As we run, the sky darkens and Naruto grows more impatient by the second. He suddenly speeds up, hurrying past us.
"Naruto! Wait up! You need to stay with the-"
"I can't take this!" He exclaims, cutting me off. I blink, surprised as Onmyo looks Naruto above us in the tree's.
"I know why they're after Gaara and me. Sakura-chan, You know why too, dont you?" He says, looking down. "Its because of the Kyuubi sealed inside of me." Sakura and Temari make small noises of shock while Kakashi and I remain unphased, though my eyebrows turn upward in worry for my friend.
Naruto clutches at his jacket, just over his heart. "Garra and I both have monsters inside of us. Thats what those guys are after! I..." As he leaps from another branch, the bark cracks, breaking away from the tree. "I hate it! They just see us as monsters! I can't stand the way they veiw us!"
I look down at Onmyo's fur as Naruto goes on. His words piercing through my heart like a spear.
Something falls on my cheek and I stiffen slightly, looking up at my team mate as another tear flies back to Temari.
He's... crying... I think that the only time I've ever seen him cry was... was way back on the Land of the Waves mission...
*This is just a thing to show I'm going to referance 'A Delicate Leaf from a Grain of Sand'*
Naruto pulls me closer to him and I feel a tear land on my cheek.
He's... Crying? But... I don't think I've ever seen him cry...
*This ends the referance.*
I speed up slightly to catch up to my team mate and lean closer to Onmyo, holding onto his shoulders to keep me steady.
"Onmyo, this will be your first time in Suna right?" I ask him. He nods, paw's thumping against the ground.
"Yes, it will." He replys. I look up, his fur flying towards me.
"Its mostly desert, as you can tell. Hopefully we wont hit a sand storm." I murmur into his ear. He flicks his ear and nods again.
As the sky begins to lighten and we pack up our small camp, I notice Sakura has been taking alot of Soldir pills.
Relax... She knows what she's doing. She was taught directly under Tsunade-samma.
I leap beside Naruto, having dismissed Onmyo so he could rest up.
Sakura soon joins us.
"Naruto you've met him before right?" She asks. I turn to her and Naruto blinks. "Uchiha Itachi." Naruto makes a face and I turn back to the road ahead.
"Kanami I hope I'm not intruding-"
"No. Your within your rights. Besides... I couldnt forgive Itachi-kun after this... Not knowing that the group he belongs to has comit such a crime." I say, looking down slightly. Naruto turns to me and then to Sakura once more. Naruto and Sakura continue their conversation while I slow to reach Kakashi.
"Kakashi-Sensei. We're almost to the desert. I'm going to scout ahead." I say. Kakashi glances my way, nodding.
"Be careful." He says. I nod, speeding ahead of Naruto and Sakura, who blink at my retreating form. I reach the desert and notice a large cloud in the distance.
"Sandstorm..." I mutter. I turn back and wait a few minuets for the others to catch up. We quickly retreat into a small cave, much to Naruto's annoyance and prepair to wait the sandstorm out.
While a few hundred miles away, a seal is being performed, and an Ichibi worn to the bone.
We are soon able to travel and we sprint most of the way. I summon Onmyo once more and we make haste for the village.
As we make it through the gate, shouts of joy from Jonin along the outskirts mix with nostalgia and I have to hold back tears. A set of Jonin leads us to the hospital as they explain Kankuro's situation where we start across the lobby. Kankuro...
"Kankuro is in treatment room three-" They cut off as I spurr Onmyo ahead, leaping up the stairs and hopping off of him as we run into the room. I notice two elderly people standing with a medical squad before a bed.
"Kankuro!" I exclaim, hurrying over. I take a look at his wounds and feel my eyes prick. I wipe them quickly as the others run into the room.
"Kankuro!" Naruto and Temari exclaim. Sakura and Temari run into the room while Naruto and Kakashi enter our veiw. Suddenly the elderly woman runs at Kakashi.
"Curse you!" She exclaims. In a flash Naruto and I are blocking our Sensei from attack. Kakashi's eye is wide and confused.
"Prepair yourself!" She exclaims. She moves to punch and I grab her hand, holding it tightly but not to much so. I suddenly notice a gril with dark hair in the room.
"Honno-chan!" I exclaim. I duck as the woman goes to punch again and Honno runs over.
