A bright light made Sakura groan softly and stir in the bed. She heard a gasp and turned her head and tried to open her eyes. It took a moment for them to adjust, but when they did, she saw Kakashi staring at her with wide eyes.
"K-kashi?" Her voice sounded rough as she spoke. Kakashi choked out a laugh as his tears freely fell from his eyes, not caring that she saw them.
"Sakura," He whispered as he squeezed her hand before bringing her fingers to his lips to softly kiss her knuckles.
"You're finally awake."
Sakura blushed and Kakashi dropped her hand quickly, remembering that she wasn't aware of how he felt.
"Sorry, I got a little overwhelmed. You've been unconscious for almost two weeks."
Sakura's eyes widened and she tried to sit up. Kakashi rushed forward to help her and adjusted her pillows. At that point, Sakura noticed that her hair was braided with small daisies throughout the braid.
"Who did this?"
Kakashi felt his face grow hot and he avoided her questioning gaze.
"Umm.. I did. Tsunade brought some of your books here. I wanted to read to you a little. Just to fill the silence, but I noticed the top book was on braiding hair so," His voice trailed off and Sakura giggled before coughing hard.
Kakashi mentally slapped himself for not thinking she'd need a drink. He found a styrofoam cup above the sink and quickly filled it with cool water.
After her coughing fit subsided, she gratefully accepted the cup and welcomed the coolness running down her throat.
After a moment, she looked back up at him.
"What happened? How did I get here?" She questioned as he sat back down next to her. Reflexively, he reached for her hand, but stopped himself.
Clearing his throat, he spoke softly. "You'd been missing for a week after you left the hospital at the end of your shift. I had ANBU stationed outside your apartment and Naruto wanted to send out a search party. I stopped by every morning and afternoon to see if you'd returned. The last night I stopped by, I smelled blood faintly coming from inside and I used the emergency key you'd given me and I found you in the bathroom."
Kakashi paused to take a deep breath before continuing.
"I found you in the bathtub, naked, with your arms and thighs covered in drying blood."
Sakura gasped and reached for his hand and gripped it tightly.
"I'm so sorry I put you through that." She whispered.
Kakashi shook his head and squeezed her fingers.
"I covered you with a towel and held you in my lap." He whispered, his voice laced with anguish. "I was afraid you'd died. I couldn't do anything to help you."
Kakashi blinked back tears as he continued. "I summoned Pakkun and had him go find Tsunade so we could bring you here. You weren't dead, but your heart was barely beating. Your chakra healed your wounds, but you'd lost so much blood. I didn't think I'd made it in time. Your heart was fighting to keep you alive and it killed me to see you so defeated."
Sakura reached over and laid her hand on his masked cheek and wiped a stray tear with her thumb.
"Thank you for coming to find me." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.
Kakashi's face fell as she pulled her hand away. "What's wrong?"
"Was...was Ino here?" She whispered.
Kakashi's face softened once more as he nodded in the direction of the flowers, card, and stuffed bear.
The light returning to Sakura's eyes made Kakashi's heart skip a beat. She smiled a real smile as she leaned over to grab the bear and the card and began to read aloud:
"' Sakura, I'm so sorry I yelled at you. I had no idea what had happened. I should've listened to you before exploding. I hope that when you wake up, you'll find it in your heart to forgive me. Love, Ino. P.S. Kakashi-sama never left your side for a second. You should hear him out.'"
As she read, Kakashi's face grew hotter and hotter. He held his head in his hands and silently cursed Ino for adding that to the card.
"Kakashi?" Sakura ran her fingers through his hair, sending a pleasant shiver down his spine. "I knew already."
Kakashi peaked out between her fingers and saw her smiling at him, a light blush blooming across her face.
"You did?" He spoke softly, embarrassed she'd known.
"I heard you and Ino talking briefly before she left."
Kakashi felt his face grow even hotter. "So, you were awake when-"
"Yes." She interrupted him with a soft giggle. "I was awake when you kissed my forehead."
"Oh," Kakashi couldn't think of anything else to say. He had no idea she was awake.
"Hey," she said softly. "Look at me."
