Hello to all, here's another chapter. I would have liked to write more before posting it, but I also didn't want to keep you waiting too much after what happened in the previous part; the result is a briefer chapter I hope you'll all enjoy.

A big thank you to all who reviewed, favorited or followed this story, it truly keeps me motivated to keep writing.

It had been years since he had last run that fast. To get to Kumari cave, a running shinobi would usually take four hours; it took two hours and a half to Kakashi, B and Fukuda to get there. When they arrived, the medic nin seemed quite tired, but she showed no signs of complaining. From her face, it was clear she understood that the situation was pretty dire.

Kakashi could smell blood coming from the cave. He clenched his teeth as the beating of his heart increased, until he could not hear anything else but his own heartbeat. 'No, please, no,' he kept on thinking while they advanced to the inner part of the cave. When the path opened into a large rock hall beneath them, a feeling of déjà-vu washed over Kakashi. He was in the very same spot from where he had witnessed Asuka and Gashadokuro slaughter dozens of zombie ninja years ago. He remembered the sea of blood and dead bodies in the ground, the skeleton spirit waltzing above them and Asuka fighting their leader.

Now, there were only three bodies on the ground, but the amount of blood was impressive, nonetheless. His mind registered two men, lying were face-down in what could only be a pool of their combined body fluids. Between the two bodies lay Asuka. She had her arms and legs sprawled open and her head was tilted to the side, but Kakashi's mind went blank when his eyes zoomed in on the stick that was coming out of her stomach.

Kakashi's legs moved on their own accord, and he ran to Asuka, not even bothering to check if there were any traps around him. He heard his own voice scream the woman's name and, in seconds, he was kneeling by her side, visibly trembling. His hand caressed Asuka's hair, in the same gesture he had done in bed, the morning she had left for that mission, to wake her up. Her name left restlessly his mouth, but each time his voice came out more and more staggering.

He then saw her lips move slowly, and her eyelids fluttering, as if she wanted to open her eyes. A rush of relief ran through Kakashi's body. She wasn't dead. Thank God, thank whatever there was, Asuka was still alive.

He crouched down to bring his ear close to Asuka's mouth, since he couldn't fully comprehend her whispers.

"P-prince…" Kakashi's eyes widened. Asuka's voice was different, and that nickname… "Amanozako?"

"I'm trying to keep Princess alive, but that spear… it's draining our chakra. We won't last long, unless you pull it out." His head snapped towards the weapon stuck in Asuka's body. Immediately after that, he felt a presence approach behind him. Acting out of pure instinct, he turned around to hit whomever was potentially threatening Asuka.

"Get your shit together, Hatake," Killer Bee hissed, grabbing Kakashi's wrist and effectively preventing him from hitting Fukuda. His eyes stared at the surprised medic nin beside him. He really needed to calm down and pull his act together. "I'm sorry," he said, apologizing to the woman, who sent him the smallest of smiles and immediately proceeded to assess Asuka's conditions, but soon after she eyed the spear suspiciously.

"That thing is really bothering her system. Both her chakras are being drained, and while the rate is low and her reserves are massive, there is only a small amount left. The problem is that the chakra I'm channeling, too, ends up there." The medic took her hands off Asuka and weaved a few hand signs. Suddenly, her already pale eyes turned white and veins popped out from around her eyes.

"Byakugan?!" B exclaimed, surprised. The woman didn't look like a Hyuuga; she had blond and curly hair and blue eyes. A total opposite from a typical member of the clan. Also, her surname was Fukuda…

"Yes," Kakashi confirmed. He had finally found his cool back, but he didn't feel like it was the time now for a chat about the medic nin's grandfather. "Let her concentrate," he added.

After a few moments, Fukuda deactivated her Byakugan.

"There's really nothing I can do, Hokage-sama, unless we pull that spear out. The problem is that the moment we touch it, our chakra will be drained, too."

Meanwhile, she was communicating to Kakashi with Anbu hand signs. One of the men on the ground is still alive, she was saying, the chakra that is being drained from Asuka is flowing right to him, and he is probably waiting for a chance to surprise and kill us all.

"I'm afraid she'll die here, Hokage-sama" she uttered, while her hands suggested Kakashi and B took the man by surprise.

Kakashi sighed audibly. "I guess there's really not much we can do, then." As soon as I hit him, tell B to take that thing off Asuka and start treating her, his hands replied.

