He stands there listening to the soft dripping sound as his blood hits the floor, he's leaning to the side slightly, his elbow is against the door frame, and his forehead is pressed against the back of his hand, his free hand is covering the wound, that's somewhere between assault and self infliction. He knows he could have dodged, or even blocked that blow, yet he didn't move, he thinks he must have wanted it to hit him.

Drip, Drip

He feels himself shifting, slipping down the wall, falling to the floor, with a soft thud. His breath catches in his throat, and he closes his eyes, or eye, one of them is always closed these days.

And he remembers friend he almost had, during a time he wanted nothing to do with him. He remembers the way the boy talked, exactly how his voice sounded when he would try to tell Kakashi he was doing something wrong, somewhere between hysterical and anxious.

And what Kakashi wanted now, though he wasn't willing to admit it, was a friend, that would come over after his ANBU missions and tell him to wash, and dress his wounds, and to go to the hospital. But it didn't happen. No one came, and he doesn't even think anyone knows he's here, other then the Hokage, and it isn't his place to interfere.

As he's looking up at the ceiling, he sees cracks, hairline cracks all long the ceiling, and he smiles, closing his eye again he slips down further, into a coppery smelling crimson pool of blood, and wonders if he'll die tonight...from blood loss of all things.

The dripping has stopped now, and he remembers Hatake Sakumo with such startling vividy the he opens Obito's eye along with his own eye, and his breath hitches in his throat, and he hears someones soft voice asking him something, and he closes Obito's eye, hoping it stops, and he can just sit for a moment. And it takes him a minute to realize that someone is touching him, and talking to him. He hears a nervous laugh, and focuses for a moment to hear" I swear Kakashi, you must be broken to behave this way.", and he knows who it is, but he doesn't know why he's here.

And then Kakashi wonders "...was I ever whole to begin with? Or was I broken this whole time?" it takes awhile to realize that he said that, rather then think it, but it's okay, because he'd like to know.

Gai doesn't know how to respond to that, so he settles for washing him up and putting him in bed, before mopping the floor up, and sitting in the bedroom waiting for him to wake up, but Gai can't stop thinking about what Kakashi said.

Sighing he adverts his gaze, as he shakes his head softly, silky black hair brushing his cheeks as he does so. And he smiles softly, "You were once, and you could be again, if you would let me put you back together again.".

FIN.