sunshineverse | [Closed/Open] Oh, mercy me..

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[Closed/Open] Oh, mercy me..

Who: Kakashi & Gai, and OPEN to those who want to witness his recovery. B^|
When: May 11-19
Where: The outskirts of Konoha, then Konoha Hospital.

11th | closed to MAITO GAI [ Pakkun is not the fastest of the pack by a long shot, but he still makes it back to Konoha in record time; which probably speaks volumes about his level of loyalty and worry in this particular circumstance. He locates Gai quickly by following the man's memorable scent to a familiar haunt, and alerts him to the state of his master without another breath more than to exchange the shortest of greetings. All he knows is what he saw before he left -- that Kakashi had been ambushed, poisoned, that his foe was a formidable one, and that he will need Gai's support soon.

They set off instantly, Pakkun racing ahead to lead Gai to the field where he'd left his master. The trail is reasonably inconspicuous until the tell-tale signs of a tussle begin to appear; first with scuffs in the dirt track, then with scorches in the grass, then flecks of blood and strayed senbon... Pakkun follows the trace of Kakashi's scent to a shroud of tree-cover where the man had been dragged out of sight, and was now propped up slightly against a tree. He looks to be out cold, but his chest doesn't seem to be shifting with the movement of any kind of breath, and Bull is snuffling worriedly at the man's slightly drooping plume of silver hair. There is a dried stain of blood smeared against the mouth-region of his mask, and even though his eye-patch has been roughly pulled down a trickle of the same streak of scarlet is visible running from underneath it, seeping into the fabric. Senbon lay beside various puncture wounds littering his body, and Shiba explains that they pulled them out to sway any further poison, but that Kakashi keeps swimming in and out of consciousness regardless. Then Akino holds out the vial of antidote they were gifted by their masters' attacker. ]

'Gotta use this on him.'

[ The dogs watch on; hopeful, expectant, worried. ]

12th, possibly evening of the 11th if you're that desperate | open to all[ He doesn't like the hospital. He's seen the inside of one too many a pale painted room, and stared up at one too many dull and faded ceiling to have any emotion toward the establishment other than inherent distaste... but for once he has checked in wilfully and without the slightest inclination of complaint. His stay is incredibly convenient, and -- dare he say it? -- comforting. His body has never ached like this, never strained with the same kind of physical anguish he's currently experiencing, and he curses all the times he complained about chakra exhaustion because this pain pales in comparison. Even though he can still move around like this he's pretty certain he'd take the chakra exhaustion in a heartbeat. The feeling of a leaden head and rusted limbs is one he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.

But luckily for him, the luck of his façade makes that pipe-dream a reality. He's sworn the medics to withhold their secrecy, and the same for his rescue team, so as far as those closest to him are concerned the familiar ache of chakra exhaustion is all he has to complain about for the moment.

For the most part he remains reasonably well behaved; no attempted escapes, no secret midnight push-ups on his thumbs when the nurses aren't looking; just a steadily healing patient. He reads quietly, eats regularly, keeps his conversation polite and quiet. He seems... distant. He's thinking about something though it isn't clear what.... but he seems to be recovering well, and his exterior presents a content man. ]

feel free to ask me for a personal top level, or give me your own! kakashi will be in hospital from when gai drops him off all the way up to the 19th at slowly climbing levels of wellness and could probably use the company....

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He'd gotten word practically the moment Kakashi was brought home, and the fact he had to be brought home was a whole different animal entirely that he wasn't even thinking about. No, he was going to go check on his Hatake, and be thankful that Gai had run off to fetch him before he'd ended up dead, if what he'd heard once he reached the hospital was any kind of barometer.

He hadn't asked, so he might be taking it all out of context, the severity, but the fact that Kakashi needed a hospital was never a good sign. Thus, he nudged the door open, peeking inside cautiously for a moment before padding over, unsure if the man would even be awake, thus his voice was very soft as he settled himself into a nearby chair where he could watch him.

"Hey Kakashi. I'm just gonna... be here. If you're sleeping, keep doing that, yeah?"

"It's always difficult to sleep with you around."

