Over the course of the next two days Kisa continued to remain under Tsunade's close supervision while she slowly regained her strength, spending the better part of both day's on her feet with the aid of her caretakers until she was once again able to stand and walk on her own for short periods of time; a rapid progression that caught the Fifth Hokage by surprise.
Given her rather extensive injuries as well as the power of Orochimaru's hex they had calculated that the young Mist ninja would have spent at least the rest of the week on bedrest, though it was relatively that much of her success was likely due to the fact that she was doing absolutely everything she could to hurry the process along.
Much like herself Tsunade could see that she hated being a burden as much as she hated relying on others for help; a fact that she found rather commendable as well as a great sign of just how resilient the girl was, regardless of the fact that beneath her confident, determined demeanor Kisa was trying her best to keep it all together, as instructed.
In order to keep her curse mark from taking hold before they could place the aforementioned counter seal to keep it in check she was forced to remain calm and in control of her thoughts, despite the fact that these thoughts were filled with nothing but worry.
It had been over a week since their fight against Kiriakure's Anbu and yet they had heard nothing from either the village nor Raigetsu himself, causing her to become uneasy. It was not like the Hidden Mist to allow a rogue-nin whose whereabouts were known to go free even if they were being granted refuge in another village, and while she knew that the Mizukage would never allow Anbu to operate inside of Konoha she was shocked that they had yet to receive any sort of official contest to their status as refugees.
This thought went hand in hand with the knowledge that while they were safe inside Konoha, Akito was out there on the open road, completely exposed and on his own. By helping them escape their hunters she had no doubt that he had been labeled as wanted in Kiri's Bingo Book and with his status as a member of the Explosive Corps he likely received double the average bounty, furthering her worry.
Making matters worse was the fact that he had yet to return to Konoha like he said he would. Having never travelled to Iwagakure or even to the Land of Earth before she was not entirely sure how long his journey should have taken him but from what Tsunade said he would likely be arriving back in Konoha any day now, though this only served to make her more anxious.
While most of her truly believed he would keep his promise as he had always done before there was part of her that feared she would never see him again; that he had taken this as his time to sever ties with them and that she would never get to thank him properly for everything he had done or get the chance to ask him why he would leave his necklace with her. With each day that passed without his appearance she found herself becoming more and more concerned, so much so that come the beginning of her fourth day awake she herself unable to sit by and wait for his return any longer.
Approaching the Hokage early in the morning before she could set off for her office, Kisa requested permission to help with anything she might need in an effort to earn their keep, though Tsunade immediately declined with the notion that doing so was completely unnecessary. However, the girl remained adamant in her desire to assist her generous hosts, bringing Tsunade to hatch a clever idea.
Having been tied up with caring for Kisa and keeping an eye on Takao while Tsunade tended to her duties as Hokage, Shizune had been unable to make her rounds at Konoha's hospital to check in with several of the village's most critical patients. If she were to have Takao accompany her to her office for the day that would free Shizune as well as Kisa, a medical ninja herself, to head off to the hospital to help tend to others in need; a plan that Kisa accepted without even having to be officially asked.
Walking side by side down Konoha's crowded streets after both women had prepared for the day, Shizune maintained a close eye on her assistant for the day, noting her somewhat pained yet confident stride as Kisa's eyes darted back and forth between all of the shops, people and atmosphere the Hidden Leaf had to offer. This place was so different than Kiri and was likely even more distant from Iwagakure, causing her to wonder how Akito reacted the first time he came here.
"How are you feeling? Still alright?" The woman questioned as Kisa's eyes returned to her, causing her to form a small grin as she nodded and looked down at her feet; her legs covered by a simple pair of Konoha's navy-blue shinobi pants while an almost salmon colored sweatshirt covered her chest in direct contrast.
"I'm okay. It's… a bit further than I've walked so far, but I think it's what my legs need." Kisa replied as Shizune smiled in response. She sure was tough, that was certain.
"Alright, just let me know if you need to take a break. You are doing good though, and we are almost there." She stated as Kisa nodded and returned her attention to all of the people around her, none of which seemed to suspect her of being anything other than one of them, even with her strange colored hair that bow flowed freely with the absence of her forehead protector.
"If you don't mind me asking, who exactly are we coming to see Lady Shizune? I overheard Lady Tsunade speaking of one man in particular that she was concerned about… I'm assuming that is why she has chosen you to personally check on him." Kisa questioned as her eyes focused on several Hidden Leaf chunin walking by, one of which caused her to cringe as he winked her way while beside her Shizune laughed.
"Well I do occasionally check on all of Konoha's critically ill shinobi as part of my duties as Tsunade's assistant, but the man she spoke of in particular is actually one of the village's top jonin; Kakashi Hatake." Shizune replied as Kisa tilted her head a bit to the side in thought.
"Konoha's copy ninja? The man who defeated the Demon, Zabuza Momochi?" She questioned having the thought still somewhat fresh in her mind after meeting another of the mission's participants several weeks ago, to which Shizune nodded.
