand reaching out to stroke his cheek.

"...as long as..."

"Mm-hmm...as long as you stay..." she said softly, looking at him from beneath long lashes.

Kakashi clenched his teeth, letting his rage burn and replace the muscles that had been eaten away by fever. He pulled his arm free from her grasp and screamed in pain as he willed his limbs to respond. Why did everything hurt so much?!

"Why are you fighting it...?" She asked from just behind him as he forced himself to his knees.

"Because I don't want this," he panted, his head feeling light and numb as he sat back on his heels and stared wide-eyed at a swirling mass of shapes and shadows. His arms dangled limply at his sides. Was he under water?

"Liar..." she whispered, flicking her tongue against the edge of his ear and sliding her fingers over his shoulder.

He gave a startled shout, flinching violently away from the contact and ending up sprawled on his back because his arms buckled under him as he tried to catch himself. It felt like he couldn't remember how to move properly. Nothing was doing what he wanted it to do. Not good. He was back where he started. The woman crawled toward him like a cat, and it took all his strength and focus to push himself to his elbows. Her naked body glistened in the dark and her long hair dragged on the ground, unheeded in the face of that burning desire in her eyes. He had to get away!

"It's okay, I'll make you feel better..." she purred, her hands padding across the ground as she stalked him.

"Stop!" His heels dug into the dirt after a struggle to remember how to get them to move in the first place, pushing him backward till his back hit something solid. "I don't want you!"

Her hair brushed against his leg as she caught up to him, and she paused. "No?" She asked enticingly, tilting her head to the side and starting to lean forward again. Her image brightened and then abruptly changed. "Then who do you want, Kakashi-sensei...?" Naruto asked quietly, the hungry expression in his blue eyes just as intense as the woman's had been.

WHAT?!

THE?!

FUCK?!

His mind broke as he watched the shirtless young man approach him till his face was inches from Kakashi's chest. NOT! HAPPENING! Gritting his teeth, he forced his arms to lift sluggishly from his sides to try to push the blonde away. Naruto caught both his wrists half way there, gripping them with gentle force. Kakashi's shock made him hesitate a second too long, and suddenly Naruto's tongue was sliding along his neck.

A moment of perfect clarity slammed into the Jounin's fever-clouded mind at the complete impossibility of the situation. Wait, this really wasn't happening. He suddenly felt every muscle in his body claw at his skin and bones. He could move! Choking out a curse, he closed his eye and scrambled away from the hallucination. He felt cool fingertips trail across his back as he escaped, and he ignored them. He could move! He could stand!

The ground tilted sharply, buckling his knees and sending him crashing down. No, he could stand...he had to stand up! The world spun around him, and he could feel his body sinking into the earth as if it were quicksand. It would be so easy to just let himself sink...to escape this nightmarish world of agony... A skating brush of teeth on the back of his neck sparked renewed determination and he could feel his lips pulling back in a furious snarl. Hunching his shoulders like a cornered wolf, he pushed himself to his feet and stayed there.

"Don't stop walking," Naruto whispered, his breath tickling the back of Kakashi's ear.

"I won't..." Kakashi rasped, his chest heaving with labored breath as he stood there and glared at the hazy shadows in front of him.

"...promise?" Naruto's voice was soft and thick with desire, his arms snaking over the Jounin's shoulders and resting against the bare chest.

"I promise," he replied, reaching up and grabbing the vines that rested against his torso. "I have to make it back...so I can kill you..." he hissed, the vines snapping in his grip.

A breeze sent a chill up his spine as it pushed against his bare back, an unrepentant laugh echoing through the trees. He gave the wind the finger while he took a slow painful step forward. Something bumped against the back of his leg, and he almost lost his tenuous grip on his balance as he looked down in surprise. Blinking to focus his eye properly, he stared at the familiar green object caught on the small supply pouch at his belt. The trees laughed again, and he pulled the vest over his shoulders as he trudged forward.

One foot in front of the other. Again. Again. Ignore the heat. Ignore the pain. Keep breathing. Keep walking. Pick yourself up. Don't stop. Don't stop. One foot. The next. Again. Don't close your eye. Don't escape the light. Get back up. Keep walking. Let the wind push you. Next foot. Again. Again. Get up. Again. Again. Again. Don't let the darkness stop you. Keep moving. Don't let your knees buckle. Don't fall. Don't fall! Stop falling!

"Kakashi-sensei!"

There was a terrified, almost hysterical edge to that voice. He wanted to look up, but couldn't find the strength to lift his chin as he was dimly aware of his knees slamming into the hard ground. The Jounin felt his chest hit something, and vaguely wondered why it didn't feel like his face had hit the dirt as well. He blinked, trying to process the information.

Whatever was under his chin was solid, and something wrapped around his back to keep him steady. He honestly didn't care what he'd fallen against as long as he didn't fall any further. This was nice. His eyelid slowly dropped. He could rest like this. Not down, not up, just hovering somewhere in between. He could stay like this forever. He would get back up in a minute, though, he simply wanted to catch his breath.

"Kakashi-sensei hang in there! Stay awake!"

The voice was behind his ear, vibrating through his heaving chest as his lungs valiantly tried to keep filling with air.

"Nng...please stop," Kakashi begged in a rasping whisper, forcing his eye to crack open. "Don't...don't make me...get up yet...please..."

All the breath was abruptly squeezed out of him and there was a blinding flash of light. Pain lanced through his skull and the world tipped upside-down, throwing him into the dark. He shouldn't be there. It was too dark, he wasn't supposed to be there. He should move. Something was wrong. Very wrong. He had to get up! He was going to drown!

Gasping and choking in air, his eye flew open but saw nothing. He arched his back, feeling the resistance of water heavy over his whole body. Where was he?! He had to get up! Something pinned him down, pushing hard on his shoulders and he grasped wildly at it to push it off.

"Kakashi-sensei! Kakashi-sensei listen to me, you have to stop! Stop moving!"

He blinked, his brain trying to make sense of the random patterns of color and movement in front of him. It distracted his panic, and he felt the strength starting to drain from his struggling.

"Hold him still, Naruto, don't let him get up!"

His fingers gripped cloth and he looked up at the sky in confusion. That voice was...who? Who was that? He knew that voice...

"I'm trying! How much longer, Sakura-chan?!"

"Almost done, just hold him," she replied quickly.

The sky blinked, and Kakashi finally managed to focus on a familiar face that was drained of color and filled with fear.

"Kakashi-sensei, you don't have to get up, okay? Lie still, you're safe now!"

"...I am...?" His voice croaked, sounding like metal grating on stone as he stopped his useless fight against a pair of stronger arms.

"Yeah, you are," Naruto nodded, tears of relief spilling down his cheeks as he carefully released his grip on the man's shoulders.

Kakashi stared at Naruto's face for a moment, daring himself to believe what he heard...what he saw...what he could feel under his hand. He could see his vision closing in, the shadows of sleep making the room start to crumble at the edges. No, not yet! There was still something he had to say! His voice wouldn't come out. Damn it! He clenched his teeth and willed his hand to move from the blonde's shoulder to the back of his head. Twining his fingers in the soft blonde hair, he gave a weak jerk of his arm so Naruto's forehead was pressed against his own.

"Naruto..." Kakashi said quietly, looking straight into the wide blue eyes. "I am going to kick your fucking ass...! I promise!"

"...what...?"

The world blissfully sank into darkness as Naruto's voice faded into the distance, and Kakashi knew he had a satisfied smile on his face.