His voice came out as a sleepy grumble, and he cracked his eye open a fraction to regard his visitor. He was covered in bandages and wearing a medical mask and eye-patch as was typical of his stints in the hospital... but this time he had been propped up on pillows rather than flat on his back, and his book sat in his lap as though he'd just dosed off reading. Altogether he looked rather comfortable and well, especially considering he could actually use his arms.

He knew Obito wouldn't stay away long, so his presence was hardly surprising. Kakashi closed the book and smiled with his one visible eye.

"How's it going?"

"You sleep just fine when I get you into a cuddle so we both know that's not true." It was a murmur, and he leaned forward, watching him for a moment, then reaching over and resting his hand on his wrist, just to reassure himself the man was fine.

"It's been a rough week but I'm sure something'll improve at some point. Who said you could go and get so hurt anyway?"

His eye creased at the corner, making his smile all the more clear, and he reached out his spare hand to pat Obito's fingers in what he had obviously intended to be a reassuring manner.

"I've had it too good for too long; something had to give eventually." He made a move to shift up a little, masking the wince of pain that shot up his spine expertly well, and arranged himself better against his pillows before settling again.

"Besides, it looks a lot worse than it is... See?" He lifted the arm Obito wasn't touching and wiggled his fingers. "I have full mobility."

"Doesn't make me happy with you being hurt." He huffed and nearly pouted at him, relieved but still clearly worried. "This has been a horrible month Kakashi, can I get a do-over?"

"I'd be a little worried if you were happy with me being hurt..." His tone was gentle, and he followed his words with a soft chuckle.... that promptly turned into a small coughing fit. Hospital food made his throat so dry, eugh.

Once he was done almost choking on air, he looked to Obito again, and his expression twitched. He could practically feel the worry radiating from him. "I think a do-over would be a godsend for more people than just you and me.. If only it were possible."

He heaved a sigh, then got him water, offering it to him after the coughing fit. "Yeah, I know. How much have you heard about the last week anyway? I know you've been out of the village so I wasn't sure if that got word to you quicker or slower."

"What's been going on?" He'd heard this and that but, as Obito had said, he'd spent a lot of his time recently away from the village or otherwise preoccupied with those closest to him.. So it was probably best to be given an overview of everything than to miss something out.

He waited patiently for the news, sticking the straw in the glass under his mask rather than removing it. The walls had eyes in this place, even at this time of night.

"Suna imploded, their kage is dead, Kiri's kage is also dead and I'm still not clear on what's going on over there at all. Sasuke, well." He waved over to the sleeping teen. "He only just came out of post-mission fuckup quarantine, and someone tried to kidnap Konayuki, Hinata, and Rin just a couple days ago. And now you. So."

He grimaced and shook his head sharply. "So no."

Kakashi let out a slow sigh and settled against the pillows at his back.

"I heard about the kidnapping attempt from Kona.. But everything else..." He shook his head and pushed the fingers of one hand through his hair. "That's a lot to take in." A hell of a lot to take in, and Kakashi felt a sinking feeling in his stomach at adding to that mess. Well, at least that decided his level of truthfulness for the evening.

"Yeah. I just wish I could guarantee that everything going on would get itself over with and end this week you know?" He shook his head slowly. "But I don't think it will be like that."

He pressed his lips together for a moment, staring across the bed instead of at Kakashi. "Sorry if things turn out that you don't get a lot of downtime with your team after this."

Kakashi sighed slowly, putting the glass aside to pat the back of Obito's hand.

"Don't worry about me, or my team. It's not like we've gotten very far recently, they could probably use a busy atmosphere to kick them into shape..." He made it obvious he was smiling gently underneath his mask, though someone who knew him as well as Obito did would have known that without the clue. "Look at the bigger picture. Whatever happens, your village is here to support you."

Aaand then he leans back with a weary exhale. "You'll just have to give me a few days to stop feeling motion sick every half hour."

"Yeah, I do have the village, don't I?" He looked back to him, expression softening. "You're pretty smart sometimes you know. And no fleeing the medics before you can move easily okay?" He hooked a thumb over to the other bed. "That one is already worrying enough on that front so."

He lowered his hand back to his lap, looking at Kakashi directly. "I'm staying the night, by the way."