"Yes, him. He ran into a member of the Akatsuki a few weeks ago and, well… let's just say he's very lucky to be alive." She replied as Kisa swallowed nervously. Zabuza Momochi was considered one of the most dangerous shinobi ever produced by Yagura's Kirigakure; a fact that spoke more than words could about the man who killed him. Were the Akatsuki really this powerful?
Making their way the rest of the distance to the hospital through the crowded streets the two began their day off with some simpler tasks designed not only to test Kisa's skills but to see how far she had recovered as well.
Starting her off with a brief stint in the hospital's Emergency Room handling some of the village's more mundane emergencies Shizune quickly found herself impressed by Kisa's quick thinking and diagnostic skills as well as the quality of her medical ninjutsu, resulting in them rapidly making their way up to the hospital's Intensive Care Unit and eventually to the room of the man they had come to see specifically.
Knocking on the door as more of a formality than anything, Shizune waited for the bedridden man inside to welcome them in before proceeding into the rather empty hospital room. Almost immediately Kisa's eyes locked to the grey-haired man as he sat in a seated position staring out the bedroom window, his grey hair and half-covered his face matching exactly how she would imagine it in his description in Kiri's bingo book.
"Good afternoon Kakashi, how are you feeling today?" She questioned as she stepped inside, allowing Kisa to do the same before she turned and shut the door behind her.
"I was wondering when you would be stopping by." The man in the bed before them stated as he turned towards what he expected would be the Hokage's assistant and one of the nurses from the hospital, though upon spotting the girl in the pink hoodie behind her his exposed eye widened.
"I see you've got a new helper." Kakashi added, bringing Shizune to smile and step to the side as she motioned her hand towards Kisa.
"This is Kisa Hakaru. She and her partner are visiting with us from Kirigakure." The woman stated as Kakashi stared at the girl with a tinge of curiosity as he laughed under his breath.
"So you must be one of the Mist shinobi who showed up at the gates last week. I heard all about it." He stated as he placed the book he had been reading to the side and tried to adjust himself in his bed, causing him to grunt in pain as Shizune shook her head.
"Easy now. You were just starting to feel better and if you keep pushing yourself are going to stunt your recovery." She stated as Kakashi huffed.
"Y-Yeah well, I'm getting really bored just sitting here. Do you have any idea how difficult it is just lounging around?" Kakashi questioned in response as Kisa took a step closer to the man and tilted her head a bit to the side in thought, running over just how rough of shape he was in. His legs seemed to be inoperable while his arms, which she could see held little visible injury thanks to the sleeveless shirt he had been wearing, trembled at any strenuous activity, making him seem almost completely crippled.
"Your wounds don't appear to be physical Mr. Hatake, but yet you seem to be in great pain. What happened? Was it a poison?" The girl questioned having just suffered through a poisoning herself, though as Shizune looked to her she shook her head.
"It was a genjutsu, cast by the Akatsuki's premier genjutsu user, Itachi Uchiha." She replied as Kisa looked to her and then back to Kakashi in thought. The last name Uchiha was common place in Kiri as their clan matched the notoriety of the Explosion Corp in perceived danger, though unlike the Corp they were thought to be nearly extinct.
"It must have been quite the fearsome genjutsu to affect a legendary ninja such as yourself, as I have a hard time imagining that whatever this Uchiha unleashed could be worse than the merciless tactics employed by the Demon of the Mist." Kisa responded, instantly causing Kakashi to laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Now now, I think the term 'legendary' might be going a bit far." He replied as he returned his eye to hers and let out a deep sigh.
"But to answer your question, yes it was. The Uchiha's genjutsu abilities should never be underestimated, as when used to its fullest extent it could cause irreversible damage in a matter of seconds. All of this is… lucky." The man added as Kisa stared at him for a moment before following his attention over to Shizune as she spoke again.
"Which is why you should be taking it easy. Lay back, relax and read that awful book Naruto brought you from your house." The woman stated as Kakashi chuckled.
"This one? I've already read it nearly six times in the last two days. What I really need right now is a drink." He replied as he looked past Shizune to the windowsill behind her where a short glass sat, filled nearly to the brim with orange juice.
"Could you possibly hand that to me? The nurse moved it earlier when she came in to check on me and, well, there it is." Kakashi questioned as both of the women before him looked at what he was looking at, bringing Shizune to nod.
Without question Shizune picked up the glass and turned to hand it over to the thirsty shinobi with his hands outstretched for it, though before she could hand it over Kisa motioned for her to stop, catching both of them by surprise.
Holding the glass inches from their patient's fingers Shizune grinned as she watched Kisa carefully twitch her fingers and create several round pieces of ice above the glass, which then dropped into the juice to act as ice cubes as Kakashi's eye widened in surprise.
"Ice Release? Well isn't that something." He stated, recalling the only other person he had ever met who possessed this unique kekkei genkai as Shizune handed him the glass.
"Yup. On top of being a more than capable medical-nin Kisa here is blessed with quite the unique gift." Shizune stated as Kisa smiled a bit and shook her head a bit to downplay her praise.
"I'm just a normal Mist kunoichi Lady Shizune, kekkei genkai or not." She replied as Shizune shook her head.
