Epilogue/Recovery: Part I
Gai carefully stirred the miso soup that he was making, looking into its depths with an uncharacteristically straight expression on his face. He was wondering what he could feed Kakashi that would be easy for him to keep down.
He'd stocked up on broth ingredients and meal shakes, at least as a start—he knew it would be hard for the man to eat real food, as he hadn't properly eaten in months.
It was the day that they had come back from the hospital, and Kakashi had been asleep for several hours, so, now, it was around 7:00 in the evening. Gai had checked in on him countless times, but in the end, decided to let him stay asleep—he deserved the rest.
Taking on the role of helping Kakashi recover was one that he would accept gladly, however he couldn't help but feel constantly anxious; he worried that something horrible would happen to his friend if he made one wrong move.
Regardless, he would've felt way worse if Kakashi was living on his own.
Putting a hand on his hip and shifting his weight, Gai continued to mix the steaming contents in the brewing pot, shaking his head slightly at how stubborn his rival was. Any normal person would stay in the hospital for at least a few days after waking up from a coma, but of course, Kakashi absolutely refused.
Gai sighed heavily with a tired look in his eyes, also understanding where the man was coming from. But still. It was like he didn't care about his health at all.
Before he could delve even deeper into his anxieties, the doorbell rang loudly, cutting off his thought flow. He turned the heat lower on the stove and quickly walked towards the door, one of his thick eyebrows twitching at how the bell incessantly kept ringing, as if the person on the other side was an impatient child.
"NARUTO! STOP RINGING IT SO MUCH!" Gai heard a muffled, but shrill voice saying from outside, "YOU'RE BOTHERING SENSEI!"
He turned the doorknob and readily opened it, finding Kakashi's three genin standing at the doorstep. Sakura had a fiercely angry expression on her face, one of her fists violently grinding into Naruto's head. When she saw that the door was open, she quickly let go of her teammate and clasped her hands behind her back, smiling sheepishly.
Naruto was hunched over next to her, his fingers rubbing an already forming bump on the top of his head. There was a pained, and blatantly fearful expression on his whiskered face as he glanced at the kunoichi to his side.
Sakura's scary…
Sasuke stood behind the two of them with his arms crossed, and his gaze focused on his feet, feeling completely unimpressed.
Why do they always have to act so…loud? They're so annoying…
"Bushier-brow-sensei! Can we see Kakashi-sensei? I know I saw him earlier today, but that was only for a few minutes!" Naruto brought out in a huff, looking past the older man to see if his sensei was sitting in the living room, or maybe the kitchen.
"Kakashi is sleeping right now…" Gai started hesitantly, wondering if he should wake his friend up, as it had been several hours, "But, sure! It's time for him to eat dinner, so I should wake him up anyway!"
Gai grinned widely and gave them an overenthusiastic thumbs up, causing them to simultaneously sweat drop at his unprecedented amount of energy. They watched as he turned around and ran to a room on the right of the entrance, in a way that was unnecessarily fast, and quite zealous.
Following him through the ajar door and further into Kakashi's private space, they quickly caught sight of their sensei's sleeping form on his queen sized bed. He was tightly curled onto his side, a shuriken patterned blanket brought up over his shoulders.
There was an orange bottle of pills placed at his nightstand, with a half empty, uncovered glass of water sitting next to it.
"Kakashi…" Gai started softly, hunched over at his rival's side, so that their faces were right next to each other, "Wake up…"
Team 7 shared uneasy glances amongst themselves when their sensei failed to wake up, his eyes still shut, and his body showing no signs of movement, as if he hadn't heard Gai at all. Over the past two months, they had grown scarily used to him being in a constant, deep state of slumber, so to see him like that again, even if it was just a little bit, made them worry intensely.
"Oi, Kakashi," Gai tried again, this time more encouragingly, gently rubbing his covered shoulders, and talking a bit louder, "You have some visitors, my rival! And I made miso soup…"
At this, the copy ninja breathed out lightly, shifting under the blankets, and blinking sluggishly as he became accustomed to the light. His eyes felt heavy with exhaustion, and attempting to open them took great effort, probably as a side effect of the strong pain medicine he'd taken earlier.
