A/N: OMG YES I AM FINALLY BACK! So sorry for the huge delay. I just couldn't start this chapter no matter what I tried. Anyway, brace yourselves for a nice juicy KakaxKurotsuki chapter, A.K.A. overblown drama-rama! (Which is essentially what I resort to when I can't think of anything to write; drama that I think up at three in the morning while I'm trying to fall asleep.) I do not own Naruto. Enjoy!


Chapter 28: Kick


It had taken a week for them to get back to Konoha with Kurenai in tow. Her students insisted on moving at a slow pace so as not to stress her even more. They gathered around Kurenai whenever she began remembering Asuma and her eyes started to water. Upon their return, they led her to her apartment so she could change and shower. Then it was off to the hospital where Tsunade herself examined the Jounin. Her team was treated for a fair number of injuries and the whole group was kept in a shared room for overnight observation.

The next day, they sat around, talking about everything and nothing, and telling stories, until a bright orange ninja burst through the door, an even brighter smile plastered on his face.

"Hey, Hina-chan! I just heard you were back!"

The poor girl immediately panicked, went red in the face, and fainted. While she did that, the monitor attached to her went haywire, showing her rapid heart rate in a spiky green line. A nurse immediately rushed in and glared at Naruto.

"Out!" he said firmly, shoving the blond out the door.

He hurriedly scampered away, holding up his hands in surrender.

The nurse quickly checked Hinata's vitals. "She'll be fine." Satisfied that it was only a temporary stress he left the room to pursue Naruto.


Her hands balled into fists, abnormally long and sharp nails digging into the palms of her hands. Everything hurt, so a little more pain wouldn't matter. At least that's what she told herself, but her emotions seemed to think differently. For the first time in years, it wasn't for someone else's pain that she cried. A small sob escaped her lips as her own tears began to fall, mixing with those that already adorned her face. Anguish took over, joining his master, Pain, in wreaking havoc on her mind and making the tears fall faster. He had gained her trust. Then betrayed her, left her, threw her away. Like everyone else. Two bolts of pain shot up her neck, one on either side, fading away just behind her earlobes. She ground her teeth in annoyance, but then she heard his voice in her mind. So vividly it was as if he was right next to her. "I swore I would protect you, remember?"

A hysterical laugh came out of her mouth, tearing the fragile tissue of her dry throat. As if... Protect me... I'm one of his precious people... He'd do anything for me... Liar... Stop it... I don't want to hear him anymore... You think it's me making you hear things?

"I'm still here. I never left."

Her hands rose shakily to her head, still covered under the blankets. "Fuck you... Fuck you..." she muttered weakly. Her lips moved oddly, working around canines that had decided to have a growth spurt until they reached half an inch in length. "Stop it... You're not messing with me enough already...? Do you have to play his voice in my head too...?" Stupid girl. I don't have nearly enough power for that. "You're lying... No... You're lying... Stop messing with my head... Fuck you... Stop it... Stop it... Please... stop it..." Her hand bore a self-inflicted wound that was still bleeding. The blood ran into her hair, staining the snowy strands. Kurotsuki opened her eyes and stared fixedly at her left hand. The stab wound went straight through the back and showed on her palm. It had almost a magnetic force on her, making her black eyes unable to stray or focus on anything but rent in her skin.

Rolling onto her stomach, she looked up at the wall. It was riddled with cracks and missing chunks of plaster, covered in a myriad of bloody hand prints. Her body moved of its own accord, with inhuman speed, slamming her bloody hand into the wall. More plaster fell and yet another handprint overlapped the others. She winced at the pain. Even breathing had become a chore. Stop it... That hurts... Fuck you. I've got my own problems, alright sweetie? White chakra swarmed the wound and healed it, leaving the skin unmarked by any kind of scar. Her right hand reached towards the corner, where her bloody katana was embedded in the floor. The hardwood was marked with stabs as well, one for each of the bloody handprints on the wall above her bed. Thick ropes of black chakra extended and pulled the weapon out of the floor. It flew to her open hand and her fingers wrapped around the hilt. An evil glint appeared in her black eyes and a maniacal grin spread across her face. Raising the blade, she stabbed her left hand in the same spot for what felt like the millionth time that day. Her muscles screamed in protest and Kurotsuki's right hand fell back onto the bed, but the other stayed pinned to the wall by the katana. She breathed heavily, staring at the injury, gritting her teeth at the bolts of fire that shot up her arm. Something must have been seriously wrong with her hearing because she heard a few muffled clinks of metal on her dresser.

