I do not own Naruto. Period. Only Kouga, Daisuke, and Kimiko are of my own imagination.
(PS Sorry is Neji is a little OOC, always hated writing him, always will)
Chapter 2
One Week Later…
The sky was a dreary color of grey today. The sun had tucked itself behind the clouds, and hidden itself from Konoha's view. The clouds grew and tumbled together, constantly forming larger and darker clouds before the sky was a dark, ashy grey color. Many civilians had called it quits earlier today, as had some ninja teams, but one Team in particular…
"YOSH! MY TEAM'S FLAMES OF YOUTH SHINE MAGNIFICIENTLY TODAY!"
Team Gai could currently be seen taking a lunch break after their morning training, despite the unwelcoming sky. Tenten and Neji were sitting at the base of a training log, talking quietly while eating their separate lunches. Lee… Lee was being Lee by trying to eat his lunch while doing pushups with only his pinkie fingers… and failing miserably, while Gai was doing pull-ups on a tree nearby, all the while yelling, 'he was not screaming, for screaming was not 'youthful', about his team's 'Flames of Youth'.
Tenten sighed and ran a hand over her face in annoyance, "I wonder if he doesn't hear himself when he yells these things?"
Just as Neji was about to answer, he felt an odd chakra disturbance near the edge of his senses. Switching on his Bakkiugan, he quickly found the source.
"That's odd..."
Tenten looked his way, "What is, Neji?"
Neji turned off his Bakkiugan before slightly turning towards her, "I just felt four ANBU level ninja run past here… well three running, one was being carried by the one in the lead. If their chakra was anything to go by, the one being carried in the front does not have long to live."
By this time, Lee had finished his lunch and had approached the duo, "Then my most youthful wishes for the injured one and hopes they get better soon!"
Tenten nodded in agreement with Lee before looking at Neji again, "But what's so weird about that? Ninja get injured every day, what's so different about this one?"
Neji shook his head, causing some of his long dark brown hair to fly into his face. With a huff, he pushed it to the side, "It's not that there was an injured ninja with them, it was that I had sensed them in general."
Lee cocked his head to the side, "What do you mean Neji-san?"
Neji 'hn'ed before continuing, "I hate to admit it, but when most ANBU are standing in front of me, even with my Bakkiugan activated, it is hard to sense their chakra. Just now, I could sense their chakra from here, with my Bakkiugan deactivated, so the injured ninja must be of some importance for them not to care if their chakra was sensed or not."
They continued to talk about his for another hour, before getting off track and continued their conversation about different styles of fighting used in the ANBU. Tenten was about to ask a question, something about a weapon she saw on an ANBU once, when Gai came over to them, announcing that lunch break was over and that he wanted '15 Youthful Laps' around the village before meeting him back here before 3pm. After getting two nods and a 'Yosh!', he sent them on their way. Gai waited a few moments before turning to his right, only to find an ANBU in a white cloak an Owl mask before him.
"How can I help you on this most youthful day, ANBU-san?"
"Might Gai, the Hokage is requesting your presence immediately in his office."
Gai cocked his head to the side, much like his student earlier in the day, before nodding, "Hai, I will be their momentarily."
The ANBU nodded once before disappearing in a plume of smoke, leaving Gai in his own thoughts.
'I wonder what the Hokage wants.'
"YOSH! I will come to the Hokage's aid immediately!"
And with that, Gai took off out of the training grounds, running at break neck speeds towards the Hokage's Tower.
5 Minutes Later….
The Hokage was currently smoking his pipe in his office with a frown marring his face. In front of him was an ANBU with a Tiger shaped mask. Currently, both were waiting on the one and only Might Gai to show up.
"W-wait Gai-san! You just can't-"
"DYNAMIC ENTRY!"
With a sudden flying kick, Gai came soaring into the office while the poor door was swinging to the side, hanging on by a single, bent hinge.
"I am here, Hokage-sama!"
Sarutobi nodded his head, "I can see that, Gai-san. And while I thank you for coming on such short notice, must you make it a habit of destroying my doors?"
Gai chuckled nervously before looking over at the ANBU that stood to the left front of the Hokage's desk, while Gai stood at the right front. Gai gave the Hokage an odd look.
Sarutobi inclined his head, "ANBU Team 41 had been assigned the task of tracking down Orochimaru's bases near Fire country. They had just recently returned today and what they had informed me of had shocked me quite deeply. ANBU Tiger will repeat the last portion of his report to you."
Gai turned to face the Tiger masked ANBU member who had yet to speak or move since Gai had first arrived. Finally, the ANBU spoke.
"My team and I had just finished scoping out a base near the border of Mist and Fire country when we stumbled across a large, open room filled with old medical equipment, bones, and old blood splatters. Near the center of the room were three medi-lab tables. As my team and I approached, I had noticed each table held a body that has strapped down by old chakra chains. As we went closer, we could make out that, out of the three bodies, only one, the one on the far left, was alive. I had approached the one on the far left with a hidden kunai drawn in hopes of ending the suffering of the person. But, as I reached her, I now realized that it was a female, her eyes had snapped open and she glared at my. I had gasped and shivered before realizing that throughout all of my 20+ years as an ANBU; only one person had ever caused me to go stiff with fear."
At this, Tiger had turned his (We will just say that Tiger is a guy) head towards Gai and stared at him for what seemed to be an eternity. Gai didn't seem to understand what the ANBU was getting at until something finally clicked.
