Chapter 12: Falling
It happened too suddenly for him to realize it was happening, as if a disaster struck and ruined everything in it's path in just a few mere seconds, without any prior warning.
Well, saying that his body wasn't giving him warning signs would be a lie. Kakashi had noticed the blatant soreness of his muscles and the constant ache in his head, but he ignored this, putting it to the side as if it were a mere graze from a kunai, when it really was something much more serious. Part of the reason Kakashi buried this constant pain and fatigue into the deepest part of his consciousness was because he still refused to believe that there was anything wrong with him, that he had a tumor in his brain. He denied the fact that he was morphing into someone he didn't know, and that he didn't have enough stamina to carry out a proper mission. He wouldn't- he couldn't accept that he would soon be unable to fight as a shinobi.
But on the morning after the mission to the Land of Waves, it was extremely hard for him to simply ignore his body's protests for him to lie down, to relax for just one day, if not take the whole week off. To put it bluntly, Kakashi woke up on the wrong side of his queen sized bed. It took him a long while to actually ease himself up and off of the hard mattress, since his head was pounding with such bitter virulence, as if it were punishing him for not taking proper measures to insure that he was in good health. Well, as "good" as his health could be with his current predicament.
When he finally did manage to plant his feet on the cold wood of his floor , he was so intensely disoriented from the sharp throbbing of his headache and how his stomach was turning so mercilessly, that he had to use the wall for support to make the inevitable trip to the restroom down the hall. He plowed on nonetheless, his determination to get through the whole day overpowering the voice in the back of his mind that told him to slink back under the covers until he felt well enough.
So, after slipping into his uniform, Kakashi tiredly body flickered to the training grounds against his better judgement, skipping out on breakfast out of fear that it would come right back up. He used the technique with the false hope that it wouldn't ruin him in front of his Genin and because of the fact that his legs were too sore and stiff to make the trip on foot.
*POOF*
It was a mistake. His body made sure he knew that.
Kakashi's stomach flew up to his throat; the technique, which required moving at practically untraceable speeds, had undoubtedly worsened his already unbearable symptoms. He put a shaky hand to his masked mouth, his forehead beaded with cold, clammy sweat.
"Kakashi-sensei! Finally, you're here!" a certain blonde ninja called out. The Uzumaki jogged toward his sensei upon hearing the familiar 'poof', his two teammates following closely behind him. The three genin skidded to a stop in front of the jonin, arms crossed petulantly.
The copy ninja's body jerked with a sudden impulse to gag, the visible portion of his face taking on a sickly white color. The angry disposition of his three students was quickly replaced with concern. Maybe their sensei really did have a reason for arriving later than usual...
"Ne, Kakashi-sensei? Are you feeling alright?" Sakura started timidly, "Because you don't look so goo-"
Kakashi couldn't hold it in anymore. Instead of reassuring her like he wanted to, like a sensei was supposed to, he clumsily turned to face away from them, falling to his knees as his aching legs gave away beneath him. The jonin yanked his mask down with haste, just in time to spill the contents of his stomach onto the perfectly dewy grass. The three teens jolted forward, at their sensei's side in a second.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cried out in disbelief, placing an alarmed hand on the man's shaking shoulders. Kakashi painfully heaved once more, a glistening, colorless stomach acid splattering across the ground, the grotesque sounds of his retching penetrating their ears instead of his usual excuses for being tardy.
"Why'd you come to training if you were sick?!" Sasuke questioned urgently, a bead of sweat forming at his brow. The three of them stood around Kakashi anxiously, their worry clouding the surprise they had at unintentionally seeing how his face looked for the first time. Sakura stepped forward and started rubbing circles across his hunched back as he vomited, her hands trembling.
Kakashi shamefully gagged on the burning liquid that he was bringing up, truly regretting coming to training that day. He was horrified that they had to see him in such circumstances, that they were forced to witness the illness he had been trying to hide so dutifully. Sasuke was right; he should've stayed at home and dealt with his ailment by himself. He shakily wiped his lips and pulled his mask back up, forcing himself to sit up straighter. With a hand clutching his sore abdomen, Kakashi attempted to stand.
