Chapter Twenty-Four

Returning to Safety

Kakashi sat at Sakura's bedside, staring at the wounds and bruises that marred her otherwise perfect skin. Rain Country did not have a healer anywhere close to Sakura's caliber, and so many of Ame's soldiers had been wounded during the attack from Hattori's rebel army. The doctors and healers had mostly been called away to tend to the others by the time Kakashi had gotten back to the palace with Sakura – barely conscious in his arms. He was worried she had a concussion, but despite his concerted efforts, he hadn't been able to keep her awake. Kakashi watched her like a hawk, allowing her the rest she so obviously needed, and still managing to keep track of her breathing respirations.

When he returned to the palace, Kakashi passed Sasuke in the hall and told him that he was taking Sakura to his room and that she needed a doctor. Sasuke was still wearing his ANBU mask, but Kakashi could see the tension in the stiff lines of his shoulders as he glanced at the injured pink-haired nin in Kakashi's arms. There was a lot of blood.

"Where was she?" Sasuke asked.

"I tracked the rebels to an underground cave below the temple. The entrance is through the cellar doors on the west side of the structure. The passageway below was hidden. They had her tied to a chair and… beaten." It was a hard word for Kakashi to say. He'd followed the rebels through the rain and smoky shadows of the city, tracking them through the underground tunnel until the passageway opened up into the cave and then he saw her. It had only taken one glance at her condition for him to slip into an alter persona. For him to embody the assassin he'd been in his youth. Cold. Calculated. Determined. Ruthless. It surprised Kakashi how quickly he could don the executioner's mask – that version of himself, as easily as slipping into his favorite jacket. All that mattered was saving her.

"Hattori is dead?" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi nodded stiffly. "You'll find his body in the cave, along with the eight other rebels I slaughtered." They'd been quick deaths, doled out by his skilled hands, and he'd wasted no time making sure the killing blows were effective. "The woman – Karina? She escaped through the pools in the cave fed by the lake."

"Without Hattori she doesn't pose much of a threat, but I'll dispatch a team to track her down," Sasuke said as they approached the sleeping quarters the Amekage had assigned them. "I'll find a doctor and see that one is sent to your room."

"Thank you," Kakashi said, shifting Sakura into one arm so he could open his bedroom door.

"You did well, Kakashi." Sasuke clasped the back of his shoulder, nodding his approval before turning and leaving for his next task.

Kakashi wasted no time gently setting Sakura on the bed. He'd thrown the elaborate comforter back, and deposited her onto the sheets. Her wounds had stopped bleeding, but he looked her over carefully, discarding her boots and pants to make sure there weren't any injuries he might've missed below her clothing. Next, he took out a kunai and sliced her shirt from collar to hem and carefully peeled the fabric off her. She could get mad at him later for ruining her shirt, but it was too risky maneuvering her out of the fabric with her extensive head wounds.

Sakura's wrists were chaffed and swollen from the rope that had been binding them. There was a bruise the size of an eggplant forming on her ribs, probably from the explosion, but he found nothing of immediate concern. Kakashi aimed for the bathroom and found a stack of clean towels on the counter. He took a washcloth, wetted it in the warm water of the sink, and then returned to Sakura's side and began cleaning the blood off her face and neck. A gash split her eyebrow and ran up into her hairline. It bled a little when he tried cleaning the congealing goo. Definitely concussed, he thought. Her right cheek was a watercolor painting of red and purple, and her lower lip was neatly split in two.

Kakashi's chest was tight and filled with a sense of unease as he looked down at the woman he loved. He'd found her in time to keep her from dying at the hands of Hattori, but she wasn't entirely out of the woods yet…

Kakashi dragged heavy palms over his face and pushed his fingers into his hair, raking his scalp as he slowly dragged his fingers back out. Exhaustion like iron weighed his limbs down, but he wouldn't rest until Sakura opened her eyes and the doctor had cleared her. Hells, until she cleared herself – assuming she had enough energy to summon her healing chakra.