The problem was that Killer Bee didn't know Konoha Anbu signs, and thus he was believing what Fukuda had said.

"Are you fucking kidding me, woman? How can Asuka-chan die? Are you not a medic? If that spear is the problem, I'll extract it effortlessly! And you, Hatake. I despise you from the bottom of my being," he said, nearing Asuka's body and proceeding to grab the spear sticking out of her, "you talk so much about teamwork, yet you're not even hesitating to leave your fellow shinobi behind, your…" he couldn't bring himself to say the word 'lover', as he was feeling so disappointed in that spiteful man.

As soon as his hand touched the metal of the spear, though, B fell to his knees, panting. What the actual fuck, he thought, while the Hachibi was screaming at him to let go of the weapon. He noticed, out of the corner of his eyes, that the Hokage had stood up and walked to one of the dead men on the ground.

"I'm glad to know Asuka has trustful friends on her side," he said, before coating his hand in lightning and smashing it against the corpse. Just before the impact, though, that body rolled to his side and avoided the blow. He then stood up, looking evilly at Kakashi.

"You saw through my plan. I wouldn't expect nothing less from Konoha's Hokage," the man said.

Under his mask, Kakashi's lips tightened. He hadn't really figured anything out; he had been too distracted with Asuka. He had to thank Hebi and her analytical skills. Oh, no, she was Fukuda-san now. His knees bent, ready to spring towards his enemy.

"What the fuck?!" Killer Bee exclaimed, his eyes widening at what he believed was a corpse, now standing and talking as if nothing had happened.

"I saw that man was alive," the woman explained to B, her tone low, while she wetted a towel to clean a deep cut on Asuka's forehead, still unable to use her chakra on the injured kunoichi. "Now, please, be prepared to extract the spear from her body. The moment Hatake-sama hits, I'll use the gentle fist technique to momentarily interrupt the flow of chakra that is linking that man to the weapon, and you'll be able to touch it without your chakra being drained. You'll only have a very short time, though, probably around one second," she instructed. "I may have the Byakugan, but I'm no Hyuuga."

B swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. He should have known better than to assume they were abandoning Asuka to her destiny. He looked at the medic, taking in her whole appearance, and her concentrated expression.

"Uhm, are you free tonight, Fukuda-san?"

Her head jerked up, astonished. Had that idiot really had the courage to ask her out in such a dire situation? He must be totally out of his mind.

"As much as I hate to ruin a moment, B-san," Kakashi butted in, not even sparing a glance to his ally, "I don't think this is the right time to be romantic." He dodged an attack from the enemy, but couldn't counterattack. He frowned at the speed of his opponent. It was as if that man hadn't been on the verge of death at all, and had just begun fighting.

"Besides, she's married," he added, putting an end to that surreal conversation.

"Happily," the woman muttered, before activating her Byakugan. "Get ready, B-san," she ordered, and the big man straightened his back and approached the spear, waiting for her signal.

"I must admit that bitch is a valuable battery," Kakashi's opponent meanwhile commented, popping some bones in his neck. "This body's reserves are completely replenished. And she's got some interesting dark chakra in her." He shot a glance at Asuka, who was lying on the ground. "Maybe I should keep her and use her whenever I need. My personal chakra recharger," he concluded, grinning mischievously and snickering to himself.

"As if I'd let you," came Kakashi's reply, along with his fist colliding against the other man's jaw. Just before the man could back off, though, Kakashi managed to land a series of blows and, in a split second, he weaved a quick sequence of hand signs. Then, he gripped him by the collar of his tattered shirt. His hand closed around his neck and he let electricity flow out and through the man's body, electrocuting him.

"Now!" He heard Fukuda urge and B growl as he extracted the spear from Asuka's body. The sound of it clinking onto the ground was the indicator the jinchuuriki had succeeded in his task.

The moment the spear was down, Fukuda moved to tend to the wound, and cursed under her breath. It was bad. Asuka's stomach had been pierced through and, beside the dangerous flow of blood that didn't seem to stop, gastric fluids were leaking into her abdomen, potentially causing damage and infection.

The medic's healing chakra would put a patch on Asuka's wound, but it couldn't grow tissue back. She needed an urgent operation. The medic glanced at her leader, still engaged in battle, and frowned. How could that man not be dead by now, after being electrocuted by Hatake-sama's lightning?

"You know, I remember you. The bitch, too," the man said, enjoying the Hokage's cold expression. "She had the most beautiful monster I had ever seen, that ungrateful wench. And now, that dark chakra inside her… an even more beautiful demon she has sealed inside herself."