He tried pushing his legs up, but after a few pained grunts, he realized that he simply couldn't. Kakashi had taken this too far. He hadn't paid enough attention to how he was feeling, what his body was trying to tell him. But he couldn't just sit there forever; he needed to get up, at least so that he could make the trip back home-
"Sit down, Kakashi," Sasuke commanded sternly, taking the lead since Sakura and Naruto were frozen at their feet, too shaken up to say anything. Kakashi-sensei was supposed to be the strong one, a ninja that doesn't break a sweat even when fighting the worst of enemies.
Kakashi slumped to the ground, defeated. Defeated by his own body.
"Sakura," the Uchiha uttered, turning toward the kunoichi, "Get Asuma, he's on the training field right next to ours. "
As intelligent and independent as Sasuke was, he himself didn't know how to handle the situation. Sasuke knew Kakashi was ill, that there was something that was just wrong with him, but he didn't know what it was, or how to treat it, for that matter. After a few moments of unintelligible silence, Sakura nodded vigorously, her face set with determination. She dashed off, running faster than her legs were used to.
"Um...Kakashi-Sensei, let's move to that tree, okay?" Naruto started softly, pointing toward a large oak tree in the distance, that offered a generous amount of shade, "So the sun won't bother you too much, ya know."
Without even waiting for the jonin's reply, Naruto grabbed one of his limp arms and threw it over his shoulders, gesturing for Sasuke to take the other. The three of them made the trip in relative silence, choosing to ignore the way Kakashi's feet dragged over the grass, making a distinct shuffling sound, and how he was leaning on them so heavily, as if he were barely conscious.
Kakashi grunted as they eased him onto the ground, his legs stretched out in front of him as he leaned back onto the bark. Sasuke remained standing, inspecting the jonin below him with a scrutinizing gaze, while Naruto decided to take the spot next to Kakashi.
"Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto said rather quietly for someone like him, adjusting his headband, "What's wrong with you?"
Kakashi tilted his head downward, his overgrown, silver hair shadowing over his face.
"I might be dumb, but I know there's somethin' wrong," Naruto continued intently, facing the jonin completely, " First the Land of Waves, and now this...you're alright, aren't you?"
There was a long pause. "I...I'm sorry..." Kakashi replied quietly, "I can't tell you anything."
Naruto frowned. "What? Why not?" he started tensely, "...I-Is something actually wrong?"
When Kakashi failed to answer, he had Sasuke's attention, too. Before either of the boys could say anything more though, they heard the sound of three pairs of different sandals running across the grass, coming their way. Turning, they saw Sakura leading Asuma toward them with Kurenai, who had been doing a combined training session with Team 10, at his side. Even from their spots by the tree, the ninja were able to discern the furrow in the other jonins' brows, and the worry lining their features.
"Kakashi? You okay?" Asuma questioned through soft pants, once the three had come to a stop in front of the copy ninja. Sakura immediately dashed to Kakashi's other side, the one that a disgruntled Naruto wasn't already occupying.
"Sakura was telling us how you fell over and threw up, " Kurenai continued for the Sarutobi, crouching on one knee so that she was eye-level with Kakashi, "Is everything alright? Are you sick?"
No. I'm not okay.
Kakashi gripped the grass that he was forced to rest on, his pale visage twisting into a look of anguish. This was torture. To have his comrades ask him over and over again if he was okay, when he was not, was simply torture. He couldn't tell them. He wouldn't tell them.
Kakashi flinched, the cool touch of a feminine hand breaking him out of his thoughts. Kurenai's palm was resting on his sweaty forehead, worriedly checking for a fever.
If only I had a cold, an illness that goes away after a day or two.
"Well, he doesn't have a temperature," Kurenai announced, turning her gaze toward Asuma, "If anything, Kakashi's colder than normal."
