Chapter 1: A Typical Morning

I blearily opened my eyes, wincing as they made contact with the sunlight streaming through the window. Although I had stayed in bed well into the morning, I still felt exhausted and sleep deprived. A painful headache had awoken me at the early hours of dawn, making it nearly impossible to get out of my comfy spot on the bed.

I need to get up. I can't afford to be late to the physical.

If it had been any other time, I would've just stayed in bed all day, or at least until my god forsaken headache had subsided. But today, Tsunade was holding a mandatory physical exam for all Jonin, which included me, of course. If I didn't get there, and on time too, Tsunade would probably beat me to death. Maybe if I was lucky she'd leave me alive, albeit with some missing appendages. I wanted to live with all of my body parts, thank you very much.

With a groan, I swung my legs over the side of the mattress and sat there for a few moments to gain my bearings. I rested my head in my hands and started massaging my temples in an attempt to get rid of the worsening headache. My head felt heavy and weighed down, as if it were filled to the brim with coins and large chunks of lead.

I got up on shaky legs and trudged to the bathroom, the world spinning around me as I did so.

Maybe I shouldn't have got up so soon…

I stood in front of the mirror and gripped the edges of the sink. I took deep, measured breaths and tightly closed my eyes in an attempt to fight off the nausea. My efforts were to no avail.

My stomach lurched without warning, and the horrible sounds of retching echoed off the walls of my small bathroom. I painfully emptied the few contents of my stomach, mostly gastric juices, into the porcelain bowl, until I was left just dry heaving.

I was doubled over, still clutching my sore abdomen. My eyes were watery, and small tears were running down my pale cheeks. Even after all these years of being a ninja, a proclaimed genius and prodigy, I still hated vomiting. And every time I did, tears automatically ran down my face. Sad, isn't it?

I wonder what someone would say if they saw "Sharingan no Kakashi" crying like a child after throwing up.

I don't really know why I do it; maybe vomiting is some secret fear of mine. A pretty bad fear to have as a ninja who could always get poisoned or tortured.

At least as a child, my father would always help me when I was sick. I remember it like it was yesterday: He would watch over me at night and put wet towels on my forehead, like the mother that I never had. He would give me chicken broth to warm my sore throat. He would rub circles on my back when I threw up and wipe away my childish tears with his callused thumb. But...he's dead. My father committed suicide. Back then, I took all that stuff for granted, but now, I wish I could go back into the past, especially to the times that I had contracted some kind of cold or the flu, just so that he could care for me again.

Pushing back the unwanted memory, I cleaned my mouth of the putrid taste of bile and stomach acid and hastily washed my face. I pulled my mask back on before returning to my bedroom and flinging the closet door open.

I took out my usual outfit: green jonin vest, a long sleeved shirt, and ninja pants. After tiredly slipping into my bland clothing and applying bandages, I put on my ninja sandals and flashed to the training grounds.

*POOF*

I stumbled as my feet made contact with the dewy grass. For some reason, the body flicker technique had left me dizzy and tired.

Note to self: Don't travel at untraceable speeds when you have a migraine.

After a few moments of fighting the renewed nausea and danger of falling over, I balanced myself substantially and stood to face my students, who had not yet realized I was there.

"Ahem," I cleared my throat so my students would turn their attention toward me. The three Genin looked over with wide eyes, successfully broken out of whatever argument they were partaking in. They did not take long to retort at my tardiness.

"YOU'RE LATE AGAIN!" Sakura and Naruto shrieked in unison. Suddenly, the lingering ache flashed hard and hot. I gripped my head with both gloved hands and hissed in pain, my eyes shut tightly. Perhaps it was the loud noise that triggered the pain?

"…Sensei? Are you alright?" Sakura asked timidly. I forced my hands drop to my sides from their tight grip on my head. I didn't want to worry my students. Although the pain was shooting across my skull like electricity, I tried my best to ignore it and decided to continue with what I came here to do in the first place.