"I've had my smart moments, yeah.." He chuckles softly as he looks over to the bed across from him, his look falling affectionate for a moment as he wondered how Sasuke was doing. He'd have to make a point of talking to him tomorrow.

... And then was deterred from all further thoughts on the matter by Obito's next words. He gave him a look, his visible eyebrow lowering just a little.

"I appreciate the offer, but you don't have to. I promise I'm not going anywhere."

He blinked, then laughed. "Who said it was an offer. I am staying the night. It was more a declaration. I'll probably be out of here stupidly early though. Too much paperwork to deal with."

[ That Pakkun had sought him out at all was reason to worry and Gai wasted no time in assessing what he had on his person and deciding it would have to be enough. Kakashi clearly needed him, and he would not keep his Rival waiting. It was likely he could not afford to.

He lets the dog lead him because tracking on his own would take too much time and Pakkun's nose will find Kakashi faster than any Rival-senses Gai might think he has. The battle-site they come upon was clearly a heated one, closely matched (if not in the opponent's favor, and Gai hates to think what that will mean) and though he's seen Kakashi scrape through battles before, he's not sure he was ready for how bad this one has left him. If there's breath, it is difficult to detect, and he considers rescue breathing as a first step until the dogs suggest otherwise. Gai kneels beside Kakashi, eyeing the trickle of blood under the forehead protector as he takes the vial, skeptical of its contents for only a second and listening to the explanations before tugging down Kakashi's mask. He cradles his Rival's chin, tilting it back ever so slightly and slipping the opened end of the vial between those oft hidden lips, tipping until the liquid disappeared into Kakashi's mouth.

Gently, he stroked Kakashi's throat, as he had seen done to the dogs to induce swallowing, just hoping it worked on their masters as well. ]

Come on, Kakashi... [ The words of encouragement were soft and Gai poised himself to gather Kakashi quickly once his Rival was awake. They couldn't linger out here. ]

[ The liquid goes down with ease, but after the vial empties comes a long moment where nothing seems to happen. The dogs crowd around to look on with concerned expressions, their snouts twitching with worry, scenting the air for even the smallest flicker of their master's life force....

Suddenly the paralysis the poison had afflicted on Kakashi relinquishes its hold on his organs in a quick push of force, wrenching him back into the waking world rather viciously, and he gulps in heavy breaths like he's just emerged from a deep body of water. ] Ghk-- Dad--! [ Whether he had been dreaming or teetering on the edge of his own mortality is uncertain, but he remembers the ghost of a tired smile and a white trail of hair being teased by the wind.

He's woozy and confused and everything hurts, but his memories knock impatiently on the hollow of his skull, refusing him any more of the quiet darkness had been getting so familiar with and so he groans as he tries to push himself into a sitting position, only to succumb to the pain and let himself sink back down again. He screws his eyes shut and flails his hand outward instead till his fingers close around the arm of his friend, and tighten when he realises just who has come to his aid. ]

...Gai. [ His eye opens a crack, his mouth twitches, and his voice is breathy with relief. ] Am I glad to see you..

[ Gai holds his breath until Kakashi gasps for air and then he keeps Kakashi upright and forward a little, so that if any liquid has managed to go down to his lungs he could cough it up. Whatever Kakashi saw, or thought he saw, in his moments of near-death is not Gai's business (curious as he is) nor is this the time.

As Kakashi regains his consciousness and catches his bearings, Gai looks him over. The wounds need more attention than Gai is capable of giving them and anything he does now would be just surface bandages. But that doesn't stop him from trying, pulling from his vest a couple rolls of clean wraps and starting on some of the deeper punctures just to make sure the bleeding stops. There's internal damage Gai can't fix...and there's the eye... It will need a medic like Rin (and he thinks the dogs should have fetched her, as all he can do is carry Kakashi back) but Gai's optimistic that with the antidote in his system and Gai's speed to take him home, Kakashi will survive. The medics back home will do the rest.

Or what the can.

