Kitsune woke with a gasp. Her eyes, darkly blue, were fearful. That thing behind the web – she could still hear its voice ringing in her head. She looked around, her heart pounding, certain it was there with her, but she soon saw that there was no beast in her room. Sunlight filtered through the glass panes from the window, birds chirping on the ledge. The golden rays warmed the sheets of the bed, heating up her legs. No one was in the room but her. Pale green walls, white curtains, clean sheets. This was definitely not her room.
Where am I?
She pulled the sheets off from her and rose from the bed. Her bare feet touched the cold floor and goosebumps bubbled up her leg. She stumbled as she walked, moving toward the door. On her way to the door she passed a small mirror and halted in her tracks.
Her old room never had a mirror so she never bothered looking at herself. Her appearance was something that never bothered her.
Her head was wrapped up completely in bandages, across her nose and chin. Her complexion was a golden tan and there were dark smudges under her eyes. She looked down at her clothes. White shirt and white shorts. Her legs and arms were covered in bandages along with her hands and fingers. She felt like those dead people they wrapped in toilet paper.
"Awake, I see."
Her head snapped toward the door. Ling stood there with a rather bored expression on her face. Almost as if she had been expecting her to wake up. She walked into the room and made her way to the bed. Kitsune watched her, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. She never trusted people after she woke up. Ling dumped some paper into the waste bin and Kitsune noticed how overfilled it was. Bloody bandages and used needles peeked out a various points in the bins. Kitsune backed up into the table as light refracted off the needle point.
"You shouldn't be moving around so soon. Your stitches may come loose," Ling answered, tucking hair behind her ear.
She stood where she was. Ling turned to her and looked down at her hands. She expected them to be bunched up but instead they were at her side, slightly tense. Then there was something else. Every morning blood would stain the bandages on her arms but today they were as clean as when they were placed on. Kitsune glanced down briefly at her arms then up at Ling questioningly.
Slowly, she began to walk back to the bed. Her eyes remained on Ling the entire way. She crawled into the bed after a little bit of a struggle. Ling didn't pull the sheets up and instead filled a glass with a bubbling, transparent liquid. She held it out to Kitsune. "Here, this will help with the burns."
Part of Kitsune was glad that Ling had at least poured the liquid while she watching in case she put something poisonous in it but she didn't want to drink the strange medicine. But she obliged and took the glass with both hands.
The bubbles fizzed and popped as they reached the surface. She sniffed the liquid and grinned slightly. Peaches. She placed the rim to her lips and chugged it down in three gulps. The corner of Ling's lip curled into a small smile. She took the empty glass back and placed it on the table. Then gently took Kitsune's arm.
The young Uzumaki yanked her arm free and glared at her. She pulled her arm protectively close to her. Ling sighed and raised her hands in surrender. "I promise I will not hurt you. This is just a check-up to see if everything is in order."
Kitsune gazed down at the bandages then up at Ling. She hesitantly held out her left arm and shut her eyes tightly, turning her head away. Ling was gentle as she undid the bandages. She began at her fingers then moved up to her shoulders which was surprisingly where the wraps ended.
As she pulled the last wraps off, her hand stopped completely. Kitsune had been unconscious for five days with serious burns and a concussion. But now; before her very eyes, the burns she had sustained had simply...
Vanished.
Ling's grip tightened on Kitsune's arm as she examined every inch of the skin. It was completely clear of burns. She got to work on removing the right arm's bandages and the same results were present. Second degree burns commonly left scarring but this was the result of... the Bijū.
She had heard of the Jinchūriki having unique healing abilities but this was just unbelievable. Kitsune pulled her arm away and frowned her eyebrows at Ling.
Ling unclipped the bandages around her head and pulled them off. While she did that, Kitsune looked the wraps over but there was nothing on it. No blood. Just dried up burn gauze. It smelt like bubble-gum. Why did all the medication smell like sweets?
She heard a gasp and looked up at Ling. Her lime green eyes were wide as she took a step back.
"What?" Kitsune asked, scratching her face. It was tingly from wearing material over her face and the back of her neck itched from her greasy hair. She reached back to scratch her neck but her hair rubbed against it and blocked her fingers. She frowned and looked at her shoulders.
