The Red String of Marriage

My Favorite Secret - Kakashi

Kakashi awoke to fading light outside of his window. He could hear the clinking of pots and dishes in the kitchen nearby. Attempting to sit up, he felt searing pain surge through his river beaten shoulders and back, and through his groin. He tried to contain the pain-filled groan coming from his lips, but it was too late.

"Don't try to sit up yet. Your body can't handle it. I'll be there in a minute."

Kakashi watched her work swiftly and skillfully in the kitchen preparing and drying herbs for later healing sessions. She had grown into her personality well: she was no longer a small wild child with a big mouth, she was now a beautiful, sensual adult with a wild glint in her eyes. Her pink hair was a thick lion's mane that framed her face and cascaded down her back and she no longer had a thin boy body, but now was thick with curves in all the right places. She was, and always would be, his favorite secret. Long nights as children spent curled up fighting loneliness and the cold turned into restless nights exploring their budding bodies as young adults. But it all ended abruptly when Mizuka left to study in Tenchi, leaving Kakashi a conquest to fill the Mizuka-shaped hole in his life. When she came to say goodbye, his 14 year old self had told her, in no uncertain terms, to go fuck herself through the closed door of his apartment. That was the final blow in the worst two years of his life. A few weeks later, he was instructed by his Sensei to join the Anbu to begin earning the name 'Cold Blooded Kakashi."

But, here she was. Mizuka Haruno.

And here he was, under her care.

A moment later, Mizuka stacked some pillows behind his back so he could at least lay elevated. Then she sat down next to him, bowl still in hand.

"You need to try and eat something. Its the only way you're going to regain your strength. But don't get too excited, its only bone broth with a little yarrow root in it. Your body can't handle much more than that right now. You're still very weak."

She brought the cup to his lips and he accepted. The hot, salty broth warmed his throat and belly. Mizuka carefully gave him sip after sip until the bowl was gone. She gently wiped his lips with a cloth, being careful for their rawness. She then applied more healing ointment to his lips to make the pain bearable. The pillows were comfortable and, even though he had just woken up, his full belly made him sleepy and content.

"How are you feeling?"

"Wrecked, but a little better since you're here."

She stood up, holding the empty bowl.

"Yeah, you're a lucky guy. You couldn't have picked a better place to scrape down the bottom of a river for a mile."

She smirked at him as she walked back to the kitchen.

"Is that little girl okay?"

"Actually, she's damn near perfect. Only a few scrapes and bruises. If you hadn't protected her,, she would've been dead. It damn near killed you."

"Mizuka, will you stay with me?"

"Of course I will."

She smiled as she stood and removed her blouse and shorts, standing only in a lacy bra and matching panties. She curled up next to him, her head on the same pillow as his and her hand on his chest, over his heart. He weakly put his hand on top of hers, entwining fingers. Through cracked lips, the last 10 years of Kakashi's life came pouring out: bits of his Anbu career, the Nine Tails, guilt over receiving the nickname Cold Blooded Kakashi, the women he tried to place in the Mizuka-sized hole in his heart, and his friends in the village. And Mizuka listened. She laughed if something was funny and held his hand tightly through the emotional parts. He told her how the village had changed since she was gone. And how much he had thought about her. She gave him small sips of water in between stories. It felt like a decade of silence and grief had been lifted from his chest.