[fic post] Tea and a Bit of Hospital Room
Title: Tea and a Bit of Hospital Room
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Dark
Pairings or Characters: Kakashi/Sakura
Warnings: character death
Word Count: 1792
Summary: Today is the day he's lived a thousand times.
Author Notes: For kakasaku Poe challenge, round two.
Tea and a Bit of Hospital Room
The bed dips and creaks as someone slips in and Kakashi grunts, rolling over and peeking open an eye to see who it is. Not that it could be anyone else, but she isn't supposed to be here.
"Sakura," he mumbles sleepily, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.
"Isn't it about time you got up?" she asks. He moves his head on the pillow to get a better look at the clock, the scent of flowery shampoo filling his nose as he lays on pink hair. The clock reads 3:00 AM in blaring red lights, but there's sunlight pouring in through the window like it's early morning. That's not that unusual, though. Not when he wakes up with her still here.
"I don't have anything to do today," Kakashi lies, playing with her bangs, "We can stay in bed as long as we want."
Sakura puts a hand on his chest and pushes him back just enough to give her a clear view of his face. He's not wearing his mask--contrary to what she believed when she was younger, he does not sleep fully clothed with his mask covered in seals to prevent being removed-- and his hair is falling into his face, covering up his scar.
"You can't stay here forever," she says sadly, searching his face for something. Kakashi doesn't know what she wants to see, even after all this time.
"Not forever. Just today."
"You've got a job to do today."
"You're a nag."
"And you're a bum."
She finally smiles, and it makes him feel like crying. Instead, he pulls her back against him and presses a kiss into her hair. He doesn't want to let go, because today is the day he's lived a thousand times, and while it's always different, one thing is always the same.
"You made a promise, Kakashi. You have to get up. If the job doesn't get done--"
"Yeah, yeah. Give me five minutes," he interrupts before pulling her chin up and kissing her.
He can tell it's a dream because she tastes like cherries, but she always tasted like a mix of tea and hospital rooms, and maybe a bit of peppermint toothpaste if he caught her at just the right time.
~
"You're grumpy today," Iruka notices. Kakashi doesn't know him very well, but Iruka likes poking his nose into his business ever since he started teaching Naruto, so he's gotten used to seeing him around and getting talked to, even when he's not in the mood.
"Hmph," is all Kakashi says about it, dropping his paperwork in front of him. "I need a passport."
"For what?"
Kakashi's eye narrows and Iruka takes a second before understanding.
"Yeah, okay. It'll be ready in a few."
Kakashi starts tapping his foot impatiently as Iruka goes through his papers and gets out the stamp to approve his passport. He doesn't need to ask which country it's for. His hand hovers with the stamp over the sheet, and Kakashi glares at him.
"Are you sure you should go back?" Iruka asks, not looking up.
"You're saying you wouldn't?"
"No," Iruka admits, biting his lip, "But what if--"
"She won't be there," Kakashi says quickly. He grabs Iruka by the wrist and presses the stamp down on the paper, letting him go and taking the passport before he leaves without another word.
~
He's in a grocery store that's underwater.
"I don't like this cereal," Sakura frowns, hair floating around her face. Kakashi looks around, wondering if fish will start swimming by.
"Then don't get it," Kakashi shrugs, staring at the empty cart. He thought he'd seen a bear in it a second ago.
"You're useless," Sakura sighs, putting the cereal back on the shelf.
"I don't like it when it does this."
"When what does what?"
"When everything's... strange. This day was normal. I don't like being underwater."
Sakura stares at him like he's suddenly admitted to being sexually attracted to lobsters or something, but the water vanishes and their cart is full of their usual groceries--rice, chicken, lots of snacks and Sakura's favorite kind of peanut butter. The dreams don't like it when he talks about them, but it keeps them under control.
She's still staring at him when he says, "Today is the day you disappear."
"Where do I go?" she asks, sounding amused, like he's telling her one of his favorite bad jokes.
"I don't know. You could be dead. They never found a body."
"Kakashi, you're creeping me out."
"I've been told I do that to people," Kakashi says flatly, but she doesn't laugh. She walks around the cart and grabs him by the sleeve, pulling him forward. He instinctively wraps his arms around her, and she fits so well he wonders if she was born to be there.
"Why do I disappear?"
"Because I broke my promise."
"You always break your promises," she whispers, fingers digging into his vest.
