--Chapter Thirteen: Some Days At The Hospital--
Itachi's eyes were heavy, and his head felt a little light. 'How long was I out?' he thought as he sat up in the bed. Itachi then forced his eyes to open. Even though he was tired and felt a little weaker then he usually was, however he could feel his strength slowly returning to him. With one hand on his head he looked around in the room, and did soon recognize the decoration of if. 'I'm in the Konoha Hospital?' as he thought that, the door open and a girl with long black hair walked in. She was holding a plate with food. As her eyed looked down on the plate, balancing it carefully over the floor, Itachi noticed her eyes and they were white. 'A Hyuuga?'
"You're awake." her voice was calm and nice, and she had a smile on her face as she walked over to Itachi's bed with the food plate.
"You must be hungry. Shiruba-San told me you would wake up to day and that I should make you some... food, so here it is." the girl blushed a little as she said the last part. Itachi sat in his bed surprised by the girl. Had this girl lived in Konoha when he was known as the killer of his own Clan? Why was she so calm? Didn't she find him dangerous? Suddenly something hit him.
"You must be hungry. Shiruba-San told me you would wake up to day and that I should make you some... food, so here it is."
'Shiruba did...? The only reasons she dose tell someone to do something for another person is when... they are soul mates...' Itachi looked at the young girl. 'So she is mine...' He then made a weak smile, but he soon had he's usually cold mask back on. 'no way..'
"Here Itachi-San." The Hyuuga girl said smiling as she sat his food on the table. 'Wait a second.' Itachi thought as he now saw the girl closer up. 'I know her, her name is Hinata and used to go in Sasuke's old class.'
"Ho...w is Sa..suke?" Itachi noticed his voice had not completely returned to him yet as he asked about his little brother.
"Sasuke-Kun? ..." Before Hinata could replay to his question, someone walked in the door.
"Sasuke and Naruto are sleeping in the other rooms." It was Shiruba. And she had had her better days, she looked drained for energy and eyes looked heavy and so did her body as she walked in the room.
"I'm glad to see you awake Itachi... it have been one hundred and forty-four hours since you was conscious, or six days." Shiruba's voice was weak, and it looked like she was about to faint just by saying that.
"Shiruba-San... you should... go and get some rest... now. I can look after... the other boys in your... place." Hinata said, mumbling just a little in her sentence.
"It's okay, just stay her for a moment while I'm going to see after the other." Shiruba then turned around and when out the door.
"Why is she so tired?" Itachi asked as Shiruba was out.
Hinata sighed, and gave a small smile. "You room is to the far left, to your right is Sasuke's room, and at his right is Naruto's. And in all the time you three have been asleep, she did not sleep once. In six days sat Shiruba on the wall over Sasuke's door. At first I didn't know what she was doing there, but then she told me that she could feeling through the wall and by that get to know if you guys changed your status or was soon to wake up. In addition, she send Chakra in the three rooms, healing Chakra, making your bodied and mental status heal faster. That's way she is so drained out now."
Itachi was shocked to hear this. Okay, so many year ago she had meet him and somehow found out of his past and all that. But all the things she had done could not just be because she wanted him and Sasuke to have a better life. It had to be something more...
"How? She was almost empty for Chakra at that time.." Itachi was thinking about the time he wake up from his Tsukuyomi. He had got a little look on Shiruba before everything when dark on him, and she did not have much Chakra left at that time, so how could she still have Chakra now?
"Th...at's because I gave her... a medicine."
"Medicine?" Itachi looked at the young Hyuuga girl.
"Yes... She asked me to make it. It would make her Chakra retune to her right away, but the side effect is that she will need a lot of rest when her Chakra goes out." Hinata ended the sentence and looked ashamed down in the floor, she obvious didn't like to make that medicine, little let someone drink it.
"So, dose she knows when Sasuke and Naruto will be up?" Itachi asked as he worked on getting out of the bed.
It took Hinata a little while to answer, since she looked lost in thoughts. But as she saw Itachi standing in front of her, she slapped back to reality. "Eh... No, she doesn't really know. Naruto used a lot of Chakra and Sasuke as well. But she things Sasuke will be up in... one to two weeks."
