Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the Gushikan family and a select few is mine.

Chapter 25~ Strength

I screamed and cussed out until my voice broke. All the while Kakashi was checking my now burned wound.

"We need to sit her up so I can see the other opening."

I huffed in pain as Naruto and Sasuke ginngerly grabbed me and sat me up. Kakashi rolled up the back of my tank top like he had done the front and poked around the hole.

"It's not nearly cauterized as well as the front part but it will hold. You're not quite bleeding anymore and are just oozing but you're still in trouble. We need to get you to the closet village."

"But the closet village is hours away." Sasuke reasoned as he stared at my trembling body. "I don't think she can make it that long."

"Shut up Sasuke!" Naruto hissed and I just turned my eyes to Kakashi.

"He's not wrong. The Sound is too far away. Even if I'm just oozing I won't make it." I grunted

"Takara!" Naruto exclaimed at me.

"A village? A village nearby? Oh I know."

Suzuki-san had only been muttering to himself this entire time, we had been ignoring him, but when he said that all attention was to him.

"Oh don't mind me." He said quickly and crossed his arms.

"No, what were you thinking about?" Kakashi replied stepping towards the middle age man.

"Uh well, there is a small farming village I've stopped by before to eat and reload supplies. Their very close. They must have a small time doctor there. It's only an hour away or so at a horses walking pace." He said quietly staring at me with what I can only assume is pity.

I glanced at him before rolling down my shirt and reaching a hand out to Kakashi. "I'm fine to walk there. That's nothing."

Kakashi grabbed my hand and pulled me onto my feet while I screamed internally. "That's no good. You're acting tough but it's amazing you haven't fainted yet again. You won't make it if you walk."

I wavered as I stood and Naruto appeared at my side to help hold me up. Sasuke came to my other side to help me too.

"Can't we take turns carrying her?" Sasuke reasoned, Kakashi was staring me down again.

"Carrying her will extend the amount of time it will take to get her to the doctor. She might not make it."

"So what are you saying!? It's useless to try?! I don't believe that! Takara can't die yet!" Naruto yelled at Kakashi.

The tension was rising on this beautiful blue sky day. The air felt nice as it whistled by, and I lost my attention for the topic at hand. My mind drifted to my father. How angry he'll be if I leave him.

"Excuse me."

Suzuki-san's voice cut through the silence and we all looked to him. He was swabbing his forehead with a silk handkerchief and trying to nervously straighten his silver kimono at the same time.

"If we could get near my horses I could whistle to make them come to us. I may not look it but I did train my horses since they were foals. If they disconnected even one from the carriage or wagon I could make it come to us."

"Oh is that why you were steering your own carriage and the wagon horses didn't need a lead?" Naruto questioned.

Suzuki puffed up his chest and looked proud, "Of course!"

Kakashi stopped chatter and continued. "The horse would cut the time in half. For the time being I'll carry you(Suzuki-san) to the site and you three stay here. We'll be back in minutes with a horse."

Kakashi then picked up Suzuki-san like a bride and ran off. Naruto and Sasuke awkwardly sat me against a tree and then sat next to me.

"What do you think Takara?" Sasuke said staring at me. I just gave him a small smile and shrugged.

"I'm a bit chilly."

They both rolled their eyes, "You know what I mean." Sasuke responded.

"I'm not worried." I motioned for Naruto to hand me Balance which Kakashi had just set on the ground. He leaned forward, grabbed it, and gave it to me. Sasuke searched the ground quickly to find the wrap for the hilt and gave it to me as well.

"I never imagined my own katana would cause me so much pain." I muttered and blew on the still warm hilt before I began to process of wrapping it.

Neither of them said anything as they watched my fingers shakily attempt to wrap the hilt. I gulped down the blood at would occasionally rush up my throat and tried not to bend over too much.

Sasuke's hand reaches over and covers one of my hands making me stop and set my sights to him.

"Let me do it."