A hand reached over and pulled the sword out, throwing it into the corner with a clatter. Her hand slid down the wall, no longer supported by the black metal. It left an eerie red trail, in its wake, like a smear of red tears. The person peeled back the covers and crawled underneath, settling silently next to her. He pulled her into a tight hug, pressing her body to his. He put his lips to her ear and his sweet voice whispered, "I'm here. Look at me. I never left." Warm hands cradled her face and turned it gently. "Look at me. I'm here."

She finally registered what she was seeing and almost couldn't bring herself to believe he was real. Almost. With a strangled sob, Kurotsuki wrestled with the dead weight of her arms, succeeding in throwing them around him. She clung to him like a lost child, burying her face in his muscular chest. Her tears and the blood from her hand soaked through the fabric of his shirt but he didn't care. She was sobbing uncontrollably, breathing ragged. But hell, it wasn't like she actually had any say in what was going on. She tucked her head in the crook of his neck and whispered his name, over and over and over. "Kakashi... Kakashi, Kakashi, Kakashi..." In that instant, Pain was crushed, overwhelmed by a blanket of Relief. Hope returned as well, ushering Anguish and Despair back into the dark hole they had come from.

"Don't talk. And don't cry, you're dehydrated as it is," he joked lamely. His warmth soaked into her, confirming that he was real. The Jounin noted her claw-like hands and glimpsed her oversized canines when she whispered his name. He had seen the flush on her cheeks and he felt the overly-warm temperature of her slim body. Kakashi felt his heart give a painful squeeze, reprimanding him for having left her alone. "I'm sorry," he whispered, meaning every syllable. An image flashed across his closed eyelids. Chunks of plaster, roughly pieced together, on his bedroom floor. Brown ink, no, dried blood, spelling out a message. Written a little sloppily; her left hand had been injured, not her right.

You left.

You chose to leave.

You left me alone to face my demon.

It won.

He drew in a lungful of air and let it out in a steady stream, hoping that it would help calm her down. She let the air wash over her trembling form, blowing away a tiny fraction of the hurt she had endured. Kurotsuki's breathing steadied slightly and began regaining a normal rhythm. "Shh, don't worry." He tightened his arms around her, rubbing her back soothingly. Oddly, it seemed that he could reach further than before. His arms sure as hell hadn't gotten longer so that left one possibility: she had gotten thinner. Much thinner. How could I have been so stupid? I know that she doesn't eat properly after... well, all this stuff. I knew that it would happen. So why? Because she might be a traitor? It was just a number. Just a stupid number. Tsuki tried to tell me too, but I wouldn't listen... He swallowed past the lump in his throat and pulled her closer. By now, the respectable distance that they kept between them had been halved so many times that it hardly seemed to matter anymore. He was suddenly even more aware of the fever heating up her body and he knew he should have backed away, letting her cool down. It would be better for her body. But he didn't. No fever can hurt her worse than me leaving again...

"Why?" her muffled voice asked. Kurotsuki hadn't stopped shaking.

Kakashi pulled away a little, and she looked up at his masked face. He gazed at her tenderly. "Because," he leaned in, "friend or foe," he pressed his covered lips to her overly-warm cheek, "no one deserves to suffer alone."

She saw the pain in his onyx-black eye. The sadness from his past. A past he had been forced to endure on his own. "If anything, I deserve to," she whispered.

The Jounin grabbed her roughly by the arms, shaking her gently to emphasize his point. "No. Don't say that. It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done. No one deserves it. No one," he hissed, his single eye boring into hers.

She lowered her gaze and allowed him to pull her close once again. "I'll tell you everything. I promise, I will. But not now. Something else has to happen first. But after that, I'll tell you everything. My life story and all that. Then you can tell me again, that no one deserves to suffer alone."

"I will," he told her softly. "Now just shut up already." He knew it pained her to talk. Doesn't matter who you really are. It doesn't matter. Just as long as you're not alone... He didn't want to admit it to himself, but it was true. It hurt. It hurt to see her so weak she could barely move. It hurt to know she had been hiding it from everyone, living behind genjutsus and using her chakra as fuel to get through the day. It hurt to know that the entire thing was his fault, even though she'd probably deny it later.