"I wasn't supposed to break this one."
He squeezes her so tight he wonders if she'll break, but Sakura's too strong for that. She doesn't say anything and they stand there in the cereal aisle until he wakes up.
~
The trip to the border of Konoha and Oto takes him three days on foot. He spends most of it staying awake, spending only an hour asleep at a time. The less he sleeps, the less likely he is to dream, and he's sick of seeing the day over and over again when he can't do a thing to stop what happens.
He reaches the edge of Konoha and senses the soldiers waiting in the trees.
"I have permission," he shouts up at them, "I've got a passport, signed by the Hokage."
They appear at his sides in an instant as he rummages through his pocket for the slip of paper. He finds it and hands it to them, walking forward. They don't bother trying to stop him, recognizing him as the Copy Ninja and knowing the paper in their hands isn't a forgery. Usually, border soldiers track foreigners for a couple miles, but they'd rather get a fine from their superiors than be killed.
Kakashi doesn't recognize this road as he walks down it, and he hasn't been to Oto in a year, but he knows how to get where he needs to be and sets out.
~
It's supposed to be nighttime and clear, but it looks like late afternoon with light rain. This is the last time Kakashi sees her.
They're standing at the monument, reading names written in gibberish. They could be missing completely and Kakashi would still know every name and where it was on that stone. Sakura is holding his hand, but she's staring off into the trees.
"Don't go," Kakashi says quietly. He didn't ask the first time, but he always asks now.
"I think I saw--" Sakura starts before letting go of his hand and running forward. He dashes after her, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her to the ground. The rain falls on them as they sit on the grass, but Kakashi feels too dry, every inch of him ready to crack.
"Don't go," he says again, "I can't take you disappearing again."
"But, Kakashi, it's him, he's here," she tells him, eyes bright as she grabs his vest and shakes him. She wants him to feel what she feels--rage and disbelief and hope and amazement all at once--but all he feels is misery.
It's all he can feel anymore.
"It's him. And he's going to take you. I don't know where and I don't know why, but he will. He always does. Don't let him, Sakura. Just once, don't let him."
Sakura reaches up and pulls the mask down his face, leaving it loose around his neck. She pushes forward and kisses him, and she tastes like rain and tea and a bit of hospital room, and his heart nearly stops beating in his chest. But she pulls away, runs the rest of the way to the trees, and with a flash of red, she's gone.
~
Kakashi wakes up sweating and shaking, and he can still taste Sakura's favorite flavor of tea on his lips.
He's on a beach. He'd forgotten he'd made it there.
He sits up and presses his hand down into the sand, feeling the cool dirt make its way into his glove. The sky is gray and the wind is high, sending waves of mist into his face.
"You made it," a voice says from behind him.
"The one promise I managed to keep," Kakashi laughs, but there's no humor in it.
"So, what do you want?"
"Did you kill her?"
The voice is silent for a while, so he turns around and greets spinning red eyes with his own.
"Did you kill her because I let Naruto die?"
"I don't remember," Sasuke shrugs, and Kakashi is on him in seconds, knife pressed into his throat hard enough to draw blood. Sasuke doesn't flinch or move. They both know he can kill Kakashi with a blink if he wanted.
"That job I had to do. That day that you took her. Do you know what it was?"
Sasuke stares at him blankly, and Kakashi doubts that he cares, but he's going to get this off his chest anyway.
"I was going to release you from that prison cell. We knew you didn't kill Naruto, so we were going to let you go. But you got out on your own, and like the idiot you are, acted on your own before I could help you."
And he wants to kill Sasuke, he really does. But it won't bring Sakura back, and it won't fix his mistakes, so Kakashi drops the knife and lets him go.
"But I'm here now, just like I promised. Keep your end of the deal."
Sasuke glares and his eyes start to spin and Kakashi collapses into the sand. Sasuke turns and walks away, not bothering to do anything with the body, but if he'd checked, there'd be no pulse to find.
~
The bed dips and creaks as someone slips in and Sakura grunts, rolling over and peeking open an eye to see who it is.
"Hey," she smiles.
"Hey," he whispers, burying his face into her shoulder and slipping his arms around her waist.
"What time is it?"
"Doesn't matter."
It's a dream. It's always a dream. It's the same day, over and over, and every time it's different, but one thing is always the same.
