Hey everyone! Thanx for the reviews and PM's(i count PM's about the story as reviews also, so if u forget to write a review,, send me a PM. I'll count it towards the 5 that I asked for.) I'm still sick but, I felt bad about the cliffy again and also, I really want to write this chapter. D Hope you all enjoy it!
CHAPTER 11: I Meant It
Kakashi closed his eye and sighed. "What are her chances?" he asked, opening his eye.
Shizune gave him a look of compassion and empathy, "Slim, she's really torn up inside. But, we'll do our best. I'll come get you when we're done." With that she ran into the O.R to treat Rayne, Tsunade showed up a minute later and rushed past him into the operating room.
Kakashi started pacing, nervous, anxious and...scared. Shizune came out six hours later and sighed...
Kakashi jumped up from his seat on the bench and asked,"How is she?"
"Alive. But, I'm not sure for how long. She seems to have suffered massive head trauma that no one caught at first. The two who brought her in probably didnt know. There's bound to be damage. But, I'll let Lady Tsunade tell you the rest," she said as Tsunade walked out of the O.R and sat down on the opposite bench, clearly tired.
Kakashi, who knew the meaning of patience sat down again and leaned his headback against the wall.
"If she survives the night, it will be because of her stubbornness and will. I'm surprised she's still alive," Tsunade finally said, looking up at him.
Kakashi nodded slowly and leaned forward to face her. "I understand. I'm staying here with her. That means I wont be available for missions."
Tsunade opened her mouth to argue but closed it and shook her head with a sigh. " I knew you would say something like that. When she wakes up-if she wakes up, try and find out what happened. I need to know."
Kakashi nodded, "When she wakes up, I'll ask her." He turned to go to the room they were setting Rayne up in but stopped and said over his shoulder with dead certainty, "She will wake up."
"I hope so," was the only reply the Hokage gave.
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Kakashi sat in the blue leather chair beside Rayne's bed and just gazed at her. She looked different from the last time he had seen her - a little over two months ago.
Her usually long, wavy chestnut hair was cut short, framing her face and spiking at at the ends to flare away from her face. She was paler, from the blood loss even in her sleep, she looked exhausted and unhappy.
But as the hours went by, she began to stir slightly, but not waking. She was dreaming. Kakashi leaned closer to hear what she was whispering in her sleep. It was a single word she kept repeating.
Kakashi.
His heart skipped at beat when he recognized what she was saying and he closed his eye, breathing deeply before opening it. He watched her face as she said his name again. Her breathing was heavy and seemed to pain her. He wiped away a stray strand of hair from her face and was surprised when she seemed to relax under his touch. He just smiled and caressed her cheek lovingly in a private display of affection.
Over the next three days, he left her room only to eat, shower, change and go to the bathroom. He would always watch the nurses carefully whenever they came into the room from his new most used spot: the blue leather chair in the corner of the room. The nurses were surprised to see him there all the time and would feel uneasy with him watching them work beforethey got used to him and just ignoring him.
Kurenai and Shizune had been up to visit whenever they had the chance and brought her fresh flowers everyday. Kasume (who had been staying with Kurenai and Asume the past two months) had brought Kakomi up to see Rayne and Kakashi had to excuse himself form the room when the young woman broke down crying. She had been tough through everything, but seeing Rayne so pale and ...fragile had finally cracked her. Kurenai had then begun to cry and Kakashi thought he would too if he hadnt gotten out of there when he did.
All of them were up at least once a day and it pained Kakashi to tell them over and over agin that there was no change in her condition.
On the fourth day since she had the surgery, Kakashi awoke to the sound of coughing. He looked up, over at Rayne and saw her cough limply a few times. He sighed, he had thought that maybe she would have woken up. Apparently he was wrong.
Or not...
As he watched Rayne's face he saw her eyelids slid open slowly and she blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to the pale white flourescent light.
Rayne tried to sit up, but blinding pains in her abdomen and chest caused her to cry out and fall back to the pillow. Kakashi jumped out of the chair and appeared next to her in a moment.
"Are you okay?" he asked, watching her face nervously.
Rayne blinked up at him and her eyes widened in shock. "It wasnt...a dream?" she asked, surpirsed.