"Yes, I'm fine. No need to worry. Anyway, I came here to tell you that I'm not going to be here to train you guys, so do whatever you want. You have the day off," I quickly said, facing my students. Both Sakura and Naruto had concern tinging their expressions. I wish my head would stop pounding.

"Wait. Why aren't you going to train us today?" Sasuke came out of the shadows, curiosity shining in his usually cold, unconcerned eyes.

"All Jonin have a mandatory physical today. Why? Are you going to miss me Sasuke?" I crinkled my eyes into a playful smile. I knew he was probably asking because my absence would hinder his training, but still.

"N-no! Of course not!" Sasuke pouted and crossed his arms, averting his eyes.

"Shut up teme, you'll hurt sensei's feelings!" Naruto whispered, loud enough that all of us could hear him. Sasuke immediately glared back at him, his mouth open and ready to shoot back a witty reply.

"Now, now, there's no need to start a fight over me," I said, crinkling my visible eye to calm them down.

"Well, I can't be late, right? Ja ne."

I body flickered to the front of Konoha Hospital. Big mistake. I had gotten off easy before, but now, the nausea was much worse, overpowering, even. As soon as I felt the pressure in my abdomen and the terrible feeling of increased saliva in my mouth, I stumbled to the nearest bush and crouched down, just in case. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, willing it to go back down to my stomach, but soon, the reflex overpowered all of my attempts. I choked and gagged on the putrid acid my body was bringing up. I was doubled over in front of the bush, my mask yanked down as gastric juices left both my mouth and nostrils, burning them in the process. After a few more heaves, my body decided to stop punishing me.

I quickly wiped the tears that had unwillingly sprouted out of my eyes and tugged my mask back into place, both literally and figuratively.

What's wrong with me? I should tell Tsunade during the physical…

I rose on trembling legs and ambled to the doors of the hospital. I pushed them open and entered into the bland, white space, glancing around for a colleague. Unfortunately, I was later than I had intended to be, so most of them were probably already at the site of the physical. Not that I cared, of course.

Tsunade told us to meet up on the third floor.

If this were any other time, I would flash there, all the while reading one of Master Jiraiya's perverted novels. But I'd learned from experience that using the body flicker technique with a migraine has some messy consequences.

Heaving an irritated sigh, I trudged to the staircase and wearily started plodding up the countless steps.

It took longer than I wanted it to, but I finally made it to the third floor. After wandering around for a bit, looking for the site of the examination, I finally found it.

In front of the closed door of an ordinary examination room was a rather small group of Jonin; some sat on the floor, impatiently waiting for their turn, while others stood in groups, chattering aimlessly.

I sighed and found an isolated corner to stand in. This is such a drag…I'll probably be here till evening.

Rolling my eyes, I pulled out my Icha Icha Paradise, leaning against the drab walls. I turned to a random page and skimmed over the familiar words in an attempt to engage my bored mind. I wasn't in the mood to handle socializing with the other Jonin. Especially Gai; I definitely couldn't deal with his antics at the moment.

Frankly, I found it irritatingly hard to concentrate on the text in front of me when I still felt like crap. My dry mouth still held a bitter, acidic taste from when I vomited. Although I had not eaten any breakfast, I felt that my uneasy stomach wouldn't be able to handle any type of food at the moment. Oh, and I still had a headache. Although the pounding wasn't as unbearable as it was in the morning, it was still there. I was just so tired of this, of feeling ill.

I sighed and slumped to the ground, pulling my knees to my chest. I tucked the graphic novel back into my pouch and leaned backward, resting my head against the cool stone walls. Perhaps if I relaxed for a bit, the headaches would go away. Maybe I was just sleep deprived.

I'm a ninja, so I'm never actually asleep. I'm always aware of my surroundings, so when they call my name, I'll know to get up.

With that thought, I hesitantly shut my eyes, welcoming the darkness. The cheerful babbling gradually faded into a low murmur.

Yes, a nap can't hurt…