Chapter 3

"Sakura? Sakura, can you hear me? Please, love, say something." He whispered softly to her, shaking her gently. Her eyelids fluttered again over her emerald eyes. "Ka…ka…shi…?" She whispered, asking if it was really him. With much effort, she was trying to lift her shaking hand to his masked face. He grasped her hand in his own trembling one, holding it tightly and bringing it to his face so she could feel that it was indeed Kakashi. "Yes," he said, smiling softly underneath her palm as he pressed it harder to the side of his face. "Are you alright?" He murmured, watching her eyelids pull themselves open. She acted as if they felt heavy as lead and he didn't blame her; being almost out of chakra rendered you weak.

He gazed deep into her lovely green eyes as he patiently awaited her response. She began to open her mouth and he squeezed the arm that was holding her her body close to his - curled under her back - tighter to encourage her. But as soon as she was about to speak, she coughed.

Hard.

Blood came up with it as she sputtered and choked, trying desperately to regain her breath and control of her airways. His brow furrowed in intense worry and concern as he sat her up, patting her back and combing his other hand through her blood-matted pink locks. She gasped a few times, finally finding the air she sucked in so graciously. Her head lolled back but Kakashi caught it in his large gloved hand. "Sakura? Are you alright?" He asked again, now a great deal more concerned than before. Her eyes were closed as he looked down at her face and he was terrified for a few painfully long seconds.

A small half-smile crept onto her lips and she patted her hand on his which was placed on her cheek. Grabbing it loosely, she dragged it down her body; Kakashi watched intently, wondering what she was doing. She stopped their hands at a rip in her shirt, towards the bottom. There was blood encircling the little hole in the red cloth so it didn't look like much damage on the outside. A scary thought hit him and he looked back up to her face. "S-sakura?" He asked, gulping down the quaver that had woven itself into his voice. Her smile faded and was replaced with a look of pain, her brow knitting together as a groan escaped her lips.

"No no no, Sakura, you're alright. It'll be okay." He said quickly, more trying to convince himself than her. Her hands clutched at the wound she had showed him, her back curling and knees bending as pain radiated from the crimson hole. "Th-there's…a k-kunai…can you…g-get it out…p-please…?" She begged him through clenched teeth. He could hear the hurt in her voice; it was so obvious that it felt like someone had struck him, punched him right in the gut. What if she doesn't make it…? What if she dies right here, in your arms…tonight? The thought ran through his mind rapidly, but he dismissed it as soon as it came. It wasn't going to happen; he wouldn't let it.

Another pained groan came from her mouth. "H-hurry…" She pleaded. "Okay, Sakura. Just, please: hold on. I'm not gonna lose you tonight." He whispered, tenderly brushing some hair back off her face before finding the wound.

He pulled up the shirt and gasped at the sight of the hole in her side.

"Oh my god." He breathed quickly before calling some leftover chakra to his fingers. This gash, this gaping hole in her side was nothing he had ever seen before, and he thought he had seen it all. He began tugging out the kunai, trying to do it with care but also quickly; that was not easy to do, especially with the piercing screams that tore from his beloved's throat with every pull.

After a few good tugs he got the bloody weapon out and as it hit the ground, his hands rushed up to cradle her bleeding body to his again. She was whimpering weakly, tears streaming down her dirty, scratched face. He hated seeing her like this, in his arms where he could protect her. But he hadn't been there earlier to guard her, to protect her from harm.

He had failed. He knew it, but didn't want to acknowledge it. No, he thought. She's not gonna die.