Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!


Chapter 3

Sakura put Kakashi's head in her lap to protect him from the jostling of the cart and to be close to him to ensure that his fever didn't elevate too much. Kakashi had been restless until she moved closer to him. From what she could assess, he still was feverish but it was low enough now that it wouldn't cause any serious damage. Moegi had run on ahead to make sure that the hospital was ready to treat Kakashi when they got to the gates of the village.

She hoped that the Hokage had come up with an antidote or a plan of action so they could cure him. Sakura didn't like that Kakashi had been unconscious for so long. She knew that the longer he stayed in the coma, the worse the prognosis would be. Trying to keep her hopes up, she visualized Kakashi waking and teasing her like he always had. Normally it was easy for her to maintain her professionalism, but with the given circumstances and finally realizing the depth of her feelings, it was hard to keep her mind from wandering about how bad this could turn out if Tsunade couldn't treat him.


Soon the small caravan was nearing their destination. A team of medics met them at the doors of Konoha and quickly transported Kakashi to the hospital. Moegi was also waiting there to escort the monks to the rooms that the Hokage had made ready for them to rest after their long journey. Sakura followed the team to the hospital, giving them vital information as they went.

Tsunade was waiting for them at the hospital with a team of poison specialists. After the medics placed him in the bed, the team went to work giving Kakashi the antidote that Tsunade had made for him. Sakura stood back as the Hokage did her evaluation. Outwardly, Sakura seemed her normal calm and collected self, but internally she was a ball of nerves.

"Sakura, I concur with your evaluation. You did well with your treatment and supportive measures," the Hokage told her as they moved to the back of the intensive care room, "He is very lucky I sent you. If it was anyone else, I don't think he would have survived."

Sakura blushed and thanked her shishou for her kind words. Even though she was the best medic in the village, excluding the Hokage, Sakura still didn't feel that she could compare with her mentor. It was one of the things that Tsunade admired about her student. She didn't let her knowledge and skill go to her head. In Sakura's mind, she still had a lot to learn and to do to improve on her skills. Tsunade knew that one day her prized student would surpass her and she would be content when that day finally came. She also knew that the pink haired young woman would never let her ability go to her head which would ruin her as a medic.

Tsunade listened to her student as she reported on everything that had happened medically to Kakashi at the temple. Sakura also told the Hokage about the jutsu that the abbot had used to slow the progression of the poison in Kakashi's system. After Sakura was done, Tsunade told her about the poison that she had removed from Kakashi. It was a three stage poison, something new that intelligence had heard mentioned recently. The debunked Sound Village had been working on the poison, from what the sources had told them. From what the Hokage had gathered, Kabuto was back to his old tricks and had organized a few followers trying to resurrect the village that his mentor had founded. All the villages were disturbed by the new turn of events and were working overtime to make sure that the Sound Village would not renew its reign of terror. The discovery of the poison confirmed all of their deepest fears.

The way the poison worked was three fold. First, it paralyzed the victim mimicking a simple poison. Secondly, it would start shutting down major organs putting the victim into a coma, again mimicking a simple poison. The victim would be treated with the expectation of the poison working its way out of the victims system in a couple of days. The victim would physically do better in a day or so throwing off the medics. If the poison was not removed physically from the body in the first few hours, it would work its way to the third step – attacking the brain and the memories that the victim held. The poison would activate the victim's fears and any memories of trauma sending them eventually into psychosis. By the time the victim showed the symptoms of the third stage, it was too late to remove the toxin.

Sakura's quick thinking and experience had saved Kakashi the full force of the poison by her removing as much toxin as she could. His current condition was the outcome. The toxin was trying to attack his memories, but didn't have the strength needed to complete the job, thus causing the high fevers. The Hokage was uncertain which the side effects that Kakashi would experience because the poison would not be at its full strength. She did not know if his memory would be affected. Tsunade expected that Kakashi would relive some of the trauma from his past, but didn't know if it would progress on to permanent psychosis. Unfortunately, they would have to sit and wait to see what happened. Hopefully, the antidote that she had prepared would lessen the effects. At least now they knew the rumors were true and could alert the medics in the field so more shinobi could be saved.

In Kakashi's case, the problem was that the poison had spread throughout his system because he had to run for safety. In the Hokage's opinion, that is why the silvered hair shinobi was suffering the side effects now. Tsunade put Sakura in charge of his care and took her off of everything else so she could focus on healing him. The Hokage didn't want to lose one of her elite and best shinobi to this poison. It would be a great blow to the village if Kakashi couldn't function in his job any more. She told her student that she wanted daily updates and for Sakura to use any means necessary to cure him. Tsunade also had secretly suspected Sakura's feelings towards her ex-sensei and knew that she would be constantly in his room anyway. The way she saw Kakashi looking at her student before this mission convinced her that he felt the same for Sakura. She just hoped that things turned out well and Kakashi didn't sink into psychosis.