"No kunoichi is normal, Kisa. We are all different and unique. Don't think otherwise." The woman countered as Kakashi snuck a sip into his mouth without the two noticing with a satisfactory grunt.
"She's right, and there is no reason why you should hide that gift of yours either… especially when it can do great things like instantly cool drinks." He stated, bringing Kisa to chuckle as Shizune shook her head.
"I'm sure she can do a lot more than just that." She responded as Kakashi carefully waved his hand in apologetic manner.
"Oh no, I didn't mean it as an insult. I know for a fact that Ice Release can be a very useful ninjutsu style, I was simply just stating what was in my view." The man stated in an attempt to make himself feel less insulting, though as he did Kisa's eyes widened.
"Know for a fact? You've seen this before?" She instantly questioned out of curiosity as Kakashi stared at her for a moment before nodding his head.
"Yes. Ironically it was during my team's fight with Zabuza years ago. He had a boy named Haku with him who was capable of utilizing Ice Release." Kakashi responded as Kisa bit her lip. Never before in her life had she heard of someone else being capable of using Ice Release, bringing her to believe she was one of the last that possessed it. Could there really be others like her out there?
"This Haku… is he still alive?" She questioned with a hint of hope, only to be let down a few moments later as the jonin shook his head.
"No, unfortunately. He sacrificed his life to try and save Zabuza's." Kakashi replied as Kisa's small bit of excitement disappeared from her face. From what she understood Zabuza was a bloodthirst, uncaring and unfeeling man, leaving it hard to understand why someone would sacrifice themselves for such a monster.
"Oh… that is unfortunate." She stated as Shizune looked to her and upon spotting her disheartened look stepped forward to break her from her thoughts. She was doing well with both her recovery and controlling her emotions, and the last thing they needed was for her to become upset by this and lose control.
"Well Kakashi I'm glad to see you are feeling better, but if there is nothing else you need we must be on our way. We've got some other things to take care of around town before we head back home to give Tsunade an update on each of your conditions, and we both know how much she hates when people are late." The woman interjected as Kakashi looked to her and nodded.
"Ah, well I should be alright. I'm sure I'll be seeing you within the next few days again anyway." He stated as he turned back to Kisa and held his drink up, formed a small smile beneath his mask and nodded.
"I was nice to meet you Kisa Hakaru. Thank you for the ice." He added, once more causing Kisa to grin as she nodded and performed a small, traditional bow.
"Same to you, Mr. Hatake. Feel better soon."
Saying her own goodbye a moment later Shizune and Kisa set off from the hospital to the street below, once more making their way through the crowds of Konoha resident on their mid-afternoon business.
Again watching as Kisa's eyes darted around the village in silent observation, Shizune couldn't help but wonder about the girl's enthusiasm and subsequent let down. The way she questioned Kakashi about the boy named Haku it seemed that she was excited to hear someone else possessed the same Kekkei Genkai as her.
"Did you know the boy Kakashi was speaking of, Kisa?" She asked against her better judgement while carefully monitoring the girl's neck for any sign of her curse mark spreading, bringing Kisa to look at her as she shook her head.
"No, I didn't. I don't know anyone else with the same powers as me, and I was just hoping that maybe he was still alive. He would have been the first." The girl responded, once again catching Shizune by surprise.
Ice Release was known to be a rare trait all but lost to the world, but could it really be so rare that one of its own users believed it was extinct, even in the Land of Waves? What about her parents? Surely one of them must have been able to utilize the kekkei genkai.
"Your parents didn't have the Ice Release?" Shizune followed up as she looked back at the girl who, without looking to her, frowned and shook her head.
"No, my father didn't have a kekkei genkai and my mother wasn't even a shinobi. It's possible that maybe one of her relatives had the gene, but I never had the chance to ask her… she died giving birth to me." Kisa replied as Shizune bit her tongue.
Through conversation with Takao as well as what she had heard from Akito through Tsunade she knew that Kisa's father had been killed when she was young, but she didn't know that her mother was deceased as well.
"Oh, I'm… I'm sorry, Kisa. I didn't know." The woman apologized as Kisa again shook her head and formed a small, saddened smile. Talking about her father was something she had never really done before, but given how generous and kind Shizune and Tsunade had been to her she found it hard to shut the woman out.
"It's okay Shizune, I've completely come to terms with it." She stated with a small laugh as her mind instinctively looked back on the discovery of her abilities in an attempt to cheer herself up.
"From what my father told me she never showed any knowledge of possessing a special bloodline, which made for quite the surprise when I formed ice out of thin air one day." Kisa added while they walked as her companion listened intently.
"I'm sure. I've heard of Kiri's long-time views on kekkei genkai wielders, so I can imagine it probably wasn't easy for you to accept." The woman replied as Kisa chuckled a bit.
"It wasn't and you are right; before I was born kekkei genkai users were often feared and persecuted, including those using Ice Release. When a was very young a clan specializing in this bloodline trait was pushed to the brink of extermination because of their abilities, so after finding out some years later that I too was a carrier for Ice Release my father was rather hesitant to allow me to capitalize on my abilities, even after receiving Mizukage Yagura's blessing." Kisa continued to explain as Shizune simply formed a small grin.