He puts on a much bolder smile than he feels, trying to keep his tone strong and the tears out of his voice as he looks up from dressing a wound to meet Kakashi's gaze. Gai wants to hold him and never let him go. But Kakashi undoubtedly knows how bad it is. He doesn't need Gai to make it worse by crying over him. Now is not the time. And Gai certainly doesn't want to make a big deal of it on his end, either. No need thanks. Kakashi called, he came. It is as simple as that. ] The feeling is mutual, my Eternal Rival. Can I offer you a ride home?

Mm, yeah. Definitely. I think my adventure has been eventful enough for the time being.

[ His eye follows Gai's efforts in patching him up, and it might just be the delusions of a barely conscious old man, but he's certain he's starting to feel better already just with that iota of support. Gai is such a pillar for Kakashi in more ways than one, and there is no-one he'd rather find him like this. Sure, a medic nin would tend to his wounds faster; would ensure nothing was broken and support anything that was; would give Kakashi something to take the edge off the pain... but all of that pales in comparison to the comfort Gai gives him by just being there. There is a reason he's his SOS contact, after all. ]

Pakkun found you easily, then? [ Normal conversation, yes. Normalacy is what he craves right now. Pakkun intones that of course he found him easily, what else was Kakashi expecting? and Kakashi gives him a one eyed smile that is probably meant thank him. ]

I am all for adventure in your life, Kakashi, but I agree. This outing has been a bit much.

[ It's difficult to resist spending more time on his wounds, but he wants to make sure that Kakashi's home as soon as possible and that the poison is completely removed from his system. And that his eye is looked at. The brush with death was just a little too close this time, and setting bones more solidly would be best, but the trip will be quick and ninja medics can heal almost anything.

He has faith.

Gai gave the dog an amused smile as well and nodded. ] Your dogs are excellent, my Rival. Pakkun was very swift!

[ Gai finished his work and fixed the mask back up over Kakashi's nose before gathering him up bridal-style and as gently as if Kakashi were made of eggshells. He took a moment to try and make sure his rival was comfortable. ] I apologize in advance if this is not the smoothest trip!

[ His voice rose in volume as he opened the first couple of gates and he hopped into the trees. So far they have had no trouble, and Gai felt he could reasonably surmise that if there was an enemy still out there, they would have attacked before Gai arrived, while Kakashi was most vulnerable. He didn't think he would have to conserve energy on the way back, but too much speed courtesy of the Gates might not be great for Kakashi. The dogs might not be able to keep up, but they could follow and watch his back. Gai knew the way home. ]

Let me know if it gets too windy for you!!

[ Kakashi loops his arms around Gai's neck and clings tight when he feels that rush of energy and wind push outward from Gai's form with the opening of the gates. Kakashi can feel a steady thrumming under Gai's skin now, hammering like a drum against everywhere they are making contact. It's... weird. He would have probably preferred it if Gai had just ran home at his normal speed (which was still a match for Kakashi's, and that was saying something) but when he thinks about it, he understands that Gai is probably just worrying too much for normalcy at this point.

He keeps a firm hold on Gai, the wind whapping his hair into his face, forcing him to turn his head a little more and smoosh his cheek against Gai's broad shoulder, forehead at his jaw. Gai is warm - Kakashi isn't sure if from the gates or just in general - but it's comforting, and even with the intermittent bumps along their journey, Kakashi can't deny how safe he feels in Gai's hold. He and Pakkun definitely made the right choice.

After a short while, Kakashi lifts his head up to call out over the wind, voicing something that has been playing on his mind since Gai's worry dawned on him. ]

Aren't you going to ask what happened? [ Gai is a respectful gentleman, of course, but Kakashi knows how nosy he can be also. The fact that he hasn't asked yet is strange, and Kakashi gives him this opportunity to ask without judgement as a kind of payback for worrying him in the first place. ]

Edited (makes it a lil more gay) 2015-05-16 01:03 (UTC)

[ Kakashi's hold is tight despite everything and his weight in Gai's arms is reassuring. He has Kakashi. Nothing more could befall him. He will never let him go and he refuses to stop until they are home, safe and sound. Kakashi is warm and alive and though the warm chakra thrumming through his own veins downs out the feel of Kakashi's vitals, he can just feel him and know.

