AN: Soooo, it's officially been 3 months since Bee and I have updated this story, and it was mainly because of school. Neither of us had time to even look at this story much less edit the chapters that we already had. But I'm proud to announce that summer is here and our chapters will be released more moderately. (If not weekly depending on how quickly we write them.) We appreciate all the views, favorites, follows and especially those of you who reviewed. Bee is very grateful for your support! :D She wanted me to state her gratitude you guys make us both so happy. Please continue to be awesome readers. So without further ado let's start this chapter!
Special Thank you to those who replied back to my PM's I appreciate your feedback. :)
Disclaimer: We don't own anything but Akane and Uchiha OC's. © Masashi Kishimoto
Chapter 7!
Akane yawned as she left the clinic that evening, around six. She was exhausted. Walking down one of the halls, she regretted not watching where Madara lead her that morning because now she believed that she was completely lost. All the doors looked the same, and none of the hallways looked even remotely familiar to her. Why wasn't there anyone walking around? In any case, Akane probably wouldn't be able to tell the halls apart even if they were filled with people.
Sighing, she just continued walking, too tired to turn back. She figured if she kept going she'd eventually find her way out. These halls couldn't last forever…could they? No, they couldn't. Somehow she managed to walk so far into the base of the compound that she walked into a 'dead end'. The only thing at the end of the hall was a door and for some reason it felt oddly familiar. Looking around her, Akane noticed how dimmed the lights were, and for some reason she pictured Izuna walking beside her and her inability to see his eyes. Then it dawned on her, this was that same exact hallway he took her to go outside to his 'secret training spot'.
"Please let me be right..." Akane spoke to herself as her hand clasped onto the door knob that she hoped lead outside and not into some torture chamber.
"Right about what Akane-chan?" Akane yelped at the sound of a voice behind her. She prepared herself for the worst but once she turned around and saw Izuna leaning up against the wall her nerves slowly started to settle. How did he get there without her noticing him? A shiver ran down her spine. She really needed to up her sensory skills.
"Oh, Izuna…it's you. I thought you were..."
"Madara? Yes I know he is quite a scary fellow to look at. It's hard to believe that a handsome man such as myself is related to him," Izuna cooed, crossing his arms over his chest. A wide grin spread across his lips. The Uchiha arm cross, she noted.
"No…um... I –"
"What, you don't think I'm attractive?" Izuna asked, almost offended. Akane opened her mouth to say something else but then she noticed that he was just joking. Why would she think it was anything else?
"Hideous, Izuna," she giggled, moving to his side. The second in command smirked at her answer, pushing himself up off the wall.
"If only I could say the same for you, Akane. You're beautiful," Izuna deemed, walking passed her. Akane's face flushed and her eyes widened. She was at loss for words. Beautiful? Surely he was lying. She had never been called beautiful in her life. This was abnormal, unreal. This was a joke right? Turning on her heel, Akane attempted to say something but she couldn't because he was nowhere in sight; however, the door to his 'secret training grounds' was open wide giving her an idea of where he went. Stumbling in awkwardly, Akane closed the door behind her taking in the air. It was so refreshing to smell the earth after having to heave in foul bodily fluids, burnt skin, and blood all day.
Looking around Akane tried to locate the raven haired male who seemed to be out of sight until three kunai were thrown and wedged into the dirt right in front of her feet. The brunette stopped walking and yelped in surprise. Those were sharp, and they could have taken her foot off! Looking in the direction they came from, Akane spotted the man she had been looking for. Izuna was standing on a tree branch, leaning up against the tree, a fourth kunai effortlessly twirling around his index finger.
"We're going to do something different today, something more fun, involving pointy objects." Akane's eyes widened, staring at him as if he was delusional. She was exhausted. What made him think she could go through with his training?
"What's wrong, Akane? Isn't that why you were hanging around this door?" Izuna asked, knowing damn well she was lost.
