Chichi - father
Hahaoya - mother
o.O.o
Chapter Seven: The End
The doctor looked down at the small figure sitting on one of the hospital chairs. "Your friend will be fine. He just needs to rest."
"What happened to him?" Emiko asked, swinging her legs slightly.
"He used too much of his Chakra and that could have killed him. I would caution against Chakra usage for the next few days. Do you have a place to sleep?"
"No," Emiko admitted. "I was hoping there would be a chair or something beside his bed."
"You may sleep there."
Emiko stood and followed the doctor through the sterilised hospital corridors to the room Tobio shared with three other unconscious people. She immediately sat beside his bed and was glad that the Five-Tails had given her the strength to get him here, even if it had exhausted her. Tobio had used up all his Chakra to help her escape the scary shinobi and this was the least she could to for him.
Hopefully the shinobi wouldn't find them there. If so, they'd have to make a quick escape. Her vision fogged over from the constant use over the last few hours and her mind retreated to preserve itself as it had been doing for the last several years.
o.O.o
Tobio woke in the middle of the night, groaning at his sore muscles. Emiko was quick to press a damp towel to his forehead and he turned his gaze to her.
"What happened?"
"You used up all your Chakra with that jutsu," she whispered. "I took you to a hospital."
He groaned. "Are they still after us?"
"I don't know. I can't use Chakra like you." She hesitated before deciding to tell him something she'd learned from the Tailed-Beast. "Without Kokuo inside me I have no Chakra. All the jutsu I've ever done have been done with Chakra I stole from him."
He propped himself up on his elbows. "So you couldn't be a shinobi no matter what happened." To her surprise he started to stand. "Where are my clothes? We need to get out of here before they find us."
"You should rest."
"If they're looking for us then they'll find us in a place like this. We need to lay low. I'm the one at the Academy, remember? I've studied things like this. If they ask around about us people will remember your hair. Now where are my clothes?"
Emiko hesitated before extracting his washed clothes from the bedside table drawer. Tobio took the clothes and peeled off the hospital garb, proceeding to get dressed while Emiko watched the door. When he was finished they snuck outside into the darkened hospital corridors and tried to make as little noise as possible. Emiko began to panic when she felt her eyes sliding out of focus and body slowing.
"Tobio-kun…" she murmured. He grabbed her elbow and led her along while her attention wandered like it always did. She'd never hated her condition more than she did right now since it was more of a hindrance than a help.
When she stirred from her temporary inattention she found herself outside with Tobio still grasping her elbow. The village she'd found was a decent size and seemed very quiet which was good for them.
"Where do we go from here?" Tobio whispered, the doubt clear in his voice.
"Iwagakure," Emiko replied. "That's where Kokuo's original jinchuriki is and he can reverse this."
Tobio cursed. "We need a map. This place has to have an archive."
Something strange stirred in Emiko's gut. "Tobio-kun, I feel weird…" Her feet began to move without urging and she squeaked with fright as her pace quickened. Tobio cried out in alarm and rushed after her, limping slightly. She was easy enough to follow with her pale white hair that stuck about half-a-metre into the air.
"Hahaoya told us not to stay out late," Tobio muttered. "She's going to kill us."
They moved a good distance away from the village before Emiko stopped, her heart pounding. Tobio almost crashed into her back but stopped himself in time. "Tobio-kun…" she said in a small voice. "Why did it have to be me?"
"Because I chose you." A deep voice boomed from within the surrounding shadows. Emiko's eyes darted uneasily to the trees around them and she stepped back, colliding with Tobio.
"Who are you?" she asked quietly. A figure stepped out from the shadows, looking like something from a nightmare. She couldn't quite make out the details but he was insanely huge and made her feel miniscule.
"I am Han and I have come for the Five-Tails."
Fear pulsed in Emiko's belly and she felt Tobio slip his hand into her own. "Are you going to kill us?"
"If I must."
"Tobio-kun, go away."
"No. I'm sticking with you." He moved to stand beside her.
"A valiant effort, boy, but it's not enough." Han flicked his hand and Tobio flew into the air where he was pinned to a nearby tree by kunai that embedded themselves in his clothes. He tried to pull them out but the angle was awkward and he couldn't get a good grip.
Emiko took a deep breath. "Do what you have to, but don't hurt Tobio-kun or Kokuo. It's not their fault." When had she become so brave? She'd never been brave, not once in her entire life, except when she quit the Academy… but even that wasn't bravery; it was selfishness.
Tobio had always been there for her. His family took her in when she had nowhere else to go and he'd been her best friend for years. He'd listened to her and tolerated her when other people like Nori and Ren shunned her. Just yesterday he'd nearly killed himself to protect her and now she'd dragged him into problems that weren't his own. It was her turn to keep him safe and apologise.
Han let out a low growl and stepped right into her personal space, pressing his hand against her stomach. "Five-Tails, I beseech your help. Eight Trigram Reverse Seal!"
"Emiko-chan!"
Every emotion Emiko had felt in the last few months melted away to be replaced by calm acceptance. She knew she wasn't meant to carry Kokuo like Han – she was a hiding spot and nothing more. Han's purpose was to carry Kokuo so who was she to get in the way of his path? So much of her life had been spent following a path she wasn't meant for but now… her purpose was to help the Five-Tails.
Power surged through her body and she allowed it to flow. Kokuo's face appeared in front of her own and tenderly leaned in, pressing his nose against hers. She stared as the power swirled and light exited her body. The shape of the Five-Tails appeared between her and Han, bowing to her before being sucked into Han's stomach.