When he could see more clearly, he found that Gai's face was extremely close to his, almost scarily so. Kakashi's pupils narrowed, and he jerked away from his friend with a small gasp, now fully awake.
"…What the hell, Gai…" the Hatake chided with an audible groan, rubbing a hand over his face, "You're so creepy..."
Looking around the rest of the room, he quickly took notice of the presence of his students, who were staring at him with indiscernible expressions on their faces. Well, that wasn't entirely true—he could generally make out what they were feeling.
Sakura and Naruto were smiling at him with watery eyes, looking obviously happy to see him awake. In comparison to their visible excitement, however, Sasuke just gazed at him blankly, a tiny glint of interest in his unblinking look.
He still couldn't tell exactly what they were thinking; he hadn't really talked to them in at least two months, and he didn't know the details of what they'd seen at the hospital.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed shrilly, lunging forward and outstretching her arms, but then suddenly pulling back, as she remembered to be cautious of the surgical wounds on his chest.
She brought her hands back to her sides, staring at him with a misty, relieved gaze, and deciding against embracing him. Naruto had told her what had happened when he'd tried to hug their sensei earlier in the day, and she definitely didn't want to make the same mistake as him.
Sighing, Kakashi observed their wide, expectant looks, wondering if he should say something. It seemed as if their eyes were tracking his every move.
"What's up, guys…" he drawled quietly, pushing his shaky palms into the mattress, and grunting as he attempted to get up. If he was being honest, his wrists felt like jello, and everything around him was spinning, so bringing himself into a sitting position felt much harder than he'd expected.
Noticing the strained line between Kakashi's furrowed, silver eyebrows, and how long it was taking for him to sit up, Gai quickly came forward to help him, placing a strong arm behind his angular shoulders. The Hatake frowned slightly underneath his mask, embarrassed that his students had to see him in such a weakened and vulnerable state.
Sasuke's curious gaze narrowed as he caught sight of how Kakashi pulled away from the strange man once he was upright enough, his lone, red-rimmed eye turning downward to his lap and darkening with an emotion that was hard to place.
He looks…angry. No, not angry…sad.
"Sensei…We missed you so much!" Naruto brought out tearfully, the wide grin on his face betraying the wetness on his cheeks. He squinted his eyes with a chuckle, sniffing profusely and wiping the area underneath his nose.
Although he desperately wanted to stay strong, as soon as he saw Kakashi, alive and out of the hospital, he couldn't help but feel an intense surge of melancholic relief in his chest.
Please don't die again, Kakashi-sensei.
The Hatake observed Naruto dubiously, glancing at the tears on his whiskered cheeks, and not really knowing what to say. He just wasn't in the mood to comfort anyone.
From behind the Uzumaki, Sasuke held back a smirk at Kakashi's bewildered, confused expression. In his opinion, it was a bit wrong for Naruto to cry in such a situation—their sensei was clearly not in the right state to deal with people getting upset on his behalf.
Sure, Kakashi probably didn't care, but if one looked closely, they would be able to recognize a distinct air of depression and quietness about him, one that probably meant that he wanted to be left alone. The Uchiha wondered if Naruto was even smart enough to notice the difference in his mood.
Probably not. He's such a dumbass.
Naruto's glistening orbs narrowed angrily as he noticed the visible sneer on Sasuke's face.
"What are you looking at!" he exclaimed frustratedly, wiping furiously at his mouth, in case there was some ramen left on it that was causing Sasuke to stare.
Sasuke just clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes at how grating the blonde's loud voice was.
"JERK!" Naruto yelled in response, pointing a finger at him and stepping closer, getting into a defensive stance, "You were looking earlier! I SAW!"
Sasuke sighed audibly, face palming at how fixated Naruto was on the same topic.
"Crybaby…" he muttered under his breath, feeling an intense contempt for his fellow teammate.
Sometimes he truly wondered if Naruto had a brain, or the ability to understand anything from someone else's perspective. All of his screaming was probably bothering Kakashi, too.
"WHAT! WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Naruto yelled indignantly, puffing out his chest and clenching his fists, "I'M NOT A CRYBABY!"
