Nightmare

Finally the next chapter of Nightmare has been completed. There's proberly just one more chapter to go before it's finshed, oh the torture we've put Kakashi through. Anyway I hope you all enjoy this and review kudasai!!

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It was dark and quiet in the room and Kaede once again sat up, leaning against her still-sleeping father's bed. She watched him tiredly, but even though she was tired, she still couldn't sleep. She sighed as she shifted in her chair, pressing her knees more into the hard frame of the bed. It hurt slightly, like the pain of the cut on her arm, but she knew this was nothing... Nothing compared to what her dad had felt...

Kaede let out another sigh as she leaned further on the bed, her arms folded gently in front of her. She ran her thumb along the bandages on her arm as she blinked slowly, her eyes making a quick scan around the room. They fell again on her father and the way he slept reminded her of how he used to watch her when she was sick.

He would always sit at the side of her bed, watching her throughout the night incase she couldn't sleep or needed anything. He never left and just him being there always made her feel a little bit better. Even if she was out cold, she always knew he was there. He never seemed to mind either and was always calm and gentle when taking care of her. She remembered that sometimes she would apologize for being a bother and he always said she never was.

During those times, when she was asleep, he would rub her head with his hand gently. He would run in softly down her face or keep it placed firmly near the top of her head, his palm pressed comfortably against her forehead. He would brush her hair back, despite it falling back into place or massage the side of her face with his thumb. It was always soothing and helped her rest a lot easier.

The little girl smiled at the small, yet very important memory. Slowly, she reached over and placed her small hand on his forehead, brushing those silver strands back, only to watch them fall back into place. Her expression softened as she ran her hand down his face, feeling the shape of it and how soft, yet how cold, his skin felt. Her hand paused at his cheek as it started to shake. The little girl gritted her teeth as she looked down at the bed, her green eyes watering.

She sniffled as her hand slowly dropped along with her head, which she rested in her arms. Her shoulders shook in the dark room as she cried once again, sobbing out soft apologies. She couldn't control herself... She just felt so guilty... The entirety of the past events were still felt upon her back and she felt solely responsible for them. Kaede continued to cry until her tears made her consciousness drift away, letting the young girl sleep. However, though she now slept, she still cried softly in her slumber, the tears still streaking her worn, fatigued face. She moved slightly, pulling her father's arm closer to her, resting her cheek softly upon it as the two slept in the silent…

Darkness…

But not the uncomfortable type that had continued to meet Kakashi in his dreams, or whatever his mind and spirit had seemed to be trapped in. The Jounin stared up at the ceiling, various lines of tiles shadowing against the little light that was filtering through the curtained windows. Be it a streetlight or the moon causing such light, it wasn't important. The shadows seemed to creep and shift in such a way that a lesser, more fatigued mind might have been frightened by the shapes forming across their vision, but after what Kakashi had just experienced though, they were nothing but shadows.

A greenish light to the right of his vision made the Jounin turn his head slowly in its direction, sensitive eyes closing to narrow slits against the randomly flashing light. It took Kakashi a moment to realize what it was and that it was reading his heartbeats. A odd, light suck and harsh hissing sound reached his ears then, and Kakashi winced in pain, a light grunt escaping him as he put weight on his injured shoulder to see the machine responsible for the noise. A tube pushed down within the glass before sliding back up and repeating the same process. Following the narrow tube from the machine, Kakashi laid a hand on his face, feeling the oxygen mask that covered his nose and mouth as it fed him air.

With the knowledge of both objects he glanced at his right arm and the trio of needles resting in his skin. Following them with his eyes, Kakashi looked up at the drips and smirked weakly. Obviously, he was in a hospital.

Well, at least he knew he wasn't dead, which, last time he checked, was definitely a good thing.

He tried to move his left arm and his fingers twitched in response, but the ninja was confused for a moment when it refused to do as he wanted it. In a slow manner, Kakashi tiredly turned his head to see what was going on. He stared at the silvery mop of hair that caught the light, making it 'sparkle' in various spots. A soft smile crossed his face as he stared down at Kaede, his chest tightening to the point of pain and he grit his teeth slightly, hearing the heart monitor speed up as his back arched a little. Kaede shifted in her sleep, making an odd whining noise in her throat as small hands tightened against his arm. Kakashi managed to calm his breathing down, the pain slowly fading as he went limp against the bed. His body shook as he stared at the ceiling, almost as if he was cold or something, as tears burned the corners of his eyes. He turned them towards Kaede, feeling those tears slip free and run down his face.