Gai's sight is on the distance, on the next tree and the next, focused ahead on the task, when Kakashi speaks. He was trying to respect both Kakashi's privacy and the privacy of his mission, but the opening is there and Gai is indeed nosy. And protective. And he knows once the adrenaline of rushing Kakashi home wears off, he will be angry as well. It would be wise to know what happened. To anticipate the possible political fallout to follow...for Obito's sake. And to know who to inflict appropriate punishment on (ah, but it would probably be best to not mention that thought to Obito or Kakashi himself...but perhaps a certain ANBU would be a different story). ]

I did not want to pry. But if you will allow me to ask, I will. What happened? [ Who got the better of my infallible Rival? ]

I was attacked by what I thought was a civilian. [ Better to keep it to the point. The wind is making it difficult to talk, but Gai needs to know the facts incase he passes out before the appropriate people are alerted to what has happened.. and Kakashi has a favor to ask of him. ] He was much stronger than he looked, so my only guess is that he's a trained civilian. He wasn't wearing any insignia that I recognised, and didn't match any description in the bingo book. [ He holds on a touch closer, apprehension threatening to cut his explanation short for a moment, but he pulls through. ] At first I thought it was a blind attack, but then he made a grab for the sharingan.

[ Words are difficult when they carry this much guilt. ]

...I was too weak to protect it by that point, but I destroyed it before it could fall into the wrong hands, so it's less serious than it could have been. [ But he still failed, that much is true. He swallows the words that leave a foul taste in his mouth, and tightens his hands around his friend. ]

Gai.. [ He presses his face closer; his mouth at Gai's ear so he can hear him and hear the severity in his tone. ] I'm sorry to make you do this, but... You have to promise me you won't tell Obito.

[News had finally spread around and with Minato busy with a short mission elsewhere, Kushina took it upon herself to bring his former student food. Sure he would be provided food, but... hospital food. It seemed appropriate to bring enough assorted non-perishable foods to feed a four-man squad - or cover him for a few meals. And a thermos of tea if he wanted some. What she hadn't expected was to find that he had been put in the same room as Sasuke. She'd have to come back with more food next time...

As it was, on arrival at Kakashi's bedside, she put down her basket with a dull thunk and started pulling up the chair right up next to him. But she didn't sit just yet. Her hands stayed curled on the backrest.]

Kakashi... You look terrible, all wrapped up like that, y'know. What did you do to yourself?

Ah, Lady Kushina... [ He's honestly surprised to see her. He had thought for sure that his sensei and his wife would be much too busy to drop in on him for yet another of his hospital stays... and he has to wonder if this visit is thanks to Obito's influence.

As far as he's aware, the village at large is comfortably under the impression that all he's suffering from is a little chakra exhaustion, so at Kushina's concern he simply lifts his hand to wave away her words. ] It's not as bad as it seems. [ He feels like he's saying that an awful lot lately. ] I just got caught up in a little scuffle while crossing the border. Please, sit down.

[It... may have been possibly slightly influenced by Obito, but her own busy schedule had kept her from rushing over immediately and gave her some time to prepare. Before she sat, she dug out the tea and found an empty glass. Maybe she was fussing over him a little, but she'd known him for so long and Minato's team had come to feel like an extension of their little family, before and after Naruto came into their lives.]

You know you don't have to be that formal with me, right? Here, I brought some tea with the food. I didn't think the hospital food's changed much recently, so I thought I'd make sure you were getting stuff with more flavor. I'd like to think it'll help cut down on your recovery time. Any idea how much longer you'll be in here? Chakra exhaustion doesn't seem too bad and a night or two of good rest and good food should be enough to fix you up.

[She gave him a wink as she poured out half a glass of tea to hand over to him.]

Just try not to push yourself too hard, yeah?

[Maybe. Just maybe she was silently keeping an eye on him despite the easy smiles and overt jabs at the hospital food. It seemed to be shinobi habit to downplay any injuries. She'd done it, Minato had done it, pretty much every person who trained and served as a ninja she knew had done it. But if she couldn't pick on anything, maybe he would be out sooner rather than later.]

