Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Summary: In this story the nine tails attack never happened. Minato and Kushina are still alive, and Kushina is still the Jinchuuriki. After returning from an Anbu mission poisoned, Kakashi has been targeted for assassination by an unknown enemy who has managed to infiltrate the Hidden Leaf. To keep him safe, Minato forces Kakashi to stay with him and Kushina until they can learn who is behind the attack. {Minato/Kushina} No other pairings at the moment.

Authors Note UPDATE::: Hi everyone! I decided to edit all three chapters, so hopefully they read a bit better. A huge thanks to deamon-of-light for your review! Hopefully the timeline makes a bit more sense now and some spelling errors are corrected. Thank you all and PLEASE REVIEW! It is a huge help to know what I could do better and also what I'm doing well. I want to make sure this story is as good as I can possibly make it, so if you see any errors or have any suggestions please let me know! Thank you all and I hope you enjoy.

Lone Wolves Don't Last Long

Chapter One: Not Just a Cold

Kakashi slowly made his way down the sun-soaked street. Stagnant air draped over the village like a blanket, dead heat making each step more taxing than the last. His body couldn't seem to decide whether it was hot or cold.

The setting sun had finally relinquished some of its intensity, the temperature dropping from unbearably hot to hardly tolerable. Still, the change cooled the thin layer of sweat that coated him, sending chills up the anbu's spine.

Kakashi stifled a yawn. He was utterly exhausted. Limp arms hung like leaden weights as he lumbered stiffly towards his apartment and bed.

The Anbu had been working him mercilessly, mission after mission and each longer and more grueling than the last. It wasn't that Kakashi minded hard work. In fact, he thrived on it. It was easier to be an Anbu. A faceless automaton intent on fulfilling the will of the Leaf. On missions he was Wolf. It was easier to be Wolf. At least, it was easier when he had slept in the past seventy-two hours, unlike right now, when he had reached ninety and counting. Or at least, he thought it had been ninety hours. He wracked his brain to remember the last time he'd actually slept, and not just dozed between night watches.

'About…five days now?'

Unless of course, one included the way his mind glazed over when Guy began vomiting some drawn out sappy speech about youth. He just needed to sleep. Preferably before the self-proclaimed Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha managed to track him down again. He shuddered at the thought.

Ruffling a hand through his sweat-dampened hair; weary legs carried him mechanically towards home. He had nearly made it out by the skin of his nose this last mission, and not without damage. Aching fingers settled unconsciously over the throbbing slit across his thigh. He'd stitched it himself before returning to the village. Luckily Minato hadn't seemed to notice the well-concealed limp. Or if he had, decided mercifully to let it slide.

He coughed into his arm, the feeling of something sitting in his chest persisting.

"Kakashi?" Black and red eyes shot up in alarm, realizing with a start that Kushina was standing a mere five feet in front of him. Hurriedly, he closed his left eye, darkening the sharingan before it could deplete his chakra any further. Brown paper crinkled as she readjusted the small load of groceries in her arms.

'How did I not hear her coming?'

"Hi, Kushina-san" He greeted, pushing the unease back into the pit of his stomach and away from his voice.

"Are you feeling all right Kakashi?" She asked, looking him up and down skeptically. Her mouth pulled to the side as she studied his face more closely.

The young Hatake shifted uncomfortably under the kunoichi's stern gaze. Blue eyes darkened contemptuously as she digested his disheveled appearance.

Scratches marred his upper arms; the rest obscured beneath long gloves. The soft material clung to his skin, coated in dust and spattered with blood, drying fluid leaving dots of rusty brown across the dark fabric. Dirt covered the soft gray of his anbu vest, giving it a faint yellow tint in the setting sun. Mud soaked the lower half of his pants, along with his mucky feet, still squishing slightly in his slowly crusting shoes. He looked terrible, Kakashi was sure. There was no need for a mirror with this level of grime. Unfortunately, that was just how it went with these kinds of missions. It was difficult to take the time for proper hygiene whilst running for one's life.