But now that he won't wake up, maybe it'll end a different way, and he squeezes just a bit tighter.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Dark
Pairings or Characters: Kakashi/Sakura
Warnings: character death
Word Count: 1792
Summary: Today is the day he's lived a thousand times.
Author Notes: For kakasaku Poe challenge, round two.
Tea and a Bit of Hospital Room
The bed dips and creaks as someone slips in and Kakashi grunts, rolling over and peeking open an eye to see who it is. Not that it could be anyone else, but she isn't supposed to be here.
"Sakura," he mumbles sleepily, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.
"Isn't it about time you got up?" she asks. He moves his head on the pillow to get a better look at the clock, the scent of flowery shampoo filling his nose as he lays on pink hair. The clock reads 3:00 AM in blaring red lights, but there's sunlight pouring in through the window like it's early morning. That's not that unusual, though. Not when he wakes up with her still here.
"I don't have anything to do today," Kakashi lies, playing with her bangs, "We can stay in bed as long as we want."
Sakura puts a hand on his chest and pushes him back just enough to give her a clear view of his face. He's not wearing his mask--contrary to what she believed when she was younger, he does not sleep fully clothed with his mask covered in seals to prevent being removed-- and his hair is falling into his face, covering up his scar.
"You can't stay here forever," she says sadly, searching his face for something. Kakashi doesn't know what she wants to see, even after all this time.
"Not forever. Just today."
"You've got a job to do today."
"You're a nag."
"And you're a bum."
She finally smiles, and it makes him feel like crying. Instead, he pulls her back against him and presses a kiss into her hair. He doesn't want to let go, because today is the day he's lived a thousand times, and while it's always different, one thing is always the same.
"You made a promise, Kakashi. You have to get up. If the job doesn't get done--"
"Yeah, yeah. Give me five minutes," he interrupts before pulling her chin up and kissing her.
He can tell it's a dream because she tastes like cherries, but she always tasted like a mix of tea and hospital rooms, and maybe a bit of peppermint toothpaste if he caught her at just the right time.
~
"You're grumpy today," Iruka notices. Kakashi doesn't know him very well, but Iruka likes poking his nose into his business ever since he started teaching Naruto, so he's gotten used to seeing him around and getting talked to, even when he's not in the mood.
"Hmph," is all Kakashi says about it, dropping his paperwork in front of him. "I need a passport."
"For what?"
Kakashi's eye narrows and Iruka takes a second before understanding.
"Yeah, okay. It'll be ready in a few."
Kakashi starts tapping his foot impatiently as Iruka goes through his papers and gets out the stamp to approve his passport. He doesn't need to ask which country it's for. His hand hovers with the stamp over the sheet, and Kakashi glares at him.
"Are you sure you should go back?" Iruka asks, not looking up.
"You're saying you wouldn't?"
"No," Iruka admits, biting his lip, "But what if--"
"She won't be there," Kakashi says quickly. He grabs Iruka by the wrist and presses the stamp down on the paper, letting him go and taking the passport before he leaves without another word.
~
He's in a grocery store that's underwater.
"I don't like this cereal," Sakura frowns, hair floating around her face. Kakashi looks around, wondering if fish will start swimming by.
"Then don't get it," Kakashi shrugs, staring at the empty cart. He thought he'd seen a bear in it a second ago.
"You're useless," Sakura sighs, putting the cereal back on the shelf.
"I don't like it when it does this."
"When what does what?"
"When everything's... strange. This day was normal. I don't like being underwater."
Sakura stares at him like he's suddenly admitted to being sexually attracted to lobsters or something, but the water vanishes and their cart is full of their usual groceries--rice, chicken, lots of snacks and Sakura's favorite kind of peanut butter. The dreams don't like it when he talks about them, but it keeps them under control.
She's still staring at him when he says, "Today is the day you disappear."
"Where do I go?" she asks, sounding amused, like he's telling her one of his favorite bad jokes.
"I don't know. You could be dead. They never found a body."
"Kakashi, you're creeping me out."
"I've been told I do that to people," Kakashi says flatly, but she doesn't laugh. She walks around the cart and grabs him by the sleeve, pulling him forward. He instinctively wraps his arms around her, and she fits so well he wonders if she was born to be there.
"Why do I disappear?"
"Because I broke my promise."
"You always break your promises," she whispers, fingers digging into his vest.
"I wasn't supposed to break this one."