Suddenly it was a knock on the door. "Ah... That must be Hokage-Sama." Hinata when over to the door, opened it and the Hokage; Tsunade walked in with two ANBU captain following her.
"Uchiha Itachi." Tsunade said in a strong voice. "The reason you are here, and not in the dungeon with the other three, is because Shiruba said she had proof of your innocent of the murder on the Uchiha Clan. What the proof is, nobody knows except her."
Itachi was silent. 'Proof? How can she have proof?' he didn't know anything about something like that. And who was the others in the dungeon? 'Mmm.. it have to be the three that was traveling with Sasuke.' For Itachi it was a little hard to separate what really had happen in the and world from his Tsukuyomi. However, the pieces of the puzzle did fast return to him.
"Shiruba have taken on every responsibility for your behavior until Sasuke and Naruto wakes up. Because, sadly I'm not allowed to see this proof of hers, until they are awake."
"Tsunade..." said a harsh and angry voice, you could almost feel the hatred in it. "I thought I told you to leave them all alone." It was Shiruba who had arrived behind the two ANBU's, each of them with a kunai against their throat.
The Hokage turned around, but didn't to anything. "Yes you told me that, and I trust you, it's just him I don't trust." she looked over at Itachi. But he just stood still, not moving. Then Tsunade continued her talking. "And since you are soon out, I will just tell you now, since Itachi is awake, that he will have four of my best ANBU captains looking after him twenty-four /seven and each captain has a group of four other ANBU under themselves."
"So you are just going to watch over his every movement?" Shiruba lowered her kunais.
"Yes, but if he does anything strange he will be thrown to the jail where he belongs." with that said, Tsunade and her ANBU left the room.
Shiruba walked in the room, with one hand on the wall to hold her up.
"I'm sorry..." she mumbled, as she felt the unconscious getting more and more tempting for her.
"I can't stay awake anymore." Hinata got worried and walked over to her. The Hyuuga girl took Shiruba's arm, and took it around her shoulders holding the tired girl up from the floor.
"I just want to say... keep an eye on Naruto... and Sasuke... none of them... has had the changing shock. But then again... they could go through with this without it, but that change is little. It's just matter... of time until their bodies can't handle it anymore and they will be going through a lot of pain... if you don't help them." Shiruba forced her face to stay up. "If I wake up... and find out that... they had to go thought the awful pain... I will send... both of you... to the... dungeons." with that threat hanging in the air, Hinata felt Shiruba become a little heavier over her shoulders.
"She's... asleep." Hinata said amazed as she looked at Shiruba's now hanging head. "She knows she was about to fall asleep, but she still forced to leave that threat." Hinata smiled.
"She really is something." Hinata then laid Shiruba down on Itachi's hospitable bed, since he did not use it. "Shiruba-San will need all the rest she can get, since she will be out for some weeks." As Hinata said that, the door opened again. Shizune and some other doctors walked inn.
"Hinata, we will take Shiruba with us." the doctors walked over to the bed in the room, ready to take it with them. However, Itachi was not going to let them, as he suddenly stood in front of the bed.
"What are you planning to do with her?" he asked truanting, covering the way. The doctors stopped and looked helpless back at Shizune, who was standing in the door. "Calm down Itachi, the medicine she took six days ago is now taking it negative effect. If we don't do anything right now, she will fall in a coma and most likely die after just some few minutes." Itachi was taken a little by surprise but didn't show it. "Is the medicine so dangerous?" Itachi turned around, and looked at Hinata.
"Yes... As I told you it would make her Chakra retune to her right away, but the side effect is that she will need a lot of rest when her Chakra goes out... that's not all true. Since it is an S-ranked medicine, it's just used as last resorts in wars. So... when the person who drank the medicine is out of chakra again, will the use fall in a deep sleep, a so deep sleep that the soul to the user will be lost in endless darkness. There for most Shizune and the doctors take her with them right on, to atleast try to save her life! Shiruba know the effects, so she did it almost... asking to die." Hinata ended her sentence as she looked down on Shiruba. Shizune on the other hand walked closer.
