Kakashi held Meiko in his arms for a moment before he shifted her in his arms so he was holding her bridal style in his strong arms before he leaped up off the ground and towards his apartment. Meiko didn't flinch from his hold as the jumped from roof top to roof top, until they landed in Kakashi apartment complex. He lowered them down onto a balcony area, cradling Meiko close to his chest as the entered the apartment.

"Meiko, what happened?" He asked he placed the girl down on the couch, watching her carefully as she extended her legs out on the coffee table, a small smile creeping on his face as he saw the wooden leg.

"T-The kids were blaming me for Obito dying, and they were talking about how I'll never be a ninja again, and I just wanted to get away from them." Meiko said as she stared at the wooden leg, the leg she was beginning to hate because of the kids and their rude comments.

"It's not your fault that he died, Meiko." Kakashi said he sat down beside of her, crossing his legs and facing his body towards her so that his one eye could stare at her. And he did. He took in every beautiful feature that Meiko held. Her chocolate brown hair, her pale skin that seemed to shine in the small amount of sunlight that broke it's way through the curtains on the window. The way that her short hair framed her face and made her look more like a small child, pure an innocent. The way that she was playing with her nails and fingers because she had a lot of her mind, her chocolate eyes darting around Kakashi's household to take in the unfamiliar surrounding. Yes, he noticed it all.

"B-But I should have been able to get him out of the way! I should have been able to get there fast enough and it should have been me." She mumbled quietly as she pulled her leg up to her chest, leaving her wooden one on the coffee table.

"Don't you dare say that Meiko." Kakashi said, his voice becoming more serious. "It was not your fault. It was nobodies fault." He said, even though he knew that Meiko knew that he blamed himself for Obito's death. But she didn't say anything, just stared at the coffee table in front of her.

"Can I ask you a favor?" She said softly, her lips on slightly parted, her eyes glancing over at him from the very corner of her vision.

"Of course." Kakashi said, and he listened as a sad sigh passed the girls lips.

"Will you train with me when I get better on my leg?" She asked, glancing back at her leg. "I mean, I understand if you don't want to, since I can't do a lot, but I don't want to g-" She was cut off by Kakashi's gruff voice.

"I'll train with you, Meiko. I still believe in you." He said softly, and Meiko nodded her softly. She could really tell that the mission had changed Kakashi. He was more understanding, more trustworthy, more bearable to be around. She enjoyed him more now that she had before.

"Thank you." She said as she leaned her head back on the couch, her eyes fluttering shut. She was exhausted from moving around so much today, and without even meaning to, she fell asleep. Kakashi glanced over at the sleeping girl, and he couldn't help the smile that formed over his lips. She looked peaceful in her sleep, a lot more peaceful than she normally did. When she was awake, Meiko's face constantly showed that she was on edge about something and that she was constantly pained by something that Kakashi didn't know. From the notes they had wrote each other, he knew that she felt crazy because someone told her all these awful, untrue things about herself. But who could that person be?

Kakashi said as he got up from the couch, and he slowly lifted Meiko back up bridal style. When he lifted her up, she cuddled into his side automatically, placing her right hand on his chest while her left supported her head that was barely on his arm, basically completely cuddled into the crease between his arm and chest. He chuckled slightly at her before he leaned his head down, and kissed the crown of her head. Against her brunette hair, Kakashi let out a soft breath and whispered to her.

"I promise to keep my promise. I will always protect you, and be there when you need me." He whispered to her.

And he meant it.

Kakashi was unsure as to why he kissed Meiko's head, or why he felt the need to show some form of emotion and affection towards the young sarutobi, but he did. Just everything about her made him feel a little bit better about himself, and he couldn't express the happiness he felt when he saw her walking through the crowd today. Making her way on her own without the help of anyone. In the last couple weeks as he and Meiko grew closer, he really learned that Meiko hated being helped like she couldn't do anything on her own. He smirked, remembering how much they used to hate each other.

It's funny how death brings people together.

//

Kakashi ended up carrying Meiko back to the hospital, regardless of the fact he knew she hated it. He knew that she had to go back to the hospital, at least for a little bit. She would be released soon, he hoped. It was boring going to Asuma's house and not hearing Meiko being loud in the next room. He enjoyed her entertainment, no matter how annoying she could be.

Kakashi entered the hospital, the same bored expression on his face as he arrived. His emotions were to only be shown around Meiko, and occasionally his friends. But other than that, he was a fairly solemn person.

"Is that Meiko?" The nurse from behind the counter asked, and Kakashi nodded his head slightly. The busty nurse let out a large sigh of relief. "Thank god." She mumbled as she picked up a walkie talkie on her desk.