I shook my head at first and lightly protested, saying it's a Gushikan duty but he gently took it from my hands and started to do my work much faster.

I laid my head back on the tree trunk and stared up at the sky.

"Are you really not worried?" Naruto asked as I shivered.

"What do you want me to tell you?" I coughed

He was silent for a moment and continued. "The truth, not how you should feel as a Gushikan but how you actually feel. I'm your friend, I can take it."

I licked my dry lips and my eyes fell on Sasukes progress.

"You're both my friends and you do have a right to know. I'm having a hard time holding my attention on anything. I feel like everything is moving by so fast. And, I'm cold, really cold. My heart is thumping in my chest, really loudly and quickly. I guess you could say I'm in shock? I don't really know. I do know I'm not ready to die so I'm not giving in yet."

Naruto was taking it in before he pulled off his jacket and put it over my legs, then patted my shoulder fondly.

Sasuke set my katana in my lap, practically perfect. "You'll have to get a real katana expect to seal the wrap back on correctly so it will stay."

I nodded and thanked him, smiling a bit. We sat in silence, listening for Kakashi and Suzuki-san.

"It's funny to think..." I started, "That my life is in the hands of a Suzuki. It makes me nervous."

Naruto and Sasuke both deadpan agreed with me.

Minutes pass before Sasuke stands up, saying he's going to keep watch for them so I can be ready to go. He skillfully ran up a tall tree and perched himself at the top, far from us.

Naruto scoffed at his antics. "Sasukes barely said a thing, it like he's not even worried."

I shook my head. "No. He is." I looked at Naruto. "He's kind of like my dad. Sitting around and doing nothing and not having control over a situation is killing him. He's keeping himself busy. If he could help me I know he would, and he's worried in his own little way."

There was a lack of sound but the movement of leaves filtered the light over us once again.

Narutos hand found my right hand as we sat together, I was a little tired and was fighting to stay concentrated.

"Takara."

I turned to look at Naruto, he's grinning.

"Do you remember all those times you had to save me when we were kids?"

I cracked a smile back at him. "Ya I do. All those people who thought horribly of you. Of course we didn't know why back then."

His hand gripped mine tighter. "I'd do something stupid and people would yell at me till we'd get into a fist fight. My fighting skills sucked back then."

I snickered slightly remembering.

"Then out of no where you would hop a fence or jump from behind the corner of a building and be there. Telling them off and warning them to leave."

I grinned. "Then I kicked their butts." I was pleased with the memories.

"Do you... remember your old nickname for me after you'd save me? I hated it so much."

My mind drifted and my brow furrowed as I tried to recall.

"Oh, I called you my damsel."

He got a little pink at the name. "Ya and I always told you someday I wouldn't be your damsel. Someday I'd save you."

I smiled. "I guess I'm finally your damsel, huh."

He frowned, looking down and then stiffened, looked back at me right in the eyes. He looked serious.

"I swear I'm going to make sure you live through this. I won't give up even if you do. I'm not ready to lose you yet. You're my best friend."

I stared at his serious face and quite uncharacteristically blushed.

His serious face soon dissipated as he reached into his pocket and pulled out my fingerless glove.

"Here, I didn't let go of it."

I took it gingerly from his hands and slipped in on my right hand. He immediately re-held it and smiled at me.

Ba-dump

I blinked as I blushed harder.

'What? What's happening?' I thought as I gulped as looked away. My mind was swarming with questions like:

Why does my face suddenly feel so hot?

Why can't I even look at Naruto right now?

Why is he holding my hand?! Oh wait that's pretty normal actually.

My eyes traced back to his curious face. "Are you ok? Are you going to be sick?"

I eyes fell back to our hands.

"I'm fine."

I slowly looked up at Sasuke who was still perched at the top of the tree looking out for any sign of Kakashi and Suzuki-san.

"Do you see them yet!?" Naruto hollered after seeing who I was staring at.

"Yea I do. They'll be here soon! Let's get Takara on her feet."

He jumped and landed not far from us. Naruto pulled his jacket off me and slipped it on before he and Sasuke both grabbed an arm of mine and lifted me into a standing position. Balance tumbled to the ground out of my left hand but I was forced to ignore it because of the pain and looked down to where I had been sitting.

There was a small pool of blood there.

'Oozing my ass.' I thought angrily and gripped my friends tighter as I felt my knees buckle a little. I began to breath a little harsher and faster as my mind swarmed with thoughts but the main one was:

"I'm cold." I muttered as my eyes traced the tree in front of us.

I began to get tunnel vision.

"No no." I muttered as I began to blink to try to see.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked as his gripped tightened back at me.

I pulled my arm from Naruto and put more weight onto Sasuke as I rubbed my eyes.

I tried to slow my breathing but I hurt to.

"I'm fine."

Naruto started to protest but a horse burst through a bush to reveal Suzuki-san sat on it. He had tears in his eyes.

Instant alarm.

"Where Kakashi?" I croaked

"He's a bit behind me." He said while wiping his nose on his sleeve. "But, those... those... those."

He paused to make a sobbing noise.

"They killed my other precious horses! Madam Chika and Baby Bonnie! My poor babies..."

He pushed his face into his last horses white mane. "Now all I have left is my Frufru Freddy..."

"Lame names..." Naruto muttered, I weakly elbowed Naruto, which seemed to alarm him more than anything.

"Look I'm sorry about your horses but Takara is weaker than ever!" Naruto exclaimed making the whimpering man look up.

We made eye contact and he immediately wiped his face with a hanky. "Set her on the back." He said hoarsely.

It was at this moment Kakashi bust through the bush himself.

"Alright we are losing time, throw Takara up there and get a move on. Those bandits might come after us soon."

He walked over to me an gently grabbed me under the arms before setting me behind Suzuki-san. Sasuke picked up Balance but told me he'd give it back when he saw me again, alive and safe, I smiled at him.

"Go on, we are right behind you." He said to Suzuki-san who nodded at he word before clicking his tongue, making the horse begin to move and then gallop. I gripped at him with all my strength so not to fall off.

"We are right behind you Takara!" Naruto shouted. I turned to give him one last smile as we left his field of view.

The wind whipped around us while the horse did a gallop and trot interval for awhile. Suzuki-san and I never spoke a word to each other and thankfully we didn't run into any more ninja bandits. I think we probably back tracked and we're going the opposite way they were.

I tiredly gripped Suzuki-sans kimono but the only thoughts in my mind was how cold I am, how tired I am, and how dark everything was getting. The sound of the horses hooves on the dirt path was constant and calming, making me even more sleepy.

I don't know how long it was before I piped up but I imagine that we are fairly close to the village at this point.

"Suzuki-san..." he hummed, acknowledging me. "Thank you for all your help... you're actually a pretty great man."

He kept his gaze stern on the path ahead but nodded.

"Yes I am." I rolled my eyes. "But, you're an interesting girl, for a Gushikan."

I realized that was the closest I'd get to a complement so I took it.

"Suzuki-san I'm sorry."

He tensed, "I'll wash the blood off my horse and kimono quickly, don't worry."

I shook my head mutely.

"No, I'm sorry that I'm about to make your job much much harder. I can't really help it."

The last thing I heard before the tunnel vision finally closed in on me was Suzuki-san cussing and the sound of the horses hooves hitting concrete.

After that there was a woosh of sounds that managed to break the the darkness occasionally.

More of Suzuki-sans yelling

A doctor yelling stats

The clink of metal tools

Then silence, but this was unlike the other two times I've ever fainted. When I fainted three years ago it was a dull long sequence of blackness but didn't hurt or bother me. Then when fainted not long ago it was a warm faint that ended in pre-purgatory. It nice, calming, almost enjoyable. Like a dream I'd been waiting for.