Kakashi's lips tightened. He didn't understand. "I personally killed the last man standing, back then. Nobody was left alive." Fourteen years before, their mission together. The day after the massacre, Kakashi had been the one to accompany the team that were to dispose of the corpses to that cave. The entrance had been sealed by Karasu the previous day; nobody had entered or exited, and there were no survivors inside.

The sinister laugh coming from the man would have made Kakashi shiver, had he been a lesser shinobi. "Oh, that was only a body. You only killed a lump of meat. Like this one," the man said, touching his own chest. A black chakra, similar to smoke, was getting out of his eyes, nose and mouth. It swirled around the spear on the ground and lifted it, bringing it back to the man. That was the opponent, then. "I've been living for the past 150 years, entering the bodies of powerful men and accumulating powerful chakra, with the sole purpose of serving Jashin-sama and his doctrine of violence."

The cogwheels in Kakashi's head were spinning fast. Jashin. It was the name of the God worshipped by Hidan, the Akatsuki member who had killed Asuma and whose dismembered body was now buried somewhere inside the Nara forest. And, if he guessed correctly, it was also linked to the investigation Rock Lee had been conducting lately about the violent cult spreading in nearby villages. Many people had witnessed some kind of black smoke lurking around the area.

"Fukuda-chan, do you still need me here, or can I go and give a hand to Hatake?" The woman's eyes travelled towards B, as she tried to ignore how the man had addressed her with such cringing intimacy. She shook her head lightly. "It's fine, go. Just try to end it as soon as possible, we need to take her back to the village fast." She spoke a little louder than usual, to make sure Kakashi would hear, too. Fukuda vaguely remembered Asuka, as the daughter of the late Sandaime and a fellow Anbu, even though their paths had never crossed. She was some years older than the kunoichi, and in her teenage years she had been completely absorbed in medical training. When she had joined Team Ro, Asuka had already disappeared for a couple of years. From the Hokage's behavior, however, the woman on the ground and him were probably intimate. And the last thing Fukuda wanted was to be held responsible for the death of Rokudaime's lover.

When Fukuda looked down at Asuka, though, her breath faltered. "What the hell…" she mumbled. Not even for a second had she stopped her healing technique, but that healing level was beyond her ability. Beyond anyone's ability, to be honest. Maybe only Tsunade might have done something like that, but…

The laceration on Asuka's stomach had closed, and even her skin was now in the process of growing back. It was not healthy, smooth tissue; it was more like a rugged, rough scar, and Asuka would surely need to be operated on, nonetheless, but that was enough to keep her out of any immediate danger to her life. Fukuda activated her Byakugan again and observed, amazed, how the black chakra inside of Asuka was forming whirlwinds around her wounds to treat them. Probably, that spear she had through her body greatly hindered such power.

The battle went on for some time. Kakashi understood that it was useless to kill the physical body they were fighting: just like that time, the chakra wouldn't be destroyed. It needed to be sealed. Using B as a diversion, Kakashi summoned his entire knowledge on fuuinjutsu and chose the sealing technique he deemed most appropriate, even though he was fervently hoping it would work. It's not like that was his specialty, after all.

She could feel the wind on her body. She could hear the whistling of trees and feel the speed she was travelling at. It was insanely fast. Her grip around her carrier's neck tightened, as her legs around his waist closed a little more. He wouldn't let her fall, but it was better to be secured.

"This is not really how I planned I would be riding you tonight…"

Kakashi's breath hitched, and he slowed down till he stopped running. He jumped onto the ground from the trees and carefully laid Asuka onto the grass, against a tree trunk. He crouched down in front of her and checked she was not bleeding anywhere, before his shoulders relaxed and he finally looked at her eyes, a hand on her cheek, cradling her head. "How are you feeling?"

It was heartbreaking to see so much worry in his eyes. Like shit would have been an appropriate answer. Like I've been run over by a train, fairly appropriate, too. But Kakashi's expression was so worried and sad. "I've been worse," she replied instead. His furrowed brow relaxed. "Could I have some water?" It felt as if her throat was on fire.

"Just a few sips," she heard a woman's voice to her left, and Kakashi nodded curtly, before producing a canteen and helping her drink. In the meantime, the woman was using her chakra to soothe the pain Asuka was feeling when breathing, courtesy of her broken ribs. "Thanks," she mumbled. She felt her eyelids close, exhaustion taking over her. She registered another presence approach to her right, but her swollen eye made it difficult to see who it was.

