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When she woke Sakura felt like she’d been crushed by the felling of one of the great trees that Hi no Kuni was so famed for, her head throbbing achily - her whole body ached, actually, she realised without surprise as she took a breath - and more than a little muddled.
She still knew where she was, though. Unfortunately, Konoha’s hospital was quite familiar to her - though more frequently for being at the side of a bed in the intensive care ward than in one.
“Of all the things I might have hoped you would learn from me, pup. . .”
Sakura laughed weakly, opening her eyes to find her sensei slumped in a chair at her bedside - her vision was a bit blurry still, but she knew what she was looking at well enough. “”m not a pup any more.” she rasped.
Kakashi’s hands tightened around Sakura’s own, and only then did she realise that they were woven in a snug clasp around one of hers. She shifted a little, grimacing.
Kakashi gave a chiding huff, squeezing her hand again before rising and moving up by the bed, leaning over her, helping her shift up a little herself to rest against the pillows he arranged behind her shoulders. Sakura huffed, feeling even more exhausted by the small effort. Kakashi smoothed her hair away from her brow with a gentle hand as he had when she was a genin and wore herself thin training or took ill on a mission.
It was far more comforting than it had any right to be, and Sakura closed her eyes for a moment, soaking in the sensation.
“Are my pups - the kids - all right?” Sakura asked, opening her eyes again, her heart squeezing suddenly with worry.
“They’re fine.” Kakashi promised immediately, and Sakura took a shaky breath. “They didn’t really want to leave you, but you’ve been out for two days. They’ll probably be back soon enough; sun’ll be up soon.”
Sakura was not truly surprised that Kakashi had been here through the night - probably he had been here since they brought her in. Sakura was not a child any more, and her old sensei hadn’t even been with her when she had fallen this time, but Kakashi had always watched over her protectively when he could, when she had to be stuck in the hospital.
Sakura had guessed early on that he was likely trying to shield her from the same kind of distress he felt when trapped in the hospital.
Kakashi settled on the edge of the bed, lacing his fingers around her right hand once more, and Sakura curled her fingers gently in the clasp. “I did learn from you.” she said, recalling what she had heard her sensei saying just as she began to wake.
Kakashi whined, just a little - playful more than anything - and shook his head mournfully.
“I did. The important things.” Sakura said, and flexed her fingers again, hooking her thumb over Kakashi’s bony knuckles and squeezing gently. “Protect the pups no matter what.” she said more softly.
Kakashi’s grip tightened abruptly as he made a choked little sound, and Sakura smiled slightly, gently rubbing the pad of her thumb over his knuckles. Kakashi had driven himself into the ground more than once to save Sakura, to keep her in one piece or even just to spare her hurt.
Sakura had barely taken the time to think about it before doing the same for her own genin - drawing deep on her chakra to feed the jutsu she had set to chasing the nukenin who had ambushed them, and more, to shield the pups drawing behind her in fright. Even in those sparing moments of consideration she’d known it would drive her into chakra exhaustion if not worse, and had made the choice regardless.
The same way that Kakashi had made that same choice far more times than she would like to consider, and Sakura doubted he had ever felt any more regret than she did now.
“Of course,” Sakura said lightly, seeing the slightly shadowed look in Kakashi’s eye, “it was a little harder for me to wear myself flat.”
“You have three pups when I just had one.” Kakashi said, with a brief hesitation that was all there ever was for the last generation of Team Seven. Kakashi had been protector of three pups, once - though not for long.
Kakashi had handled being a jounin-sensei far better with just Sakura, as his apprentice and his shadow, to teach - for reasons Sakura had guessed then and more she had worked out as she grew older, with no little building resentment for the late Sandaime. Naruto had settled in happily at the side of their then-new Hokage, soaking up anything she would teach him - and voraciously demanding lessons from Jiraiya-sennin, when he was in reach - and had settled more when Sakura had managed to assure him it was no failure of his to not be Kakashi’s student any longer.
And Sasuke was . . . a scarred-over wound, these days - one that the remnants of Team Seven edged around delicately, and no one else dared speak of in their presence.
“Three pups and no leaky chakra tap in my face.” Sakura pointed out wryly, and Kakashi snorted, squeezing her hand again.
“There is that.” Kakashi cocked his head, eye crinkling. “Try not to do it again, pup? For me?” He was almost wheedling.
“I’ll try my best.” Sakura promised honestly.
Kakashi made a rumbling thoughtful sound. “Was that as lacking in reassurance when I said it?” he asked absently, and Sakura snorted.
“Yes.” Sakura told him, then perked up. The door had creaked just a little - and not with the confident swing of an iryou nin letting themselves in to check on a patient. “Pups?”
“Sakura-sensei!”
Kakashi shifted away just a little, standing nearer the head of her bed and making room for the three genin who, with Sakura’s encouragement, spilled eagerly into the room.
“Are you all,” Sakura paused, looking them over as they approached; Nana had a bandage stuck to her temple and cheekbone, but Sakura had known about that injury, “all right?”
“Yeah.” Shinji said, inching closer. “Thanks to you, Sakura-sensei.”
“Are you all right?” Kaori asked, glancing up at Kakashi and then back to meet Sakura’s gaze. She was still shy and quiet as she had been when Sakura first met her, but she’d grown more confident with her teammates’ support and Sakura’s encouragement.
Kakashi was just a little intimidating, even to her pups - who saw him a little differently for the way he was with her - Sakura knew. And seeing Sakura here in the hospital, with Kakashi hovering over her, wasn’t helping.
“You saved us.” Nana said, coming right up to the edge of Sakura’s bed. “Thank you, Sakura-sensei.”
“You’re mine.” Sakura said simply, before she could think better of it. “You brought me back home?”
“Of course!” Shinji said immediately, and Nana reached out, nudging him firmly, giving him a pointed look. He ducked his head and glanced around the hospital room, lowering his voice. “Those nukenin were already down, or. . .” He trailed off. “It wasn’t so hard.” he said instead. “We just had to carry you back.”
Easier, Sakura supposed with a faint twist of amusement, than she’d had it herself. There were three of them, where Sakura had most often dealt with her own sensei alone - and while Sakura was not so very much taller than her genin, Kakashi, as spare as his frame might be, was not a small man.
“Thank you, pups.” Sakura held out her hands, checking over each of the genin as best she could. “You’ll be all right . . . and we’ll be back to training and missions in no time.” she said with assurance she didn’t quite feel. She ached from chakra exhaustion, and she didn’t know how long it might take for her to be fully recovered.
“Promise, Sakura-sensei?”
Sakura swallowed and smiled at the nervous genin. “I promise, pups.” she said gently. “Now, why don’t you go on home? Take a little more time to rest,” she paused, arching an eyebrow as Shinji fidgeted, “if you’re feeling that much better, you can do some light training together tomorrow.” she said warningly.
She glanced up just as she heard a quiet rustle; Kakashi shifting where he was leaning against the wall. He met her gaze, frowning slightly, and huffed, then inclined his head.
“I’ll supervise.” Kakashi said, and Sakura’s genin looked at him, then her, all of them wide-eyed, but nodded.
Sakura spoke with them for a few more moments, wheedling out promises that they would take today as a rest day, then sent them away.
“Thanks, sensei.” Sakura said as Kakashi moved closer again, reaching up.
“Only for you, pup.” Kakashi said wryly, clasping her hand. Sakura beamed at him, and he nuzzled her knuckles. “I’ll look after them, but get on your feet again quickly, ne?”
“Promise.” Sakura said, closing her eyes as she let out a sigh, slumping into the pillows.
“Good girl.” Kakashi said softly, smoothing her hair over her brow once more.