Asuma and Kurenai reached Konoha with no problems; at the gates, they went through and immediately went to the hospital, carrying Kakashi all the way. Shizune took them to an empty room and got Kakashi settled and began to see to his wounds as soon as she did.
"This wrist…" she murmured, gently examining the bruising. "It worries me. I'm going to X-ray it, and then if it's broken I'll set it. If not, I'll just heal the bruising and all…"
Kakashi nodded, and Shizune noticed that he was oddly quietly and submissive, especially when she went to touch him. He seemed to shrink back before her touch, and he only seemed to want someone holding him. Shizune walked away for a moment, looking for a lead shield, and Kurenai slipped in next to Kakashi, taking him into her arms to comfort him.
"It's okay, you're safe," she murmured, raising a hand to stroke his hair. Kakashi let her, more passive than caring at the moment. As long as no one was hurting him…Asuma sat down next to her and gently tipped Kakashi's face up to his.
"You'll tell us if you need anything right?"
Kakashi nodded, and Asuma couldn't help but notice how tired and drained he looked. Looks like me after the Swallow-
"Alright, everyone out, I have to X-ray this," Shizune said. "And unnecessary X-ray exposure is not good for you two, so out!"
Asuma sighed and stood up. "Come on, Kurenai," he said, stretching. "You wanna go out for lunch?"
"Sure." Kurenai put Kakashi down and stood up as well. "Kakashi, want anything?"
"Where are you going?"
"Probably Ichiraku's," Asuma replied. "The usual?"
"Sure," Kakashi said.
"Want us to come back and eat with you?" Kurenai asked. "That way you can get your food faster and you have company."
"If you want to."
"Okay then," Asuma said. "We'll be back in about half an hour."
Kakashi nodded, and Asuma and Kurenai left the room, leaving Shizune and Kakashi alone.
OOOOOOOOO
"Well, isn't this perfect."
Kakashi peeked over Shizune's shoulder at the prints of the X-ray. "It's broken."
"Way to notice," Shizune said dryly. "Yes, it's broken, but the good news is it's only a hairline fracture."
Blank stare.
"It means the bone is only cracked a little."
Kakashi nodded. "So…now what?"
"I could just put it in a cast and you could wait for it to heal naturally, or I could heal it and it would heal faster."
"Faster as in, a couple weeks faster or faster as in a couple hours?"
"Somewhere in the middle," Shizune said. "What I'm really doing is speeding up the cell division process, so the bone should be fully healed in a few days since it's a pretty mild injury."
Kakashi nodded. "Thank you."
"Sure, any time," Shizune said. "You want to heal that now?"
Kakashi shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
"Over there."
Kakashi sat down on the edge of his bed and Shizune washed her hands. "Careful with it for the next few days," she was saying. "If you want I could wrap it in some bandages for the first couple days, and then you just come back and get it checked out, just to make sure everything's okay, and then I can just let you go break it again…"
Kakashi smiled. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"Actually, that happened once," Shizune said, rolling up her sleeves. "I healed someone's broken ankle, then they went on a mission the very next day. D-rank; pulling weeds or something. On the way back, he stepped in a ditch, twisted his ankle, and broke it again."
Kakashi laughed. "Tell him I said way to go."
"Oh, Tsunade-sama had a lot to say," Shizune said, laughing. "She yelled at him for a while, while we all laughed, and then she healed him and just let him go."
Kakashi smiled. "Wow, bipolar much?"
"She's not bad," Shizune said, picking up Kakashi's injured wrist. "And hopefully, this won't be either…"
Green chakra glowed around her hands, and Kakashi felt a sting in his arm as bone knit itself back together. Shizune bent over her work, concentrating intensely. Kakashi felt the pain increase, but he tried to keep quiet. Still, the burning, stinging, sensation continued, and a slight whimper escaped his lips.
Shizune stopped, finished with the bone. "Well, that was easy," she said, sounding mildly surprised. "Usually it's a little harder, since people fight…but you were good."
Kakashi merely shrugged, and Shizune knew something was up.
"We're back!"
Asuma handed Kakashi a plastic bag and took his food and Kurenai to the small table and two chairs in the corner.
"Miss me?"
Kakashi smiled and nodded. "Of course."
"How'd that go?" Kurenai asked, motioning with one hand to his arm. Kakashi held it up.
"I have to keep off it for a few days, but after that Shizune's just going to check it, make sure it's okay, and then I'm back in business."
Kakashi nodded his thanks again, and Kurenai and Asuma found places to sit around him.
"How are you feeling?" Kakashi shrugged at Asuma's question.
"I don't really know…"
"Just tired and traumatized?" Kurenai asked. Kakashi shrugged again.
"I guess…"
Asuma shrugged, already buried in his bowl of ramen. Kurenai smiled and began to eat as well.
"I'm just going to pick up my own lunch," Shizune said. "I left it in the refrigerator. Mind if I eat in here?"
"Not at all," Asuma said. "Kakashi?"
