Chapter Fifty-One:
Yuki looked up sharply when the doors to the operation room swung open and he immediately stood up. It was well past midnight and the medics all looked weary and relieved. This calmed Yuki a little and his tense shoulder muscles eased when he saw Kakashi on the portable bed, being rolled out of the room and down the corridor. Yuki was about to follow them when the lead medic walked over to him with a clipboard tucked under his arm.
"Are you in charge of him?" he asked.
Yuki nodded. "Uchiha Yuki," he offered.
"My name is Kyou," The medic said, a little distractedly. He pulled forth the clipboard and looked at it gravely. He glanced up at Yuki once, then he turned his attention back to the scribbled notes that were written.
"He nearly died," Kyou said bluntly. "Judging from the amount of blood he had lost, he should have already been dead hours before he reached the village. We found four broken ribs that had been rubbed so much against the lungs that the tissues had almost completely ripped. Both his shoulders were pierced, and his left shoulder blade was cracked open by something circular. We found almost identical wounds on both his upper arms, fortunately not having broken any of the bones. There were two more, one through his right thigh and the other, diagonally through his left ankle. On his stomach were two holes that went right through him. One was thin, and we assume it to be some sort of sword. The second, just below the first, was once again the circular shape. Both of them had missed any vital organs. He suffers from severe dehydration and lack of natural nutrients, but we have detected the lingering affects of a soldier's pill."
Yuki frowned at this. "A soldier's pill?" he repeated.
Kyou nodded. "It is probably thanks to the pill that Hatake didn't die from blood loss or simple exhaustion and gave him the strength to come back all the way here from sector 6-4 due south east, if I heard him correctly."
"Will he be all right?" Yuki asked.
"Yes," Kyou replied. "The worst part is certainly over, although he was once on the very verge of dying while we were treating him. A nurse mentioned to me just now that during those few minutes, Hatake had opened his eyes." He shook his head, clearly not believing the nurse. Then he went on. "There shouldn't be anything life threatening anymore, but he should stay still and allow his body to heal. The anesthesia will keep him unconscious for another day or so."
Yuki sighed quietly and dropped back onto the bench, his mind exhausted from worrying. Kyou, however, looked a little uneasy when he lowered his notes and glanced at the ANBU.
"There's one last thing you should know of," he said slowly. Yuki looked up with a questioning raise of a brow. Kyou turned his head right and left quickly, as if afraid of someone being there. "It's Hatake's left eye...It's a Sharingan."
Yuki was on his feet the second Kyou finished pronouncing the last letter. His face expressed pure and utter shock along with a slight disbelief. "Sharin…gan?" he breathed. Kyou nodded once.
"I don't know where he got it, or who transplanted it, but when we cleaned the blood over his left eye there was a thick vertical cut that hadn't quite healed yet. We checked the eye since we feared that such a gash would have destroyed it, and we found the Sharingan, safe and whole."
Yuki mind was already running and he managed to control the shock that still burned within him. There was only one possible answer as to how Kakashi had gotten the eye. Although it didn't answer the question of who was responsible for transplanting it…Yuki tensed for a moment as he remembered that Kakashi had been saying about Orochimaru and his experiments. His eyes narrowed.
"Orochimaru," he whispered. Kyou looked at him questioningly, but he didn't pause to explain it. His guess could well be wrong in any case. "I want you to keep Uchiha Obito's body untouched for a little while longer. And could you do me a favour and call Odagiri Ryo?"
"Of course," Kyou replied. "I'll send ou a messenger."
Yuki nodded. "Thanks," he said, then paused for a moment and then added, "for saving Hatake as well."
Kyou shook his head once. "That is why I became a medical ninja."
He told Yuki which room Kakashi had been moved to, and they parted. As Yuki walked down the empty corridors, he closed his eyes and brought his slightly cool hand up to his forehead. It took all of his training as a shinobi and an ANBU to prevent his mind from shutting down against the things that he didn't want to know or believe. He walked on with slow steps.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Kakashi sat alone in the dark chasms of his mind. The sense of time eluded him and so he simply continued to stare out at the darkness. He remembered exactly what had happened and he wondered whether he had actually died or if he was simply somewhere else. A small part of his mind knew that this wasn't Death, based on the simple reason that Obito hadn't come and given him hell yet. But a larger part of him didn't want to be alive. He had told the Hokage about where Orochimaru was hiding, and so kept his promise with Shinrei.