Her hair reached past her shoulders and lay spread out on the pillow. "This isn't mine," Kitsune mumbled as she pulled on the long strands. Her hair was short and beyond the limits of girly. Now it was oddly long and a darker red than she remembered.
"This is amazing. You were healed up just by five days bed rest. There's not even a sign of your injuries," Ling answered, scratching Kitsune's head. She made a rumbling sound at the back of her throat and closed her eyes with a small smile. Ling smiled and remembered how Naruto and Kitsune had been when they a few days old.
She had been worried about them being so young with the Bijū within them but now it seemed like the Bijū had already passed on their habits.
"Where's Nii-san?"
Ling looked at Kitsune's inquisitive eyes. She was surprised that Kitsune hadn't had asked sooner but she had been delayed on what was happening around her. She smiled and tossed all the bandages into the flooding bin. Someone would come by soon to clear it out anyway.
"I'll send someone down to his room. He'll definitely be happy to see you after so long," Ling smiled.
Kitsune rose an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side. "So long? Was I sleeping long?"
"Not really. Just a very long nap."
Kitsune ignored the statement and picked at the sheets. As her head tilted down, her long red hair fell over her shoulders and scraped against the material. Ling left the room to fetch Naruto who refused to leave the hospital as long as his sister was there. He didn't trust anyone since he found out the real reason his sister was "asleep" and because of that he spent every waking moment near her. He had even watched the nurses when they gave Kitsune her medicine.
Kitsune looked out the window and imagined the creature.
You don't interest me as you are now. It had said.
Now that Kitsune thought about it, the creature had a gentle but firm voice that only women could have. So that strange beast was female. Another thought passed through. Why had it been able to speak? Animals never spoke around here in this world. So maybe it wasn't from around here or from this village. She imagined its tantalising eyes and remembered its piercing claws that had almost killed her. Her hand automatically went to her chest in case there was any blood there to prove she had nearly died.
Like the bandages, the shirt was clean.
Where was the creature anyway? If she was in the hospital the whole time how had she got into the forest with that creature?
"IMŌTO-CHAN!"
Her head shot up and as it did, the door slammed open. Naruto ran through, a wild but happy smile over his lips. He pounced onto the bed, tackling his sister in a bear hug. "You're awake! You're awake!"
"N-Nii-san?" Kitsune stuttered.
The mass of long blonde hair gave it away it was him. He pulled back and grinned at her, a small, pointy, white stump pushing out from his gum. His blue eyes gave off a wave of happiness she had only seen when they got their matching goggles a year ago.
"You've been sleeping for this many days," Naruto held up five fingers. "You didn't eat the whole time. You hungry?"
Her stomach gave an approving growl. She looked down at it. Yep, she was hungry alright. Five days without food... The fact she was breathing surprised her. She nodded and grinned. Naruto dug around in his pocket and handed Kitsune a small container with a green, wobbling liquid. Then he pulled out a colourful cardboard box with a straw attached to it.
"This was what I could sneak in. These ladies are all fussy. One of them tried to feed me green circle stuff that were all pruny," Naruto shuddered.
"You mean me vegetables?"
"Veggie-what? No, it's something with a 'P'. It makes you grow faster, is what she said."
Kitsune would try to wonder what vegetable her brother was going on about but she was still confused about the blue creature. It didn't give a name meaning she couldn't ask anyone and Naruto wouldn't know since he was still talking about vegetables and not creepy creatures lurking in the hallways. If there was one thing Kitsune knew about monsters; it's that they were make-believe. Yet that beast had seemed so real in her dream.
Naruto noticed how quiet Kitsune was and the fact she picking at the jello container instead of eating it.
"What's the matter?" Naruto asked, noticing her pallor. "Are you sick?"
"Didn't sleep well. I had a bad dream," Kitsune said as she opened the jello container. She poked the wobbly liquid, watching it vibrate. "There was a blue monster in a web. A monster. It didn't look like it wanted to get out. It just talked to me."
"Monster? Webs? What were you thinking about? Did the sleepy gas make you see things?"
Kitsune looked over at the oxygen mask hanging by the bedframe. No wonder she dreamt all that. They had been filtering clean air into her so she could breathe. She chuckled nervously and nodded. "That's it then. Bad dreams because of gas."
