Chapter Four: Like A Daughter
Five minutes later, Kakashi, still carrying an unconscious Sakura, walked into the hospital of Konoha, with Naruto, and Sasuke on either side of him. He walked to the desk where his friend Rin sat at the front desk, and Kakashi remembered that she had told him before that she had gotten a part-time job here. Her head was downcast so she didn't see him, and his students come in.
"Hey, Rin," Kakashi said to her.
Rin looked up, ready to beam at Kakashi for coming to visit her, but her smile vanished once she saw Sakura out cold with a, now, visible purplish bruise on her cheek.
"Oh my gosh! What happened?" Rin demanded, as she ran around the desk to where Kakashi, and he others stood.
"Mission," Kakashi said, and said nothing more about it.
"Honestly," Rin said angrily, as she looked over Sakura's cheek, then opened her eyelids to check her pupils, "they shouldn't give genin mission where they could get a life threatening injury!"
"Life threatening!" Naruto exclaimed in panic; Sasuke's eyes widened slightly.
"If she got hit hard enough," Rin said, "Then, yes, she very well could of died."
"Ahhh, no, Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted, and he rushed to Kakashi, and Sakura.
Kakashi was holding Sakura to high up for Naruto to see her, so he held onto Kakashi's arm and got on his tiptoes to see Sakura's bruised face.
"Sakura-chan," Naruto said in a low whisper, his voice starting to break.
"Don't worry," Rin said in a reassuring voice, "I'll make sure she gets the best treatment possible."
Naruto nodded, and stepped back down to being flat on his feet, the he thought of something, and snapped at Rin angrily, "By who?"
"Hmm?" Rin asked, looking at Naruto in confusion, "What, what do mean, 'by who'?"
"A guy, or a girl?" Naruto asked.
Rin blinked, "Is there really that much of a difference?"
"Yes!" Naruto said, glaring at Rin.
Rin gave Naruto a puzzled look, then answered, "Well, the best doctor we have here, the one I was going top have look at Sakura's injury, is a male, why?"
"No way!" Naruto snapped at Rin; Rin jumped.
"Um," Rin looked from Naruto's determined face, to Kakashi, hoping he'd give her an answer, but, for once, Kakashi didn't obliged.
"Please get the best female doctor you have here to treat Sakura," Kakashi said to Rin; Rin seemed skeptical, but nodded, and walked around the desk, and typed into the computer, then picked up the phone, that sat on the desk.
"Hello, Doctor Suyu," Rin spoke into the mouth-piece, while she typed more words into the computer, "Yes, hello, this is Rin from the front desk. I have a young girl here who has a bruise on her right cheek…" Rin listened, as Kakashi, and the others looked on, "…she seems to have a slightly concussion."
Naruto's eyes widen, "A CONCUSSION!"
"Are you serious?" Sasuke added in his calm voice; speaking for the first time since they arrived at the hospital.
Rin didn't answer, she just held you a finger to Sasuke, and Naruto, to silence them both.
"Yes, alright," Rin said into the phone, "I'll bring them right in."
Rin hung up the phone, and looked at Naruto and Sasuke, and Sasuke repeated the question that she hadn't answered.
"Are you serious, that she has a concussion?"
"I believe so," Rin said, then added, "But I'm no professional."
There was a small silence that surrounded the three guys, and two girls, and it was Rin that brought it.
"Come on, I'll take you to Dr. Suyu," Rin told them, and she stood up, and walk towards a pair of swinging doors to her right, "Follow me."
Kakashi lead the way, Sakura in his arms, and Naruto, and Sasuke, followed behind him.
Rin lead them to a room, on the second from the top floor. When they entered, Kakashi placed Sakura down on the bed that was there.
The room was basically completely white. The bed sheets were white, as well as the curtains that hung around the huge three-section window on the wall opposite the door, even the bedside table, to the left of the bed, was painted white. There was only one bed in the room, which differed from the rooms on lower levels. Beside the bed, on the right side, was one white cushioned chair, and a couple more lined the wall beside the bedside table.
"Dr. Suyu will be here in a moment," Rin told them, and then gestured to the seats, "Please, make yourselves comfortable."
"Thank you, Rin," Kakashi said in a low voice, that was barely his own; Rin stared at him, as he took the seat beside Sakura's bed, and looked upon her face.
Rin's face saddened as she looked at Kakashi, then, said to him, "Dr. Suyu is a good doctor, she'll make sure Sakura isn't the next one written down."
"Huh?" Naruto asked; Sasuke grabbed the two chairs by the wall and brought them beside Sakura's bed, opposite from Kakashi's chair.
