Recovery: Chapter 11

Summary: Kakashi became heartbroken and wallowed in his pasts, letting himself go. But on the return of a certain unpredictable Kunoichi, everybody believes that she will be the one to save him. Will she help? How can one girl bring about the aloof man and save him from himself? Just when she wanted was some peace in her life. FemNaruto Good-Sasuke

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"Jeez what's gotten into Kakashi…" the blonde murmured as she tugged her dress back into place and allowed his head to smack onto the wooden floors. "Serves him right." Walking over to him, Naruto nudged the man with her toe and confirmed that he was out like a light and sighed. "Looks like I've got more work on my plate, but what made him faint?" She questioned herself as she stepped over the man and headed to the front door. Slipping on some flats before heading outside. "Stupid man." She shook her head heavily as she left and stood outside. Grinning at the sight of the visitor climbing the path. "Boy am I glad to see you, Ero-sennin!" she ran over to the old man and jumped into his unsuspecting frame

Jiraiya barely caught the young blonde with an ompf. "Maah maah, my cute little apprentice, you could've let me known before hand what had happened to your charge. I had to find out from Shizune who heard from Hinata, who she heard from Sasuke and to him from Tsunade who was being briefed by Sakura and Pakkun." He joked lightly as he settled her down and ruffled her hair. His gentle smile turning serious. "But I'm not here to talk about Katsumi or Kakashi."

Naruto sighed and tugged at her flowing hair. "I'll be Fine, really, I'll be fine…" stopping her quiet voice as Jiraiya placed a warming hand to her shoulder. She gulped and confessed to her trusted guide. Tears brimming as she looked up to him. Connecting blue with brown. "It's so hard being in the village, Jiraiya. No one...not even my own teammates believed me and they all turned their backs on me for Katsumi! It hurts the most spending all this time with Kakashi! He was the one who would yell abuse as soon as I'd speak about her and called me a love-sick jealous brat! Him! My sensei at the time called me that! How could I ever love a man like that?"

Jiraiya nodded, hearing her words and the underlying tone of the truth she hadn't said yet. "Though…" he felt her tense under his hand and continued forward. "Despite all he and your comrades have done to you, the ones you trusted the most at the time, you've come to love Kakashi Hatake yet your heart hasn't forgiven any of them for breaking your trust." Jiraiya caressed her cheek and felt his heart warm she clasped his hand with both of hers, looking to him for his words of wisdom. "Konoha cannot define who you are, Naruto and neither can your comrades. You are your own person, your own book to write…" suddenly a great idea popped into his head and held the blonde by both his hands with a massive grin and a light blush.

Naruto felt that their moment was gone and looked to her guide warily. "W-what…"

Jiraiya giggled and leaned in close. "Idea!" He chimed gleefully. "Write a book! Now now, listen to what I have to say before you start hollering, young grasshopper. Why don't you write a book about what you've always wanted to say to your nakama or what you've wanted to do and here's the best part!"

"You want me to write pervy smut in it too, don't you?" Giving him the stink eye

"Now now, Naruto, don't make it sound so bland! That'll be the best part and I'll tell you why! Many know that you're my apprentice and that I'm the author of the beloved icha icha series, so they wouldn't suspect a thing if you wrote a book too containing precious love scenes!" A small trail of blood dropped down his nostril and made Naruto wonder if he was serious or not. "They wouldn't think twice that what's written are your true feelings if you have good fucking...I mean love making scenes in them! It'll do you some good and you can live out your wildest fantasies in the sex parts! It's a brilliant idea! A genre of angst, drama and romance! It'll be sinfully wonderful!"

Naruto pushed away with a beet red face. "Are you nuts?! And what and I'm supposed to do if Kakashi finds and reads it?!"

"Ah, but you're considering writing one and that's all that matters!" Jiraiya bellowed out in delight. In all truth, although he'll be looking forward to the book, he wanted to read of Naruto's deepest thoughts she never brought to the surface. It'll be therapeutic for her as she worked with her older charge. Jiraiya nodded, pleased with himself. "I'm a genius."