As the Hokage left the room, Sakura digested everything that her mentor had shared with her. Part of her wanted to hunt down Kabuto to take care of him once and for all so he couldn't hurt any more of the people that she loved. Her rational side knew that her vengeance wouldn't solve anything for Kakashi. All she could do now is treat him to the best of her abilities, and pray for the best. A man like Kakashi would have experienced many horrors during his life time. She didn't want him to suffer by having to relive them over and over again. Summoning Moegi, she told the girl to go to the medical library to bring her everything she could find on treating brain injuries and post-traumatic stress syndrome. Sakura would need to plan ahead before Kakashi woke in order to come up with some type of treatment just in case he suffered the worst.

After her assistant left her to retrieve the information she requested, Sakura walked over to the bed where Kakashi was resting. His face, for now, was peaceful. He looked like a boy instead of a 35 year old man. Her hand went to his cheek and softly caressed it. She longed for him to be awake so she could share her feelings with him, but she knew it would have to wait. Spending all this time with him and nearly losing him broke down her weak excuses on why she shouldn't love this man. When the time finally came for her to confess her feelings, she hoped that he wouldn't reject her. Ino was convinced that the infamous Copy Ninja was head over heels in love with Sakura by the way the man looked at her and things that he would not do for anyone else but her. Their relationship had grown ever since her 19th birthday, developing into a closer relationship. He had let her into his life in a way that no one else had ever had the privilege of sharing with him. She was heartened by this and hoped that they could move on to the next step of their relationship. Bending over, she kissed his forehead, telling him that she would find a way to heal him, not to give up, and that she loved him.


Kakashi felt Sakura's presence during their trip on the way home. His nightmares started plaguing him again, but they soon disappeared when he felt Sakura place his head in her lap. He could feel the coolness flowing from her hands as they treated him. Sleep found him for a while until he felt his body being lifted and whisked away from her presence. The next thing he remembered was the smell of antiseptic and being placed in a bed where a needle violated his arm. At first, he felt the sting of the liquid that invaded his body through the said needle, only to be replaced by a soothing feeling. He could feel Sakura nearby again, but couldn't make out what she was saying or who she was talking to. Drifting off, he surrendered to darkness again, waking when he felt Sakura's presence next to him. Her caress of his cheek was so gentle, and comforting. As she kissed his forehead, he could have sworn that she told him that she loved him and that she would find a way to heal him. Hoping that this wasn't another delusion, he held on to her words of her love and the promise to bring him back into the world of consciousness.


Sakura poured over the scrolls that Moegi had brought to her from the medical library. Due to the work they did, there were many scrolls documenting post-traumatic stress syndrome and the treatments that were used. She did have a harder time finding information on the treatment of brain injuries. There seemed like a lot of speculation on how to adequately treat it. As she did her research, she stayed near in Kakashi's room waiting until he woke. All in all, the scrolls provided her a good review of the mechanics of the brain and which areas controlled what part of the body. Sakura wrote down which major nerves controlled specific parts of the body so she had a quick reference if she needed it. As the day wore on, she found herself telling the unconscious man in the bed about the interesting facts she found about the mechanics of the human body. Moegi came to relieve her near dinner time so Sakura could go home to freshen up and eat before she came back to start her night vigil. Sakura gave the girl strict orders to send for her if any major changes happened.

Sakura made her way home to her apartment, took a quick shower, and dressed. Wanting to eat something fast, she ran to Ichiraku for some ramen. Sasuke and Naruto were sitting there talking when she got there. The men greeted her and made room for her to sit down between them. Both asked about Kakashi's condition and she shared what had happened to him as she waited for her dinner to arrive. Knowing what she did about Sasuke's team before he came back to the village, Sakura asked Sasuke about how he was able to calm Juugo down when the man lost his control. Sasuke told her that they had a mutual respect and Juugo was the one to calm himself down. He wasn't sure what the large man did to do to achieve his calm again, but suggested that Sakura speak to the now gentle giant about it. Sakura thanked him and would keep it in mind in case she needed more info. Both men told her that they would come by to visit Kakashi soon and hoped that he healed quickly, as the pink haired woman stood to go back to the hospital. As she left, both men were impressed with the way their childhood friend had grown both physically and mentally, developing into the accomplished medic she had become. She was no longer the "weak one" of the group and both men were pleased that she had found her true calling in life.


Kakashi had felt when Sakura's presence had disappeared for a short time when she left. Knowing she would be back, he tried to rest. He could feel Sakura's assistant next to him checking on him every so often. He chuckled to himself knowing that Sakura had given the girl specific instructions on what she needed to do while she was gone. The buzzing in his brain had lessened considerably and it didn't hurt to think for the time being. The one thing he hoped for was that the nightmares would stay away. He couldn't bear to watch any more of his love ones die any more. Each time his mind played each nightmare, it took a piece of him with it. He slowly drifted into the darkness again hoping that Sakura would be back soon.