"Never mind, you two," Rin said, shaking her head at them, "You guys don't need to worry about it."
"But, where isn't Sakura-chan's name going to be written?" Naruto asked, then he looked at Kakashi sensei, "Kakashi sensei, where don't you want Sakura-chan's name to be written?"
"On the memorial, right, sensei?" Came a weak voice from the white-sheeted bed.
Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Rin looked at Sakura, and saw that her left eye was open slightly.
"Am…am I right, Kakashi sensei?" Sakura asked, looking at him, "You don't want my name to be written on that memorial. The one that a lot of your best friends on written on, right?"
Kakashi stared at her, then smiled through the tears that were threatening to appear in his eyes, "Yes, Sakura, yes. I never want to see your name written there."
Sakura smiled meekly, and said, "Thank you…Kakashi…"
Before Sakura could finish her sentence, she fell back into the darkness of unconsciousness.
Kakashi stared at Sakura, as her last word echoed through his mind, Kakashi…Kakashi…Kakashi.
Kakashi had never heard Sakura call him by his name, without sensei coming before or after it. Of course, she technically didn't just call him by his name, she fainted before she could finish, but, somehow, he liked how her voice carried his name on the air.
"Hello, everyone," A voice came from the door of the room, and everyone turned to see a lady with short red hair, and tall frame, in a doctors' coat, "I'm Dr. Suyu."
"Dr. Suyu!" Naruto exclaimed, lunging at the lady, and hugging her around the middle, "please help Sakura! Pretty please! You've just got to make her wake up!"
Naruto was close to tears as he clung to the doctors mid-section.
"Please, sir!" Dr. Suyu said in a harsh tone, "Argh, Rin-chan, please get this young man off me!"
Rin rushed forward and pried Naruto off Dr. Suyu, "Naruto, control yourself!"
Now, Naruto really started to bawl, "But, poor Sakura, she didn't deserve to be hit like she was!"
"Naruto calm down, you idiot," Sasuke snapped at Naruto.
Naruto winced at Sasuke harsh tone of voice, then sighed, and took the seat beside him.
"Alright then, let's see, now," Dr. Suyu said, approaching Sakura. She examined Sakura's head first, and checked her eyes, like Rin had done, then nodded, "You were right Rin. She does have a concussion. That bruise could also be infected, too, though."
"Can you help her?" Naruto asked.
"Of course I can help her." Dr. Suyu answered in an offended manner, "But, I'm going to have her spend, at least, tonight here."
"Kakashi sensei?" Naruto said, and turned to him, knowing the he himself had no power in decide whether, or not, Sakura stayed.
"If Dr. Suyu says so," Kakashi said, and he stood up, and turned to Dr. Suyu, "Contact me when she wakes up, I don't care what time, got it?"
"Yes, sir." Dr. Suyu said with a bow to Kakashi.
With one last look at Sakura, Kakashi left the room, and after a few more moments, Sasuke, and Naruto did the same.
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"KAKASHI SENSEI!" Naruto called as he spotted his sensei running through crowd of Konoha's busy streets; he and Sasuke and lost him after he had left the room.
Kakashi didn't stop, though he continued to run. Naruto looked at Sasuke, who shrugged, so they both took off after their Sensei.
After about have a minute, they noticed Kakashi had stopped, outside Ino's apartment.
"What's he doing here?" Naruto asked Sasuke.
"I have no clue," Sasuke replied, then added, "But we're going to find out."
Naruto, and Sasuke, ran to where their Sensei stood, and it was only then that he turned and looked at them, "You two, stay here."
"Huh? But why?" Naruto asked.
"Because I told you to," Kakashi answered, then he jumped up to the balcony that Sasuke, and Naruto noticed was Ino's.
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Kakashi stepped into Ino's living room, to see Asuma walking towards him, a black book tucked under his arm. Asuma's body looked horrible, there were bruises up and down Asuma's arms, and his bottom lip was bleeding. Asuma's eyes widened when he saw Kakashi standing before him.
"Where do you think you're going, Asuma?" Kakashi asked, "And with Ino Yamanaka's dairy, I might add."
Asuma's eyes traveled to the black book that he had under his arm, then his eyes returned to look Kakashi, he smiled, "You're not honestly going to being the dairy of thirteen year old?"
Kakashi glared at him, and Asuma swallowed.
"Look, Kakashi my friend," Asuma said, his face a big cheerful smile, now, "Ino's been wanting everyone's attention lately, so she probably wrote this so people would pay attention to her."
