Two days came and went and still Sakura hadn't received word about Kakashi's condition beyond that he was "stable." She hated that word now; hated how empty it felt. She hadn't slept at all, too worried and too haunted by the sight of his blood covering her hands. Tears of frustration stung at the corners of the young kunoichi's eyes, and she slammed her fist down on the surface of her desk.
She hadn't gone back to his apartment since they'd passed through the gates, a medical team already standing by for Kakashi thanks to a clone sent ahead. Instead, she had come back to her parents' home, to her old bedroom searching for any small semblance of comfort that could be gleaned from the lifetime she'd spent within those walls. But there had been none. All she could think about was Kakashi; about how his words had made her feel, about the whirling doubt that had begun nagging her that he was just like Sasuke - that he found her annoying, weak, and just a heap of worthless dead weight.
The sound of a rock being tossed against the glass of her bedroom window pulled Sakura out of her spiral of negative thoughts and she blinked, pushing the curtain aside to see Ino standing on the street below, waving up at her with a smile on her face. The pink-haired woman sighed, dropping the curtain.
"Hey, Billboard Brow!"
The nerve in Sakura's forehead twinged, and she narrowed her eyes as she pushed the curtain aside again, pushing the window up. "What do you want, Ino Pig?"
The nickname earned a grin from the blonde, who placed her hands on her hips triumphantly as though she'd just won a prize. "Come down here," her friend called up to her.
The pink-haired girl knew Ino was just as stubborn as she was when she wanted something, and that she wouldn't leave until Sakura came down. She pulled the window back down before she headed out of her bedroom with her bag and made her way down the hall, calling to her father that she'd be back later. Ino was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs when she got down there, and the clearly excited blonde didn't waste any time in dragging her down the street, ignoring the glare coming her way from Sakura.
"I don't really feel up to doing anything, Ino. Really," Sakura told her friend when they'd gotten to the end of the block.
"You've been AWOL for weeks!" Ino retorted, turning to look her in the eye. "First with that mission you and Naruto took with his master, and then with all that training you've been doing with Tsunade. You need a break, Billboard. And I'm here to make it happen."
Sakura didn't say a word as Ino pulled her into a clothing store. "I don't need-" Sakura started, stopping when she realized that her friend was already well into the racks of dresses. She pulled a dark blue one with long sleeves and a short skirt, holding it up in Sakura's direction with a thoughtful look on her face before she shook her head, replacing it.
"You know, I think you'd look amazing in green," the blonde spoke, giving Sakura a small smile as her fingers sorted through the garments.
Sakura shrugged, pretending to look through the clothes to appease her friend. Ino started rambling on about the newest gossip, something about how she'd sold some flowers to Asuma and how she was absolutely certain they were meant to be given to Kurenai. The pink-haired woman only half-listened, adding an occasional oh or ah to give the impression that she was paying attention.
"I don't think we're having any luck in-" Ino said after she'd finished telling another piece of gossip that Sakura had completely missed as she'd been lost in her own mental train of thoughts. Two days, and she still hadn't talked to Kakashi.
Does he not want to talk to me? Or is he still not awake? Is he-
"Sakura, this one!" Ino's voice pulled her out of her thoughts, holding up a dress in the shade she'd been insistent on finding. Sakura's eyes glanced up, not expecting to be impressed. But even she couldn't deny the dress was beautiful. "Billboard, you have to try it on!"
Sakura shrugged, taking the dress with her to the dressing room at the back of the shop. She changed quickly, facing away from the mirror before she turned to see herself in the dress before Ino insisted on seeing it. It was a beautiful shade of green that reminded her of freshly polished sea glass. The left sleeve was short, her shoulder barely covered with a scalloped flap of fabric while her right arm was covered in a long, flowing sleeve made of the same intricate lace as the rest of the garment. The hem of the dress was angled, leaving her left leg covered to the knee while the left was left exposed below her upper thigh. It was formfitting on her, but not obscene. The kind of dress a woman might wear on a date, she smiled sadly, wondering if she'd ever get a chance to wear it on a date with Kakashi.
"Well?" Ino's voice spoke through the door.
Sakura placed her hand on the knob, turning it and letting the door open to reveal Ino's choice. The blonde's eyes sparkled and she clapped before she grabbed Sakura's shoulders, turning her around so that she could see the dress from every angle. It was clear by her friend's reaction that she liked it just as much as Sakura did herself.
"Oh, Sakura," Ino smirked. "You need to get this dress. It's absolutely made for you!"
"It is beautiful," she agreed thoughtfully, turning to look in a mirror next to them. A happier smile tugged at the corners of her lips as Ino grinned back at her reflection. She pondered more quietly, "I wonder if he likes green."
