Harumi opened her eyes in the hospital, feeling like she had been run over by Maito Guy, twice. Looking at the ceiling, she heard the low beeps of medical equipment and tried to figure out what they were monitoring. It was a safe and easy way to get her brain in gear before she thought about why she was in the hospital. She could hear the constant beeping, which Harumi decided was her heartbeat monitor, it was a little slow, but not to the point where she would be concerned. A low hum and then a squeezing pressure on her arm heralded the blood pressure machine. Keeping her breaths slow and even, she waited for the blood pressure cuff to deflate before turning her head to see the results. Nodding her head at the 'within normal parameters' result, she watched the line representing her heartbeat for a little while. The rhythmic beeping, along with that small thin line had Harumi's eyes getting heavier and heavier.
She blinked.
Sun was peeking through her window, through the curtains. A warm hand held hers. Confused, Harumi turned her head, it was much easier to this time. Maiko was holding her hand.
Swallowing to wet her dry throat, Harumi whispered, "Maiko-chan?" Her voice was scratchy, so she swallowed again, trying to wet her throat.
Maiko's head jerked up, "Nee-chan! You are awake!" Maiko stood up and walked over to the door and flagged down a passing nurse. Harumi watched as her sister pointed at the bed, shook her head and came back in with a smile. "I won't ask how you feel because I know you will not tell me the truth. However, the doctor will be here soon and he can ask you questions."
"Can I have some ice?" Harumi asked.
"When to doctor comes in, you can ask."
Harumi sighed and struggled to sit up. Maiko ran over to lift her shoulders and placed more pillows behind her to help prop her up better, Maiko let her eyes wonder over Harumi's face. She was paler than normal and her face showed some tension around her eyes and mouth, there were dark circles under her eyes and Harumi was weak, but the determined set of her jaw and the glint in her eye, showed that Harumi was not going to be down for long, if only because she was not going to stay in the hospital for long.
Maiko laughed, "You are already plotting how to escape, aren't you?"
"Of course, what else would I be doing?" Harumi laughed, coughing against the dryness in her throat again. "There is nothing worse than being stuck in the hospital where you work."
Before Maiko could say anything, the door to Harumi's room opened and the doctor came in. Harumi smiled at a doctor that she worked well with.
"Now Harumi-san, how do you feel?"
"My throat is dry, my whole body is sore, and my eyes are dry and I feel a little nauseous still," Harumi walked through her symptoms.
The doctor nodded and made a note in her chart. "Well it sounds like standard poison symptoms, let's get you some ice chips to start with ice chips and some rice crackers for the nausea. Would you like one of us to help with the soreness?" Setting the chart down, he ran his now green hand down her body, nodding at what he found, he picked up the chart and wrote in it. He then took all of the monitoring equipment off of her since she was awake now.
Harumi tilted her head as she thought about it, "Can I take a hot shower and see if I can get the kinks out that way first?"
The doctor smiled and nodded, "Of course, after you have some crackers and the nausea doesn't get worse, or if you start to feel dizzy."
Harumi nodded, "Of course."
"I mean it Harumi-san, the last thing we want is for you to fall down while taking your shower and hitting your head or something."
Harumi smiled, "I know, and I promise to behave."
Maiko nodded, "I will make sure of it."
The doctor nodded and made a couple more notes before turning around and walking towards the door, "I will have a nurse bring in some ice and the rice crackers. Your body has been through a lot in the last twelve hours Harumi, so you will need to move at a much slower pace than you think you do."
Harumi nodded. Maiko eyed Harumi carefully. The two of them waited for the nurse, thankfully they didn't have to wait long as the nurse came in with a sunny "Here you go" and placed a cup full of ice chips and a small bowl of rice crackers on the tray next to her bed. Maiko sat back down in her chair next to Harumi's bed. Harumi tipped the cup up and a couple ice chips dropped into her mouth. Letting them melt on her tongue, she greedily swallowed the cold water, the coolness slid down her throat, cooling the soreness and soothing the dryness.
"How long have I been here?" Harumi asked.