"Did you eat something bad, Kakashi?" Asuma asked sternly, coming forward to get a closer look at the pale Hatake, "Or forget to take those antibiotics that Lady Tsunade was making you take?"
Kakashi choked out a few chuckles, ones that were painfully fake to him and everybody else.
"I...I guess I drank some spoiled milk for breakfast," he lied. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, now completely sure that there was something that Kakashi was hiding from them.
"Your vomit was clear, which means that you didn't drink milk for breakfast, or have anything else, for that matter. And even if you did get food poisoning again, it wouldn't explain why you can't walk," the Uchiha said, catching him in the act of lying.
Kakashi blanched, his eyes widening as a terrible, nauseating cloak of anxiety settled over his heavy head.
"Come on, Kakashi, you're worrying me now. Just tell us what's wrong," Kurenai encouraged uneasily, feeling very confused. What was it that Kakashi was trying to hide?
He slowly brought his hands up to his face and stared at them intently, watching them shake without his permission. The feeling was so familiar, and that was what was so terrifying about it. Kakashi knew what was about to happen, and he wasn't looking forward to it.
I need to get away. I need to get away before they see it happen.
The copy ninja desperately scrambled to his two feet, clinging onto the tree trunk for support. Everyone watched incredulously as he limped away from them, his gait fast paced and uneven. He would have ran if he could.
"H-hey, Kakashi-sensei! Where are you going?!" Naruto shouted at the jonin's retreating back, "You're not well enough to-"
Without warning, the world tilted and Kakashi crumpled to the ground, his vision becoming hazy and obscured with black dots. He was too late.
Eyes widening, Kurenai and Asuma reflexively rushed to their collapsed friend, the three Genin following closely behind them. The two jonin crouched down at Kakashi's sides, assessing the situation to think of what could have possibly caused him to completely fall over.
"Kakashi?! Hey, talk to me, Kakashi!" Asuma shouted, lightly slapping one of the Hatake's cold cheeks. His head loosely bobbed from side to side every time the Sarutobi's callused hand made contact with his face, but he gave no answer. Kakashi looked up at him with one dull, glazed over eye, an indication that he wasn't all there anymore.
Then, "it" happened.
Kakashi's teeth clenched, loose drool slipping out of his lips and wetting his tight mask. It appeared as if he had stopped breathing, the only indication that he was alive being the noticeable tremor in his left hand. Kurenai leaned down and put her ear to his rigid chest, checking for a heart beat.
"His heart rate's irregular, Asuma...and fast..." the kunoichi reported in utter seriousness, tilting her head back up,"We should get Kakashi to the hospital, quick-"
The jonin's eyes rolled back into his head, a pained grunt passing through his parted lips as his back arched up off of the grass. They gaped in shock as Kakashi's arms started to spasm, the sharp electrical signals being sent down to his legs causing them to contract uncontrollably. Sakura and Naruto jolted forward, their feet moving forward of their own accord, but were stopped by a tanned arm.
"Move back! Don't come here!" Asuma warned them, quickly taking off his flak jacket, balling it up, and placing it under Kakashi's jerking head to act as a pillow of sorts. Asuma and Kurenai positioned themselves at Kakashi's side so that the three Genin had no view of the seizure.
"What's wrong with him! What's happening!" Sakura cried out in a panic, her eyes wide, "KAKASHI-SENSEI!"
She ran forward once more, hot tears streaming down her pale cheeks. The kunoichi had never seen a seizure in progression before, so naturally, because it was the first time she was witnessing one, it looked as if Kakashi's body was being taken over by a demon of sorts. She was honestly afraid for his life.
"Sakura, listen to me," Kurenai said sternly, turning and grabbing her by the shoulders before she could even catch a glimpse of her sensei's face, "You can't come here. The best way you can help is by giving Kakashi some space, alright? He'll be fine in just a few moments, I promise."
