Kohaku found that death was quite peaceful, if rather empty. Nothing hurt anymore, and he didn't have to fight just to stay standing, which was a blessing after his tangle with Matabei's monstrous creation.
He did find, however, that he was completely alone in the dark. This was a fact that he did not like, and something that he didn't particularly want to deal with for the rest of eternity.
And so, set on finding some sort of light, Kohaku stood up and began to walk. He looked around, frowning a little.
What was he doing here anyway? His memories of before he had woken up here were blurry at best, and the most he could remember was an agonizing pain. It was strange, really, that he had ended up in such a place like this. He was worried that he was forgetting something important.
Where was he, anyway? Kohaku found that it was difficult to remember what he had been thinking about just a few moments ago. This was a feeling that he didn't like. He felt as if he were going crazy in this dark, empty place.
Kohaku felt as if he had been here before, but that something was different this time. He supposed that he should trust his instincts to get out of here; he was certain, though he didn't know how, that his instincts had never led him wrong.
Pausing for a moment, he looked around in the darkness. All around him, it stretched outwards with no end and no perceptible difference no matter which direction he looked.
Admittedly, the darkness was scaring him. He just wanted to go home, but he didn't know where home was. He didn't know where anything was anymore.
What a terrible curse it was to be so afraid of the dark and to only be surrounded by it with no memories of who he was or where he should be going. Had he ever felt safe before?
Kohaku stopped, vaguely remembering the ghost of someone's arms wrapped securely around him. He could not remember who had held him like this, but he remembered that he had felt safe in their embrace.
A longing that he couldn't quite quell rose up inside him. He wanted to be held like that again. He felt that if he were in those arms, he wouldn't have to be so afraid of this endless darkness anymore.
A soft sigh escaped his lips as he glanced around. Nothing was visibly different, but...there was definitely something different here now.
Kohaku looked around, realizing that the temperature had changed. To his left, everything was as cold as it had been since he had arrived here. To his right, he felt a comforting warmth, somehow familiar to him.
It wasn't really much of a decision for him. He turned and slowly began walking towards the warmth.
The farther he walked, the safer he felt. Vague sensations and wisps of memories assaulted his senses in the strangest ways. There was the feeling of someone ruffling his hair, and a warm feeling of affection that accompanied it.
He could feel a slobbery tongue licking his cheek delightedly, and a fluffy tail brushing against his leg as it wagged. Warm feelings of happiness accompanied this memory, and he wished he could remember what sort of animal that it was that had licked him like this.
He felt the phantom of a gentle hand on the back of his neck, and felt the vague sensation of a brush smoothing out his long hair.
Something clicked in Kohaku's mind, and he frowned. He knew who this was, but at the same time could not put a name or face to it, no matter how hard he tried to force himself to remember. He knew the sad expression that they would be wearing as they stared down at him, and he knew that he did not want them to feel so sad.
Kohaku began to walk faster, his memories piecing themselves back together the farther he went. Hazy memories in his mind unfolded before him, and the more he remembered, the more his heart sank.
He was beginning to remember where he was.
"I don't...I don't want to die." Kohaku whispered almost to himself, wondering how he had been so calm talking to Kushina, all the while knowing that he was going to die; that he was willingly transferring what little life he had left to her.
Kohaku remembered the kiss he had shared with Kakashi, and the promise that he had made him. He didn't want to break that promise, but he didn't know what he could do to prevent it.
Before he knew it, Kohaku was running, running for the sense of familiarity before him. Running for the faint sound of someone's voice far off in the distance. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry, Kakashi…!"
Kohaku tripped, sprawling forward with one hand outstretched for the life that was slipping through his fingers like sand. He crashed into the ground, his eyes squeezing shut as he braced for the impact.
Except, it never came.
When Kohaku opened his mismatched eyes next, weak sunlight was shining down on him, shadowed only by the blurry silhouette of the one he loved more than anything in the world.
Kohaku reached up slowly, the pain from his wounds returning in waves, along with his hearing. He brushed his fingers against Kakashi's cheek ever so slightly, wondering why his fingers came away damp.
"Damn, that was close." Tamayo's exhausted voice floated over from somewhere to his right. "I thought for sure I was too late…"
Kohaku paid very little attention to her voice, instead staring up at Kakashi, his vision finally clearing enough for him to see more than blurry shapes. He noticed the shock and fear that clouded Kakashi's eyes, worse than it had been the last time he had nearly died.
"You...you're okay…" Kakashi whispered softly, lifting Kohaku into his arms gently. He held him so desperately that Kohaku wondered if he were afraid of letting him go.
"I promised…" Kohaku whispered, offering him a weak smile. "I promised that...I would come back to you. I'm sorry...that I kept you waiting."
In that moment, it seemed as if Kakashi were going to break down completely. But he swallowed back his tears for the moment, shaking as he pulled Kohaku into a tight hug, his face pressed against his neck.
"That's the second time you've died on me." He whispered so quietly that only Kohaku could hear him. "You're going to worry me to death."
"I'll always come back to you…" Kohaku whispered, his smile growing wider. "I love you too much to just die."
"I hate to interrupt your reunion, but we do still have a problem." Tamayo said rather loudly.
Kakashi lifted his head for a moment and glanced at her, while Kohaku did the same. "The Kyuubi and Ichika have both been taken care of."
"Yes, but there's still the one that released the Kyuubi in the first place. Yondaime-sama is still fighting him, I think." Tamayo stared at Kohaku with a piercing look, as if she were trying to silently tell him something.
"Obito." Kohaku said softly, a frown crossing his face as he sat up slowly in Kakashi's lap. Agony tore through his ribcage, where he'd been wounded, but he paid no mind to it.
Tamayo tilted her head, frowning. "Don't strain yourself too much. I healed the worst of the damage, but you're still not strong enough for a fight. I don't want all my hard work to go to waste."
Kohaku glanced at Kakashi, frowning. "I think I know how to get through to him." He said softly. "Will you help me?"
The hesitance in Kakashi's eyes made Kohaku wonder if he would refuse, but all he did was give a slight nod. He helped Kohaku stand up, forcing him to lean against him.
"I saw them go towards the Forest of Death." Tamayo said helpfully. She glanced at Kushina before glancing back at Kohaku and Kakashi. "I don't think he's too far gone for his mind to be changed, so please do what you can to help him. I don't want to have anymore patients of mine to die because of his actions, both past and future."
Kakashi nodded slightly, glancing at Kohaku briefly. "Are you ready to end this?" He asked him softly.
Kohaku could not help but think of the peaceful days that would lie ahead if they could stop Obito; days that he could spend with Kakashi without having to worry about the Kyuubi being freed, or having anymore important people being taken from him.
"Yes, I'm ready."
