Author's Note: Thank you all for your patience these last few weeks! I appreciated the comments I got in response to my hiatus that showed support and love. It means more to me more than you guys will possibly understand, so thank you for that. I'm doing slightly better, but all in all, my Writer's Block has greatly improved. We're back to our regularly scheduled stories!
Last Time:
"Kakashi-kun?" Kushina followed his line of sight and saw he was staring at Minato.
"He's still sick," Kakashi said.
"Huh?" Kushina looked back at Kakashi. "What're you talking about?"
"Minato-otousan is still sick," Kakashi repeated. "I felt the back of his neck, and he was burning up. His fever might even be higher than what it was the other day."
Kushina's eyes widened. As she stood up, she looked at Minato and saw just how hard he was playing. Then she noticed the look in his eyes, and he was utterly exhausted. She wasn't sure how bad Minato truly was, but she feared the possibility of Minato collapsing on stage.
Despite still being sick, Minato played through it all. And he smiled. As they finished their sixth song, Minato approached the mic and chuckled, "As much as it pains me to say this, this'll be our final song for the evening."
The Konoha Life: Chapter 21 –
"Minato-kun!" Kushina's shrill cry resounded backstage as Minato collapsed.
Fugaku and Kizashi were quick to be by Minato's side as they tried to wake him up while Mikoto ran off stage to their backpacks and struggled to find her phone. Kushina pleaded for anyone to call for an ambulance, but many stood back, shocked and too stunned to do anything.
And off to the side, Iruka held onto Kakashi's hand and watched with wide eyes. As for Kakashi, he was pale in the face and trembling. For a moment, he saw flashes of his parents and remembered the seemingly unending moments where either his mother or father collapsed. Overcome with the sudden rush of nightmarish memories, Kakashi fainted.
"Hey!" Kiyoshi caught Kakashi before he hit the ground. "Kakashi? Hey, Kakashi!"
"Mikoto!" Fugaku called to her as he lifted Minato into his arms. "Grab our stuff, we'll drive him to the hospital ourselves. Whose car is closer?"
"My van is by the loading dock," Kizashi said as he took his backpack from Mikoto and fished out his keys.
Together, the lot of them piled into Kizashi's van with an unconscious Minato and Kakashi. Iruka called Kakashi's name relentlessly while Kushina struggled to get Minato to open his eyes. Kizashi drove as fast as his van allowed and did his best to keep from turning his van over when turning. Fortunately, they – and the van – made it in one piece.
As Kizashi came to a screeching halt at the emergency room entrance, Fugaku jumped out and opened the side doors. He pulled Minato out of the van and rushed him inside. Kushina climbed out and took Kakashi from Kiyoshi, while Kiyoshi carried a now trembling Iruka inside. Mikoto and Kizashi followed in after them while Mebuki took the van and parked it elsewhere.
"What's wrong with him?" an emergency room doctor requested as she halted whatever paperwork she was handling at the circulation desk.
"He collapsed," Fugaku answered as a pair of nurses hurried over with a stretcher. He put Minato down, and the doctor gave Minato a quick once over.
"He's burning up," the doctor muttered. "Get an official read on his vitals and put him on ice. We need to get his temperature down first."
Just as quickly as the nurses appeared, they disappeared behind a set of double doors with Minato.
The doctor then noticed an unconscious Kakashi in Kushina's arm, "And what's wrong with this one?"
"I don't know," Kushina answered. "He fainted shortly after Minato-kun did."
"We'll get him evaluated and make sure nothing is seriously wrong with him," the doctor assured her as he gave Kakashi a quick once over as well. "Nothing seems immediately wrong. Come with me, there's a bed available."
"We'll be out here," Mikoto assured Kushina.
Kushina nodded and followed the doctor through the double doors and too an available bed. While Kushina stayed with Kakashi, Fugaku, Kizashi, Mikoto, and Mebuki lingered in the waiting room. Tsunade and Jiraiya showed up not too much after the others, and Fugaku explained the situation.
Tsunade beat herself up for not noticing that Minato hadn't fully recovered, and Jiraiya reassured her that Minato had everyone convinced her was better. Nawaki arrived soon after Jiraiya and Tsunade with his girlfriend, Katou Shizune, in tow behind him. Together, the lot of them sat impatiently in the waiting room for any kind of news.