"Uh well, no... not exactly," Akane whispered. The new look on Izuna's face made her feel slightly uncomfortable. Why was he staring at her like that? She couldn't exactly tell what exactly was on his mind. He actually kind of reminded her a bit of Madara. His eyes were still warmer, but his lips that were usually curled into a smile were now thinned out and straight. Akane sighed; she should have known he would push her until she was half dead. If she could still walk then she was trainable.
"Okay –"
"Excellent! Let's go! Grab your kunai," Izuna grinned, his usual happy demeanor back. He jumped down from the tree with that certain grace in his step that amazed Akane, like gravity didn't affect him at all. Picking up the three kunai from the ground, she jogged her way over to catch up with Izuna who had already started walking deeper into the forest on the outskirts of the Uchiha compound. The forest looked different at night time, and it was much harder to see. If it wasn't for Izuna's white shirt he would have easily blended in with the night and shadows. Like before she could barely see his eyes that were partly covered by his bangs.
Akane wore a sapphire blue kimono that was stained with dried blood and unknown liquids in various places. She loved the outfit but wished that she was able to work in attire that best suited the job. Wearing something as nice as this…it should never be anywhere near liquids that stain. Still, she was happy that the fabric was easy to move in and it was short enough for her legs to freely stretch in different positions. Underneath she wore ninja shorts that one of Madara's not-so-nice 'servants' brought for her sometime before she went to sleep. Bottom line: Akane stuck out like a sore thumb, like a bull's-eye on a target.
"Akane, you're staring pretty hard at someone who's supposedly hideous," Izuna snapped her out of her thoughts, causing her to flush again. Looking away for a moment, she was happy that it was dark and he couldn't see her as well. Unfortunately, when she turned her head to look at him again she almost choked on her own breath when she recognized the red glow of the sharingan staring down at her.
"I- uh...sorry. I was just thinking," she stammered, desperately trying to look away from his red orbs but ended up just staring harder. Izuna grinned down at her, which only seemed to make her flush darken.
"Whatcha thinkin' about?" he asked, sounding almost too curious. Akane thought about what she'd say. She wished she had a graceful step like Izuna. Whenever he stepped it was silent, but when she stepped it was like earthquakes hitting several times over.
"Just that, if there were ninja jumping through the trees heading in our direction I'd probably be detected and killed by now."
Izuna chuckled quietly, finding her statement amusing.
"You're right." Akane sweat dropped. What a way to make a girl feel better about herself. "But that's why you have me to teach you. It's all about controlling your chakra and being able to sense other chakra as well. You already have remarkable control over your chakra. You just need to learn how to use it in different situations other than healing. We'll work on it, don't worry." His assuring smile made her feel better. Akane smiled back, nodding her head. His praise meant a lot. Going from spending years where nobody noticed she was good at anything, to having strangers praise and hold her above everyone... it felt nice. Akane was sure that was the reason why she was so comfortable around the Uchiha brothers. They were the only ones who noticed her worth.
"You know... you're a bit weird."
Akane blinked, confused by his comment. Weird? How was she weird?
"Most people fear the sharingan. One look and they're pissing their pants, but you blush and show no signs of fear at all." Akane cocked her head to the side
"Well, you hadn't flashed them at me in a threatening manner. In fact on you they're really beautiful. They almost make you look less hideous," she giggled which made Izuna chuckle.
"Well, that's a different way of describing the Sharingan. I have only ever seen someone look at it in terror. I guess it's a nice change, to not think someone is completely and utterly terrified of you." Akane stayed quiet. She didn't like how serious his voice got at the end. To be truthful, she couldn't picture Izuna as a killer. He seemed so warm hearted and kind. To see him kill someone or even so much as scream at someone would be a shock to her. Akane just hoped that she'd never see him in that angry state.
"You don't scare me Izuna."
Izuna grinned once more at her innocent comments.
"I should," he chuckled dramatically, more so to make her laugh than to be serious, but that comment actually made him feel better. At least not all non-Uchiha's felt bitter towards his people. "Alright, enough fun. We're here, so let's get to work."