"Should we keep her awake?" She heard Kakashi ask. He was probably talking to the medic. "No, it's ok. She has no brain damage. Let her rest."

Fighting the slumber that was taking over her, Asuka managed to ask the question that was haunting her the most. "How is Sasuke?" Kakashi's lips tightened, and for a moment Asuka threatened he hadn't made it. "When we left, he was in critical condition. But Sakura was with him," he said, caressing her cheek, careful not to hurt her, "she won't let him go easily." Asuka nodded, and managed a small smile.

"We should go back to Konoha fast, Hatake-sama," the medic nin hurried. Kakashi looked at her and nodded, then his eyes went back to Asuka. "We've almost arrived. You'll have to put up with me manhandling you for a little longer," he said softly as he secured Asuka to his back, helped by the medic nin and…

"Oh, hi, B-san. I'm sorry I didn't notice you before. It's been a while, uh?" She said, trying to sound casual. The big man smiled brightly at her. "No need to worry about me, Asuka-chan. Just think about resting and healing!"

The group resumed their run to Konoha. Even though she felt exhausted, Asuka felt the need to speak to Kakashi. She tightened her grip around his neck. Her lips were close to his ear, so she knew he would hear her even if she whispered.

"I'm sorry," she slurred.

The man's head slightly tilted to her side. "You have nothing to feel sorry about, Asuka." His tone was calm, yet decided.

"My distraction might have caused Sasuke's death. I freaked out about not wanting to die, and if it hadn't been for Amanozako, now I would be a corpse. And I would have left you alone, again. I'm so sorry."

Asuka couldn't help the tears that fell from her eyes and soaked the fabric around Kakashi's neck. She cried silently, while he tried to console her whispering soothing words. She fell asleep after a while, comforted by her lover's smell and warmth.

"The surgery went well. She's out of danger. Frankly speaking, she should be thanking the demon inside her for its regenerative powers. Even though they are not perfect, they did save her life."

Who was speaking? Asuka was sure she had already heard that voice, but could not pinpoint the person. She stirred a little and felt a warm pressure around her hand. It felt reassuring, and she drifted back to sleep.

"What do you want with Sasuke? I understand he's cute, but a little too young for you," Asuka asked. The man in front of her looked at her as if she was the dumbest being on earth.

"Can't you really figure it out on your own?" he spat out, while enveloping his fist in fire and trying to punch her. Asuka easily nullified the attack with a water-based jutsu, then tilted her head to the right.

"Heh, I think attacking him is not the best strategy to get his autograph. But if you leave me your address, I'll make sure to send it to you," she replied.

The dude really couldn't take a joke. He launched at her, saliva foaming out of his mouth. "Don't you dare mock me, whore!"

The man wasn't thinking anymore. He rapidly threw a series of punches and kicks. He was strong and fast, but his fighting scheme was very predictable. Asuka was not really worried about this one. She glanced at the man with the spear behind her. He was still sitting and didn't seem willing to step into the fight to help his companion. His presence, though, was freaking Asuka out. It felt familiar, but she didn't know why.

"His eyes, you filthy bitch," said the man in front of her. Asuka blocked yet another blow and managed to make him fall on his back. Swiftly, she extracted a kunai from her pouch and pointed it at the man's throat.

"Sorry," she said, "I guess the last eyes you'll see will be these splendid green orbs of mine. Remember them well."

Warm, bright red blood splattered all over Asuka's face as she cut the man's carotids. A feeble wheeze, and he was not moving anymore. She stood up and wiped her face with her sleeve, turning around.

"He truly was a waste of space, that good for nothing."

The other man had stood up and was slowly walking towards her.

"Pressure's rising, heart arrhythmia!"

That chakra…

"Wh-what's happening?!"

Gashadokuro… the massacre…

"Kakashi, get out of here! Make room for the nurses!"

No! Don't leave!

"… check on Sasuke and came by to see how Asuka-nee was doing."

Naruto. She wanted to see him.

"Sensei, at least take a shower. You're still wearing those blood-stained clothes. I can stay here while you're gone."

That was Sakura. Who was she talking to? Kakashi? She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt so heavy. That warm pressure around her hand was still there.

Five more minutes…

Of course, that had been Kakashi's hand around hers. After fourteen hours at the hospital in a comatose state, Asuka finally woke up.