Kushina's eyebrows twitched downwards as she balanced the bag of groceries in her right arm. He said nothing, praying she would let the matter slide. He could feel his apartment drawing him in like a magnet. The promise of a hot shower and soft bed seemed almost too good to be true. Her left hand moved to rest firmly on her hip. No, she wouldn't be letting this go.

He fought the urge to just walk around her and continue on his way. Most people were familiar with Kakashi's usual level of rudeness and those who weren't, typically had enough sense of self-preservation to ignore his discourtesy. Kushina, however, was not most people. A brush-off like that could easily result in several more injuries to Kakashi's personage along with a multi-hour rant on the importance of manners towards one's superiors.

"I'm fine." He assured her, rubbing the back of his head absentmindedly, "Just a little tired."

Kushina hmm-ed, her eyes trailing critically from his face to his muddy feet.

Shivering lightly, he turned his head to release a rattling cough into his elbow.

'Dammit.'

Kushina raised her eyebrow.

"I'm fine, really, just got a bit chilled on my way back from the Hokage's office."

She smiled, the raised eyebrow and searching gaze still roving over him skeptically, "Well in that case, why don't you drop by and have a cup of tea with me?"

"Well, I re-"

"We live closer, and you're shivering. Just come in for a few minutes and warm up, then you can go home, Alright?"

Kakashi sighed in defeat. Once Kushina had made up her mind, there was no changing it.

"All right. Thank you Kushina-san." He shuffled his mud-caked feet in discomfort, "Do you want me to carry that?"

"I can manage" She waved him off.

Kushina turned to walk beside him as she led the way towards her and Minato's home.

"I'm surprised you stayed at the Hokage's office for so long." She muttered, almost to herself, "Minato told me that you had gotten back sometime late this morning." The sun was beginning to sink towards the horizon, bathing the streets in a warm orange glow.

Kakashi nodded, "I had to make a couple stops on my way home." His shoulders drooped, gloved hands sinking deeper into his pockets.

'So the graveyard huh?' she thought dejectedly.

Kushina wondered if one of his "stops" had been the grocery store. The boy had been gone for more than three weeks, and she was pretty sure that if he had any food at all in that shabby little apartment of his, that it was well beyond eating.

"Well, Naruto will be happy to see you." She said brightly, "He's been talking about you nonstop since the last time you came to visit Minato."

Kakashi chuckled, suppressing another shiver, "Oh yeah?"

"He asked us for a mask for his birthday."

Kakashi laughed, regretting it as he began to cough again. His head felt lighter than before. Not enough to be dizzy but enough to know something wasn't quite right. 'I'm just tired,' He assured himself.

His feet scuffed along beside Kushina. All he wanted was just to go home. As generous as Kushina-san's offer was, what he really wanted was the quiet solitude of his little apartment and good nights rest.

"Here we are," She said pushing Kakashi gently towards the door. He winced slightly as his injured leg protested at the unexpected shift in weight. He attempted to hide it with a yawn, smothering the expression before Kushina could know it was there. If she thought he was injured there wouldn't be the slightest chance of him going home tonight. The last thing he wanted was to be dragged to that whitewashed, weapon-filled, hellhole that Konoha called a hospital.

Kushina slid her key into the lock and clicked it open. Warm light flooded out onto the front step as she bustled through the door, kicking her shoes off as she went. Kakashi removed his and placed them neatly to the side. Absentmindedly, he grabbed her's as well and set them beside his. She wondered if he even realized he did that. Organize everything as he walked by. Minato had that problem too.

Kushina set her bag down on the kitchen counter, watching as Kakashi made his way towards her. He looked pale and unfocused, the occasional shiver or cough creating a knot of worry in the pit of her stomach. Of course, Kakashi would never openly admit he was sick, and she was sure that spending hours in a graveyard probably didn't do much to stop the onslaught of a cold.

"Can I help with anything Kushina-san?" He asked politely, standing drowsily in the kitchen doorway.

"No, no, I don't have that much to do. You look exhausted, why don't you go lie down on the couch for a moment, and I'll let you know when the tea is ready?"

She could see the battle of wills in his eyes. He wanted so badly to lie down, just not in front of his sensei's wife and on his sensei's couch.

