~ Taboo: Chapter Four ~
Where's my big dress?
Where's the damsel in distress?
Where are my three wishes?
How can I step into the pages?
There was nothing. Hisoka knew she was there, but she couldn't even feel herself. Everything was numb. Hisoka noted, deep, deep down, that she was probably lucky she couldn't feel anything, because it probably hurt like hell.
Wait… what hurt like hell? Hisoka couldn't seem to remember. She remembered… a boy. He had coppery hair and green eyes. Who was he? Hisoka struggled to drag her memories from the deep murk they were submersed in. Was he related to her? Was he a friend? Yes… somehow Hisoka felt that was right. There was another boy Hisoka remembered… someone important, apparently. Could he be… her brother?
Slowly the memories began to come back, then they flooded back suddenly, all at once. Hisoka gasped, startled, as her eyes shot open. She saw a bright light and for a moment she was worried. What a seemingly dramatic end.
"You're back," said a very relieved voice. Hisoka tried to turn her head, but she couldn't seem to move. She was completely paralyzed. She remembered the injury she had gotten and for a moment she began to panic. Had she lost all movement from her neck down? Was that it? She wouldn't be able to be a Shinobi anymore?
"Don't try to move," the voice continued. "You're pumped full of tranquilizers. It's weird… they make it impossible for you to move, but they don't affect your mind. Can you believe that? I mean, how cool! I have to get myself some."
"Kuro?" Hisoka slurred. Her tongue was heavy. "Kuro... what's…" she couldn't finish the sentence, but Kuro seemed to understand.
"Well," he began proudly. "I was actually doing surgery, which I really wasn't supposed to be doing, but I was doing a pretty okay job until the medical ninja arrived and took over. They gave you some quick treatment at the house and then brought you back to the hospital to finish. We were able to take out that wood thing, but we're still not sure about how your arm did. We have to see until the bone heals first. It should take about a week of treatment here at the hospital, and then you might need physical therapy for a few weeks after that, and—"
"Kuro," Hisoka murmured, shutting her eyes. Kuro leapt up.
"Hey, Hisoka, are you okay?" he demanded. Hisoka cracked one eye open.
"Yeah, bro," she said softly. "That was my roundabout way of saying 'shut up.'"
"Oh," Kuro said sheepishly. He realized what she had said. Suddenly his face broke out in a smile, and he sat back down, his spirits soaring. She had acknowledged him as her brother!
"Oh, so the Hokage herself did the surgery," Kuro said excitedly. He could never shut up for very long. "And the Kazekage has been in to see you three times! With flowers!"
Hisoka frowned slightly.
"How long have I been… out?" she asked, ignoring the message hidden behind the word 'flowers.' Kuro looked sheepish.
"A few days," he said. "You've been sort of touch and go… I think that's the right term, anyway. I mean, you've been hanging by a thread for a while. No one thought you'd make it, but I knew you would. I gave the Kazekage your baby pictures."
Hisoka's muscles jerked involuntarily, and her head shot to one side, her ability to move temporarily restored even so that she could just strange her brother. "You what?" she demanded, forgetting for a moment that Kuro did not have access to any of Hisoka's baby pictures.
"I'm kidding," Kuro said, laughing. "You should see your face! Hey, if you marry the Kazekage, that'll make him my what, stepbrother? Or would he be my uncle or something? Something by marriage…?"
"Get over here so I can kill you," Hisoka growled, raising her good arm with much difficulty and curling her fingers in an effort to grasp Kuro's neck.
"That was another problem," Kuro continued, dancing out of the way. "The tranquilizers just kept wearing off. They were giving you small doses at first, because you're so tiny, but then they had to move to bigger and bigger doses until you were almost getting as much as a horse!"
"Say that again," Hisoka said threateningly, but she was interrupted when the door opened. Kuro turned around and immediately bowed deeply as Gaara of the Desert entered calmly. Hisoka fell silent.
"Please, there's no need for that," Gaara said quickly to Kuro, who straightened up.
"Hey, when you marry my sister, can I be the ring bearer?" Kuro asked eagerly. Gaara's eyebrows came together in something between curiosity and surprise.
"Kuro, out," Hisoka said in a dead tone. "I'm fourteen, you little jerk-face."