"That's why we need to take her now." Itachi didn't move for a second, but with one step at the side he let the doctors go and get Shiruba.
The bed had wheels on it, so they just roll it over the hall. Shiruba was resting, all the so slow days that ha past her was far behind in her mind. She only thought about getting the rest she need. Sure she knows about the negative effect of the medicine she took, but she had to take the risk. If she hadn't healed the boys as she had done, they would probably sleep for a much longer time, and they would feel much pain in their bodies. Shiruba had welcomed the dark unconscious, not that it was any more dark then she was used to, it was just too quiet. All her senses had been shut out. Not letting her know about her surroundings.
While Shiruba was in her dream world, Shizune had got Tsunade to help her in the healing process. Three other doctors were needed as well. This was almost going to be the same as they had done to Neji when he had got an arrow through his shoulder. But this time they couldn't use a hair to make it easier to heal the wounds, since the wounds were on the inside.
"Are everyone ready?" Tsunade asked as the mark on the floor was done, Shiruba's body was lying in the middle of it and everyone stood in there right possessions.
"Yes!" called the doctors and Shizune back.
"Good, this is going to be a four days long healing process, you three will get a brake after fifteen hours. However, you will change place with some other. These healing processes most not stop at any cost." the old, but young looking Hokage said out in a warring way. Then she clapped her hands together, staring to send her Chakra to the marks on the floor that send it over to Shiruba's body.
Moreover, the four long days it was. Over nine different doctors were in this process. Everyone used very much Chakra so they need the rest before going back. Tsunade and Shizune was the only once that was there at all time.
At the same time, Itachi and Hinata had done their best to watch after the two sleeping ninjas. Instead of having them in two separate rooms, they had got them together in one. It made ting much easier, they often changed on the watch, because Itachi still was in some need of his sleep.
And as the fourth day was over, Shiruba opened her eyes. "Tsunade-Sama, she's awake." Shizune called as she started to stop her Chakra. "Don't stop just yet Shizune, she still need some more healing." The continued there work, at the same time Shiruba got in a sitting position. Her head was hurting, and so was her entire Chakra system, it was as if it was burning form the inside. 'I have to remember... don't use that medicine ever again... ouch.' Shiruba thought angry to herself.
"How are you feeling Shiruba?" Tsunade asked as everyone slowly stopped the healing process.
"Like hell... but I will be fine." Shiruba asked as she got on her feet's. Her head was spinning. All her senses tried hard to hear something, and find out where she was and how everything were around her. But she could see anything, and that was what made her feel afraid and useless.
Suddenly a hand landed on Shiruba's shoulder. "You should rest out the day; I will take you to your room." It was Shizune. Shiruba didn't do anything to resist, and was dragged by the arm. Everything was still dark for her; Shiruba's senses did not just work. And it was beginning to irritate her.
"We are here Shiruba." Shizune stopped walking. "The bed is right in front of you, just get in it and I will bring you something to eat." the doctor walked out the room, leaving Shiruba for herself. However, Shiruba was not planning to go to bed just yet. She snaps two of her fingers together making a strong sound dance over the room. The sound got send back to her, and she could now make a picture of the room, not a good picture but it was better than nothing. The way Shiruba used sound to hear was like a bat did when it was hunting at night. Using ultrasound and got that send back it, then knowing what was in front of itself. The snap Shiruba made with her fingers had the same effect.
'I guess I can't do better at the time being.' Shiruba thought to herself, as she walked over to the bed. 'I hope Naruto and Sasuke are okay... I have to go to them after I got a little rest.' the girl clime up in the bed, laying herself under the cover. But something was there that kept her awake.
"Shiruba-San, here is you food." Shizune walked in the room. "I guess you can't fall asleep with an empty stomach." That was right, Shiruba couldn't sleep, she was so hungry. Shizune sat the food plate down on the bed.