"You were brought to the hospital shortly after four in the afternoon suffering from a severe poisoning." Knowing what else her sister wanted to know Maiko continued, "The medical-nin have worked with you enough to know that you started the healing, but the poison was infecting you faster than you could heal it."
"I take it they were able to stop the poison from spreading?"
Maiko nodded, "Yes, but it was difficult."
"Is this something I should ask the doctor, imoto?" Harumi asked kindly.
"The nurses said you almost died nee-chan!" Maiko's eyes got very glassy as she bit her lip.
Harumi held out her arm, "Come here imoto," shifting over to one side of the bed, Harumi pat the empty spot. Maiko looked at the space undecided for a moment before climbing into bed with her sister. Gently pushing her sister's head onto her shoulder, Harumi placed her head on Maiko's. "I'm fine, Maiko. Almost doesn't count in the life of a shinobi. There only is and isn't."
Running her fingers through Maiko's hair, ignoring the warm patch of wetness seeping through her hospital gown. It only took a few minutes for Maiko to calm down, a kunoichi couldn't afford to be emotional for long, even if she was in a safe place. Maiko moved so that the two sisters were sitting side by side, touching from shoulder to knee. Harumi leaned over and took out a couple more ice chips to set on her tongue. Once they were melted, she picked up a couple rice crackers, her throat feeling much better with the ice.
"So, what has been going on since I came to the hospital?" Harumi asked around the cracker in her mouth.
"Well not too much, Hatake-san brought you to the hospital while Uchiha-san took Masahiro, Naruto and Sasuke to the Nara compound and quickly left. Then oba sent a messenger to get Hideaki and me, where she told us you were in the hospital. By that time, Hatake-san was missing from the hospital and the nurses informed us that you were seriously injured. After a couple hours, you were brought to this room, at that point Hideaki went to tell ototo and Naruto that you were fine and staying here overnight and I went home to get you a few things you would need. Nii-san stayed with the boys at oji's house while I stayed here with you. I am sure by now, nii-san is with his team while ototo and Naruto are at the Academy."
While Maiko was filling her in, Harumi continued to alternate ice chips and rice crackers. When Maiko was finished, Harumi had made it through a handful of rice crackers and over half of the cup of ice chips, which were melting so Harumi started to drink some of the water. Feeling the nausea fade, Harumi decided to try and stand up. Slowly swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Harumi was thankful that she was already sitting up, so she got to miss the head rush. Letting her feet dangle for a minute, she flexed her legs, ankles and feet, making sure they were all in working order. Then moving her hands to rest on either side of hips, she slowly pushed off the bed, setting her feet on the cold floor, Harumi frowned, she hated having cold feet. Keeping her hands firmly on the bed behind her, she took a few breaths, making sure that her legs could support her weight, she finally took an experimental step.
Maiko appeared next to her, Harumi shook her head and asked instead, "What did you bring from the house?"
Maiko nodded, understanding that weakness was not something to be shown, even around family members. Turning she walked over to a small black bag resting on the ground next to her chair. "I have some night clothes for you, some shampoo and body wash," holding up a pair of fuzzy slippers, "these because I know you hate cold floors and they should be easy to slip on and off before you hop into bed."
Harumi smiled, "I am going to leave the door ajar while I am taking a shower so that if I end up falling you can come and help me."
Maiko nodded again, "You should hurry, I am sure that the doctor has already told Hokage-sama that you are awake, and will either be here, or send someone to debrief you."
"Okay, so a fast shower it is," Harumi nodded as she took the bag and slowly walked her way over to the bathroom. Turning the water on as hot as she could stand it, Harumi was grateful for the ease of getting the hospital gown off, a few tugs on a couple strings and the whole thing slipped down her arms and onto the floor. Standing under the hot water, Harumi smothered a groan of appreciation as the hot water hit her sore muscles. Letting the spray hit her between the shoulders and running down her back, Harumi moved her arms to loosen them up. Deeming that the muscles wouldn't protest too much, Harumi quickly shampooed her hair, rinsed it out and took the body wash and gave herself a fast massage while washing any leftover dirt and sweat off her body. Standing under the still hot water, Harumi just let the hot water run over her shoulders.
