A Typical Morning:

Kakashi blearily opened his eyes, wincing as they made contact with the sunlight streaming through the window. Although he had stayed in bed well into the morning, he still felt exhausted and sleep deprived. A pulsating headache had awoken him at the early hours of dawn, making it nearly impossible to get out of his comfy spot under the blankets.

I need to get up. I probably shouldn't be late today…

If it had been any other time, he would've just stayed in, at least until his god forsaken headache had subsided. But today, Tsunade was holding a mandatory physical exam for all Jonin, which included him, of course. If he didn't get there, and on time too, Tsunade would probably beat him to death. Maybe if he was lucky she'd leave him alive, albeit with some missing appendages.

He wanted to live with all of his body parts, thank you very much.

With a stifled, frustrated groan, Kakashi swung his legs over the side of the mattress, sitting there for a few moments to gain his bearings. He rested his clammy forehead in his hands and started massaging his temples in an attempt to get rid of the worsening pain. His head felt heavy and weighed down, as if it were filled to the brim with coins and large chunks of lead.

Sighing heavily, he got up on wobbly legs and staggered to the bathroom, the world spinning around him as he did so.

Maybe I shouldn't have gotten up so soon…

Kakashi stood in front of the mirror and gripped the edges of the sink, taking deep, measured breaths, and tightly closing his eyes in an attempt to fight off the bile rising up his throat.

Without warning, his belly lurched, and he desperately moved to pull off his face covering, the horrible sounds of retching beginning to echo off of the walls of his small bathroom. Clutching his sore, empty abdomen, he painfully emptied the few contents of his stomach, mostly thin, burning gastric juices, into the porcelain bowl, until he was left just dry heaving.

Groaning, Kakashi slowly got up from his hunched position in front of the sink, and gazed into the mirror, almost startled by his appearance. His face looked frosty and pale, his eyes dull, bloodshot, and shadowed with dark circles. He observed his visage incredulously, wondering if it was obvious that he hadn't been feeling well—he couldn't help but think that he seriously needed to get whatever he was going through under control, and fast, before it started to interfere with his life.

Instead of figuring out what was happening to him though, it was easier to ignore that he was getting noticeably weaker, and pretend like everything was okay.

I'm fine. I'll be fine.

Kakashi shamefully looked away from his rather pathetic reflection, washing the putrid taste of vomit out of his mouth, and hastily splashing some water on his face. After finishing up, he pulled his mask back on, before returning to his bedroom and flinging the closet door open.

He took out his usual outfit: green flak jacket, a long sleeved shirt, and black ninja slacks. After tiredly slipping into the bland clothing and applying bandages to his ankles and his thigh, he put on his sandals and flashed to the training grounds.

POOF*

Kakashi stumbled forward as his feet made contact with the dewy grass. For some reason, the body flicker technique had left him dizzy and tired.

Note to self: Don't travel at untraceable speeds when you have a migraine.

After a few moments of fighting the renewed nausea and danger of falling over, he balanced himself substantially and stood to face his students, who had somehow not yet realized that he was there.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat so that they would turn their attention towards him. The three genin looked over with wide eyes, successfully broken out of whatever argument they were partaking in. They did not take long to retort at his tardiness.

"YOU'RE LATE AGAIN!" Sakura and Naruto shrieked in unison, glaring at him pointedly. Suddenly, the lingering ache in Kakashi's head flashed hard and hot. With a gasp, he gripped his temples with both gloved hands and hissed in pain, his eyes shut tightly.

"…Hey, Sensei? Are you alright?" Sakura asked timidly, taking a few steps towards him. At this, he abruptly forced his hands to drop to his sides from their tight grip on his head, already feeling embarrassed at how they'd noticed. The last thing Kakashi wanted was to worry anyone, or seem weak.

Although the pain was shooting across his skull like electricity, he tried his best to stuff it down, deciding to continue with what he'd come there to do in the first place.

"Are you hungover, or something?!" Naruto asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow in suspicion, "It's a weekday, Kakashi-sensei!"

"I came here to tell you guys that I'm not going to be here to train you today, so do whatever you want. You have the day off," Kakashi said quickly, averting his gaze and trying to act as normal as possible. He didn't bother answering their previous questions, hoping that they would just drop it and forget about his little slip up.

However, both Sakura and Naruto still had concern tainting their expressions, as their sensei seemed a bit wan and off kilter. His movements were stiff, and his bleary eyes were squinting occasionally, as if the light from the sun was too bright for him.

I wish my head would stop pounding.

"Wait. Why aren't you going to train us today?" Sasuke came out of the shadows, curiosity shining in his usually cold, unconcerned eyes.

"All Jonin have a mandatory physical today. Why? Are you going to miss me Sasuke?" Kakashi teased lightly, crinkling his eyes into a playful smile. The Hatake knew that Sasuke was probably asking because his absence would hinder his training, but still.

