Getting Lost on the Roads of Life - a KakaSaku Story [CONCLUDED]

Team Minato

"Did you tell her Sasuke is in the hospital?" Kakashi chided the Gate guards in a low voice, at the same time watching from the corner of his eyes how a grim-faced Sakura was trying to force her own umbrella into Karin's hand.

"Of course not," Izumo bristled, "we just said he's unavailable."

Mulling over how Karin could have known about Sasuke, Kakashi remembered she was a skilled sensory-type kunoichi and an expert manipulator too. She read the chakras of people like books and had even managed to fool Ibiki and his people back then. They had to be extra careful around her. The timing of this visit... it alone was suspicious.

On the way to the hospital, Sarada walked with her hands slung tightly around her mother's arm and her face pressed against her hip. Whatever they had fled from, the girl was clearly traumatized. Since Karin had refused to take the umbrella, Sakura was now holding it over her head. Kakashi moved behind Sakura to hold his over hers. She didn't seem to notice until they were almost at the hospital entrance, but then she threw him a dark look.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" she said.

"I guess?" he answered with a half-smile, "but my subordinate Kaeru, whom you properly bewitched, was worried and came to wake me."

"Stupid frog," Sakura murmured. "He seemed more reasonable than that."

"You saying you would go to see Tsunade in the middle of the night alarmed him and rightfully so!"

"I didn't know what time it was," Sakura admitted, "I only realized when I was standing in front of Tsunade's apartment. I didn't disturb her of course but came straight to the gate!"

Kakashi felt like ruffling her hair in a rush of affection. "Thank you for coming. You always care so much about everyone, even if they are not your responsibility."

"Oh, and how is she yours?" her eyes were flashing angrily again.

Kakashi did not understand why she was angry at him particularly - but then again, he also did not understand why Karin had asked for him as if they shared an important secret. Was it possible she knew about his amnesia and was skillfully manipulating the situation? he mused.

Sakura led them straight to one of the intensive-care units and opened the security protected door. "Keep your voice down," she told Karin gloomily.

Sasuke was lying on a treatment couch in the middle of an activated seal, engulfed in pulsing green light. Tsunade and Sakura had developed new techniques for such healing domes together, making Konoha hospital the number one for severe injuries in the Shinobi lands. Sadly, they had to turn down many requests from other villages to treat allied Shinobis, simply because their facilities were too small.

While Sakura was checking on the seal, Karin moved back the hood of her raincoat, doing the same for the child, revealing black hair and a tired little face with determined black eyes behind glasses. The child refused to look at anyone though and kept very close to her mother, often hiding her face away in the folds of her coat.

"Oh no, Sasuke!" Karin sobbed and made several swaying steps towards his body as if she wanted to throw herself on top of him.

"Don't go any closer," Sakura warned her, holding up her hand in a gesture of authority.

Kakashi suddenly remembered overhearing a conversation once about how Sakura's biggest rival wasn't Ino, but one of Orochimaru's subordinates. He also remembered that Karin had been able to flee Konoha's high security prison by hiding tools in a picture of Sasuke. Considering how tense Sakura was at the moment, he concluded that she was this way because jealousy was very hard to control - and Karin's arrival had likely plunged her into an emotional crisis echoing her past uncertainties about her place at Sasuke's side.