Turning off the water and picking up the towel that there, Harumi started to dry herself off, with a knock before opening the door a little more, Maiko stuck her head inside the small crack, "Harumi, Hokage-sama and some ANBU are here for your debriefing."
Raising her voice just a little Harumi replied, "Thank you Maiko-chan, I will be out in just a moment." Quickly she finished drying off and slipped into the clothes Maiko brought. Her favorite black tank top, minus her bra and a pair of black shorts were put on. Taking her towel, she wrapped her hair up in a turban to keep the water from dripping down her face. Looking in the mirror she frowned, she still looked worn out, but nothing she could do about that now, so she took a breath and walked into her room.
She stopped after a couple steps into the room and bowed slightly, pretty sure she would fall on her face if she tried a deeper bow, "Hokage-sama, ANBU-san. What would you like to know?"
Sarutobi gestured to her bed, "Please sit down, Shikaku-kun will be very upset if his most precious niece were to fall down."
Harumi slowly, but steadily walked back to her bed, slowly she sat down, in a completely controlled manner because flopping down would show too much weakness. Slipping her feet under the sheets, she pulled them up to her waist as she rested her back against the headboard. Sarutobi looked at Maiko, while Harumi was getting settled and nodded to the door, Maiko bowed, walked over to her sister and pulled the covers up to her shoulders and gave her a hug, "I'll be right back, I am going to check on otouto and nii-san. Do you want me to get you anything?"
"A hoodie, a shawl or something would be nice. Also, maybe that book on my nightstand?" Harumi laughed softly, "I might actually be able to finish it."
"Hai," Maiko replied with a smile before she slipped out the door.
Sarutobi sat down in the chair Maiko had been sitting in, "Now Harumi-kun, please tell me what happened."
Harumi took a moment to gather her thoughts, she had deliberately didn't think of anything but what she was doing right at that moment. "Hatake-san, Uchiha-san, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun and Masahiro-kun and I were finishing up a game to teach the boys how to use the body replacement technique when in a combat situation. Uchiha-san and I were throwing rubber tipped senbon at the boys and live senbon at Hatake-san. Naruto-kun was in the middle of explaining why it wasn't fair that Hatake-san got one extra point when a kunai was thrown across the small field we were in. After establishing the trajectory, I quickly body flickered between Naruto-kun and the kunai. Hatake-san and Uchiha-san both took off after the person who threw the kunai. Sasuke-kun and Masahiro-kun ran over to me, which allowed the four of us to move over to a more defendable position.
"Once we arrived there, I checked the boys for any wounds and quickly bound my wound to avoid using any chakra I might need later. After a short time, I started to feel nauseous and I had a difficult time breathing. I was quickly able to determine that I had been poisoned, so I started to force more white blood cells to be produced, while also slowing down my heart rate to slow the spread of the poison. Some time later, I am not sure, I was wholly focused on staying conscious and protecting the boys, Hatake-san and Uchiha-san came to our location. I am not sure what happened after that, it is all very fuzzy," Harumi finished. Picking up her cup of melted ice, she took a sip and waited for the questions to begin.
"Why did you put yourself between Naruto-kun and the kunai?" the ANBU in the cat mask asked.
"Naruto-kun is a child and was in danger. We have been working for over an hour and I was sure he was tired. I am an adult and have more stamina and I also have more experience than an academy student does."
"Why didn't you just let Naruto perform the body replacement jutsu that you had been practicing?" the ANBU in dog mask asked.
"Naruto-kun had the worse score for the body replacement jutus, he kept waiting too long to perform it, also, with no idea if there were more than one assailant, I didn't want to risk Naruto-kun getting closer to someone else," Harumi quickly ate another cracker, hoping that the nurse would let her have something else soon, because she was getting hungry.
"Hatake-san and Uchiha-san are both competent shinobis, why didn't they intervene?" Cat asked.
Harumi shrugged, "You would have to ask them, ANBU-san."
"If you had to guess?" Cat prompted.
"If I had to guess, it would be because I am a medical-nin, therefore can easily heal any injury taken while interrupting the path of the kunai. Also, both Hatake-san and Uchiha-san are better at tracking than I would be and apprehending the person who threw the kunai and assessing if there was more danger, would be a better use of their skills."
