[Closed/Open] Oh, mercy me..

[scarecrowboy]

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....

Comments

11th | closed to MAITO GAI | rescue mission

[morningpeacock]

[ 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. ]

[scarecrowboy]

[ 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..

[morningpeacock]

[ 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?

[scarecrowboy]

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. ]

[morningpeacock]

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!!

[scarecrowboy]

[ 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. ]

[morningpeacock]

[ 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? ]

[scarecrowboy]

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.