Kushina exhaled in exasperation, "Kakashi. Couch. Now." She said firmly, looking from him to the big lavender couch imploringly.

Kakashi sighed and trudged out of the kitchen. He moved to sit gingerly on the very edge of the plush cushions, his back ramrod straight in an awkward attempt not to disturb anything. He'd been to Minato's house before, but it always seemed wrong to relax. Like somehow he was infringing on something highly personal.

He heard Kushina snort from the kitchen as a cabinet banged shut, "For goodness sake Kakashi, this isn't a museum you know."

He gestured meaningfully towards his muddy pants.

"I'm well aware you're filthy, and I don't care. Stop perching on my couch like you're afraid to break it."

Feeling a slight blush creep under his mask, he moved to quietly lie down, allowing his head to rest against the arm. His eyes began to droop almost instantly.

Kushina began pulling out the fixings for tea. By the time she had poured two mugs, sneaking a little honey into Kakashi's, the young Anbu was already asleep. She smiled, sitting down on the coffee table and placing her mug on the coaster beside her. It amazed her that she had gotten the bull-headed Kakashi to comply thus far. She shook his shoulder gently, surprised at how warm it felt as he shivered again. His eyes blinked open blearily.

Realizing with a start that he had actually nodded off, Kakashi jerked back upright, earning himself a heavy fit of coughing. Kushina patted his back lightly as his lungs spasmed painfully against his tight chest.

"S-s-orry" He choked as the fit subsided, his own voice sounding far away in his ringing ears.

"For what? Coughing? Honestly Kakashi-kun you need to lighten up a bit, you know?" She shoved a mug into his hands, "Drink your tea."

With a flustered blush and downcast eye, he propped himself against the arm of the couch. He stared uncomfortably down at the mug in his hands, trying to decide whether or not he should ask her to look away. The room faded into dead silence.

Unable to stand the tension any longer, Kushina breathed a sigh of annoyance.

"For goodness sake Kakashi! I've seen your face before, you know, and no one else is home so just drink the damn tea!"

Grudgingly he complied, stiffly lowering his mask to take a long draft. He fought the urge to cringe at the sweet taste of honey. Kakashi always drank it plain.

Swallowing he lowered the mug to his lap, wrapping his long fingers around the warmth of the steaming liquid.

Kushina tried not to stare at the blush rising to his cheeks. It was hard to remember just how young Kakashi really was sometimes. Only eighteen and already taking on so many S ranked missions. Kushina watched as he took another sip before raising her own mug to her lips.

"Thank you Kushina-san." He said quietly. She could hear the guilt laced in his voice.

"You're more than welcome Kakashi-kun," She said gently, "I'll be right back, I think I hear Shikaku dropping off Naruto.

She stood and moved to the door, leaving Kakashi as he took another awkward sip of tea, not exactly sure what to say.

As she opened the front door, a tiny blonde boy ran clumsily inside and wrapped his chubby arms around her legs, "Ka-san!"

"Hi, honey!" She said ruffling his spiky blonde hair and looking up at Shikaku with a smile, "Thanks for watching him for me Shikaku, I'm sure he had a blast."

The man smiled, glancing back at his own son, asleep on his back, "I think they both did." he agreed re-adjusting the limp Shikamaru. A patch of drool slowly darkening the fabric on his left shoulder.

"Say thank you to Nara-san honey,"

"Thank you Nara-san!" Naruto chimed, racing to throw his arms around Shikaku's legs as well. He smiled and patted the young boy's head before turning and waving goodbye to Kushina.

Kushina bent down to help Naruto with his shoes. "Now you go wash your hands, and I'll get dinner ready, okay?"

He gave her a big goofy grin that seemed to brighten the hallway, "Okay Ka-san!" He dashed off for the bathroom, the smack of little feet on hard floor echoing down the hall. Kushina could hear the rush of water as she went back to check on Kakashi. He was asleep, one of his hands loosely supporting the half-full mug of tea, the other hanging limply over the side of the couch.