"Sure." Kakashi was quietly eating for the most part, and he didn't seem to have much to add to the conversation. Shizune nodded and slipped out of the room, heading for the staff lounge. The fridge in there was a good one; hopefully her food was still cold…
When she got to the lounge, her food was still there, and furthermore, still cold. Shizune pulled the bag from the fridge and walked back to Kakashi's room.
"So, what's new?" she asked, sitting down in a chair next to Kurenai. "Any good gossip?"
"Well, I hear Hataru, the kuniochi on my ANBU squad, and that kid from Sand…oh, what was his name…? Kankuro, right! Were going out. Temari and Shikamaru have just announced 'going steady' and Asuma and I are talking about getting married."
"Nice," Shizune said slowly. "We got ourselves a real good week, huh?"
"Oh, the thick romance," Kurenai said absently. "Anyway, how about you, Asuma? Heard anything good?"
Asuma shook his head. "I've got nothing to add at this point. Oh, wait! Gaara, the Kazekage of Sand? Yeah, he's doing all right after that little incident with the Akatsuki, he just wanted to let us know. And he wants to thank us for saving Kankuro."
Shizune nodded. "So how goes the mission record?"
"I'm living," Asuma said wryly. Kurenai tried to laugh and almost choked on her ramen.
"It not that funny!" Asuma exclaimed. "…Is it?"
Kakashi nodded, grinning. Asuma sighed. "Well, at least I'm alive to hear it."
"Not for long."
The entire room fell silent.
"Did he just say something?" Kurenai said quickly. "He never says something."
Kakashi shrugged. "Everything's been fine up to this point…"
"Usually, you have a lot to say," Shizune said dryly. "Anyway, why won't Asuma last?"
"The Akatsuki wants him," Kakashi said, choosing his words carefully. "And that never ends well, as you saw with Gaara."
Asuma glanced at Kurenai. "Right…yeah, good point."
Shizune sighed. "I know about the Swallow."
Asuma sighed. "How?"
Shizune smiled. "I'm the Hokage's second-in-command! I have access to everything she does, including the databases."
Asuma nodded, impressed. "Anyway, what more do you know about this, Kakashi?" he asked, finishing the last of his ramen. Kakashi set his bowl aside, also finished, and began.
"Well, whenever the Akatsuki captures a jinchuuriki, they extract the demon immediately. And, long story short, you are basically tortured to death. When the Akatsuki extracts a demon, it takes three days and nights, nonstop, to pull the demon entirely from the person. They already have…four, I believe, and you would be the fifth, Naruto the sixth, if they catch you both…and then…I don't know from then on, but I do know their final goal is, of course, world domination."
"World domination with a group of a couple loopy guys, half of them not older than Kakashi?" Kurenai asked incrediculously. "I don't really see it."
"Yes, but they are all more powerful than me," Kakashi pointed out. "Age hardly matters, except in brain development, and they have their leader to solve that problem. And all of them are mature enough to do just about anything…keeping Itachi in mind, as he is the youngest at seventeen or eighteen."
Kurenai slowly nodded. "I'm starting to see the whole picture here…"
Asuma glanced at Kakashi. "So how do you know this?"
Kakashi sighed. "No comment. Let's just say…I saw some things, I met a guy-I didn't like him-and I know a few people."
Shizune sighed. "Vague mysterious, and sexy as ever."
Kakashi glanced down. Well, the skin-tight undershirt he was wearing didn't exactly contradict that…
"Whatever. Anyway, Asuma isn't ready for that walk in the park, and I don't think any of us are. So, let's bomb the whole thing and laugh as we realize how stupid we are and that they just blew us up instead!"
"Wow! Let's not!" Asuma said, falsely enthusiastic. Kurenai smiled.
"No fighting," she said. "Asuma needs to focus on the Swallow, and Kakashi needs to focus on getting better."
Shizune sighed. "And I need to focus on Hokage-sama," she sighed. "I think she's going on a gambling spree."
"Again?"
Kakashi barely stuffed down a snort, and even then it came out a half-strangled noise. Shizune looked at him strangely.
"Are you okay?"
Still grinning underneath the mask, Kakashi nodded hurriedly. He didn't trust his mouth quite yet to open.
Shizune sighed and threw away the remains of her lunch. "Whatever. I know on the inside, you're cracking up. Anyway, I've got stuff to do, and I'm sure you do to. Kakashi, stay put or so help me God I will get Tsunade to personally rope you, tie you down-"
"I get it."
"Good."
Kakashi turned onto his stomach, turning his face to the side on his pillow. "I don't want to be strangled by that women. She scares me."
"Even though she loves you."
Kakashi sat bolt upright again. "She hates me!"
A sly grin crossed Shizune's face. "So you think…so you think." She turned and walked out, closing the door behind her and completely ignoring the questions from Asuma, Kurenai, and Kakashi in regards to Tsunade's love life.
A/N: Well, at least this was better than the last chapter…