[ Ah... He doesn't really want to give her his scheduled stay, or the details of his injury beyond the chakra exhaustion for the simple reason that he isn't entirely sure how she'll react... and the last thing he needs right now is another smack on the head. ]

I'll do my best. [ He takes the glass with grateful hands, and lifts the underside of the thin hospital mask to sip at the contents.... ] Mm.. [ That really hits the spot. She was right, the food and drink in the hospital is acceptable but in no way, shape or form is it satisfying or tasty. Kushina's gifted sustenance is a godsend by this point, and he'd only been here a day. ] Thank you.

Sasuke had woken in the early hours of the night when the doors had been pushed open and a set of dividing screens rolled in. Another patient had been rolled in after them, recently wheeled out of ICU from the fresh smell of disinfectant and sterile bedclothes. He'd set up midnight partitions in rooms often enough that the appearance of a roommate hadn't surprised him -- clearance stopped being an issue in the hospital, where no-questions-asked was an unofficial policy -- but the visitor that had come in did.

He'd recognized Obito's voice, quiet as the conversation had been, and been startled to realize that the patient on the other side of the divider was Kakashi, of all people. An exhausted Kakashi, from the timbre in his voice, but although Sasuke had (with the usual scrupulousness of a ninja) tried to eavesdrop, he hadn't heard exactly what had landed the man in hospital.

Eventually, he'd drifted off, unable to make out the conversation and still drained from the very thorough flush that the hospital had forced through his system.

He'd woken this morning to sunlight and a nurse very pointedly setting his breakfast tray down. Another one was fluffing pillows behind -- indeed, Kakashi's head as he levered the bed up to half-sitting. The divider had been rolled away to one side, the medics evidently having decided that social interaction would be acceptable, and maybe --

It would be easier to think about someone else's injuries rather than the lack of his own.

Sasuke waited until the staff had left the room, pushing his glass of water aside and glancing over at his temporary roommate.

"What happened?"

"Ran into a little trouble crossing the border..."

Kakashi's response came immediately and without the slightest hint of surprise, implying that the entire time he'd been seemingly avoiding peering around the room out of some gauze of giving his room-mate some privacy, he'd actually been aware all along who he was sharing a room with. "Nothing too serious. I just got overexcited." It was an understatement if anything, but he hadn't spoken to Sasuke for some time due to various circumstances, and he wasn't sure how much he would be able to handle if his condition was a delicate one.

He made a little show of stretching his arms (albeit wearily) and then dipped his hand around the edge of his bed to retrieve a little orange book that had been concealed between the frame and the mattress. The nurses had the irritating habit of continually confiscating his books if they caught him with them, so he'd been forced to resort to sneakier tactics. He flipped the cover open and started to thumb through the pages.

"What about you?" He looked languidly across the room, his gaze pointedly lingering. "It's been a while since I've seen you this side of the hospital bed."

A little? Sasuke pushed his tray aside entirely, turning to sit cross-legged on his own bed in order to raise an eyebrow at the quantity of bandages and tubes conspicuously around Kakashi's.

"Doesn't look like a little." And although Sasuke had known people who could get overexcited on a mission, two of three teammates among them, he was dead certain that Kakashi wasn't one of them. Border trouble these days wasn't anything to sneeze at, especially after how bold the small villages had clearly become -- were likely to continue becoming, from the attitude he'd seen in the base before ...

Before. He frowned at the book that lifted up from under the mattress like a barrier, though it was less at the book and more at the fact that now that he had a direct line of sight, he could see more clearly that the bandages were definitely looped down around one eye. The Sharingan eye.

"I'm just under observation now," he said, leaving out the why behind it and the different kind of observation he'd been under up until quite recently. "But you look beat up."

Sasuke had always been perceptive to a fault, but in the state he was in now Kakashi knew it wouldn't take a genius to figure out that he might have been suffering from a little worse than a few scratches and some embarrassing chakra drain.

His not-student didn't seem to be afflicted with the same delicateness that his previous visitors had shown him, so perhaps Sasuke could be one of the only people he could confess to in order to get a reasonable reaction. The matter at hand was a serious and devastating one, that much was true, but Sasuke was a little less likely to get angry at him or.. cry. His eye flicked up again, and when it caught sight of that raised eyebrow.. he almost chuckled. At the very least he knew that he wouldn't hear the end of it if he continued to evade. Sasuke could be very stubborn when he wanted to be.