"Y-you don't mean…. Hokage-sama, is it really true? That she has been found? And ALIVE?"
The Hokage waved his hand, causing the ANBU to nod his head and disappear in a plume of smoke. After a few moments of silence, Sarutobi nodded and leaned forward in his chair, his hands forming a steeple in front of him.
"Yes, Gai-san. Kimiko has been found and is currently in the hospital. She is in room 165, so if you wish to go see…"
Sarutobi glanced up from where he looked down at his desk to where Gai was, only to see a dust cloud rising from where Gai once was. Sarutobi chuckled as he picked up his pipe, "Oh to be young and in love again…"
Konoha Hospital…
Room 165…
White painted walls, white tile floor, crisp white bed sheets, and a distinct disinfectant smell; everything you would find in a normal hospital room. But, this wasn't a normal hospital room, because lying in the middle of the crisp white sheets on a standard hospital bed was Kimiko Tsukino. When she had first arrived, there was a state of mass confusion. Who wouldn't be though, when the strongest ANBU in the village that was said to be dead for the past nine years shows up unresponsive on the back of another ANBU. After everything calmed down to a reasonable level, Kimiko was taken immediately into surgery in hopes of reversing or removing anything the cursed Sannin had done to her. After having a medical scan on her body, all that had been found were 14 different chakra rods that had been placed in the joints of her body: Two in her neck, two in her shoulders, two in her elbows, two in her wrists, two in her hips, two in her knees, and two in her ankles. It seemed that Orochimaru had used her as an extra source of chakra, for either himself or whatever else his twisted mind could come up with. After the removal surgery, she had been washed and dressed in a standard hospital gown.
Which brings us to now, as we see Kimiko sleeping peacefully in the bed. Her black hair, once covered in dry blood and dirt, flowed like silk around the pillow, imitating a halo. Her skin was pale while various scars could be seen littered across her body. She was also very relaxed, as if, even in her unconscious state, her body could tell that she was home.
Everything was quiet in the small hospital room until the large, double-paned windows seemed to unlock themselves with a 'click' that echoed against the bare walls. One side of the window opened slowly, allowing a soft breeze into the room as Gai stepped in, landing in a crouch right in front of the window. His eyes searched slowly around the room before they landed on Kimiko, who had yet to wake up since she had been found at Orochimaru's base. Cautiously, he made his way over to the side of the bed and pulled up a chair before sitting down and staring at her peaceful expression. It wasn't long before Gai had tears streaming down his face, but he made no movement to remove them. He hesitated before gently picking up her small hand and holding it in his larger one, rubbing his calloused thumb in small circles over the back of her hand.
"I…I still cannot believe that it's really you, Kimiko… Nine years and your flames burn as bright as ever. My lotus blossom…I…I know you cannot hear me, but I knew you were always alive. I never gave up on you. You-I mean, I hope you remember me…"
Gai searched her peaceful expression in hopes of finding her awake. Sadly, only the steady rise-and-fall of her chest was the only movement that had happened since he had entered the room. Gai sighed.
"I remember that, one day, a friend of mine had said when some people are faced with a traumatic experience, some of their memory is lost depending on the severity of the trauma…. But I hope that, out of everything, you still remember me. The times we laughed together, the day I proposed to you, us training together… our first kiss…."
A few tears dripped off of his chin and fell towards the white sheets before impacting and leaving a small wet spot behind. Gai's eyes watered the more he thought about the memories that he shared with Kimiko. Outside the hospital, the clouds that had once grew and grumbled to their hearts content, finally, with a loud 'BOOM' and a sudden 'CRACK' of lightning, unleashed a mighty downpour of rain, soaking whatever unfortunate soul that had happened to be outside at the time.
"I… When they told me that you had gone missing…. I hadn't known what to think. I had thrown myself into training, since that was the only way I knew how to deal with my emotions without you here to talk to…. Some of my new friends…. Anko, Asuma, Kurenai…. You'd like them, Kimiko…. They helped me get out of my depression and caused me to think clearer…. But I never did give up on finding you….I'd be so lost if you had died, Kimiko, and if they had found your body… I don't know what I would have done…"
Another grumble of thunder punctuated Gai's sentence, soon followed by a flash of lightning that was close by.
A look of regret crossed Gai's face, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you, Kimiko… I have always taught my team to protect their precious people…and yet… I had failed you. I hope you can forgive me when you wake up…. It's just… I want-"
The sound of rubber heals on tile floor began to echo closer and closer towards the door, barely heard over the sound of the storm raging outside. With a kiss to her palm, Gai moved back to the window and leapt of it, into the heart of the storm, just as a civilian nurse came in. She looked around the room and noticed the open window and the raging storm.
"Tsk!" she said as she moved towards the window, "Who in the world opened your window at a time like this, Tsukino-sama?"
After the nurse closed and locked the window, the woman turned back towards the sleeping ex-ANBU Head Captain.
"Now then Tsukino-sama, why don't we call the doctor in to see what we can do about having you woken up, yes?"
And… CUT! Hope you guys liked it, I wrote this chapter during my English class and my Math class, and so I had a bunch of notes scribbled on the side of the paper I wrote the story on. If anyone has a question about anything, don't hesitate to PM me.
If I feel up to it, I might make a 3rd chapter, and if some people really want more, then I might do a longer Omake after the third chapter.
Please Review!... Pwease?
~Silent Kage