"Well through the ups and downs it seems that his decision to do so may have been the right thing to do, as it has produced quite the skillful, intelligent and caring kunoichi." Shizune replied, bringing Kisa once more to shake her head in embarrassment before shifting her eyes up at the sky; her mind now lingering on the memory of her father. Would he think these things of her as well if he could see her now?
Proceeding with the rest of Shizune's tasks for the day rather difficult for the recovering girl and by five in the afternoon she found herself struggling to keep up, prompting the woman to cut her day short and start heading back to the Hokage's residence despite Kisa's opposition. She didn't want to let Tsunade down by not completing all of the work that had been asked of them after she begged to be permitted to help, nor did she want her inability to continue to be the reason it wasn't completed, though Shizune quickly dispelled those worries from her mind.
Arriving back at the place she had come to accept as their home in Konoha for the time being, Kisa followed Shizune upstairs and immediately back into Tsunade's presence; the girl nearly out of breath as they made it to the top of the stairs. Hearing the knock at the door, Tsunade spun around on her chair at the kitchen counter as Takao looked over his shoulder.
"Come in." She permitted as the door opened and revealed both women who without hesitation moved inside and closed the door behind them.
"Hey you two, how did it go?" The Hokage questioned with a small smile at the sight of their exhausted guest. She knew that she would be tired after being on her feet all day, though she assumed it would have been much sooner than late afternoon. In fact she had nearly made it all the way through the day, as on a normal day Shizune would normally only return an hour or so later.
"It went well. As you suspected Kisa is an exceptional medical kunoichi with a great skill set and excellent bedside manner." Shizune stated, bringing Tsunade's grin to widen as she looked at the exhausted girl.
"I knew she would be, there wasn't much doubt there. The real question however is how do you feel?" The Hokage questioned as she motioned for Kisa to sit down on the couch, leaving the girl and her squad mate to smile at one another quickly before did as instructed.
"Tired, but fine otherwise. After spending so much time idle I expected my body to be sore after a long day. Thank you again for the opportunity to help out Lady Tsunade. I look forward to doing the same tomorrow." Kisa replied as she took a breath, causing Tsunade to chuckle at the girl's ambition.
"A bit demanding are we? Well, if that's what you want to do, I won't stop you, but I feel I must remind you that you don't need to do anything. Nor do you, Takao." Tsunade replied through her laugh as she looked over at the blonde man behind her kitchen counter, busy preparing something for them all to eat.
"Are you kidding me? I'm enjoying myself. I'd almost forgotten about how relaxing cooking could be… especially when those you are cooking for truly enjoy it!" Takao replied with a wide grin as she set what he was working down, reached over the counter and picked up a white bottle from the other side.
"Besides, tonight's dinner will include this great, locally produced awamori, both in the meal itself and as a side drink so… it's going to be a good time." He added, bringing Shizune to sigh at the mention of alcohol and the Hokage in the same thought.
"Well before we move on to that, how was the rest of your day? Anything interesting happen while we were gone?" She questioned the Hokage who immediately shook her head.
"No, not really. I received some updates on the current batch of students at the academy, but that was about it." The woman replied as Shizune nodded involuntarily and walked over to the kitchen sink to watch her hands.
"All good news I hope. There are quite a few smart ones in this class from what I've seen, it would be a shame if some of them started slacking." Shizune questioned as Tsunade shook her head.
"Nah, nothing bad. They are all doing just fine." The Hokage responded, causing Takao to lift his head back up from the vegetables on the chopping board in front of him with a big grin.
"Anyone from the exchange program in this batch?" He asked without a second thought, bringing both of the Konoha kunoichi in the room to instantly look to him with a hint of confusion.
"Exchange program? What do you mean?" Shizune questioned out loud as Takao looked to her and then back to Tsunade upon seeing the former's curious expression.
"Akito told us that his time spent here in Konoha started as part of a genin exchange program when he was in the academy. Was he lying?" The man asked as Kisa's attention rapidly returned from Takao back to Tsunade with her own bit of intrigue.
From the surprised look on her face, it seemed that she too was unsure of what akao was speaking of, causing a small sensation of worry to form in her gut. Had Akito lied about his experiences in Konoha? No, that couldn't be possible. How else could an Iwagakure shinobi become so friendly with a traditionally hostile village, let alone become friends with said village's jinchuriki?
"No he was telling the truth, but that exchange program was shut down nearly eight years ago. Akito's group was the first and only class to participate." Tsunade replied, causing Kisa's eyes to widen.
"Shut down? From what Akito said it seemed it had gone well. Why would they discontinue something if it was working?" Kisa responded with a bit of disbelief, thinking back on what she herself had witnessed the boy being capable of. To her it seemed that he was certainly a rather exceptionally skilled shinobi; a feat she had been partially associating with his involvement with the exchange program. If that were the case, why would they get rid of it?
Looking to Kisa as she questioned the programs shutdown, Tsunade leaned back in her chair, placed her hands together and lifted them to her mouth in thought. The answer she appeared to be seeking was rather confidential, both to Konoha as well as Akito himself, so if she were to indeed answer it she would need to make sure it was done in a certain way as to not reveal too much. Though at the same time, with how deeply Akito seemed to care about this girl, she couldn't help but wonder if this was something Akito would want her to know in its fullest.
