"Neji, please!" I begged, throwing my hands out onto the table in front of me.
"Quit begging like a child." Neji replied. "and no, that was just a dream."
"Do you know where Deidra found me?" I asked. "A abandoned shelter, just like that one."
"It's a figure of your imagination, a dream Kori." Neji said.
"Neji..." I began again. "You know how likely it is your my brother, we may find your mother there to."
I really did not want to use that against him, I regretted it even more when I saw his face. His family altogether was a touchy subject, I never brought it up.
"I don't want to find her dead, Kori." Neji finally said after a long silence.
I knew he still considered that his mother was alive, he would completely deny any situation that would prove otherwise. Including this one.
"So what...You're afraid?" I sad after a long silence.
Kori! I groaned inwardly Shut up!
Neji didn't look at me, he wouldn't lie but he wouldn't admit it either.
In other words, he really was afraid.
To my surprise, a grin came onto my face. "So...you are human! You sense fear!" I said, Maybe I was just trying to change the subject, or make up for what I'd just said. But whichever, it seemed to work. Neji's angry expression softened.
He didn't really smile, but he didn't seem so angry. Relief flooded me.
"I'll think about it..." With that he walked out the front door.
I didn't see him at all the next couple of days, I had a feeling I had upset him too badly. I hate to say it, but I slacked off the last couple of days, I can't say it was because or worry or illness.
Maybe, even thought I was unaware, maybe I just wanted to make his life worse than it always was.
At this though, I felt horrible and immediately went to train.
Another couple of days, still gone. I saw Hinata walking down the street and I immediately ran over to her. "Hinata-San! Where is Neji?"
Hinata gave me a funny look. "He left a couple of days ago, didn't he?"
My eyes widened. "He didn't tell me he was leaving!" I cried.
Hinata stared. "He didn't...?"
"No...Do you have any idea where he went?" I asked her.
"No, he wouldn't tell me." She answered uneasily.
"Well...There's no reason to go chasing after him now anyways." I said after a few moments. "Thanks Hinata-San..."
I went home after that, upset and angry with the situation. Why wouldn't he tell me, or Hinata?
I crawled into bed and fell asleep.
That night I was awoken by a loud crash, I sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I thought it was Neji, but I had to remind myself he wasn't here. I rushed out of bed and downstairs.
The door was ajar and a man stood there. I only saw a silhouette since there was no light to show me his true appearance. "Kori?" He said.
I realized who it was and let my arms drop. "What are you doing here? Especially at this time?" I said, annoyed. The lights I turned on illuminated the room, revealing Kankuro standing in the door way, he carried someone on his back. Their arms were slung over his shoulders, both hands and arms seemed to be broken and cut up, covered in black to yellow bruises. I didn't even recognize the person.
"Who is that?" I asked uneasily.
Kankuro gave me a funny look. "What do you mean 'who is that'? It's Neji."
I gasped. "Oh my god!" Then I noticed that he was clutching something in his right hand. It seemed to be a necklace, all I could see was the broken chain hanging down from his hand. It appeared to have been ripped off of someones neck I went to him and pried it from his hand. As soon as I realized what it was I froze, staring down at it in my hand.
On the end of that chain was a symbol, a circle with an upside down triangle. It was the symbol of Jashin.
Now I knew exactly where he'd been.
"Take him upstairs..." I told Kankuro, he left me standing alone in the room.
A cold blast of air from the open door brought me out of my trance-like state and I stuffed the necklace in my pocket.
I didn't want to wake Hinata, well...I didn't want to wake anybody. So I decided to take care of him myself, with Kankuro's help of course.
"Where did you find him?" I asked.
"I'm sure it was near an Akatsuki hide out..." Kankuro said, I could hear the anger in his voice.
"Oh..." I shut my mouth and stayed quiet after that.
Neji didn't wake up for a while, as long as two days. All his injuries indicated torture, I recognized it. I used to live with these people. It would be sickening (not to mention cruel) of me to describe his injuries. Well, I didn't want Neji to wake up, He would be in a lot of pain.
"Is he up?" Kankuro asked.
"No..." I sighed and stood. "Why are you still here?" I asked, half joking.
"Because your absolutely hopeless when it comes to taking care of people, who else will save poor Neji's life?" Kankuro grinned.
I was trying hard not to laugh, my face must have been caught somewhere between amused and annoyed.
I knew why he stayed there though, nothing had changed since I first met him. He still loved me.
I thought about it every once and a while, I mean, I didn't have to...deny it now. I wasn't going back.
I decided against saying anything, and went on with my day, like normal. It wasn't until late tha tnight that Neji finally woke up. I was completely right, that he was in a lot of pain.
"Neji?" I said gently.