Kakashi sighed nervously, rubbing the back of his stiff neck.
"Now, now, guys…no need to fight…" he told them with a few awkward chuckles, raising up his hands, as if that would stop the petty argument from escalating.
When Naruto ignored him and kept screaming at Sasuke, Kakashi exhaled deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose, resolving to wait it out. He didn't have the energy to say anymore—his head was pounding, and his eyes were dry and heavy, burning with exhaustion.
"NARUTO! Stop screaming at Sasuke!"
The Hatake heard a resounding pop as Sakura's fist made contact with Naruto's head, a strangled cry of pain quickly following the horrific sound. He winced and looked away, not having expected things to get so violent.
"OWWW!"
Gai looked around the room with wide eyes, his gaze shifting from Naruto, who was vigorously rubbing the large bump on his head, to Kakashi, who had turned slightly away from the group, towards the wall on his right. His head was nodded forward, in a way that cast a shadow over his face.
"Okay, guys!" Gai said suddenly, clasping his hands together as he tried to shift the mood, "It's time for you to eat, Kakashi!"
"…Right now, Gai?" the copy ninja said hesitantly, looking down unsurely and scratching the bit of skin between his nose and his forehead, "But I just woke up…"
"YES, right now, my rival! It's the springtime of your youth—You have to eat your meals on time for it to stay that way!" the overly excited man told him intently, pounding a fist into the air, "Besides, you haven't eaten anything today! PLUS, I'm sure you'll like what I made!"
Kakashi sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, unimpressed by his friend's inexhaustive positivity. He nodded sullenly, realizing that Gai wouldn't take no for an answer.
"…Fine."
The three genin watched in surprise as the bushy-browed shinobi bossed their sensei around, in a way that they'd never seen anyone do before. Naruto smirked at the interaction and shared a look with Sakura, his eyes squinted in amusement.
"I can't believe Kakashi-sensei's living with Bushier-brow sensei," he chortled under his breath, "Good luck to him…"
Sasuke rolled his eyes and crossed his arms upon hearing his teammate, feeling as if Naruto was once again only making a shallow observation. The Uchiha personally thought that Gai was a great friend to Kakashi, and perhaps the only person he really listened to.
Not to mention, Gai had shown unrelenting support for him in the hospital, staying at his bedside for days on end, without any rest or sustenance.
"Let's eat outside, Kakashi," the said man encouraged, oblivious of the eyes on him, "You need to get out of this depressing room."
Heaving a weary exhale, Kakashi slowly swung his legs off of the side of the bed, before pushing his hands into the mattress and attempting to get up.
Sasuke watched keenly as he unsteadily brought himself into a standing position, his brows furrowing when he noticed the way the man's knees were buckling underneath his weight. His Uchiha's eyes followed as Gai quickly threw one of Kakashi's arms over his shoulders, giving his wavering form some much needed support.
...Kakashi can't walk?
The three genin proceeded to follow the adults into the rest of the apartment, having gone quiet upon seeing how slow and stiff their sensei's gait was, and how painful it was for him to move around.
Gai carefully helped Kakashi into one of the wooden chairs of the dining table, immediately moving to check the pot on the stove. He opened the steaming lid and scooped some of the soup into a deep spoon, bringing it to his mouth. He flinched at how hot the liquid was, but continued to sip it anyway, nodding in approval at the admittedly good taste.
"I think you're going to like this soup, Kakashi," he said with a wide grin, opening the cabinet and taking out a small bowl. The Hatake blinked sluggishly in response, resting his heavy head on the palm of his hand as he watched his students join him around the table.
"Do you guys want some too?" Gai asked the rest of them, setting down a bowl of miso soup, and a generous serving of boiled rice onto the table, "I made quite a lot, so don't be shy, take some!"
"No, thanksi…If it's not ramen, I don't want it!" Naruto responded in an unintentionally harsh manner, not too fond of anything besides his favorite dish.
"Naruto, that's so rude!" Sakura hissed menacingly under her breath, attempting to be discreet, but failing, as everyone could hear her very clearly.
"That's okay, Gai-sensei!" she said politely in a completely opposite, cheery tone, "I already ate before coming, but thanks for the offer!"