"Do you want anything else?" the doctor asked nicely, as she thought the food looked delicious. Shiruba just smirked. 'Seems she forgot that my senses can't pick up my surroundings at the moment, and the fact that I'm blind, guess I just have to surprise her a little.' Without saying anything Shiruba moved her face a little closer to the food, making it seem she was going to smell on it, but what she did was blow over it. That way she could make a little more detail picture of the food plat. The way she did that, was almost as the same as with the sound, but the wind didn't come back as the sound but whit feeling the way the wind mover over everything, Shiruba had the picture clear in her head.
"I see, it seems very good, but I don't like to eat too much meat, can you get me some more salad?" With no other word, Shiruba started to eat the food. Shizune nodded at Shiruba's desire and when out of the room. As she went over to the kitchen something hit her. 'Didn't Tsunade-Sama tell me she was blind... how on earth could she see the food then?' while thinking about it, she grabbed some apples and vegetables and when out of the room. 'I guess I should keep on extra eye on her.' When Shizune entered the room again, Shiruba was already sleeping. On the flood plate, was only the meat left.
"So she do really not eat meat." Shizune said to herself. Moreover, to make her visit short, she took the food plat and left the apples on the bed table.
"How is Shiruba-San?" Hinata asked a little shyly as Shizune entered the room where Sasuke and Naruto were sleeping.
"She is fine, her life is out of danger and she just need to rest the day out." Shizune answer as she was eating on a carrot, something that was for Shiruba at first, but she took it instead.
"So she will be back in twenty hours." Itachi said coldly. He had more and more get back to his usual self. After the five year in the Tsukuyomi had almost make him forgot his personality in this world. However, he had got it now, and now way was he going to be nice with Hinata. Even thought he did know she was his soul mate, he was not going to let be all good with her. If she even was going to like him, even a little, it was going to be with his really personality, which was the one he had now, cold-hearted and harsh.
Shiruba finely woke up. She felt much better, but she still had not fully recovered. Her burning Charka system was most likely the same, the thing that was different was her senses, she could not pick up everything she needed to see everything. 'Still.. I'm going to have some problems with this.' Shiruba thought, and got out of bed. Quickly she found her clothes and took them one. When she was dressed she thought about her little half face mask, it was a part of her clothes, she hadn't just had the time to use it the past days. And with a little smirk on her face, she let the mask stay unused as she walked out of her room, searching for Naruto.
It didn't take Shiruba long until she found what she was searching for. And right away she saw Itachi and Hinata in the room. But the atmosphere in the room was a little of.
"I see you laid them both in the same room." said Shiruba calmly, getting both attention. Even thought it seemed Itachi already know she was there. "Yes, Shiruba-San... that way, she would get a better view over them." Hinata was the one who answered. Shiruba nodded. 'Ever since I told her about Itachi, and whenever he is around, she doesn't seem to mumble as much as she did before.' the blind girl walked over to Sasuke's bed and held one hand over him letting a little Chakra fall down from her hand and in Sasuke's body. On Sasuke's right, was Naruto's bed, so the two of them was not far away from each other.
"He is going to wake up soon, have he the changing shock yet?" Shiruba asked as she lowered her hand.
"No... none of them have had it." Hinata answered.
"Damn... then Sasuke will most likely get his in two or three days. Although it is that little change that he don't get it... but that is something I doubt."
Hinata walked up to Shiruba. "Soon wake up? When?"
Shiruba sighed a little at the question. "I'm not so sure... but some very few days."
"And Naruto then?"
Shiruba walked up to the other bed, and did the same with him. "...with Naruto is some few weeks. He used very much Chakra on the Tsukuyomi." Shiruba turned her head towards Itachi. She was not so happy with the fact that Naruto used most of his Chakra to create the other world, and Itachi didn't do so much of it. 'But... I guess I have myself to blame of it, since it was my idea from the start.'
If Shiruba had had her Chakra system perfectly healed, she would have start to heal the two other boys right away, but she couldn't. Because that would make her go through hell of a lot pain, and maybe cost her to destroy her Chakra system forever.