Deciding that this was not her decision to make the Hokage took a deep breath and carefully began to formulate her words before they could leave her mouth.
"When I first became Hokage I was tasked with sifting through mounds and mounds of the Third's paperwork in order to determine what was important and what was simply trash, during which time I happened to come across the Hokage's notes on the Genin Exchange Program. Ironically this too was destined for the trash heap would it not have been for the fact that I noticed the boy's picture at the top of the file, which, recognizing him from our encounter at Tanzaku Quarters some time before, beckoned me to open it." She began as Kisa shifted herself more towards the Hokage in an effort to provide her with her undivided attention.
"As I said before, Akito was part of the first and only class to participate, though of the class's participants Akito and his partner were regarded as the most successful and certainly the most efficient. On their first mission they managed to not only hold their own against two jonin from Kusagakure but also kill them both, regardless of their lack of experience as well as a third genin in their squad, as is tradition." Tsunade continued, once again causing Kisa's thoughts to run wild.
A team of two brand new genin taking down two jonin was impressive, even with the help of their sensei, but yet Akito described this mission as a failure; the sadness on his face as he talked about it still clear in her memory. Why had this mission failed and why was it so painful for him to talk about? Was this where the biggest scar on his left arm came from?
Even more troubling was her recollection that they boy stated he and his partner were the only participants in the program, once more causing her to doubt Akito's story and wonder who's iteration was more accurate. Had he lied to make himself sound more prestigious, or was the Hokage trying to cover something up? Could it be possible that her second-hand information could be wrong?
"I'm… still confused. If it was going well, and Akito and his partner were evidence of this, why shut it down?" Takao questioned as if he was reading Kisa's mind, causing the girl to look up to him as Tsunade's own eyes shifted to him and then to Kisa before closing with a sigh.
"I guess you could say it was going very well based on those results, but from what I've read it seems it all fell apart not too long after when one of the student's betrayed their partner due to old-world grudges, resulting in a rather… catastrophic event that saw the program abolished." The Fifth replied, bringing the girl before her to widen her eyes.
A catastrophic event caused by grudges, what did that mean? Did one of the students kill their partner over something that happened to their ancestors or something? If so, how could their sensei allow for such a horrible thing to occur?
Was this catastrophic event somehow connected to Akito? If Tsunade's story was to be believed then it seemed like there was a slim chance of this, but if Akito was telling the truth then there was little room for him not to have been involved, if any.
Worse yet, if it were just he and his partner in the program it left a high chance that he could have even been there perpetrator, as hard as that was to believe. With how Tsunade spoke of the even it seemed that whatever had occurred was rather heinous… could Akito be capable of such a thing?
Subconsciously Kisa's eyes drifted to the floor while her right hand reached up and took the boy's necklace in her fingers once more, catching Tsunade's eye as the girl began to drift off into thought. She had caught the girl staring off into space several times over the past few days, a few of which while holding Akito's heirloom which, as far as she could tell, she had yet to take off.
To her this indicated that just as the boy had been worried sick about her wellbeing she was stricken with thoughts about him, though unlike Akito she had not been verbal about this distress; likely in an attempt to either hide her feelings or try to maintain control of curse mark on her neck, though the more likely reason seemed to be the former.
Dreading the awkward silence that fell over the room following Tsunade's answer to his seemingly dumb question Takao cleared his throat, bringing their Konoha guests' attention back to him and away from Kisa.
"Oh, well… that would be a good reason to shut it down I guess." He replied as Shizune nodded and turned to face the counter beside him to assist in chopping vegetables for their dinner.
"Yeah, I'd say so. It's a shame though; if the Exchange Program would have worked we would likely be on much better terms with places like Iwa and Kumo, as well as several of the minor Shinobi Villages." She added, prompting Tsunade to nod in agreement as her eyes again returned to the girl on the couch behind her in observation.
"Agreed. Maybe then we would be better equipped to handle the threat of this Akatsuki organization, as we still don't know where they are operating out of or what exactly it is that they are planning." She stated as from behind her the man chuckled.
"I wouldn't worry about them too much. I mean, come on. How much damage could a bunch of criminals really do when faced against people like us!?" He questioned jokingly as he again reached out and took the bottle of rice wine on the counter between he and the Hokage, though this time he gripped the cork on the end with his teeth, pulled it clear off and poured the wine into the pain on the stove in a show of cooking theatrics, causing a large ball of blame to erupt forth.
"Takao!" Shizune immediately scolded as she grabbed a towel to extinguish the fire should it grow too large, while to her displeasure both Takao and Tsunade laughed. These two were rather alike, and that was dangerous.
Following dinner's conclusion the group quickly moved on to idle conversation with the intent to finish Takao's bottle of awamori, filling the Hokage's Residence with laughter. This had become a rather common ending to their nights in Konoha much to both Takao and Kisa's surprise, though neither of them minded. In fact, from what she had seen it seemed Takao rather enjoyed it, likely because of its resemblance to many times he and Jun would drink far too much and carry on all night. This seemed to be an effective way for Takao to keep his mind off of their departed friend, though for Kisa it wasn't as easy.