In the back, Kushina sat with Kakashi, and affectionately rubbed his head. He was still unconscious, but after going through some preliminary evaluations, it was ruled that he was fine. The doctor chalked it up to Kakashi having seen Minato collapse, and in turn, inevitably fainting in response.
"It happens to a lot more people than you think," the doctor assured her. "It's something about the shock and somewhat initial 'terror' one feels when they witness someone else fainting or collapsing. For some, it becomes overwhelming to the point where they shut down as well. Just give him some time to 'reboot' so to say, and he'll wake up."
"Okay, thank you," Kushina said and watched as the doctor left the room. She let out a heavy sigh and laid her head down on the edge of Kakashi's bed, "At least you're okay. There's no telling how Minato would react if you'd been sick too."
"Kushina?"
Kushina looked toward the entryway and saw Kiyoshi standing there with Iruka in his arms, "Is everything okay?"
"I should be the one asking you that," Kiyoshi countered as he let Iruka down onto Kakashi's bed. "Is he okay?"
"He's fine," Kushina answered. "The doctor said that seeing Minato collapse must've been overwhelming for Kakashi, so he fainted."
Iruka was silent. He simply sat there staring at Kakashi for a long while before he eventually laid down beside him. Kushina sighed and gently patted Iruka's head. Kiyoshi pulled up a chair beside Kushina and rubbed the top of her head too.
"I'm the older sister here," Kushina whined.
"Yeah." Kiyoshi continued to rub her head.
It was close to two hours before they heard anything about Minato. When his doctor did finally reappear in the emergency room waiting room, they were all on their feet in an instant.
"Well," the doctor sighed, "I should start by saying that it's a good thing you got him here when you did."
"What's wrong with him?" Jiraiya asked.
The doctor referenced his tablet, "For starters, he's suffering from a severe case of pneumonia and extreme fatigue. When he was first checked in, he had a fever of 104.8 which is incredibly dangerous. What was he doing before you brought him here?"
"We were performing at Summer Fling," Kizashi answered quietly.
"He was performing?" the doctor seemed surprised.
Fugaku nodded, "We had just finished a seven-song set when he collapsed."
"Well then," the doctor adjusted his glasses, "he's resilient, I'll say that much. If anything, he was on the brink of collapse for a majority of today since a lot of his muscles are strained, and even some of his internal organs seemed to have been working double overtime to keep him going. It's quite honestly a miracle that he's alive right now to tell you the truth."
"That idiot," Tsunade cursed.
"We're getting some fluids and medication in him now, and we got his fever down to more manageable levels," the doctor explained. "We're going to keep him in the ICU for a couple of days, but then we'll move him to a normal room if he remains stable these next three days."
"Three days?" Jiraiya repeated.
The doctor nodded, "As I said before, he was in pretty bad shape when he was brought in. She's in something close to a coma, but this is just his body recovering from everything. Give him a few days to sleep and recover, and he'll wake up feeling much better than when he collapsed. In my opinion, it should be closer to a week before he wakes up if not two."
"Can we see him?" Tsunade asked.
"Soon," the doctor replied. "They're moving him into a room now, and once he's set up, I'll have a nurse come out and get you. Please keep it to two visitors at a time, he's still very weak, and even though he's unconscious, he's still prone to infections. So if any of you are feeling even slightly under the weather, don't go bear him."
"Understood. Thank you, Doctor," Jiraiya thanked her and shook her hand.
The doctor smiled and nodded before wandering off. When she was gone, Fugaku and Kizashi cussed at themselves for neglecting to notice how sick Minato was before they went out to perform. Jiraiya assured them that regardless of how Minato felt, he would've still done anything he could've done to perform.
"Kushina."
They all turned and saw Kushina entering the waiting room with Kiyoshi, Iruka, and a now conscious Kakashi who clung to the hem of Kushina's shirt. Mikoto updated them on Minato's condition, and at the sound of it, Kakashi wandered off.
"It'll be a minute before we can go back, we'll wait for you, " Tsunade told Kushina.
"Ah, thank you," Kushina said before following after Kakashi.
He walked with a quickened pace, and as he maneuvered through the maze-like hallways, Kushina couldn't help but wonder why Kakashi was able to move so freely and assuredly through the hospital. They eventually came to an elevator that looked different compared to the others they'd passed, and she quickly got on before the doors closed.
