Several days went by, and Kohaku slowly began to regain vision in his right eye. The medic nin that had looked over his injuries had told him that if the wound had been any deeper, it would have been unlikely that he would ever see out of that eye again.
Recovery was slow going, and Kohaku frequently found himself lacking in things to keep himself busy. It was even more difficult, since he'd been ordered to stay off his feet as much as possible while his leg healed.
The first few days, Kohaku had been sprawled out across Kakashi's couch, sleeping most of the time. He'd slept for eighteen hours after returning from the hospital, and it had alarmed Kakashi at first.
It was not unusual for Kohaku to sleep so much after a battle, especially one that he had expended so much chakra in. He'd only used a single technique, but it was a technique that was difficult to control, and in order to control it to the point that he did, he needed to use a large portion of chakra. It was one of the reasons that he preferred not to use that technique if he didn't have to.
A soft sigh escaped Kohaku's lips as he leaned back and shut his eyes. He undid his ponytail and let his hair down, curling up with his injured leg stretched out carefully. He was still struggling from the after effects of chakra exhaustion, so he thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to get some more sleep.
When Kohaku next woke, it was not because he'd rested enough, or because he was hungry, which tended to be one of the few reasons he woke up suddenly when he was deeply asleep. He woke because he suddenly could not breathe.
His eyes snapped open, a strangled cry escaping his lips. Though his vision was blurred, he could clearly make out the mask of the man that had attacked Kakashi and himself at the Kanemaru residence, the orange swirl mask being something difficult to forget. It was the first time he noticed, however, the eye that stared out at him through the singular hole in the mask, red with the Sharingan.
Kohaku struggled with the hands clasped tightly around his throat, trying desperately to pry the masked man's iron grip away from his throat, and failing miserably. He was still weak with his injuries, and it was difficult to fight against him.
"I should have dealt with you myself sooner." The masked man snarled, tightening his grip around Kohaku's throat.
Realizing that he wouldn't be able to make him let go so easily, Kohaku switched tactics and reached backwards for the lamp on the end table, struggling desperately to reach it; his naginata was sitting in the corner, too far for him to reach. His vision was beginning to darken and grow fuzzy as he struggled to breathe.
Kohaku's hand brushed against the lamp, and he pawed at it, trying to bring it closer so that he could grab it.
He was hit with despair when the lamp slid off the table and out of reach, shattering on the ground with a resounding crash. He'd lost his chance, and now he could hardly scrape at the masked man's grip, faint hacking noises barely managing to escape his lips.
His hands grew weaker and weaker until they eventually fell limp, his vision fading to black, catching sight of Kakashi rushing to his aid before everything vanished in darkness. The last thing he felt was a faint flash of chakra, impossibly familiar and completely unexpected.
And then he was cold and empty and alone, and so very afraid. He could feel himself succumbing to the cold numbness of death, and fought against it. He wasn't ready to die yet, and certainly not like this.
Then he heard the faint sound of someone calling his name. He couldn't figure out who it was, but they sounded so scared, and for a reason he couldn't grasp yet, it hurt to hear them sound so sad. Ever so slowly, he reached out for the voice, wanting to find its owner to comfort them.
When Kohaku next woke, he began to cough and gasp for breath and could not stop for several moments. He didn't know what was happening, wondering if he had died.
Kohaku opened his eyes slowly and found himself cradled in someone's arms, held so tightly, as if they were afraid of letting him go. After a moment, he realized that it was Kakashi, and frowned a little. He didn't seem to have noticed that Kohaku had woken up yet, despite the coughing and hacking. Perhaps it was shock.
Slowly, Kohaku lifted his hand and patted Kakashi's head gently. It was a struggle to move at first, but he was beginning to recover, if only a little.
"Kohaku?" Kakashi's voice cracked, and he jerked his head up quickly to see if he was imagining it. The fear and absolute heartbreak in his eyes was quickly replaced by relief, though not quickly enough for Kohaku to miss it. It hurt him to see Kakashi like that.
"I'm alright." Kohaku whispered, shutting his eyes for a moment. Then he sighed softly, trying to ignore the pain in his swollen throat. "Don't be sad. I'm here, and I'm alright." It hurt to speak, but he hated seeing Kakashi like that and wanted to reassure him that everything was alright.
"I thought…" Kakashi didn't need to finish speaking for Kohaku to understand what he meant. "I thought you…" He pulled Kohaku into a tighter hug, one arm wrapped tightly around his waist, and his other hand gently supporting Kohaku's neck, fingers tangled in his soft golden hair.
Kohaku slowly wrapped his shaking, unsteady arms around Kakashi, his racing heart beginning to settle. He felt safe in Kakashi's arms like this, and could not help but relax and let his guard down. "I think I did for a minute, but...I think I heard your voice. You were calling my name...and I just wanted to...tell you that it's alright...and then I woke up. You brought me back." He knew he was mumbling a little, but Kakashi seemed to understand him anyway, if his sharp intake of breath was anything to go by.
With a soft sigh, Kohaku rested his head against Kakashi's shoulder. It was then that he noticed it; while Kakashi was still wearing his mask, he was dressed for bed. He wasn't even wearing his headband to cover his eye.
"What time is it?" Kohaku asked hoarsely, raising his head very carefully. It wasn't just his throat that hurt; even his spine was sore and aching.
"Sometime after three, I think." Kakashi replied softly, resting his face against Kohaku's fluffy hair.
"I'm sorry I woke you up." Kohaku said softly, not realizing the absurdity of his apology. "You should go back to bed. I'll be alright now."