Slipping away from the group in the middle of their conversation the girl made her way out onto the apartment's balcony just as the stars in the clear night sky began to become visible amongst the fading orange glow on the horizon. Although being permitted to get out of the apartment was a refreshing change of pace that cleared her head earlier in the day she couldn't help but feel her anxiety and frustration returning as it drew to a close; the fact that yet another day had passed without Akito's return at the forefront of her thoughts.
It had been over a week now since he left for his quick trip home, where could he be? What was taking him so long? Was he alright? Had he decided to not return at all, breaking their promise? Why did he spend each day and night by her bedside? Why did he leave his necklace with her? Why did she care so much?
Taking a deep breath Kisa slowly walked across the deck towards the railing and wrapped her arms around herself, using her hoodie sleeves to keep warm in the late evening breeze that, although nowhere near as fierce as the wind back in Kiri, was quite chilly.
Unlike home the sky here was devoid of any fog or mist, allowing for a clear view at the heavens above and giving her a deep appreciation for just how beautiful Konoha really was. Even in the fourth year Mizukage Mei's leadership Kiri had yet to reach the inviting and lively standard set forth by the Hidden Leaf despite her best attempts, but she had no doubt that eventually the village would eventually evolve to match Mei's vision. She just hoped she would be around to see it, as it was still very unclear whether or not Takao and her would be allowed to return home, let alone remain free.
Gripping the wooden rails as she looked down at the nightlife below the girl's mind returned to Akito, this time thinking over his plan to bring them to Konoha and how it was the right decision after all. If they wouldn't have met or captured him none of this would have been possible, even if they would have escaped their client's trap, making it even harder to believe that he was not there with them.
From the time he first mentioned heading to Konoha she believed he would be there to guide them in a town neither of them had ever been too, and even though Tsunade, Shizune and everyone else in Konoha had been more than fair and kind to them she couldn't help but wish Akito was there.
"Where are you, Akito?" She asked out loud as she looked up to the stars for some sort of far fetched answer, once more feeling her fears and concerns about the boy's safety return as tears began to well up in her eyes. What if Raigetsu and the Anbu got him? What if he never came back? What if he forgot about them.
Dropping her eyes back down to earth at the sound of the sliding glass door opening behind her, Kisa immediately turned back towards the apartment as Takao exited through the door onto the deck.
"Hey, whats up? You alright?" He questioned while still holding a small glass of liquor and clearly already on his way to being intoxicated, though that hadn't stopped him from noticing the girl's disappearance and worrying about her; a sentiment that she understood, causing her to smile.
"I'm alright, I just..." She replied as she reached up and immediately wiped away what tears had formed in her eyes with the sleeves of her hoodie, trying her hardest not to appear upset.
"Are you sure? You barely ate any of your dinner and you just stood up and walked off all of a sudden without saying anything." Takao asked again as Kisa shook her head and turned back towards the moon.
"I'm sure Takao, I'm… just thinking, that's all." She added as Takao formed a small grin and drank what remained of the rice wine in his glass.
"You know, when Akito woke up he spent a lot of time 'just thinking' about you too, and even came out here to do so. You two are more alike than you think." The man stated with a chuckle, bringing Kisa to immediately turn back towards him.
"Who said I was thinking about him?" She asked as the inebriated man laughed again, this time a bit harder.
"Oh come on Kis, I can see it on your face. You can't hide it from me." Takao stated with a bit of a hiccup between laughs, causing Kisa to shake her head, though a second or two later the man spoke again.
"I just never thought you could possibly like someone from Iwa." He added, instantly causing the girl's face to sour as a heavy blush formed on her cheeks.
"What's that supposed to mean, huh? He's our friend. You like him too." She immediately questioned, causing him to chuckle even more.
"I mean, I do like him too, but… maybe not as much as you do." Takao replied as Kisa's face darkened, bringing her to bite her lip. Did he mean romantically? Could he really tell she was feeling torn by her emotions?
"I-I don't know what your talking about, I…" She began to contest his statement, though as the words left her mouth she was unsure if what she was fighting was truly that far from the truth.
There was no doubting that over the past few weeks she had been developing feelings for the boy, but it was never clear as to what they meant. Could Takao be right? Was she starting to care about him more than just a friend? If so, why? Why?
Watching Kisa as she struggled to put together her thoughts and once more grabbed the necklace around her neck Takao couldn't help but drunkenly giggle, catching Kisa's gaze almost instantly and causing her to push him back in a playful yet annoyed fashion that ended in the girl crossing her arms as she looked back out at the village below.
"Shut up Takao, you're drunk." She stated in an effort to distract him away from her feelings, to which Takao shook his head and laughed some more.
"That's debatable, but if you truly want to be left alone, I understand. Just remember I'm here if you need me… at least until Akito returns, at which point he'll take over! Ohh!" He jabbed once more, causing him to laugh as she spun around and stepped towards him with an even darker blush.