Sakura nodded numbly and stepped into line with her two teammates, who were completely frozen in shock. Naruto's tanned visage had become a pasty white, and Sasuke's eyes were wide, a few lone dribbles of apprehensive sweat trickling down the sides of his face. The only thing they could see from their stances were the two crouched forms of Asuma and Kurenai, and Kakashi's violently convulsing legs. Amidst the unbearable silence, the only sounds they could hear were his pained gasps and gurgles for breath.
"Kurenai," Asuma uttered, looking down at the Hatake's convulsing form, "How long has he been seizing?"
"About four minutes and thirty," the kunoichi replied, the solemnity in her voice expressing how dire the situation was. Asuma's eyes widened.
"Shit. That means this is serious," The Sarutobi said, not too far from panicking himself, "We need to get some medical help, and fast. If a seizure lasts for over 2-3 minutes, then it's classified as an emergency."
"Well, we can't take him to the hospital like this, it'll just hurt him even more," Kurenai voiced sternly, "And we have to stay here and watch Kakashi."
Asuma nodded curtly, before turning to face the three Genin behind him. "Hey! One of you go get Lady Tsunade! Quickly!"
Naruto stepped forward before anyone else could. "I-I'll get Grandma Tsunade!" he declared, before bolting across the field to the Hokage Tower, not even giving anyone else a chance to approve of his sudden decision.
Kakashi choked on his excess spit, pupils dilating and shrinking at a rapid rate. Asuma grabbed his jerking shoulders , while Kurenai took hold of legs, and together they turned him to his side so that he wouldn't drown in his own secretions. Without a moment's hesitation, Kurenai hooked two fingers into his mask and pulled it down, her face fixed with the same stern gaze as she parted his quivering, blue lips and watched the bloody spittle and vomit trickle out of his mouth, trailing down his chin and onto the grass.
When Naruto finally did arrive with a flustered Tsunade, Kakashi was laying on his side, facing away from his students, and had stopped seizing. His one visible eye was extinguished of all it's light, his face as pale as a sheet of paper. Kurenai was clutching one of his limp, clammy hands, squeezing it as she encouraged him to stay conscious, while Asuma stood up to greet the hokage.
"How is he?!" Tsunade questioned urgently, immediately rushing to Kakashi's side and crouching down to get a better look at him, "Naruto told me he was "shaking a lot", did he have a seizure?"
"Kakashi was seizing for about five minutes, Lady Tsunade," Asuma informed her, hovering over the two women. The Hokage cursed under her breath, eyes widening.
"Kakashi? Oi, can you hear me, Kakashi?" she started, placing a manicured hand on one of his shoulders, her intent gaze locking on his one, dulled eye. The three Genin, who had been standing in the sidelines the whole time, hesitantly came forward and stood behind Tsunade to get a better look at Kakashi, feeling sick to their stomachs. They weren't dumb; Sasuke, Sakura, and even Naruto knew that for the hokage to have to come all the way to the training field, whatever had been afflicting their sensei must have been pretty serious.
Kakashi blinked lethargically, his own, blurry gaze settling on a haze of concerned expressions, namely on a head of blonde hair and a pair of wide, hazel eyes.
"La...Lady...Tsu-Tsunade," Kakashi managed to slur, the pain already kicking in, his consciousness dimming like a light. Warm relief spread over all of them at his response. At least he could recognize his hokage.
"Kakashi, you little idiot! I told you not to push yourself!" The Hokage said, more worried than angry, her eyes brimming with tears. Kurenai and Asuma's eyes narrowed in confusion at that. Why was Kakashi, out of all people, prohibited from pushing himself?
"...I'm okay...tell them I'm okay..." Kakashi croaked, looking behind the hokage and jonin to the rest of Team 7.
Then, everything started to fade once more, fuzzy, black dots obscuring the round faces of his students.
Author's Note:Sorry I haven't posted in like two weeks. I literally wrote this in comp sci while my teacher wasn't looking! ;) Please, please give me some feedback. Include some features or scenes that you would like me to put in, if you want him to live, or just random crap, honestly. I don't care if it's bad feedback! That would only help me fix my writing skills, right?