Both Han and Emiko fell to their knees, though Emiko completely face-planted. Han took a shaky breath and rested a hand on his stomach, where a strange seal now rested. "The sealing is done and the Five-Tails has left you a gift. Do not misuse it." With that, he leapt into the trees and went back to Iwagakure, content that Kokuo was safe.
Emiko dragged herself to her feet and stumbled over to where Tobio was struggling against the kunai. He'd managed to rip his left arm free and was tugging at the kunai that held his right arm in place.
"It's done," she murmured wearily. "You're safe. This is the last time I drag you into my problems."
"I still can't believe you've been a jinchuriki for your whole life. Can you give me a hand?"
She used all her strength to try and pry the kunai from his left leg but it didn't work. Her strength was minimal. "What do you think he meant by a gift?"
"Well your hair's still white and your eyes are that weird blue colour, so that could be it. I'll bet it was a thank you gift, seeing as you protected Kokuo for years without even realising it." He groaned and slumped back against the tree. "I'll just take my clothes off. That's so not embarrassing at all…"
A shape appeared to Emiko's left and she cried out in alarm, catapulting backwards and hitting the ground hard.
"Emiko-chan, it's me," the shape said with some amusement.
"Yoshi-sensei!" she gasped. "Can you please help me remove the kunai?"
With Yoshi-sensei's strength all the kunai were gone in seconds and Tobio jumped away from the tree gratefully. "Are you taking is back to Kohonagakure?" the boy asked warily.
"I must. Emiko-chan possesses the Chakra of the Five-Tails and we need to figure out how."
"I don't anymore. Kokuo is gone." She stood up proudly and moved beside Tobio. "His original jinchuriki came to get him back. What was his name?" Emiko frowned but she couldn't for the life of her remember the man's name. "I don't remember."
"Neither. That's weird."
"A memory modifier jutsu," Yoshi-sensei muttered. He looked at Emiko, eyes softening fondly. "That's fine. Now since you don't have the Five-Tails you're in no danger, so would you both like to accompany me back to the village?"
"That would be nice, just as long as they leave Tobio-kun alone. He had nothing to do with it."
"Alright. Wait just a moment." Yoshi-sensei extracted a scroll from his vest and unrolled it, slicing his thumb on one of the kunai that he'd pulled from the tree. He slammed his hand into the ground beside the scroll and cried, "Summoning Jutsu!"
A huge lizard appeared and Tobio and Emiko leapt back in shock at the sheer size of it. "What is that?" Tobio asked.
"It's our ride. Hop on!" Yoshi-sensei climbed onto its back and Tobio and Emiko clambered after him, holding on tight as the lizard leapt through the trees in a series of leaps and bounds.
"Sensei, how did you find us?" Emiko asked, her arms tight around his waist.
"I followed the Chakra of the Five-Tails," Yoshi-sensei admitted. "It took a while and a lot of focus, but I tracked you to that village."
"I had to get Tobio-kun to a hospital. He was hurt."
"I'll be fine," Tobio grumbled, resting his head against Emiko's back.
All throughout the trip back Emiko stared into space and thought deeply about everything that had happened. Everything had been beyond her control and she'd done the best she could, even at the expense of her own well-being. She would gladly have sacrificed herself to keep Tobio safe and he would do the same for her.
It was only when they reached Kohonagakure that she realised the impact of her thoughts. She'd thought deeply… and her mind hadn't retreated within itself. Feeling slightly confused, she moved her eyes to Yoshi-sensei's back and stared as hard as she could awaiting the inevitable sliding-out-of-focus.
It never came.
The lizard reached the Kohonagakure walls and Yoshi-sensei climbed off with Emiko in his arms. He placed her on the ground and held out his arms to catch Tobio and place him beside the girl. Yoshi-sensei laid a hand on the lizard's head and smiled as the lizard puffed away in a cloud of smoke.
"Stay here," he ordered. "I'll go ahead and explain the situation." He smiled at them. "I knew there was something tough about you, Emiko-chan, and you too Tobio-kun. You're good kids. We need more loyalty and trust like yours." With that, he walked towards the gates whistling a mellow tune.
Emiko watched him go. "Do you think he's right?"
"I think maybe our friendship inspired him." Tobio smiled. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm a lot better. And you? Do you need rest?"
"I'll be fine when we get home."
"Tobio-kun…"
"Hai?"
"I'm not zoning out anymore. My mind's staying in the present and not retreating like it used to." She gasped. "Is that what Kokuo's gift is? Did he change me back?"
"We'll have to wait and see." Tobio reached out and took her hand, smiling despite his weary face and tattered clothes. "Let's just get home, okay?"
She sighed and leant into him. "Tobio-kun, you're my best friend."
"And you, Emiko-chan, are mine, but don't get all sappy and make declarations of eternal devotion."
Giggling, she looked over at where Yoshi-sensei was entering the gates to Kohona. Maybe now she wouldn't have to talk to the trees to make sense of everything. Now she had a family and people who cared for her – Tobio, Bukiyona-san, Yoshi-sensei and Iruka-sensei. Sure, she had no Chakra of her own and her hair looked freaky, but that was part of who she was.
"Thank you Kokuo," she murmured. "You making me your jinchuriki made all this possible." The pain and suffering was worth it because she'd never been happier.
o.O.o
Owari
