A/N: All right, so...I've published a short story ( .net/s/7015494/1/Being_and_Nothingness ) which has sort of become the prologue of this story. You don't really have to read it but the story will make more sense. :) Also, this is my first long fanfic. I hope you enjoy and review!
Song of the chapter: 'The Dark Path' by Audiomachine
Chapter one
Mei awoke to an incessant beeping, annoying yet so very familiar. Her first instinct was to open her eyes quickly and jump up but she knew that it would only make her dizzy. She waited a few more seconds before she got up slowly, sighing. She looked around her through her eyelashes. Her guess was correct, she was in a hospital bed.
"Nurse," she called, throat sore and dry. She raised her arm, considering pulling out the perfusion. "Nurse!" She stretched her hand to pull the white curtain but someone else beat her at it. "Kitaě!" Her shocked eyes fell upon a frowning figure. "What are you doing here?" She gulped, supressing her amazement. He snorted.
"What am I doing here? What am I doing here, you ask." He sounded mad but Kitaě was her friend. She knew he wouldn't get mad at her. "You stupid. You got us all worried and you ask what I'm doing here." She lowered her gaze to her lap, muttering a shy apology.
"I didn't mean to. It wasn't my fault, ok? Don't go all ninja on me. You know I don't like it." He pouted. It was his turn to apologize. He knew her very well, she was almost a female version of him. He wouldn't have liked his attitude, either. "Forget it. How long have I been asleep?" she changed the subject.
"A couple of days."
"Why?" He shrugged.
"Lady Tsunade said you used up your chakra. And there was also a certain amount of physical effort and bloodloss involved. What the hell did you do? You looked like crap when I found you."
Mei struggled to refrain her painful memories but to no avail. She clenched her fists on the blanket.
"Where did you find me?"
She always did that. The doctor in her gathered the facts for a self-diagnosis. Kitaě knew how her mind worked. He admired her professional and calm behaviour. Other people would have freaked out but she didn't. Of course she didn't. Half of her time was spent at the Konoha Hospital, aiding her father—a pretty skilled medical nin.
"In the forest, lying unconscious on the ground…" He hesitated. But she didn't let him avoid the details.
"…Well?"
"…wearing an Akatsuki cloak." Her head snapped up. She sprang on him, tackling him to the floor. She ignored the sting caused by the perfusion needle when it left her vein.
"Where is it?" she burst, grabbing him by the collar, "Where is it?" Kitaě was astounded. Why would she care so much about it?
"Together with your other stuff. What's the matter with that cloak? Jesus." She staggered to her feet, heading towards the door. "Mei, oi." He stood up fast and caught her from behind. "Get back in bed."
"Let go of me! Let me go, you hear?" She flung her legs as he held her waist tight and carried her to the bed.
"Shaddap. I'll bring your stuff. Be quiet." He glanced at her bleeding arm. "I'll call a nurse."
Kitaě left the room, thoughtful. There was an unusual pang in his chest. Although he would never admit it out loud, Mei was more than a friend to him. He still remembered his first thought about her when he heard that she was not only a herbalist but also a swordsmith, 'Women making swords? What blasphemy is this?'
He was a proud Suna shinobi of a clan with samurai origins, stationed in Konoha after Orochimaru's invasion, as proof of the alliance between the two villages. He had seen her once, at the hospital, with her brother, Ichiro (whom he later befriended during a mission). The second time he saw her was at her cottage, just outside the Leaf Village, when he went to her looking for new kunai. He was sure that his knowledge about blades—his main weapons—would outmatch her but it ended in a draw.
They had a pretty long quarrel afterwards, about how Mei forges weapons for the Konoha shinobi only and how he was an impudent stranger. The sarcasm battle was a draw as well so he attempted flirting. She appeared oblivious at first but in truth, she was just making fun of him.
As he was walking down the hospital halls, Kitaě remembered how Ichiro arrived at last and settled their argument in Kitaě's favour who put his tongue out like a silly little boy.
"Kitaě?" a voice interrupted his reverie. "That you, Kitaě?" It was Hisayo Tomoya, Mei's father, a 50-something year old with a mind much sharper than the common folk's.
"Mr Tomoya, I was just looking for you. Mei woke up and asked for her things. All of them," he emphasized the word without a change in his expression. Tomoya frowned, tapping the file he was holding on the back of his hand.
"I see…You go back and keep an eye on her, I'll go take her things and let Ichiro know." The boy nodded and turned around, returning to Mei.
She was cuddled over the blanket, hugging a pillow. Kitaě stood in the doorframe and hit his forehead. "Damn, I forgot about the nurse!" Mei held up a bandaged arm, saying,
"No worries, I handled it myself." She sat up with slow movements, her scarlet hair adorning her face and curves with an uncalled for sensuality. Kitaě bit his lip. "So, where is my stuff?"
"Your father is bringing them," he pointed with his thumb over his shoulder at the door. "Will you tell me what's the matter with that cloak?"
"Irrelevant." He snapped.
"What? You freakin' jumped on me when I barely mentioned it and you say it's irrelevant? Psh!" He snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. She quirked a brow.
"Your temper doesn't affect me, kid." Now he was downright irritated.
"I am not a kid." She grinned,
"You're younger than me."
"There's just an eighteen months difference!"