"Why would she write something that she wanted people to know about, in her dairy?" Kakashi asked, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible.
Asuma's smile vanished, as he tried to think of some reason to Kakashi's question, "Well, hey, kids today, they're not all to bright. Ha ha!"
"Okay, fine," Kakashi said, closing his eyes; Asuma blinked in disbelief, "Maybe you're right, and you didn't really rape Ino, but…"
Quicker then lighting strikes, Kakashi had Asuma pinned by the throat to the wall behind Asuma, with his forearm pressing against Asuma's neck.
When Kakashi spoke, his voice sounded rough, and icy, and every word trembled with uncontrollable rage, "But you hit her. You hit my student. You hit Sakura."
"Now…gasp…Kaka…gasp…shi…" Asuma said, while taking in as much air as he could, "Let…gasp…me ex…gasp…explain."
"Why the hell should I?" Kakashi asked Asuma; but Asuma had no way of answering, he ran out of nonexistent breath, and fainted.
Kakashi drew back his arm, and allowed Asuma to slid down the wall and lad on his ass on floor. Kakashi bent down and picked up Ino's diary, then turned to go where he heard Asuma's voice cut through the air.
"You're only pissed off, because now, I've put your precious Sakura-chan on edge," Asuma said, breathing heavily, "And now you won't have the same chance with her."
"Why the hell would I want to do such a crude and disgusting thing to my Sakura-chan?" Kakashi asked Asuma, not turning to him.
"It's very simple Kakashi, it's because," Asuma took a large breath, then finished with, "You love her."
Kakashi was silent, but a gasp could be heard coming from somewhere, but neither Ninja in the room could tell where, and neither cared.
You love her. I love her? Kakashi's mind swirled with many thoughts on the three words Asuma had just said; I can't love her. She's my student, which means I'm her sensei.
Nicely figured out, Einstein! Now, let's try and figure out the question at hand, shall we?
There's nothing to figure out! I'm simply not allowed to love her. I'm her sensei!
At the end of this year, you won't be her sensei anymore. At the end of the year, all ties are cut, and she's on her own. She won't be your student, and you won't be her sensei.
Nicely figured, Einstein!
Thank you…idiot, now, go see your future girlfriend, and leave this guy to the crows.
She's not my…future girlfriend!
Sure she's not.
Oh, just shut up!
Kakashi remained silent, and continued out onto the balcony, as Asuma threw more words at him, "Admit Kakashi! You love her, and now the chance for her to love you back is gone! For now, she'll be scared out of her wits of you! She'll be so scared that you'll do the same thing to her, that I did to her sexy blond friend."
Kakashi didn't reply as he jumped from the balcony to where Naruto, and Sasuke stood. When Kakashi landed, he couldn't help but notice that the two seemed out of breath.
"Um…how…how did go, Sensei?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi eyed him, "How did what go?"
"You're interrogation with that asshole!" Naruto swore.
"How did you know I interrogated Asuma?" Kakashi asked Naruto.
Naruto froze, and his eyes went wide, "Well, um…you see, the thing is, I…"
"Who gasped?" Kakashi asked, thinking back to the one he had heard when Asuma had said that he loved Sakura.
Naruto sighed and answered, "I did, but Sasuke wasn't anywhere short of shocked, though."
"So?" Sasuke asked, and Kakashi glanced at him.
"So what?"
"Is it true?"
"Is what true?"
"Do you really love Sakura-chan?"
Kakashi froze, then smiled and answered, "Depends on how you mean?"
Sasuke eyed him, and so did Naruto.
"What I'm saying is that I love her like a daughter," Kakashi clarified, smiling, "Many sensei's will think of their student's as their own children. It's impossible for Sensei's to spend so much time with their students and not become, at least, somewhat fond of them."
"I guess I can understand that," Naruto admitted, stretching his hands behind his head, and smiling.
"Too bad some Sensei's feelings get a too far out of hand," Sasuke put in, Naruto immediately stopped smiling, and his face turned angry.
"Yeah! That completely sucks!" Naruto shouted, then his face grew sadder, then angry, as he added, "I wonder how many other girls have been raped by their Sensei's. I mean, Ino never actually told anyone, Sakura just came across the information when she looked through Ino's diary. I wonder if this has happened to others, and they just haven't told anyone."
Kakashi, and Sasuke, both took on the same look as Naruto. They all stood there, silently, hoping and praying that it was only Ino that this had happened to.
A/N – I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I hope I get to see you in the next one! Please continue to read, and review, for my story!