Sai was sitting on one of the benches occupying the hospital's hallway. He was drawing in his sketchbook, although he suspected that this was not what anyone would have expected him to do in a situation like this. He had managed to grasp the concept of human behaviour fairly well by now, however, in this concrete situation he still did not have any idea how to react adequately. No one did, he had gathered, but no one else seemed to be aware of this.
Accordingly he did not know whether to be grateful for the distraction or not, when Kakashi's steps coming down the hallway mixed themselves into the sound of tensed voices muffled behind a closed door.
What had happened and if Sakura was alright, he wanted to know, and as there was no one else but Sai to explain, Sai reluctantly began to recount what he himself had been told before.
A few hours ago Ino had gone to visit Sakura, and had found her. If she had not, had not managed to apply some first-aid, Sakura already would be dead.
"They're only barely able to keep her alive as it is."
There was nor reply from Kakashi, and Sai took it as an indicator that more explanation was needed.
Currently a group of medics specialised on creating antidotes was trying to figure out what countermeasures were to be taken. However, it appeared to be a very complicated poison and, ironically the only person who might be able to come up with an antidote in time to safe her, was most likely Sakura herself.
"Although, of course she'd know what antidote to use anyway"
There was a pause, then Kakashi – unable or unwilling to understand – asked what Sai he was trying to say
"Well, I guess she would", Sai hesitade „considering that she created the poison herself."
It was a sudden rush of cold, when realisation finally hit Kakashi, as if all his blood had been drained from his body at once. He should have seen this coming. No. He had seen this coming. He had noticed that look in her eyes long ago, a look of restless regret and resignation, had tried to ignore it, brushed it aside as his own imagination. He honestly had believed that she was getting better after commemoration day, that her returning to work as a medic had been an improvement.
"Are you alright?", a far away voice asked.
"I'm fine", Kakashi replied, or maybe he did not, maybe he just thought he did. He wasn't sure.
He had to stay focused.
What felt like a second later he reopened his eye to find himself lying on the ground. Bent over him there was Ino's face, red and blotchy. Yet she managed to smile when she helped Kakashi back to his feet.
"You had us worried there for a second"
"How long was -"
"One minute, two. Are you okay?"
Kakashi nodded, ignored Ino's advice to sit down, instead he inquired about Sakura's condition, which still was critical but stable. For the time being.
"What about her mother?"
"She's in shock - obviously. Though she managed not to pass out, when we informed her."
There was an awkward silence that ended when Kakashi, with one sudden movement turned and headed for the hopsital's exit.
"Sakura didn't create the poison herself", he said to himself while pushing one glass-door open. Ino shouted after him, what he was about to do, but all the reply she got was an order to find someone specialised in breaking seals for him.
After becoming the new Hokage, Kakashi had spent a considerable amount of time cleaning up his new office. It was hard to believe how many uselesss things Tsunade-sama had managed to amass in the short period between the villages rebuild and the war.
However, there were those things, personal notes and journals, he had not felt comfortable with throwing away. So instead of throwing them away he had thrown them all in one box, which he had planned to pass on to Sakura, but then had forgotten to do so.
Now he emptied this exact box, spreading its contents on the floor of his office. He browsed through scrolls and notebooks, stacks of playingcards and a few dice, an empty checkbook, untill he spotted what he was looking for, and, leaving the rest of the things lying on the floor in one pile, hurridly returned with it to the hospital.
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Chapter notes:This chapter's Titel was respectuflly borrowed from: Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip