The One Night Henge

Chapter 13

A half-conscious Kakashi emits a low groan. After Sakura had finished treating him, she could finally let him rest without needing to worry about any side effects. There was no denying that they both needed to sleep, but Kakashi needed it more. Not to mention that he wouldn't be any good trying to stand guard right now. So she let him rest, but he was beginning to fade back into consciousness a little.

Kakashi's head was pounding, and his entire body ached. He tried to open his eyes, but they would just barely open. He did his best to look around, but he couldn't see much. He was still hazy from the effects of the poison so everything was blurry, but he could tell that he was laying under a tree in the thick of the forest.

He was also aware that he wasn't alone. Turning his head slightly to see his companion, he could tell that it was a woman. After noticing that he was awake, she leaned in over him then spoke to him ever so softly, "Hey, how are you feeling? Are you in any pain? I used an antidote made from the Gelsemium plant. It's still in study, so I'm not sure how effective the dose I gave you will be. I hope it's doing enough for you," she told him softly.

He wasn't able to fully comprehend everything that she was saying to him, but he knew the voice. Saki?!

He knew it was her voice; there was no mistaking it. He reached for her, she moved a little closer, giving him a better view of her, but he still couldn't really see her due to the haziness. Her hair looked lighter than usual, like it had that night at the park. Her sparkling green eyes looked down at him with concern. Why did her eye color always play tricks on him?

"Sak," he choked out, reaching for her again. This time she grabbed his hand and held it tightly. He noticed it then—the chain around her neck and the pendant attached to it. She was wearing the necklace he had given her, and it matched her eyes almost exactly. Now he was sure that it was Saki here with him.

He knew her touch, her voice, that hair and those eyes. She was wearing the necklace and she seemed so concerned for him; nobody else would have that much concern for him. "Shhh, it's alright, I'm here," she told him, and he slipped back into the darkness of unconsciousness once again.

Sakura did her best to soothe him when he had woken up. It had only been for a moment and he had seemed confused at first. But then when he noticed her, he seemed to relax and slipped back to sleep. She knew he knew it was her even through his confusion because he had attempted to say her name.

At latest he was okay, but they needed to get back to the village. Since Kakashi wasn't able to walk or even stay conscious, Sakura knew she would have to carry him back herself. It was a several hour trip carrying light equipment. It would take her twice as long carrying Kakashi, but she couldn't just leave him there.

Standing up and brushing herself off, she made sure all of her equipment was secure before grabbing ahold of Kakashi and pulling him up on her shoulders once again. They needed to get moving; they had already spent four hours under that tree. "Time to go home, Sensei."

When Kakashi woke up the second time, he could tell two things. One that he was being carried and by someone much smaller than him. Two was that they were making their way through the forest on route to Konoha. Good, I'm being taken home.

"Hang in there, just a couple more hours," Saki told him as she leaped over a fallen tree. Since when could Saki carry him on her back? What the hell is going on? Then everything was black again.

Sakura hoped that Kakashi was doing okay back there; she had stopped to check on him about an hour ago and he was stable, so she continued on. She wanted to reach Konoha by nightfall. She didn't want to delay getting Kakashi full treatment any longer and the forest around there wasn't a good place to spend the night with a half dead Copy-Ninja.