Chapter 2

A couple days went by and Kakashi still did not wake from his coma. Sakura hovered over the silver-haired ninja constantly making sure that she didn't miss anything. The poison had spread due to his physical exertion as he sprinted to the safety of the monastery. Even though she knew that it would just take time for the poison to work its way out his body and that he wasn't in any danger, she worried that he was damaged in some way that she had missed and wouldn't come back to her. There were times at night that she would sit at the side of his bed and just watch him, playing with his spiky hair, and watching him breathe.

Her thoughts would drift off to the stories that Masao had told her about Kakashi when they were younger living in the temple together. The stories fascinated her. She was learning a side of the man that she had known for years that she never was aware of. Sakura was sure that the abbot was editing most of what he was sharing with her so he wouldn't betray his friend's trust. It was a side of Kakashi that gave her a glimpse of why he acted the way he did. From the stories that Masao had told her, Kakashi had more than his share of pain in his lifetime to deal with. First, he had to deal with the deaths of his father and mother, then his team mates, followed by his sensei. The death of his sensei had finally pushed him over the edge. The man was more like a father to him than his biological father had ever been to him. Dealing with so much death at such an early age sent the then teenage Kakashi into a self-destructive spiral which ended him in the temple at the 3rd Hokage's orders. The Hokage was concerned about the protégé's mental state especially since Kakashi had just started with ANBU. The teen was taking too many risks for the Hokage's taste and didn't want to risk losing the boy due to the emotional pain he was suffering from. Too many shinobi died in the same self-destructive path that the then teenaged Kakashi was on at that time.

Masao had also been a bit of a rebel in his youth and bonded with the teen, even though there was a six year difference between them. He saw himself in the angry young man and made it part of his personal quest to help the young Kakashi through the difficult time he was going through. Even though he had never admitted it to Kakashi, Masao told Sakura that he reveled in Kakashi's antics. The abbot could not outwardly show the satisfaction he felt when Kakashi questioned the authority of the monastery. The day that Kakashi had mentally sparred the abbot in front of the whole group of monks and won, sealed their friendship. The two men had been the best of friends since, both sharing their dreams, triumphs, and failures with each other.

Sakura was pleased that Kakashi had such a good friend to share things with, especially since he was such a private man. It made her realize that she truly loved the man that was in her care. As she gazed upon his sleeping form, she wondered if he would ever feel the same for her. She had chastised herself for loving unavailable males, but couldn't help herself when it came to Kakashi. Even if the man never felt the way she did, she would never change the way she felt. Sakura treasured their friendship and the closeness they currently had. That was enough for her, at least for right now. Leaning in close to him, Sakura gently kissed his forehead, then his masked lips, hoping one day that he would realize her feelings towards him and possibly feel the same towards her.

Kakashi was mentally in and out of consciousness. The poison must have impaired him in such a way that he couldn't wake. He was aware of certain presences near him as he drifted through the darkness. Masao was nearby many times throughout the day and he could clearly sense when Sakura was next to him. Kakashi was amazed that the Hokage had sent her to heal him. He must have been in pretty bad shape to have the head medic sent to the temple to tend to him. It was either that or that Tsunade knew that he wouldn't sit still enough for anyone else but Sakura. It was kind of a moot point since he couldn't even open his eyes right now.

Her presence drove him wild due to the feelings he had for her. Ever since she became an adult, he had realized that the way he felt toward his ex-student was more than just plain friendship. It all came to a head for him on her 19th birthday when he walked into the pub for her birthday party and saw her in that black dress. She wasn't the young genin that he remembered that worshiped the aloof Uchiha heir any more. She had definitely had grown in so many ways, and not just physically. He took in all of her assets as he studied her from across the room. She was powerful, but caring. Self-assured, but still had an innocence about her. He was truly lost when he finally saw her as the adult she had blossomed into that night. From that night forward, every time she walked by him, every time they met, there was a longing to be close to her in a way that he never had wanted with any other woman, let alone another human being. Even though he tried to deny it to himself, he was hopelessly in love with the pink haired woman.

