Chapter Text
The worst thing about bleeding out is the blood trail.
It's messy. It's obvious. It's a flashing neon sign broadcasting your location. It makes it impossible for Kakashi to just disappear and at least die quietly. No, instead he's spending his final moments running. Not even running for his life anymore, as loathe as he'd be to even be doing that. He's been working long enough to have quickly made his own sort of peace with dying today. He could acknowledge the fact that refusing to accept it wouldn't change the outcome at this point.
The pain was starting to become so all-consuming that it was becoming a real distraction, something that Kakashi had to identify as a true death knoll. It was getting harder and harder to think. He was slowing down, both physically and mentally, and it was only a matter of time before his vision would start to darken. Breathing was a forced, conscious effort, and every heaving gasp was sounding wetter every time.
Kakashi didn't want to look down at his stomach. He'd only get sick at the sight, and that wouldn't help.
When the ocean came into view through the trees, Kakashi knew that this had to be what true resignation felt like. That ocean was the last thing between him and Fire Country. And it was where he was going to die.
But maybe, with any shred of bittersweet luck, he could keep his own corpse out of the hands of Kirigakure.
He had thought that his body hitting the water might have brought some kind of relief, but that hope dissipated as soon as he began to sink. His limbs felt heavy and slow in the water, and his lungs instantly started to burn. He kicked his feet as best he could, one arm still pressing weakly against his oozing stomach wound, the other attempting to pull his body forward toward the shoreline of the Land of Fire.
As his vision started to darken at the edges, he distantly acknowledged that he had definitely been sinking more than he had been swimming towards anything. At the very edge of his consciousness, he thought he heard the splashes of his pursuers diving into the water to follow the cloudy, diluted pink trail leading right to him. So much for the hopes that they wouldn't find his body.
Kakashi felt himself give in the the heaviness of his arms and legs, letting all but the one against his wound go slack in the current around him. His heartbeat had overtaken every other sound around him, thrumming heavily in his ears, dictating both the throbbing in his head as well as the rapid constrictions in his throat. He blinked slowly, blearily, needing to concentrate hard to pull his eyelids back open. He probably wouldn't be able to manage the feat again.
Just before his eyes slipped shut for good, he thought he saw something move in his periphery. Something big, bigger than the people pursuing him. But then again, the darkness encroaching his field of vision could very easily be playing tricks on him. The large shadow moved again, out of the range of Kakashi's sight, and he let his eyes slip completely closed.
Kakashi let out his long-held breath, and succumbed to unconsciousness.
——
When Kakashi jerked awake with a deep, rattling gasp, his immediate panicked thought was that he was certainly drowning. It's dark where he is, and cold, and the air he draws in is thick and damp and salty against his tongue. Kakashi feels like he's choking on it.
He coughs and shudders his way through several deep, labored breaths, finally calming himself down enough to realize that the water in his mouth is only what's left clinging to his fabric mask, and he quickly and clumsily brings his hand to his neck to claw and tug the material off his mouth and nose. He presses his bare skin against the cool inside of his wooden Hound mask, his lips finding the small slit by his mouth to take in as much as he could. The air comes in easier, then, easier enough that Kakashi's attention is immediately pulled back towards the searing pain in his abdomen. The wound stretches and throbs with every rapid breath Kakashi draws, and a nervous glance beneath his bloodstained palm reveals skin that is inflamed, and swollen, and still sluggishly drooling blood and plasma.
It's really no surprise Kakashi feels so cold. The unforgiving slab of black stone Kakashi now recognizes he is laying on also couldn't be helping. Kakashi moved to sit up, to attempt to get his bearings, and fell back against the rock floor as a hoarse, stifled cry of agony tore through his throat. It echoed harshly around the enclosed space he was in, and Kakashi faintly registered that he must have ended up in some kind of cave. Huffing and panting out softer, involuntary grunts as he attempted to settle his adrenaline rush from the shock of pain, feeling shivers starting to wrack through his body. His clothing and hair were still soaked through, clinging to his clammy skin and leaking excess water that pooled on the stone floor around him. His eyes dart around, the action prompting another dull throb from behind his left eye. But his gaze caught on the source of the cool, dim light that cut through what surely would otherwise be pitch dark. Not far from where he lay, a small pool of seawater was carrying bioluminescent algae where it lapped gently against the rock, coating the surface in softly glowing lichen.
Kakashi stared at the algae pool, his breath slowly evening out, his eyelids starting to droop dangerously again. He cursed his own weakness, silently, letting his left eye slip shut but forcing his right to widen uncomfortably. He had to remain alert. The nature of the entrance to this cave was proof enough for Kakashi, even in this state of mind, to know that there was no chance he ended up here by accident. He had been brought to this place. Which lead Kakashi to believe it was likely that he was in some kind of isolated interrogation location. The Kirigakure ANBU had reached his unconscious body, and brought him here, and trusted that his wound was enough to keep him from running without restraints.
Well, Kakashi couldn't fault their logic on that call. He wasn't going anywhere. Hell, unless they came back soon with at least the bare minimum of medical treatment, he'd probably still die in this cave before they even got the chance to try and torture anything out of him.
Well, thank the ancestors for small mercies.