Kakashi smiled down at her, "If by dream you mean, being back in Konoha, then no. It wasnt a dream. You are in the hospital. Tsunade worked on you for six hours."
Rayne stared up at him, not believing he was actually there. Maybe Tsume was using genjutsu to try and break her again...
"How do I know you're Kakashi?" she asked suddenly. Kakashi looked at her, baffled.
"What do you mean? Who else could i be?" he asked, confused.
"Just answer my question. How do I know you're Kakashi?" she demanded, not answering his question, but repeating her own.
Kakashi thougth for a moment before a smile appeared on his face. "The first time I saw you, you were wearing the sapphire gown you wore to the charity ball. You had your hair down and you blushed when Kurenai winked at Asuma and Shizune."
Rayne looked up at him for a moment, studying his eyes before saying, "Tsume has never seen you with ot your mask. So, take it off."
Kakashi frowned at her. "How would Tsume have been able to tell oyu the first tim ewe met?"
"Im just making sure. He's tricked me before. It wont happen again. Now, either take off your mask or admit your Tsume." Although her voice was weak and cracked many times, it sounded hard.
Kakashi sighed and nodded before pulling down the navy cloth that always covered his face. "Are you now convinced that I'm me?" he asked, leaving his mask down.
Rayne nodded numbly, tears threatening to escape her eyes. She turned her head to th eside to let her short hair cover a single tear that rolled down her cheek.
Kakashi frowned and gently brushed aside her hair. "Where were you?" he asked referring to her whereabouts the past two months.
Rayne wiped the tear away with the back of her risk and turned back ot him. "I dont know. Tsume kept me near him at all times and I was never told where we were. I didnt recognize anywhere we went. And Rontu and I have traveled to every village in a twenty day walk around here," she answered. She seemed disappointed at his question.
Kakashi was a little confused at first before he realized that he had asked her questions about where she was before anything else. The last thing she had said to him had been 'aiushiteru' (once again, it means 'i love you'.) and all he had done was act like someone taking down her report.
"Rayne. What you said before you left with th-" he began but was cut off by Rayne's reply.
"I meant it, Kakashi. I do love you." She blushed at her confession and looked down at her hands.
Kakashi grinned at her blush and tilted her face towards his with his index finger. He inched his face closer until it was only a few inches from hers.
"Aiushiteru, Rayne," he whispered before closing the gap between their lips and gently pulling her into his chest.
Rayne instantly melted in his arms and returned the kiss with the little strength she had. All too soon, Kakashi broke the kiss. Rayne let out a little moan of annoyance, causing the silver- haired jounin to chuckle. He sat on the bed next to her and held her in his arms, something Rayne liked very much. About two hours later, Rayne had fallen asleep in Kakashi's arms, her head nuzzled under his chin, her breath hot on his collarbone. Kakashi just layed there with her, his eye closed.
He opened his eyes to the sound of the door opening and he smiled when he saw Rontu walk in. The wolf had been searching and tracking her since the day she had disappeared. Kakashi had sent Pakkun to go and tell him that Rayne had come back when she first arrived and he was waiting for her to come out of surgery. The wolf had been a six days journey away, he had arrived in four. Kakashi knew that he had to have pushed himself far to cut off those two days of travel time.
"She's quiet, even for her, and pale and weak, but alive. I will find out what happened while she was with him when she wakes up. The nurses have already been in and checked on her. She isstable but will be in and out of consciousness," he filled the wolf in.
Rontu padded over to the bed and jumped up nimbly, curling himself at the foot of it.
"Thank you for taking care of her while I was unable to," he said in growls and deep rumbles of his throat, before closing both his eyes and falling asleep wearily.
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Well? Did you like???
Next up: Rayne explains what she has been up to th epast 2 months and dont forget :we still gotta deal with Tsume!
SO, 5 reviews or no chapter. And a special thank you to my reviewers for the last chapter: Starlitangel99,Cerulean89(who was my very first reviewer!), Readerfreak10, Kinaro, rukia23 and of course, my friend DrawnOnHeart. That was 7 reviews. The most I have gotten for one chapter in this story. If I get that many reviws again, I might consider a sequel. Soooo...REVIEW. Thanx!