Chapter Twenty-Three

The group stopped for the night in a small clearing, shrouded safely by shrubs and bushes. None of them could go much farther, exhausted from each of the struggles they had faced together and apart.

Hisahito sat next to Kohaku, working on clearing some of the blood that had been filling his lungs up away so that he could breathe more easily. While he did have some experience with medical training, he was not an expert, so the most he managed to do was slow the bleeding for the time being, so that they would have more time to get him back safely.

Meanwhile, Kakashi set up traps around the area, moving much in the same way that a zombie would, exhausted beyond belief. The only thing keeping him going was the desire to make sure that Kohaku was safe and protected.

Kohaku stayed quiet, his gaze focused on Kakashi the majority of the time, occasionally shifting towards Hisayo, who was still unconscious, but thankfully not in terrible condition, other than her broken leg. He wanted to talk to Kakashi, wanted to tell him how he felt, but he didn't want to tell him while Hisahito could hear him. He was self-conscious, and this was...important, and a little scary.

Kakashi came back a few moments later, sitting next to Kohaku, who sat leaning against a tree. He let out a weary sigh and rested his head back against the tree next to Kohaku's head. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm alright." Kohaku replied, shifting his head just slightly so that he could watch Kakashi from the corner of his eye. "Just tired. How are you doing?"

The only response Kohaku received was a shrug. Kakashi was looking away from him now, and Kohaku could not figure out what was wrong.

A soft sigh escaped Kohaku's lips and he reached over slowly, taking Kakashi's hand gently and squeezing it. "I'm here for you." He spoke so softly that Hisahito, who was taking care of Hisayo on the other side of the clearing, could not hear him.

"How are you okay after all that?" Kakashi asked just as softly.

Kohaku frowned and gently leaned his head on Kakashi's shoulder. "I'm okay because I got you out of there." He sighed and watched as Hisahito laid down to rest, wondering if he were going to have an opportunity to really talk to Kakashi now.

"How were you able to go back down there? You were so afraid the last time I saw you." Kakashi asked, shifting closer to him.

"Because my fear of losing you was greater than returning to those caves." It was a rather forward answer, but Kohaku felt that he needed to be bluntly honest. He couldn't put this off anymore, no matter how it changed their relationship.

Kakashi turned and pulled Kohaku into a gentle hug, taking care not to brush against his wounds. "You scared me half to death today." He whispered, shutting his eye as he rested his face against Kohaku's throat.

"I'm sorry." Kohaku shut his eyes and pressed his face against Kakashi's unruly hair, relaxing for the first time since he'd last seen him. "But you've been scaring me for the last four months. Not knowing where you were or if you were okay. But it doesn't matter now. We're both going to be okay."

"You're right." Kakashi sighed softly, absentmindedly rubbing Kohaku's back as he relaxed against him. "Just as long as we're all okay."

Kohaku nodded slightly, opening his eyes and glancing over to see if Hisahito had fallen asleep yet, relieved to find that he was snoring. He turned his attention back to Kakashi and sighed softly. "I want to talk to you about something…it's important, and…" He paused, unable to hold back a painful cough. "And today made me realize that I don't want to die regretting never telling you this."

"You're not going to die anytime soon, Kohaku." Kakashi said sternly, looking up at him anxiously.

Kohaku briefly wondered when Kakashi had become so comfortable around him that he didn't bother to hide how he felt anymore. "That's not something we can predict, Kakashi, but that's not the point here anyway." He mumbled. "I want to tell you how I feel about you." He shifted his gaze away, feeling his cheeks heat up a little.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked, and Kohaku missed the way his eye widened at his words as he wondered if it meant what he thought it did.

"What I mean is...and forgive me for not knowing how to say this. This is...a new experience for me." Kohaku coughed, covering his mouth with his hand. When he moved it away, there was fresh blood, but less than before. He wiped the blood away on the grass, letting out a soft sigh. "I really, really like you."

"...you like me? What do you mean by that?" Kakashi's voice grew softer as he spoke, his heartbeat seeming to pick up with a nervousness he could not completely hide.

Kohaku grew flustered, his face turning beet red. "Are you teasing me?" He asked, biting his lip. One glance at the mischievous glint in Kakashi's eye told him all he needed to know. He looked away again and refused to look at him again when Kakashi asked him to.

"Come on, Kohaku...I'm sorry." Kakashi couldn't help but laugh a little as he leaned closer to him. "Look at me. I won't tease you anymore. I just want to hear you say it again."

Pausing for a moment, Kohaku came up with a better idea. It would be a guarantee that he wouldn't have to say a word.

Kohaku took a deep breath and turned to face Kakashi, meeting his gaze for just a moment before placing both hands on his cheeks and leaning so close that their noses touched, their lips not terribly much far apart.

Then his eyelids fluttered shut as he closed the distance between their lips, pressing a chaste kiss against his, their lips separated only by the suddenly annoying fabric of Kakashi's mask.

He pulled away after a moment, shifting his gaze away from Kakashi. "I hope that got the meaning across." He whispered.

"It certainly did." Kakashi replied after a moment, staring at Kohaku as if he had just been given an unexpected gift. "Will you look at me?"

Kohaku hesitated for a moment, still feeling rather flustered and embarrassed. This was not something he did often, or ever, really. Now that he thought about it, this was more likely the first time he had ever done something like this, and it was certainly a strange experience. Strange, but...nice.

After a moment, he slowly turned to face Kakashi, startled when he found Kakashi's lips pressed against his own again almost immediately, this time without the mask as a barrier. He relaxed against his touch after a moment and leaned into the kiss. His guard was down now.

When they pulled apart, it took less than a second for Kakashi to quickly pull his mask up, just in case Hisahito or Hisayo woke up.

Kohaku didn't mind, merely resting his head against Kakashi's shoulder gently. "What does this mean for us?" He asked quietly, shifting further into his gentle embrace, comforted by his warmth.

"What do you want it to mean for us?" Kakashi asked after a moment's hesitation.

"I want it to mean that we'll stay together like this. I like being close to you, talking to you...kissing you." Kohaku whispered, shutting his eyes. He was growing tired. "I feel as if I don't have to be afraid of the dark when you're around. I think...I need to rest."

"Go to sleep, Kohaku. I'll be here when you wake up. I promise." Kakashi gently pulled him close, running one hand through Kohaku's wild hair to soothe him.

A soft sigh escaped Kohaku's lips as he pressed his face against Kakashi's neck. It took only a few moments for him to drift off into a comfortable sleep.