Very little frightened the Copy nin anymore, but Kakashi could only describe the undeniable gut-wrenching twist he'd felt when he learned Sakura had been taken as exactly that. Fear. If only he'd been a few minutes faster. If only the Amekage hadn't gotten infected with the poison. If only he hadn't been the one to rescue her from the room. No. He wasn't going to let himself venture down those darkened pathways in his mind. He could what-if himself into oblivion, but none of the scenarios would change what was present. He'd found her. He'd administered the antidote to save her, and he dispatched Hattori. Their mission was over. All that mattered now was getting Sakura back to her health.

An hour later there was a knock at his door.

"Come in," Kakashi instructed, his voice like gravel.

The Amekage pushed the door open, but she stayed in the doorway while another man walked through. Kimika had dark circles under her eyes, and her skin was as pale as jasmine petals. "This is Doctor Hiroshi," Kimika said. "Baku asked for him – for Sakura." She didn't use Sakura's ANBU codename, and her tired gaze raked over the pink-haired woman with a sad expression on her face.

"You should be resting," Kakashi told her, only pushing up from the chair beside Sakura as the Doctor stepped up to begin the examination.

Kimika lifted her gaze to the Copy nin, and held onto the doorframe for balance. "I feel much better, thanks to you," she said. "And thanks to Sakura, of course."

Kakashi remained standing behind the doctor but he did not reply.

"She's beautiful," Kimika commented softly. "I'm sorry for before… I didn't realize–"

Kakashi held up a hand, signaling her to stop. "Bygones," he murmured. Kimika nodded and gave him a weak smile. "You should rest," he repeated. "It will take a while for the side effects of the antidote to wear off. You can address all of Rain's lingering problems come morning."

"I won't rest until my soldiers are all doing the same," she said. "We were going to send a request for Naruto and his tailed-beast powers, but it seems as if whatever magic Hattori invoked to make the Eternal Fires, also died with him. The city is no longer burning."

"That's a relief," Kakashi said.

"Yes," the Amekage agreed. "Are you also in need of medical treatment?"

"No," Kakashi answered. He'd suffered a few minor wounds since the attack began, but nothing he considered a hindrance. He wouldn't take medical treatment away from anyone else who might need it more than him.

"Very well. Let me know if you need anything… Thank you again, for all that you did." Kimika turned from the doorway and slipped back into the well-lit halls of the palace.

Kakashi turned his attention to the doctor who was applying some sort of salve on Sakura's headwound. "She needs stitches," Hiroshi said. "But I also know that she has healing jutsu and will be able to heal this when she wakes. It's up to you what you'd like for me to do."

"Adhesive bandages to keep the wound closed," Kakashi said. He didn't want to subject Sakura to stitches if they weren't really needed. "I suspect she has a concussion."

"Yes," the doctor agreed. "Just keep an eye on her and monitor her breathing. I wouldn't worry too much about the concussion. Her body is tired and sleeping off the effects of the antidote. I think she'll be fine when she wakes up and can heal herself."

Kakashi nodded. A small measure of relief bloomed through his entire being, taking away some of the burdensome weight he'd been carrying around since he'd lost her to Hattori. Doctor Hiroshi finished up a few minutes later and excused himself from their room.

Kakashi sat with her for another hour, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb, and listening to the steady sound of her breathing as her chest rose and fell in succession. The Copy nin never fashioned himself as the caregiving type, but there was nothing in the world he wouldn't do for her. Caring for her felt as natural as breathing. He got up momentarily – just to splash his face with cold water and change out of his mission clothes. He was still strapped down with weapons, and reasoned that it was probably acceptable now to just keep them in reach. He tugged on a pair of clean pants and sank back down into the chair, twining Sakura's fingers in his.

She was whole and she was safe. And most importantly, he wasn't letting her go.