Smiling softly, she took the tea out of his hand and placed it on the coffee table. Even in sleep, he looked exhausted. Dark circles surrounded his eyes, making the long pale eyelashes stand out in higher contrast. Frowning slightly, she looked closer at his face. The blush, which she first thought was out of embarrassment, was still present. She placed a hand against his forehead and recoiled. It felt like a stove top. She put it back on his forehead, and against the side of his face, surprised he hadn't woken up at her touch. His skin was slick with sweat.

"Kakashi?" He didn't move.

She shook his shoulder this time, saying his name a bit louder, "Kakashi?"

He stirred a little, his eyes opening unfocused and disoriented, "Hmm? Oh…sorry, Ku-…" He broke off in a fit of coughing. They sounded wet and painful as he tried his best to smother them inside his shirt.

"Hold on a minute." Kushina muttered, grabbing a box of tissues out of a nearby closet and handing a few of them to him.

Accepting them gratefully, he coughed into them. When the fit finally subsided he wadded them up and deposited them in a nearby garbage bin.

"Thanks for the tea Kushina-san. I should probably get going; it's getting late." Kakashi swung his legs over the side of the couch and swayed dangerously. Kushina lunged forward, grabbing his arms to steady him, "You aren't going anywhere Bakakashi. It was obvious you were sick but for goodness sake! If it was this bad why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm fine Kushina-san. I'm just…tired from the mission. I'll be alright after…" His voice faded as his eyes sank shut, shoulders starting to sag forwards. Kushina caught him, shaking him back awake.

"Don't be stupid Kakashi." She growled, pushing his back against the cushions and lifting his legs back onto the sofa.

"Kakashi, how many fingers am I holding up?" She asked placing two fingers in front of his face.

"Two" Kakashi rasped.

Kushina's eyebrows crinkled together as she regarded his unfocused gaze, "How many do you actually see?"

"Three?" He answered, his eyes slowly falling closed as his body overruled his will.

Kushina put her hand on his forehead a second time, as if unable to believe how hot it really was. There was no way he had been this bad when she met him on the road.

"I swear my husband…Minoto-baka when you get home…" She muttered to herself, pushing the silver hair off of his pale forehead.

Naruto came pattering out of the bathroom, and into the kitchen.

Kushina called distractedly, "Naruto-chan, go play in your room for a little bit okay?"

"Okay!" he answered, as he scampered into the other room, closing the door behind him. She hurried to the bathroom, grabbed the first aid kit and returned attempting to shake Kakashi awake again.

"Kakashi?" He didn't stir. She tried again only to get a muffled response and a few nonsensical words.

"Shit." She muttered as she produced a thermometer. Squeezing the sides of his jaw gently, she forced his mouth to open and stuck the thermometer under his tongue. She let go as the front door opened again, the sound of shoes being taken off echoed through the house.

"Minato?"

"Hey, I'm home. You wouldn't believe-" His voice cut off as he turned into the living room, gaping at Kakashi lying unconscious on his couch, "What happened?"

"Explain." Kushina snarled pointing stiffly at his student's limp body, "Now." The hair seemed almost to rise from her head in crimson flames as she glowered at Minato with barely controlled rage.

Minato raised his hands in defense, "He seemed fine at the office! A little tired sure, but nothing like that." Minato gestured helplessly.

"You let him leave like this, Minato."

"He was not like this when he left Kushina! I didn't see anything wrong-"

"It's your job to notice things, Minato." She snarled

"I know but-"

"People don't just get this sick, Minato."

"but I-"

"When's that last time he had a day between missions, MINATO."

"Stop saying my name like that!"

Kushina opened her mouth ready to verbally destroy her husband when the thermometer beeped. Immediately her rage cooled, and she shot Minato one last dirty look.

"We'll finish this later."

He sighed in relief and moved to kneel by his student's head. It was odd to see him without the mask. He looked younger, more vulnerable without it. His cold exterior was shattered in sleep. The innocent boy Minato remembered trailing behind Sakumo overlapped with the broken young man that was so often the object of Minato's worry. He looked so much like Sakumo. The hair, the eyes, everything a near perfect, if slightly more delicate, replica of Kakashi's late father.

