Brothers
All you truly have is those who love you
"Kakashi! Kakashi!"
The gray haired shinobi wakes to see his best friend and self declared "eternal rival" shouting in his face. Before he can respond, a jolt of pain shoots through his back, forcing his eye shut as he tries his best to power through it. The bushy brow with a bowl cut picks him up(rather roughly might I add)and rushes him back to Konoha, Kakashi groaning all the way and hoping to just fall asleep on the way there. His vision fades in and out, each blackout longer than the last, but the pain emanating from his back keeps him unwillingly focused on it and unfortunately still wide awake. He barely makes out a conversation as he's sat on something that feels like a bed, eye closed and trying to focus his chakra flow somewhere else. A slight pressure on his back distracts him as a foreign chakra flows through him; warm and welcoming in spite of the pain, forming an oval of bright green chakra that acts as a form of x-ray. A woman speaks with a slight rasp in her voice. "Looks like a few cracked vertebrae, right in the middle there."
Kakashi, now alarmed, opens his eye to a hospital room. His flak jacket had been tossed onto a nearby counter sitting against the wall, the light blue vinyl matching well with the green and yellow striped walls decorated with pink flowers. An assortment of medical supplies sit on the counter; bandages, cotton swabs, a box of gloves and a glass jar of circular lollipops all in a neat row. He almost smiles as he recalls his occasional childhood visit to the place, being snapped out of his daydream by a hard flick to the back of his head. "Wake up, Kakashi."
He looks over to see Shiba Haruno, a middle aged woman with a dark pink pixie cut. She wears a dark blue shirt and pants under a white coat, a young smiling girl by her side in a light blue coat of her own, pink hair decorated with a deep red bow and clipboard in hand. Kakashi breaks the brief silence. "You still have that wonderful bedside manner."
Shiba chuckles. "Sakura, stabilize him."
The girl nods and jumps onto the bed and focuses her chakra into her palms and presses them to Kakashi's chest. A warm feeling washes over him as his mind starts to tune out the world.
"This is gonna sting." Shiba warns.
"I'm sure I can handle it." Kakashi slurs. "I've been through wor-" He loses his train of thought as a jolt of chakra bursts into his spine, reattaching the broken bits. He groans as a throbbing pain shoots through his body.
"Quit bein a baby. You said you could handle it, so handle it." A few more jolts of chakra in rapid succession make his body feel like a thousand bugs are crawling through his skin. Shiba looks over to Sakura breathing heavily and yanks her hands away, ordering her to take a seat. "Used too much chakra." She states, holding Kakashi up with her free hand. "We'll have to work on that. Alright, you're done; stay off your feet for two weeks and not a day less." She walks over to Sakura, shaking the girl awake.
Kakashi looks at her frowning under his mask. "Two weeks?"
"Yes, Kakashi, two entire weeks. Two weeks off of work, two weeks to relax, two weeks of peace and quiet, what a nightmare that'll be." As if on cue, the door opens and an anxious looking nurse steps through; dark blue scrubs shirt bearing dark splatter stains and short brown hair unkempt and matted. "Miss Shiba, we need you in the Emergency Wing."
She turns to Sakura. "Get him in a wheelchair and make sure he gets home." With that, she hurries off.
Sakura nods, returning a few minutes later with a wheelchair, much to Kakashi's chagrin. "I don't think I really need-"
"Doctor's orders." She retorts bluntly, giving an adorable attempt at a stern face. Kakashi sighs and the two make their way out of the hospital and back to his house. Sakura walks by his side, Kakashi having to convince the girl to at least let him wheel himself, Medic's Oath and all. Sakura's voice echoes in his mind. 'A medic must do all she can to reduce the suffering of a patient in recovery.' She certainly didn't get that from Shiba.
"Kaaaaakashi!" Might Guy jumps down in front of the two, quickly losing his smile and talking in a more serious tone. "You're in a wheelchair? What happened?"
'That's the guy from earlier with the bushy eyebrows. So gross.' Sakura thinks, cringing subtly as the group continues on.
"I'll be stuck in this thing for a couple of weeks."
"Two weeks to be exact." Sakura corrects. "Or until your spine heals."
Guy flashes her a smile. "You're Sakura Haruno, right? On your way to becoming a medic yourself?"
Sakura just nods with a proud smile.
"Alright, you can head back, I'll take it from here!" Guy exclaims with a shiny smile.
Sakura rushes back to the hospital, leaving the two to continue their journey.
"No more missions for today, Guy?"
"Nope, I've got the rest of the day off. Lord Third did seem pretty angry but it's always been hard to tell."
"And the kid?" Kakashi asks.
"Don't worry yourself about it, focus on recovery so you can get back to being my greatest rival!" Guy picks him up, wheelchair and all and sprints to Kakashi's house, leaving an aura of confusion in his wake.
—
Naruto and Mika make their way to one of Konoha's many forests standing a few feet apart. They'd been walking for about half an hour and Mika refused to look at him, likely still hurt from earlier. Naruto had attempted to communicate with him but found himself frustrated with a lack of response. So there they were; Naruto somewhat annoyed and Mika silent with dried tears staining his cheeks. Hesitantly and on Kurama's insistence, Naruto begins to formulate some sort of apology, trying to keep his hatred and frustration from tainting it. He takes a deep breath, Mika flinching on the exhale and speaks in his best attempt at a level voice.
"I didn't mean to hurt you and I'm sorry."
Mika stops, as if considering this but still refuses to look at him. He continues. "I…You don't need to forgive me. I really don't deserve it."
Kurama stays silent but the boy's intrusive thoughts interject. 'That's bullshit! If I didn't help you out, no one else was! I gave you a shelter when you needed help, you should be grateful!'
Mika doesn't respond, clenching his jaw tightly as memories of his past overwhelm his mind. Years of hiding, years of running. His mere existence made him a threat and everyone he came across in that hell had tried to kill him, leaving his body scarred and bruised but determined to survive even if he suffered through it, just to spite those bloodthirsty monsters. He thinks back to the boat, the harbor and running as fast his legs could take him, his body still aching from the earlier attempt on his life. He ran through the forest for what seemed like hours, his breathing heavy and lungs tight in his chest, finding a cave to just sit and relax by. And then along came a boy around his age. His face was paradoxically friendly as the anger that he felt on his approach wasn't exactly fitting for someone so…bright.
He looks over, meeting Naruto's pleading gaze. "P-promise me…you'll never hurt me again."
"I promise."
The two hug, this time Naruto letting out his sorrows as he silently cries. Inside of his containment, Kurama gives a smile.
'At least he won't be alone anymore.'