She had a bad, acid taste in her mouth. Her teeth felt on edge, as if she had eaten some unripe fruit.

She could hear the beeping sound of her heartbeat coming from the machine next to her body, but she could breathe autonomously. Thank god she didn't have any tubes stuck in her throat; she hated them.

Her torso felt constricted; it was probably bandages wrapped around her body. The warm, gentle pressure was still around her hand.

When her eyelids fluttered open, the first thing she noticed was that it was dark. It was nighttime, then. Feeble lights came from the corridor and she could see moonlight creeping in from the window, but inside the room, the lights were out.

The second thing she noticed was Kakashi's hand around hers. Her gaze trailed up his arm, until she took in his whole figure. He was hunched on her bed, seemingly sleeping. Asuka didn't want to wake him up, but it would have probably been wiser to inform someone that she had awoken.

"Hey," she spoke softly, to not startle him, squeezing his hand. In the dim light, she made out the jolt of his head towards her, and almost giggled at the speed he used to stand beside her.

She could see his eyes in the dim light. She could feel he had a million questions to ask her, but couldn't decide on one. "I'm fine," she lied, before he even had a chance to speak. She was really feeling like shit. "How are you? You look like you could use some rest," she said, doing her best to smile. Kakashi chuckled quietly and caressed her cheek. "Fine. I was just waiting for someone to show up. She was supposed to be coming back yesterday afternoon, but she got late and didn't warn." Asuka giggled, or better emitted what she thought was a giggling sound. "Such an irresponsible person," she said.

Kakashi didn't reply to that statement. He kept on caressing her head, as if to be sure she was there with him.

"Sasuke's fine, now. The blow to his head was serious and he lost a lot of blood, but your idea of summoning Tano to teleport him here saved his life. Irresponsible as it might have been to stay behind alone, you did good. He'll be out of here in a couple of days."

Asuka sighed, relieved. She had been worried sick about the boy. She then looked at Kakashi. The bags under his eyes were a clear sign of his own exhaustion, yet he wasn't giving any clue about wanting to get some rest. A pang of guilt overcame her.

"I'm sorry."

Asuka's brow furrowed. Why was Kakashi the one apologizing?

"What for?"

"I almost removed you from active duty." The woman's confused expression spurred him to go on. It was good it was somewhat dark in the room. He was a little ashamed of what he was about to say.

"I don't think I've ever been so worried in my life. When I saw you in the cave, I… I freaked out. I really lost all of my rationality. The thought of you dying was just unbearable," he confessed. "So much so, that when we got back here, I had already decided to not let you go on other missions outside the village, and to assign you to office work."

The corners of Asuka's lips turned down, as she waited for what Kakashi still had to say. She couldn't help feeling guilty for making him so worried, but at the same time disappointed in his decision. She couldn't be removed from active duty just because her lover was worried about her and happened to be the one making decisions in the village.

Kakashi chuckled lightly, even though his tone was still serious. "I got scolded by Tsunade, you know? She said I 'revert to a spineless child' whenever you are concerned," he said, quoting the former Hokage's words.

"So I reflected. My role as the village leader requires me to be impartial. Every day, I see lots of ninja and kunoichi who have a full life here in the village, in which I'm not interested. I send them out to missions from which they could potentially come back injured, or even never come back, and I don't think twice about it. I shouldn't treat you differently just because of my feelings for you. If you wanted to retire, the decision would be an entirely yours. Unless you're evidently unable to serve anymore. So, I'm sorry."

The slap to his cheek came unexpected, yet it was not painful. Not too painful.

"Mom and dad would always argue about this, too," Asuka said, recalling episodes from her childhood memories. "I remember sneaking out of my room to hide behind their closed door and eavesdrop. I always prayed that my father would stop sending mother out on missions. He was the Hokage, after all. But now I understand why she did not want to retire. And why, in the end, dad never put up much of a fight." Asuka's hand cupped Kakashi's cheek.

"It's our duty. Even though we love each other, our lives are not ours." Kakashi understood what she was trying to say. Had they been civilians, they could have gone anywhere, done anything. He would have been completely hers, and she would have been his. He shifted his head to kiss Asuka's palm. "Our lives belong to the village."

It was not a tragedy. They had each other, but ultimately they would always choose the well-being of the village over their own. A little sacrifice was needed, for a greater good. But that didn't mean they would live the rest of their lives in sadness and grief.

