47 | the second stage

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I screamed Kakashi's name, but he didn't seem to hear. He pushed more forcefully against Kokuyōseki's blade, and I watched in disbelief as the air seemed to shimmer, then swirl, then Kokuyōseki was caught up in it. I blinked, and the dark rogue was gone.

Kakashi's eyelids fluttered, and he collapsed onto his knees. He dropped his sword and put one hand over his Sharingan eye. I could see pain etched into every feature. Instinctively, I ran towards him, ignoring my own pain.

"Kakashi!" I dropped to my knees beside him. He still didn't show any sign of noticing me. I heard how ragged and laboured his breathing was, and noticed with a start that Kokuyōseki's obsidian blade had cut a deep slash in his cheek. Blood poured out of it, pulsing with life. This was worse than the one on my arm.

"Kakashi, I have to treat you," I told him urgently. "Come on, move your hand." I tugged on his wrist encouragingly. He reluctantly moved his hand away from his face, though his eye was squeezed shut, and his muscles stayed tense. "Come on, Kakashi, into the house."

I couldn't lift Kakashi alone, and although he tried to stagger to his feet, he didn't have the strength to carry himself, so I had to use my Kekkei Genkai to take some of the weight. He leaned heavily on me, dragging his feet behind him as he took lumbering steps.

I guided him carefully into the nearest guest room, and Kakashi collapsed onto the bed. I saw his hand drift subconsciously to his eye, but I grabbed his wrist to prevent him. "Don't," I warned.

Kakashi looked up at me with his dark grey eye, and it was glistened over with so much pain I couldn't read his expression. I squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"I have to take off your mask to treat the wound," I told him. "Is that okay?"

I'd phrased it as a question, but even if he'd refused I would have put him to sleep and done it anyway. Kakashi simply stared at me for a moment, before giving a slow, barely noticeable nod. For a moment, I was surprised; I hadn't expected him to agree.

I unfroze after a moment and went to work, telling myself firmly that I had to focus on healing. I rooted around in my ninja pack for a Lyashinoha leaf. There was only one in there, since I didn't like using them in excess, but that was all I'd need. When I finally found it covered up by a couple of sage leaves, Kakashi had taken off his mask already. I firmly directed my gaze to the wound on his cheek, telling myself fiercely that it would be rude to look.

I squeezed the juice of the leaf onto the back of my hand, then mashed up the leftovers and mixed it into a green paste. It was much faster than Kakashi had been since I had the Kekkei Genkai for help.

With the paste finished, I scooped about half of it up with two fingers and started dabbing it onto the wound. Kakashi flinched at the first touch, but as the healing fluids started to ease the pain, he relaxed. I applied the rest of the paste, then used medical ninjutsu to seal the wound. The Lyashinoha did such a thorough job that there was no chance of scarring, and even as I watched, the previously fatally deep slash shrank to a single white line, which in turn faded altogether.

I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. A quick check with the back of my hand on his forehead alerted me to the fact that Kakashi's temperature was high, but falling. He had chakra drain more severe than I'd ever seen in my life, but that could easily be remedied with a little time. I allowed myself to relax a little.

"You can put your mask back on, if you want," I informed Kakashi.

"There's no point," Kakashi said dismissively. "You'll probably have to take it off for emergency treatment in the future. You might as well get used to it. Frankly, I'm surprised it took this long."

"Seriously?" I was caught off guard. I found my incredulous gaze resting on him almost subconsciously, and decided I may as well take in the details.

In a word, Kakashi was hot. I didn't want thoughts like that putting me off, but I couldn't think of any other way to put it. He had a strong jawline, more defined than the mask let on. The scar over his Sharingan reached further down his face than I had guessed, almost to his mouth. His mouth was wide, yet his lips were thin, and he had a small beauty mark near the corner.

"I don't really care right now." Kakashi ran a hand through his hair. "Ah, that hurt more than I was expecting."

"What even was that?" I asked aloud. "I've never seen anything like it."

"It's a second stage to the Sharingan, if you will," Kakashi explained. "It unlocks clearer vision and powers that can't be used otherwise, but it uses almost three times more chakra than normal. What I used was a move called Kamui. I don't know much about it myself, just that it's impossible to avoid if it's on target. My aim is usually pretty bad, if I'm honest, but it helped that he was right in front of me. I don't know where he is, or if he is even anywhere, but I think it's safe to say he won't bother us again."

"You shouldn't have used it," I said.

"I had to," Kakashi replied. "What would have happened if I hadn't? We weren't strong enough to beat him, even when we fought together. He would have taken you away, or hurt you."

"Still." I looked down at my hands, folded in my lap. "This is the worst chakra drain you've ever had, and you're renowned for having it bad."

"I wouldn't say 'renowned'," Kakashi protested mildly. "It's only you that gets annoyed by it."

"Yeah, because I'm the one that has to heal you afterwards." I rolled my eyes. "Chakra drain is harder than it seems."

"Maybe," Kakashi conceded. There was a slight pause before he spoke again. "When you were gone, Kokuyōseki said you care for me. Any idea what he meant?"

"He was just trying to get you to let down your guard." I brushed off his question quickly, forcing my thought train away from that particular destination. Still, I couldn't lie and say that I didn't like him that way. I had to admit that now, even if it was only to myself. I decided to change the subject. "Do you want something to drink? You'll probably be confined to bed for a couple of days."

"Water would be great, thanks," Kakashi replied.

I nodded and left the room, and with it, all thoughts of my feelings for Kakashi.

These were going to be a long few days.

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