"N-no! Of course not!" Sasuke pouted and crossed his arms, looking away.

"Shut up, jerk, you'll hurt sensei's feelings!" Naruto whispered, loud enough that all of them could hear him. Sasuke immediately glared back at him, his mouth open and ready to shoot back a snarky reply.

"Now, now, there's no need to start a fight over me," Kakashi said, closing his visible eye to calm them down.

"Well, I can't be late, right? See ya."

He body flickered to the front of Konoha Hospital. Big mistake. Kakashi had gotten off easy before, but now, the nausea was much worse, overpowering, even. As soon as he felt the pressure in his abdomen, and the terrible feeling of increased saliva in his mouth, he stumbled to the nearest bush and crouched down, just in case.

With sweat gathering on his brow, he tried to swallow the lump of bile in his throat, willing it to go back down to his stomach, but soon, the strong reflex overpowered all of his attempts. He choked and gagged on the putrid acid his body was bringing up, his mask yanked down as gastric juices left both his throat and nostrils, burning them in the process.

After a few more heaves, his body decided to stop punishing him.

Kakashi quickly wiped the tears that had unwillingly sprouted out of his eyes and tugged his mask back into place, both literally and figuratively.

What's wrong with me? I need to tell Tsunade during the physical…

He rose on trembling legs and ambled to the doors of the hospital. Pushing them open, he entered into the bland, white space, glancing around to see if he could spot anyone he knew–not to say hi, but rather so he knew who to avoid ahead of time.

Kakashi, like always, was later than he had intended to be, so most of them were probably already at the site of the physical. Not that he cared, of course.

Tsunade told us to meet up on the third floor.

Heaving an irritated sigh, he trudged to the staircase and wearily started plodding up the countless steps.

It took longer than he'd wanted it to, but he finally made it to the third floor. After wandering around for a bit, looking for the site of the examination, Kakashi finally found it. In front of the closed door of an ordinary examination room was a rather large group of Jonin; some sat on the floor, impatiently waiting for their turn, while others stood together, chattering aimlessly.

The tired Hatake sighed and found an isolated corner to stand in.

This is so troublesome…I'll probably be here till evening.

Rolling his eyes at the inconvenience, he pulled out his copy of Icha Icha Paradise, leaning against the drab walls. The man turned to a random page and skimmed over the familiar words in an attempt to engage his bored mind. He wasn't in the mood to handle socializing with the other Jonin. Especially Gai; he definitely couldn't deal with that man's antics at the moment.

Frankly, Kakashi found it irritatingly hard to concentrate on the text in front of him when he so obviously felt like crap. His dry mouth still held a bitter, acidic taste from when he'd vomited, and although he had not eaten any breakfast or lunch yet, he felt that his uneasy stomach wouldn't be able to handle any type of food at the moment.

Oh, and he had a headache. Although the pounding wasn't as unbearable as it had been in the morning, it was still there. Kakashi was just so tired of this, of feeling ill.

Around the time that Tsunade had been instated as the fifth hokage, he'd begun to feel more achy and tired than usual, a minor inconvenience which he'd thought would surely be fixed with a few days of rest. As the weeks passed by, however, he'd started waking up frequently in the middle of the night with pounding headaches, which ruined his sleep schedule, and caused him to arrive even later to the training grounds.

If he had to put a number on it, it had been a little more than two months since he'd been feeling under the weather. With every day that passed, it got just a little worse, and a tad bit harder to conceal.

Kakashi sighed and slumped to the ground, pulling his knees up to his chest. He tucked the orange novel back into his pouch and leaned backward, resting his throbbing head against the cool stone walls. He wasn't really in the mood to read anymore.

Perhaps if he relaxed for a bit, his headache would go away. Maybe he truly was just sleep deprived.

As a shinobi, I'm always aware of my surroundings. When they call my name, I'll know to get up.

With that thought, he hesitantly shut his burning eyes, welcoming the calming darkness. The cheerful babbling around him gradually faded into a low murmur.

Yes, a nap can't hurt…

Tsunade tiredly opened the door for Asuma to leave the examination room. She sighed and checked his name off of a chart on her clipboard, looking to see who she would call up next.

Kakashi Hatake.

Anticipating his characteristic tardiness, the hokage had put Kakashi's name at the end of the list.

Thank god, he's the last one. I'm exhausted…I really need a few shots of sake after this.

"Shizune!" Tsunade irritably tucked her arms under her ample bosom and called out to her assistant.

"Yes, Milady!" Shizune jumped out of the examination room, by her side in a second.

"Get Kakashi. I'll wait here."

The hokage's assistant briskly nodded before going off to find the said ninja.