The sound of rain that started against the roof of the hospital merely became a dull noise in the back of his mind as he stared unfocused at Kaede, his little girl...... She was alive, she was safe. Sasuke hadn't gotten her and he had saved her. That's why THEY were at the hospital, why HE was in the hospital bed and why HE was hooked up to the machines, and not her...........

She was safe, so he hadn't failed her.

That relief hurt almost as much as the loss had and his chest started to hurt again. Closing his eyes, Kakashi focused on the rain, on the tears running down his face, and on Kaede's pulsem so strong and so close to his hand that he forced the limb to turn over so his palm was cupping her cheek. A smile graced his face as the little Hatake snuggled into the warm touch.

Everything was alright. She was safe and that was all that mattered. Kakashi felt so weak, so exhausted all of a sudden, but he couldn't stop staring at his daughter, not until his eyes stun and he knew that keeping his Sharingan open like that hadn't been a good idea. A few moments before he slipped back into unconsciousness, the softest of whispers escaped his lips as he did so.

".....Kaede......"

The little girl woke slowly the next morning, her eyes opening to see the folds of the blanket and the fingertips of her father’s hand, which was now cupped comfortably around the girl’s cheek. She closed her eyes for a minute as she snuggled into it softly, letting out a long sigh as she remained still. Despite her promise, Kaede found her sight constantly clouded by doubt and lately, more so than before, her guilt. She brushed it away slightly as she sat up, stretching and yawning before leaning back on the bed, using her elbows as support, her head held in her hands as she stared back down at the blanket.

Something felt a bit strange that morning… It was like someone was watching her. She looked over at the doorway, only to find an empty hall, the florescent lights shining harshly into the still rather dark room. She seemed to stare at the empty space for a while before she glanced around the room, thinking maybe Naruto or Iruka had snuck in to check on them. Seeing neither of the two other ninja or any medic or anything, she refocused on a fold in the covers.

Her eyes, however, were suddenly drawn to her dad’s fingertips again, his hand still curled as it was when cupped around her cheek. She followed his fingers up to his arm and then up to his neck, staring at his face. An illusion played across her eyes then. It was like his eyes were open… Like he was awake. Kaede dismissed it as she closed her eyes for a second, a slight pain stinging in her chest. That was a mean thing for her mind to do to her…

She looked up again and again, seen the same illusion. However, this time, it clicked in her mind that it wasn’t a mere illusion…

The little girl’s eyes widened as she looked up at him fully.

Kakashi smiled softly at the girl as she finally realized that it really was him awake and not some trick of light. He bowed his head softly in a nod as he lifted his hand a little in a small wave. Kaede just stared at him, tears now starting to flood in her eyes. Her mouth opened slightly as she went to speak, but she found her lips had suddenly become dry and she was only able to utter out one word. “D-dad…?”

Again, he nodded as he looked back up at her kindly, his eyes soft and gentle, the shade of his Sharingan seemingly softer in comparison again, too. Kaede’s lip quivered as she continued to stare at him, a blink of her eyes letting those tears that had built up fall. The little Hatake gave a sob as she lunged at him, gently latching around his waist, crying into the material of his shirt and the blanket, her legs curling up next to him as she got as close as she possibly could. She didn’t want to let go… She didn’t want to lose him like that again…

Her father just eyed her softly as he rubbed her back. He wanted to tell her so badly that everything was all right now, but his lips and mouth were so dry, it was hard enough to swallow, let alone form words. He continued to rub her back, however, and after a while, finally found enough strength to pull her into a soft hug. She stopped crying for a second at the movement, but soon went to crying gently into the crook of his neck as she wrapped her arms around him. Kakashi laid his softly on the side of her neck, his chin resting lightly on her back as he felt a few tears now escape from his eyes as he slowly closed them.

