New Love Blooming

Injured, But Not Dead

"Sector 12's clear Tsunade-sama!" Ayami shouted into the intercom. "The storm's pickingstatic I want you to static turn to static onoha!" Tsunade shouted into the intercom.

"Nani Tsunade-sama!" Ayami shouted. Static Ayami sighed and placed the earpiece back into her pocket and continued to Konoha.

The rain was coming down in sheets. Along the way, Ayami slipped on a wet tree branch and began to plummet to the ground. With quick thinking, she grabbed the branch.

"Hehehe . . ." She chuckled nervously. The branch cracked.

"That's my luck . . ."She muttered and the branch broke. She screamed and slammed into the branch a few meters below, breaking her arm.

With some difficulty, she hoisted herself onto the branch and sat under the cover of the tree leaves.

"Aya-chan!" Someone shouted. She stood up and waved. "Hey!!!" Ayami shouted and stood up. "It's Naruto!!! Where are you?!" Naruto shouted. Ayami waved her good arm and stepped forward.

"Over here follow my-AHHH!!" She screamed as she slipped and grabbed the branch with her one good arm. "LITTLE HELP!!" Ayami screamed.

Naruto appeared over her. "Oh thank Kami you're still alive!" Naruto said as he lifted her up.

"Arigatou!" She repeated over and over.

There was a crack of thunder followed by lightning less then a meter away from them. Naruto looked down and saw Ayami's head buried in his chest. When she noticed she backed up with a very faint blush on her face.

"Gomensai . . ." She mumbled. He held her close. "Hey its ok, that was a bit too close for comfort." Naruto muttered as he stroked her hair.

"Well um . . . th-this storm doesn't look like its letting up any time soon . . ." Ayami's blush deepened.

"Hai . . ." Naruto muttered. Ayami pulled her wet shirt closer to her freezing body.

Naruto wrapped his arms closer around her. "There you warmer now?" He asked gently. She whimpered softly.

"It's my arm, I think I broke it!" She moaned. Naruto picked her up piggyback style and hopped to the next tree branch, then to the next, then to the next and so on until he reached the gates of Konoha.

Tsunade was there and she didn't look too happy. "Where were you . . . and what happened to her?!" Tsunade questioned irritably.

"Well she told me she broke her arm but I' not sure that's it." Naruto told her. Tsunade lowered the hood on her rain poncho and took Ayami from Naruto's back.

With speed unimaginable to any human, she ran to Konoha's Medical Center.

All of the Chunin and the Jonin sensei waited outside the emergency room, hoping for a miracle.

'Hard to believe it's been over five hours since they went in.' Sasuke thought.

Naruto and Airo kept staring at the light above the double doors. Another hour and a half later, the light blinked off and Tsunade walked out rolling Ayami on a hospital bed.

"She suffered a couple broken ribs, a broken arm, and a minor concussion, but she'll live." Tsunade reported. Several med-nins came and rolled her bed over into recovery.

Almost immediately, Airo, Naruto, and Sasuke followed without question from Tsunade.

Ayami's room was nicely lit and relatively spacious. Naruto, Airo, and Sasuke sat on either side of Ayami. Airo was so close to tears, he was shaking like a leaf.

Naruto placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Hey, she's tough," Naruto said, a tear escaped his eye. "She'll pull through."

Naruto felt a hand close around his.

"Hey," Ayami croaked. "I ain't dropping dead yet."

She felt three pairs of arms wrap around her in a tight embrace.

"Alright," she gasped. "I still hurt, and I can't . . . breathe!"

Everyone except Naruto let go. He still hung onto her like a monkey on a banana tree.

"Uh," Ayami pushed Naruto off with her good arm. "Nice to see you too."

Ayami propped herself up on her elbows.

"You okay, Ayami?!" Naruto, Sasuke and Airo asked at the same time.

"Well," she said. "I've definitely been better."

Naruto looked at her with a blank look on his face.

"Shut up you guys, I'm NOT DROPPING DEAD!!!" she shouted at them.

"I know," Sasuke said pathetically. "When do you get out?"

"Do you care at all?" she questioned. "For the record, I get out by the end of the week."

The three stood up. "Bye, Ayami," they waved, exiting the room.

"Bye, guys," she muttered, flipping onto her side, and falling asleep.

A/N: Konichiwa! No flames, as usual! Okay? Well, Ja-ne!

Next Chapter: Sweet Freedom!