Naruto just shook her head and asked. "You checking up on me can't be the only reason you're here right?"

"Ah yes, before I forget!" He remembered. "When the Daimyo comes to town, you are to be there in a kimono to welcome him...not a clone."

"Dammit." Naruto cursed and bit the inside of her cheek. "Since I'm going, I can't leave any clones here. They may pop and distract me when their memories return…"

Jiraiya held up his hand. "No need to panic, I, the great Jiraiya-sama, have already taken care of your relief." Bellowing loudly to himself when in truth he's just going to make Gamakichi and Gamatatsu watch Kakashi.

Naruto felt uneasy about this already rather than reassured that everything will be fine when the Prince comes to town.

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When Kakashi came to, he found himself still on the floor and nursed his head as he stood up. "Urgh I'm going to die. A dead man walking, that's what I am." He commented to himself as he stood. Noting that he couldn't sense Naruto in the house and that his lunch was sitting on the island bench. "Had she just left me on the floor? Maah how sad of her." Kakashi sighed heavily and took his seat, knowing that the young blonde would get upset if he didn't eat, even though his head was throbbing viciously from when his head impacted the floor. Digging into his healthy meal, Kakashi mused. "Now how do I explain the marking to her? Fortunately, she hasn't seemed to notice it or any of the side effects and with us being in such close proximity in an isolated area…" Kakashi stopped mid chew and gulped nervously. Ignoring the giant lump that pushed its way down this throat as he felt his pants tighten a bit.

Placing his head in his hands he took a steady and nervous breath. "Shit...I can't do this to her, she deserves someone much more worthy than a stupid weak man like me!" Cursing his failures as a sensei and guardian to her when he was. Kakashi wouldn't deny that he was an asshole to her when she was younger; he was foolishly in love and his eyes had been clouded so heavily he couldn't see right from wrong. Kakashi leaned back and looked to the ceiling and asked nobody in particular. "I've marked her as my mate but I've never felt any signs of her being mine till that one time with sasuke…" the copy nin frowned as he felt frustration build within him. He was in love with the blonde he knew that much and now that she's been marked as his, he would soon lust after her too. "I've done nothing to deserve her…" reminiscing back on all the times he'd insult her in the heat of the moment and it got so bad that when she started to date Kiba, Kakashi flat out ignored her or lash out at her with a sharp tongue. Yet not once, did he lay his hand against her. "I've hurt my mate in the worst way possible!" Tsking at himself as he leaning forward and pulled at his hair roughly. "I don't deserve anyone! I deserve to be alone with nothing to love!" Falling deeper into despair, Kakashi started to believe in his words more and more he thought over them. Bringing numbness to his core and sadness to his mind. He felt worthless of the woman he loves.

He wanted her but he can't have her. Not after all he did to her when all she tried to do was protect him. He had already failed as a mate long before he realised she was meant to be his.

Could he let her be with another?

Kakashi gasped as an ache grew right in the middle of his chest. He couldn't let her be anyone else's but his...but she can't be his at the same time.

Kakashi felt unworthy of his mate. The mate that every Hatake needed in order to tame their feral side or they risked being a wild animal.

Just as Kakashi was about to give into his darkest thoughts, he felt a soft warm hand touch his hands, releasing his hold from his hair. Biting onto his lip as he sobbed and allowed the intruder to move his hands away from his face and around the other person's frame. Feeling that dark void slowly being pushed away by the warmth that wrapped around his frame. Faintly hearing the soft safe whispers of his helper and held onto her tightly as she ran her fingers up and down his spine. "...Naruto, I can't do this anymore...I'm not worthy of you…" Kakashi choked as he said his thoughts aloud.

Naruto pulled Kakashi's head back slowly and carefully. The man hadn't known that he pulled his hair so hard that the roots lifted and he was bleeding. She looked clearly into his grey eye and said firmly. "I am never going to leave your side, no matter what happens, Kakashi. I'll always be there to hold you and tell you that everything is going to get better." She held his face more firmly and made sure he was hearing her clearly. "Do you understand me, Kakashi? I'm not going to give up on you. Ever!"