As two days passed by, some changed started to happen to one of the boys. It was Naruto. He had started to sweat very much, and as the time passed he got an awful look on his face, like he was having a bad dream. And it didn't take long until he started to move, shooting his head side to side, trying to escape whatever that was following him.
"What's wrong with him?" Hinata asked worried as she tried to hold one of his arms down.
"He's body can't take it anymore. It maybe haven't look like it, but his body have been going through the same training his mind have been going through for five years." Shiruba was in a little panic, she had hoped Naruto would get this soon... but not this strong. One of the things that happen with his body was that Naruto's muscles tighten up to much, and that cost him a great deal of pain over his entire body.
Shiruba stood with Naruto's bed, sending healing Chakra from her hands, down to the blonds' body. But she didn't look to happy with the situation.
"Hinata, go and get Shizune. I'm not strong enough at this point to handle this by myself." Hinata nodded and was on the run out the door.
"Damn..." Shiruba mumbled, as she tried her hardest to keep her Chakra under control and not stopping it. 'I have to get this under control.' she thought angry as she forced more of her Chakra to come out of her elegant hands, even that her body soon started to scream to stop this madness. The Chakra system was burning even more. 'Oh please... Hinata hurry...'
Naruto's pain had weakened, his body tried relaxed a little more. However, the healing process was far from over. Itachi who was just standing and looking at all this, started to get a little irritated. Her face was in pain, he could see that much, and it looked like she was about to faint to. Shiruba was so stubborn; if she didn't stop soon she could lose her Chakra. The Uchiha was just about to do something, when Hinata come running in the room with Shizune behind her.
"Everyone is ready." Hinata called out, with a little relief in her voice, but it showed some kind of fare as well.
Shizune walked up to Naruto and started to heal him. "You can stop now Shiruba." the doctor said calmly, at once Shiruba stopped and walked weakly backwards but was soon on her knees, her hand hanging down. 'I can't use more Chakra now... I can't use anything for... some months.' She sighed and felt Naruto's bed being moved out of the room, to another operation room, where other doctors was waiting to treat him. 'I just wish I could be one of them...'
"He... will be okay." Hinata said as nicely as she could, trying to be comforting.
"Yeah... I know." was all Shiruba said, as she lifted her head and looked up at the roof. Itachi looked at the girls, but soon looked out the window. He was more worried about his brother Sasuke, for wasn't he going to wake up soon?
That day went on, and nobody got to know what was happening to Naruto. Shiruba didn't move away from her sitting position. She just sat on her knees all day long, not doing anything. Hinata started to worry for her a little, but was to busy healing Sasuke. Itachi thought he should try to see how good those ANBU was in following him. Therefore, he went on a walk in the hospital.
Then suddenly something unimaginable happened. Sasuke's eyes opened.
"Sa...suke... You're awake." Hinata said shocked, as she saw two eyes looking up at the roof. Shiruba only flinched a little, but didn't move. Sasuke was in a stag of shock. His mind was trying to found out what had happened to him, but then he become confused. The fact that he had hated Itachi so much, felt like a fare faint memories. And his childhood was more of what happened yester day. Then what was the first childhood he had? The part that Itachi killed everyone. Sasuke's head was so confused. But it was someone he missed right now, Sasuke's heart was calling out for him, he tried to say his name but only a weak whisper left his lips.
"...whe... na...ru..."
At this point Shiruba walked up to his bed. "Naruto is not here right now, but..." Shiruba was cutoff in her sentence as she felt Sasuke jump out of the bed and was running through the hall.
"Sasuke-Kun, you can't...!" Hinata tried to stop him, but he didn't stop. Sasuke had to find Naruto. Without the blond by his side, he couldn't rest.
"Shiruba-San, we have to get him. I felt his body start to do the same as what happened to Naruto."
Now it was Shiruba's turn to get panic and was soon running after Sasuke. 'That bastard, he was suppose to be to weak to run around like this.'
Sasuke felt his body begging him to stop, but the thought of being away from Naruto was a much worse feeling then what his body made him feels. 'Where... are you?' he thought as he was running through corridor for corridor. Not feeling any presence of his blond.
