Love Triangle: Kakashi vs. Genma

34 | Recuperation

Soon enough did not actually come soon. Asuma spent the night in [Y/N]'s room with her and didn't come out once. Everyone understood. They had just lost their father and he almost lost her too. They needed the time together to grieve and recover. Once it became clear that Asuma wasn't coming out, everyone else decided to head home and get cleaned up. The next few weeks would be spent rebuilding and recuperating so they needed to gather their strength.

Kakashi didn't realize how tired he actually was until he made it home. As soon as he walked in, he almost fell over in exhaustion. He forced himself through a quick shower and was asleep before his head had even hit the pillow. His sleep was deep and dreamless, a relief considering that as of lately he had been restless with nightmares and some nights completely sleepless. When he awoke the next morning, he felt a lot better than he had in weeks.

He dressed quickly and made his way to the kitchen to grab something quick to eat. He usually didn't have an appetite in the mornings and wondered how much of a toll his body actually took. Then he realized that whatever he had experienced would be nothing compared to [Y/N] or even Asuma. He sighed and hoped that he would get to see her today. But there was the Hokage's funeral today, and he desperately needed time to go by the memorial.

The sun was just coming up when Kakashi left his apartment. It was difficult to tell, with the clouds coming in and looming in the sky. He was sure it would rain today but headed out to the memorial stone anyway. He only realized how long he'd been standing there when Yugao approached with flowers for Hayate. The two spoke quietly to each other before leaving together for the Hokage's funeral.

After the funeral, Kakashi set out toward the hospital. He stopped and bought flowers, which was out of character for him. He realized as much as soon as he walked into the flower shop and had no idea what to get. He didn't want roses—those were too plain and cliché. Instead he chose something that he thought suited her a little more—something bright and purple (her favorite color, if he remembered correctly). As he left the shop, he wondered if the flowers were a little too much, too uncharacteristic of him. He'd mentioned before that he didn't really see the point of flowers—they were expensive and very hard to keep alive for more than a day or two. He sighed before deciding to hang on to the bouquet. After ignoring her for all of two months, he needed a big gesture.

As he made his way into the hospital, Kakashi was greeted by Asuma coming out to the main lobby. The brunette eyed Kakashi, glanced down to the flowers in his hand, and then smiled at his friend if but a little sadly. "Kakashi, I'm glad you're here. I was just about to head home, get a shower and some rest, but I don't want [Y/N] sitting alone today. Good timing."

Kakashi gave a small smile. "How're you holding up?"

"I'll manage. Those for me?" Asuma grinned at Kakashi's flowers, teasing him. Kakashi raised his eyebrow, unamused, making Asuma laugh. "I didn't think so. Listen Kakashi. I know what you told me about... your... well. How you feel. And I've told you before not to toy with her. If you go in there, you had better have something damn good to say and you had better tell her the truth this time, got it?"

Kakashi nodded. "Of course."

"Good. Go on now. She's been asking if you've been by."

"She's asked for me?"

"She misses you. She has for weeks now."

Asuma squeezed Kakashi's shoulder before nodding and exiting the hospital. [Y/N] was okay, Kakashi would be there, he needed to go home and shower.

Kakashi watched him leave before taking a deep breath. It's now or never. He had to see her again. He had to make sure she was okay himself. He had to tell her the truth.