Standard "I don't own anyone" disclaimer. I just claim Harumi and her family.
Kakashi opened the door at the call and walked in to see Harumi on the floor, her legs spread in a v and her upper body laying on the floor with her elbows propping her up. Kakashi watched as she smiled and slowly sat up, bringing her legs together as she moved them to her side. Her movements were much smoother and more graceful than they had been that morning, she must have been stretching her muscles out more. It made sense, after all when he brought her to the hospital, her body was so ridged like she refused to move a single muscle after she curled up when he picked her up.
Kakashi gave her an eye smile as she sat there, "I just came to see how you are doing, Harumi-san."
"Please drop the Harumi-san, we know too much to be stuck on formality, it is -kun, -chan or nothing at all."
"Sure," Kakashi responded, not sure what else to say. He stood in the middle of the room, his hands in his pockets, his slouch in full slouchiness. The silence stretched out before it could get too uncomfortable, damn it, he was supposed to be a genius, why couldn't he think of anything to say! Stop staring at her, damn it! Where was his self-control? Where was his normal perfect tool attitude?
Harumi stood up, Kakashi's eye tracked her to the bed where she picked up a hoodie from the table next to the bed. Slowly, she put one arm in and the other, then she zipped the front up half way. The sleeves were short enough that it didn't cover the bandage on her right arm but were long enough to cover most of her upper arm. Kakashi was struck by how much purple Harumi wove into her clothes. While he mostly saw her in blacks and grays, there was always some purple somewhere, this hoodie was no exception. It was black with a dark purple lining and hood.
Harumi sat down on the bed and tilted her head, Kakashi could feel the questions coming off of her as he stared. Breaking eye contact he wished that he brought a book with him, then he wouldn't be forced to make eye contact.
Harumi sighed, "Good morning Kakashi. I am feeling much better thank you."
Kakashi swallowed, feeling like he was being reprimanded, "That is good." Now, what would a normal person say? Yelling at her probably wouldn't work, especially since he was not supposed to know that she pushed herself to the point of chakra exhaustion while trying to heal and protect the boys. Oh yes, now he remembered, "I wanted to thank you for protecting Naruto."
Harumi waved her hand, "You don't need to thank me, I did what anyone else would have done. Besides I was the most qualified to protect, while you went hunting down the person who threw the weapon." Harumi shrugged, "It is a good division of labor I think. Good teamwork."
"Yeah, teamwork," Kakashi repeated. Is this where he tells her that he wasn't thinking about teamwork but the thought of a hunt? That he wasn't even thinking but reacting. "So, when you do you think you will get out of here?"
"The doctor said tomorrow if my chakra reserves start to come back."
"When will Masahiro-kun come to visit?"
"I asked Hideaki to bring him after the academy this afternoon. I figured Masahiro will need some time for reassurance before he goes to sleep. I am hoping that Hideaki can bring some food, but the nurses are not being very open about the types of food the doctor is allowing me."
"What food are you hoping for? I can sneak some food in," Kakashi offered. That was a normal thing to offer, right?
"I was hoping for some spicy pork ramen, I have been craving it for a little while and was going to make it for dinner last night, but well…" her voice trailed off. Kakashi watched as she fiddled with her earrings before lacing her hands together in front of her.
"If you want ramen, how about Ichiroku's?"
"That would be wonderful, thank you," Harumi smiled brightly. Kakashi blinked, her smile was genuine, and it erased the fatigue lines on her face.
"Would it be okay if Naruto came with me to drop off the ramen?" Kakashi was hesitant to let the boy out of his sight for long, in fact, if it wasn't for the ANBU standing right in the room with Naruto at the academy, not to mention Bull sitting at Naruto's feet, Kakashi wouldn't be standing here.
Harumi nodded her head again, "Of course, absolutely, bring Naruto. I want to make sure that he is doing okay after yesterday. Hideaki said that both Naruto and Masahiro had nightmares last night."
Kakashi nodded, he was in the room next to Naruto and Masahiro when Naruto's screams alerted him of the nightmares. Kakashi was able to quickly quiet Naruto down, but the sounds did have Masahiro wake up from his own nightmare, which caused Hideaki to enter the room too. Kakashi decided it was too crowded in the small room, so he quickly took Naruto over to his room and the boy went back to sleep. Kakashi stayed awake, trying to figure out how he missed the assailant. How did he make such a rookie mistake by not noticing a new chakra signature?
"If Naruto is anything like Masahiro, all he will really need is the assurance that I'm just fine and he will bounce back to normal," Harumi continued, not knowing the direction of Kakashi's thoughts.
Kakashi blinked, and brought himself out of the memories, "That should work. Does this happen often?"