"Takao!" She exclaimed as the man quickly opened the glass door and slipped back into the apartment with his boisterous cheer, leaving the embarrassed girl on the deck alone once again.
Huffing at the closing of the door, Kisa's eyes remained trained on her drunken fool of a friend who quickly returned to the kitchen counter to seek out more liquor, though as much as she hated to be heckled, part of her was now fixated on his beliefs. Could his hunch really be true?
Taking a deep breath as she prepared to turn back out towards the village Kisa's senses suddenly went wild as someone appeared on the deck behind her; their feet creating a distinct clunk as their sandals dropped on to the wooden surface. Was this a Konoha ninja come to tell Tsunade something, or could it be something far worse?
Afraid of who could be sneaking up on her this late at night the girl formed an ice blade in her right hand and spun it around to hold it to the figure's throat, but as she came face to face with the boy she had been so worried about moments before she froze.
"A-Akito?" She managed to question after a second of staring into his eyes, dropping the ice in her hands as her eyes grew wide; the boy's doing the same as a small grin slowly formed on his lips, brought on by the sudden rush of relief he felt coming over him from seeing that she was finally awake.
"Hey." He replied as Kisa's right hand slowly retracted to her chest to contain her heart as it began racing faster and faster. He kept his promise. He didn't leave them alone. Could this be real?
"You came back." She responded in a hard to read tone as Akito nodded cautiously. Was she mad about him leaving? He wanted to be there when she woke up so badly. Could she forgive him?
"Of course I did." The boy stated as Kisa bit her lip even harder than before while trying her best to contain the emotions mounting inside of her, though only a few seconds later her attempt failed, resulting in her dashing forward, wrapping her arms around the boy's neck and pulling him into a big hug as she buried her face into his jacket.
Caught off guard by Kisa's sudden gesture Akito allowed the backpack he had been carrying on his right shoulder to fall to the ground as he instinctively placed his arms on her back, similar to how she had when Jun passed, though this time she held onto him much tighter than before, as if to keep him from slipping away.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up, I-" He began to apologize, though as the words left his mouth Kisa immediately shook her head.
"Don't say you're sorry." She stated as she lifted her head up from his shoulder a few seconds later and stepped back, wiping her eyes with her sleeves as Akito watched with worry. Why was she crying? Was she in pain, or was it something else?
"What happened? Are you okay?" The boy immediately questioned, bringing Kisa to smile as she shook her head and sniffed back any more of the mixed-emotion tears that may be forming.
"I'm fine, I just…" She replied as she watched his concerned eyes darting back and forth between hers. She had been waiting and praying for his safe return over the past four days, yet now, with him standing before her, she was still unsure what to say.
Should she tell him that she was overwhelmed with joy to know he was safe? Should she ask about his journey home and back, or about the fight with Raigetsu after she blacked out, leaving them to fend for themselves? What about while she was unconscious? Should she ask why he refused to leave her side, or about the necklace? Would he want it back now that he had returned?
"I-I'm just glad you're here. I... was worried. You were out there on your own and it's a long way from here to Iwa… I was afraid something might happen to you." She replied with a heavy blush after finally working up the courage, again taking the necklace around her neck in her hands as she did so while Akito's eyes widened and his own face darkened. Was she really that worried about him?
"I didn't mean to make you worry. I'm sorry." He stated with a frown, once more causing her to shake her head.
"You didn't make me worry, I just did. I can't help it... not anymore." Kisa replied just as a heavy wind passing through the village forced her to tighten her grip on the necklace as she squeezed her arms closer to her body to stay warm, in turn causing Akito's eyes to look down at what she was holding. She kept it on? Did that mean she understood what he was trying to say by leaving it with her?
Having had their eyes locked together up until that moment it didn't take long for Kisa to realize what it was that the boy was looking at, at which point the girl hesitantly reached up behind her and began to unlatch the necklace. Over the past few days she had become quite used to it dangling from her neck and had not once taken it off, but it was Akito's and she was sure he would want it back, no matter how attached she had become to it.
"H-Here… you probably want this back." She said aloud as her thumb began to open the hook keeping the segments of chain, though before she could do so Akito lifted his hand up from his side a little in an effort to stop her.
"No, you… it's..." He began to object before stopping at the girl's nearly instant shift in vision back to his eyes, causing him to pause for a moment before continuing nervously. Was she going to freak out what he was going to say?
"I-I gave it to you as a promise… to remind you that you're not alone, just in case you woke up before I returned. B-But you don't have to give it back." The boy began to explain as his eyes looked down to the deck between them in embarrassment, bringing Kisa to bite her lip as her mind went back to their conversation by the campfire on their first night speaking to one another. Did this mean he intended to keep some promise to her? If so, which?
The past few days had been hard both physically and mentally, and although she hadn't really thought about it until now it felt almost as if his necklace served as a sort of remedy to her stress, constantly keeping the hope that he would return alive and pushing her to keep moving forward. Did she want that feeling to go away?
He had also mentioned that this necklace was also a symbol of not only safety but of love as well, further confusing her and tinting her cheeks red. Love? He gave her the necklace even knowing that it could be interpreted as a sign of love? Why would he do that? Did he… love her?