They both had each other back… After all this time… They were finally together again…

Tsunade watched silently from the edge of the door, a soft smile on her face and tears running down her cheeks as well. After all that time… It just made her chest hurt with joy at seeing them that way. She shook her head softly as she sniffled, wiping the tears away from her eyes. “It’s about time… you bastard… Do that again and I swear… I’ll…” The Sannin trailed off as she just shook her head again… She couldn’t threaten him right now. Not with that feel in the air. It would feel evil, even if it happened to be nothing but an idle threat…

The pale-haired woman pulled away and walked back down the hall. She’d let them alone for now, as they both needed time alone with together another… Even if they had both been in that room together all that time, they had still been separated during the entire period, so they’d have a lot of catching up to do…

She’d go pester Kakashi later…

The two Hatake remained tight in their hug until Kakashi felt the little girl fall limp against him, her breathing now even except for the occasional sob. She snuggled against him as he lifted his head, leaning back up against the back of the bed, still holding her close to him. It felt almost like their breathing synced up then as he felt her rise and fall softly in his arms, his chest mimicking the slight motion. He rocked her a bit before slipping down slightly himself, his eyelids now dropping as he soon fell into a soft slumber as well, Kaede still held firmly against him.

A loud noise disturbed the Jounin after what only seemed like a few minutes, causing him to stir a bit. He slowly opened one eye and lifted his head a little, hearing more noise resonating from the hallway, a familiar voice the source of that noise. Kakashi made a face upon hearing it and laid back down, letting out a sigh as he gave his teddy bear of a daughter a soft squeeze, looking over at her face with a small smile.

Kaede opened her eyes slowly and looked down at him, her lips also turning up into a smile, though her green eyes filled again with tears. Her smile quivered as she spoke. “So, it wasn’t a dream…” Kaede gave a stiff, short sob before reaching up to wipe those built up tears away. “Thanks goodness… I was so afraid it was….” Kakashi gave her a soft look as he brushed her hair back, giving her another squeeze. He went to speak , but he found the breathing apparatus made it just as difficult to speak as the dryness of his mouth.

The older Hatake glared at the plastic mask as he rose his hand to it, pulling at it softly, causing the little girl on his chest to raise her head worriedly. Kakashi shook his head at her, pushing her hand away as she reached up to stop him. He knew he shouldn’t remove it without permission and he knew Tsunade would chew him out for it later, but… he wanted to speak to his daughter.

He pulled it off slowly, dropping it off at the side of the bed, taking a few breaths of regular air before looking up fully at Kaede. He smiled at her brightly, yet gently, though the silver-haired girl didn’t dismiss her worried look. Kakashi sighed as he brush her hair back again. “Don’t worry…” he said softly. “I’m fine….” Kaede felt her chest tighten then. That was the first time…The first time in weeks… That she had heard his voice. She had almost forgotten what he sounded like…

Kakashi shifted up into a sitting position, moving Kaede a down bit until she was beside him. He rubbed her upper arm as he gave the little girl another squeeze, looking down at her. “But… how are you?” Kakashi’s voice was still soft and feeble as he spoke, but it still held that same tone of kindness and love that it always held when he spoke to the young Hatake. Kaede looked up at him. “I’m… okay…” Her eyes trailed away a bit and Kakashi noticed a soft glint of guilt. “Just ‘okay’?” The little girl nodded as she leaned against him, snuggling into him gently.

Kaede coughed softly as she let another silence pass between them. She didn’t know what to talk about… Maybe there wasn’t anything really for them to talk about… She sniffled and Kakashi looked down at her once more, his hand automatically pressing against her forehead, feeling that the small girl was slightly warm and saw that her cheeks were a light pink.

“Coming down with a cold?”

She shrugged and her father went to speak, but a woman’s voice dominated the air instead. “Kakashi… You’re awake.” The Hatake duo looked up at the door, Tsunade standing there with a soft smile spread on her face. She then noticed his mask was off and she gave him a stern look. The Jounin just returned that stare and she sighed. Nope, she still couldn’t threaten him…The pale-haired woman just shook her head as that smile returned to her lips.

The Sannin opened her mouth slightly, but before she could say anything, a familiar, hyperactive blonde barged into the room. Tsunade went to grab his collar, but missed as Naruto darted towards Kakashi’s bedside. “Naruto! How many times do I have to tell you! He’s not ready for visitors!” The blonde didn’t seem to hear her as he basically tackled his sensei, only a bit softer. “Kakashi-sensei! You’re alright! I was so worried about you!” He ranted on as he smothered him, apparently not noticing the pain he was causing the man. Tsunade now approached the bed and attempted to pry Naruto off, though the boy was rather defiant about it. Kakashi was cringing in pain at the moment and the little Hatake next to him was being squished.

