Kakashi being in a coma is definitely not my excuse for not having him participate in the whole thing with Eri.... definitely not.
Also... I had like... a plan for this chapter... but now it's... gone. I don't know where it went but things are all over the place. Also if you guys could check out the other fanfictions I wrote (please ignore the Kiribaku I was... a foolish child) I would really appreciate it.
The heart monitor on the hospital bed beeped continuously.
Aizawa and Hizashi sat next to the bed as they had for the past 2 weeks.
The entire class had been given their provisional licenses for the way they handled the situation, but Kakashi hadn't woken up yet.
Work studies were quickly approaching and the students would be leaving for them in 2 days.
A doctor came in and checked some of his vitals before giving them sympathetic smiles and leaving.
The Hero Association had come by a few times to check and see if Kakashi was awake. The absolute last thing Aizawa and Hizashi wanted for Kakashi was whatever the Hero Association had planned.
All Might's physical condition was rapidly deteriorating and there was demand for Endeavor to be stripped of his license. Todoroki had been staying with Aizawa and Hizashi because the Todoroki household was deemed unsafe. His 2 siblings, Natsuo and Fuyumi had also gone, though Natsuo already had a place. The real problem was Dabi, or Touya, and Shukaku.
They weren't told to look for the two of them, but if they came across either of them or both, they were supposed to ask them to come to the nearest police station so they could take Dabi's statement on Endeavor.
To accommodate the youngest Todoroki, they'd decided to expand the house, adding a basement with the help of Cementoss and Nezu.
The minutes bled into hours and there was no sign of Kakashi waking that day.
With a heavy sigh, Hizashi and Aizawa left the hospital room.
~~~
Despite the chaos surrounding the Shie Hassakai raid and All Might's not-so-sudden retirement, Aizawa always found time to visit Kakashi in the hospital. Considering the fact that a lot of his students and coworkers were now there too, he spent most of his time there anyway.
All Might ended up retiring after the Shie Hassakai raid, which he participated in as his final battle.
Then there was the topic of the #1 hero. Endeavor had been forced to step down with Todoroki Natsuo's testimony. He would be facing 1 month of jail time and mandatory anger management classes. He would also need to do extra schooling in hero courses and a retake of his provisional license exam if he wished to become a hero again.
He no longer had custody of his children, and all the Todoroki's other than Fuyumi had filed for a restraining order.
Todoroki and Bakugou were frequent visitors to Kakashi's hospital room, they were there right now, in fact.
"It's been 3 weeks. Wake up, dumbass." Bakugou said quietly.
"Good to know you all missed me." Kakashi groaned.
"Of course we did you-" Bakugou paused. "Holy shit you're awake."
"Yo."
"Kakashi." Todoroki whispered. "A-are you okay?" He said numbly.
"Well I've had worse."
"Oh." Todoroki mumbled.
"Ah, don't frown like that. I'm alive, aren't I?" Kakashi's words did little to lighten the situation, but they did elicit a forced chuckle from Bakugou.
Aizawa entered the room and nearly dropped his coffee.
Bakugou stood up and dragged Todoroki out of the hospital room.
"Bye sensei." Todoroki said on their way out.
Kakashi sat up in his bed and tried not to make the situation any more awkward than it already was.
"Glad to see you're awake." Aizawa said.
Kakashi wasn't sure what to say to that. "How long was I out?" is what he went with. He already knew the answer to that question, but he figured it was better than sitting in an awkward silence until Hizashi came in and started crying.
"3 weeks."
Kakashi wolf whistled, then realized he wasn't wearing his mask. He wrinkled his nose.
"Here." Aizawa handed him a medical mask and Kakashi accepted it gratefully.
Kakashi swung his legs over the side of the bed and flexed his toes. He stepped off the hospital bed gingerly, noting how ready Aizawa was to catch him in his peripheral vision.
He'd been knocked out for weeks before, he knew how the whole deal worked. He steadied himself on the side table and rolled his shoulders out.
"Kakashi... what happened?" Aizawa asked. His voice was quiet but stern.
Kakashi inhaled slowly. "I'm not sure." He said with more honesty than he thought he had. "I wasn't conscious for any of it."
He did remember the pain, he always did. He didn't tell Aizawa that though.
Kakashi's brain began to work properly again and he remembered the events leading up to his... lapse in judgement. He should talk to Todoroki. And find Shukaku. And finish writing his Icha Icha series. So much to do.
"You helped us subdue the villains." Aizawa said after a break of silence.
"Ah. It feels like I was thrown against a wall." Kakashi rolled his shoulders again.
"Yeah that sounds about right." Aizawa nodded.
"Oh. Well that explains it then."
"Are you alright?"
