Recovery: Chapter 19

Summary: Kakashi became heartbroken and wallowed in his pasts, letting himself go. But on the return of a certain unpredictable Kunoichi, everybody believes that she will be the one to save him. Will she help? How can one girl bring about the aloof man and save him from himself? Just when she wanted was some peace in her life.

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Important: Just a friendly reminder that the first couple of chapters will be revised when the story is complete. Sasuke doesn't know about Itachi and is still hellbent on taking him out.

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Naruto felt herself wake up slowly though her body still heavy in grief that she didn't feel the need to move. Fluttering her eyes open, Naruto saw herself wrapped snug in Kakashi's room, with the owner missing. She sighed heavily and made an effort to sit up, her eyes still heavy, refusing to wake up. Naruto lifted her head when she heard Kakashi walk into the room, his eyes filled with concern. The blonde grunted and tucked her head in-between her knees, feeling the new day's rays warm her back. Her throat was thick and dry when she mumbled out, "He's gone?"

Kakashi sighed lightly and sat at the edge of the bed. "Yes." He felt his beast whimper at the sight of Naruto. Her hair didn't seem as bright and when their eyes connected, hers were drained of life. "Jiraiya-sama will be here soon."

"I don't want to see him." She groaned, picking up the blanket and covered her frame as she lay back down and faced away from Kakashi. "I want to be alone."

"No, you don't. You just don't want to be comforted and that's okay." Kakashi replied, "It's only natural to mourn for the one you love. I'll grab you a glass of water." Kakashi stood and headed towards the kitchen. He tried his best not to let his bitter feelings show through his words. Naruto didn't need for him to be jealous. She needed for him to be a pillar and hold strong for her while she mourned. Kakashi returned to the room and went around the bed to kneel before the woman. "Naruto," He called out softly, "Let me take care of you as you did for me." Cautiously, he reached for the blanket and tugged it far enough to see her face. Fresh tears were in her eyes and he wiped them away gently. "Eventually, it gets better."

"Will it still hurt?" Naruto croaked out. Finding comfort in Kakashi's warmth.

"Yes." Kakashi replied honestly, "It will always hurt but it does get better."

"How did you get through it?" She asked timidly, latching onto Kakashi's hand when he tried to retract it. "Don't."

Kakashi nodded and placed his hand back on her cheek. "I'm not the best example to use. I threw myself into high-rank mission after high-rank mission, killing whoever got in the way of completing them. I was on the path to death at that rate. I isolated myself in-between and drowned myself in alcohol, pitying myself and destroying the bonds I had." Kakashi shook his head as he revealed his past to Naruto. "My friends, on the other hand, had no intentions of letting me sever those bonds and stuck beside me. Beating me back onto the right path. It took years for me to recover and I was stable for years before I became your sensei. Then it all fell apart again and I went back into the vicious cycle and it was worse than before. Love can be a wonderful thing, Naruto, but it can also bring a vicious cycle."

Naruto regarded Kakashi's words and looked away. "You know?"

"Only when you begged for me to let you go to him. You never beg, Naruto, never. Not even when you claimed to love him as a brother, I didn't see the lie. I even believed deep down that you'd deny it if I brought it up." Kakashi said, rubbing his thumb along her birthmarks. "You can love two people at the same time."

Naruto felt guilt wash through her and closed her eyes tightly. "How is that possible? The heart only has room for one person."

"Yet the heart loves both of her parents, her village, her friends, and her beloved master." Kakashi replied, "Anything is possible, Naruto, and so is loving two people romantically. The heart will always beat faster for the more loved person. Itachi was blessed to have been loved by you, Naruto."

Naruto choked, "I didn't love him like that." She felt Kakashi wrapped her up in a hug, with his face buried into her neck. The blanket separating them with only his hand on her cheek connecting them. "I didn't…" Naruto weakly denied.

"I'm not going to spite you for it." Kakashi huffed and held her more securely when she tried to wriggle away. "The reason I know about it is that I've felt it too. Though I was more blinded than you."

Naruto felt herself frown and came out of the blankets for air. Looking at Kakashi's pained face when he looked at her. "I'm not blind."

Kakashi sighed, "Yes you are. Why else would I be jealous of a dead man, Naruto?" He leaned forward and placed a small kiss on her forehead before leaving the room. "Drink the water and get more rest. I'll wake you before Jiraiya-sama comes so you can wash up."