Akane sighed. She was enjoying herself on one of her 'adventures' with Izuna but training was a necessity, so she had to put up with it. Izuna had lead her out into a clearing with several trees surrounding them, all of the trees having bull's-eye targets posted up. The moon lit up the fields making it much easier for the brunette to see and she had noticed that Izuna had deactivated his sharingan.
"How far are we from the compound?" Akane asked, peering up at the second in command. Izuna laughed, winking at her.
"Far enough. Why?" he asked with a hint in his voice that had her cheeks heat up.
"No reason, just wondering. Let's get this over with."
Izuna chuckled again, dropping the subject.
"We're simply going to be throwing kunai at those posts." He pointed in the direction of the trees. "This is where I trained by myself back when I was a child. I haven't shown anyone this place before. You'd be the first. You must be quite the special person, Akane." The brunette rolled her eyes.
"Psh whatever, Izuna. Let's just get started."
He smirked once more at her change in tone, but didn't miss the smile that graced her face.
"Alright," Izuna whispered, standing behind her. Akane tensed as she felt his chest against her back. Shivers rolled up and down her arms. What the hell was he doing? He took her hand in his which had Akane flinch as well. Out of force of habit, she tried to pull her hand free. Izuna ignored her protest, gripping her hand tighter and taking a kunai out from his pouch. He placed the kunai in her hand and made her stand in the correct stance.
"Relax, you hold it like this. It's all in the wrist. There's no reason to really use your arm at all, just a simple flick. If you want it to have an extra push that's when you add chakra, but we'll work on that later."
Akane watched as he quickly flicked her wrist and her grip loosened. The kunai went flying straight into the target, hitting dead center.
"See, perfection. Now you try without my help," Izuna suggested, taking a step back so she had her space and also so he wouldn't end up with one eye, not that he'd allow the kunai to hit him. Akane breathed, relaxing her body as Izuna had said. He hadn't hurt her. He wasn't like her father. There was no reason to worry. Focusing on one of the targets and just as Izuna demonstrated for her, Akane flicked her wrist letting go of the kunai. It to bounce off a tree and flew somewhere in the bushes. Great she sucked. It was quiet for a moment. All they could hear were the owls hooting in the background until a sudden burst of laughter from the male behind her filled the air.
"Damn, you suck!" he called. Akane flushed, clutching her hands into fists. She wasn't happy with herself, but hey look at the 'bright side'; at least Izuna was amused by how pathetic she was. That's good right? She sighed, waiting for the Uchiha to stop laughing which didn't take nearly as long as she had expected it to. Izuna moved forwards once more, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye.
"It's not funny!" Akane cried, huffing. Izuna chuckled a bit more at her pouting face but nodded, calming himself down.
"Alright, I'm sorry. Your flicking was perfect; it's just your stance. You're too stiff. Relax, breathe, and as cliché as this may sound be one with the kunai."
Akane giggled quietly. Izuna stood before her standing in a stance.
"Here, mimic me and try not to stare." Akane ignored his comment. She concentrated on making it so that her body was mimicking his stance. Izuna moved out of the way and back to the spot behind her where he observed her once more. Taking a deep breath, Akane relaxed her body and like Izuna had said she flicked her wrist and released the kunai. Her heart jumped when she noticed the kunai wedge in the tree bark just under the target
"That was great; you just gotta work on your aim now."
Akane sighed, brushing her hair out of her face. She cursed herself for forgetting a hair tie. It just got in the way. She wondered how Madara moved around so effortlessly without his hair getting in the way.
"Here," Izuna said, catching her attention. Turning around she took the four extra kunai that he had dangling from each finger. "Practice until you either drop or you hit the target..." Akane groaned, but Izuna shook his head, wagging his finger in her face like she was a child.
"No groaning Akane-chan. Groaning doesn't get you better. Practice does," Izuna cooed, yawning and making his way to a tree, sitting at the base to watch from afar. Hanging her head, Akane sighed once again, but she figured the faster she did this the faster she could get inside. One kunai after another, Akane threw them each, one either hitting the tree bark or missing the tree completely. Izuna was quiet. He hadn't said a thing unless she was completely off. Every now and then he would say "fix your stance" but other than that nothing. The silence was really starting to get to the brunette considering the fact that Izuna was always the one to say something first.