“Naruto! Get off him!”

There was chaos for the next few minutes, but Tsunade finally managed to get Naruto off the injured Jounin. She managed to shoo him off as well, telling him to come back in a few days and the blonde reluctantly agreed and left, last heard saying he’d be out for ramen.

Tsunade merely shook her head as she came back into the room. “I’m sorry… I thought I had chased him off earlier. None of your wounds have opened up, have they?” Kakashi shook his head as he rose his hand to wave it off. “No, no. I’m fine. Just a bit sore and tired… I’ll live…” The older woman nodded. She saw that tired look in his eyes. “Well, then I’ll leave you to rest then. Call me if you need anything, okay?” She went to leave.

“Wait, Tsunade-sama.” The woman turned with a questionable expression on her face. “Yes?” Kakashi looked down at Kaede, who had slipped back into a sleep. “Could we… maybe get another room…where we both can stay together? Kaede’s not feeling well and she’d probably be better off in a bed of her own.” Tsunade nodded. “Sure thing. I’ll get a few of my medics in here to move you two, then.” The Jounin nodded in return and the Hokage left with another soft smile on her face.

The two silver-haired ninja were soon moved to a slightly larger room and Kaede was placed into a separate bed. Kakashi wanted to keep her by him, but he knew that the little girl needed rest in a proper bed and not hunched up in some little chair. He looked over at her while she slept. Though her face looked peaceful in her sleep, he still saw that same lingering guilt that had been in her eyes…

Iruka walked again into the hospital, spotting Tsunade, raising a hand to wave her down. The Sannin turned to the teacher with a light smile. “Iruka-sensei. Back again, are we?” He nodded and noticed that smile on her face, making one of his own spread on his. “Yeah, just can’t stay away… Actually, I’m here to check on Kakashi and Kaede? How are they? Better, I hope?” The older woman nodded as her smile widened slightly as she mindlessly brushed some hair back behind her ear.

“Kakashi… He… He finally…He finally woke up….” That brought tears back to the Sannin’s eyes and she quickly wiped them away. “They’re finally back together again… I…” She found herself lost for words once again and just stood there with that odd smile. Iruka stood their wide-eyed, his face then breaking into a wide smile of his own. However, he was the opposite of the speechless Sannin. “He’s awake? Really? When did he wake up? How is he right now?” The Chuunin continued to rattle of questions before Tsunade stopped him.

She placed her weight one leg as she leaned slightly, folding her arms. “He’s fine. Still a bit sore and tired, but otherwise, alright… He woke earlier this morning. I’m not sure what time, but I know it was sometime this morning.” Tsunade glanced up at him, knowing he was going to start on Kaede next. “And Kaede’s fine, too. She’s apparently down with a cold right now though… Oh, right. I was wondering, if you would mind sitting in with them for now. There’s a few things I have to do and with Kakashi still bedridden, he can’t really take care of Kaede. I know I have other medics for that, but I think it would help if it was someone she knew more so than one of my staff… So, if you wouldn’t mind helping… I know you have class and all, but I mean on your down time, if you could come by and just check on her.”

Iruka nodded with a bright smile. “Sure, I can. It’s no problem.” He made a rather childish, pleading face. “…Is it alright if I come back and see them, then?” The Sannin nodded softly. “Sure. Follow me. We moved their room because Kakashi though Kaede would like to sleep in a bed better than a chair if she was sick.” Tsunade then lead the scarred teacher down to the Hatake’s new room, knocking softly on the door. “Kakashi? Kaede? You two have a visitor.” She peeked in, seeing that Kakashi was up, but Kaede was still out. The Jounin looked up questionably at the Sannin, his face now covered with his regular face mask.

“Oh, hi.” He waved slightly as he looked up from his book. It had still been hidden in his vest which had been kept in the back. Kaede had brought it to him the other day when she brought a few other things for him, including his mask. Reading helped him pass the time a lot better than staring off at the wall. He noticed Iruka step up beside the older woman. “Oh, Iruka-sensei’s here, too?”

The teacher smiled and waved back. “Yup, I’m here, too.” Tsunade looked at the two before setting her eyes back on Kakashi. “That’s right. He’s going to come in to check on you two for a bit. I know you’d want to take of Kaede, but you’re in no condition to be getting up quite yet. I hope you don’t mind.” Kakashi shook his head. “No, that’s fine.” He looked over at the little girl, as she mumbled and turned in her sleep. There was a slight sweat on her forehead and that guilty look was still etched on her face. Kakashi’s eyes softened slightly. That little girl had seriously been worn out from this, but, he still didn’t full understand the cause of her guilt.