Naruto sniffed and tucked herself under the blanket. There was a void inside of her and her heart wouldn't stop aching, "Itachi…" Tears blurred her vision as she realised she wasn't able to bury his body. Having to burn him to ash so nobody would use his DNA unethically. "Itachi…" She mumbled again, she couldn't ignore when her voice cracked and sobbed uncontrollably, tucking herself into a small ball. She felt like she couldn't breathe as her sobs and hiccuping grew out of control. Her body racking in tremors as she grieved. Itachi was her first friend, her protector, companion, and a constant support line for her...and now he was gone. No longer would she be able to run into his arms, smell his ash scent, rant to him about his brother, joke around with him and no longer be able to receive his affection. She couldn't seek out his chakra anymore or hear him try to compliment her but insulting her at the same time. She would never feel the calloused hands of his mess up her hair or see his dark eyes sparkle whenever he was listening to her. She'd never have the opportunity and Naruto regretted not being of more help to him. She missed him so much.

Naruto wasn't sure how long she cried for but she did cry herself to sleep again.

Jiraiya had been standing outside the room, listening to her sobs till she fell asleep. "Itachi is her first ever loss, Kakashi. She's not like you and going to bottle it in." He looked over to Kakashi as the man was leaning on the opposite wall. His shoulders were heavy as he stared blankly at the ground. "Can you blame her for loving Itachi? He was always there for her when no one else was and saw her for who she was. Naruto even looked past his crimes. I'd even go so far as to say that he was her first love." Jiraiya pushed off the wall and placed a strong hand on the short man's shoulder. "And you will be her last love." He encouraged Kakashi with a smile and nod. The idiot was easy to read. "I'm going to take her with me for a day. Get her to come to peace with Itachi's passing. I'll bring her straight back when we're done."

"You don't have to tell me like you're asking for permission to take her," Kakashi said with a sigh, tucking his hands into his pockets. He didn't want her to go but if it did her some good, then he'll wait for her return.

Jiraiya snorted, "I'm not telling you, Kakashi, I'm letting your beast know." The Gama-Sennin turned on his heel and entered the room. Closing the door behind him as he went to wake up his precious student.

Kakashi ruffled his hair in frustration and moved towards the kitchen to get a glass of water. He knew it was selfish for him to feel this way. Naruto had experienced him wooing another woman and act irrationally during his relationship with Katsumi. Yet she came back and supported him. "You should be able to do the same, dumb ass." Kakashi scolded himself as he filled a glass of water. "You said you'll be there for and look after her. Don't go back on your word." He pulled down his mask and chugged the water down. Letting droplets of water flow down his chin and onto his clothed chest. With a satisfied gasp, "You've got this, dumb ass." Determination burned inside of him as he remembered when the blonde barged back into his life and guided him. He would do the same, get to know her, and confirm his feelings for her. He definitely admired Naruto and Kakashi never wanted to lose the bond he had with her.

Kakashi heard movement and slipped up his mask as he turned around. He spotted Naruto shuffle into the kitchen area, blanket still around her shoulders but he was up and that was a good sign. When Kakashi saw her eyes, his heart melted and held out his arms. He waited as she lunged into his chest and wrapped her tightly to his body. "Go with Jiraiya-sama, Naruto. I'll wait for you here and we can do whatever you want. Even if you just want to lie in bed all day." He heard her sniff as she nodded into his chest. "Spend as much time as you need to wherever you're going, okay. I'll wait here for you." Kakashi let out a soft chuckle, "Just promise to come back otherwise I'm stuck in here."

Naruto sniffled, turning her head to the side so she could breathe and heard the strong heartbeat of Kakashi. "I promise. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone." She whispered, voice still dry and hoarse.

"I promise," Kakashi leaned down and kissed the top of her head. Hugging her tightly before releasing her. "Go on." He forced himself to gently shuffle her in the direction of Jiraiya as the man came back with a bag packed for Naruto. She hadn't cleaned up but that wasn't Jiraiya's style to wait around.

"We'll be back," Jiraiya nodded farewell to Kakashi as he placed a hand on Naruto's blanket-wrapped body and disappeared.

Kakashi held his smile in place till they disappeared. Dropping to the ground as the empty sounds and feeling in the cabin were immediate. "You're one lucky bastard, Itachi." He said bitterly, taking a deep breath he moved outside to train. It was one way to get his mind of Naruto leaving and reading didn't feel right at the moment. "I hope you can hear me, beastie, I want a full transformation. I'm giving you till sunset to have your fun, so, please–" Kakashi said sarcastically, "–give back my body by then."

"Tch, don't be a brat." The beast replied gruffly, coming to the surface as Kakashi receded in his mindscape. "You're not the only one that's frustrated. In time, we will look back on this and see how much we've grown as our pups run around the yard."

