Ikigai

Chapter 7: Perfection

He hadn't moved. He couldn't move. He was paralyzed.

Azuma and Kurenai had decided to stay despite their scratches and bruises being less severe than his current bout of paralysis from their earlier "flying lesson". 

As far as the nurse could tell, it was an unidentified "harmless" drug-induced paralysis. His breathing had been labored at first but everything else seemed fine.  As for when and how he had been drugged, they just weren't sure. It had all been a bit of a haze the moment their feet were in the air.

"For now, waiting here is your only option. We currently don't have anybody on staff that could help with taking whatever's in your system, out." Stepping closer to his side, the nurse stuck a long, thin needle through his arm for a sample of blood. 

"We'll check with some of the other medics on staff to see if they can confirm what did this." 

"Thank you," the group responded on Kakashi's behalf.

A short nod and the nurse was gone. 

They would have brushed off their injuries and gone home with the exception of himself, writing it off as all in a day's work had it not been for who they had just talked with. 

It had unfortunately been Guy, to Kakashi's annoyance, who had helped him get to the hospital after meeting up with them on the edge of the forest. He had found them a few seconds after they had fallen, sprawled out a few feet from each other, Kurenai and Azuma recalling how helpless they had been, how out of control they had felt, not being able to move their arms and legs even before they hit any trees or fell to the hard, hard ground. 

But unlike Kakashi, they could still move. 

They were staying in his room in an effort to figure out what had just happened. 

"It appears that they haven't found Naruto yet," Guy said, his large brows meeting together as he frowned.

"But don't you think that's strange?" Azuma said from where he sat on the corner desk. "Those guys had already infiltrated the village. It should be easy to find Naruto here. Itachi knows Naruto's face."

It just didn't make sense. 

The room grew quiet as Guy brought a lone finger to his lips. They had company. 

Entering the room, his forgotten, misdelivered curiosity quickly turned to confusion and then, to worry.

"Kakashi...," Sasuke said brokenly, stopping when he realized he would get no reply from him.

"Why is Kakashi not moving? Besides, only jonin are gathering here...what are you doing? What in the world happened?!" His eyes wide as he turned to face Guy. 

"Nothing...in particular...," Guy knew it was a weak excuse. It was lame really.

"Is it true that Itachi has returned?!" 

They all glared as another unwanted visitor came barging in.

"And moreover that he's after Naruto...?!" The shinobi realized his mistake too late. "...Oh...." 

"Idiot," Kurenai huffed. 

The present was breaking before his past. He had tried for a moment to leave what had happened behind. He had started to find a family in those around him. But that night, it just wouldn't leave him alone.

Sasuke ran out, the color draining from his face. 

"Why does this always happen?!" Guy stood up in an attempt to catch him before he left, but by the time he looked out the door, only an empty corridor greeted him.