"Only kids count the months, kid."
He was ready to make another remark but their fight was interrupted by Tomoya, Ichiro and another jounin. This other jounin was Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's White Fang, or better known as Copy Ninja Kakashi. Mei didn't like it that he was there, although he was one of her good friends.
"I'm glad to see you're up and running," her father said as he handed her the folded cloak along with the tank top and shorts she had also been wearing that day. He smiled kindly at her, patting her head.
"Are you in a rush?" she asked out of the blue. The men stared at her, playing dumb, but they knew that she knew.
"What do you mean?" Ichiro replied, acting ignorant. She glared.
"I'd like to know if I have time to get a change of clothes before being dragged to Tsunade's office for questioning." An awkward silence settled over them. Kakashi scratched the back of his head, smiling.
"My, my. Looks like she got us. It can't be helped. We'll wait outside while Mei-chan dresses up."
He was the first one to walk out. Tomoya followed with reluctance after giving her a peck on the forehead. Glanicng at her from the corner of his light-hazel eye, Kitaě also left, stepping on Ichiro's shadow. The door didn't close, though. A green-eyed blonde stepped inside, carrying some neatly folded clothes.
"Thatnks, Kayoko," Mei mumbled to her apprentice as she got down and took off the loose, hospital robe. She put on the special kimono Kayoko brought her, a personalized one, shorter and sleeveless. She gave the other clothes, including the cloak, to Kayoko and instructed her to take those to their cottage and leave them on Mei's bed. The girl did as told and left without another word.
The three jounin, Kakashi, Ichiro and Kitaě, took her to the Hokage's mansion, where Lady Tsunade was waiting for them in her office. They were all silent for what seemed like ages but in fact just a couple of seconds passed. Lady Tsunade was the first one to speak,
"Mei, what happened to you two days ago?" Mei held the woman's gaze bravely. What could she tell them other than the truth? They could get it out of her mind anyway if they so desired.
"All right. I'll tell you." Taking in a deep breath, she continued, "I woke up in the middle of the night and went to the kitchen. I saw someone outside and grabbed a vial of poison and a tantō sword. When I turned around, this someone was right behind me. I broke the vial of posion and jumped through the window, out in the forest."
Tsunade nodded. She had indeed seen the numerous cuts left untreated although bandaged. It could only mean that the person who wrapped Mei up didn't possess much medical knowledge.
"Someone else was waiting for me outside. He had a large sword. I was knocked out. I woke up in a cave, with a bucket of water splashed in my face. There was this blue man with the large sword whose name I learned later. Kisame, I think."
Kakashi and Ichiro frowned. They could almost guess the rest of the story.
"Go on," Tsunade encouraged her.
"He…He accused me of having done something to his partner. Well, I had done something to him. I poisoned him the other night."
"Who was this partner of his?" Tsunade pressed the matter, seeing that Mei avoided that particular detail. Mei closed her eyes and opened them again ever so slowly.
"Uchiha Itachi." Kitaě was the only surprised person in the room. The other three furrowed their brows in expectation. "He was pained and sweating. I…I healed him. That blue man Kisame brought water while I had my clone pick up some plants. I sent Kisame away again, this time to bring us food. I escaped while he was away, wearing Itachi's cloak because my clothes were too revealing."
Mei didn't tell them about she and Itachi kissing or that Itachi let her go against his partner's wishes.
"Why did you help the enemy?" Kitaě blurted, outraged, "You could've killed him yet you healed him! Whose side are you on?"
There was sadness mingled with anger residing in his right eye. The left one was covered by a black patch because…well, because it had been surgically removed due to a grave wound.
"You wouldn't understand," Mei whispered low enough not to be heard. "I'm afraid there's nothing else I could tell you. I don't even know why I was abducted," she added aloud. Kakashi sighed,
"Well, there could be various reasons. Your weapons, your poisons, your medicine. And now I have to agree with Kitaě." He fixed her black orbs with some sort of warning glare. "You healed him which will only strengthen their beliefs that you could be of use to them."
She balled her fists, holding them tightly against her thighs. "Why would I be of use to them? Their goal is catching Jinchuuriki and extracting Tailed Beasts. I'm not even a shinobi!"
"Enough!" Tsunade quieted everyone. "Go home for now and be careful. Ichiro, I recommend you not to leave her side any time soon. Kitaě, you're dismissed. Kakashi…I still have a word with you."
Kitaě and Ichiro accompanied Mei to the village gate while Kakashi remained in Tsunade's office to discuss the matter further.
"You didn't even thank me," Kitaě mumbled when he was about to part ways with his friends. Mei froze on her tracks, a wave of guilt washing over her. She spun around, throwing herself at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he snuck his around her waist.
Kitaě wished he could hold her like that forever. His strong embrace was the safest place on Earth for her. She wouldn't get hurt again, he would see to it. No one would ever reach them, no one would break them apart. He placed her cheek next to hers, whispering in her ear,
"Don't go missing on me like that." His grip became tighter, "Ever again." She buried her face in his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.
"Thank you, Kitaě." She broke free of his grasp and followed her brother to her cottage in the woods. Kitaě felt cold and empty after he let her go. He didn't like the feeling. He didn't like it at all.
So...what did you think? The second chapter will be up soon. :) Please tell me your opinions!