Kakashi blushed, the idea of having children of his own made him nervous yet he could see the image that his beast had. A yard filled with little ones running around as their older siblings chased them. He wasn't sure if he had what it took to be a father but he'd damn well do his best. "Don't think too far ahead. We still have to get to know, Naruto." Kakashi replied as he saw through his beast's senses. It was exhilarating.

The Hatake beast stood tall and took in a well deserving deep breath. "The land smells fertile." He smirked when he felt his human shuffle uncomfortably. "We've both gotten hard over her. It's only natural that our hormones have leaked into the surrounding environment."

Kakashi groaned. "Your speech has gotten better."

The beast growled, "Don't go digging through my precious memories with our mate. They're mine. Not yours." The beast got down on all fours, his muscles rippling as the light wind flitted through his thick fur. Rearing back, beast launched forward and sprinted through the surrounding forest. The air running through his fur as the scent of nature consumed him. He heard every leaf rustle and every flutter of the birds' wings. It felt so damn good being free.

Kakashi watched from inside. He could feel the joy his beast was receiving and felt guilt well up inside. He had jailed his beast unintentionally but had done it nonetheless.

"Don't be so negative," The beast leapt high over a fallen trunk, "I'm here know. I'll even show you how to woo Naruto once you get it through your thick skull that you're a romantic dunce."

Kakashi felt his forehead throb, "I do not need to know 'how to woo Naruto', as you've put it. I'm 100% confident in my ability to seduce people."

The beast smirked, "Oh? So you intend to seduce our mate. I look forward to it. Seeing her whiskered cheek turn red, stuttering in embarrassment, and her big blue eye going wide." Despite his appearance, the beast was a romantic. Only toward Naruto of course and he knew his actions towards the blonde pleased her. She enjoyed his attention. He believed himself to be the wooer while Kakashi was the one that went in for the kill.

Kakashi didn't reply.

Jiraiya:

"Where are we?" Naruto asked, looking around the stale smelling room. It was bare and the furniture was nothing exciting. Just a plain small apartment.

"This is where Itachi used to stay between his jobs for Akatsuki." Jiraiya replied, seeing her freeze as her eyes lit up and looked around the room with more interest. "This is where I would meet him on occasion. Nobody would believe that Itachi Uchiha was living in a small town in the Fire Country."

Naruto shuffled into the apartment, walking past the living area and kitchen, heading towards the room she knew would be his bedroom. Opening the door, Naruto felt her eyes well up as a single piece of Itachi's personality showed. On his bedside table was a photo frame of them together at Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto remembered that day and Mikoto had offered to buy ramen, having taken the photo of the two.

Naruto dropped the blanket and moved deeper into the room. Sitting on his small bed and picked up the picture. Her eyes roamed over Itachi's features. A content smile on his face as she sported a grin so large that her cheeks made her eyes look closed. Naruto sniffed, it was the only picture in his place. Looking around the room, Naruto's gaze fell to his pillow. Picking it up, she held it close to her frame and took a deep breath. Ash. The scent brought warmth through her body. Comfort.

Jiraiya stood outside of Itachi's room as Naruto grieved. "No one is going to be mad at you, kid. I certainly ain't."

Naruto looked up to Jiraiya. Trying her best to distinguish his features through her blurred vision. "I always thought he put Sasuke before me. I know he was his little brother and blood but I always hoped…" Naruto swallowed thickly as her throat closed up, "...I just hoped that he would choose me."

Jiraiya moved into the room and sat beside her. "And what would you have done when he died because of his eyes? He wasn't just going blind. His chakra system was eating him from the inside." She was silent, "Itachi didn't want to bring you pain when he was gone. The two of you developing an unbreakable bond and then he's gone while you have the rest of your years. He was always thinking about you, Naruto. Always wanting what was in your best interest." He pulled her into a side hug when he heard her sniff. She was silently crying as he spoke and wrapped her securely to his side. "He got his selfish desire from Sasuke but he didn't give in to his selfish desire for you because his love for you was far greater than Sasuke. Just because he didn't choose you, doesn't mean he didn't care for you as much."

"I miss him so much," Naruto choked, looking up at Jiraiya, "I love him, Jiraiya. I love him so much and I didn't get to tell him."

Jiraiya wiped away her tears gently, "I'm sure he can hear you loud and clear, kid."

"Do you think he'll forgive me?" Naruto asked. Jiraiya tilted his head in confusion, "Will Itachi forgive me when I find someone to settle down with?"

"I'm sure he would encourage it. Your happiness was the utmost importance to him. Long term, of course. I'm sure he never meant to make you cry like this." Jiraiya replied, poking her puffy cheek and got a small giggle in return. "I'm sure if your places were swapped, you'd want the same."