Kurotsuki's sobs eventually subsided, becoming quieter by the minute. Exhausted, she finally closed her eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep. Her arms were still loosely wrapped around his neck, but he was fairly sure that her hand had stopped bleeding. The moon had just begun to wane, and he observed her sleeping form. There were dark, sunken circles under her eyes, and a new hollowness in her cheeks that was bathed in shadow. Her arms were thinner, her sleeping T-shirt now engulfing her body. Kakashi was struck by a wave of guilt. Suddenly, he needed to know. Needed to know the extent of the damage he had caused. He trailed his left hand down her side, stopping at the hem of her shirt. Silently, he slipped his hand underneath the fabric, resting it on the small of her back. She arched her back at his touch, pressing against him. Flushing, he realized that a small part of him wished that she was awake and doing it on purpose. He felt a rush of the nameless emotion and examined it closely. He gleaned nothing more than the familiarity of the feeling. It was nice, warm, like the buzzing he felt after just the right amount of sake. Only, he still retained all rational thinking capabilities. Maybe. He shook his head, chasing away the thoughts. Slowly, he ran his thumb over a portion of her spine and cringed. The bones were far too close to the surface, each vertebrae creating large bump underneath her skin, pulling it taught. Kakashi withdrew his hand and brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. He leaned in, touching his bare forehead (he'd placed his gear on her bedside table) to her forehead protector that she never removed. He watched her silently, his mind completely blank. Not a single real thought seemed to register, just guilt and that stupid, stupid nameless emotion. The Jounin didn't notice how much time had passed before Tsuki appeared.

"It's a good thing you're here, pretty boy. She couldn't get up this morning. Move aside, I've got work to do," she commanded.

"Pretty boy?" he asked incredulously. Tsuki just glared back. He shifted away from Kurotsuki a little, but stopped. She was holding on to him with what little strength she had, yet there seemed to be some magnetic force that increased her hold on him exponentially. "Can you... work around me?"

He could have sworn that the wolf chuckled. "Yeah, whatever." She poked her master in the back with her nose, sending white chakra coursing through the woman's starved body.

"Why didn't you heal her before?" Kakashi asked in a whisper.

"Wouldn't let me," Tsuki replied. "Stubborn as hell when she wants to be. She barely slept so I wouldn't have the chance to help."

"Wait, why didn't she heal herself?" One of Tsuki's eye ridges rose slightly, fixing him with a 'were you watching what she did to herself?' look. "Ah, right. Reopens it right away." He watched the effects of canine's work on Kurotsuki's sleeping form. The feverish flush on her cheeks faded a little and her dry lips seemed to re-hydrate. He blinked slowly, realizing his eyelids were getting heavier. "Stop using that stuff on me. I'm perfectly capable of deciding when to sleep." The she-wolf's lips lifted a fraction in a smile and the sleepy feeling disappeared. Soon, she vanished, having done all her chakra reserves would allow. It was around that time that Kurotsuki woke up. She gave a small yawn and looked up at him. "Shh, go back to sleep," he said quietly, not wanting to alert her to the fact that Tsuki had been by.

"But I wanna watch you," she mumbled.

He was relieved to hear her voice wasn't as hoarse as before, yet somehow annoyed at her attachment to him. Yes, there had been people that had become attached to him before, but not to this extent. "I'll be here all night. You can watch me in the morning, okay? You need your rest. So go to sleep," he ordered. Though she probably didn't want to, her drained body decided for her. Within minutes, she was out like a light and soon, Kakashi found himself doing the same.


The night was quiet, a breeze blew softly over the grassy plains of the Land of Grass. Neji had seen Team Kurenai on their way back to Konoha with his byakugan, confirming that they were battered and bruised, but they'd make it through. The scouting was slow; their target was a very rich nobleman who had made a boatload of enemies in his quest for money and property. And he owned at least one building in every town, city, and they came across one of his pavilions every so often in the countryside. How the man managed to amass so much stuff astounded them, but after his 'accidental death,' his wealth would be returned to the countries in which they were found.

Neji held up a hand and his teammates halted. Within a few seconds, he had checked the compound nearby with his pearly white eyes. "The target is not at this location."

"Again? This seems more like a rookie mission than an A-rank," Tenten sighed. "Where's the next one, Lee?"

The green-clad ninja closed his eyes for a moment, recalling the map they had burned. "Three kilometers north-northwest."

"Okay, let's go then..."


"Oh! I wouldn't have expected to see you here," Ino greeted her next customer, fake smile plastered firmly to her face. She was rather grumpy; after the whole fight with Hidan, she should have been relaxing in the hospital for a good week or two. But then again, her mother could be very convincing to Konoha medics when she was in desperate need of a short break and absolutely needed someone to watch over the beautiful family shop. So that was how, when she should have been sleeping in, Ino was healed and healthy, manning the counter, on her own, again.

The young man gave a shy nod, wordlessly agreeing with her.

"So, who are you purchasing flowers for?"

"... Hinata."

"Oh, I heard she's still in the hospital from her mission. Tell her we wish her all the best."