When she arrived back at Kakashi's room, Moegi gave her a run down on everything that had happened while she was gone, which wasn't much. The good news was that Kakashi's vital signs were stabilizing, especially his temperatures. Pleased, Sakura gave her assistant her instructions for tomorrow morning and bid the girl good night. Settling into the comfy recliner that Moegi had brought for her next to Kakashi's bed, Sakura looked out the window at the setting sun. Things were looking up with Kakashi's condition, but she knew that they had a long road ahead of them before he fully recovered. After reading some more medical scrolls, Sakura began to tire. She quickly checked his vital signs and checked him over before she fell asleep. Saying good night to him, she kissed his cheek and took his hand in hers. Exhausted both mentally and physically, Sakura promptly fell asleep.


Kakashi could feel when Sakura came back into the room. He relaxed when he felt her presence near him. The warmth of her healing hands washed over him as she checked his vital signs. Soon the heat from her hands was gone and part of him wished for her to be close to him again. As soon the thought left his mind, Kakashi felt Sakura's lips on his cheek. A wave of electricity swept through him leaving him content in a way he had never felt before. Her hand held his as she settled into the chair besides him. After a few moments, her grip loosened slightly as she fell asleep. Kakashi was bewildered by her actions. He wished that he could see her facial expressions so he could judge what her intentions were. His mind wandered over the reason she was showing so much affection to him. Could it be that she felt the same way he did about her? Heartened by the possibility, he would pay close attention to what she did as time went on. Hopefully, he would be wake so he could see her facial expressions so he could judge what her true feelings were toward him.

Almost immediately, Kakashi found himself in the midst of the forest, sensing danger all around. As he scanned the area, he could not tell if this was another dream or reality. He could sense Sakura's chakra near him but couldn't see her figure. Looking down at his body, he took note that he was dressed in his ANBU gear. As he turned, he saw Sakura behind him crouching clad in an ANBU uniform with a feline mask adorning her face. Next to her was Genma, also in his ANBU gear. Both looked up at him waiting for his instructions. Not being able to differentiate if this was real or dream, he figured that he needed to treat what he saw as reality so he didn't put his team mates in danger. Scanning the area, he picked up six chakra signatures that had surrounded them. Giving them hand signals on how many enemy there was and his instructions, all disappeared to execute his plan.

Kakashi felt Sakura's genjutsu surround the enemy. As soon as they felt the enemy fall into Sakura's trap, his team went to work. Genma and Kakashi made quick work of the four enemies nearest to them. Closing in on the last two, the enemy broke through the genjutsu. The enemy took defensive stances and prepared to meet Kakashi and Genma's attack head on. As they battled, it became clear that these two were high level shinobi. Kakashi couldn't see where Sakura was hiding. Using his sharingan he located where she was hiding and noticed two more shinobi rapidly closing in on her. He swiftly dispatched his opponent and sped towards the two that were stalking Sakura.

When he finally reached the area she was in, Sakura was doing battle with the two enemy shinobi. Kakashi noticed a large gash on her left side that she had hurriedly stopped most of the bleeding so she could fight. A small trickle of blood was running down her left leg as she fought off her attackers. Sensing her dwindling chakra, he jumped in front of her to take on the two attackers. Sakura pulled back and leaned against a large rock to catch her breath before healing herself.

Kakashi was finishing off his last opponent when he heard Sakura scream behind him. When he turned, he saw her in the clutches of the enemy with a blade at her neck. With a smile, the enemy nin slit Sakura's throat. Crumpling to the ground, Kakashi watched in horror as Sakura's life blood drained from her body. Her eyes stared at him startled by what had just happened. A tear rolled down her cheek as she mouthed his name. Rage washed over him as he tore through Sakura's killer's body with his chidori. After he was done, he ran to her side, throwing his mask aside, and clasped her close to him.

"Sakura, don't leave me," he said, "Please, I love you. "

Kakashi kissed her cooling lips. Sakura mouthed that she loved him too, as she slipped into the next realm.

"No, Sakura, don't go," he cried, "NO! SAKURA DON'T LEAVE ME!"


Sakura felt Kakashi stirring next to her and woke to check him. Feeling his forehead, she noticed that his temperature was up slightly, but not high as it had been since this all began. She noticed that he was struggling and tried to calm him with soothing words in his ear. He seemed to calm, so she went to the washroom to wet a wash cloth to put on his brow. Once she came to his side, Kakashi clutched her wrist tightly.

