Ice Flower(Kakashi Love Story Book 2)

Chapter 4

Misaki opened her eyes slowly, the voices slowly bringing her out of slumber. Her brain felt like it weighed more than she does, completely useless and sluggish. For a several seconds, the memories of what happened came back to her in painful flares. She hoped, childishly, that it was just all a dream, but when her stiff thumb rubbed her fingers and palm, she sensed the coldness from Rin's body, still lingering on stubbornly.

'Kid...how do you feel...?' Daisuke asked, uncharacteristically soft, which Misaki tried to appreciate.

'...Horrible.' She croaked in reply, squinting as the sunlight streaming in through the room's window. A medical machinery whirred softly in the background, but being the medical ninja she was, it was easy to know it was just a heart rate monitor. She squeezed her eyes to focus her vision, and looked across the room, realizing that the voices weren't coming from her imagination.

The Third Hokage was discussing furiously with Minato, who looked wearied and grievous, plainly showed by the hollows beneath his usually bright eyes(now dulled). Beside him, stood a distressed-looking woman that had a slender but feminine build, fair skin, violet eyes, fiery red hair with strands that framed both sides of her face and a black clip that parts her hair to the left, keeping it out of her eyes. They were speaking too low for her to hear what was being said, although she didn't want to know, she didn't want to be reminded at all. 

She tried rolling over to her other side, but the movement sent a shooting pain to her head and made her wince. Minato's head shot up, and he along with the woman rushed to her side.

'You shouldn't be moving too much, dattebayne!' The woman shook her head, and tried to help her up, until she saw her cold eyes that made her flinch. Misaki didn't like being touched by strangers, and in the mood she was in now, she tolerated nothing. Minato knew and noticed that immediately, so he came over to her side, grasping her wrist gently.

'It's alright, Kushina. Misaki's a medical ninja herself.' The Hokage told, and Kushina took the seriousness in Minato's eyes quickly, and then produced a nervous chuckle, scratching her head.

'I-I'm sorry, Misaki-chan.' That made Misaki raise her brow slightly ---- she never got called with 'chan' behind her name, but she resumed back her original face in a split second. Moving her shoulders, she turned to look at the monitor to check her vitals ---- nothing was wrong physically, she grimly concluded.

'...Rin's body?' She questioned quietly and the air went tensed. She looked up to Minato's expression, which darkened with wrinkles beside his mouth. The question was going to come anyways.

'Buried.' He mumbled feebly, and that was all she needed to hear before it became silent again. She nodded only, because if she spoke, she would break.

'Where?'

'Where everybody else is buried.' The woman replied softly.

Her violet eyes rovered over her with an expression that made her uncomfortable, so Misaki met them unemotionally, before a snarl prickled her ears unanticipated. A flash dived before her iris ---- A fox with red-orange fur and red eyes, possessing an upper-body structure of a human, complete with thumbs on its clawed hands. 

'Kurama.' Daisuke raised up. The fox only acknowledged back with a knowing growl, so Daisuke settled back snarling as well with defendance.

'The nine-tailed jinchuuriki.' Misaki thought as her eye-brows creased. She certainly looked and felt like someone with immense supply of chakra. The impact of her eyes hit against with her teacher, and Minato shrugged to confirm Misaki's assumption. 

We learn something new everyday. She reflected bitterly.

It got so quiet that even she started feeling awkward.

Her mind strayed to Kakashi, and suddenly, she wrenched the wire that was inserted inside the skin, feeling the warmth of her blood trickle down in the clammy air, which felt oddly nice to the touch. The three elders cried out in surprise and caught on to her as she swayed unstably with obvious dizziness. Trembling with slight panic, she refused the help that was given. She didn't deserve it, Kakashi did, and where was he now? 

'Where's Kakashi, where's Kakashi?'  She panted, taking short breaths to steady herself.

'He's in another room receiving treatment -' Minato tried explaining but Misaki had already burst through the door but stopped at where she was abruptly. Now that her brain fathomed logic and sense, it also recognised emotions: every single one of them. No, she couldn't bear to look at Kakashi, she whispered as she struggled the juggling feelings that she felt. She wasn't even sure if she could look at his face and not be reminded of what he had done. Would she able to treat him the same after this? And also...would he be able to do the same?

                                     ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

His chest ached where it fell on, and his gaze casted on the floor, which looked like a blurred swirly pool. He cradled the left side of his dry face, and thought of his losses. He had failed to save Obito, and in addition, he was the one that killed Rin, when he swore to both Obito and Misaki that he would protect. Once again, he had failed both of them. He began to weep silently, the sorrow overwhelming him all of a sudden, until he felt a sudden breeze to his right side. When he released himself from darkness between his fingers, he found himself to be the recipient of a soft gaze, from Minato who basked in the soft brightness of sunlight. Feeling embarrassed, he wiped the tears off his face that stained his face quickly.

'Y-yes?' Beads of sweat broke on Kakashi's brow and he shivered like a small child, before closing his eyes and muttered an apology that Minato only could hear.

'It's not your fault.' Minato heaved a deep sigh , taking long blinks as if it will also ease the pain and guilt he felt himself. Kakashi sat wordless, and normally, he wouldn't listen to anyone unless if they happen to be better than him, but of late, he was more open to accept others words, so Minato can only assume he was processing those words that he said.

'If you should blame anyone, it should be the enemy.' Minato added grimly, and Kakashi made the effort to look up. 'Who killed them, sensei?'

'I wish I knew myself.' He frowned once more.

'And even if they weren't, I'd made sure of it.' Kakashi nodded only, and Minato could guess what was on his mind. 

'You...you should talk to her.' Minato said tacitly, but Kakashi's face was still angled to the ground, and his eyes crinkled more in shame to Minato's words. He didn't have the face, right and dignity to face Misaki anymore, or even to think that she still thought of him like a friend; but he definitely knew he owned her an explanation and an apology. Minato reached forward, and placed his hand on his shoulder.

'She's your only teammate left.' He reminded tenderly.

'You both need each other, whether it's now, or the future.' His heartbeat slowed a bit, at least enough that he could finally hear the wind that whispered by the window over the internal processes of his body. His blood had been pounding in his ears for a while but was then interrupted by an unexpected gags of tears. He was tired, so tired. He just wanted to sleep and never wake up to this pain again.

'It hurts...it hurts so much, sensei.' Kakashi sobbed, and Minato pulled him in a bear-crushing hug, muffling his weeps in his attire so that no one would hear and patted his thick back repeatedly without a word. It seemed that he blacked out again, for when he woke up again, it was night, that reminded him of all he lost.

So he tossed around to go back to sleep.