He nodded. "So, umm..."

Ino smiled and promptly stepped out from behind the counter. Here we go... "Over here, we have some flowers that are chakra-infused, guaranteed to speed healing..."


Kakashi stirred, old ANBU habits nudging him awake at the crack of dawn. He opened his right eye and smiled softly. Things had actually gotten better overnight. Her nails and canines had returned to normal dimensions. Looks like Tsuki knows what she's doing. His gaze drifted down and landed on her cloth necklace. It had been shifted in her sleep, inching down ever so slightly. He pulled the choker down further, exposing the scar. He looked at the mass of ruined tissue that had never healed properly. A centimeter at the center of its width was raised, colored an odd pink, where the worst of the damage had been. Small white lines poked out erratically at random intervals; remains of small cuts that had extended from the main injury. The silver-haired man touched it lightly with his fingers. Absently, he traced it, lightly running his fingers over the center and detecting her pulse through the tips of his fingers. It was slow, steady. Peaceful. "What the hell did you have to live through?" Kakashi murmured quietly, resting his hand on her throat. His long fingers reached to cover just over half of her neck, hiding that part of the scar from view. What if she never got this scar? Would she have told me something by now? Would she be... different? Still lost on the road of life, he sniffed the air out of habit. The Jounin shifted a little, uncomfortable with the scent of blood in the room. He sat up, looking around for a first-aid kit.

Kurotsuki tightened her hold on him, seizing him around the waist, eyes snapping open. "Don't go," she gasped.

Surprised, he turned towards her. His heart reprimanded him again, twinging in his chest. He inwardly cursed his inhumanly sharp senses. He could hear the pleading in her voice and see the terror in her eyes. It finally began to dawn on him; just how much he had hurt her when he left. He swallowed hard past the lump that had once again taken residence in his throat. Kakashi placed a hand on her cheek. "I'm not going anywhere. I was just looking for a medic kit. For your hand."

"Oh, okay," she whispered. She finally released him, but he couldn't honestly say that he was happy about it though it contradicted his aversion to human emotional attachment. With her good hand, she fumbled around on the dresser bedside the bed. Finding the rack of scrolls, she counted them off with light touches from her fingers. She tapped a scroll. "This one." Obediently, he snapped it off the rack and unrolled it. Placing his hand on the circle in the middle, he summoned a full first-aid kit, with everything from band-aids to surgical thread and plaster for temporary casts. She held out her hand, fingers still half-curled. "Just clean it and bandage it. Anything else and my body'll go haywire," she told him.

"What about healing it?" he asked.

She gnawed on her lip. "Let's just say that my chakra is no longer under my control."

He nodded uncertainly and examined the wound. It went straight through, between the bones that led to her middle and ring fingers. "The muscle looks bad. Are you sure it'll be okay?" Kakashi asked. She nodded. "It's gonna hurt..." he warned. He picked up her hand by the wrist, holding it aloft. As gently as possible, he pressed a sanitizing pad to the stab wound. She hissed, gritting her teeth in pain. A few seconds later, he took it off. He quickly wrapped some gauze around it a few times. When he finished, he was faced with the minor dilemma of tying the knot with just his right hand. An absurd idea wormed its way into his head, making the corners of his mouth twitch upwards in a smile. Well, it can't hurt, can it? Might as well prove that I'm here to stay this time. He bent over, raising her hand a little. He took one end of the gauze with his free hand, and pinched the other between masked lips. Pulling gently in opposite directions, he tightened the knot. Kakashi looked up. "Better?" he smiled.

She blushed at his unique manner of tying knots. "Yeah."

"Come on. Let's get the blood off." They both climbed out of bed, Kurotsuki swaying a little. Quickly, he reached out and steadied her.

"Headache," she replied to his concerned gaze, massaging a temple.

Yeah. That and starvation. Geez, when did she eat last? He supported her down the short hallway and they stepped into the small bathroom where he turned on the tap. She let him take her hand, putting it under the clear stream to wash off the blood that had crusted dry on the rest of her hand. He rubbed the skin gently, dislodging the maroon flakes. He stared, almost mesmerized by the little flecks of brownish red that swirled in the sink before going down the drain, leaving a slight pink tinge at the water's edge.

Once the blood was gone, she gently wriggled her hand from his grip and slowly sank to the floor. Kurotsuki curled up in a ball, resting her temple on her knees. Kakashi sat down behind her and wrapped his arm about her waist. Tugging gently, he pulled her into his lap, letting Kurotsuki lean on him, back to his chest, head on his shoulder. The Jounin blew into her hair, wordlessly letting her know she could rest as much as she wanted. He hugged her protectively, waiting until she could get some strength back.