Kuro danced out of the room, winked playfully, and shut the door behind himself as he hummed gaily. Gaara turned to face Hisoka, who closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
"I apologize," the Kazekage said quietly. Hisoka cracked one eye open.
"For what, breathing my air?" she asked. "I'll forgive you if you hold your breath for the rest of your life."
"I apologize for intruding," he continued, without missing a beat. "I will be leaving Leaf Village and heading back to my own village shortly. I wanted to check on you one last time to see how you were doing. I see that you are feeling better."
"Maybe if you gave me a foot massage," Hisoka suggested. Gaara seemed somewhat puzzled. "I'm joking," Hisoka said finally, much to Gaara's obvious relief. "Honestly, my toes aren't that diseased," Hisoka grumbled under her breath.
"I… guess that's all," Gaara said. He looked at the floor for a moment, then back at Hisoka. "I hope you recover soon. Maybe someday we will meet again."
"Yeah, whatever," Hisoka said. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."
Gaara seemed somewhat puzzled.
"Leave," Hisoka translated. Gaara relaxed slightly. It could've been Hisoka's imagination, but she could've sworn he looked almost happy.
"I suppose… with your parents gone, you will be needing a family," Gaara began awkwardly. Hisoka immediately began to sing very loudly and very badly. A look of utter confusion crossed Gaara's face that stayed there until Hisoka finished "Happy Birthday' with a surprisingly small number of birds keeling over on the branches outside.
"No, thank you," Hisoka said loudly. "The last thing I'd want would be to call you 'dad.' Not a chance in Australia. Gosh, you're young enough to be my friend. Oh, yuck. I will never get that image out of my head. No way."
"I was merely going to wish you luck on finding a new family," Gaara said, still surprisingly calm under the circumstances. "Apparently you're too old for an orphanage and your mother has to work while your father is in jail, so she wouldn't have time for two children. I would offer you a home in the Village Hidden in Sand, all expenses paid, but I'm not certain you would take it and to be honest I don't think you would take it graciously."
"Yeah, no thanks," Hisoka said, shaking her head. "I'll do fine on my own. I'll eat stray dog at midnight in the backyards of rich kids like the Hyuuga Clan and during the summer I'll fight waterfalls and meditate under bears. Or was it meditate under waterfalls and fight bears? Oh, well. I've always wanted to live the life of a street kid. I've got the mouth for it."
"Hm." Gaara seemed to be trying to agree, but the corner of his mouth twitched in something that almost seemed like a smile. Hisoka grinned.
"I guess you're not so bad," she admitted. "Maybe a two out of ten on the okay scale. You might make someone very happy someday. You could model surfboards. I'm sure that'd make someone happy, anyway. You'll need to work out a bit, and get something of a tan before starting. You'll need some sort of modeling name, like 'the Stoic Know-it,' or 'Sand Art.'"
"Perhaps," Gaara said. Honestly speaking, if modeling surfboards paid well, Gaara knew that it would be significantly better than sitting behind a desk doing paperwork and dealing with affairs of the state at his age. Sand wasn't hard to find where he lived. It was getting away from it that was more difficult.
"I should probably get some rest," Hisoka said meaningfully. Gaara nodded.
"I wish you a speedy recovery," he said. He bowed slightly and then turned to leave. The door shut quietly behind him and, just out of curiosity, Hisoka turned towards the window and noticed immediately the small vase with flowers in it. She leaned back against her pillow.
"Maybe I was a little rude," she admitted quietly to herself. She looked up at the ceiling. "I mean, the Kazekage could be a great guy. Maybe he's not so bad. He did get flowers…"
Hisoka turned her head slightly and shut her eyes. She'd think about it more when she woke up, but for now, she felt tired.
A nurse knocked lightly on Hisoka's door. She had a thermometer in hand, to check for signs of fever that could mean infection. The nurse opened the door somewhat and paused when she saw the patient in bed, breathing softly, her face serene. The nurse smiled slightly. Instead of waking up her patient, she shut the door silently and then continued down the hall. She could take the temperature later.
Hisoka woke up shivering, her head spinning. She reached down with her good arm to pull the blankets further up, but she didn't have enough blankets, and a bout of dizziness stopped her mid-reach. She turned slightly and pressed the button beside her bed that called the nurse. Sweat trickled down her neck, and her hair stuck to her neck. After a few minutes of silent agony, the door opened and the nurse appeared.