"Sakura, don't leave me," he said, "Please, I love you. "

She stared down at the man in the bed shocked by what he just said. 'Just dreaming, Sakura, he's just dreaming,' she told herself, trying not to get her hopes up. His grip was tight like he was hanging on to life itself. She bent over and told him that she loved him too hoping it would soothe him. Sakura would sort out her feelings later after he calmed down. Knowing that what she had just told him was how she really felt about him, she knew that he probably wouldn't remember her confession. His grip tightened.

"No, Sakura, don't go," he cried, "NO! SAKURA DON'T LEAVE ME!"

Kakashi shot up in the bed, eyes open, panicked. He grabbed her tightly and pulled her into his embrace, pressing his lips on hers.

After he released her, Kakashi's hands went to her face, tracing her features. The intensity of his eyes burned into her soul, spreading warmth throughout her body.

"Please, Sakura, please tell me that this is real and you are not gone," he whispered.

"Yes, Kakashi," she told him, "I'm real."

He clutched her to his chest thankful that he hadn't lost her again. Even though he knew that all the times were just in his nightmares, silent tears ran down his face thankful he hadn't lost her once again.

Looking up at him, she noticed tears on his face. Concerned by what she saw, she broke their embrace and caressed his face, wiping the tears away.

"Kakashi, are you okay?" she said distressed by his unusual actions. She quickly started scanning him hoping he wasn't experiencing any new symptoms. Even though Sakura was thrilled that he was finally awake, this wasn't the cool, calm Kakashi that she knew. His admission of his feelings pleasantly shocked her, but she couldn't help but feeling that something was majorly off or the toxin had damaged something in his brain.

Smiling at her, "I'm more than okay now that I have the real you in my arms." Kakashi tipped up her chin and kissed her deeply.

After a while, he released her so she could assess his condition properly. The blush on her cheeks hadn't cooled since he loosened his embrace. She questioned him on what he had experienced while he was unconscious, while she did her assessment. He patiently answered all of her questions, but all he wanted to do is hold her tight and kiss her thoroughly. Being conscious again, he quickly regained his self-control before he scared her away. Watching her while she worked, he noticed her blush still hadn't disappeared, and how her touch would linger after she was done assessing a certain area or body system. He could feel her pulse bounding when she touched him and her breathing increasing when she leaned in close to him. A sly smile played on his lips as he realized that she was just as affected by his presence as he was.

After she was all done assessing him, she stepped back and looked into his eyes. Kakashi had a smile on his lips and had taken hold of her hand again. The two just stared at each other, seeing each other in a new light.

"Well," Kakashi finally said clearing his throat, "I guess we have some things to talk about."

"Yes," she shyly said, "but you need to get some rest still. You still are not 100%."

"Hmmm," he said quietly, as his thumb ran slow soothing circles over the top of her hand. "Sakura, would you mind joining me here in bed so I can just hold you? Your presence seems to chase away the nightmares."

Sakura stared at him trying to gauge if he was telling the truth or just stretching it so they could be close. After a few moments, her inner self convinced her that it didn't make a difference which it was, she just wanted to be near the man. In the time it took her to battle with her inner self, she could tell that Kakashi was being truthful by the look in his eyes. She knew that no one would dare come into the room unless she told them to in fear of her retribution, so they wouldn't be interrupted.

With her blush deepening, she nodded her consent and climbed up on the bed into his waiting arms. His arms encircled her and drew her close to him. He gently kissed the top of her head and cheek before drifting off to sleep. Sakura noticed that Kakashi had relaxed more than she had ever seen him do before. Satisfied that he was well for the moment and enjoying being in his arms, she drifted off to sleep too.


Tsunade was restless and had stopped by the hospital to check on things. She loved surprising the staff to keep them on their toes. The look of panic was priceless as she strode through the doors and noticed the person at the front desk quickly dialing the phone to let the night supervisor know that she had arrived. Within minutes, the night supervisor greeted her with coffee in hand, to give her report on what was happening within the hospital. Thanking her for her report and the coffee, Tsunade told her that she needed to check on some critical patients that she was taking care of.

After the Hokage had finished her rounds, she decided to check in on Sakura. Waving to the staff at the desk, she quietly opened the door to Kakashi's room, not wanting to wake either if they were sleeping. She couldn't hide her reaction of shock as she saw the two in bed together with Kakashi's arms protectively around her student. With a smile, she slowly closed the door content with what she saw. Turning to the desk, she told the staff that Sakura was not to be disturbed under no circumstances, and no one was to enter the room unless Sakura bade them, threatening dire consequences if she heard anything to the contrary. Moegi had just arrived to hear the end of Tsunade's warning to the staff, and looked up questioningly to the Hokage.

"Good you're here Moegi," the Hokage smiled at her, "I have need of your services today. Come along."

The confused girl acknowledged the Hokage's request and followed their leader into the hospital. Tsunade would stop in later to check in on Sakura and Kakashi. Smiling to herself, she told herself that it would be a good day.


Hope you are enjoying the story! Please comment! :)