Kushina pulled the thermometer out of his mouth, "He's got a fever. I didn't even realize how bad he was until a few moments ago. I thought it was just a cold."

Minato glanced up at her, snapping back out of his train of thought.

Tearing her eyes away from Kakashi, she glanced down at the thermometer.

Her mouth went dry.

"What?!" asked Minato, fear flickering across his face.

"We need to take him to the hospital. Now." Kushina ordered quietly, her voice eerily emotionless.

"What does it say?" Minato demanded, now rising to his feet.

"107.2" She answered.

The two exchanged terrified glances and, almost immediately, Minato had vanished in a puff of smoke.

Minato had been gone for nearly five minutes. Kushina paced impatiently in front of the couch chewing her fingernails. They needed to take him, now. If Minato wasn't back in the next three minutes she would take him herself.

Minato must have assigned one of the Anbu on guard duty to babysit Naruto, because the man walked in, waved at Kushina and took Naruto with the promise of Ichiraku Ramen for dinner. The man had taken off his mask and stared worriedly at Kakashi before ushering the oblivious four-year-old out the door.

Kushina wiped Kakashi's face with a damp rag. His breathing was getting heavier. Thick silver hair sticking to his forehead and the sides of his face. One onyx eye fluttered half open as he attempted to sit up.

Kushina's ready hand prevented him from rising. His breathing hitched as a splitting pain threatened to crush his skull. Lying his head back down, he squeezed his eyes shut, praying for the pain to disappear.

"Kakashi-kun?" Whispered Kushina, "Can you drink something for me?"

Kakashi nodded and instantly regretted it as the world spun round him in circles. He closed his eyes again, taking in a few deep breaths to try to calm his now revolting stomach.

Kushina returned with a glass of water and held it out to him. He reached for it and missed. Now visibly annoyed he tried a second time, his fingers brushing the side of the glass, failing to take it from her again. She set it down and propped him up against the arm of the couch. Taking his clammy hand, she placed the glass in it, helping him to lift it to his mouth. He took a few hesitant sips, cringing as the liquid hit his reeling gut.

Suddenly, he clapped a quivering hand over his mouth and reached for the garbage can. Kushina beat him to it, shoving it onto his lap as the contents of his stomach emptied with the painful sound of retching. As he finished; itKushina handed him the glass of water again. He rinsed out his mouth and spit into the trash can, "I'm-…s-sorry K-Kushi-ina-san." He gasped weakly as she put the trash can back on the floor.

"It's okay Kakashi-kun." She answered gently, pushing him back against the couch cushions, "Minato-baka will be back in a few minutes, and then we'll take you to the hospital."

Kakashi's eyes began to close again, "I'm fine…just tired…I don't need to…"

"You're going."

He shook his head and pinched his eyes shut for a moment, "I'm okay…we'll just make camp here for the night…can…head back to Konoha…t'marrow."

Kushina tried to stuff down the panic fluttering in her gut, "Okay Kashi-kun."

"…S'pose call me…Wolf…"

Minato reappeared with a puff of smoke. Kushina moved over to make room for him as he hurriedly leaned down to scoop up Kakashi. As Minato slid his arm under Kakashi's legs, Kakashi cringed, his knee jerking up and away from Minato's hand.

"Kakashi, what did you hide from me?" He demanded, pulling a kunai out of his pouch and pushing Kakashi's shaking fingers out of the way.

"'S jus' a scratch. I'm fine."

Minato sliced open the fabric of his pants, cringing at the bloodstained bandage encircling his thigh.

"We'll talk about this later." He muttered, stowing his kunai and ignoring the soft gasp of pain as he hoisted Kakashi up. One of his arms swinging limply in the air as Minato maneuvered around the coffee table.

"Kushina, we'll meet you there. I can't teleport two." She nodded and stepped back as the pair vanished in a puff of smoke.

Kakashi's stomach reeled at the sudden change of location. He turned his head to vomit what little was left in his stomach onto the tile floor of the hospital. He could hear it splattering under the harsh retching noises rising from his throat. Vaguely he became aware of Minato's supporting arms.

