10: Under Lock And Key
Yumemi stirred as unconsciousness left her body once more. "Oh she's waking up." A males voice sounded. It wasn't the same one from before. It sounded younger. Couldn't open her eyes to see who was there since her head was hit with a throbbing pain. She tried to lift her body but it felt ten times heavier than usual. "Don't try to move yet, you were unconscious for a week." The warmth of a wet cloth was pressed onto her forehead. Slowly Yumemi opened her eyes and met onyx ones lined with dark grey behind lenses. There was A boy sitting on the end of the bed where she laid. He had bluish grey tufty hair and fair skin. She could make out pointed teeth past the tiny gap between his parted lips. He was short and wore a dark lavender shirt with a turtle neck collar and long sleeves. Thin vertical stripes traveled the length of the fabric.
The boy's eyes widen as he looked into her orbs of two different intense lights. When she turned her head to look at him, her hair fell away from her pointed ears. She was a strange thing to behold but also captivating with her unnatural beauty. Her long sky blue hair had grown longer than what it was a week ago. He had been caring for the girl, waiting for her to awaken from her short coma. Her clothes were damaged from the water so a nurse came and changed her into a simple brown dress. "I'm Chojuro, its nice to meet you um..." he hoped she would give him her name but she remained silent like the air.
She forced herself to sit upright on the bed. The boy was flustered, telling her to lie back down and that she is still recovering. Yumemi raised a hand and tapped her throat. He narrowed his eyes slightly but then his features soften. "You can't speak?" He asked. She nodded her head. "I see, well anyway, you must be hungry. Here eat this." He picked up a tray that had been resting behind him and looked down shyly. "I know its not much of a meal but its all I could make." A light blush rose to his face as he scratched the back of his neck. He didn't seem to have much confidence in himself at all. She took the tray and looked at its contents. On a plate was three dango sticks and a meat bun. She never had dango before, nor meat buns. At her birth town only rice and fruit were given to her. She picked up one of the sticks and opened her mouth to take a bite. "You have fangs." Chojuro states curiosity.
She stroked her thumb across the white ivory rows, coming in contact with four points. Two on top an bottom. 'A side effect from the change' her sisters voice echoed within her mind. 'Speaking of, within the month you need to be in water or else you will be in a very bad situation. Trust me.' Yumemi nodded, the gesture being mistaken as a response to the boy's observation. She proceeded to eat the dango. The warm sweet taste delighted her and she quickly ate the rest of them. He watched with slight amusement at her behavior. Its like she never ate this food before. He faltered. Maybe she hasn't. After all he knew nothing about her except that she was a kunoichi from the leaf but even that might not be true. There was no proof that the headband was hers.
She finished her food and drink and nodded in thanks. "Excuse me now. I have to get the Mizukage, she needs to speak to you now that your awake." Chojuro took the tray of empty dishes and left the cell, the barred door closing behind him. Yumemi slid her legs out from under the grey blankets. Her bare feet pressed into the cold stone surface of the cell's floor as she walked to the only window available. Her hair now reached to her shins instead of her rear. She rose on her toes to look outside. She could barely see anything from all the mist everywhere. Silhouettes of tall cylindrical building of all heights and sizes could be made out. The tallest towers had trees on the rooftops.
Approaching footsteps were heard behind her. Then they stopped. Metal scraping against stone was followed by a mans voice, harsh sounding and gruff. "So this is her?" Chojuro replied quickly. "Yes. She doesn't speak so I don't know her name." Yumemi turned around two see the visitors. There a lovely tall, slender woman. She has green eyes, and ankle-length, auburn hair that splayed out on the ends and left only her left eye visible. There was a portion of it tied up at the top of her head. She wore a long-sleeved, dark blue dress that falls just below the knees. It seems to be closed at the front with a zipper, and is kept open on the front-right side from the waist down. She wore mesh armor underneath like most ninja she had seen do. She was a rather beautiful woman. Yumemi felt like she was plain in comparison.
The man beside her looked like a stern person. He was a middle aged man with blue hair that was styled in a moussed-up manner. His left eye was blue and his right eye was covered with an eye-patch. He also wore the standard striped, grey suit, with a green haori that had white trimmings that stop halfway down, over them. Veins bulged from around his eye-patch. "Mizukage, this girl has strong chakra and a large amount of it as well." He informed the woman. Yumemi looked at her. So that's the Mizukage? She had sensed that she was powerful, getting the same feeling she had around Tsunade. The man narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here?" His tone was serious and demanding.
Yumemi flinched and pressed herself against the wall behind her. "Ao! don't scare the girl." She glared at him before walking over. "Sorry. We mean no harm child." She smiles kindly. "Are you from the leaf?" She asked. Yumemi thought carefully for a moment. She never considered herself anymore than a visitor there. But she had no place to return to...that means its her home now right? After thinking it through she nodded yes. "One for gennin, two chunnin, three-" She didn't finish since Yumemi held up one finger, understanding the question.