"Yep. Don't worry about it. As long as I'm here, no monster will come for you."
"Because you look scary?"
"Hey! What's that mean?"
"Oh nothing," Kitsune took the spoon out of Naruto's hand and began ravishing the jello. It was sweet and almost seemed to melt on her tongue. Its sugary mixture left her feeling hyped and excited. She finished the jello quickly and tossed it into the bin. She then grabbed the juice box, ripped the straw off and stabbed it through the foil hole. The juice's peachy tang washed the filthy metallic taste that must've been from breathing through her mouth for five days.
Naruto had been watching her quietly as she ate, his eyes focused on her. She looked up, straw dangling in her mouth.
"What?"
"When did your hair grow? It was never that long," Naruto questioned. He grabbed a fistful of hair and rubbed it between his fingers. Then he tugged. Kitsune yelped and raised her hand back, smacking him across the back of his head.
"Fishcake!"
Naruto lifted himself up, groaning as he felt the jello he ate earlier rise in his throat. He glared at his sister. "It was just a question. No need to hit me. You're acting like Yumi."
The room suddenly became cold and Kitsune stared down at the half full juice box. Her hand went up to touch her cheek, expecting a scab to be there but it was as if it never happened. Which was something she wished were true. If the whole fire, wanting to explore outside the slums had never happened... then maybe they'd still be at home. She wouldn't be in hospital with supposed burns. Everyone would be normal, or at least normal for them.
"What happened to Yumi?"
Naruto shrugged his shoulders and scratched the back of his head. "I woke up and I was here. They kept stabbing me with needles ," Naruto rubbed his neck and winced.
Kitsune thought about the look of pain on Yumi's face as Naruto dragged her away. At the time, Kitsune had been in too much pain to really care but now she realized that Yumi had been sorry.
The possibility of her dying in the fire were astronomically high. Kitsune may not have liked how Yumi treated them sometimes but that was tough love as Mako called it. She had been toughening them up in her own way. Both her and Naruto owed it to her. Even if they weren't sure if she was alive or not. What if she wasn't?
She looked out the window at the village. It was definitely not like the slums. Way too clean and safe. In the slums you had to worry if something would drag you under the bed at night. Just lying in the bed of the hospital, Kitsune could feel the security. She turned back to Naruto.
"When can we go home?"
Naruto's eyes widened and he looked away. He fiddled with his fingers and bit his bottom lip. Kitsune looked at him with worried eyes. "Nii-san? What's wrong?"
"We don't have a home... the slums... the whole place was burnt down. Some shinobi saved us before we could get hurt," Naruto muttered.
Kitsune wasn't as surprised as she expected to be. Alarmed, yes, but not saddened. She nodded and drank up the last of her juice. A silence followed as Kitsune drank her juice and Naruto ate jello he pulled out from his shirt. It wasn't uncomfortable though. It never was when it was just them. Now that they were in the village, they should've felt excited to explore. But now they just missed being in the slums. Chasing wild cats, finding creepy gold lumps. It had been their home.
Well, they could cross that bridge when they got there.
O~O
"Hokage-sama, I'd think it'd be best if Naruto and Kitsune lived here in the village instead of with some smuggler."
Iruka and Kurenai had teamed up to find a suitable home for the twins and they weren't taking no for an answer. They couldn't let the twins be taken in by smugglers again. Just in case the same thing happened again. This time they may not be as lucky for someone to rescue them. It would be safer for them to live where shinobi could keep an eye on them.
Hiruzen looked up from the stack of paperwork he was working on. He had gotten older and it was showing. His skin was lighter, his hair was grey, his face was gaunter and he had wrinkles and liver spots showing his old age. It looked like it had gotten worse once he took up the mantle of Sandaime again, replacing the Yondaime. It wasn't easy work, having to deal with the village's issues all over again as if he'd never left.
As he eyed the two Jōnin, he saw something in their eyes. He looked down at the scrolls and signed them off. "Why would you want that? Something you want to tell me?"
"Someone is after them. Their lives are in danger if they remain anywhere other than here. The fire is an example of that," Kurenai answered, crimson eyes flashing.
