Sown

fourteen

Kakashi stared at the hospital ceiling, a sight he had seen many times in his shinobi career. Even after three days in the same bed his body was still fatigued, not quite well enough to leave on his own accord without causing some sort of a scene. He could sit up and move around the room, though, so at least there was that. It was a fitting punishment for using the Kamui three times in such a short period, but something told him that Gai's piggyback and subsequent headbutt had done the real damage.

The door to the room rattled open ; assuming it to be a nurse or the Hokage, the jounin feigned sleep, not particularly wanting to be bothered during his forced resting period.

"A little birdie told me I'd find you here."

He peeked his eye open in surprise.

Hanae stood beside the bed in a white dress that heavily contrasted her honey colored skin. Kakashi moved to cover his scared left eye but received a shake of her head and look that told him she had already seen the long-lived wound, so he dropped his hand back beneath the sheet.

"And which little birdie was that?"

Pulling up a chair from the wall, she settled next to the bed, giving him one of his signature shrugs. "God," her words dripped with dry humor.

In reality she had picked up on his condition from a couple in her shop. While grinding slippery elm bark and ginger into a powder, the words of the couple at the counter caught her attention.

"Gaara was rescued, but Kakashi is in real disarray. He'll be at the hospital for a while," the young woman with striking red eyes lamented.

The bearded man chuckled, chewing on the end of an unlit cigarette, "Kakashi in the hospital? Shocking. He's got the brain of Shikamaru but relies on the sharingan too much."

That had been two days ago but the wait for Tuesday hadn't been as long as she expected it to be. Instead the time was filled with research, diving into a rabbit hole of sharingan, dojutsu, kekkei genkai, and the Uchiha Clan. While there wasn't much material, she had learned enough to realize it was a subject he would need to explain in due time.

"You're a lot less emotional than I thought you'd be. Where are the tears from last time? Your future husband is in the hospital." Kakashi smirked beneath the cloth draped over his face. The sarcasm laced reminder of her tipsy state earned him a poke in the ribs. He groaned in defeat.

Hanae crossed her arms, a smirk of silent victory pulling at her lips. "You being in the hospital means you're alive. I've been in both of these positions multiple times before. Don't forget I used to kick ass myself." She pulled at the tight sleeve of her dress, exposing the criss-cross of faded scars around her neck and shoulders that he had never noticed before. "Us samurai don't have armor around the shoulders so we can swing our swords. Decapitation is probably our most common cause of death."

He had to admit he had somewhat forgotten, having only seen the woman in peacefully domestic situations. The image of her head tumbling through blood wetted snow caused him to cringe.

"Besides, how can I cry when you're so vulnerable?" She tugged at the side of the sheet closest to her, threatening to pull it off of his face. He knew she wouldn't so he didn't fight back ; he did, however, enjoy her relaxed and playful attitude. "A scene from Icha Icha Innocence comes to mind."

"Only a pervert would bring up porn to a man in the hospital," he chided with a criticizing brow raise. "And while that dress is cute, it's not exactly a nurse's gown." Hanae flushed a bashful red and pressed her hands to her chest, looking away from the snickering ninja who lay appreciating her shy expression. "You owe me dinner for that comment."

The farmer kept her gaze averted, his comment on her dress still turning her heart to mush. "I guess it's the least I could do," she murmured coyly, finally looking back to him with her usual smile - a smile of happiness at the man she had fallen so hard for finally asking her to do something for him.

Kakashi's smart gaze softened, "food and medicine are not two different things ; they are the front and back of one body." His statement made her perk up.

"That's Masanobu Fukuoka," she sang, clasping her hands over her heart.

The bedridden ninja nodded, "read it in your house last time. Now I know who you're quoting every time you act smart." He leapt at another finger pressed into his side.

Hanae, again wearing a smirk, stood and smoothed out her dress. "You have to come when you get out of here naturally. I know you're strong, but I don't want you to hurt yourself just trying to come and see me." She moved the chair back near the door and approached his bed again, gazing down at him with her head cocked to the side. He watched her tenderly lay a hand beside him on the bed. "Now rest. I'll see you again."

As she pulled her hand back to leave, Kakashi reached out, snaking his fingers around her wrist. The woman gazed at him quizzically, receiving a small shrug as to not move the blanket covering his chin. "Insurance?" He offered, holding his other bare arm out from beneath the blanket.

She could only smile and lean into his lying form, curling her arms around his own wrapped around her shoulders. He slid his right hand through her hair, warm fingers pressing into her scalp as he took in her earthy scent. She could hear his heartbeat, a soothing rhythm against her own erratic one. He immediately missed the pressure of her on his chest as she pulled away, hand lingering on his shoulder for a moment too long.

"I'll see you," Hanae repeated, leaving the room with a skip to her step.

Kakashi looked back to the ceiling with a shallow sigh, slipping the cover off of his face. He let his eyelid slide closed, hoping to quickly fall asleep to recover and see her that much sooner.