The man named Ao didn't believe her. How could someone who is just a gennin able to hold so much chakra of that amount of power. The narrow suspicious gaze made Yumemi shrink into herself. "Now Ao, I thought I told you to stop that." She smiled but it was fake. "Sorry, he is far too tense." She sighed. Yumemi shook her head and waved her hand as if to swat a fly. "One more question..." She tensed at the seriousness in her tone. "How old do I look to you?" Yumemi blinked, not expecting such an odd question to come from a kage. Ao and Chojuro visibly stiffen their posture.
Ao prayed that Mei would not kill the girl, even if she was a suspicious outsider. To his relief the girl raised her hand to sign twenty two. She had held up two fingers, first with the palm forward and then she flipped her hand around to indicate that the number was repeated.
The Mizukage smiled brightly before wrapping her slender arms around the bluenette who looked stunned at the action. "I like this girl! Come on lets not keep her in this dingy cell a second longer. Ao send a letter to Tsunade alright." With that the silent, and still stunned, girl was dragged out of the room and off down the corridor by the cheerful woman. I'm having deja'vu. She thought, remembering being in the same predicament with Naruto. This world seemed to be full of strange people.
Shikamaru sat at the pond. He skipped a rock across the surface of the water. With a groan, the Nara fell onto his back and stared at the blue sky. It was taunting him. The girl with the same color of hair was nowhere to be found. "Oi Shikamaru." His eyes locked onto a thread of grass floating away after the blonde landed beside him. "Hey Naruto." He greeted in his usual tired tone. "What's up?" His brown eyes shifted to the knucklehead. "Nothing really. He sat down beside Shikamaru and leaned back on his arms. "Thinking of Yumemi?" Naruto asked, he was worried about the silent just as much as he. "Yeah. Its a drag how she just runs off like that." He sighed. "She didn't make a run for it dattebayo!" Naruto jumped to his feet as he defended her.
"Hey cool it Naruto, that's not what I was saying." For he knew that she wasn't the type to abandon people even if she hardly knew them at all. She was dedicated in what she puts her mind to and she obviously had decided on becoming a ninja for the leaf village. It had been more than a week since the vanishing, he was becoming more on edge by the hour. Could she have died?
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Shikamaru was playing shogi with Asuma again when Kurenai suddenly ran over, her team right behind her. They returned far to early, its a three days journey if not more to the land of whirlpools. They look like they haven't took a single break. "Hey Kurenai what's the matter?" Asuma asked, concern for the scarlet eyed kunoichi was obvious on his face. Most would have guessed by now that the two were lovers, they just don't show it in public.
Hinata spoke as her former sensei caught her breath. "Yumi-chan s-she d-d-dissappeared." Shikamaru stood this time. Was sending her on a mission a bad call? He panicked momentarily before gaining his calm. "What do you mean exactly?" Kiba spoke up this time. "Akamaru and I tracked her all the way to a cliff where one of the bandits was lying dead but there was no sign. One of her kunai and her shirt sleeve was all that we found. her scent didn't go anywhere else."
"You failed to mention that at the very edge of the cliff there was new dirt. The bugs there were restless as if something disturbed the soil. Its safe to assume she stood there but the earth beneath her feet gave way." Shino's know it all voice corrected the dog boy. "Well I knew that!" Kiba growled, gritting his teeth before looking away, seemingly frustrated at his inability to find his new friend. Shikamaru dragged a hand down his face. "Go report that to the Hokage." He says before walking away without another word. If she turns up dead it will be his fault.
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Shikamaru sighed again. "Oh by the way. Here." Naruto held out the scroll that Yumemi had used to teach herself. "I bet Yumemi took this from your house and not from some bookstore." He grinned. Shikamaru sat up and took the scroll and turned it. Carved into the wooden pole in the center was the Nara emblem. When did she steal this anyway? He smirked when remembering that she used to know absolutely nothing. She had ran into a tree without realizing that chakra was needed to climb it. A bark was heard off in the distance. He frowned at the fact that so many people have come to this one pond. Yumemi liked it here and used it as a get away. He used to be the only one. This irritated for some reason.
Akamaru sprinted over with Kiba on his back. "Hey guys. Tsunade got word about Yumemi, she asked all of us to come to her office." He shouted, a big grin on his face.
(in the office)
All the young ninja were in the room, looking at Lady Tsunade anticipation. Her sharp brown eyes moved across all their faces. "Good, you all made it." Naruto leaned forward. "Is it true? You got news about Yumi-chan?" Yumi seemed to have become her official nickname within the time span of ten days just by her being gone.
Tsunade gave them all a smile that eased any assumption that the news would be bad.
"Yumemi is fine. She was found washed up on the rocks in the land of water. She is under the Mizukage's direct care until she has recuperated from her injuries." Neji tilted his head, narrowing his pale eyes. "Why would the Mizukage do something like that?" He asked. Shikamaru was curious to know also.
Tsunade sighs. "Despite what you heard of the 'blood mist' the Mizukage now is different from the last. She has been changing the mist village and she isn't one to keep another ninja hostage."
"With that said...She will be back in a weeks time."
Everyone in the room was delighted as well as relieved and went out to celebrate with barbecue again. Shikamaru felt the most relief out of all of them. To many times before had his choices ended up with the near death of his friends.
With a smile, he followed the group, putting his hands in his pockets. The cold metal of the hairpin he bought touched his fingers.
I won't fail next time on giving it to her.