"Hey Izuna..."
"Hmmm?" he hummed, peaking at her with one eye.
"How important is it to have medics out on the field?" Akane asked. Now both of his eyes were open, but his position against the tree and arms crossed over his chest stayed. He just wanted to know where she was going with this.
"Very. So far you're the only one who knows how to successfully heal. We have doctors who have medical skills but they stay at the compound at all times considering the fact that they have no battle skills whatsoever." Akane snorted at his comment.
"And I do?"
"You have the potential to be a very powerful and prominent kunoichi. Don't doubt yourself so much Akane. I mean what I say. I wouldn't train you if I thought you couldn't learn from it," Izuna stated sternly. Akane flushed at his comment for what seemed like the ninth time that day. "Why do you ask though?"
Akane continued throwing kunai, each one getting closer and closer, but once she used her last one she turned towards Izuna.
"I was thinking that maybe, I could have a 'class' sort of like medical school. I could teach them fundamentals of medical ninjutsu and work with the ones who have potential to be outside on the battlefield individually to strengthen them. Of course it'll take years for them to get perfect, but I'm sure I could get them to at least be able to heal minor injuries by the end of this month if they work hard. What do you think?" Akane asked. She noticed that the male seemed deep in thought, so she decided to go pick up the kunai and give him time to think. Pulling each kunai out of the tree and picking up the ones that missed, the brunette quickly made her way back to hear what the raven haired male had to say.
"I - I'm not asking out of arrogance of course! I know the thought of me, an outsider, teaching Uchiha sounds ridiculous, but -"
"But what?" he interrupted.
"It's just today at the clinic...this man was injured. He was bleeding out. The only reason he survived was because I sealed the wound with my chakra. Basic stitches and gauze won't always do the trick, at least not when it comes to war. I know I'm young, and I don't belong here, but there are several medics I saw today who work hard and have potential."
"Oh?"
"Can you imagine if I started teaching them to use chakra to heal and they took it seriously? Izuna, the Uchiha would have a medical squad. I'm sure some of them are decent in battle too," she went on. He blinked softly, amused by the passion of her words.
"You may be terrible at throwing kunai, but even I can't deny your medical skill. A medical squad you say? Trained by you? The Uchiha would indeed have an advantage. To be honest, you're the first medical-nin we've encountered. There have been rumors of people using chakra to heal, but no one's ever really proven it, most likely because it's incredibly difficult to master, thus making it rare. So if a master like you raises our already educated medics…" He stroked his chin as he spoke. Akane smiled at his interested, hope kindling in her heart, but it soon faded.
"Even so, they wouldn't take me seriously. I've met many kind people in my short time here, but I've also met many others who wished I was gone or dead. There's one medic who forced me to label bottles for most of the day," she sighed.
"Hmm, Sadaharu told me about that," he hummed.
"He did?"
"He felt bad that you were treated so poorly by this Marika. I'm sure you understand how strange it might be to have an outsider suddenly on the inside, but as an Uchiha, Marika should know better than to be disrespectful, especially to someone who I'm sure did nothing to deserve it. Pay no heed to her. She's bitter. Between you and me, I never really liked her much," he chuckled. Akane let out a relieved laugh.
"Your idea is a good one."
"Arigato, but I doubt it'd work out. They wouldn't listen. Maybe it's best if I drop it, you know? I should just stay low."
"If that's how you feel," he shrugged, not wanting to push her. "Do a few more rounds of target practice so we can head back. You still look spent from earlier," he grinned.
"Hai, hai."
Izuna escorted Akane back to her room some time ago, and he wandered around for a bit, waiting for her to settle down and head to bed. Once he was sure she had fallen asleep, he swiftly made his way over to his brother's quarters, not bothering to knock or even announce his entrance.
"Now I know you were raised with better manners than that," Madara commented, sitting on the floor before a low table, scroll and ink before him.