Iruka glanced over at the sleeping Hatake, too, his face saddening a bit as well.

For the next few days, the brown-haired ninja came in to check on the two, normally just sitting there watching Kaede as Kakashi read. The little girl slept a majority of the time, though, but was found to be abruptly woke by some kind of nightmare, the girl jolting up quickly in her bed, her eyes slightly teary. It worried the two men greatly each time she did it, but she never bothered to tell either of them what haunted her in her dreams. She would wake and take a few minutes to calm down, looking at them for a second before turning her eyes down at her covers. She would then lie back down and drift back to sleep, only to be woke a while later by another nightmare.

She had, at least, started eating again, though…

The Chuunin sat there, checking over papers as Kaede sat in bed and ate. She was finally getting back to her normal eating habits, but seemed to be moving slowly with it and didn’t eat as much as she normally did. Tsunade figured she would get back to normal in a few days, seeing as she hadn’t ate much during the last three week period and still seemed to be slightly troubled.

Thinking about that, Iruka eyed the little girl. He thought she would be a lot more… Well, hyper wasn’t the word, but more energetic or happy that her father was finally awake… However, she was just as quiet and melancholy as when he was asleep, even if it was milder than before. But this time, the girl seemed to be having issues with even looking at Kakashi, much less being in the same room with him when awake. When the little girl wasn’t sleeping, she’d wander the hospital halls, straying well away from the room as much as she could…

The teacher knew why though… She was troubled because of her attempt on her father’s life. He knew that little girl well enough to know that was probably the thing tearing her apart and staining her dreams. During the night while he was still there, when she was asleep, she would constantly apologize, her face screwing up painfully and sadly each time, tears sometimes flowing softly from her eyes. …Yes, that’s what was ripping the girl up, but Iruka knew that she wasn’t going to say anything about it. He could tell that the little girl didn’t want her father to know and he could understand. The news would probably tear him up just as much as it did the to the little girl….

Iruka pulled out of his thought process and looked up from his clipboard and at the girl. She had stopped eating again, her eyes focused at the opposite wall, their green color deep and empty, slight shame filling their recesses. Iruka’s assumptions were dead on. Whenever she looked at Kakashi, she felt pain inside because of her attempt on his life. Sasuke’s no longer bothered her… Only her own… How could she even…?

The little girl moved her tray away from her as she flipped the covers back, moving her legs over the edge. Both Kakashi and Iruka looked up and watched her as she stood and slowly left the room. Iruka got up shortly after her and watched her down the hall, seeing the little girl disappear into the bathroom. He blinked as he thought, then turned back to Kakashi, who had focused back down at his book.

“Kakashi… We… Need to talk…”

Kaede’s footsteps were slow and silent as she wandered back down the hall, her head hung low, her eyes still plunged into her shame. She blinked sadly as she came closer to the room, but paused as she heard Iruka’s voice through the doorway. The little girl pressed herself against the wall and inched quietly towards the door, listening inside the room.

Iruka let out an uncertain sigh and scratched his head nervously, looking at the edge of the bed. Kakashi merely eyed him curiously before titling his head. “What is it, Iruka?” he asked, the Jounin’s voice still weak and soft. Iruka sighed again as he looked up at the silver-haired man. “Kakashi… There’s something you need to know… And this pains me to tell you, but…” The teacher paused as he looked for the right way to say it. It was so difficult to say, much less think about. Iruka bit his lip as he noticed Kakashi’s prying eye, its dark color full of wonder, though it was still partially focused at his book.

He semi-gritted his teeth. “Well… While you were still out… We had a few incidents…” The brown-haired man paused once more as Kakashi leaned slightly, his attention then drawn more away from his book. “What? What happened? Was Kaede alright?” Iruka nodded head and held his hands up to stop Kakashi, beating that parental protectiveness down. “Yes, yes… Everything was……” Well, he couldn’t very well say ‘alright’, now could he?

Outside, Kaede slid slowly down the wall, her arms wrapped around her stomach, her eyes watery. Her tears ran uncontrollably down the young girl’s face, but she remained silent as she shifted to hug her knees. She continued to listen as Iruka went on, the man’s words still hesitant.