"They are too young to have their lives at risk because of their status as Jinchūriki. It would be understandable if they were being attacked while they were older and more prepared. They're barely out of their milk teeth but they're being attacked by unknowns so the Bijū within them can die," Iruka continued, suddenly angry at the thought of seeing the unconscious twins in hospital. "If they live here, they can attend the Academy and become shinobi of the Leaf. Learn to defend themselves against opponents. They're about the right age to start. Maybe next year."
Hiruzen looked at the two. They didn't look they'd let up about letting the twins live in Konoha. He hadn't even see them in four years. Yumi had made sure to keep them away from anyone even related to the village. Being Hokage, the ANBU wouldn't allow him near the slums without protection. And the twins wouldn't recognize him. They'd simply consider him another old man who got lost.
"I may not be part of the Councillors or Keepers, Hokage-sama, but these children need to be safe. I don't know the reason for letting them live with smugglers the first time around but now is different. They don't deserve to have to live their lives in fear," Kurenai said softly.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Minato and Kushina would've wanted their children close to the village. To be near the Academy so they can become full fledged shinobi. His hand curled into a fist. Times were different now. Kurenai was right. What happened in the slums was uncalled for and Yumi should've been there to protect them. Instead, the twins nearly ended up dead and the slums were destroyed. Each time he looked out over the village he saw slums residents left homeless from the fire. If he was at least able to ease the pressure off the two Uzumaki twins; it would make him feel a lot better about what had happened.
"You're right," Hiruzen said as he stood up from his seat.
"See, I knew you'd say that but think of it this way. Naruto and Kitsune could grow up to become powerful and talented shinobi. The village may even begin to overlook the fact they're Jinchūriki and start to – w-wait, what do you say?" Iruka stopped and stared at Hiruzen wide eyed.
Hiruzen chuckled and kept his back turned to them. He stared out over the village. It had been repaired nicely since the invasion and no one could even detect that two powerful Bijū had been at the centre. "You should know better than anyone, Iruka-kun. The pain of being alone. Not having parents to protect you or teach you. Fortunately, the twins have each other but not even that can make up for the loss of parents. Living here may not fill up the gap but they'll form bonds with close people that will become like family to them," he turned to the two, his dark eyes reflecting the light of the sun. "Who knows, one of these days they might be running the show."
"H-Hokage-sama..." Kurenai and Iruka shared a look. They hadn't expected Hiruzen to cave is so easily without a viable argument but it was better than letting them live at a hospital.
"There should be vacancies somewhere for them. I'll have a look into it. Until then, they should be discharged from the hospital. Next year they can attend the Academy but they should learn to read and write now so it'll be simpler for them," Hiruzen said. He looked down at the folder of Naruto and Kitsune which lay open on his desk.
Kurenai smiled and nodded her head. Iruka, on the other hand, crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly. "Hokage-sama, are you going to allow two five year olds to live by themselves in the village? Is it that even safe?"
Hiruzen looked up at Iruka briefly then down at the folder. It was the best option they had. The whole village already knew about the new Jinchūriki and despised them. Believed them to be the reason the Bijū were released. If any family actually adopted them he'd be surprised but those weren't in the cards anymore. "We don't have any other options. Either they learn to survive on their own or risk living with a family that might make their life a living hell. It's the best for them."
"It is, Iruka. No one got anywhere in life without being a little brave. This situation has forced them to grow up a little sooner but they can learn from it. When they have their own children one day, they'll be able to teach them everything they learnt about life," Kurenai placed a hand on Iruka's shoulder and smiled.
Iruka nodded and looked at the ground. When he found out his father and mother had died in the Bijū attack, he had been beyond angry. But he had learnt they were in a better place and had died protecting what they loved. Then he had found those very beasts sealed within the bodies of two innocent children left orphans because of that very attack. But he didn't hate them. Far from it. He wanted to protect them from a life of misery. Their bond was strong as siblings but would it be enough to keep them safe from the wrath of a whole village.
He sighed and nodded his head. "It's not great but it's something."
"Good. Now relax, Iruka. You're too young to be worrying about stuff like. Let people like me sweat the small stuff," Hiruzen laughed.
He turned to the window and looked out over the village. It was a better idea that they grew up here where they were safe. They couldn't simply rely on the Bijū's power to defend them. But they were the children of the Yondaime. Half Uzumaki. Half Namikaze. They'd make it through.