"Medic! Medic!" He bellowed. Kakashi felt his voice rumble through his chest. The world faded in and out of focus.

Hands were lifting him from Minato's arms, placing him on a gurney. Wait…a gurney.

'Nonononononono'

He struggled weakly against the foreign hands, unfamiliar chakra surging into his system. Too tired to fight, a strained whimper escaped his lips, terror coursing through his veins like fire.

Minato's familiar hand found his shoulder. They were moving…maybe, Kakashi wasn't sure; he thought he could hear the sound of wheels on tile, Minato's face hovering in and out of view.

"'m okay…" Kakashi whispered, begging Minato to save him. To get him out. Get him anywhere else but here. His voice was barely audible over the shouts of medics and the whir of the wheels on tile.

There was a sharp pain in his chest, and suddenly his vision tunneled. Darkness swallowed him.

Minato paced back and forth across the waiting room. Kakashi's heart had stopped before they even managed to get him past the nurse's station. They had revived him, but the situation was critical. No one was telling him anything, and it was beginning to drive Minato crazy. To make matters worse, Kushina had walked in just in time to see Kakashi gasp back to life under the paddles, so he had spent the past three hours trying to comfort his hysterical wife. Now that Kushina was sane enough to go in search of tea, Minato had nothing to occupy his racing thoughts.

How had he not seen it? How did Kakashi manage to hide a wound that large from him? He'd seen the subtle limp, but he'd brushed it off as a twisted ankle. He thought if it was serious Kakashi would have it taken care of. How could he be so blind? How hadn't he remembered that team Ro was short a medic? That Kakashi always checked in with Crow after missions. How had he forgotten that Kakashi wouldn't get within ten feet of a hospital unless someone was dragging him there? And why the hell wouldn't anyone tell him what was going on? That was his last student in there. He couldn't lose all three.

A nurse walked by and Minato stopped his pacing to call to her, "Miss?"

She breezed by him as if he weren't even there. He sat down heavily and hung his head in defeat. This was all his fault.

Just then a voice broke through his consciousness, "Hokage-sama?"

His head snapped up to see Tsunade standing in front of him.

"How's Kakashi?"

"Well, to be honest, he's lucky to be alive. I managed to remove most of the poison but I'm still working on finishing the anti-"

"He was poisoned?"

Tsunade nodded, "It's rare. Honestly, I haven't seen it outside of any medical books that aren't at least fifty years old. Someone really wanted the brat dead."

"How is that possible?" He exclaimed, "When he reported in this morning he seemed fine! If it was poison wouldn't it have been obvious from the start?"

Tsunade shook her head, "That's what makes this one tricky. It doesn't act right away, it spreads first. When it does kick in it does so swiftly. It can be present in a man for up to three days and you won't even notice it until an hour before they're dead. The only symptoms up until that point would probably be fatigue. You're lucky you caught the brat when you did. Half an hour more and we wouldn't have been able to save him."

Minato wiped a hand over his face, "He's going to be okay?" He confirmed.

Tsunade smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder, "He should be fine in a week or so. The antidote should be finished soon. I'd like to keep him in the ICU for a few days just to make sure this thing doesn't rear its ugly head again. The leg wound was deep but not serious; it looks to be a couple days old. If the brat had gotten it checked there was a chance we could have caught this sooner." A knowing look softened her features.

Minato sighed, rubbing the worry lines creasing his forehead, "Can I see him?"

She nodded, "Yes, but just you. I think one visitor is enough for now."

Minato stood and followed her down the hall and into a single room across from the nurse's station.

Kakashi lay in the bed, monitors beeping steadily as his chest rose and fell. An oxygen mask covered the lower half of his face, fogging slightly with each exhale. Silver hair fell softly over his closed eyes.

Minato stepped forward and brushed it back gently, placing a large hand on his student's shoulder.

"I gave him a sedative to help him sleep." Tsunade explained, picking up his chart and making a few extra notes, "He should be waking up soon, but probably not for long. Press the call button when he does."

Minato nodded and settled down to wait.