The Red String of Marriage

Support - Kakashi

It had been a surprisingly wonderful week, but Kakashi was ready to step outside for a breath of fresh air.  The snow laid in piles and banks everywhere, but, it looked like for the moment, it had stopped falling from the sky.  He watched the piles from his spot at her kitchen table, wrapped in a blanket with a steaming cup of green tea in front of him.  He was feeling much stronger: his chakra was building again and he was able to walk short distances with the help of a crutch.  He was able to hobble around Mizuka's house, which made him feel like much less of a burden to her.  It seemed to make her feel better as well, because she was leaving for short periods of time to go to the market or to consult on patient cases at the hospital.  While she was gone or busy, he could at least make a cup of tea and take a shower.  He was still on solid food restrictions, so he left the meal planning to Mizuka.

That morning, he awoke to find her fully dressed on top of the covers, like she had been at the hospital all night.  Kakashi assumed that after he fell asleep, she had snuck off to the hospital on a patient consult.  She had told him that she was the birthing expert among the healers, so there were probably issues that only she could handle, but that's the Mizuka he remembered, always burning the candle at both ends. He knew she couldn't sleep knowing there was someone who needed her.

She looked as if she had literally threw herself onto the bed and fell asleep.  Kakashi gingerly sat up and folded his half of the covers onto her before taking his crutch and heading to the bathroom to take a hot shower.  He caught a glance of himself in the mirror for the first time since his arrival in Tenchi.  His face was discolored from dragging the bottom of the river, and he had various lacerations and severe bruising across his body.  Painfully lifting his right arm, he ran a hand through his hair only to find more cuts and lumps on his scalp.  He unwrapped his bandages to find large, angry looking scabs covering his elbows and knees. 

He frowned at himself in the mirror; this was not how he wanted to look when he reunited with Mizuka. 

He shrugged it off and hobbled into the shower.  The falling water stung his injuries but the steam was helping to clear his head.  He was going to get three months with Mizuka.  Hopefully, he was well on the path to recovery so he could spend his remaining time making up for 10 years apart: talking, spending time together, going on dates, lovemaking, and whatever else they wanted to do.  He had too many important things happening to be cooped up in bed.  Turning off the water and wrapping a towel around his waist, he walked to the sink, putting toothpaste on his toothbrush. 

All he wanted to know at this point is if the reality is as good as the fantasy.  They were so young when they were together, but he felt it.  He felt the gravitational pull that her heart had on his.  He only wanted to know if they had the same pull, or if this wouldn't work.  Kakashi was terrified of the latter.  Just as he spit in the sink and rinsed his mouth out, he heard the door creak open.

"Good morning, how did you sleep?"

She was rubbing the sleep from her eyes.  He stepped out of the way so Mizuka could splash water on her face and frown at herself in the mirror, fixing her hair.  Kakashi watched her bend over the vanity in interest.  He would have been more playful, but she appeared to be distracted this morning. 

"I came back to check on you and get a little sleep.  A shinobi was brought in last night with two severed hands.  I know that's not my area of expertise, but I was called anyway to decide the best course of action."

She yawned, feeling frustrated with the circumstances.  No doubt another torture victim, but Kakashi knew there wasn't much that could be done with severed hands.  The shinobi's career was over.

"I was called because I travelled with Lady Tsunade, and she has a technique she's been working on to make artificial limbs from the cellular structure of the First Hokage's cells.  Of course, that's in between her bar hopping, so she's nowhere to be found."

Mizuka tried to straightened her wrinkled clothes from last night as she spoke.

"But, I don't know much about the process.  I helped as best I could, but it wasn't enough.  I assisted Yohe in attaching the organic prosthetic, but we've never grown one before.  We just don't have the particular expertise that she does in this area, so I'll have to go back and check on its progress. 

Kakashi stood there helplessly.  He desperately wanted to tell her that everything would be okay.

"I'm so sorry, Mizuka."

Kakashi walked slowly behind her and caressed her back tenderly. 

"It's okay.  You can't save everyone, as much as you want to.  You have to let this ninja follow the new path set out before him."

She turned and hugged him, practically knocking him off balance.  He embraced her as tightly as he could, stroking her hair and shushing her.

"How long will it be until you know if the prosthetic took?"

"A couple more days, at least."

"Then you need to get some sleep."

Kakashi grabbed his crutch and hobbled to the bed, sitting down with the towel still around his waist and beckoning her to join him.  They laid down and she practically melted into him, her breasts were pushed up against his side and her leg was resting upon his.  Her free hand rested on his shoulder.  Kakashi, in turn, allowed his free hand to slowly stroke her hair, running his fingers through her soft locks.  He buried his face into her hair and breathed deeply.  He could feel her body relax even more and her breathing began to slow until he knew she was sound asleep. 

Kakashi focused to stay in the moment: he wanted to be the emotional support that she needed.  She needed this cathartic moment, and he felt blessed that she chose to share it with him.  Kakashi soaked this feeling in for the better part of an hour before using his free hand to open his book and read, cuddled next to his beautiful companion by the hearth.  It would be a moment that he would remember for years to come.