No, no that couldn't be possible. Even if these emotions she had were some kind of romantic attraction their was no way that he could feel that strongly about her… could he? What she was feeling was no doubt something entirely new, but could it really be that?
"I-I don't know, I… a-are you sure you want me to hold onto it? W-What about your family, what will they say? This is a piece of your clan." The girl spoke, bringing him to lock their eyes together again as his heart too now raced inside his chest. He had yet to tell her about his family's demise, but hearing her concern of their approval brought a small smile to his face and a flutter to his stomach, causing him to look down nervously.
"It's mine to give to whoever I choose… someone I care about." He replied as she too looked back down to hide her blush and began to run her thumb over the necklace's golden form. Someone that he cared about? So he did care about her, but how much? Certainly this was something simply given to a friend. Did that mean he cared more?
Swallowing nervously as an awkward silence developed between them, Akito looked up to her briefly to judge her response before lowering his head and opening his mouth to speak again.
"I-If you don't want it, I understand. I just-" He began to rapidly state in an effort to avoid any negative backlash from his statement, though as he did so Kisa intervened, speaking up to stop his frantic attempt to renege his sentence.
"No, It… It made me feel safe and kept me from losing hope that you would return, just like you told me it would. I-If you want me to keep it safe... I will." She stated as Akito's eyes shot back to her once more and his increasingly red face grew as dark is it possibly could.
When he gave her the necklace before departing for Iwa he had no intention of taking it back, so hearing that she was not only willing to keep it but that it had offered her the comfort and safety he had hoped it would was great news; especially since the fear of his gesture's rejection had been running rampant in his mind for the past few days. Did this mean she understood and accepted the fact that he harboring some sort of feelings for her, even if he himself was unsure of what exactly those feelings were?
Biting his lip to contain the childish smile he felt forming Akito swallowed what little had built up in his dry mouth in preparation to speak, only to be cut off as the sliding door behind Kisa opened, revealing the large-framed, slightly intoxicated man inside as he stepped back out onto the deck with a wide grin.
"Well as I live and breath! It's Akito Himaku!" He exclaimed rather loudly as he waved both arms out to his sides in a joyous manner that brought Kisa to turn to him and glare, angered that he was interfering with their rather tender moment.
"Didn't I tell you to go inside?" She immediately scolded, though in knowing that she was more than likely not being serious at heart, Takao simply laughed.
"And miss out on our, your, boy's return? I don't think so!" He said with a boisterous chuckle as Kisa's face shifted to an even darker shade of red, bringing her to clench her fists in frustration.
"Takao, you-!" She fired back as Akito stepped forward and placed a hand on her arm to calm her while shifting his attention to their friend, using his other hand to bump fists with him just as he had done prior to his departure.
"I told you I would be back. Did you doubt me?" He asked with a friendly grin as Takao shook his head.
"Nah buddy, not one bit. This one did but I told her to trust you, and look, here you are!" The man replied as Kisa huffed in annoyance and looked back to Akito.
"I wasn't going to leave you guys here alone." He stated, causing Takao's grin to grow closer to his ears as he looked to Kisa and then back to the boy as he shook his head.
"Yeah I kinda figured that. You must have just got to town, and I'm sure you are hungry. Why don't you come inside and get something to eat, maybe something to drink; there is plenty left. We can catch up." The man responded, to which Akito laughed under his breath. He must have really enjoyed cooking all of these meals since he was under the impression Takao had done so nearly every day they had been in Konoha, sometimes more than once.
"That sounds good Takao, thank you." He replied before following Takao's motion towards the sliding door, leaving Kisa standing in place as she watched the two walk towards the apartment; her lips forming a small, content smile.
Not more than ten minutes ago she was stricken with such worry that she could do little more than cry yet now, with Akito's return, she could feel a vast of the majority of the weight on her shoulders lifting away. Why was that? Was it all because of his return? Was she this happy to have him back here with them again? Did she really care about him that much?
Almost all the way glass door Akito stopped to let Takao open the glass before noticing that Kisa had not followed, prompting him to look back at her with a shy grin.
"Are you coming too, Kisa?" He questioned the girl, although it was Takao who answered as he couldn't help but chuckle under his breath.
"Nah, she's not into drinking. She would much rather watch the stars." He mocked while using his fingers to create air quotes, causing Kisa's eyes to narrow on him and Akito's head to tilt. He too had enjoyed looking up at the nighttime sky above, especially here in Konoha, and although he was hungry he couldn't find it in himself to leave Kisa alone.
"Oh, well then I'll just eat later. I'm fine for now." Akito stated as he looked back to the girl, who almost immediately shook her head in protest upon realizing that he was going to skip a meal in order to stay outside with her. He likely hadn't eaten a good meal since departing Iwa to come back and although she appreciated his concern she would feel terrible depriving him of dinner, though at the same time she couldn't deny that his company was something she would have enjoyed, leading her to step forward towards them.
"No Akito, it's okay. I'll just come inside with you two… I don't want you to go without eating." She replied as she came to his side, once again locking their eyes together with a smile and prompting him to do the same while in front of them Takao rolled his own in a playful hint of disgust.
"You two are killin' me."