With a sigh as if to say "Well, you got me!" he pushed his own breakfast tray aside and straightend the bedsheets around his legs as he made a move to cross them.

"I'm not going to shout it across the room.." he muttered as he went back to thumbing through his book.

That sigh was permission enough for Sasuke to keep asking, but the words that followed were as good as confirmation; whatever had happened wasn't good, and was bad enough to require a certain level of discretion, but seemed to have left Kakashi still capable of at least some of his usual deceptively relaxed attitude. There was a skill to envy: there was something to be said about managing to present a lack of botheredness.

There was plenty to be learned from Kakashi, as a sometimes-sensei or otherwise, but right now the most important thing was what had happened. Sasuke tugged out his IV with the disregard of someone who had been made to learn how to put one in using himself as a test dummy, twisting the spigot of the drip to stop the flow before crossing the room.

He dropped into the chair by Kakashi's bed with an expectant air.

"Well?"

Kakashi wondered for a brief, entirely pointless moment, if Sasuke had moved over a little too fast, and whether that speed was down to care or genuine curiosity.... Pointless as the thought was, it still made him mute a smile into the thin gauze of plain mask over his face.

A silence spiralled. Kakashi idly turned his page. It was unclear whether he was stalling, or whether he was simply invested in the story he was 'reading', and then--

"I wasn't lying when I said I ran into trouble at the border, I merely downplayed the severity." Stating the obvious as it was, it was at least somewhere to start. His attention never seemed to stray from the pages of his book. "The shinobi I clashed with was of considerable power, more power than he seemed to have, and the extent of which even I'm not entirely certain. I have a feeling he didn't show me everything he's capable of."

"He ambushed me on the way to Wind. At first I didn't know his intention, but it soon became clear that he was after the sharingan. He was relentless, determined.. but unaffiliated. I thought he was a civillian from the way he dressed..." He chuckled, the sound coming out almost forced. "I suppose I underestimated him."

Sasuke had learned some time ago that expressing impatience when Kakashi was blatantly ignoring someone was unlikely to achieve anything other than extending the wait, but there was still an eternally twelve-year-old part of him that wanted to fold his arms and glare. That had always been more effective when accompanied by Naruto's yelling or the expression of mute appeal on Hinata's face, though, and in any case -- the pause didn't drag as long as it could have.

Trouble at the border, a recurring theme as much as kidnap seemed to have been of late. Sasuke's group had been overwhelmed by numbers, though, and from the sounds of it Hinata's had been a product of ambush. For someone to not only get the jump on Kakashi but impress him was hardly good news for the village.

And yet his interest was piqued, at least up until the Sharingan was mentioned. His shoulders stiffened immediately, concern on his face sharpening into a frown.

"Were you able to keep the eye?" There were plenty of bandages covering that side of Kakashi's face, no way to tell how bad the damage was. "What did he look like?"

"No," Kakashi smiled at him. "I was too weak to stop him from taking it. All I could do was destroy it before that happened." His smile was different from his usual gentle shift of expression; this time there was a definite trace of pain or shame evident in the way he looked at Sasuke. He wasn't sure he'd have this level of nonchalance about him if he were recounting this tale to any other Uchiha..

Normally he might have questioned Sasuke's intention regarding the looks of his attacker, deterred him from doing anything foolish, but in a situation like this Kakashi couldn't see much point in hiding the information.. It would only be asked of him again when the Uchiha inevitably found out, when Obito found out, when his report was questioned. As much as he might have wanted to, he couldn't keep things private forever.

There wasn't much point telling Sasuke about the details of his assailant's clothes since Kakashi was certain he was smart enough to not wander anywhere near fire looking like that again, so he considered Houou's physicality beyond his dress code.

"He had white hair that faded to black in a long tail that reached the ground. He had strange red markings over his eyes, which he continually kept closed.. and he looked very much like a bird at the arms and legs. They were yellow, dappled and clawed."