"You're crazy if you think I'll be able to sleep after almost losing one of my closest friends." Kakashi whispered, pulling away just enough to meet Kohaku's eyes. "I'm not leaving you alone after that, and you certainly don't have to apologize for it."
Oddly enough, Kakashi's words made Kohaku's heart feel...warm and fuzzy. No one had really displayed such concern over him, and it was a nice feeling to know that someone genuinely cared.
"I don't think I'll be able to sleep, either." Kohaku smiled, but his voice shook ever so slightly. He supposed this was just another reason to be afraid of the dark, and wasn't quite sure how to work through it. "Do you want some tea?"
Kakashi frowned. "I'll make it. You need to rest." He reluctantly let go of Kohaku, one hand resting on his shoulder. He got up and went to make the tea, but stopped before he'd taken more than a few steps.
"What is it?" Kohaku asked softly, silently asking himself when he'd become so comfortable speaking to Kakashi like this.
After a moment, Kakashi returned to Kohaku's side, slipping one arm under his knees, taking care not to put pressure on his leg wound, and slipping the other around his shoulders. He lifted him up as if he weighed nothing and carried him into the kitchen, setting him down on one of the chairs carefully. "Stay right there."
Kohaku relaxed a little more once Kakashi flicked the lights on. It was much brighter in the kitchen than it was in the living room, and it was a relief to be out of the dark.
He watched Kakashi as he began to make the tea, running his fingers through his tangled hair to smooth it out. It was a mess after the struggle, and it was difficult not to accidentally pull it so much that it hurt.
Kakashi glanced over at him and frowned a little. "Where's your brush?" He asked softly. A chuckle escaped his lips when Kohaku pulled a flower patterned brush from his pocket. He'd always noticed how nice Kohaku kept his hair, despite its wildness, and had briefly wondered how much work it took to maintain it.
Kohaku offered Kakashi a tentative smile, feeling his heart grow lighter when Kakashi chuckled. He tilted his head to the side, wincing a little at the pain in his neck, when Kakashi came over to him, pulling up a chair behind him and taking the brush.
For a few moments, Kakashi did nothing, making Kohaku wonder what he was up to. Then he felt Kakashi's hand on the back of his neck, and stiffened a little, still on high alert after his near-death experience.
"It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you." Kakashi promised as began slowly running the brush through Kohaku's tangled hair, supporting Kohaku's sore neck so that it wasn't pulled every which way with the brush strokes.
Kohaku relaxed after a moment and shut his eyes. Kakashi's touch was gentle, and Kohaku could not help but let his guard down again. He felt safe around Kakashi, and was extremely glad that he was here now.
Admittedly, it was strange having someone take care of him. Kohaku had been on his own all his life, and no one had ever been so gentle with him, not even his teachers. It was a nice change, however, though he knew it wouldn't last forever. After all, he was not the kind of person that could be loved.
Kakashi brushed his hair until the teapot began to whistle, and then got up and finished making the tea. "Here." He brought a cup over to him, making sure that Kohaku had a firm grip on his cup before letting go.
Kohaku took a sip and heaved a sigh of relief as the hot tea soothed his throat. "Thank you." He watched as Kakashi grabbed his own cup and went to sit next to him.
Kakashi just nodded, watching Kohaku closely. His gaze shifted towards Kohaku's neck, his expression growing angry at the sight of the bruises that were starting to form. They were bad now, but would look so much worse in the morning.
"I'm alright." Kohaku said softly, noticing his gaze. Then he frowned a little as the rest of his aches and pains returned. "Just sore." He took a sip of his tea, sighing in relief. "Will you help me check this wound?" He gestured towards the one below his ribcage, frowning a little.
It was the worst of his wounds, and while the pain seemed no more intense than usual, he wanted to make sure that it hadn't reopened in the struggle. The masked man had managed to pin him pretty well.
"Sure." Kakashi replied, setting his cup down and scooting closer, and waiting for Kohaku to undo the sash and shift his haori aside so that he could look at the bandages.
A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he saw no fresh blood on the bandages. He patted Kohaku's shoulder and leaned back. His eyes were drawn to a thin scar that began somewhere in the bandages, and went down towards his hip. "You're fine. No fresh blood."
Kohaku nodded slightly, finishing the rest of his tea before he tied his sash again. Though he tried to hide it, he couldn't help but yawn very obviously, leaning back in his chair a little.
"You should get some rest." Kakashi said, setting his cup down and getting up. He went over and lifted Kohaku into his arms again gently, and took him back out into the living room, but didn't stop there. Instead, he took Kohaku down the hall to his own room, and gently set him down.
"I can't sleep in here. It's your space." Kohaku protested weakly, hardly putting up a fight when Kakashi pulled the blankets up over him.
"Yes, you can. I don't mind." Kakashi insisted, patting his head, and then ruffling his hair gently.
Kohaku frowned a little, reaching out quickly and grabbing Kakashi's hand. Using just the right amount of force, he jerked Kakashi down onto the bed with him. "Then you stay as well."
Kakashi, startled by Kohaku's sudden actions, hesitated. But when he noticed the thinly veiled anxiety hiding behind Kohaku's eyes, he gave up without a fight. "Alright." He sighed and slid under the covers with him.
Soothed by his presence, Kohaku shut his eyes, trying not to be obvious as he shifted closer to him. He was always cold, and tended to be attracted to warmer things, and Kakashi was warmer than he was.
And as Kohaku began to drift off to sleep, he couldn't help but wonder how he was going to tell Minato and Kakashi that Uchiha Obito, who was supposed to be dead, had just tried to murder him.