For a while, he had done everything in his power to avoid her and tried to convince himself it was just lust. As time went by, he realized that the way he felt about her had not changed even with the distance he had imposed. Realizing the folly of his assumptions, he then made a conscious effort to be a best friend to her and slowly let her into his life. Kakashi trusted her with some of the things he hid from the rest of the world hoping that their friendship would be enough for him. She was so much younger than him and deserved someone that wasn't as jaded as he was. He didn't want to drag her down into the abyss of misery and pain that he consistently lived in. Thankfully, she didn't have a lot time to date so he didn't have to deal with the jealousy of another man in her life. Part of him selfishly hoped that day would never come and that she might realize how much he really cared for her. He was pleased that he had mastered his training on controlling his emotions so he would never make her feel that she was obligated to feel the same way he did. Deep down, he hoped that one day that Sakura would come to love him the same way he loved her and would welcome him into her life with open arms.

Through the days that he passed in his unconsciousness, Sakura had a calming effect on him any time she was close. The nightmares that plagued him disappeared when she was physically next to him. There was an uncomfortable buzzing in his brain that grew worse as each day that passed. His nightmares were increasingly becoming more and more real, creating terror within him. He was slowly reliving the worst parts of his life. Every day he was losing the people that were most precious to him over and over again. At first, it was just the average nightmares that he normally experienced from time to time. He knew that they weren't real. As each day passed, the visions he relived became more vivid. It was hard to tell if it was really happening to him again or not. When Sakura was beside him, her chakra chased away the horrible visions and he could finally sleep knowing that she was there to protect him, if the visions were truly real. Soon, her presence didn't shelter him anymore. He felt a heat that he couldn't escape and his mind replayed the deaths of all of the people he ever loved in his head. No matter how hard he struggled, he could not escape the horror that played in his mind.

Sakura noticed a change in Kakashi as they neared the 4th day of his coma. His temperature was slowly rising and he was becoming more restless. Everything she did to alleviate his symptoms met with negative results. She had saved some of the toxin that she removed from his body and began studying it again to find a clue on what was happening to him. The poison was more complex than she had first thought. It was something that had not been seen before. She deduced that it had a hidden effect that worsened as each day that went by. Pouring over her scrolls and the scrolls of the temple, she searched in vain for anything that would help her cure the man in her care.

On the 5th afternoon, Moegi had sought her out in the temple's library panicked by how high Kakashi's temperature had risen. The girl had done well keeping his fever down up until that point. It had risen dangerously to 38.6˚ C. Sakura hurried back to his side to see what she could do to bring it down back closer to normal. When she walked into the room, Kakashi was struggling against some unseen force. She ran to his side and used her usual jutsu to bring down his temperature. When that failed, she bade Moegi to get some ice or rubbing alcohol so they could manually bring down his fever. Quickly, she grabbed one of the hand towels in the infirmary and wet it with cool water as the girl did her bidding. She placed it on his fevered brow as she loosened the clothing that he was in, making sure that his mask was in place to respect his privacy. With others around, she knew that he would not like to be uncovered. For the time being, she left the mask on.

As she worked, he started struggling and began calling her name. Sakura tried to soothe him with her soft words trying to tell him that she was here with him and that he was safe. His breathing increased as he mentally battled whatever was plaguing him. She felt helpless as she watched him experience the nightmare that was terrorizing him. This was a part of Kakashi that she had never seen before, the look of absolute terror in his face and it scared her. As she caressed his face, his hands clenched hers as he suddenly looked wide eyed into her eyes and called her name. He sank back into the bed, drifting back in his feverish state, and begged her not to leave him. A tear of frustration ran down her face as she tried to comfort the man she loved, knowing that her efforts, for now, were in vain.

Moegi finally returned with Masao in tow. Soon the monks were bringing chunks of ice from their storage to help lower Kakashi's fever. Their strong arms lifted him so they could pack him in ice. If Sakura couldn't lower his fever soon, she wouldn't be able to prevent the damage it would cause to his brain. Following her instructions, Moegi and the monks kept up the treatment and monitored Kakashi's temperature closely so she could make plans on bringing him back to Konoha.