Kakashi tries to think, tries to summon enough energy to strategize. He needs to do something about this wound in his side. He's not the best at medical ninjutsu, but this is definitely something an improvised field bandage won't fix. But if he could manage to stop the bleeding...he might be able to recover enough chakra, in time, to heal the wound enough to survive the trip back to the border of the Land of Fire. If he can withstand whatever the Kiri nin are going to put him through.
If Kakashi could catch his breath enough, he would have laughed at his own thoughts. The skin around the gash was almost purple it was so swollen, and so hot it almost hurt his palm. It was incredibly likely the wound was either infected from the water, or poisoned from the ninja's blade. Both, in the worst-case scenario. No, Kakashi was correct in his original assessment of the situation: he wasn't living to see the light of day again.
Kakashi was pulled sharply from his morbid thoughts by sudden motion in the very corner of his vision. His gaze snapped back to the algae pool in an instant, his entire body tensing as he attempted to ready to defend himself. As it was, he only barely managed to keep from crying out in pain again, falling limply to the hard ground. He grit his teeth hard, his hands clenching into shaky fists as he desperately willed his pounding heartbeat to settle. He couldn't handle anything if he panics.
The surface of the algae pool broke with a splash, the echos combined with the glowing light dancing over the walls with the motion of the water, disorienting Kakashi with the sudden overstimulation. A figure raised itself out of the pool, a full head and shoulders rising above the rocky edge, before something locked eyes with Kakashi.
The sight of it made the hairs on the back of Kakashi's neck stand up. It looked so human—but Kakashi knew it wasn't. For a moment, Kakashi had thought this must be a ninja from one of the shark-featured clans from Kirigakure. It would have been easy to explain.
But Kakashi knew this was something different. Something he'd never seen before.
The creature, whatever it was, ducked back into the algae pool as soon as its eyes met Kakashi's. It had ducked back until the water reached said eyes, still trained sharply on Kakashi's limp, gasping body. Even though it was mostly hidden from view again, its appearance was seared into Kakashi's memory.
Round, dark, unblinking eyes. A dark, blue-ish scar slashed across a sloped, black-tipped nose. Thin, dark lips parted to reveal rows of small, sharp teeth. Neat, wide slats of gills sitting on high, angular cheekbones. Long, dark hair flowing over its shoulders, clinging damply to tanned skin.
The creature rose up again, cautiously, revealing grey-dappled shoulders and a strong chest. Kakashi felt his breath picking up again, the longer it stared. But that was all this creature seemed to do. Stare.
“Wh-what...?” Kakashi managed to grunt his words, gasping in heaving breaths around halfway-stifled whimpers of pain between every one. “What. Do you. Want?”
Kakashi mustered enough force to make the last word loud, at least enough to echo angrily in the small confines of the cave. It made the other being startle, flinching back and dropping down until the water reached up over its chin again.
Kakashi groaned weakly, blinking rapidly and trying to stave off the darkening of his vision. The skittish nature of whoever—or whatever—this thing was lead Kakashi to believe this couldn't be one of the shark-featured Kiri ninja. There would be no reason for a Kiri Shinobi to leave him alive, even for the short amount of time Kakashi had left. Now, Kakashi might just be delirious. But it's possible he isn't in danger from this...being. It's possible, maybe, that this creature might be Kakashi's key to survival.
It's not like he has anything to lose if he's wrong.
“Can...” Kakashi began again, keeping his voice softer, though it still echoed within the cavern. “Can you...help me?”
The creature's eyes grew wider, rounder, and it moved closer to the rocky edge of the algae pool. It cocked its head to the side, questioning, letting out a soft chirruping sound from its throat.
Kakashi grunted sharply, half in frustration and half in pain, gritting his teeth and steeling his nerves. He moved slowly, gripping the fastenings of his armor with the remains of his strength, and managing to push his breastplate aside. He pulled up the hem of his undershirt with shaky hands, exposing the puffy, swollen, and sluggishly oozing tear in his stomach. Surely, this creature understood blood, right?
Clearly the creature did, its nostrils flared wide and its spine straightened sharply as soon as Kakashi pulled the dark, stained fabric aside. It placed its hands on the edge of the pool, using its grip to pull itself closer, and Kakashi somehow still had the brainpower to recognize that this thing's fingers were both black-tipped and webbed.
“Please,” Kakashi whispered, his grip on his shirt faltering as his extremities started to weaken beyond his control. So, he'd reached a point so low he was willing to beg for his life. He never thought he'd have it in him. “Please...help me...”
The creature made another low noise, its brows knit closely together in an expression Kakashi hoped was deep concern. It stared intently at the gash in Kakashi's abdomen for another tense second, before turning and ducking back underwater with a loud, echo-y splash.
Kakashi let his head fall back against the rocks with a weak curse, squeezing his eyes shut and attempting to catch his breath again. His shallow breaths rattled loudly in his chest, and despite all his training, Kakashi felt his heart rate rapidly increasing. It was happening. He was dying.
He was dying, and he spent his last moments talking to a fish man. Or, more likely, hallucinating one. Even his own deathbed delusions don't think Kakashi's life is worth saving.
Kakashi forced his eye open again, searching for the glow of the algae pool as it cast refractions of light across the stone walls. His vision was blurry, and dimming by the second. He wondered who would find him first; the Kirigakure ninja already on his tail, or the hunters Konoha would send after him after enough time.
Maybe no one would find him.
Maybe that would be for the best.