Ino's eyebrow shot up and Sakura's hands flew to her mouth, a blush quickly spreading like wildfire on her face. As though the blush confirmed the blonde gossip's suspicions, Ino squealed, moving far closer to Sakura than the pink-haired woman felt comfortable with.
"You wonder if who likes green, Billboard?" Ino asked sneakily through her grin. "I bet it's Kiba, with those big arms of his. No...You always went for the pretty boys. Oooh, I bet it's Neji!"
"Ino, stop," Sakura managed to squeak out, heading back for the dressing room. Ino reached for her arm, stopping her, still smirking.
"You never told me you had a new crush," Ino pointed out. "It's not my fault I have to figure things like this out for myself. So...Neji, hmm?"
"It's not Neji, Ino," Sakura sighed. "I really don't wanna talk about this. Can we just drop it? Please?"
"I'm gonna figure it out, you know," Ino answered her airily. "I always do. You might as well just tell me and save me the trouble."
Sakura finally stepped into the dressing room, locking the door quickly before her friend decided to join her. But a locked door was no match for Ino's curiosity or her loud voice. She kept naming off different shinobi in the village, starting with their classmates and then working her way through some of the Chūnin ninja. She was still rattling off different names when Sakura exited the dressing room back in her clothes.
"Ino," Sakura spoke quietly. "Can you please stop?"
Ino frowned, seeing the strained look on her friend's face, and she fell silent for several minutes. "It's not just a crush is it, Sakura?"
"I don't know anymore," Sakura shrugged as they walked to the register. "I thought I did, but now I'm not sure what's going on, and I just don't want to talk about it right now."
"You always do that, Billboard," Ino told her pointedly. "You always over-think things. Did this guy tell you he likes you, too?"
"Yeah, but-"
"No buts, Sakura," Ino shook her head. "If he hasn't told you otherwise, don't go assuming you know how he feels. Have you talked to him about how you're feeling?"
"I can't," Sakura answered shortly. "Not yet, anyway."
"Then talk to him when you can, and keep yourself out of your head until then," Ino smiled at her, patting her shoulder before she tugged her towards another shop. "Now we need to find the perfect shoes to go with that dress!"
"Can we at least get lunch first?" Sakura asked her, pointing towards a small cafe across the street as her stomach growled. Ino sighed, but agreed and the two began making their way across the street and into the small building.
"Two, please," Ino told the host, who grabbed two menus and began leading them to a booth near the back. As they took their seats, the blonde studied Sakura's face, frowning at the heavy dark bags underneath her friend's face.
"Maybe you need to take it a little easier on training, Sakura," Ino told her gently, her eyes glancing over the menu. Sakura already knew what she was going to order and didn't bother with the menu. She gave Ino a confused look before she realized how tired she must look.
"It's not training," Sakura told her, propping her elbow up on the table and resting her head in the palm of her hand, eyes closing for a moment. "I haven't been able to sleep in a couple of days."
"I bet you're worried about Kakashi-sensei, hmm? Well, don't," Ino told her, voice cheerful. "He's never down for too long, you know. I'm sure he'll be out of the hospital in no time. Probably before they want him to leave."
Sakura just sighed, lifting her gaze to look out the window at the passersby on the street. An image of Kakashi lying there in the hospital, his body wrapped in bandages flashed through her mind, making the pink-haired woman feel ill.
"I heard you helped heal him. He made it back at all because of you, Sakura," Ino tried again to make Sakura smile. When it didn't work, she sighed, narrowing her eyes at her. "Don't tell me you're doubting yourself as a kunoichi again. We've been through that, remember?"
"He told me to stay back, Ino," Sakura muttered, eyes glancing up to meet Ino's soft turquoise ones. "Just like when Naruto and Sasuke were fighting. Just like every mission we ever had as Team 7. He didn't think I could-"
"And you proved him wrong, didn't you?" The blonde cut her off. "My dad told me all about how you caught the one who tried to escape; the one with the records. You caught him, not your sensei. You did that, Sakura. My dad told me the guy's face was all messed up just from a few punches. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for."
Before Sakura could respond, the server walked over to the table. They listed off their orders and the girl disappeared into the back of the restaurant. Ino took the opportunity to change the direction of the conversation, going on now about all the best restaurants in town that Sakura could wear her dress to on a date with her mystery guy. Sakura let her friend lead the conversation, still too much in her own mind to contribute much.
They wrapped up about an hour later, each paying for their own meal before Ino dragged her back towards the shop she'd been eager to visit before. Sakura resigned herself to the fact that her afternoon was going to be spent as Ino wanted it to be. There was nothing to be found in the first shop and so for the next several hours, the two women walked in and out of most of the shops on the street. Sakura feigned interest in a pair or two of shoes, but managed to avoid any more purchases.