He squeezes her so tight he wonders if she'll break, but Sakura's too strong for that. She doesn't say anything and they stand there in the cereal aisle until he wakes up.
~
The trip to the border of Konoha and Oto takes him three days on foot. He spends most of it staying awake, spending only an hour asleep at a time. The less he sleeps, the less likely he is to dream, and he's sick of seeing the day over and over again when he can't do a thing to stop what happens.
He reaches the edge of Konoha and senses the soldiers waiting in the trees.
"I have permission," he shouts up at them, "I've got a passport, signed by the Hokage."
They appear at his sides in an instant as he rummages through his pocket for the slip of paper. He finds it and hands it to them, walking forward. They don't bother trying to stop him, recognizing him as the Copy Ninja and knowing the paper in their hands isn't a forgery. Usually, border soldiers track foreigners for a couple miles, but they'd rather get a fine from their superiors than be killed.
Kakashi doesn't recognize this road as he walks down it, and he hasn't been to Oto in a year, but he knows how to get where he needs to be and sets out.
~
It's supposed to be nighttime and clear, but it looks like late afternoon with light rain. This is the last time Kakashi sees her.
They're standing at the monument, reading names written in gibberish. They could be missing completely and Kakashi would still know every name and where it was on that stone. Sakura is holding his hand, but she's staring off into the trees.
"Don't go," Kakashi says quietly. He didn't ask the first time, but he always asks now.
"I think I saw--" Sakura starts before letting go of his hand and running forward. He dashes after her, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her to the ground. The rain falls on them as they sit on the grass, but Kakashi feels too dry, every inch of him ready to crack.
"Don't go," he says again, "I can't take you disappearing again."
"But, Kakashi, it's him, he's here," she tells him, eyes bright as she grabs his vest and shakes him. She wants him to feel what she feels--rage and disbelief and hope and amazement all at once--but all he feels is misery.
It's all he can feel anymore.
"It's him. And he's going to take you. I don't know where and I don't know why, but he will. He always does. Don't let him, Sakura. Just once, don't let him."
Sakura reaches up and pulls the mask down his face, leaving it loose around his neck. She pushes forward and kisses him, and she tastes like rain and tea and a bit of hospital room, and his heart nearly stops beating in his chest. But she pulls away, runs the rest of the way to the trees, and with a flash of red, she's gone.
~
Kakashi wakes up sweating and shaking, and he can still taste Sakura's favorite flavor of tea on his lips.
He's on a beach. He'd forgotten he'd made it there.
He sits up and presses his hand down into the sand, feeling the cool dirt make its way into his glove. The sky is gray and the wind is high, sending waves of mist into his face.
"You made it," a voice says from behind him.
"The one promise I managed to keep," Kakashi laughs, but there's no humor in it.
"So, what do you want?"
"Did you kill her?"
The voice is silent for a while, so he turns around and greets spinning red eyes with his own.
"Did you kill her because I let Naruto die?"
"I don't remember," Sasuke shrugs, and Kakashi is on him in seconds, knife pressed into his throat hard enough to draw blood. Sasuke doesn't flinch or move. They both know he can kill Kakashi with a blink if he wanted.
"That job I had to do. That day that you took her. Do you know what it was?"
Sasuke stares at him blankly, and Kakashi doubts that he cares, but he's going to get this off his chest anyway.
"I was going to release you from that prison cell. We knew you didn't kill Naruto, so we were going to let you go. But you got out on your own, and like the idiot you are, acted on your own before I could help you."
And he wants to kill Sasuke, he really does. But it won't bring Sakura back, and it won't fix his mistakes, so Kakashi drops the knife and lets him go.
"But I'm here now, just like I promised. Keep your end of the deal."
Sasuke glares and his eyes start to spin and Kakashi collapses into the sand. Sasuke turns and walks away, not bothering to do anything with the body, but if he'd checked, there'd be no pulse to find.
~
The bed dips and creaks as someone slips in and Sakura grunts, rolling over and peeking open an eye to see who it is.
"Hey," she smiles.
"Hey," he whispers, burying his face into her shoulder and slipping his arms around her waist.
"What time is it?"
"Doesn't matter."
It's a dream. It's always a dream. It's the same day, over and over, and every time it's different, but one thing is always the same.
But now that he won't wake up, maybe it'll end a different way, and he squeezes just a bit tighter.