Stumble [Rewrite]

Wish

A/N: Be Not Defeated by the Rain, poem by Kenji Miyazawa. Translated by Hart Larrabee.

The poem is centered, underlined, and italicized.

Link: http://tomoanthology.blogspot.com/2012/08/kenji-miyazawas-poem-ame-ni-mo-makezu.html

::

Unbeaten by rain

Unbeaten by wind

Bested by neither snow nor summer heat

::

Kakashi didn't stop one moment on his entire journey towards Konoha. It didn't matter how long his muscles were screaming at him to stop or how hard his lungs cried for him to slow down and breathe. Every second wasted was another step Sakura had towards her death and there was absolutely no way he'd sit around and wait for it to come for her.

There were so many questions he had knocking around his head he left alone in favor of reaching the village as quick as he could. Was Naruto's seal broken? Had Sasuke really unlocked the Mangekyo in one eye? Did Zabuza summon his ninken like he was asked? What were the states of those two now?

He desperately wanted to turn back and check, but the red stains on his arms and flak jacket told him that he couldn't.

Haruno Sakura, the little tyrant that always had something to say, was dying.

"... Ka... shi...?"

He picked up his pace. "I know you don't like following my orders, especially after that display back there, but for god's sake stop talking. You can't afford to lose any of your energy," he said. Kakashi tried his hardest to keep the strain in his voice from being heard, but he was sure she knew it was there either way. "Haku's fine. Naruto's fine. Sasuke's fine. You're the only one who got injured so severely that you need medical attention right away."

"... H... Heh..."

When he looked down, her chapped lips curled up the tiniest bit even as her eyes stayed shut.

"Y... You do... ca... re..."

Her head lolled against his chest.

::

Strong of body

Free of desire

Never angry

::

Something dashed past the gate sentries and said one word: "hospital". It took Kotetsu and Izumo a few seconds to determine that no, it wasn't a threat, and that it certainly had been Hatake Kakashi in a panicked state they thought they'd never see on such an impassive and monotonous being. The few more seconds that ticked after that is when they realize it wasn't just him who passed them by.

"He... No way, he wasn't carrying Sakura, was he?" Izumo asked, now wary of the unexpected display. "Should we tell Morino and Shiranui?"

"I doubt it would help things, seeing how frantic Hatake looked. If it was her, the hospital would notify them. But shit, I've never seen him look like that before," Kotetsu said. "Didn't they just go on a C-rank? You think they ran into bandits on the way back?"

"They were slated to be gone for a whole month. It's been, what, two weeks? Something definitely went wrong."

They kept an uneasiness in the darkness of the earlier morning for another two hours or so before another party showed up to throw off their regard for Team Kakashi's "simple mission". Eight ninken appeared at the gates, the largest carrying an unconscious black haired boy and some of the smaller ones lending their bodies to keep the blond one upright.