Before Kushina could ask anything, Kakashi fished a keycard out of his pocket and scanned it. The elevator began to ascend, and though Kushina was sure he hadn't lifted it, she was still curious about where Kakashi was headed. Then the doors opened on the private floor for patients who preferred extra privacy and special amenities.
"Kakashi?" Kushina followed him off the elevator and towards a room. And she noticed the nameplate. "Hatake Kaori?"
Kakashi opened the door without knocking, and there Kushina saw the young woman laid out on her hospital bed with a multitude of monitors beating rhythmically behind her. She seemed to be in the middle of watching something, but when she heard the door open, she turned to see who had entered.
"Kakashi?" Kaori sat up slowly, and Kushina could see how weak she looked. "What're you doing here? Where's Minato?"
"He's downstairs," Kakashi answered as he pushed a chair near his mother's bedside and took a seat. "He's sick."
"Oh." Kaori didn't seem to know what to say. Then she looked at Kushina, "And who are you?"
"Uzumaki Kushina," Kushina answered.
"She's Minato-otouchan's girlfriend," Kakashi answered as he looked back at Kushina. "This is my mom, Hatake Kaori."
Kushina was at a loss for words now. She thought back to all the things Kaori had written about Minato that were read back during court, and at the sight of her, she realized why Kaori never appeared in court herself. She seemed fragile. Almost as if the wind blew too hard, she would tip over with ease and shatter against the ground in impact. She was pale, and her breathing was harsh. And then she noticed all the bandages that covered the inside of her arm.
"I'll give you two some time," Kushina eventually said. She stepped out of the room and quietly closed the door.
Between Kakashi and Kaori, nothing was said. The only sound in the room came from the monitors and machines hooked up to Kaori, with the TV playing low in the background.
"Otou-san called the other say," Kakashi finally said. "He says he's doing his best."
Kaori smiled a little, "Is that so? That's good."
Kakashi nodded in agreement, "I know that I'm not supposed to understand a lot of what's going on right now, but… please, just get better…"
Kaori was silent. She watched in horror as Kakashi lowered his head and began to tremble.
"Please," Kakashi pleaded as his voice cracked, and tears fell from his eyes, "I'm begging you."
Tears welled up in Kaori's eyes as she watched her son plead with her. There were a million and one things she wanted to say to him, but none of them seemed right. To her, no apology in the world would be acceptable for her to say to Kakashi at this moment or any moment after. There were so many things she wanted to change about her past at that moment, but she was well past the point of no return.
So, instead of apologizing for all she'd done, she put on the strongest smile she could with tears in her eyes and said, "I'll do my best."
A few floors down, Tsunade sat by Minato's bedside. She held his hand in hers and gently brushed her thumb against the back of it while humming quietly. She stopped, though when she heard a gentle knocking on the door. She turned to see Kushina ease her way into the room and gently slide the door closed behind her.
"Where's Kakashi?" Tsunade asked.
"He's with his mom," Kushina answered.
"Ah." Tsunade didn't seem all that surprised, "I forgot Kaori was admitted here. How did she look?"
Kushina hesitated to answer, but that was enough of an answer for Tsunade.
"I figured as much," Tsunade muttered as she looked back at Minato. "You know, when I was growing up, I never wanted children. My little brother Nawaki was enough of a handful that I considered my days with him my parenting years."
"Was Nawaki-san that much of a handful?" Kushina asked, and Tsunade laughed.
"Handful would be an understatement for how rambunctious Nawaki was when he was younger," Tsunade explained. "He hasn't changed much since then, but he's matured in his own way. But, like I said, I considered my parenting years done when I finally moved out. And even when Jiraiya and I started dating, I told him I didn't want children.
"And even after Masaru died, I wasn't too sure about taking in Minato," Tsunade admitted quietly. "We were all so young with fresh careers, a child would've changed a lot of that if we weren't careful, but when I saw Minato's face that day, I swore right then, and there I would do everything I could to make sure he never made that face again."
Kushina pulled up a chair beside Tsunade, "Minato tells me a lot about how thankful he is for the two of you. And he tells me about how much you love him."
Tsunade smiled a bit, "Does he? I won't lie, Minato was a handful at times himself, but he was always the sweetest kid. I like to think I had something to do with that, but I'm not all that sure about it."
Kushina recalled some stories Minato had told her about Tsunade's temper, but she settled on keeping that bit of information to herself.