He gave me no reply, only turning his head slightly. Kankuro watched from the doorway.
"How do you feel?"
"Hurts..." Was his reply, I frowned.
"Sorry, Nedge. I can't do anything more about it." I apologized.
After that he stopped moving and speaking all together, lying there awake and in pain.
"Kankuro...Can you watch him?" I asked, pretending to be tired.
"Yeah, I guess." He acme and took my place as I headed for the door; I think both of us knew exactly why I wanted to leave. I felt guilty...I felt like it was my fault. It was painful to watch, really. I retreated to my room after getting myself a cup of coffee and read.
The book was quite interesting really; I could line myself up with the character. Her name was Chiyo; she'd grown up in a small fishing village called Yoroido and had been sold off to an okiya in Kyoto. I felt as if I could relate myself to her. Having grown up in..well, not even a town, sometimes I felt as if I had been sold off. Eventually, by the end of the book...She was magnificent!
That's what I wished to be...but I felt as if I might as well give up now.
I closed the book (Which was a very hard thing to do) and dropped it next to my bed, laid down and fell asleep.
I was awoken the next morning by small cries; I was sure coming from Neji's room. Slowly I got up, trying to wake up the rest of my body and stumbled to the room. Indeed, it was Neji. Hinata was tehre, treating his wounds. "Why did you let Kori do this on her own?" I heard her ask a very sleepy Kankuro.
"I don't know...She seemed to know what she was doing." He lied.
"She will never know what she's doing when it comes to medicine." She warned. "Next time, come get me!"
I put my hands in my pocket and started to walk back to my room, and then I felt the necklace against my hand. I pulled it out and set it on my desk.
I stared at it a long time upon seeing it. I realized how how much I missed Hidan. I really did, no matter how I looked at it. I sighed and turned away. I went back to where Kankuro and Hinata were.
"Ohayo, Kori!" Kankuro said with fake enthusiasm.
"Morning..." I walked to Neji's side. "How is he?" He was currently asleep.
"Doing better." Kankuro answered.
I stared down at him and frowned. "Why does he always get hurt...? Especially now...?"
Kankuro sat forward, letting his feet he had propped up fall to the ground. "I knew you didn't understand..."
I gave him a funny look. "What do you mean?"
"What happens when Neji dies? What are you going to do, Where will you go?" Kankuro asked, giving me a nearly angry looking stare.
"I guess...I might...stay. I don't know." Those three simple questions stumped me.
"Your training is nearly finished, and if Neji is gone...no mater how you look at it, your more than likely going back to the Akatsuki, and if they can't convince you, can't force you, then I see a war."
I stared at him in horror, realizing exactly why Neji had been Victim to those things.
He dies, I'm forced back to the Akatsuki. In other words, a human barrier, a wall. Then there was the last attempt Kankuro thought they would make.
"W-War? Over this?" I cried suddenly.
Kankuro nodded. "For sure." Then he stood and left, leaving me alone to think about Kankuro's last words.
I waited until Neji got better to interrogate him. It took a bit. Finally he was able...
"Where did you go?" I asked Neji.
"I went to the shelter, you described." Neji admitted, he then paused I had a feeling I should be thankful I didn't go. "And...I found the Akatsuki."
"I think I know what happened..." I wasn't going to make him talk anymore about his encounter with the Akatsuki. But there was one more thing.
"Did you find anything at the...Shelter?" I asked.
"Skeletons..." Was his reply.
"Oh..."
Days passed, Neji got better. I said my goodbyes to Kankuro. Days later, back to training.
I waited and waited for what Kankuro was going to happen, to happen. Everyday it looked less and less likely.
"Neji, do you think there will be a war?" I asked him one day.
In turn he shrugged. "Maybe...I'm we'd fight for you." He gave me a rare smile.
"I don't want anyone to fight over me...that's slightly creepy." I said.
Neji laughed. "Yeah...but maybe...it won't happen."
"We can only hope." I said.
Come to find out we were very...very wrong.
~.~.~.~
I sat in front of Tsunade, she gave me a very angry look. "Kori..." She began. "As you're aware, I believe the Akatsuki are still after you?"
I nodded. "Yes..."
"If you aren't to return to the Akatsuki, I'm afraid of the war we've been waiting for will begin. It's the last thing anyone needs." Tsunade looked at me, she was asking me a silent question.
Will you return to the Akatsuki?
"Ts-Tsunade-Sama..." I began.
"I know Kori, but you have to let all those things go." Tsunade told me.
After a long moment of silence, I stood.
I knew exactly what I would do.
The end is near, I smell it. By the way, can anyone guess what book I was referring to? It's a real book. A good one at that.
Reveiw please^^
~Kuro-Kan and Shika