Tsunade trudged back into the room and sat on her stool, waiting for Shizune to come in with Kakashi. All the jonin she'd performed a physical examination on that day were in relatively good condition. Even Asuma, who undoubtedly went through at least a pack of cigarettes every day, surprisingly showed no outward signs of illness.

Most of the hidden leaf's best shinobi were perfectly healthy, so she seriously doubted that the White Fang's son would be any different.

Shizune scampered further into the area outside of the exam room, her eyes glancing around for Kakashi's distinguishing shock of silver hair. She found him in an empty corner, his legs tucked into his chest. The shinobi's head was nodded forward, and his unruly hair was covering his face in a way that obscured his eyes from view.

Shizune grimaced at his slumped posture, knowing from experience that his back would be sore and stiff later.

"Lady Tsunade is ready to see you, Kakashi," she notified him plainly, her eyes flitting around in discomfort as she wondered what she should do. He hadn't stirred in the slightest.

"AHEM," she loudly cleared her throat, hoping that he would awaken, because she really didn't want to keep calling out to him. Her eyes narrowed when he continued to sleep, not reacting to her voice at all.

I'm surprised that Kakashi, out of all people, would leave himself this vulnerable.

"…Kakashi. Wake up, please," Shizune pleaded in frustration. He still didn't shift from his "comfy" position on the ground.

He's not listening. Well, isn't this awkward?

When she realized that her meek attempts were not going to work, Shizune tried a new approach. She reluctantly crouched down from her stiff stance in front of Kakashi and rested a hand on his broad shoulder, gently shaking him a few times.

At this, his head jerked up instantly, and he violently stiffened, wildly looking around his surroundings in confusion.

"Lady Tsunade has requested your presence for the physical examination," she said monotonously, standing up once she was sure that he was conscious.

He turned toward the source of the noise, his visible eye wide and bloodshot.

Oh…it's only Shizune.

"O-Okay," he mumbled quietly with an exhausted sigh. Kakashi stood on shaky legs, his bottom numb from being in contact with the cold tile for hours. He stretched out his lanky arms with a muffled yawn, cracking his sore, rigid back.

I let myself fall asleep? Now I'm the only one here…

"Just follow me," Shizune prompted, starting to pace away. Kakashi nodded and they made the short trip to the exam room.

Shizune opened the door for Kakashi, and he trudged inside, his headache still there, but only a slight tingling by then. Perhaps he really was only sleep deprived.

"Finally, you're here. What took you guys so long?" Tsunade asked once they'd had entered.

Shizune nervously chuckled and rubbed the back of her head.

"He he…Sorry for keeping you waiting Lady Tsunade. Kakashi here decided to take a nap, so I had to wake him up…" she said timidly, gesturing towards the visibly tired man. Tsunade crossed her arms and squinted her hazel eyes perplexedly, unimpressed. Kakashi was notoriously tardy, and perhaps a little too laid back sometimes, but he was definitely not the kind of person to fall asleep in public.

"Whatever. You have a minute to dress into this," she said with a note of disapproval in her tone, tossing Kakashi a medical gown.

She exited the room to let him change, Shizune following closely behind her.

Kakashi stared at the gown in distaste for a moment, before slowly unzipping his flak jacket and pulling off his shirt. He decided to leave on his skin tight tank top with the attached mask, his gloves, and his boxers. He took off everything else, besides his hitaite, and quickly folded it to put on the examination table.

He slipped into the loose gown, glad that it was long enough to cover him in all the right places.

Knock, knock*

"Can I come in now?" Tsunade asked impatiently, waiting outside with her faithful apprentice.

Kakashi nodded stupidly, before realizing that she obviously could not see him.

"Yes, you can," he answered quickly, standing close to, or rather, almost hiding behind the examination table.

Tsunade opened the door and immediately went to grab Kakashi's medical files, which were already sitting on her desk. The sound of her heels clicking against the tile echoed throughout the quiet room as she made her way over to the weighing machine.

"Come here. I know you may think it's tedious, but I still need to check your weight and temperature," Tsunade grumbled, gesturing for Kakashi to get on the scale.

Kakashi blushed and fidgeted with his hands, a bit embarrassed to be practically naked in front of the hokage.

"Oh, come on already. I'm not going to bite you or anything. I've seen everything, so there's no need to be so nervous," she prompted peevishly upon noticing his timid behavior.

Kakashi quickly stepped on, considering Tsunade's remark as good as an order. The hokage played with the beams of the scale until she got an accurate reading.

139 pounds? He's lost quite a bit of weight.

After asking Shizune to check his temperature, and recording the information in his medical files, she motioned for Kakashi to sit down on the exam table. He slid back onto the surface with a quiet exhale, the thin paper underneath him making a rustling sound at the slightest movement. His bare feet dangled loosely above the ground.