Tsunade sighed, "Will you keep an eye on him for me?"
"Ma'am?" Kushina watched as Tsunade let go of Minato's hand and took hers instead.
"As you can see, Minato can be neglectful of himself for the sake of others," Tsunade began. "This isn't the first time he's run himself ragged, and it probably won't be the last. Usually, if you can reign him in, he's fine, and I can't be that person for him anymore. At least, he won't let me be that person for him anymore."
Kushina pursed her lips together, "But I didn't even notice he was still sick."
"It's not always easy to read Minato, but I don't doubt you'll learn how to read him better than he reads himself," Tsunade assured her. "Just between the two of us, he talks about you more than anybody. He's usually pretty hesitant when it comes to new people, but there was something about you that made him forget all his old rules. To me, that means you're something especially special."
Kushina couldn't help but turn red as Tsunade talked. Tsunade chuckled in response and squeezed Kushina's hand, "Can I trust my son to you, Kushina?"
Kushina nodded, "I'll do my best."
"That's all I ask," Tsunade said.
There was another knock on the door, and Jiraiya entered this time.
"They said two at a time," Tsunade whined.
"I snuck by the nurses," Jiraiya said. "We have to leave soon. I just wanted to come to check on him before then."
"You're leaving?" Kushina asked.
Tsunade wore an apologetic smile, "We're still in the middle of a tour. We only had a few days off to come to watch their performance tonight."
"And we have to get back by the morning," Jiraiya answered. "We have a show tomorrow night, and as talented as Orochimaru is, he can't do it on his own."
"What about Kakashi and Iruka, though?" Kushina asked.
"I already spoke with Nawaki and Shizune, and they agreed to watch them while Minato recovers," Jiraiya assured her. "Everything is taken care of. All we need from you is to keep us updated on his condition, especially if anything changes. And especially call us when he wakes up."
Kushina nodded, "I can do that."
"Thank you," Tsunade said.
"All right, you seem to be in very capable hands here, so get plenty of rest and recover quickly," Jiraiya said as he looked at Minato. "Kakashi and Iruka are waiting for you, and if Kushina gets too lonely, she'll run off and find company elsewhere."
"Jiraiya," Tsunade scolded as she hit his shoulder.
Jiraiya chuckled, "I'm kidding." Jiraiya leaned down and kissed Minato's forehead, "Get better soon."
Tsunade squeezed by Jiraiya and kissed Minato's check nearly a dozen times before finally letting up. Together, they thanked Kushina for keeping an eye on Minato before they left. With them gone, Kizashi and Fugaku took turns coming in to check on Minato, and eventually, Mikoto and Mebuki joined them, and together, they all sat in Minato's room watching him.
Kakashi showed up a little while later with a slightly flustered Kiyoshi behind him who'd gotten lost trying to find a vending machine with Iruka. They were both relieved to be reunited with the rest, and together, they all sat in Minato's room.
Eventually, a nurse came in to check on Minato to see the group of them in there together. She scolded them for crowding his room and quickly them out of Minato's room and the ICU all together. She informed them of their visiting hours before "slamming" the swinging doors in their faces.
"Y'all ready to go?" Nawaki asked as they returned to the emergency room waiting room.
"Can we stay with you tonight?" Iruka asked as he held Kushina's hand and looked up at her.
"Um." Kushina looked back at Mikoto and Mebuki.
"Of course, you can stay with us!" Mikoto exclaimed as she swooped down and scooped Iruka up. "We'll have a big slumber party."
"Yay!" Iruka exclaimed.
"I'll bring them by tomorrow morning?" Kushina suggested to Shizune and Nawaki.
"We'll pick them up," Shizune assured her. "Here, just call me when they're ready to be picked up."
Kushina nodded, "Okay. Thank you."
"Don't stay up too late," Nawaki warned before leaving with Shizune.
"We'll stop by the convenience store on the way back and load up on junk food," Kizashi declared, and Iruka cheered.
Fugaku shook his head as he followed after a matching Kizashi. Mikoto, Mebuki, Kushina, Kiyoshi, Kakashi, and Iruka followed, and they all piled into Kizashi's van once more. As Kizashi had said before, they stopped by the convenience store near campus and loaded up on junk food before returning home.
They stayed up until five before they all fell asleep somewhere in the living room. And while they slept, they didn't have the slightest idea for what they'd be waking up to later that day.
To Be Continued…