"Not with me," Harumi shrugged, "but the first time any of us got hurt, Masahiro did the same thing. It is only natural for his age, I guess."
Kakashi watched as Harumi stood up from the bed and walked over to the chair next to the window. She picked up a book and walked back to the bed.
"You are welcome to sit down, Kakashi," she said as she leaned against the headboard. "I promise I won't try to ask you too many questions."
Kakashi eye smiled, but his mouth didn't move under his mask, "Maa, what kind of questions are you going to ask me?"
Harumi stared at the one-eyed man for a moment, noting that he was stiffer than before, no longer the loose-limbed laziness, but more of a forced laziness. "What happened after you took off after the assailant? How long after the initial attack until you found us? What happened after I passed out?"
"Well, after I saw you throw yourself in front of the kunai, I ran in the direction it came from, I didn't find anyone there, but I could smell them. Since my sense of smell is better than average, I was able to follow it for a little while before it disappeared. Then I summoned one of my ninkin with better tracking skills than mine and we were able to follow the scent further. When that finally ran out, Itachi and I searched for any signs of the attacker while I sent my ninkin to find Naruto and to make sure that all of you were safe. Pakkun came back quickly and said that you were in very bad shape. So Itachi and I ran to your location. Itachi shushined the boys to the Nara compound because it was a closer while I ran with you to the hospital. After handing you over to the doctors there, I found Shikaku and told him what had happened, while Itachi continued the search. Shikaku said that he would take care of all three boys until word would be sent to the Uchiha compound, and then I went to find Itachi, where we were until very late. We lost the trail near the border of the Land of Rain."
"Who would try to kill Naruto from the Land of Rain?"
"I don't know," Kakashi's voice was surprising flat during the entire report because that was the only word to describe the retelling. It was robotic, not a single emotion came through, not even an eyebrow twitch.
"Does this have to do with your information gathering?"
"Unknown."
"Well, how about the man in an orange mask, wasn't he from the Land of Rain?"
Harumi watched as Kakashi reacted, not that he stiffened because he was already too stiff for that, but almost like his body became electrified. "The man in the orange mask?"
Harumi nodded, "Yes, the one we heard was recruiting people from all over the world to join his disciples. Preaching about the new world he was going to create."
Kakashi nodded slowly, the pieces slowly coming together. The rogue Uchiha, the masked man preaching about a new world and recruiting not only ordinary civilians but also S-Ranked nuknin, the attacks on Naruto, the one thing they all have in common was the Land of Rain. Kakashi slowly turned around, "I have to go, Harumi-chan. I will remember your spicy pork ramen and Naruto this evening. Do you know how long your brothers will be here?"
Harumi shook her head, "I am not sure, but they should leave some time before dinner, especially if they are staying at the Nara compound."
"Okay, well I will see you later then." Kakashi quickly walked out the door.
Harumi sat there, slightly confused, she said something that caused Kakashi to become very upset, the killing intent flared after she mentioned the Land of Rain. Something big was going on, and she knew some, but not enough to make any conclusions. This was going to drive her crazy because it was a puzzle, and Naras loved puzzles. Pointedly she shrugged away the thoughts of the puzzle and picked up her book again. She needed to ensure that her chakra was replenishing so that she could go home. As much as she loved working in the hospital, it was awful being a patient, especially since she knew the nurses and doctors not to mention the fact that she knew what needed to be done. But the reason they kept her here was to ensure that she didn't ignore orders.
Sighing, she unzipped her hoodie and tried to read her book. Unable to get lost in the story while her mind was crowded with different theories and ideas as to what the Land of Rain, the masked man, and Naruto all have in common. Harumi decided to meditate for a little bit, maybe that would help her clear some theories out of her brain, or at the very least make them clearer and fewer half thoughts. Moving off the bed, Harumi opened her window up wider, letting more of the fresh air in, then moving to the patch of sun on the floor, she slowly lowered her body to the floor, crossing her legs in front of her, she slowed her breathing.
In
Out
In through her nose.
Out through her mouth.
Slowly her heart rate slowed.
Slowly her mind cleared of all her jumbled thoughts.
Slowly all she could hear was the sound of her breathing.
In
Out
Harumi used her chakra to observe what was happening in her body. The chakra infused white blood cells were completely gone, her body was healed. Her chakra coils were sluggish, but the chakra was noticeable in her body. There was still some damage to her lungs, but that was healing as her chakra continued to replenish and speed up her natural healing. The damage to her muscles were completely gone. She was well on her way to being fully healed.
