After The Storm *Kakashi Hatake* (Naruto Fanfiction)

Chapter 28

His chest heaves and he curls in slightly as he coughs loudly and roughly. 

"Were you saying something?" his raspy, dry voice asks me as his onyx eye flutters open. 

"...K-Kakashi?" I whisper. 

He meets my eyes, they seem distant and clouded, but soon focus in on my face, "The one and only," he chuckles. 

Now I become a mess of tears and mumblings of "I love you" and "You stupid bastard" and "Don't leave me ever again" and "You fucking asshole".

I'm hugging him around the neck and crying into his shoulder. His arms are wrapped around my waist after he pushes himself to a sitting position. 

"I thought you were dead," I whisper, my tears finally ebbing to a slow trickle. 

"I thought I was too," he replies, smiling under his mask. 

I pull down his mask and kiss him softly and passionately, putting all of the feeling I've had for the past years into it. 

Pulling away, I stare into his eye for a while, before my gaze travels to the blood caked on his forehead, "Holy shit! We have to get you to a hospital!" I yell, clammering to my feet in a hurry. 

He chuckles and then winces as I ease him up. 

"Sorry!" I yelp. 

"Fine... It's fine," he replies with a small smile. 

I sling his arm over my shoulder and walk slowly out of the clearing. 

"Kakashi..." I start, as we walk at a snail's pace down the roads. 

They're filled with people crying in happiness as their loved ones somehow return to life. 

"Hm?" he answers somewhat tiredly, waiting for me speak. 

"Thank you," I whisper, glancing up at him before concentrating back to the road before me, and trying to prevent us both from falling to the ground. 

"For what?" he asks in a surprised tone. 

"For clearing my name and putting up with me, even after all of this shit," I answer, grinning. 

"There's no need to thank me for that... what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't do that much?" he asks teasingly. 

"I'm serious Kakashi, thank you," I tell him in a quiet voice. 

He pauses in conversation, gazing down at me, surprised by my solemn behavior, "You're welcome Yokina," he answers. 

Silence engulfs us as we continue to walk. 

"By the way... when did you get such a bad mouth?" he chuckles out breaking the growing silence.

I smile up at him, "Let's just say, living with an immortal asshole of a man kind of gets to you." 

He laughs and nods, attempting to understand meaning. 

We reach the hospital only a moment later and walk in to a bustling and completely packed room. 

A pinkette dashes up to us, "Kakashi-sensei!" she yells out worriedly. 

My eyes widen as I realize that this young woman is... Sakura.... 

"Wow I feel old," I whisper under my breathe. 

"Tell me about it," Kakashi replies. 

Sakura's eyes turn to me and she moves to pull out a kunai at seeing my cloak, but then stops as realization crosses her features. 

"Yokina-san?" she asks. 

"Yup, its me Sakura," I reply grinning. 

She smiles, "I'd hug you right now if you weren't holding this lazy oaf," she giggles out, her eyes shining slightly with tears. 

"Hey! I'm right here," Kakashi says somewhere in the background. 

I"m laughing now and I give her a one armed hug. 

Then her face falls slightly, "Sorry guys... but, the hospital is full right now... if you could wait outside, we'll have an opening in a bit... nothing urgent right?" she explains, then asks Kakashi. 

He shakes his head 'no'.

"Good, I'll be out soon to get you a spot," then she dashes away, off to help some other poor injured human. 

I lead him outside and onto a bench. The atmosphere is surprisingly peacful as we sit in silence. The air is less filled with tension, and more filled with the happy cacaphony of voices chattering away about building plans and recovery organizing. 

"Your village truly is something," I murmur to myself. 

"Our village," he corrects, giving me a small grin. 

My gaze falls to the ground and my smile fades, "Kakashi... even with most of the Akatsuki dead... they're not going to let me stay here," I tell him, "They'll always be after me."

"And?" he asks me, raising an eyebrow. 

My eyes begin to water again, and I almost curse myself for being such a crybaby today. I pause before mustering up the strength to tell him my thoughts. 

"I once thought that when I first came to this village... I'd reached the calm after the storm; an end to my worrying, pain, and fear. But, now, I see that... there truly never is an "after". No matter how many enemies fall... there's always more.. looking to kidnap me, use my power, kill me even... There is never an end to my storm," I whisper, hoping he understands now why I can't stay. 

He leans in and cups a hand on my cheek, moving my face to the side, and tilting up my chin with his hand, he gazes into my eyes for a few moments before leaning in, our foreheads and noses touching. 

"Then I'll just have to brave that storm with you."