For Kakashi, the heat of his body kept increasing making it difficult for him to think straight. The periods of when he was aware of the people that were around him were becoming shorter and shorter. The nightmares had taken over. They were so real that it was hard to tell what reality was or not. His mind was reliving each death of the people that were close to him – his father, his mother, his sensei, Obito, and finally Rin. As the heat became worse, Sakura's image replaced Rin's. His mind played her death and how inadequate he was to save her over and over again. At one point, he could hear Sakura's soft words trying to soothe him. For a moment, the torment of her impending death was squelched but soon the inevitable would happen. He was helpless as he watched Sakura die a horrible death by the attackers in his brain. Kakashi clutched her hands feebly and called her name as he watched them snuff her out of existence. Unable to determine if the vision before him was real, he slipped into despair with the knowledge that he was too weak to save her. Soon afterwards, he felt waves of coolness enveloping him and dragging him down to the comfort of the blackness that was starting to surround him. In the darkness, he could forget the image of the one person that he loved the most being cruelly murdered as he watched helpless to alter the outcome. He hoped if the images that played out before him where real, that he too had been killed so he didn't have to bear the pain of living his life without Sakura. A life without her would be unbearable and he didn't know if he could survive the pain of her loss. A peace washed over him as he finally surrendered to the sweet oblivion.

Sakura remained composed until she left the room with Masao. As she turned to him, he voiced her exact concerns about getting Kakashi back to the village as soon as possible so he could receive the treatment he desperately needed. The abbot pledged to help her any way possible to see that his friend safely home. He excused himself to make plans so they could leave immediately and asked her for a list of supplies that she would need during the journey. She promised to have the list ready by the time he returned

Sakura was at a loss. She cursed the rogue ninja that had poisoned Kakashi. It was obvious that someone with a vast knowledge of poisons had concocted the toxin. Quickly going over a list of the supplies she needed, she penned it all down so Masao could have one of the monks ready it all for them. Taking the vial of the toxin that she had saved from Kakashi's blood, she stared at the purple liquid trying to think of something from her knowledge of poisons so she could save him. She had to get the toxin back to Konoha before they arrived so Tsunade could have a look at it. Kakashi's best chance of survival hinged on the Hokage's vast knowledge of poisons and the antidotes needed to reverse it, but she was at a loss on how to get it back.

All of a sudden she had an idea, but she didn't know if it would work. Quickly she went to Kakashi's jacket and started to rummage through his scrolls. Finally finding the scroll she was searching for, she went to Kakashi's bedside and grabbed a vial off the table. Everyone in the room looked at her puzzled by what she was doing. With a smile, she took off out the door. Spreading the scroll before her, she made the proper hand signs and pressed her hand with Kakashi's blood on it to the floor with a silent plea for her plan to work. With a poof, a small pug appeared.

"Yo," he said as he looked around at his surroundings, looking for his master. All he saw was Sakura, with Kakashi nowhere to be found.

"Hey, what's the big idea? Where's the boss?" he questioned the smiling woman.

"I summoned you, Pakuun," she said to the confused dog, "I have a mission for you."

"No sir, no way," he growled, "I didn't make any deals with you to do your bidding."

Sakura explained the situation to the small dog and the importance of getting the vial with the purple liquid back to the Hokage as fast as he could go to help save Kakashi's life. After hearing the woman though, he agreed to do as she asked because it involved Kakashi's wellbeing. The dog made sure that Sakura understood that he would not be doing things for her on a regular basis until both of them came to an agreement and went through the proper ritual of becoming a summons. Until that time, he politely requested that she didn't do what she just did again, unless of course, Kakashi's life was on the line. Sakura thanked the dog for his understanding and agreed to his terms as she placed the vial in the pack on his back. With a nod, the pug was off on his mission. Once things calmed down, she would need to talk to Tsunade or Kakashi about a summon animal so if the need arose again, she wouldn't have to bother the pug again.

All the preparations were made and by morning the group was packed and ready to go. Since Kakashi's fever wasn't all the way down, Masao had readied a cart so Sakura could treat Kakashi as they travelled. A group of six monks accompanied them just in case they ran into any trouble. Bidding Sakura farewell, the abbot asked that she keep him apprised of Kakashi's condition and to come back soon for a visit. Promising him that she would do both, the small group left the confines of the temple and headed towards Konoha. Sakura silently prayed that she could keep his fever down long enough to make the trip.

With Moegi riding up front with one of the monks due to the limited space, Sakura leaned in close to Kakashi's ear to tell him that they were on their way home and that she would keep him safe until they arrived. Brushing his hair from his forehead, she caressed his face making sure that his fever wasn't elevated again and just to touch him. Finding his temperature acceptable, she softly kissed his forehead. A smile spread across her lips as she watched him relax knowing that he felt her presence. She made a silent promise to speak to him about her feelings towards him once he was well again, as she watched him sleep. No longer would she hold back, not after almost losing him. Sakura prayed that she wasn't too late and that he would find his way back to her from the abyss he was currently in.