Now wasn't that an interesting question? Physically? Yeah, he'd be fine in 2 days tops. Mentally? Oh god no, he was trying his hardest to stop his brain from spiralling as he and Aizawa were speaking.
He should probably ask not to be alone....
Aizawa, seemingly realizing the silliness of his question, elaborated, "Physically, I mean. Does anything hurt?"
Oh yeah that would make a lot more sense.
"No, I'm just stiff." Kakashi moved his shoulders for the 3rd time.
Aizawa was about to say something when Hizashi burst into the room.
"You're awake!" Hizashi beamed, tears in his eyes.
Kakashi stood still and blinks for a moment. "Yeah." He nods.
"Shouldn't we get a doctor?" Hizashi asks. Aizawa presses the button to call the nurse and they wait.
The silence allowed Kakashi to think about the previous events.
Edo Tensei.
He didn't remember how he dealt with the villains, or even how long it took. He remembered freaking out and losing to Inu.
If All for One had access to the Edo Tensei, didn't that mean that Orochimaru was here? Or Kabuto? Or, even worse, Zetsu?
Kakashi knew he was strong, but he was also aware of the fact that he likely wouldn't be able to take on Zetsu if they were here. Orochimaru and Kabuto were different, he could probably take them, but it wouldn't go well for him. He might be able to subdue them at the cost of his own life. That didn't really bother him, the thing that was bothering him was that if All for One just happened upon the scrolls, that would mean that there was a way to contact his world.
Well, there had to be. Kurogiri had offered to take him back, Obito and Shukaku had come here without the use of a seal, then there was that dream he had about his students which was definitely real.
A doctor came in and Kakashi was pulled out of his thoughts.
"I'm Dr. Kikuchi, how are you feeling, Kakashi?" She had short black hair and a white lab coat.
"Fine."
"That's good to hear, please take a seat." She gestured to the hospital bed.
Kakashi sat down and she pulled up a chair to sit in front of him.
"I'm a psychiatrist who works with patients during their stay at this hospital." She explained. "Would you like to speak to me, or Goto-san? We can see if he'll be able to come here, or if we can arrange a call."
Kakashi just nodded.
"Alright, Goto-san, then?"
Another nod.
"Okay, I'll leave you 3 to talk." She stood up and left the room.
Kakashi's mind was fuzzy, as it normally would be after things like this. Kakashi inhaled slowly and lay back down. He was exhausted, though he'd already slept for 3 weeks.
As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out.
~~~
When Kakashi woke up again, it was 7pm on the same day. He'd slept for about 3 hours.
He got out of the bed and left the room. The halls were bright and doctors were standing in the corridors talking.
He eventually found his way to the secretary who had her head over her desk.
The computer light in front of her flickered.
"Excuse me?" He tried to get her attention so he could ask when he would be allowed to leave. She said nothing. "Ma'am I don't mean to bother you but-"
The woman's head snapped up and Kakashi was met with hollowed eyes. Her skin was deathly pale and cracked.
A cool burst of wind rushed through the halls and the doctors who were in them disappeared.
Kakashi found his breath being cut off.
Warmth dripped down his neck and it took him a second to realize he was bleeding.
He looked at his hand to find bloodied ninja wire.
The corridors began to crumble and screams rang out through the hospital.
Kakashi fell to his knees clutching his neck in a vain effort to halt the bleeding.
Cold fingers found their place on his shoulder and the woman was crouching next to him now.
Her hand brushed his face and Kakashi felt his cheek begin to disintegrate before she vanished.
The computer screen turned so he could see it.
A memory of his was playing on the screen now.
6 year old him was sitting in the hospital waiting room as people rushed past him. He remembered this.
This was the night his father took his own life.
The smell of antiseptic got stronger and Kakashi blinked himself out of his daze.
The screen flickered and now he was watching himself and Rin in the hospital after Obito's death. Rin cried, Kakashi did not.
Again. Now it was Naruto's birth. Kakashi was keeping watch from afar. The Nine Tails roared.
Again. He stood in the hallway just outside of Sasuke's room speaking in hushed tones to the Sandaime. It had been decided that the boy would live alone.
When Kakashi and the Sandaime entered Sasuke's room, Naruto was there and the Sandaime was gone.
Naruto had a gaping hole just above his heart where Sasuke had tried to kill him.
The somber tone of the room vanished as Kakashi shot out of bed.
"That was one hell of a nightmare." A familiar, raspy voice spoke. Shukaku.
So... we're all bros, but I'm afraid this particular brohood is coming to an end soon. By that I mean this story is like... gonna end real soon and I'm not ready for it but on the other hand I don't want to drag it out.
Again, love all of you. You guys are great and your comments always make me laugh.