After a little while... there, yes he could feel the blond being in this room. Sasuke stood in front of a big door. And without further thinking he opened the door. In the room he saw Naruto lying in a hospitable bed, with five others standing around him. At first Sasuke was about to attack them, but holding himself back. How know the consequence of killing some doctors, especially when it looked like they tried to heal Naruto. Healing him from what, didn't Sasuke know. But it had to be something special since it was so many at once.
A woman with brown hair and black looking eyes turned and looked at Sasuke. "Sasuke-Kun... your awake as well?" she asked shocked.
"..." Sasuke didn't say anything, and wasn't allowed either, as someone answer for him.
"Don't think about him Shizune, you should just concentrate on Naruto." Shiruba had arrived at Sasuke's side. "I'm glad you found the blond, but he needs the healers help right now, and by the way, that is something you also need." Sasuke looked almost in confuses at the girl. He didn't feel... so... bad.
'What the...' Sasuke thought as he felt his body not listening to him anymore. And it started to hurt to.
"Can someone get more healers; Sasuke is not doing so well over here." Shiruba said in a annoyed voice, but she was also worried for him, since if anything happend to Sasuke, Naruto would be very angry with her.
Sasuke had fallen down on one of his knees. Lucky for him it didn't take long until six doctors come running in the hall. How they had got the message that they were needed, didn't Shiruba know, but she was happy they were here. Since Sasuke was not totally out, he didn't want anyone to carry him to the bed, so they had to help him over. And no way was they going to lay him in a different room; he was going to be on Naruto's room, that was no question.
"We should make him fall asleep, the process will be for painful for him to handle." one of the doctors said, and found out a needle.
"No." was all Sasuke said. He was not going to fall asleep again; it felt like he had been out for an eternity already. And no way was he going to fall asleep when he finely had got this close to the blond again.
"You will not be able to go through everything without this." the doctor pointed at the needle. However, Sasuke just shake his head. Suddenly an angry Shiruba pressed herself between two doctors and walked up to Sasuke. "Why is it always like this with the two of you." she then hit him in the shoulder with her hand, but she used only one finger to hit the spot she was aiming for.
"You and Naruto have cost nothing..." she hit Sasuke again, but this time another spot on his body.
"...but trouble for me." now she hit two other spots with both hands.
"I have never..." she hit again.
"...used..." and again.
"...this much..." and again.
"...energy..." again.
"...on people..." again.
"...before." and again and again and again. After a second Shiruba was breathe heavily from all her attacks. With a deep breath she looked at Sasuke.
"Can you feel anything now?" she asked. Sasuke lay still, the doctors thought he didn't move at all or that he didn't try to, but that was wrong. Sasuke tried with all is might to move, but none part of his body moved, hell he couldn't even feel a ting.
When Sasuke gave up, trying to move his body he simply shock his head side to side, because his head was the only thing he find himself able to move. Shiruba smiled. "Don't worry; I have simply stopped your nervous system, making you numb and not able to feel any pain. However, it have an time limit of thirty minutes, if I don't make your system work again before that, you will stay forever like this. So please go back work." she was talking to the doctors at the end and they did as they ever told. Shiruba walked back, letting the doctors starting on the healing.
Shiruba sat down on a chair, and could finely take it easy... for at last thirty minutes. After some heavy breaths, she started to concentrate and listen to the movements over the room. What fascinated her was that she had made Sasuke all numb, but still... he move weakly his left hand. With all his strength, Sasuke tired to reach the blond's hand. With a smile on her face, Shiruba walked to the two beds, both being surrounded by healers.
"Move a little..." she said, and as they moved away, Shiruba dragged Naruto's bed closer to Sasuke's and then she took Sasuke's hand letting it rest over Naruto's.
"Please continue as this." Shiruba ordered and walked back to her chair.
Now what will happen next?
Anyone got any suggestion or ideas?
Anyways, I'm not sure when the next Chapter will be out. But I will try to make it in one week or so, if it takes longer time... sorry