Chapter 10

Ritsuka woke later in the night, her head thumping and her body aching. She really should have taken that rest. That was when she noticed that she was no longer outside on the grass, but in her bed. Her mind went frantic as she thought of how she had gotten here. Had Minato brought her home? Or Kakashi? Or had her father been called come and get her? Had they met her father? Hopefully her father hadn't said anything out of place or weird had he? Maybe he hadn't done anything. Maybe everything was fine…

Ritsuka got up from her bed, dread filling her mind. She had to find out what had happened. She quietly opened her door and limped slowly down the hallway. She approached the living area, hesitating for a moment. Her heart began to race as she heard her father speaking rather harshly.

"No! Leave me alone! I could never do that… I could never hurt her!" he was on his knees as if praying, his voice begging. "Please… It must have been someone else! I could never!" he began sobbing, his voice becoming horse. "But if I did hurt her… maybe I should kill her… then no one, including me, would ever hurt her… but then would I not be the one hurting her!"

Ritsuka breathed deeply, feeling her chest close in on her lungs. Her own father was talking about her! It couldn't be true… but the way he had been acting…

Ritsuka stepped back from the doorway, panic beginning to set in. She cursed under her breath as her foot caught on the hallway table, knocking a vase of dead flowers onto the floor.

Shinobi my ass! She berated herself.

Silence fell on the house, then filled with the sound of her father's footsteps resonating at a deafening level. Ritsuka desperately tried to move, but her body refused to comply.

"You! How long have you been there!" her father demanded, his hand grasping hard onto the front of her t-shirt, lifting her to her tiptoes.

"I only just came… I was just-" Ritsuka was cut off as she felt her back hit against the wall.

"Did you hear what they were saying?" he waited a second for Ritsuka to answer, but she had no idea what he was talking about. There was no one else in the room. "Did you?!" he screamed, his temper exploding. This time he did not wait for an answer, throwing his daughter to the floor violently.

Ritsuka coughed, her body aching. She looked up at her father, hoping for some kind of reaction, but his hair hung over his eyes, darkening most of his face from sight.

"Father… please!" she begged, her defencelessness evident in her voice. "There is no one here… I only heard you…" Her father stopped, rage filling his body, causing it to shake violently.

"Not only did you eavesdrop, but you are a dirty liar!! If there is anything I hate more in the world, it's lies!!" Her father stamped hard on her frail body, all the anger that he had ever felt ebbing through his ministrations. He continued to beat upon Ritsuka, ignoring her gargled screams of pain and apology. All he could see was red as he kicked and punched, all he could her was every lie that he had ever been told as he threw and shoved.

The only reason that he eventually stopped his advance was because his daughter had stopped making any kind of noise at all. Only when her body lay limp and cold did he find his control return to him. The once strong and unstoppable force became the frail and tearful failure of a father. He dropped to his knees, begging for Ritsuka to make some noise, for the only person left in his world to show signs of life. But his wishes were left un-granted.

He had to save her.

Without another thought, he pulled the broken body of his daughter into his arms, holding her as close as possible without breaking her further. He hushed and soothed her, his voice cracking as he began to sing old lullabies that he once new. He ran out of the house, panic and fear driving him onwards. The only place he knew where he could go, where Ritsuka's life would be priority.

Minato walked around his flat feeling and little uneasy. The hokage had told him to keep an eye on Ritsuka, but not to interfere with her and her father's life. He would put forward his own investigation as an official "check-up on people who have lost loved ones" thing so that Ritsuka's father wouldn't get spooked.

But something told him that it just wasn't enough, the hokage wasn't taking him seriously enough. It was probably due to Ritsuka's father and the hokage being such close friends, maybe he was just too involved in the situation to make a clear choice… but none the less, the choice was still made and he could only do what was instructed.

Minato sat at his desk and began planning Monday's training. He sighed as he tried to think of what Ritsuka could do in her state, and began jotting some ideas down. He wasn't even half way through his list when he sensed two figures approaching his door. He got up to answer it before the knock came.

Minato's stomach lurched as he saw the bloodied mess of Ritsuka in her father's caring arms. Her father wouldn't meet his gaze, but he knew what he had to do.

"I'll take her to the hospital, she needs a doctor now." His calm voice soothed Ritsuka's father's thoughts. He didn't think twice before handing his daughter over. Minato was off like a shot, not paying any attention on whether his student's father was following.

He rushed through the doors of the hospital, his mind racing.

"I need a doctor now!" he found himself screaming, panic slowly bursting through. Her pulse was too low to sense and only his hope and belief that Ritsuka was strong enough to make it was helping him through this. A nurse ran from around her desk and shouted a couple of names out. Three people in white coats ran into the main entrance room and took Ritsuka carefully from Minato's arms. She was carried off with the three shouting for certain equipment and tests to be set up.

A few hours passed and Minato found himself unable to leave the hospital. He knew he should be meeting his team in an hour or so, but he just didn't feel like moving. The smell of Ritsuka's blood was still in the air, coming from his now dry clothes. He sighed as he rubbed his hand roughly through his hair, trying to rid his mind of the bad thoughts that continued to haunt him. Every second felt like an hour, every hour like a day.

After a few more minutes a rather flustered nurse came up the hallway. She spotted Minato immediately and walked towards him. He wasn't expecting great news looking at the nurse's face.

"I'm afraid we are still unsure if she is going to make it. She has had a blood transfusion and seems to be taking to it well, but her body is still largely damaged. Countless broken bones and damaged organs, including more fractures and dislocations. We are doing our best, but please know that it is still not certain that she will survive." The nurse ended her speech with a sigh of exhaustion. The team had obviously been working hard with Ritsuka, he could appreciate that, but Ritsuka had to survive.

"Can… can I see her?" The words didn't sound like they had left Minato. He hadn't spoken in so long that he wasn't sure he really had. But the nurse acknowledged his question.

"Not now. She is currently getting the last of her dislocations and broken bones reset. It shouldn't' take to long so maybe in an hour or so?" She seemed to perk up at the positive outcome.

Ritsuka would be fine. She had to be.

Minato nodded in acknowledgement and headed off to inform Kakashi and Gai of the current situation.

Herro again! hope you're still enjoying the story!

Sorry this chapter is shorter than the rest, but it seemed like the most dramatic bit to stop it at, will she survive won't she? and all that cliffhanger jazz! XD

Well let me know how things are going, please, cause i don't seem to be getting much needed feed back.

Thanx again!