Pairing: SakuSaku
Prompt: "You promised me 'forever!'"
Rating: T
He awakes to the sound of steady beeping machines and blinding light trying to peek through his eyelids. The smell of chemical cleaner and fills his nose when he breathes in deeply. A rough cough escapes his mouth as the action. A moment later, and someone is helping him sit up and something cold is pressed against his lips. His tongue sticks out just a bit to taste water and then he drinks the whole thing as carefully as he can.
"Open your eyes and look at me."
The command, soft and pained, almost makes him want to curl up in his hospital bed (?) and ignore the surrounding world. He's supposed to be dead but she saved him. A part of him wants to snap at her, to tell her it wasn't her decision to bring him back, and yet; a part of him is ultimately grateful that she managed too.
"Open your eyes and look at me, damn you!"
And he does. Slowly, at first, and then all at once. It's a mistake. He hisses when the bright light hits his eyes and tries to curl away, but a hand on his keeps him from moving. That's when he immediately feels a dull ache in the center of his stomach. The wound, healing as it seems, still has a phantom of pain.
"Sakura," he croaks. "How did you - "
"Your son," she snaps. "Your little boy ran to my home and begged me to save you. Kakashi got on his knees and begged me, you absolute fool!" There's a crack in her voice. The words close to a yell but not quite. Her beautiful pink, usually in a ponytail, hangs lifelessly around her shoulders. "How could you do that to him?! I almost couldn't pull you back! What if I was still on my mission?! What if Kakashi couldn't find someone else?!"
Sakumo slowly looks around the room. "Where - "
"With Minato-san," she answers angerly. "That young man had to drag your son out of here for a mission by order of the Hokage - something that incredibly pisses me off, mind you - and he begged me to stay and watch over you until you woke up!" He hates the glassy look her eyes get. "Why?"
"I a-am a failure," he whispers finally. "I don't want Kakashi to have that shame follow him around. I don't want you to be the woman who chooses a man over her status."
"It's my choice," Sakura states in barely controlled rage. "It's my choice to stick by you. We promised each other. You promised me 'forever!' Does that mean nothing to you anymore?" Her face crumbles as she moves forward in her seat and takes his pale, limp hand. "I love you so much, you fool of a man! You son loves you just as much! You are worth more than all of Konoha's shinobi combined."
"I started a war!" Sakumo cries. "I will be the reason so many lives are lost!"
Sakura slowly shakes her head. "Shimura Danzo was arrested for treachery." Sakumo blinks; confused. "Shikaku-san overhead some very incriminating evidence that caused an immediate arrest. His trial is in one week. "He fed you and your group false information, he placed members of his ROOT - dressed as Suna diplomats - as bait for you, and knew you would choose your team over the mission because you had no choice. Mitana Reisi carried valuable information on his person - planted there by Shimura - and if it were to fall into the wrong hands, it would have been catastrophic for Konoha. You made the right choice."
It's a lot of information to take-in. I almost... I almost... God, he feels sick beyond belief. "I'm sorry," Sakumo manages. "I'm so sorry."
Before she can reply, the door to Sakumo's hospital room opens slowly and a familiar head of messy, light grey hair appears. "Tou-san? Tou-san!" The door is thrown open all the way and little Kakashi, in his civilian clothes accompanied by his blue scarf, comes racing into the room where he leaps off the ground and lands at the feet of his father and crawls over him until he's pressed right against his father's shoulder. "Tou-san," he repeats again and again as if he can't bring himself to say more.
"Kakashi, I'm - "
"I'm sorry, Tou-san! I don't want you to go away. You're a good shinobi and a good father. I promise I'll be a better shinobi! I promise I won't be reckless." And then, in the softest voice imaginable: "I promise to be a better son. I won't get angry or shout. I promise. I promise!"
Sakumo lays his head on top of Kakashi's head, stroking it to soothe his cries. It does little to calm the boy down. "I'm so sorry, son. I promise to never do something like that again. I promise not to leave you again. Both," he looks at a silent Sakura, "of you."
Kakashi lifts his head but looks to Sakura. "Thank you for saving my tou-san."
"Of course, honey." Sakura accepts Kakashi's small hand when he reaches out to her. "For you and for your old man." She had a hold of one hand from each of them.
"I love you," he tells both of them. "I love you and I promise to never do something like that again."
"I'll hold you to that," Sakura whispers, mindful to the sleepy look on Kakashi's face.
Kakashi returns home after storming out on his father, sees him lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood, and races for his dad's girlfriend's home. Also, spoiler alert: Danzo dies! Yay! If you have the time, please review.
~i-just-really-love-sakura