"Oh, good, you're awake," the nurse said, smiling. "I hope you don't mind, but I need to take your temperature. Can you move at all? I just need you to open your mouth for me…"
"I need a damn blanket," Hisoka said through gritted teeth. "It's freaking cold in here."
"I can get that for you," the nurse said agreeably. She crossed the room and found a folded blanket, then helped Hisoka by spreading it over Hisoka's body. "Better?" she asked.
"A little," Hisoka grumbled. The nurse stuck the thermometer into Hisoka's mouth and waited a moment. Then she pulled out the thermometer and looked down at the reading. Her face changed from cheerful to anxious.
"What is it?" Hisoka asked groggily, blinking to clear the gumminess out of her vision.
"Just wait a few minutes, please," the nurse said, turning to leave. "I'll need to get my supervisor. We'll be back soon."
The nurse rushed out the door, leaving it wide open. Hisoka stared after her, her expression confused. Just as the nurse had promised, a few moments later, she appeared again followed closely by Shizune, the Hokage's right-hand woman and the head of the hospital. Shizune had the thermometer in hand.
"Could you please open your mouth?" she asked. Hisoka obliged, and Shizune tapped her foot impatiently as the tool sat under Hisoka's tongue. Shizune pulled it out and looked down at the reading. She turned to the nurse.
"Her temperature's almost 102," she said. "Get the Hokage quickly. Tell her it's an emergency in room 15, Hisoka Mizutani. There's a chance of post-operative osteomyelitis. We need intravenous antibiotics and some cool wet cloths."
"Yes, ma'am," the nurse said quickly, and rushed out. Shizune turned towards Hisoka, a dull smile on her face.
"Don't worry," she said. "If there is any infection, we'll clear out the infected tissue and hopefully the bone wasn't infected. If it does turn out to be osteomyelitis, I'm sure there's some way we can fix it. You'll be fine. You've got the best doctors in the Village Hidden in Leaves looking after you. You'll be fine. You'll be fine…"
The last phrase echoed in Hisoka's ears as her vision began to blur. Shizune could do nothing as Hisoka's head slumped and she slipped abruptly into unconsciousness. Shizune made an about face, leaving the room, and raced past the Hokage, who was rushing down the hallway on her way in.
"What's the matter?" Tsunade demanded, sliding to a stop. Shizune stopped in a likewise manner and turned quickly.
"She's burning up," she called, racing back towards the Hokage. "Get in there fast, Tsunade-sama! We might lose her if we don't hurry!"
The Hokage pushed off, quickly covering the rest of the floor and grabbed the door, using her momentum to pull herself inside the room. Frantic nurses followed with an antibiotic I.V. drip, wet cloths, baskets of medicines, medical tools, and more. The door shut behind them, and all sound disappeared.
Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro all stood waiting at the gates. Gaara's security escorts, seven Jonin from the Village Hidden in Sand, stood by waiting for their cue to start home.
Gaara looked back at the village. It was true that he had memories – lots of very, very important memories – from the Village Hidden in Leaves, but somehow he felt uneasy about leaving for some other reason. Sure, he was worried about the little girl from the Ninja Academy, but he had been assured that it was smooth sailing from there. Surely the Hokage knew what she was talking about?
"Lord Gaara?" one of the Jonin asked. Gaara turned, nodding.
"Let's go home," he said. The small group left the village on their way home.
Hisoka's eyes opened. She saw branches above her, laden with beautiful cherry blossoms. The world was so bright that Hisoka had to blink a few times before she could open her eyes fully. Cool, damp grass lay under her. Hisoka sat up, looking in awe down at her arm, which was completely fine. She flexed her hand, splayed her fingers, and there wasn't even an ounce of pain. Hisoka stood up. She was wearing a long, loose white summer dress that flowed and billowed in the wind. Hisoka smiled.
She raced down the hill with the cherry tree on it, her arms spread wide, laughing giddily. She hadn't done that since she was three years old, back at the orphanage. The wind blew her hair back, almost with as much pleasure as Hisoka felt.