Opening her eyes, Harumi saw that the sun had moved across the floor. It was almost time for Hideaki and Masahiro to be here. Standing up, Harumi felt more at ease, her thoughts had organized themselves into a more structured arrangement instead of scattered fragments. Knowing herself, Harumi knew she would be working on this puzzle for a long while until she was satisfied with the results. However, it would not be a sporadic musing, but a more focused thought process. The biggest question mark was how was Naruto connected to the Land of Rain. But in time she would figure that out also. After all, it was a big puzzle.
All of her information had been placed into different categories, Naruto, The Land of Rain, the Masked Man and the attack on Naruto. There was something that connected them all, something the Kakashi figured out. Not she could just let her mind sort through the problem in a logical fashion.
Stretching her arms and legs, Harumi picked up the shawl Maiko had brought and wrapped it around her shoulders. Now that the sun was no longer shining on her, the room felt slightly cold. She walked to the window and looked out over Konoha, saw how the sun shone brightly over the village. Causing the reds and yellows to shine bright, causing the greens to look greener. Harumi took a moment to dwell on the fact that she might never have seen this view again, before taking those thoughts and pushing them away. She was, after all a kunoichi, she couldn't afford to dwell on emotions.
While she was a woman who strove to be kind, it was only when she was at home, or in a hospital of some sort that she allowed that kindness to be shown. She learned from her kaa-san, kindness is something to be shared, but not at the expense of the mission. Harumi's priorities have always been Hokage, Konohagakure, then the clan. That is the real reason Harumi asked to be a full-time medic, she needed to not be in a position where she would be asked to put the mission in front of her siblings. She hadn't needed to for five years. Yesterday she put a mission in first, and while the outcome was not fatal, it could have been.
Harumi was not as troubled by the fact as she originally thought, in fact, the lack of being troubled bothered her more. But she decided, it was because if she had died, she did it for the right reasons, for the protection of the Village, but also the protection of Masahiro and Naruto.
Before Harumi could get too lost in her thoughts, there was a knock on her door.
"Come in," she called, thinking it was Masahiro and Hideaki. She was surprised as she turned around to find Shikaku-oji, Yoshino-oba and the Clan head of the Uchiha clan and his family. Harumi's eyebrows raised slightly as she slowly dipped into a short bow. "Uchiha-sama, Oji, Oba, what a pleasant surprise. To what do I owe this honor?"
Yoshino walked straight over to Harumi and pulled her into a hug, "Brat, I was so worried when Naruto and Masahiro came yelling into my house about you dying."
Harumi returned the hug and rested her head on her aunt's shoulder for a moment. "I wasn't trying to die. I'm sorry I worried you."
Yoshino pulled out of Harumi's arms and held her at arm's length, looking over her for any signs of lingering injuries. Then she pulled Harumi into another tight hug before walking over to the bed where the medical chart was hanging.
Harumi looked at the three other adults staring at her, before turning her focus to Itachi and Sasuke. "Itachi-san, Sasuke-kun, I am so glad you two are safe and if Hideaki is to be believed, unharmed."
Sasuke glanced up at Itachi who nodded, then walked across the floor to Harumi, Harumi knelt down so that she was on the same level as him. "Thank you for saving me, Harumi-san," Sasuke said, his voice even as if he practiced the little speech.
Harumi grinned, "You are most welcome, Sasuke-kun."
"I'm sorry you are in the hospital," Sasuke looked around, "It looks boring."
"You are correct," Harumi laughed, "hospitals are boring, but they are a place where people heal, so it helps to have the patients concentrate on that."
Sasuke whispered, "Naruto and Masahiro were scared, when nii-san and Kakashi-san came back, and you fainted."
Harumi nodded, "I know, I am glad you were there to help them to not be as scared."
Sasuke smiled impishly, "How could I be scared, nii-san was there to protect us!"
"Speaking of your nii-san," Harumi slowly stood up, ignoring the protests of her knees, "Itachi-san, I wish to thank you for taking Masahiro and Naruto to the Nara compound, where Yoshino-oba could watch over them."
Itachi gave a small smile, "It was no problem. You would have done the same if our roles were reversed."
Shikaku stepped forward, interrupting the conversation, "Harumi-chan, Uchiha Fugaku wanted to thank you for ensuring the safety of Sasuke during the attack."
Harumi turned to Fugaku and bowed, "It was an honor for this humble medic to be trusted by both Hatake-san and Itachi-san to ensure the safety of their precious people and in turn, for them to ensure the safety of my precious otouto."
Fugaku's face remained impassive, however, he bowed his head, "If there is something you require that the Uchiha clan could provide, please do not hesitate to ask. We will do our best to ensure you get it."