"The place you described as better defensible, how did you know it was there?" Dog asked.
"The training ground we were using was one that I have used often, from when I was also an academy student training with my parents all the way up through off duty training with Nara Shikaku and his friends. Because of this, I know the area well, this area is one that my to-san taught me how to make traps for defending myself while on a mission, it is also where I helped my siblings with the same skill."
"While you were treating yourself, did you have any idea what the poison was?" Sarutobi asked.
Harumi shook her head and swallowed her cracker, "There are many poisons that induce nausea, weakness and difficulty breathing, in fact most start off with those symptoms. However, the treatment for most poisons can be supplemented by a healthy immune system, so by forcing my white blood cells to increase I was boosting what my body needed to combat the poison. It wasn't ideal, especially when I had no way of knowing what the poison was or what damage it was going to cause, but it was the safest way to ensure that I stayed alert and aware of potential danger."
"Do you have any idea who would have cause to attack any in your group?" Sarutobi asked.
"I can't speak for Uchiha-san or Hatake-san, as for myself, I can't think of anyone in the village, I am but a medical-nin. However, there are a few people outside the village who do not like that I am proficient with poison and would prefer that I stopped making antidotes."
"I need a list of those people," Sarutobi replied.
"Of course, Hokage-sama," Harumi replied.
Standing up, Sarutobi patted Harumi's leg, "Rest and get well, Harumi-kun, you gave your family a scare. I will send someone by to pick up that list before dinner." Walking to the door, he was followed by the two ANBU. Harumi caught a glance of Hideaki standing outside her door and called out, "Come in otouto."
Hideaki walked in and stood next to her bed, "You scared us, nee-chan."
Harumi nodded, "I know."
"Masahiro had another nightmare last night."
Harumi nodded again, "Was he able to go back to sleep?"
"He was," Hideaki replied. "Should I bring him here after the academy?"
"I would like that, I should be looking better by that time." Harumi continued to stare at her brother. His face was drawn and he stance was ridged. Harumi slipped her legs off the bed and pat the spot next to her. Hideaki grunted, but sat down next to her and she slid her arm around his shoulder. "I am sorry for scaring you otouto."
"It is the life of a shinobi, we live, we serve, we die," he repeated.
"Yes, it is."
"You are a medical-nin. You are not supposed to die on a mission. You are supposed to save people!"
"That is true also."
"You have no idea how I felt when oba told me that you were in the hospital, injured during some training. Masahiro-kun was crying that you were dying and Naruto-kun said that Kakashi-san had to run super fast to get you to the hospital."
Harumi stayed silent, Hideaki needed to get this off his chest, the fear was a thing all of them had to struggle with. Getting hurt to the point she was in the hospital, even that they needed to keep her in isolation while they worked on her, would be Hideaki's biggest fear in living color.
"How could you do this to me?"
"We are shinobi, we live, we serve, we die. If we are lucky our deaths will be for the good of Konoha. If we are very lucky, our life and death will confirm the Will of Fire for those around us," Harumi whispered.
Hideaki shifted, and Harumi let her arm fall from his shoulders, "How would I explain this to Masahiro, Harumi?"
"I died to save his friend, so that Masahiro and Naruto could grow up and become the next heroes of Konoha." Harumi smiled softly, "The same way I explained tō-san and kaa-san's death to you and imoto. However, I am alive, otouto. No need to worry about what might happen. Everyone is safe and whole. It was a good day, all things considered."
Hideaki's breath left his mouth in a disgusted grunt, "Easy for you to say."
"Of course, I have been doing this longer than you have, and my measuring stick is a simple one. We are all safe, it was a good day." Harumi slowly stood up, "Now, I am sure you have things you need to do. Your sensei is not going to let you hang around the hospital all day with your nee-chan. Go do what you need to do, bring Masahiro with you after school. Naruto if Kakashi-san gives you permission. Also, if you could get word to Katsu-san and Tamotsu-san that I am fine, I would appreciate it."