A wash of golden-fused light spilled in through the windows at dawn, banishing the shadows into sleeping hidden corners as the sun rose. Sakura awoke to find herself lying supine with a throbbing ache in her head and the comforting feeling of warmth in her fingers. She shifted a little, opening her eyes to find the Copy nin half slumped in a chair beside her bed, and his upper torso slouched onto the mattress. Her hand was folded in his palm, as if he had fallen asleep holding it; her knuckles bent and just a small fraction away from his masked lips.

He'd rescued her from the cave.

The memories of the attack rushed into the foreground of Sakura's mind until she replayed the events of Kakashi storming into the fray, looking like the epitome of an avenging god, as he cut down his foes and rescued her. He'd carried her out of the cave, but whatever had happened after was entirely slated from her memories. Probably because she'd been unconscious.

Sakura lifted her right hand to her head and felt the bandages on her brow. She summoned healing chakra into her fingertips and pressed into her skin. As the wound began to mend, the aching throb abated until there was nothing of pain left there at all. Next, she healed her lip, the bruises on her jaw, and the one she'd somehow gotten on her ribs. She still needed to heal her wrists, but Kakashi was holding on to one of her hands. His face was half concealed by his mask, but there was no mistaking the dark half-moons underscoring the hollows of his eyes. His silvery hair was an absolute mess, and it begged for Sakura to run her fingers through the silken strands. She rolled to her side and did just that.

Kakashi stirred, his eyelid slowly opening as Sakura toyed with his hair. He started to close his eye again, lost to the sensation of her touch, and then sat bolt-upright as if having remembered where he was. Sakura giggled. And admired the view. She was never going to stop appreciating how decadent the man looked without his shirt. "Please come here," she said, tossing the quilt aside and inviting Kakashi into her space as she scooted over.

Kakashi climbed into bed beside her, wincing a little.

"That look of pain that just crossed your expression better be because you fell asleep in an uncomfortable position and not because you are hiding injuries," Sakura said as the man simultaneously folded around her and pulled her to his chest before Sakura had much opportunity to look him over. Kakashi pulled the comforter over both of them.

"Only you could wake up from being concussed and poisoned, heal yourself, and then have the audacity to chastise me before I've even had a chance to ask how you're feeling," Kakashi said, wrapping his arms around her body and gently squeezing.

"Not my fault you wake up grumpy and groggy," Sakura countered, nuzzling into his chest. Gods it felt like heaven to be tucked against his side and enveloped by his scent. She spread her fingers over his peck, fingertips dipping into the hollow between them as she sent her chakra into his neural pathways to inspect for injuries. As usual, he was hiding a few things. She healed an abrasion on his arm and then trailed her hand up the column of his neck, slipping her fingers beneath the fabric of his mask and set her hand against his stubbled jaw where a bruise was lurking.

Kakashi relaxed at her touch, a sound of contentment catching in the back of his throat. That sound alone did funny things to her insides.

Sakura twisted her fingers in the black fabric and yanked his mask down, baring his handsome face as she climbed onto his lap and leaned against his chest to give him a kiss. She felt his arousal jump against her ass and smiled into the kiss, arching her back as Kakashi's hands settled on her waist.

"Not that I don't love this, but shouldn't you still be resting?" Kakashi's fingers skimmed across her lower back, dipping below the waistband of her panties, and tugging.

"I'm rested," she said, pressing her chest into his. "It's you I'm worried about."

Kakashi lifted an eyebrow. "You just healed me."

"I was more or less talking about your lack of sleep, and the uncomfortable position in which you just woke up from."

Kakashi cupped the right side of Sakura's cheek, his thumb stroking over her cheekbone. "I hadn't meant to fall asleep. I was keeping an eye on your respirations. They'd been consistent and steady for hours – I must've let myself get complacent."

He was apologizing, she realized, and pressed her palm to the back of his. "You've been around the medical world enough to trust your own instincts. You wouldn't have fallen asleep if I had been in any real danger. I know that, and you know that."