"You up to moving?" he asked in a whisper, remembering that she had a headache. The woman nodded once, weakly, putting her hands on the tiled floor to push herself up. "Oh no you don't," Kakashi growled. He threaded an arm under her knees, the other around her shoulders. He stood up quickly, depriving her of the chance to stand on her own. She squeaked from the rapid motion and hung onto his neck instinctively.

Her voice was raspy, coming from her sore throat. "Kakashi, I can still walk you know," she protested weakly.

"I don't care," he muttered. Honestly, you'd have to be blind, deaf, and stupid to buy that.

"But Kakashi, I-"

He shook his head firmly. "I don't want to hear it," he shot back. I swear, she weighs less... Backing through the bedroom door, he set her gently on the bed, propping her up on the pillow. The Jounin pulled the blankets up to her waist and sat down on the edge of the mattress. He took her good hand - the right - brushing his thumb over the too-prominent knuckles. Kakashi stared at her thin hand in silence, wondering if things would be different if he had stayed that morning three weeks ago. "When did you eat last?"

Kurotsuki shrugged. "Dunno. Whenever I'm not busy. Don't feel like eating much," she mumbled.

"I know that," he snorted.

She cracked a smile, almost splitting one of her dry, cracked lips. "I'll be okay. You don't have to hang around."

Kakashi let himself fall backwards, landing on her sloping stomach, extracting a small 'Oof' from her. Her fingers toyed absently with the tips of his spiky silver hair, getting rid of small tangles. "Liar," he murmured watching her carefully. His head rose and fell rhythmically with each of her breaths. She looked away, staring at their clasped hands. He released her, touching a finger to her chin instead. Crooking his finger, he turned her to face him again. Kurotsuki opened her mouth to say something but he silenced her with a finger on her lips. He sighed. "I hate it when you get hurt. I can't stand it," he confessed quietly, thinking of their first mission. After they had gotten out of the Land of Rain, he had pulled an all-nighter by her side, afraid that she'd wake up hurting and alone. A number. It was just a number. What happened to me? Why did I leave? Making use of his chiselled abs, he sat up and turned towards her. "I'm not going to let you hurt yourself anymore than you already have." He pressed a hand to her cheek. "Your fever's still going," he glanced at her bony frame, "you have barely eaten for the past three weeks, and you know damn well that you won't be okay." With his last statement, he tapped her on the temple, as if he was trying to jolt some sense into her.

She winced, raising a hand to the spot. "Really helped with the headache, Kakashi," she commented quietly.

The Jounin smiled sheepishly and removed her hand, drawing small circles on her skin and easing the pain a little. "Sorry." Slowly, his long fingers traveled down her jaw line, coming to rest on her shoulder. Kakashi stroked a fraction of her scar with his thumb, locking eyes with her. God, he adored her eyes. Leaning in, he touched foreheads with her. "Let me stay. I'll take care of you, even if it's only for today," he pleaded. They stayed that way for a moment, breathing each other's air.

"Okay." Kurotsuki burrowed further into the blankets. He's back. He's really back. She closed her eyes, enjoying the soothing feel of his breath on her fevered skin. She felt cloth-covered lips press against her cheek for a moment, then back away a fraction of an inch.

"Good girl," Kakashi whispered.

She smiled again and let out a monstrous yawn. "Kakashi, I'm tired," she murmured.

"It's okay. I won't keep you up." He ran his fingers through her hair, getting all the way to the bottom without hitting any tangles despite the fact that she hadn't brushed her hair yet. "Go to sleep. I've got to go buy something anyway."

"But I don't want you to leave," she said, eyelids drooping. Kurotsuki felt around on the covers for his hand and found it. As her eyelids drooped further, her hand tightened on his. She was still terrified that if she closed her eyes and let go, he would never return from his excursion, leaving her alone again.

"I promise that I'll be back," he said sincerely, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

The woman pulled the blankets up to her chin, yawning again. "Don't ever make an empty promise, Kakashi," she whispered. In a few seconds, fatigue took over, sending her into the warm embrace of sleep.

Kakashi gave her another kiss on the cheek. For some reason, he couldn't help it. It felt natural to him, like it was meant to happen. "No empty promises. Got it."


The doors slid open slightly, enough room for an arm to fit through. And said arm was covered with a bright orange sleeve, holding up a piece of paper. Is Hina-chan asleep? it read.

"Yes, Naruto-kun," Kiba answered.

"She's still out from your earlier antics," Kurenai added.

"How did you know it was me?" he demanded, stepping into the room and letting the paper fall to the floor.