Hideaki smiled and nodded as he rose from the bed and walked towards the window. "I will see you in a few hours, get some rest."
"Yes kaa-san," Harumi teased, watching her brother slip from the room through the opened window into the morning air.
Sighing, Harumi slowly began a very basic kata, designed to help stretch her muscles and loosen her joints. Biting her lip to contain her groan of pain as she slowly brought her hands together in front of her. This is one of the first katas she had ever learned, she was able to walk, so she must have been three or so. Her mother woke her up in the morning and before she could have breakfast, she learned this kata. It focused on keeping your balance, so there were lots of one-legged turns, staying upright while doing some arm movements. All in all, a fairly simple kata, but for the purpose of getting herself moving, it was perfect.
Harumi had made it half way through the twelve-movement kata when there was a knock on her door. "Come in," she called, keeping herself balanced on one leg, while bending over with her other leg stretched out behind her. Maiko walked in with some things in her hands. Harumi couldn't make out what was there, so she concentrated on her balance, after counting to ten slowly, Harumi lowered her leg and slowly stood up straight.
"I saw a nurse on my way in and she said that breakfast would be served in a little bit. She will bring it to you, along with some more ice chips and tea." Setting down her burden, Maiko took out a hair brush and waved it in the air, "Sit down and I will brush your hair." Harumi moved to the chair and sat down, feeling better, not completely better, but better none the less. Maiko quickly ran the brush through Harumi's hair, once all of the tangles were out, Maiko quickly braided Harumi's hair. "There, now it will dry and be all curly."
"Why do I want my hair curly?"
"Because it is cute, and you don't have to worry about pulling you hair up out of your face while you are on medical leave."
The nurse walked in with a tray full of food, smiling at the two women, she quickly set the tray down and took the empty cup and bowl out.
"Is there anything in my chart about when I will be able to go home?" Harumi asked.
The nurse took looked at the chart, "It just says to wait until the attending doctor releases you," shaking her head she stopped Harumi's complaints, "The doctor will be doing rounds after breakfast. I am sure if you can prove that you can keep your food down and that there is no lasting damage to your body, that he will let you go."
"Who is attending today?"
"Yakushi-sama," the nurse replied.
Harumi smiled, "Thank you."
"You are welcome, be sure to eat all that you can, you need to get your strength back."
"Thank you, I will," Harumi smiled again as the nurse closed the door. Slowly standing up, she walked over to the bed and laid down again. "I am going to eat and read some, and rest. Feel free to go and work on D-ranks or whatever while I do this."
Maiko scowled, "Are you kicking me out?"
"Of course, imoto, I need to rest and I won't be able to do that if you are hovering over me."
"Well fine then, see if I bring you anything else!" Maiko teased.
"Love you too, imoto. Go and come by when you are finished. Hideaki is bringing otouto over after the academy. Maybe we will send him to get some mochi while we wait."
"I like it!" Maiko leaned over and placed her cheek against Harumi's cheek. "See you in a few hours nee-chan." Maiko slipped out of the window and disappeared into Konoha.
Harumi laughed softly to herself before taking the cover off of her food tray. There was a small bowl of soup, some more rice crackers, some tea and water. Lifting the cover on the small plate, she found some broiled fish and a small mound of rice. "Well it looks like they have all of their bases covered in the event I was still feeling nauseous," Harumi muttered to herself. Quickly eating the soup, Harumi decided to try a little of the rice and fish. After a few minutes, she quickly ate the rest of the food before her. She leaned back and started to sip her tea, letting the warmth comfort her. Pulling the cloth bundle closer to her, Harumi slowly unknotted the fabric and smiled when she saw what was inside. One of her favorite zippered hoodies and the book from her bedside table, along with the next book in the series. The fabric used to make the bundle was a light purple wool material, designed to be light but warm. It was shawl, a gift from her parents before they died. Tō-san found the fabric while on a mission and brought it back, while kaa-san sewed the shawl, added a couple buttons to ensure that Harumi had her hands free if needed.