Kakashi reluctantly looked up to see the brightest smile in her face that he'd ever seen and it took his breath away.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked as she hooked one finger on the edge of his mask.
"I'm no good for-"
"Oh, shut up." She laughed before pulling herself up and leaning over to tug his mask down all the way to kiss him softly.
Kakashi felt like the world stopped. The happiness that bloomed inside his heart was overwhelming. He closed his eyes and reached up to caress her cheek with shaking fingers.
Sakura pulled away and leaned her forehead against his, a warm smile on her freshly kissed lips.
Kakashi's heart fluttered in his chest as he kissed her nose playfully, causing her to giggle before pulling away.
Kakashi opened his eyes as Sakura laid back down and grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together.
"How did you know, other than feeling that kiss?"
Sakura's expression darkened and Kakashi regretted asking.
"You don't-"
"While I was unconscious," she interrupted him wish an anguished sigh. "I saw some things. Old memories. I saw Sasuke on that bridge when I left my group to kill him."
Kakashi stiffened at the memory. He was lucky he'd gotten there in time to save her from Sasuke's chidori. Sakura felt his muscles tense and caressed the side of his hand with her thumb before continuing.
"I could feel you radiating relief when you stopped him. I knew then that you cared deeply for me." She smiled and squeezed his fingers.
"Then I was thrown into a different scenario." Sakura paused to take a shaking breath, her expression changing completely.
"I was in my apartment, in front of my bathroom and I saw you sitting on the floor… with my body in your arms."
Kakashi gasped softly and squeezed her hand.
"I heard what you said to me and I," she choked back her tears as a few escaped and fell into her lap. "Kakashi, I'm so sorry."
Kakashi stood and awkwardly leaned over her to wrap her in his embrace. Sakura shifted so he could sit comfortably on the bed. She laid her head on his shoulder as the tears fell.
"Please don't cry. It's okay." He kissed the top of her head and hugged her tighter into his side.
"There's one more." She spoke through her tears and took a deep breath.
"I was here, in the hospital, but it was the afternoon before I saw Ino and disappeared. I saw myself standing in front of a bassinet, holding two… two.."
Sakura began to weep at the memory and Kakashi held her and rubbed her arm reassuringly until she calmed down.
She wiped her running nose on the hospital gown she was wearing and let out a shaky laugh.
"I must look like a wreck."
Kakashi reached up and put his hand under her chin, still wet with tears, and turned her to face him.
"You've always looked beautiful to me. Crying, angry, happy. All of it."
Sakura felt her face grow warm at his words. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
"Welcome home, Sakura." He whispered before pulling her into his arms again.
Sakura giggled and wrapped her arms around him in return.
"I've never been happier to be back."
The next few hours were filled with tears, mild scolding, hugs, and forgiveness. Tsunade put Kakashi on guard while Sakura was put under monitoring for the next few days. To which Sakura blushed and Ino winked.
Sakura was happy to have made up with her friend and that Tsunade wasn't too mad at her. But Ino? Tsunade took Ino off of active duty and gave her a mountain of paperwork that'd take weeks to finish.
Kakashi was relieved and happy. His nightmares of seeing Sakura's dead body quickly subsided soon after she began spending nights with him. Whenever he'd get woken up by a nightmare, she'd curl herself around him and run her fingers through his hair until he relaxed. He's never been more grateful for someone's presence in his entire life.
Sakura made a full recovery and was back working in the hospital within the following week.
Kakashi stepped down as Hokage shortly after and handed the hat down to Naruto, who accepted it with tears in his eyes.
"If only Pervy Sage could see me now." He mumbled to himself before walking forward to give his speech to the village.
Kakashi wrapped his arm around Sakura's waist and pulled her close.
"I'm sure he's watching over us all, Naruto. He'd be so proud of you." Sakura said as she wiped away some stray tears.
Naruto nodded with that lopsided grin of his and waved at the cheering crowd enthusiastically.
Sakura looked up at Kakashi and kissed his cheek. He looked down at her with a slight blush.
"Everything worked out okay in the end, didn't it?" She smiled.
"I suppose so." He smiled back and watched as Naruto's lifelong dream was finally achieved.
Sakura snuggled into his side and sighed softly, fully content with the happy turn her life had taken.