Around four o'clock, Ino told her that she needed to head home, giving Sakura a big hug before she bounded off towards her mother's flower shop. The pink-haired woman sighed in relief, ready to head home and spend the rest of her day much the same way she'd spent her last two - alone in her room, thinking about Kakashi.
She was about two blocks from the flat when she felt a hand on her shoulder and stopped in her tracks, her breath hitching in her throat. For a moment, she wondered if it was Kakashi, but when she turned and saw Shizune standing there instead, she couldn't hide her disappointment.
"Sakura, I've been looking for you," the slender, dark-haired woman spoke. "Kakashi woke up last night, and he can have visitors now. Lady Tsunade thought you would like to know right away," Shizune explained with a smile.
Sakura's eyes brightened, and she couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face when she heard that he was awake. "Thank you, Shizune," she spoke with gratitude. "Tell Lady Tsunade thank you as well, please."
The woman nodded. With her message delivered, she turned and headed back toward the Hokage's tower, while Sakura turned around and began making her way to the hospital. She stopped when she reached the front doors of the large white building, frowning as her hand reached for the handle. The last time she'd been here had been the day before she and Naruto had decided to flee the Leaf, determined to bring their missing teammate home.
She pushed the thoughts from her head, determined to have a smile on her face when Kakashi saw her in a few minutes. She made her way into the lobby, signing her name in the registry. She walked up the stairs slowly, wondering how he would react when he saw her. Would it be like last time he'd seen her after a mission; would he be angry at his feelings for her? Or would he be as relieved as she was to be able to see him again?
His room was at the end of the hall, in the corner where he preferred to be if the doctors insisted on keeping him. There was no mistaking the sound of Gai's booming voice coming from the room she was headed to, and a smile formed on her face as she rounded the corner, knocking on the wall to announce her presence before she stepped inside.
"Ah, Sakura! Perfect timing!" Gai spoke, his ever present grin plastered on his face. "I was just heading out, but my ultimate rival here could still use some company. Kakashi," he turned to face the silver-haired man. "Don't think I've forgotten about our little challenge!"
Kakashi chuckled, waving goodbye to his friend as the door pulled closed behind Gai. Sakura bit her bottom lip, walking over to the chair under the window, her eyes wandering Kakashi's body. His neck was heavily bandaged, leading down to more strips of cloth and gauze down his chest. His arms, while not wrapped, were heavily covered in cuts of varying depths and lengths, and tears welled in the corners of her eyes.
"It's worse than it looks," he teased quietly when her gaze finally met his. The tears spilled over, and she let out a small sob.
"That's not funny," she whispered, her voice cracking. She stood, walking over to stand next to him. She checked the door to make sure it was still closed and reached for his hand, squeezing it.
"I thought it was," he pouted. She couldn't help but smile at the silly look on his face, and she released his hand to reach up and brush some of the hair that had fallen into his eyes away. Before she could pull away, his fingers wrapped around her wrist, keeping his eyes on hers as he brought it to his masked lips in a gentle kiss. He frowned, noticing the bags under her eyes. "You haven't been sleeping, have you?"
"No," she answered. "Not since before the mission."
"Come here," he told her as he made some room on the twin-sized bed. When she hesitated, looking towards the door again, he patted the mattress with a small smile. "The nurse just came in here. She won't be back until tonight."
Sakura didn't need any more convincing than that and she slid onto the mattress next to him, a warm surge flowing through her as his arm carefully wrapped around her and pulled her close. She rested her head on his shoulder and tilted her face up to him to see his eyes watching her.
"Tenzo stopped by earlier," Kakashi told her, his finger trailing circles into her hip. Sakura diverted her gaze as he continued. "He told me what you did, Sakura. The capture...My neck," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her forehead. "It seems your training-"
"Wasn't enough," she finished for him, her voice cracking on the last word.
"What do you mean, wasn't enough?" He arched his eyebrow, grip tighter on her hip now. "Sakura, you captured an enemy ninja on your own. And you stemmed the blood flow on a major artery. How is that enough?"
"I wasn't able to-"
"When will you get it through that beautiful head of yours that it's not about what you weren't able to do, but what you were able to do?" He cut her off, voice shifting to the one he used as her sensei. He shifted, sitting up before he tilted her head up so that she couldn't look away from him this time. "You were amazing, Sakura."
"But you told me to stay back," she whispered, her eyes becoming watery again as the sting of his words hit her heart again. "That there was nothing I could do."
"At that point, there was nothing you could do. But in the moment you could do something, you did. That's what matters," he murmured softly. When she opened her mouth to argue, he shook his head, pressing his index finger to her lips and she smiled instead, kissing the digit before she settled back down into the bed with him. He began to hum softly and Sakura smiled sleepily, her eyes closing as she listened to his pretty melody while she drifted off.