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I didn't have time to dodge the kunai that was hurling towards me. I threw up my arm in favor of protecting my face and bit back a scream as the piece of metal sliced into my forearm.
"Maya, follow this road all the way up to the town. When you get there bring help!" I yelled at her as I dodged another weapon. A quiet whine escaped her before she took off. "Paige, stay hidden. I don't want you getting hurt" I whispered to the feline in my hair. Feeling her rub against my neck as understanding I stood up straighter and pulled the kunai out of my arm. I ignored the pain the best I could and ran through strategies in my head. There were three Ninja's dressed in solid black. Based on the size of their bodies I assumed there were two men and one woman. I didn't have any real training other than the fake wrestling I used to do with my best friend. I could try to stall them some, but I doubt it would do much good.
"Why are you following us?" I asked the three figures. The woman began to chuckle.
"Not you, him. Our master wants his power." The men on the far left called out. Their face was hidden with a black mask so no distinguishing traits could be seen.
"And what master might that be?" I questioned, hoping that maybe they would decide to answer.
"Whichever one pays the most!" The second guy called out and began laughing.
"You make me sick" I hissed. I heard a loud howl in the distance, assuming that meant Maya and Naruto made it back safe I just grinned.
"Paige, now." I murmured to where the three ninja could not hear me. She mewed in my ear and jumped out and dashed between my legs to transform with me ending up on her back. "Unfortunately for you, you won't have him today. Konoha will know you are looking for him and you will have no chance." As I finished my sentence Paige turned and took off towards the sound of Howling. Another kunai hit me in the back and I fell forward on Paige, holding on for dear life as she ran. We made it to the front gates and Paige was still not slowing down. My breath caught in my throat as she jumped and soared clear over the wall. She ran us all the way through town to the hospital. Sitting outside was Maya with Naruto being helped off her back. She sniffed the air and whined as Paige approached. Paige lowered herself to the ground and I stumbled down, still using her for support. I leaned heavily against her and she helped me walk over to Maya. I could see the unease in her eyes at the people beside her and gently scratched under her chin. Her tail thumped the ground behind her.
I noticed another kunai pointed at me along with other assorted weapons. I recognized Kakashi, Gai, and Sarutobi all staring at me emotionless. I sighed and winced as the small breath caused the kunai in my back to move.
"Hello. My name is Cross-Rose, Seremia. I apologize for my abrupt arrival and intrusion into the village. I merely wished to be reunited with my companion, Maya." I placed my hand gently on her head and she visibly relaxed under my touch. "I found your friend out in the woods badly injured and helped him as much as I could. An enemy team ambushed us when we were almost here so I sent Maya ahead and stalled until I knew that she made it safely. I followed as soon as I could with my other companion, Paige. I would be happy to tell you what I can about the attack, but first do you think I could get my arm and back looked at? I'm not completely sure on if the weapons are poisoned or not. Plus I'd rather get it taken care of before it becomes infected." I smiled gently as Maya shrank back down to a medium-sized wolf. She waged her head and nudged my hip with her nose. I reached behind her ear and scratched her in the spot she loved most. Paige continued to support me until finally Kakashi moved forward and let me use him for support. He moved to pick me up and I quickly caught his hand.
"I would prefer to walk. I think being carried may aggravate the wound on my back more. Plus it's just awkward." He nodded and put an arm over my shoulder to make sure I didn't fall. Paige transformed as well into a smaller kitten and jumped on Kakashi's shoulder. He looked at her surprised as she rubbed her head against his cheek. With a 'meh' kind of shrug, he helped into the hospital and into a room. A moment later another person stepped in. Kakashi was watching me with a weird look in his eye, I just stared blankly.
"Soooo dude, do you mind leaving? Causeee i'm gonna have to remove my shirt, and I don't really know you." It sounded lame and I mentally beat my own head against a wall as he raised an eyebrow at me and then disappeared in a puff of smoke. I just shrugged and turned back to the person. "Just to be clear, you guys still have the whole doctor patient confidentiality thing right?" The guy just nodded and I bit my lip and nodded. He looked first at the wound in my back and I felt a sharp sting as he pulled the kunai out.
I struggled out of my Black Bird Beatles t-shirt and watched as the man's hands glowed against my back wound. He moved to work on my arm and then took a moment longer to look over my overall health and check for poisons. A sharp intake of breath told me he found it.
"Ma'am you..." He began but I quickly cut him off.
"Yes I know."
"Have you..."
"Yes I've tried everything. No I have no family to contact. No I don't want to discuss this. And yes I will invoke my patient privacy rights. This is my problem, no one else. Wherever I go, I don't want people to pity me for it. I don't want to be looked down upon and treated like a damn china doll." He looked at me wide-eyed. Almost frightened as I took an angry breath. I looked up at him and sighed. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I've gone through the questions more times than I can remember. I just want to live a normal life." He nodded with a sigh. I assumed he would understand.
"I noticed your chakra system is blocked and in chaos. Learning to control it could help to isolate and slow the..." He trailed off to the end and I bit my lip. Looks like even here I will be treated differently.
"It's okay. I'll work on the training, I was hoping to while I'm here anyways, but I don't want anyone to know about IT."
"I will have to tell Hokage-sama." He bowed and I just nodded while pulling my shirt back on.
A few hours later...
The meeting with the Sarutobi ran through my head repeatedly as I wandered aimlessly around town. I watched the people around me smiling and laughing and enjoying their lives and bit the inside of my check hard. A coppery taste filled my mouth and I frowned slightly. My hand was buried in Maya's fur and Paige's rumbling pur pressed against the side of my neck. I absentmindedly pet her before stopping at a small open bar. I looked up at the sign and saw it was Ichiraku's Ramen shop. There was an open spot at the very end and I pulled myself into the spot. Maya curled up at my feet and Paige decided to stay around my neck.
"Why hello there pretty little lady, haven't seen you here before. My name is Ichiraku, Teuchi. What can I do for you today?" A smile set upon his lips causing all the wrinkles in his face to really shine and show the years he has seen. I smiled up at him.
"I'm Cross-Rose, Seremia. Could I please get a bowl of Miso Ramen with extra pork and Menma please? I would also like some Tamaryokucha as well." I was kind of surprised he was able to hear me over the loud chatter further down and my almost non-existent voice.
"Coming right up!" Teuchi went to work on the ramen and came back a few minutes later with my Tamaryokucha. He also had two extra bowls and a large jug.
"Arigatou Ichiraku- San, demo, why the extra bowls?" I looked up at him slightly confused and he grinned as he set one down beside me and filled it with warm milk from the jug. He set the jug and second bowl down beside me.
"It's for your two friends Cross-Rose-Sama." He smiled and I blushed slightly before moving the second bowl down for Maya. I filled it with milk and she barked in happiness before setting to it. Paige had already jumped off my shoulder to run her body under Teuchi's hand.
"Arigatou. Demo, please call me Seremia or Mia." I flashed him a smile as he scratched behind Paige's ear.
"Then call me Teuchi. Sound like a fair trade?" I nodded and he grinned before setting back to work on cooking. Paige nuzzled my hand affectionately before turning to the bowl of warm milk and began to drink the milk. She purred happily and I just smiled at both of them.
"HEY! I remember you!" A loud voice yelled out behind me, I turned to see what the commotion was about just to see The blond-haired, orange jumpsuit-wearing, boy I had saved in the woods. He was pointing directly at me. My silver eyes widened in shock.