"I don't think you're any better, always threatening people, making them soil their pants. What's proper about that?" Izuna inquired, leaning against the shut door.
"Keh, you always have something to say, don't you?" He continued with the brush in hand.
"Always, Nii-san."
"Did you need something, Izuna?" Madara spoke quietly, facing his brother for the first time.
"Nothing in particular, no. I thought I'd see if you needed anything. You've been running around lately."
"As always."
"Perhaps a bit more than usual."
"Who knows?" the elder brother sighed, setting the brush down to lean back on both arms. He shut his eyes momentarily, enjoying the moment of peace. "What has my devious little brother been up to, might I ask?"
"The usual business. I saw Akane to her room earlier. I doubt you heard, considering you might have been suffering in another meeting as always, but she saved someone today. Impressive for her first day, ne?"
"If you say so," he replied, eyes still closed.
"He would have died had it not been for her. She did well. Sadaharu witnessed it all unfold. He did say she faced some trouble however. Being an outsider, some of the medics aren't so fond of having her around, one in particular. Marika."
"Is that so?"
"Madara, Akane is very valuable, this you know."
"Ah."
"I spoke to her earlier."
"And?" He finally peeled open his eyes, curious.
"She mentioned an idea. I think it would be great if it all worked out."
"And what is this idea of hers, Izuna?"
"A class, sessions. Akane would teach the others medical ninjutsu. She's not just some kid when it comes to it. She has mastered the subject. She is more capable than any doctor we may cross, and you know it. She made the point that some of the medics are skilled in battle as well, which leads to the most important part: a medical squad. We would have a unit that can accompany us in battle, on missions, and during travel. Medics who can fight and defend themselves but also heal wounded soldiers in mere minutes," Izuna fell quiet, catching his breath after his small spout.
"I think it's brilliant Madara, and she seemed excited about the idea, but isn't too sure. As I said, she's been having trouble finding a place amongst us. Granted, it hasn't been that long, but for her to waltz in and decide to instruct the nurses and doctors, she'd surely be hated. I can't say I disagree with her. I understand the feelings some Uchiha might have, and I understand Akane's doubt. It'd be a great way to start building up the Uchiha, but then again, who is she to do so?" he shrugged, discussing the pros and cons.
"You're quite talkative today," Madara said, reaching over for the small cup of tea that was cold by now. He drank it regardless. Izuna opened his mouth to speak, but fell silent instead, something only Madara could make him do.
"A new girl arrives at the compound and has my little brother all wound up." He couldn't help but smirk against the teacup. Izuna narrowed his eyes, irritated.
"I'm just doing my job. When you're off screwing around with those old farts, I'm making sure she has what she needs. If she's miserable, she won't do her job," he explained.
"She'll do her job because I said she will, Izuna."
"Always so forceful. You'll scare her off one of these days. It's amazing she can be in the same room as you without having a panic attack."
"I'll scare her off one of these days? My dear brother, the woman healed me twice, begged me to save her, and willingly gave up everything she knew to come here and work for me. If I was going to scare her off, don't you think it would have happened by now?" he questioned rising to his feet.
"Yeah, yeah, she's just different is all... She has...guts. Yes, guts. She even disregards honorifics."
"That's not guts, that's nerve, the actions of a bold woman who doesn't know her place. Luckily, I care not for trivial things like that. She doesn't necessarily have to call me "Madara-sama" to respect me."
"So we're back to using fear for respect."
"Call it what you will, Izuna. In the end I run the show and she does as I say."
"Humph," he blew a strand of hair from his face. Fixing his robe, Madara strolled over to his brother, his tired and defined eyes shut again, hair bouncing slightly with each gentle step.
"It's late. I'd like to get some rest before someone else comes knocking on my door," he smiled softly in the dim light, placing a hand on Izuna's head.
"I didn't knock, remember?" he chuckled.
"Go," he sighed, playfully shoving him towards the door.
"Oyasu, Madara,"
"Ah," he nodded, watching Izuna slip out and slide the door shut.