The conscious members of Team Kurenai exchanged a knowing look. Rule of thumb: keep things simple. "Lucky guess," they chorused.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and walked towards the Hyuuga's bed. "Well, I think I'll just stick around until she wakes up. Kinda think I should say sorry about that."

"Hey, Naruto-kun, I don't think that'd be such a good idea. I think she'd probably faint again."

Naruto attempted to sit down, nearly knocking over a small vase of flowers. "Ahh!" He quickly spun around and barely caught the delicate china from toppling off the table and crashing to the tiled floor. Thankfully, the flowers stayed in the vase and he set it back on the table. "Hey, who put these here?"

"Some guy from the Hyuuga clan. A genius lawyer kid or something."

The Jinchuuriki quickly stood, making the vase tilt dangerously. "I've got something to do." He charged out of the room, pulling a few wrinkled bills out of his pocket and counting them as he went.


"Yo."

The instant he walked in, she sighed in relief. "Hi," she replied. "Come here," she said, holding out her arms. He set down the paper bag and the mug he was carrying, and obeyed. Kurotsuki gratefully wrapped her arms around him, inhaling his distinctly masculine scent.

"Am I really that unreliable?" he chuckled, returning the gesture.

"Well, Naruto and Sakura certainly seem to think so." He released her and noticed that she pursed her lips.

"Did I do something?"

She started to shake her head but inhaled sharply in pain. "Neck hurts," Kurotsuki muttered, knowing that now, she wouldn't be able to get away with 'I'm fine.'

Kakashi's hands rose and latched around the back of her neck, pressing gently. He worked his way around until he found a pair of high-strung muscles, just behind both ears. "I thought you wouldn't do anything stupid, but it looks like I was wrong," he commented.

"Was so not my fault," she argued. "It's just a thing that happens when I get... upset..." Too late, she realized the implication of what she had said. "Don't worry, it's not-"

"It's alright. I get it." The Jounin ran his fingers down the tense muscles, making her sigh quietly.

"Feels good."

Kakashi snorted. "You think you're the only one that had to endure some version of basic medic training?"

"Nn." She rested her head on his shoulder. Unbeknownst to her, every breath she took came out over the sensitive skin of his throat. Even through his mask, the warm air set his skin on fire, sending tingles out over his entire body. He tried to focus on relaxing her muscles instead of giving in to the nameless emotion that had resurfaced. Her scent, completely intoxicating, wasn't helping either. Kurotsuki purred quietly, thoroughly enjoying herself, despite – or rather because of – her condition the night before. And she did have to admit, he knew what he was doing. All too soon, the tension was gone and he stopped massaging her neck. She didn't move, savoring the relative peace of the moment. Suddenly, her stomach growled loudly, startling him. "Not hungry," she said quickly.

"I am not buying that again." The Jounin stood, walking over to the mug and small bag he had brought in earlier. He handed her the lukewarm tea. "Drink this," he ordered.

Sighing, she accepted the mug. Kurotsuki took a small sip and made a face. "What kind of tea is this?"

"I'm not telling you until you're done," he threatened.

The woman stuck her tongue out at him but slowly downed the drink. He chuckled at her childishness, finding it... cute. "Okay. Now tell me what it is," she demanded.

"Akimichi clan specialty tea. Makes your body absorb more nutrients and helps generate chakra." Kakashi opened the white paper bag. Pulling out a bottle of pills, he said, "Take two."

She raised an eyebrow. "I have my own soldier pills, thanks."

He popped the lid off. "These are custom. Your stomach can't handle much right now." He held out the bottle and said, "You'll still need energy." Grudgingly, she plucked a small brown pill from the bottle and forced it down. "Two," Kakashi insisted.

Now it was her turn to glare. He took one more pill from its fellows and held it up. Kurotsuki scowled. With his other hand, he put a thumb on her chin, prying her mouth open. He tipped the pill onto her tongue and let her jaw close. Just before he pulled away, she flicked her tongue teasingly over his retreating thumb. She swallowed. "Happy?"

"Mm-hmm." He took the mug back to the kitchen and left the soldier pills on the counter. The ex-ANBU found himself staring at the damp trace of saliva on his thumb, intrigued by the semi-reflective mark. It quickly dried off and he realized that he felt surprisingly at home here, even though he had only spent the night once. Shaking it off, he ambled back into the room and found Kurotsuki drawing. The sketchbook was settled on her knees and she was staring off into space while her pencil drifted lazily over the cream-colored page. "What're you doing?"