“It was… Kakashi… I know this is going to be hard to hear, but… While you were asleep… Kaede broke…” He noticed that deep worry in Kakashi’s eye. “Slightly. Slightly… She… She tried to…” He swallowed as he finally mustered up the courage and spat it out. “I’m sorry, Kakashi, but Kaede tried to kill you…” And the glass was shattered.

The room fell into an eerie silence as Iruka looked painfully away, unable to take that heartbroken look from the other man. Kakashi’s face was blank, yet exploded with emotion and he could hardly believe what he had just heard. But he knew he heard it, as those burning words still echoed in his ear. The Jounin had nothing to say.

They both seemed to zone out from that point until a soft noise turned their attention to the door. A wet-faced, little Kaede stood there, her head hung semi-low, her hands balled into fists at her side. Her expression was that of complete sadness and regret, her green eyes stinging with her guilt. Her lips trembled as she tried to speak, but at every attempt, her words broke. Iruka stared at her nervously, unable to comprehend what could happen and unable to think of anything to do. He frowned sadly at the girl before his eyes shifted slowly to Kakashi. Iruka seemed to stop breathing for a second as he saw the silver-haired man’s face.

It was still blank and still sad. His eye seemed just so focused on the girl. It hurt, even to Iruka. The silence that was cast between them also stung and it was deafening. Kaede just stared back at her father, her eyes still leaking out her tears, which ran painfully down her face. She sobbed as she collapsed to her knees, holding her stomach as she cried. Kakashi looked down at his blankets, now noticing how white his knuckles were from clenching the bedding.

The scene paralyzed Iruka, the Chuunin unable to move from his spot. He could feel the heavy tension in the room and hated the feeling and hated himself for telling Kakashi. He looked at Kaede. The brown-haired man wanted to go over and embrace her, but anything he did would mean nothing now. He now gazed at the floor, his fists now held tightly in his lap as he listened to Kaede’s crying.

Kakashi slowly raised his gaze to the little girl, his face still wearing that strange expression, that one eye now just as blank and confused. He stared at her for a few moments as she remained hunched over, her tears forming a small puddle before her knees, her tears falling with an almost inaudible splash. He eyed her before his mouth opened slightly, hesitant words uttering from his lips.

“You… gave up on me, Kaede…?” he asked, those words blank and dull, yet so serious.. He continued on as if he wasn’t thinking. The words just seemed to come without any thought to them at all. “You wanted… me dead? Did you… stop loving me?”

That made Kaede freeze immediately, her sobs stopping abruptly. She lifted her head slowly to look at him, her eyes widening at that gleam in his, the former ANBU’s expression sending a pain through her entire body. Her lips quivered as she looked at him wide-eyed, shaking her head. She was completely dumbfounded and bewildered. Had she been standing, she would have probably fallen over… “What? I… No… No… That’s not… That’s not what I wanted… I… No! That isn’t what I wanted! That’s not what happened!” She leaned forward as she cried out, still shaking her head. “How… How could I…?”

Iruka now looked up as well, watching the two gingerly, the teacher completely shaken and just as blown away as the little girl. How could Kakashi think that of her? He glanced at him slightly, seeing the man look back down as more words came that just added more to the fire. “I don’t know… Why don’t you tell me?”

Kaede staggered to her feet as she shook her head harder. “No… You don’t understand! I never wanted that! I never…I didn’t…” She stepped back slowly as her eyes became teary again. Kakashi just shot a short look at her and that made the little girl break. The young Hatake whirled on her heel with a cry and bolted out the door. Iruka stood as he called out for her. “Kaede! Wait!” The teacher threw Kakashi a quick glance before chasing after the girl, calling after her.

He rounded a corner and ran into Tsunade, who caught his arm gently, pulling his eyes up to hers, the teacher looking up at her worried and flustered. “Iruka! What’s wrong?” Iruka just stared at her for a second before swallowing whatever had blocked his throat, his eyes then trailing down. “I… I told Kakashi… What happened… What Kaede tried to do…” The brown-haired man explained. “He… He didn’t take it well… He asked Kaede… If she had stopped loving him…” His eyes narrowed sadly as he recalled the Jounin’s words. They were so… So… Iruka didn’t know how to explain them, but he could still feel that pain they had caused.