He remembered seeing Kazuma, Midori and Obito and what they had said. Obito's words lingered in his mind. Obito telling him not to die, to live on and face the future. But he didn't want to. It was his simple selfishness. Ever since his father had killed himself and he had started to attend the Academy, he had followed the rules and regulations of the shinobi. He had always made his own emotions and desires second to his loyalty to serve the village and the Hokage. But now felt different. It was different. Obito wasn't there anymore.
Kakashi raised his hands and covered his eyes. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and tried to forget. He tried to close off his mind, he tried to make it sleep, he tried to run away from his conscience. But he couldn't.
Live Kakashi! Obito's voice echoed loudly and Kakashi gritted his teeth together, his fingers tensing.
"How?" he whispered despairingly.
"You breath in, you breath out. Breath in, breath out."
Kakashi's eyes snapped open and his hand fell instantly back down. He spun around with wide eyes to come face to face with Obito. His hands began to tremble very slightly, but other than that, he stood frozen, shocked and disbelieving.
Obito cracked a grin then burst out laughing. "What's with that stupid look on your face?" he mocked between fits of laughter that brought tears to his eyes. "I wish I had a camera. It'll sell so well!"
"Obito," Kakashi mumbled. He was so stunned that he hardly even registered what Obito had just said. "But you're…"
Obito's face grew serious and he locked gazes with Kakashi. "Yes, I'm dead," he said.
"Then how…?"
A slight trace of anger flickered in Obito's eyes. "One is probably because we share the same eye. The other, is because you're so close to dying again."
This came as a surprise to Kakashi. "Dying?"
"Yeah," Obito said. He stepped forward and quickly seized a fistful of Kakashi's shirt by the collar and pulled him aggressively closer. His eyes, now clearly displaying anger, narrowed. "Because you've given up on the will to live, Kakashi." Kakashi turned his eyes down into the darkness at his feet and didn't bother trying to get our of Obito's grasp. He knew that what his friend said was true – he didn't have any will to live. He simply didn't want to.
"You could have woken up days ago but you've trapped your conscience in this dimension of your mind," Obito said. "You're just running away from everything!" He shoved Kakashi away but didn't release the angry glare. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter, and more demanding. "What are you so afraid of?"
Kakashi stood silently for a moment, avoiding Obito's eyes. "It's my fault that you died," he said in a faint whisper. "It's my fault! How can I live from now on knowing that you died because of me?"
Obito's fist connected sharply against his face and he was hurled off his feet. He landed on the black ground but made no effort to rise.
"It wasn't your fault," Obito said. "So stop blaming yourself for it. That's why I told you to look up and keep walking. Don't dwell on the past. I was just one individual in your life. You can get over – "
"You're – !" Kakashi turned around to face Obito with his teeth clenched together and a somewhat pained expression on his face. "You were more than a mere individual, Obito! I lived to reach my father's back, and then I lived to surpass him when he killed himself. But since the day I met you, you were the reason I lived for! It was always you who was at my side! And now…you're not there anymore. What reason do I have to live for?"
Obito stooped down and grabbed Kakashi by his shirt once again, dragging him up onto his knees. "Listen up, Kakashi! Can't you hear them? Can't you hear their voices?"
Kakashi blinked and a slight frown creased his brow. All he could hear was silence. He began to open his mouth to question what Obito was saying when faintly, he heard something. Gradually it became louder and louder until he could make out the words and recognise the voices.
"Izumi-sama, such a subject can wait for the while being," Yuki was saying. "He is has not yet regained his consciousness."
"This is not a matter that can wait for long, Masayuki," said a deep voice that Kakashi didn't recognise. "In all the history of the Uchiha clan there has never been such a case as this. It must be solved quickly."
"Izumi-sama," a soft female voice said, and Kakashi knew it as Obito's mother. "It can at least wait until Kakashi-kun is feeling better, can it not? Please."