"Chiyo-basamma!" She gasps, moving forward. kakashi holds up his hands as the woman rants about some 'White-Fang' guy.
"Um, I'm not..." He is cut off as the elderly man steps forward, holding his arm out. Kakashi ducks behind naruto slightly, waving his hands in an attempt to calm the woman.
I hurry over to Honno, engulfing her in a hug.
"Honno-chan!" I exclaim. Honno laughs, nearly falling over. She pats my head.
"Ok. Let me go now." She says sheepishly. I nod, and turn back to Kankuro.
"Right. We've got to deal with him anyway." I say. Suddenly Kankuro lets out a strangled, gutteral noise, clawing at his skin. Sweat pours from his forehead and drool hangs from his mouth.
"Kankuro!" Baki mutters. Sakura and I throw our hair up into messy sort of Anko hair styles.
"We'll look at him." Sakura says.
"We're counting on you." Temari says. I turn to the others.
"Mina, please back away and give Kankuro some space." I say, holding up my hands. Everyone nods, moving either into the hallway or to the walls. Onmyo sits beside Temari, laying his head on her lap. Sakura peers at his eyes and I notice the absence of his face paint. That purple stuff covered his face every day. It almost startles me seeing him like this. Kankuro's toes twitch in an almost nervous tendancy.
I open his mouth slightly and Sakura pokes her fingers in, examining his saliva.
"Hey, who are you?" One of the medical members asks. Sakura looks up.
"Konoha medical ninja's." She replys. It is true. I had been put through the same training as Sakura although I specialise better with poisons. I put my ear to Kankuro's chest and listen for his heartbeat.
"Poison." I say. "Composed from heavy metals." Sakura nods. Kankuro twists and turns feverishly.
"It is a kind that gets into the muscles and destroys the cells." I say. I turn to a medical ninja, who watches in awe. "Do you have the medical chart?" I ask. A man nods, handing me the chart.
"It shows the poison's composition but it has blank spots." I nod, taking the chart. "I can fill those in." I turn to Sakura over my shoulder. "Sakura, I need you to remove the poison while I make an antidote." I say. Sakura nods, looking over my shoulder at the clip board.
"His cardiac muscles are being destroyed as we speak so it could stop functioning any time now." I nod, looking over at a medical ninja. "Do you have any medicinal herbs?" I ask. Two men nod, leading me hurriedly from the room while Sakura turns to the remaining people. As we enter a green house, I set up a station and examine the chart once more.
"Its good to see these are working." I say, as I pick a small, dark plant. "What with this being a desert." I say. A medical ninja nods, gathering another herb. "Yes but it is difficult to grow some plants." I shake my head.
"Not at all, actually this is penty." I say, gathering the plants and begining the antidoe while another man works on a testing scroll.
"Actually if this works, we'll have enough for 3 doses!" I say happily. As I continue working, I am aware that time is running low. Though I am confident in Sakura's skills. I end with a small vial of yellow liquid. I turn to the scroll.
"Here goes." I murmur. I pour a single drop onto the scroll and the scroll hisses as the poison that was delivered to us decomposes and is destroyed. My eyes briten. "We did it!" I gasp happily. I hurry and pour the antidote into vials and rush back into the room. I find that Kankuro has regained consiousness and Onmyo is gone. I walk over to Kankuro and set down a cup and a small pitcher like vase looking thing. I pour some antidote into it as he looks at me, breathing heavilly.
I put the cup to his lips. "You have to drink it all." I say, as he gags on the bitter taste of the antidote. He lets out a cough as I set the cup back down and turn to him.
"You should be ok. Just take it easy until the trembling stops." Sakura says. I smile, taking my hair down. I sigh, sitting down on a chair and lifting a hand to my head. A medical ninja notices this.
"Are you alright?" He asks. I nod.
"Im fine. Just tired is all... mostly relived." Honno comes over and hugs me. "Good job!" She gather are backpacks and ae about to leave when "Uzumaki Naruto." Kankuro strains. We all turn to him and blink, shocked. "Please take care of my brother!" Temari and the rest of us sand ninja do a double take while my eyes begin to water.
"Leave it to me." Naruto says, smiling. I drop my bag and walk over to Kankuro, hugging him.
"Damn it, don't make me cry!" I say. Sakura smiles and I grab my bag again. Suddenly I find myself following Baki to some available rooms while Sakura and Kakashi explain what I had missed.
What a week...