The Sannin just stood there silent and now wide-eyed herself. “He said that?” Iruka nodded stiffly. The Hokage released his arm as she dropped her arms to her sides, a sigh escaping her mouth. “Let me talk to him then…” With that, she stepped away from the teacher and towards the Hatake’s room. She peeked in to see Kakashi staring at the bedding once again, his eye still blank and unfocused and his hands clenched tightly on his blanket. She flinched slightly at that look in his eye. How could he even have thought that about Kaede…? She sucked it up as she put on one of her tougher demeanors.

“You made me lie to her, you know.” Tsunade walked slowly into the room, her arms folded across her chest. Kakashi looked up at her, his eyes sullen and confused, staring at the Sannin before looking away. “What do you mean by that, Tsunade-sama?” The older woman gave him a look. “I told her a few hours, maybe a couple of days, not three weeks, Kakashi. You’re two and a half weeks late. That’s too late, even for you.”

The Jounin didn’t say anything as he sat silent, his hands held in fists in his lap, his eyes focused on the blankets. The pale-haired woman eyed him before she sighed, running a hand through her hair, her other going to her hip. “Listen, I know you’re shaken about the news… It still hasn’t settled with Iruka or myself either… But… Do you really think that girl would still be here if she didn’t love you? Do you think she would’ve sat around for three weeks? Do you know how long she’s been here?” She paused as if waiting for an answer. “The entire time, since the two of your arrived the other night. She hasn’t left this hospital, much less this room. Do you know how many tears she shed for you to wake up? How many prayers she said?”

“If she didn’t love you, do you really think she would’ve fended off Kabuto like she did?” That caught Kakashi’s attention, his head snapping up, his one open eye wide with his natural, fatherly worry. “Kabuto was here?” Tsunade nodded. “Yeah. He came to kill you and finish off what Sasuke started… Kaede wouldn’t allow it..” The Sannin paced about the room as she spoke. “She stayed between you and him the entire time, defending you single-handedly. There was so much determination, so much devotion in everything she did that night…”

Tsunade thought back to the little girl’s face, then, and turned to face Kakashi, her face graced with a soft smile. “Kakashi, she looked just like you… Her face, her eyes… She had that same expression…” She looked down as her smile faded. “If you can’t call that love… the way she defended you and watched you like she did… then I guess I don’t know what love is…” She paused again before she looked up at Kakashi, who was now looking back down at the covers. “If you think she didn’t love you any more because of that one incident, then… I… I didn’t know you could think that way about her Kakashi. I didn’t know thoughts like that crossed your mind about her…I don’t see how you, of all people, could even let thoughts like those enter you mind…”

With that, the Sannin walked away, her figure disappearing around the door, her heels clicking with each step. Kakashi was left there alone in a silence as he continued to stare at the blanket, his knuckles once again white.

'She took on Kabuto? All on her own.........to protect me?' He found himself staring at the same spot on the sheets for a length of time until Kakashi finally seemed to come to a single clear thought, his hands slowly releasing the sheets and returning blood flow into his fingers. How could he have ever doubted Kaede's love for him? How could he not expect this to have pushed her to the brink? Tsunade was right though… Two and a half weeks was way too late, even for someone who was almost always tardy in virtually every aspect of his life. "Oh, Chibi......." Kakashi gave an ached grunt as he pushed himself up into a higher sitting position and pulled the bed sheets back. He hated this feeling of being so weak… Even if he was starting to get stronger as he recovered, Kakashi knew it would be a while before he was back to his normal self.

It wasn't going to stop him from dragging his hind out of this bed though.

Pulling his legs limply over the side of the bed, Kakashi stopped to even his breathing and get over the slight head spin the sudden movements had caused. It took a bit, but the Jounin managed to move his feet back and forward to get the circulation flowing again. Once he willed the pins and needles to leave his legs, Kakashi looked at the needles still in his arm with a frown, turning his eyes to linger on the drip stand. Well, at least it had wheels.

Wrapping his hand around the cold metal of the stand, he pulled it free from its spot just behind the head of the bed. Kakashi checked what else was hooked to his still before removing them. At least he didn't have that respirator that had been shoved down his throat to deal with. Kaede had told him about that at some point with a grimace on her face. Obviously, she hated to remember him hooked up to everything like that. Running his fingers across the top of his mask, Kakashi closed his eyes. His Sharingan was covered by a white medical eye patch, thanks to Tsunade, though he would have preferred his headband but...... This for now was good enough. At least he was able to have his facemask back because Kaede had brought it in.