Kakashi planted a soft kiss onto Asuka's temple. "At least try not to be that reckless again. Call for help before compromising your life, ok?" The woman let out a soft chuckle. "I will. I must get stronger. By the way, is everything ok now?"

Kakashi nodded, and proceeded to update Asuka on the identity of their enemy, and how in the end he had managed to seal him.

"How come you've gotten this good at fuuinjutsu, uh?" Asuka asked, her lips pouting. She was supposed to be the expert. Kakashi chuckled, tilting his head. "You said so yourself; no secrets, just study." Asuka tried to cross her arms in front of her chest but she was too stiff. She thus resorted to grumble displeasingly. "Good. Now I've lost the only thing I was better than you at. You filthy copycat," she said, swatting away Kakashi's hand who was condescendingly patting her head.

"Uhm, I'm sorry to interrupt; may I visit the patient?"

Fukuda was standing at the doorway, her arms around Asuka's medical record, as if to shield herself from embarrassment. Kakashi quickly stood up and got away from Asuka, motioning for the medic to come forward.

"Please, Doctor-san, tell this pervert here to go away. He's been nagging me ever since I woke up." Her eyes widened, as she stared in shock at the brunette on the bed. Had she really called the Hokage a pervert? Well, everybody knew what kind of books he liked to read, and he didn't really try to hide it. Even back in the black ops, when she was part of his team, he used to carry those porn books almost everywhere, but still... He was the Hokage, now. He was not someone anyone should mess with.

The man, though, seemed unperturbed by those words. He simply chuckled and smiled at the medic. "I'll wait outside."

"The fuck?! Come on, I hate staying in hospitals… Can't I just go home and rest? I'm feeling fine!"

"Sarutobi-san, you've suffered serious injuries. You had to undergo an operation, risked a heart failure, and you've been in a coma for the last day. A normal person would have died with the state we found you in, you know."

Kakashi sighed loudly, and leaned his head against the wall behind him. What Asuka had told him about their duty to the village was right, still… he couldn't help being terrorized of her death. That thought kept haunting him. With peace among the elemental countries there seemed to be a prosperous time ahead, but you could never be sure that potential strong enemies would not appear. Take that freak he had sealed just the day before, for example. Crazy shit happened everywhere, at all times. He knew that all too well. He passed a hand on his face and sighed loudly. Since when had he become so insecure? Or maybe he was just dead tired. Sakura had forced him to at least go home and take a quick shower, earlier that evening, but even when he was informed that Asuka was no longer in danger, he hadn't been able to relax, not until she woke up. Now, all the piled-up stress of the day seemed to wash through his body, and he felt exhausted.

"Hokage-sama, you should get some sleep," Fukuda told him, when she got out of Asuka's room. He sighed aloud and nodded. "Yeah, that's probably for the best." He had a long day ahead, after all. He should go home and sleep for a couple of hours before going to his office. Or he could just go to his office and sleep on the couch, there. "Is she alright?" He then asked.

Fukuda smiled and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Yeah. She didn't take well the fact that she'll need to stay here for the next week, though." Kakashi chuckled, his eyes closed in amusement. "She's never been a fan of hospitals. Can I go in before going home?" He then asked. The older woman took a moment to study the man's features. At least, what she could see of his face. He looked relieved, under all the exhaustion. She guessed the woman in the room was truly his lover. "Yes, but please don't strain her too much. I've administered another dose of painkillers that will knock her out soon. She needs to rest now. Even though her healing rate is faster than a normal person, she still has a few broken bones and injuries that will require time and stillness." He nodded, and moved to enter the room.

"Though under unfortunate circumstances, it was good to work with you again yesterday, taichou," Fukuda told him. Kakashi sent her a smile. "Yes. Sometimes I do miss my days in Team Ro, you know. We were a great cell. Good job, Hebi." That said, he turned around and disappeared into Asuka's room.

"Can you believe it? A week here!" Asuka groaned, when Kakashi entered her room, then slumped against the pillow behind her. She was tired and aching all over. Maybe she needed some time at the hospital, after all. She took Kakashi's hand in hers and pouted. "After two weeks away, I really wanted to spend some quality time with you…" she said, trailing her finger along his palm. He let out a soft chuckle. "We'll catch up when you're fine. For the moment, just focus on recovering."

Her movements slowed down and her head fell to the side as Asuka fell asleep without even noticing. Kakashi stood there one more minute, checking that her heartbeat was still going regularly, then carefully tucked her in the sheets and left.