"Of course, Uchiha-sama," Harumi bowed, rising slowly as her head felt very light. Harumi slowly moved to the bed and slowly sat down, trying not to fall down because of dizziness. Reaching for her glass of water, she slowly lifted the glass, noticing how her hand shook slightly.
Yoshino looked up from reading the medical chart and frowned, "Harumi-chan, should you even be moving around as you have been? It says that you are here because of chakra exhaustion and damage done to your organs from a poison."
Harumi stared at her aunt over the rim of her glass while taking a sip of water. Lowering the glass to the table in front of her Harumi replied, "I am following the doctor's orders exactly. I am to move only as I am comfortable with because the moving helps my muscles to relax, it also forces blood and oxygen through my body which helps to heal those organs."
"Yes, but are you sure this much moving is appropriate?"
Harumi was very proud of herself for not rolling her eyes, "Yes, it is, feel free to ask any of the nurses Yoshino-oba. I will be fine; the doctor says I should be able to go home tomorrow so long as I am showing signs of improvement."
"So soon?" Fugaku asked.
"Yes, since I am a medical-nin, it is better for my healing to not be in the hospital because if I am here, it is easier for others to come and ask for help, or for me to offer my help. At home, I can focus completely on healing and not doing my job."
"Makes sense, an active duty Jounin can't focus on recovering if they are constantly in the mission room," Shikaku said.
Harumi stifled a yawn, but Yoshino saw it anyway and turned to look at the group, "Let's go so that Harumi can rest, we have seen that she is well and the Uchiha's have given their thank you."
Shikaku shook his head but turned towards the door and muttered, "Troublesome."
Fugaku and his wife both bowed and turned to go, Itachi and Sasuke following after them. Finally, Yoshino walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.
Harumi flopped back on the bed, letting her head rest on the edge of the bed. Closing her eyes, she decided to take a nap until her two brothers came.
Feeling like it was just moments later, Hideaki and Masahiro walked into the room. Harumi heard Hideaki's admonishment to be quiet. Harumi forced her eyes to open and to sit up. Smiling she saw her two brothers near the door. Masahiro was holding a handful of flowers, while Hideaki was holding a small take-out box and a thermos in his hands.
"My otoutos!" Harumi called out, smiling.
Masahiro came rushing over to her and leaped into her outstretched arms, "Nee-chan! You are okay!"
Harumi hugged her brother tight, "Of course I'm okay."
"But you fainted!"
"It happens sometimes when your body is overwhelmed by something. But I didn't faint until after Kakashi-nii and Itachi-san arrived, right?"
"Well, yes."
"Then that means that I knew you three boys would be safe, so I let my body begin to take care of itself."
"So, you fainted because you needed to heal?"
Harumi nodded, "Yep. It is just like after a hard day of training you go to sleep early so that your body can heal from all of the training you did."
Masahiro nodded, "Are you sure that is all?"
Harumi shrugged, glancing at Hideaki who also shrugged, "Did you want to hear all of the medical stuff that happened?"
"No!" Masahiro shouts, shaking his head.
"Sshh, Masa-kun, not so loud," Harumi said.
His eyes fell to the floor and he frowned, "Sorry, nee-chan."
Harumi hugged him again and gently kissed his forehead, "Now what did you bring me?"
Hideaki walked over and placed the box and the thermos on the table, "Emi heard you were in the hospital and she went to that tea shop you like and got you some treats."
"And I got you flowers!" Masahiro shoved the flowers in Harumi's face.
Taking the flowers from her brother, Harumi stuck her nose in the arrangement and took a deep breath, "Mmm, these smell good. Thank you."
"Tamotsu helped too," Masahiro admitted.
Harumi smiled broader and gave Masahiro another squeeze, before shifting him the space on the bed next to her. "I am starving, Hide-kun, you must give Emi my thanks for this. Hospital food is very boring, nutritious and filling, but boring." Opening the box revealed four sticks of three colored dango, while the thermos held a very dark green tea, one of Harumi's favorites from that tea shop, but not something she drinks often due to the cost. "These look delicious, Masahiro, would you like some dango?"
Masahiro nodded and grabbed a skewer from the box Harumi held out to him. Harumi selected one and held the box out to Hideaki who waved it away.
"Now, Masahiro, tell me what you did in class?" Harumi asked as she took a sip of tea than taking a bite of dango.
AN: And there we go, we know who was at the door. I tried to open both Kakashi and Harumi's minds a bit more. Unfortunately Harumi's throughts remain more of a mystery to me, since she is not feeling up to explaining them to me. As always, let me know what you think, only if you want to.
I am sorry for any grammer or spelling mistakes, this chapter wasn't beta'ed.
Until next time :)