Chapter Twenty-Seven

Kohaku didn't remember much of anything after offering Obito his hand. He'd been struck by an overwhelming feeling of dizziness, and then everything went dark.

The next thing he knew, he was blinking himself awake in a dark room, only a sliver of moonlight shining into the room through the shades. It took him a moment to realize that he was in the hospital, disoriented and suddenly afraid.

He didn't know what had happened after he lost consciousness. Was Kakashi okay? What about Minato and Kushina and Naruto? Had Obito given himself up, or had he been the reason that Kohaku collapsed in the first place?

Kohaku sat up slowly, a pained gasp barely escaping his lips. He had really overdone it this time, and he was paying for it.

He glanced around slowly, first noticing the flowers that had been left on the nightstand for him and a few cards accompanying them. It wasn't enough to help him piece together what had happened, but it was enough to reassure him that Konoha was safe at least.

A soft sigh escaped his lips and he glanced in the other direction, startled to see Kakashi asleep halfway on his bed and halfway in a chair. He had been so out of it that he hadn't even noticed he was there at first.

Kohaku reached out slowly, placing a hand on Kakashi's head gently and running his fingers through his hair. He couldn't help but smile a little, relieved that he was alright even after all that had happened and all that he suffered. He knew he must be tired, and so he did his best not to disturb him, though it was a futile effort.

The moment that Kohaku placed his hand on his head, Kakashi woke up, sitting up quickly. His one visible eye widened in surprise when he saw Kohaku sitting up, and for a moment, he just sat there, as if he were frozen.

"Kohaku…" His voice was hardly more than a whisper. A moment later, he pulled him into a tight hug, trying not to cause him anymore pain, but desperate to be close to him.

"I think I'm alright now." Kohaku said softly, slowly wrapping his own arms around him. He felt better now that he knew Kakashi was safe. "I'm not sure what happened, but I'm sorry if I scared you."

"You pushed yourself too much." Kakashi said softly. "You tried to do too much, when you needed to stay back and rest."

"I'm sorry." Kohaku said softly, reaching up and placing one hand on Kakashi's cheek. "I'm sorry I scared you, and I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you. I should have. But I'm okay now. I promise." He ran his thumb over Kakashi's cheekbone, meeting Kakashi's eye without hesitation.

"You've done nothing but give me heart attacks over these last several days." Kakashi whispered, unable to take his eye off of him. "But...I don't even care, because you really will be okay."

Kohaku smiled at him gently, tightening his arm around him gently. "You sound like you need to rest. You almost sound incoherent. When was the last time you really slept?" He had his suspicions.

"I've been resting while you were asleep…" Kakashi trailed off when he saw Kohaku's expression. "I haven't really slept since the night before we came back to the village."

A frown crossed Kohaku's face and he loosened his grip around him gently, lying back down on his bed. "Come lie down with me."

Kakashi hesitated for just a moment before climbing into the bed next to him. He couldn't help but smile faintly under his mask when Kohaku immediately shifted closer. It was nice that Kohaku wanted to be so close to him, that he trusted him so much.

"Y'know...I think we deserve a vacation after all this." Kohaku mumbled as he shut his eyes, resting face close to Kakashi's. "Somewhere warm and sunny, and just the two of us."

Kakashi watched Kohaku, gently running his hands through his tangled hair. "Sure." He replied softly. "Where do you want to go?" It was nice to think that maybe they could relax for a while.

"Mm...there's a place I know. But, if I'm being honest, as long as I'm with you, I don't care where we go." Kohaku replied sleepily. "I just want to be with you. I want to hold your hand."

"We'll be together from now on." Kakashi said softly, taking his hand. He shut his eye and smiled again. "I have something I want to ask you."

"What is it?" Kohaku asked as he burrowed closer, squeezing Kakashi's hand.

"Why don't you just keep living with me? You don't have to go back to your apartment, and...I've grown used to having you around." Kakashi asked, almost sounding hesitant.

"Of course. I wasn't planning on leaving, anyway. Even if you didn't share my feelings, you were going to be stuck with me. You make me feel safe, and living with you has made me comfortable enough to relax." Kohaku smiled a little when he heard Kakashi chuckle.

"You don't have to sleep on the couch anymore." Kakashi said softly. "We can just sleep like this."

Kohaku nodded slightly, yawning a little. He was still exhausted, and admittedly, it was hard to stay awake. "I'd really like that." He paused for a moment before continuing. "You should really get some rest, though. I love you."

Kakashi couldn't help the way his cheeks tinted red as he leaned closer and gave him a gentle kiss through his mask. "I love you, too."