Uchiha eyes were always in some level of danger; eyes with activated Sharingan more so. That was not itself the surprise here -- it was the slope of Kakashi's shoulders in the hospital gown, angling something into his usual nonchalance that made it a different kind of meaningful. I was too weak to stop him was something Sasuke might have expected from someone else.

But Kakashi had made a name for himself with his Uchiha eye. It wouldn't have been easy to take it, and if that was a conclusion Sasuke could draw, it would be one the clan elders would arrive at even more quickly.

"Destroying it was the right move," he said first, though he wasn't sure if that was a comfort to someone who probably hadn't even been taught the jutsu to do so. And that description ... "It sounds like your attacker will be easily identified, if anyone else runs across him."

If. Sasuke's investigation had been wide-ranging more than specific, and the general dragnet of Intel hadn't picked up anyone of that description. That was both benefit and risk; at least it was possible that Bears and its allies didn't have an eye-stealer in its ranks, but at the same time it meant that either they didn't know about this one, or that there was another set of serious risks beyond the usual opportunistic bloodline hunters.

He paused before adding: "Has Father or any of the elders come to see you yet?"

[He's been back and forth to Suna since sometime in March, but with Sasuke's capture and the impending, then very immediate break out of wartime emergencies Yamato's been mired in organisation and ANBU work. Still he's been present enough to act as care taker to Kakashi's two newest pups, both human and canine and it's the second that he's smuggled into the hospital late in the evening.

He ghosts through the door, nudging it shut and hovers but the bedside, noting Kakashi's slumbering roommate with a wry smile, before eyeing the silver haired man to gauge if he's left it too late to visit. Eien is strangely subdued, tucked into his flack jacket as she is and Yamato reaches for Kakashi's medical chart out of habit to see exactly what his former captain had fallen foul of; prepared to wait until the early hours and honestly just glad to see the man alive and breathing, if a little worse for wear.]

Hope you're not intending to snoop on me.

[ Kakashi's voice comes out quiet but otherwise quite normal, and at the sound of her master's voice Eien jumps from Yamato's flak jacket and, using the medical chart as a springboard, flies at him to lick the exposed chin she can't usually get to when he's wearing his normal mask. The medical chart falls to the floor and Kakashi chuckles. Just as planned. What a good dog. ]

It's good to see you, Tenzou, but you didn't have to come visit me, you know. I'm okay.

[He swears quietly as the chart drops, shooting a concerned look in Sasuke's direction as he stoops to pick it back up and relaxes only when the other remains asleep and undisturbed. Kakashi and Eien receive a wry smile and he drops the chart back into place; he can take a hint and he's always preferred hearing things directly anyway, even if it is more difficult to get a straight answer.]

I'd rather make sure of that myself. You know how village gossip can be.. [There's a meaningful look there as he pulls up a chair and settles into it, sitting forward to rest his elbows on his knees. War's brewing and one of their strongest has been hospitalized.. It's not exactly great for moral.]

What trouble found you this time, Senpai?

[ Kakashi runs his hands through Eien's fluff and gives Yamato a small shake of his head. ]

Village gossip usually assumes I'm suffering from another bout of chakra exhaustion. Isn't that the case this time? Have you heard something different? [ He twitches his visible eyebrow, and creases appear at the corner of his eye. ] Did I fight a bear?

[ He's joking, his tone light and jovial as to brush his concern from where it wasn't needed. Kakashi is doing such a good job of convincing everyone who comes to visit him that he's in good health, he's almost starting to believe it himself -- save for the odd moment where he remembers the truth, of course.. To avoid that this time, he distracts himself by letting Eien parade excitedly up and down his chest. ]

[Yamato eyes him suspiciously. He's not buying the levity act for a second. Kakashi had been sent out on a routine mission and then in a matter of days, had to be carried back by Gai.. That means his opponent had been a strong one, more than expected, maybe not even part of the actual mission. No, there's something else here and he's going to find it.]

No bears that I've hear of no.. [He drops his chin, looking away as he scrubs at the back of his neck with a hand.] ..What happened out there, Kakashi?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Closed/Open] Oh, mercy me..

11th Evening Obvs

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11th | closed to MAITO GAI | rescue mission

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13th, mid/late morning

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12th, morning

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Late on the 13th?

good with me!

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