She looked up, pencil still marking the paper. "Drawing. I would think it's obvious enough. I know you're going to ask so I dunno what it's going to turn out to be. It's all kinda... natural to me."

"Mm." Settling down, he pulled out his well-thumbed copy of Icha Icha Tactics and began to read. The scritch scratch of her pencil filled the air and the pair spent the rest of the afternoon busying themselves with their own activities, immersed in their own thoughts. After a while, the sounds of the pencil stopped and he looked up, thinking she'd finished her drawing. Kurotsuki's chin drooped towards her chest; she'd fallen asleep. Well, figures. Fatigue is a symptom of starvation. He took the pencil and sketchbook from her grasp, setting them on the bedside dresser. The Jounin pulled the blankets up to keep her warm. He looked over at what she had drawn and his eye widened in shock. It was a framed picture, set on a windowsill with a bright ray of sunlight illuminating the scene. Uchiha Fugaku, Mikoto, and Sasuke smiled happily from behind the glass. Sasuke was much younger than when he had last been seen, eight at most. The Uchiha parents were in the back, with Sasuke in the front and slightly to the left. But there was a blank spot next to the young ninja, because of the sunlight's glare on the glass. It hid the final member of the family: Uchiha Itachi. He briefly wondered where she'd seen the pictures of Fugaku and Mikoto, but then he remembered the mission files. He filed away the information for future reference, settled down and continued reading his prized orange book, waiting for her to wake up. All the while, Perverted Kakashi pointed out that Kurotsuki sleeping in his peripheral vision really helped to visualize Chapter Four. At which point he clapped the book shut and decided to run through jutsu seal sequences instead.


When Hinata came to, a bright splash of color caught her eye. She turned and looked at the small arrangement of flowers by her hospital bed. A large smile spread across her cheeks, accompanied by a bright pink blush. Naruto-kun must have felt bad for making me faint earlier! So he brought me flowers to apologize!

"I think Hina-chan has the Naruto look on her face again," Kurenai commented, smiling.

"Wha-? Oh, well, um..."

"Hey, Hina-chan," Kiba said. "I don't like to be a rain cloud, but those flowers aren't from Naruto. They're from that law graduate. Hyzuko, was it?"

She blinked a few times. "Oh," she said, crestfallen. Just when I thought he noticed...

"Hina-chan! Are you awake?" came from behind the door. Naruto somehow managed to slide the doors open using his foot, walking in and presenting her with a bouquet that was at least thrice the size of the one on her bedside table.

The girl's blush deepened and her hands flew to her face. The monitor beeped like crazy, yet somehow she managed to hold everything together and stay conscious. Naruto set the flowers down next to Hyzuko's, dwarfing them.

"I think I'd better be quick," he said sensibly, remembering Kiba's warning about her fainting again. "Get well soon!" he shouted, running out the door, throwing a smile and a thumbs-up at her over his shoulder.

Hinata could only smile goofily, tomato red blush still on her cheeks.


It was evening when she awoke. And the first thing she said was, "Kakashi...?"

A smile pulled up at the corners of his lips. He paused his jutsu review and looked over. "Mm?" She sat up, a little sleepy. And in his opinion, looked absolutely adorable. She looked like a kid that had just taken a nap and had smelled fresh cookies upon awakening.

Hearing his immediate response, Kurotsuki suddenly felt warm on the inside, and it had nothing to do with the blankets. It was a nice feeling, to know that he was nearby whenever she needed it. "Do me a favor?"

"Sure."

She raised her bandaged hand. "Help me move the muscles. I need to make sure that everything's okay," she explained.

"So I just open and close it?" She nodded. He held her wrist with his left hand and used the other to curl her fingers into a fist. After a few moments, he used his thumb to pry her hand open.

"Mm... Do it one more time," she muttered, frowning. Did I feel a knot somewhere? The Jounin closed her hand again. Phew. "Okay, it's good." She looked down. His warm hand still enveloped hers, a protective blanket over her wound. This time, he used his knuckles, opening her hand halfway. Kurotsuki watched curiously; now her hand covered his. Kakashi spread his fingers slowly, forcing hers to do the same. Their palms were pressed against each other; fingers too. His were just a bit longer, nails shorter and less girly in general. Though she won in the elegance department (she could feel his calluses through the bandage), his hands were still handsome. Weathered. Built to last. A hint of a smile appeared behind his navy blue mask. He twisted his hand to the right and lowered his fingers, gently cradling her palm. She returned the gesture, lacing their fingers together. "I like it when you don't wear gloves," she murmured, noticing he still hadn't put them back on.