"Meiko has arrived back at the hospital." She said into it, before she placed the radio back down on her desk. "Can you carry her up to her room?"

Kakashi nodded as they began to walk to her room, Meiko cuddling in closer to Kakashi the closer they got to her room, light snores escaping her pale lips. The nurse couldn't help but chuckle at the small sarutobi.

"That's the best she's slept in a month." The nurse said, and Kakashi nodded slightly as he entered her room, watching as the nurse walked back to the front desk. Kakashi sighed quietly as he slowly laid Meiko down on the bed, giving her one last glanced before he turned to walk away.

But as he began to walk away, he felt a small hand wrap around his wrist. He glanced over his shoulder and a small smile formed on his face, under his mask as he looked at the girl. Her eyes were barely opened, just enough to see the small brown iris's, and she had a small pout on her pale lips.

"Stay." She whispered quietly, and Kakashi felt his heart speed up slightly in his chest as he nodded his head. Meiko scooted over slightly, enough to allow room for Kakashi to lay down beside her. The now extremely awkward Kakashi got in the bed beside of the girl, watching her every movement.

From the way that her hair fell over her face as she slumped into a peaceful sleep, how her hand gripped at the fabric of his blue shirt, how her nose twitched slightly in her sleep, and how she tangled her legs with his. And in all honestly, he didn't mind. He didn't mind that her wooden leg was in between his, and that the other one was lazily thrown over his hip bone. He watched her stomach rise and fall with every breath that escaped her lips, and the way that those same lips curved up into a small smile in her sleep.

Kakashi's pitiful little heart lit up with joy as he saw her smile in her sleep. He had grown to love that smile. But what he wasn't loving, was the feeling he got in his stomach when he even looked at Meiko. Whatever that feeling was.

//

When Meiko woke up, it was to the flash of a camera. Groggily, she rubbed her eyes with her fists as if she was a small child, and she slowly opened her chocolate eyes to see her brother, Kurenai, and Gai giggling at a picture in their hands. It was only now that Meiko noticed that someone was laying beside of her, and when she glanced over at the person, she saw a very peaceful, sleeping Kakashi. A blush formed over her cheeks, before she quickly looked back at Asuma and his friends.

"Asuma." Meiko said, the venom dripping off her tone. "What do you have there?"

"U-Uh, Run!" Asuma screamed, and him and Kurenai took off running with the picture in hand, but Gai stayed in place for a moment, only a moment before he screamed.

"Stay Youthful!" and ran out with the other two.

"Dobe." Meiko whispered quietly, earning a quiet chuckle from Kakashi. She glanced up at the now awake Jonin and gave him a shy smile.

"Hello!" She said.

"Hello, Meiko. Did you sleep okay?" He asked. "Using me as your pillow."

The blush on Meiko's cheeks deepened slightly as she rolled her eyes, pretending that she wasn't embarrassed. "You're a very comfortable bed." She said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"You know what's not a comfortable bed?" He asked.

"What?"

"This hospital bed." He said, and both of them began to laugh, before that relaxed into the uncomfortable hospital bed, laying in silence. The only words spoken between the two were silent breaths of air, slight movements of their bodies, and the very random yawns that escaped their lips. But other than that, the two sat in silence, enjoying the company of the other.

Kakashi and Meiko laid in the bed for the majority of the day, until an Anbu arrived at the door. "Kakashi Hatake?" He asked, an Kakashi glanced over at the door, nodding his head slightly before he pushed himself up on the bed so that he was sitting up and looking at the Anbu.

"That's me."

"The Hokage would like to see you, immediately." He said before he turned and left the room. Kakashi sighed heavily before he pushed himself out of the bed. He stretched his arms up above his head, and the lower half of his spine gave a small crack. Once he was stretched out, he turned towards Meiko and gave her a light smile from under his mask.

"I'll be back later, okay?" He asked, and the girl nodded her head slowly before she pushed herself up slightly, and grabbed the front of Kakashi's shirt. He was slightly startled, but he leaned down and gave a laugh as he felt the girls arms wrap around his shoulders.

He hugged her back lightly, fairly awkward at this since he was not one for physically affection, even though he had been giving Meiko quite a bit of it lately. Said girl pulled back and smiled at him, before leaning back against her pillow and watching as Kakashi left her hospital room.

A sudden, empty feeling filled up Meiko's hear, and she let out a sigh. The feeling of being alone and not good enough was back, consuming her heart. And she couldn't help but watch the door, waiting for the next time that Kakashi walked through it so he could fix the feeling.

and make her whole again.

//

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