The male, apparently called Izumi sighed gruffly and footsteps faded into the distance.
"Natsumi-san," Yuki muttered.
"I thought I would come and change and the flowers," she said. "Nayu received a mission this morning, so she could not come, I'm afraid." There were quiet sounds of dripping water and clinks of a vase being lifted and put down. Then a silence followed. Natsumi sighed. "Poor child," she whispered. "You don't have to lock yourself up. We're here for you."
The sounds faded away until the unbroken silence of his black world returned. Kakashi turned his eyes back to Obito, who had released him, but his friend held up his hand to stop any remarks or questions. Distant sounds began to again penetrate the silence and Kakashi listened once again.
"He still hasn't woken up?" It was Ryo's voice.
"No," Yuki replied. "The medics are trying everything they can, but he's so far away at the moment. His body's health is declining every hour. They say he's locked his conscience up somewhere deep in his mind."
"I see."
"How was the funeral?"
"How am I to answer such a question?" Ryo asked back. "Izumi-sama attended it, along with his younger brother, Fugaku-sama. The Elders were there, and obviously Obito's family. Hokage-sama also came. There were many others. I apologised for your absence on your behalf."
"Thank you, Ryo."
There was a slightly pause. "You should sleep a little," Ryo said. "I'll keep watch over Hatake."
"I'm fine," Yuki replied. "I've been sleeping once in a while so don't worry about me. But what about your missions? I thought you had one starting right after the funeral."
"Oh I turned it down."
"What?"
"I refused it."
"That's forbidden to do if I remember the rules correctly. Those orders are passed down to us directly from the Hokage."
"I seem to have been excused," Ryo said absently.
"You have no right to tell me off about things I do," Yuki mumbled dryly.
The silence returned, but almost immediately afterwards, the sounds returned. There was only the light flutter of curtains being blown by a breeze, and then Yuki spoke quietly.
"Come back, Hatake," he said. "Everyone's waiting."
Then the silence blocked everything out once again. Obito walked slowly toward Kakashi and knelt beside him. The glare had softened from his eyes and he no longer looked very angry. His voice no longer showed any aggression.
"There are people waiting for you," he said. "There are people who care for you, Kakashi. Go back to them. They're calling you. They're the reason you can live for. And if that's not enough, live to teach the youngsters what Kazuma-sensei taught us. Teach them about the importance of team work and the necessity to trust one another. It's our responsibility to guide the next generation of shinobi. Stand up and walk forward." Obito looked up and pointed his hand to the side where a stream of light had penetrated the darkness. "Go back to where you belong."
Kakashi glanced at the light, then back at his friend. Slowly, he nodded and began to rise. Obito straightened with him and gave him a light push on the back. He grinned and beckoned to the light again. Kakashi took a step forward then hesitated.
"And you?" he asked.
The grin didn't fade from Obito's face. "I'll always be right here. I'll stay with you, don't worry. I'm a part of you. But I don't want to see you here until you've lived a long life! Got it?"
Kakashi looked as if he wanted to say something against it, but he dropped his gaze and simply nodded once. He looked back at Obito and opened his mouth to give an apology, but Obito spoke first.
"Don't say anything," he said. "Just go back. Don't worry."
Obito's smile was soft and reassuring. It held all the comfort that everyone sought at least once in their life. Kakashi felt his uncertainly ease as he stared back at his one true friend. A small, ghost of a smile flickered in his eyes as he turned around again walked forward. He found that his steps were no longer hesitant, and his heart no longer afraid to face the world without Obito.
"Arigatou, Kakashi."
Kakashi looked back when he heard Obito's voice, but his friend was no longer standing there. He felt a sudden pull from behind, and the dark world faded from his vision.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Kakashi opened his eye and found everything blurred. He felt warm and all the pain had eased from his body. He waited patiently for his eye to adjust, and things slowly came back into focus. It was dark, and the only light came from the distant moon beyond the window that illuminated the night with a faint silver glow. His single, uncovered right eye moved slowly from the window, across the roof, and toward the door of the private room. He recognised it immediately as the hospital. There were sacs of liquid that hung on a tall stand that dripped into a thin tube and eventually into his body through a needle in his left arm.