She stopped suddenly, looking down at the valley below the hill. There was a white blanket spread out there, with a young couple sitting on it and laughing. The woman had a child in her arms, a girl baby. Hisoka took a step forward, frowning slightly. They seemed… familiar somehow. Hisoka took another step forward.
"I lost the baby!" the mother suddenly shrieked. The baby had seemed to magically disappear from her hands. The mother and father frantically searched the blanket, with no sign of the baby. Hisoka opened her mouth.
"Mommy!" exclaimed a little voice, full of innocent mirth. Hisoka turned to see a little girl in a white dress running down the same hill she had been on. The little girl couldn't have been more than two years old, with chubby fingers and unsteady steps. The girl suddenly pitched forward, and the mother dove to catch her, but then the girl zipped out of existence, disappearing as suddenly as the baby.
"Hisoka-chan," the mother said in a relieved sort of voice, apparently not worried about the disappearing children as she smiled straight at Hisoka, her outstretched arms not reaching for the girl that had been there moments before. Hisoka frowned, but slowly it dawned on her.
"…Mother?" Hisoka asked quietly. The mother smiled and held out her arms, and the father stood up behind her and, smiling, wrapped his arms around his wife's slim waist. The couple was waiting for her, for Hisoka. Hisoka's frown disappeared entirely, and a huge, genuine smile danced across her lips. Hisoka took one step forward, then another, and another. Soon, she was racing towards her mother's outstretched arms.
"Hisoka-chan," her father said, smiling. His eyes laughed. Hisoka loved his eyes, the beautiful laughing eyes of her father, so warm and familiar.
"My baby," her mother said, her arms beckoning. Hisoka ran and ran, but they weren't getting any closer. Tears streaked down Hisoka's face. A cold feeling began to tickle her fingers and her toes. She felt that, like the other two girls, she would disappear and a new one would take her place, an older one.
Hisoka fell to her knees, no longer able to run. She was paralyzed. She was choking. Her lungs wouldn't expand anymore, wouldn't accommodate air. She saw her parents, still waiting, not realizing anything was wrong. Hisoka reached out her hand.
"Mother, father," she sobbed as the darkness swallowed her vision and the warm summer sky swirled above her, the cold finally reaching the depths of Hisoka's heart.
Back at the hospital, Tsunade stopped with her hands, red with Hisoka's blood and holding a scalpel, waiting helplessly just above the open wound at the girl's shoulder, to the right of the spine. Tsunade's eyes were wide.
"Nurse," she exclaimed, turning hopefully. The nurse shook her head, her eyes tearful, as her fingers were pressed against Hisoka's neck to feel for even the faintest flutter of a pulse. Tsunade looked back down at Hisoka, whose face was peaceful. Tsunade dropped her hands, closing her eyes for a moment.
"She's gone," she whispered. She dropped the tools, whipped around, and kicked the wall. Spider-webbing cracks wove around the hole her foot left as she dragged her foot back, her face set angrily. "Damn it," she roared. "She's not dead until I give the okay, and I say it's not okay, dammit! Turn her over now!"
The nurses hurriedly shifted Hisoka's body, and Tsunade tore off her gloves, put one hand on top of the other, and straightened her elbows. She pounded Hisoka's chest steadily with as much force as she could use without breaking Hisoka's ribs. She did it five, ten, fifteen times, and then knelt over and set her mouth over Hisoka's, pushing air into Hisoka's quickly-stiffening lungs. She straightened up and kept going.
"Lady Tsunade," one of the nurses murmured solemnly, putting a hand on Tsunade's arm. Tsunade didn't even bother batting her away, her attention was so set on CPR. Tsunade's eyes blazed with such determination that the nurse took her hand away quickly. She glanced at another nurse across the room wonderingly, and the nurse nodded determinedly.
"Get me a half-dose of epinephrine," the nurse called, leaping into action. There was a flurry of movement. "We need a defibrillator in here, set to 50 Jules, now please, if not five minutes ago! We've got a minor with vertebral osteomyelitis in full arrest!"
Two of the nurses left the room immediately to fetch the defibrillator, and the other nurses quickly began setting up a new I.V. drip and clearing everything unnecessary away from the bedside to make plenty of room. Tsunade kept the CPR steady, calming herself down and alternating between fifteen chest compressions and two breaths.
Please let this child survive, she thought desperately. Please!