Naruto thought over Jiraiya's words before nodding. "Yeah, I guess. I'll just have him when he dies."

Jiraiya shivered, "Please don't go offing yourself. I'll never hear the end of it and then I'll be the one a sobbing mess in your apartment."

Naruto smiled, "With the number of times you get caught peeping, you'll be gone before me."

Jiraiya looked offended, "Excuse me, I happen to be a Spy Master! And along with that note, the Akatsuki have been dealt with. Enjoy your youth."

Naruto wrinkled her nose, "You sound like Gai-sensei."

"Excuse me?!" Jiraiya gasped scandalously, pushing Naruto away so he could clutch his chest dramatically. "I do not!" Naruto snorted, "Not!"

"No, definitely not." Naruto said teasingly, "You're worse than Gai-sensei."

"Honestly, after all these years you still insult me." Jiraiya was miffed but he enjoyed seeing the spark in her eye ignite again. He settled down and offered a helping smile, "Grief is a hard and long process. Don't ever fool yourself in believing you're alone. We are always around and will run to you if you ever need us. Don't be afraid to ask for help."

Naruto was touched by Jiraiya's words. "Thank you."

Jiraiya grinned and whipped out a bottle of sake from nowhere. "Now! Let's get drunk!"

"Ero-sennin!"

"What? We're drinking to the dead. A Team 7 tradition." He cringed at his crude joke but Naruto found it amusing when she let a chuckle slip. "Shall we get smashed or drink responsibly?" He asked though a wicked grin was on his lips.

Naruto mirrored his grin, "Let's get fucking smashed!"

"That's my girl!"

Kakashi:

The beast paused in his frolicking and looked up to the passing clouds. "She's in a better mood. Her teacher is really something."

Kakashi sought out his connection with Naruto and felt the warm hum return to her chakra. "Jiraiya-sama has a way with people that – ah he's getting her drunk."

"Does that bother you?" The beast asked as he travelled towards the lake. Intending on going for a nice long swim.

"Not as it used it. She deserves to let loose every now and then." Kakashi replied, cutting off his connection with Naruto. He wanted her to enjoy her time without her feeling his loneliness.

The beast growled, remembering that Naruto's heat was to come soon. "Not too often. She will be ours by the time we experience her second heat."

Kakashi was tired of being red in the face. The beast wouldn't stop talking about Naruto in such ways.

The beast could feel Kakashi's embarrassment. "You're the one with the dirty thoughts. I merely mean that we will be bonded under the new moon. Our souls entwined as we become husband and wife."

"Maah you're excited for a beast that yelled that I deserved to be a mindless beast," Kakashi said jokingly. There was no heat to his words but his beast was very honest about his feelings for the blonde Uzumaki. Kakashi wouldn't be surprised if the beast was better as expressing them too.

"What will you do when she returns to us?"

"I'll seduce her and make her our mate," Kakashi said firmly. He would still get to know her and develop his feelings, but he was going to actively seduce her at the same time. "I don't give a damn that Sasuke was my student. At the end of this, she will be our just as we have always been hers."

The beast grinned widely, the tone of his human was strong and firm. "Spoken like a true Hatake."

Kakashi felt flattered, "I don't see how this is a curse. You're a rather reasonable creature."

The beast chuckled as he kicked freely in the water. "I'm definitely a curse. The Hatake rage and bloodlust is devastating. Our little mate will help us be better."

Kakashi hummed as he sat down, legs going stiff from just standing around. "Well, that's certainly true. She does make us a better person."

The beast hummed low in his chest. Feeling at peace with his human.

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Author's note: Important update

Hello everybody,

Yes, my dumbass is still alive. Change of plans, I'll be trying to finish up Recovery and Musical Hands. I won't be working on Konoha's little princess at all, so if someone wants to adopt the story then, please, feel free to give it some life. I've also been writing other stories for Naruto when I can't settle and study, nothing concrete but there are ideas there. I honestly wish I could find my USB with all my backed up old stories – there were some good ones on there that I don't think I'll be able to replicate.

Anyway, I love seeing the TobiramaXFemNaruto pairings that are coming out. I'm so in love with them. Even the cringing ones cause I'm 100% biased for the pairing. I do have a modern AU teacher/student story for the pairing that I'm dabbling in. I've also read a few comments that readers prefer my original version of GREAT! What now?, so I'll see how I go for that because when I went back over it, I enjoyed it more than the rewritten.

Thank you for all the support and welcome to the new readers. I hope you will keep indulging in my fantasies.