Harumi set the shawl and hoodie off to the side, she also put the book on the table next to the breakfast tray and pushed the table away from the bed. Then sliding down further into bed, Harumi covered her head, letting the exhaustion finally surface and show in every part of her body. Taking a few shallow breaths, because it still hurt to breath, she closed her eyes and let sleep overtake her.
A cold air blowing on her face and a light shining on her eyes woke her up. Blinking, she looked into the face of Yakushi Nonō, one of the head medics in the hospital, one of Harumi's superiors. Nonō smiled at Harumi's expression.
"Time to wake up and let me fully examine you, Shimizu-san. I know you don't want to be here any longer than you need to," taking a moment for Harumi to get herself in a more comfortable position on the bed, Nonō quickly sent chakra to her hand and slowly passed it over Harumi's body, pausing momentarily at over her chest and abdomen. "Well it looks like everything is healing well, you still have some damage to your lungs and your intestine, however that should clear itself up in another day or two, especially once you replenish your chakra. It looks like your chakra is still very low, considering how long you slept, but since you were close to depletion, it is not to be unexpected." She wrote down her findings, looking as some of the notations made by the other nurses and doctors. "It looks like your nausea has passed. If your chakra continues to restore itself, I am comfortable with you going to home tomorrow, however if you reserve are not building themselves back up, there might be a bigger problem."
Harumi nodded.
"Good, now that that is done," Nonō set the chart down and stared at Harumi with hands on her hips, "What were you thinking child?!"
Harumi slowly sat up in bed and shrugged her shoulders, "I wasn't."
"Obviously!"
"But the boys are safe and that is what matters to me," Harumi defended herself.
"Yes, that is a good thing, however I am talking about how you almost brought yourself to the point of chakra exhaustion because you were not trying to kill the poison, you just used your chakra to create hyperactive white blood cells, without knowing if the poison would attack anything that the white blood cells could fix! Those white blood cells could have attacked your perfectly good cells and caused more damage!"
"It was an educated guess on my part, yes. But my thought process was that if the poison was too busy being attacked by the white blood cells, then it wouldn't have time to kill me," Harumi jokingly replied.
"Baa!" Nonō spat, throwing her hands in the air, "I am not even going to dignify that with an answer, however I will tell you not to do it again! You know this."
"Hai, Yakushi-sama. I promise I will not make those hyperactive white blood cells again."
"Now go back to sleep if you can, if not just rest. Don't try to get up and move unless you have too. I would tell you to stay in bed, but since I know that will not happen, at least limit yourself to not moving too fast or too far, and no exercise, just stretching movements to continue to combat the soreness in your muscles."
"Hai, Yakushi-sama." Harumi replied.
"I am sure your brother will be here as soon as he can, so you need to rest up as much as you can so that you don't look as sick as you do now," Nonō waved a hand towards Harumi's face. "I am only here for the next hour or so, then I am going back to the orphanage. Make sure you stop by while you are on leave."
Harumi watched as the medic left, closing the door behind her. Glancing out her window, she saw that the early morning had passed quickly, and it was approaching lunch time. Deciding that she wanted to sit in the sun, Harumi slowly got out of bed, even as her body protested the movement. Moving the chair closer to the window, Harumi walked back over to pick up her book and her shawl. Curling up in the chair, with the sun and a slight breeze warming her, Harumi's eyes swept over the words and quickly she got lost in the story.
Time passed, and a nurse brought in a lunch tray, filled with similar food from breakfast, all of it considered light enough for a recovering body, but full of the nutrients that are needed to heal the body. The soup was more of a noodle soup, with steamed vegetable buns, some broiled fish and a few cookies on the side. Adding the fish to the soup, Harumi quickly ate her food. She then got up to move around the room, stretching her arms and legs. Sitting on the floor she did a few stretches, not pushing as far as she normally would, but let gravity create the stretch.
While she was in the middle of a wide-legged stretch, there was a knock on the door, laying her head on the floor she called out "Come in."
AN: Here you go, sorry this took so long to update, but real life reared it's ugly head and I had to go and fight it back into it's box. I think it is good there for a bit. Thank you all to the new reviews, likes and follows, you are the reason I keep doing this. Let me know what you think, and I will see you all again in 2 weeks, or less if I can keep real life contained.