"Really? That's... specific." A pause. "It's getting late," he said, looking outside at the dusky colors of the sunset. He turned to face her, a mischievous glint in his dark eye.

"Oh come on, Kakashi. You know what I'm thinking. Don't actually make me say it." The man maintained a stony silence, somehow managing to make it teasing instead of cold. "Please? It makes me sound like your girlfriend or something," Kurotsuki complained.

"Not that I would mind," he replied. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized what they implied.

She gave his hand a squeeze. "Did you just ask me out?" she smiled.

"Um... Well, it's not exactly... Uh... That's not really... It's just that..." Kakashi trailed off, trying to piece together a coherent thought.

"Kakashi?"

Thankfully, his flustered brain was functional enough to allow his to respond, "Mm?" (Really, that was his fallback, foolproof, monosyllabic auto-response whenever his brain ceased working.)

"Just friends. With small benefits." She squeezed his hand again, letting him know she appreciated him sticking by her side, "For now," she added.

He sighed, relieved. A large neon sign reading 'Emotional disaster successfully averted!' flashed proudly in his head. "Yeah. Sounds good." Though he looked it, Hatake Kakashi was not an easily distracted man. He poked her side experimentally and chuckled when she tensed. In a flash, he had slipped his left hand under her t-shirt and was tickling her mercilessly. His nimble fingers danced over the skin of her flat stomach.

Kurotsuki shook, trying in vain to contain her laughter. "Stop! Stop it, Kakashi!" she giggled.

A few incomprehensible pleas for him to stop followed but he continued his assault. "Nope. Not until you say it."

She squirmed away, wrapping her arms around her midriff in defense. However, Kakashi refused to let go of her hand. The end result was his one hundred and fifty pounds of muscle half-sprawled across her middle, fingers still intertwined with hers.

"Ow," she commented.

Now he was behind her, lying down. "Sorry about that. But it was your fault, dragging me over here," he pointed out.

"My fault?" she asked playfully. "If you hadn't decided to attack me, I wouldn't have had to drag you here." Not that I actually mind.

Kakashi laid his head on the junction of her shoulders and neck. "Well, I wouldn't have had to do that if..." He waited for her to respond.

Kurotsuki's shoulders rose and fell in a good-natured sigh. "Stay," she murmured quietly. It wasn't an order, just a request. She didn't ask it as a question though; they both knew what the answer would be. The next thing she knew, the covers were settling over her. The Jounin was facing her (for decency's sake), still holding her hand.

"You only have to ask." Kurotsuki started mumbling about how he knew she wanted him to stay but had insisted on getting her to say it. An image materialized in his mind, making his eye snap open. No. Not happening. Kissing her to shut her up is not an option. Teammate. Off-limits. Stupid, stupid, stupid. What is wrong with me? He quickly filed away the thought beside his Icha Icha fantasies and locked it away.

The woman pressed her lips to his neck, bringing him back to reality. "Thank you, Kakashi."

He waited until the tingles down his spine faded away before replying. "Why my neck?" he asked.

"'Cause your face is too far away," she joked.

He bent his neck down and smiled. "What about now?"

His reward was a kiss on the cheek, renewing the tingles that had just ceased. "Much better," she said approvingly.

He chuckled, shifting to be more comfortable. Doing so caused her to sort of fall against him, not quite on and not quite off his body. A ghost of a smile flickered over her features and she closed her eyes. "'Night," he whispered, blowing into her hair. He smiled softly to himself. It felt good to have her next to him, with her warmth to share. What he didn't know was that she felt the same. She liked his protective presence and it made falling asleep that much easier. Eventually, Kurotsuki fell asleep, comfortably nestled against his chest, with the steady thump of his heart as her lullaby. Kakashi, however, stayed awake, waiting for sleep to take him. So, as he did on long nights, he began to hum quietly; the first song that came to mind.

"Onii-chan..."

Kakashi immediately shut up, realizing it was Kurotsuki that had said it. So I didn't hear wrong. She does have a brother. She squirmed a little, seeming upset that the melody had stopped. He continued. She sighed contentedly. And so, he became even more intrigued about the past of the woman in his arms.


"Guys, wake up," Kurenai hissed.

They hadn't been asleep long, so her team was awake within a few seconds. Once they got a good look at her, they saw that her hand was resting on her bulging belly.

"Sensei, is something wrong?" Hinata asked worriedly.

"I can get Akamaru to go and get someone," Kiba offered.

"No, something's right," Kurenai smiled. "It kicked."


A/N: Awwww! Okay then! Nice long drama chapter for you all. Tell me what you think and feel free to flame me for taking so long to update -_-'. Thanks for reading and please review! ^_^