Unlike Naruto, or anyone else in the room, for that matter, Sakura cared deeply about socially appropriate responses, and how she was perceived by others. Sasuke, on the other hand, didn't feel the need to say anything, or put up any euphemisms. His lack of an answer was a clear indication that he wasn't interested in the meal.
Kakashi became aware of the acute silence that had settled around the table, and noticed how Gai, and his three genin were staring at him expectantly, waiting for him to eat. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, unable to find an "opening" since everyone's eyes were practically glued on him.
"Kakashi-sensei, why aren't you eating? You should eat!" Naruto said finally, crossing his arms in impatience. He wanted deeply for the man to take care of himself, and gain back some of his lost strength.
"I…" Kakashi began hesitantly, his eyes drawn to the dark, glistening surface of his soup, "I'm not hungry right now…"
The truth was, he just didn't feel comfortable eating the meal with so many people around him—if he were alone, then it would be much easier.
"Eat, Kakashi," Sasuke prompted sternly, sounding uncharacteristically frustrated. It irked him that the man was being so stubborn, especially when he could stand to gain a couple of pounds.
Kakashi looked up at the Uchiha in unmasked surprise, not having expected him to comment at all. He caught sight of the glimmer of concern in his student's dark eyes, and the way he was pouting stubbornly, as if he felt embarrassed that he'd shown that he cared.
"Who are you to boss around sensei, you jerk?! Get off your high horse!" Naruto told him angrily, unnerved by his demanding tone, completely misunderstanding his intentions.
Although Sasuke had sounded crude and forceful, that was just his own way of showing his worry—but, of course, he would never admit to being worried in the first place.
Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance, and leaned back in his chair, throwing a sideways glance at Kakashi. He was shocked to find that the broth was basically gone, and that the rice was half-eaten, his enlarged eyes fixed on the emptier bowls.
It's gone? When did he…?
"That was some good soup, Gai…" Kakashi pointed out kindly, his mask shifting as he chewed on the remaining rice in his mouth, "Thanks for making it."
"Anything for you, my ETERNAL RIVAL!" Gai exclaimed happily, spreading his legs into a wide stance and giving him a forceful thumbs up.
There were thick streams of tears coming out his closed eyes, and his mouth was fixed into a blindingly wide smile. In that moment, he was simply overjoyed that Kakashi had eaten his food so readily, and enjoyed it.
Kakashi sweat dropped, a look of disbelief in his eyes at how eccentric his friend was. At the same time, he was glad that, for the first time in a long time, Gai didn't seem sad or weary.
Naruto's face was pulled into a cringing expression as he watched the strange interaction between the two men. It was hard for him to understand how his sensei could be friends with someone that was so different from him.
Not too long after Kakashi finished his meal, they'd gotten up from the table and moved to the more comfortable sitting area in the living room. Gai had propped his friend on a brown, leather recliner that was next to his bookshelf, and the rest of the group had taken their spots around him, unaware of the fact that his social battery was dangerously close to running out.
"Sensei! What's your favorite ramen? Next time I come I'll bring you some!" Naruto asked earnestly, leaning forward, and observing the man's slouched, fatigued posture from his position on the loveseat.
Kakashi stifled a yawn, blinking back the water in his rheumy eyes. "I don't really care for ramen like that, Naruto…" he admitted passively, his bored look focused on an old stain in his carpet.
"Well, then what's your favorite food, sensei?" Sakura continued for her teammate, "My mom can make it for you. She's a really good cook."
Kakashi sluggishly let his eyes close for a second, leaning back into the cool, plush leather of his recliner with a small sigh. For that small moment, he felt like he was truly at peace.
"Sensei…?" Sakura said when she didn't get a response. As she looked at him, she found that his eyes were drooping closed, his shoulders rising and falling as his breathing became more soft and relaxed.
Gai chuckled, upon seeing that his friend had fallen asleep in the middle of a conversation.
How typical of you, Kakashi…
He stood up and grabbed a purple, wool blanket that had been neatly folded on the coffee table, opening it and gently spreading it across his rival's slumped figure.
With that, the genin went back to their homes, leaving their sensei to his slumber, and resolving to visit again soon.