Chello! ^_^ I feel emotionally withdrawn today, so THIS came to mind.
I don't own NARUTO. I just don't. If I did, this story would be reality.
Kimiko felt quite horrible. She had a burning fever, a light headache, she was drenched in a cold sweat, she was shivering, she was numb, her throat was throbbing with pain, it hurt to breathe, she didn't even have enough energy to sit up, her wounds weren't getting any better, nor was her sprained (possibly broken) wrist, broken ribs, or fractured foot. As she would put it, she felt like crap. She couldn't even lie on her side or move around too much since her wounds threatened to reopen, her ribs would burn and ache, and she would bump her rather dark and painful bruises.
Mikoto walked into the darkened room Kimiko was laying in, a steaming bowl of chicken soup in her hands.
"Kimiko, dear? I have some soup for you." Mikoto said softly as to not worsen Kimiko's searing headache.
Kimiko was too weak and in too much pain to compose a reply, so she merely gave Mikoto a glance of acknowledgement before attempting to close her eyes and fall asleep once again.
Mikoto managed to get her up into a sitting position nonetheless, and Kimiko managed to feed herself. After consuming little more than a quarter of the bowl, Kimiko stopped and insisted that she couldn't eat any more, so Mikoto left and left Kimiko to attempt sleep once again.
Mikoto then went and fed Sasuke, and he ate quite a larger quantity and easier than Kimiko, most likely because he wasn't as sick as her.
Itachi had snuck a bowl while his mother was busy, and he had to admit it was quite delicious. There was still some left over after he was done, so his mother had a bowl as well.
It was awkwardly silent for a matter of minutes, before the phone rang, breaking the silence.
Itachi quickly grabbed the cordless phone in front of him and answered.
"Hello?"
"Itachi? How's Kimiko doing?" Konan asked, it being eerily quiet in the background.
"Konan? Where have you been? I tried calling you and everyone else and no one would pick up." Itachi asked, ignoring Konan's question.
"Sorry. Phone mishap. But how's Kimiko doing?" Konan asked, this time sounding more urgent.
"She's… been better…" Itachi said slowly, trying to find the right words.
"Specifics, Uchiha. Specifics!" Konan snapped, sounding like Hidan.
"She's really sick. Tsunade was NOT blowing it out of proportion in the least. Plus, Sasuke got something from his cuts too." Itachi explained, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Oh, Sasuke too, huh? That's not good… It feels kind of weird knowing that those two are down like this because of that mission and we don't even have the slightest scratch." Konan murmured thoughtfully.
"Exactly what I was thinking." Itachi stated in agreement.
"Well, I gotta go now. Tell Sasuke and Kimiko to get better soon for me, okay? Bye." She said before hanging up.
Itachi hung up also and he placed the cordless phone down in front of him.
'Funny… Usually I'M the first to hang up...' he thought, his inner self pouting.
"Who was that, sweetie?" Mikoto asked, almost halfway done with the dishes by that point.
"Konan." Itachi responded, his inner self still pouting a little.
"Oh. It's good that someone decided to call you back." Mikoto said, glancing back at her eldest son before returning to what she was doing.
"Yeah, the main reason being Kimiko. I shouldn't be surprised though. Tsunade gave us more reasons to be worried, like most health care professionals will often do." Itachi deadpanned, standing up and stretching, as he hadn't moved around much in the last half hour.
"Oh I can't blame her for being curious. They aren't living with her and she's deathly ill." Mikoto said, shaking her head and drying her hands.
Itachi nodded in agreement before going to his room. The last thing he wanted to do was nothing, but being a teenage boy, he couldn't resist the opportunity, and he took a midday catnap, curled up comfortably on his bed.
Sasuke wasn't feeling too good. He had a fever, sore throat, achy body, he shivered like a leaf in the wind when the covers were removed from him, he was drowsy, and he was just feeling sick. The chicken soup helped, but he still felt crappy. Of course, he didn't pity himself, since he KNEW Kimiko had it way worse and she certainly wasn't. How did he know? She was that kind of person. She had been through absolute hell for the first 11 years of her life and you never saw her crying around about it. Hell, she even tried to HIDE it! Why he was thinking this over, he had no idea, but it kept him from pitying himself.
Kimiko lied there in bed, her comatose mind wandering freely through her imagination, every once in a while finding a topic worth thinking over. Eventually, the subject of why she was in a warm bed in a safe, comfortable home and not in a hellhole of abuse and neglect found its way into her ponderings.
'How did someone like ME get friends as amazing as these? I mean, everyone lugged me around on their backs on the mission, Sasuke saved me from the wolf, Itachi and Sasuke saved me from the hellhole of my damned childhood, they took me to the hospital, Itachi helped me see that I actually matter to others, everyone came to see me in the hospital, Hidan threatened to kill my parents for hurting me, the Uchihas took me in, I'm being cared for… These people are just too amazing…' Kimiko thought, looking up at the ceiling and smiling faintly before closing her glassy eyes and drifting off.
Was it alright? I hope it was. Review, and make me smile. Two gains, one action.