He sighed.

And he still doubted his daughter's love for him? Had Sasuke hit him in the head or something? Baka, baka, baka! That's what he was for ever doubting her! Could he honestly say if he was in her position that he wouldn't have thought of wanting to ease his loved one's suffering? His own father's suffering?

Hopefully, Kaede hadn't left the hospital just yet and he could still find her, because he doubted Tsunade or anyone else was going to just let him drag his sorry ass out of this hospital. Iruka either, for that matter. That is, if the teacher was still hanging around nearby. Frowning, Kakashi eased his feet down to the floor and braced himself against the side of the bed as he attempted to stand. His knees shook dangerously in the hospital issued pants and his mostly hidden face showed just how much concentration it was taking to not just crumbled into an undignified heap on the floor.

Three weeks of not moving about was definitely catching up to him now as his knees buckled and Kakashi collapsed onto them, sitting on the floor. Breathing hard for a bit, Kakashi tried to think of just where Kaede might have gone. He couldn't think of anything except that look on her face after Iruka told him about her slip in faith. Hearing that and seeing the look on her face had felt like Kusanagi was being shoved into his chest again. Every time he thought about that hurt on her familiar face, the pain seemed to inflame. He could feel a warm sting in his eyes and Kakashi rubbed his visible eye removing the tears before they were able to fall on their own. If she didn't love him, she wouldn't have wanted to ease his suffering to begin with, even as odd as that sounded.

Kakashi frowned again and grabbed the metal stand of his drips, and with a dark growl, he forced himself to his feet, refusing to let the shaking in them put him down again as he used the stand to support himself. He had to find her. He had to tell her that he forgave her, that he loved her, and that he knew she loved him. He had to tell her everything was alright now.

He had to make it out of this room first.

Why did the door seem to be so far away, and why did he feel so exhausted after just managing to make it to the window? He had even used both the wall and the drip stand to support himself. Forcing himself to keep moving, Kakashi shook it off and made it to the door of his room and peeked out, wondering which way to go.

Raising one hand Kakashi, wiggled his finger side to side, finally pointing it to the left. His direction of travel determined, Kakashi stepped into the hall and moved at an easy pace, stopping only every now and then when he needed to stable himself or he needed to take a breather. Since when had the halls in the hospital been so long? The Copycat leaned up against the corner of the hall looking left and right again. Well, he was leaning against the right side of the hall, so he might as well make it easy on himself and just keep following to the right. At least he hadn't run into anyone yet, but damn…. The pressure on his shoulder hurt. Swapping hands again with the stand, Kakashi shuffled over to the left side of the new hall and continued. That was better.

The elder Hatake had no idea where he was going or for how long he had been walking. The only thing he was aware of was aching muscles, the light trickle of sweat down the back of his neck, and that heavy tired feeling creeping up his spine. He stopped in front of a set of frosted glass doors and raised his head to read the sign above the doors: Hospital Garden.

Pushing against one of the doors, Kakashi moved into the room, blinking at the sting the sunlight caused to his visible eye. He was too used to being in the dark or under pale florescent lights… Raising a hand to shield his vision, Kakashi took a look around the garden. The roof raised up into a glass dome that allowed sunlight to filter in for the plants, but didn't allow rain to get in. The small trees and various plants that littered the area Kakashi recognized as medical plants, but they all seemed to suit one another, making the place beautiful without being too 'loud'. A couple of birds seemed to have made the garden home and fluttered about, some landing in the little artificial stream and pond that bubbled gently, the sound soft and calm. Down the short path was a decent sized grassy spot with seats for people to sit on to enjoy their surroundings. Hidden behind some fern like trees at the far side of the 'dome', Kakashi could just see another set of doors. Obviously, they led outside, but seemed to be locked at the moment.

Dragging his tired body over to the nearest bench, Kakashi sat down on and sighed heavily as he closed his eyes, simply just listened to the area. He listened to the bubbling water, the birds, and the lightest sound coming from the air vents that filtered clean air into the room. He noticed his own deep, even breathing even added to the noises he could hear.

But… There seemed to be something missing…

…Kaede…

NEXT [LAST] CHAPTER: MY PRECIOUS SOMEONE.