Naruto released an internal sigh as Kakashi melted into her arms, sobbing heavily into her chest and ignored Jiraiya's presence at the door. Just a few minutes ago she felt perfectly fine till a sudden emptiness enclosed around her, like a secondary source and let instinct take over and rushed back inside to find her former sensei sitting in a fetal position about to go into a panic attack.

She deduced that she couldn't leave Kakashi alone for long. Looking over her shoulder and towards Jiraiya's whom locked his understanding eyes with her both nodded to each other. The older male leaving without another word as the blonde returned her attention to the man in her arms. Feeling his exhaustion wash over her, she said. "Come on, let's go take a nap, Kakashi."

Kakashi looked up to the blonde and tried to open his mouth, though only for her to stop him with a single finger to his lip. Even through his mask he could feel his lip tingle at the gentle contact.

Naruto shook her head. "We can talk later. For now, rest." Pulling him up to his feet and lead him to his en suite bathroom to clean his head wounds before tucking them both under the blankets. Allowing the grown man to drift in her arms before she released a big sigh. "Kakashi…" she said dearly and placed a light kiss to his forehead.

She knew she was in love with him but she couldn't find in her big heart to forgive him just yet.

One week later:

"Naruto, I brought you some flowers that were growing by the lake." Pakkun voiced as he entered through the door with Kakashi right behind him. He easily spotted the blonde at her desk writing with glasses perched against her nose. It appeared her eyes hurt if they were too focused. Though when he gained her curious blue eyes, the pug added on. "That's what Kakashi told me to say. He's the one that picked them."

Kakashi blushed behind his mask as he glared at his ninken that leapt onto his carer's lap, handing over the flowers he tucked into Pakkun's collar.

Naruto looked to the flowers in confusion and then to Kakashi. "They're wonderful, Kakashi…" 'but why did you get them for me?' she conversed with herself

Kakashi cleared his throat nervously as he rubbed behind his head. "Maah, well I guess it's a thank you for helping me this week. I appreciate your work a lot…helping me that is...I mean, you've worked so hard and I wasn't sure how to show you my gratitude yet when I saw those Lilies I just…" eyes widening in shock when he heard Naruto laugh...at him. His shoulders slumped. "Are you laughing at me, Naruto?"

The blonde his questions held up her hand as if surrendering. "No way, Kakashi, I just never thought you were capable of being cute, that's all." Standing up as pakkun leapt off her lap and went to put the flowers in a fresh vase with cold water. Looking at Kakashi as she did so. "Right now, I don't need gratitude. I'm happy as I am now since you're progressing faster than before."

Kakashi felt his muscles flex in anticipation. Looking to the woman he loves with a hopeful eye. "Does that mean I get to train again?!" He asked excitedly as the blonde had forbade him from doing any strenuous work on his body and threatened to hold off the training longer if he as so much did a push up. So the last Hatake waited as patiently as he could so he condition his body again as he felt his muscles were beginning to soften.

The bright grin he received from his beautiful mate gave him his answer.

"We start at dawn, Kakashi." Naruto supplied as she placed the flowers on the kitchen island. Feeling his presence behind her she turned around with her smile still in place. A bit unnerved that he was closer to her face than necessary.

Kakashi had bit down on his cheek at the last second, stopping himself from giving into his natural desire to kiss her. It was just so tempting when she smiled at him like that, his body just moved on its own as his heart whispered to kiss her in thanks. Luckily he managed to hold back. As explaining to the blonde why he had kissed her would've been something else to explain and taking advantage of her kind heart would definitely make him feel guilty.

Kakashi's thought was. "This is going to be harder than I anticipated." Feeling his pants tighten once more

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AN: apologies for taking almost a month, it's a lot harder than I realised to write a story on my phone and copy and paste it onto the story manager place, along with fixing spelling mistakes as the laptop I lent to my little brother for school and now I believe he has claimed it...the little shit...

Thank you to all who have supported me, it's means a great lot to me and I hope in time I'll be able to post new chapters constantly and finish each story one by one

Marrei