"I'm not sure I deserve your unwavering faith, Sakura," Kakashi said in a quiet voice.

"You told me you loved me," she said with a smile, his hand still trapped beneath hers on her cheek. "And the way you stormed those caves and took out those men…" Sakura paused, breaking off only to look him deep in the eye. "There's no doubt in my heart about the lengths you would go to make sure I was safe." She would do the same for him.

"I was scared I'd lost you…"

"Would you believe me if I told you my sarcasm kept me alive?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Undoubtedly." He brought their faces together, and pressed his lips to her forehead. "You're endlessly resourceful."

"Remember you said that," Sakura teased. She placed her palms on his chest. "What happened last night? After you got me back. Was Karina ever found?"

"I don't know," Kakashi admitted. "Sasuke dispatched a team to track her down, but once I got you back in the palace, I didn't leave you." Kakashi filled her in on what little information he had learned and told her about the fires in the city dying when Hattori did.

"Hm," Sakura said thoughtfully. "He must've done something to the alchemic formula – created something like the Eternal Flames, but it wasn't actually the original recipe if you know what I mean… I'd really like to get my hands on his storage facility. Poke around and see what sort of oddities the man cooked up. Who knows, maybe some of them could be useful."

"The rebel army's campsite will more than likely be abandoned once news of Hattori's death has spread. The survivors won't want to be affiliated and risk being caught and sentenced. They'll flee – they always flee," Kakashi said, sounding annoyed.

"Just as long as no one decides to avenge his death or take up his cause I suppose I don't care. Those ninjas were misguided…" Sakura paused and then blinked up into Kakashi's single open eye. "Karina should be found, however. I know she abandoned him in the final hour, but she's still a liability." Sakura obviously didn't agree with their cause, but even in her delirious state of mind, she'd been surprised to see Karina desert and leave Hattori to fend for himself. Weren't they a couple? Sakura couldn't imagine (let alone fathom) the thought of abandoning Kakashi in any situation – be it life or death. She'd been raised Konoha, though, and groomed by leaders she respected more than anything. Their entire squad was like an adhesive. None of them would abandon their teammates – it just wasn't in their blood. Maybe that's what made them family.

"We'll check in with Sasuke and see what he's found," Kakashi said, rolling his palms down the length of Sakura's arms.

"Okay," Sakura agreed, "but after you get a couple hours of sleep…" She brought her hand to his face, gently swiping her thumb over one of Kakashi's dark crescent moons. "You can even blame it on me if you want."

Kakashi's eyebrow flickered and the corner of his mouth rose up in a sweeping grin. "I'll sleep after," he said, leaning forward and sliding his mouth over the corner of Sakura's jaw.

Sakura's blood warmed when his lips met her skin, desire blazing to life in her lower belly… They'd gotten separated yesterday, and she almost died… It was a typical day in the office, but for a ninja, it sweetened all the moments in between. The moments of calm. The moments of peace. Heightening them and making them all the more precious. Ninjas learned to savor those moments because the next one was never guaranteed… If Kakashi wanted to jeopardize his sleep to make love to her, Sakura would let him. She was quickly learning that nothing in her world was more important than the man holding her right now. Maybe she'd known that for a while, but now he was really hers and she wasn't going to let him go.

"Did I thank you for rescuing me?" Sakura asked, tipping her head back and closing her eyes as Kakashi's lips tattooed the slender column of her throat.

"No," Kakashi said, his lips pressing to her collarbone, "but I'm coming up with ideas of how you can thank me now."

Sakura giggled, loving that she was in a perfect position to do just that. "Close your eyes," she whispered against his ear. "Let me show you my ideas first."

Hello my darlings,

The story is drawing to an end, and I will probably only have one more chapter update for you after this. Just wanted to say thank you for all the comments and reviews. It's always fun getting to hear from you!

Thank you for reading!

XOXO,
~Sparrow