"So, your temperature is 99.8–a mild fever, but nothing serious. I suggest that you get some rest, and drink a lot of fluids, at least for now...Try to relax tonight, Kakashi," Tsunade informed him intently, a glint of concern in her gaze as she observed his slouched form on the table.

Now that she was getting a good look at him, she could tell that he did look a bit sharper and leaned out, as if he'd recently lost some weight. What concerned her more, however, was his distinct, heavy air of exhaustion, and the sallow, pallid tone of his visage.

Catching sight of his downcast eyes, she could see that they were more droopy than usual, and that he had distinctive dark circles. Although he looked like he wasn't really listening to her advice, she didn't feel the urge to prompt him to pay attention, deciding to go easy on him.

It seems like he hasn't been sleeping properly...

"Your current BMI is also considered normal. But I noticed that your weight is a bit on the lower side. You've lost more than ten pounds since your last checkup, which was only three months ago," the hokage told him straightforwardly, wondering what had caused the rapid change, "That's a bit concerning, Kakashi."

He nodded sullenly, taking her words into consideration. He really hadn't been looking after himself for the past few weeks, but as much as he wanted to, he doubted that he could. With the recurring headaches and nausea, he'd been losing his appetite out of his fear of throwing up.

"What's been going on with you, Kakashi? Any lifestyle changes?" Tsunade pressed, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Have you been taking care of yourself?

Kakashi slowly shook his head. "Nothing new…"

She almost rolled her eyes at his dull, lackluster response, widening her scrutinizing gaze, and glaring at him dangerously. It was obvious that he was holding back, and that something had been going on with him.

He began to sweat nervously under her intense look, deciding that he might as well give her an honest answer, even though he was trying to leave as quickly as possible.

"Actually…there is something I would like to tell you," he uttered thoughtfully. He stared at her earnestly, not with the same heavy-eyed, zoned out look that he'd been giving her before. Tsunade straightened up in her seat, curious to hear what he was going to say.

I thought he would try to leave as soon as he could. I wonder what it is that he's so concerned about…

"I-I've been getting these headaches. Lately, they've been more…persistent."

Tsunade furrowed her eyebrows in thought, not having expected him to open up so readily, and seem so vulnerable.

"…How long has this been going on for? Are the headaches frequent?"

Kakashi shifted uncomfortably on the table, trying to remember.

"Maybe two months. At first it would only happen a few times a week, but now…The ache is there almost the whole day."

"Have you been experiencing any other symptoms?"

"I've thrown up a few times…but that's usually when it's really bad," he answered uneasily, not wanting to replay the memories, or divulge too much information. He didn't want to admit that he'd already vomited twice that same day.

"Did you throw up today, Kakashi?" Tsunade inquired curiously, crossing her arms over her chest, her lips set into a firm, straight line. She'd had no idea that the Hatake wasn't feeling well, and for so long, too–He'd definitely done a good job of hiding it.

"...Yes." he admitted sheepishly, focusing on his feet, and rubbing the back of his stiff neck.

No wonder he's lost weight. The brat's probably been losing his appetite…

"When you get a headache, where does it hurt?" Tsunade prompted, locking her honey-colored eyes with Kakashi's half-lidded, sleepy gaze. To try and give a diagnosis, she needed more information.

"Hm…I think it hurts all over," he said, taking a moment to distinguish the area of the pain that he was currently feeling.

"Are you sensitive to light or noise?"

Kakashi thought back to when Naruto and Sakura had shrieked at him. His headache had worsened then.

"Yes."

Tsunade glanced back at his medical files.

"You have no history of recurrent headaches, correct?"

"No. I've had headaches occasionally…but nothing like this," he said surely, quietly emphasizing how unusual he'd been feeling as of late.

These sound like migraines, thought Tsunade, leaning back into her seat with a sigh, and uncrossing her arms.

"Well, with the information that I have, the most likely cause for your headaches would be lack of sleep, or maybe stress. Even skipping meals can trigger a headache."

"But, I…I've never had-"

"Look, I think you may be suffering from migraines. I'm prescribing you a high dosage of ibuprofen to take as needed," she continued hurriedly, scribbling down a prescription onto a piece of paper, "I need you to tell me if the pills aren't working, okay, Kakashi? Other than that, just try to keep yourself away from any sources of stress. Get a good night's sleep everyday, and please, eat properly."

"Anyways, If it doesn't get better, you come to me, do you understand?"

"...I understand," Kakashi complied hesitantly, hoping that she was right, and that he would feel better in no time. Even so, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in her response to his issue; her diagnosis felt rather rushed.

With that, Tsunade continued with the rest of her physical, ultimately documenting that Kakashi was in relatively good health, and fit for duty, just like the rest of the shinobi she'd seen that day.