He found his left arm free and he slowly raised it over his face. It was heavily bandages, but the movement only cause a slightly prick of pain. He placed his hand over his left eye and felt bandages over it as well. He also noticed with slight surprise that his lower face was covered with a mask.
The room was empty. He used his right arm to push himself upright, and he winced as small twinges of pain spread from his shoulder and stomach but sat up and waited for it to ease away. He sighed and a small frown creased his forehead. What made me come back? he wondered. He remembered that he didn't want to wake up, and he had trapped himself in his mind. What happened after that? He couldn't remember. All he remembered was an echoing thank you. Strangely though, he didn't feel too bad about waking up.
"A dream, maybe," he mumbled to himself
Just then the door rolled open, casting a thin stream of light from the corridor onto the dark floor. Kakashi turned with his eye slightly squinted to the figure that stood silhouetted in the doorway. The person froze and a can drink clattered on the floor, its contents spilling out.
"Hatake!" he breathed.
The door slid shut on its own and Kakashi turned his head to see who it was. He recognised the voice, and as the blindingly bright light disappeared, his predictions were proved correct.
"Yuki-san," he said quietly.
Yuki strode quickly over to the bed, the drink forgotten. "Hatake…you…You're awake," he mumbled lamely.
Kakashi almost rolled his eyes. "No, I'm in coma and I'm speaking to you," he said with dripping sarcasm.
"That's not funny, you know," Yuki responded, finally gathering his shocked mind together. "You've been out for a week. The medics were nearly giving up on you."
"Sorry for causing the trouble," Kakashi said.
Yuki grinned. "It's not a problem." Then he became serious again and looked searchingly in Kakashi's visible eye. The sight of Kakashi shedding tears in front of the gate came to his mind. "Are you…all right?" he asked hesitantly.
Kakashi's eye looked away from Yuki's gaze, but he nodded.
Yuki sighed softly. "There are things that I want to ask you, but it can wait until the morning. You should rest a little."
"You can ask now," Kakashi replied. "I don't care."
"But – "
"It's about the Sharingan, isn't it?"
Yuki gave up trying to postpone the discussion. He brought over a chair and sat down, leaning forward on his knees. He then nodded. "Ryo checked Obito's body for me," he said, keeping an eye on Kakashi for any reaction that might indicate that he didn't want to hear Obito mentioned. But Kakashi merely listened. "The left part of his face had been cut and the eye removed. The medic who treated you told me that you had the Sharigan eye. When I asked him later, he confirmed a similar gash on your face."
Kakashi remained silent for a moment, his eye on the opposite wall. He didn't speak for so long that Yuki was about to suggest that he sleep a little, when he finally broke the silence. He began from the beginning of the mission and told Yuki what had happened in a quiet, monotone voice.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
I'm sorry. I just couldn't stop writing about Obito…But this will be the last (unless there are flashbacks). I know it doesn't do good to keep bringing up characters that are gone, and it certainly isn't a good literature method (or whatever) and now the passing of Obito is kind of anti climatic, but please forgive! I couldn't help it.
I'm going away from next Tuesday to Friday on a class trip (groans. I hate them) to Barcelona, Spain. So the next update will be a little delayed.
Translations:
Arigatou: (I think everyone who watches anime knows this, but still…) Thank you.
And I was just informed me that I can't respond of reviews…? Really? I tried to search for that new rule, or any rule concerning review responses but I can't find any…Anyways, I'll just answer the questions that were asked…Yes, Kakashi is going to the Uchiha manor…No, Kakashi did not have his mask on…Unfortunately, I will not go into the Sarutobi/Orochimaru encounter…It does make me sad when I kill of any character, but I'm too busy trying to write it that the grieving only comes afterwards…
Thank you to everyone who read and especially to those who reviewed! (Spiral Wheel, glad to see a new face (name…whatever)! ) Geez, I hate generalising all of you as 'everyone'… All the reviews make me so happy! Thanks for your support and compliments!
Nakama Final Chapter is coming up. Kakashi confronts the Uchiha clan.
.LinSetsu.