But this, this is a cold, stressful, and sick faint. The blackness wasn't around me, it was swallowing me, chocking me. My body in the black abyss was shaking nauseously, despite not really being there I felt as though I might vomit. I hated it. It was like living in a nightmare.

Then I felt a warm breeze going over me and then it ended up wrapping itself around me, separating me from the black sludge of the abyss. It felt familiar for some reason and I enjoyed it, it was like it was bringing me back and I guess eventually it did. The warmth that felt like a hug rose me up and I eventually open my eyes to see the white ceiling above me.

I blinked multiple times before finally turning my head to the side, looking on my left. There is a man with a mane of light brown curls, whose arms were tucked up and crossed. He was squinting at me with a look of a relief but anger.

"Hi dad." I said quietly.

He glared at me with a rush of emotions over his face.

"Takara I want you to imagine something for me." His stern look was set on me.

"I just got home from a three day long mission. I was tired and just wanted to be with my family but before I could even step out of the main building someone was handing me two letters from your sensei."

He breathed shakily as he clenched his fists. "The first saying you had a life threatening injury in the middle of nowhere!"

I smiled sheepishly. "I couldn't help where it happened."

"Takara I'm not here to be reasonable, I'm angry." I shut my mouth and nodded.

"Then the 'wonderful' new kept rolling in. The second letter said that you were in a small clinic with only one doctor and one nurse and barely any goddamn medicine. It also had the beautiful words "Prepare yourself for the worst". I sprinted here as fast as I could. I didn't have any new supplies, I didn't even say anything to the Hokage-sama. I just left."

He covered his face with his hands and sighed. He was silent for a long time and I finally cleared my throat.

"Dad-"

"Takara.." he cut me off. "I was scared. I thought you might be dead." He looked up at me.

His eyes were... watery?

He wiped his face and continued. "You're my only daughter, my first born, my heir, my fa-" His voice shuddered and cut off.

"You were scared?" I whispered

He immediately cleared his throat and stood up from the chair. "Are you hungry? You haven't had solid food in days. I'll try to get you something."

He began to speed walk out of the small room.

"Dad." He paused but didn't turn around. "Yeah curly top?" He responded weakly.

"Uh- uh I know it will sound weird but... Takeshi says thanks."

He turned around to look at me. He had an array of emotions on him.

"Thanks for what?" He sounded tense.

"Thanks for naming me after him."

He didn't say anything, he just had a ghost of a smile on his face before walking over to me and ruffling my curls.

"I'm going to find you some miso soup. I love you, and I'm glad you're safe and sound." He walked out a lot more calmly, almost happily.

I only had a moment of rest before the door slammed open to reveal Naruto running over. In a reminiscent way he jumped on my bed and wrapped his arms around me in a hug.

For a brief moment I grinned at the comforting act but my face fell startlingly fast as pain ripped through my side from the pressure he put on it. I stiffened and squeaked, immediately a hand grabbed Naruto by the shoulder and wrenched him off of me.

"You idiot, she's still hurt." Sasuke grumbled while Naruto paled.

"Sorry Takara! I was just really happy to see you awake!"

I smiled as I rubbed my side gingerly. "No problem. You guys want to fill me in on the past couple days I was asleep?"

Sasuke stepped forward a bit. "Well Kakashi took Suzuki back to Konoha after your dad got here. He'll probably meet us half way to Konoha to help. It's going to take us longer to get back because we have to walk the whole way with you injured now.

I nodded stoically. "As for my injury?"

Narutos face brightened drastically. "You'll make a full recovery! The doctor here is really great! He said if you don't reopen the wound and then take some time off then you'll only be left with a scar!"

"Another scar huh?" I question. "I feel like I already have enough of those." Naruto and Sasuke roll their eyes.

"Well anyway... thank you guys."

Both my friends stared at me before Naruto started to beam and Sasuke "hump"ed happily.

"No I'm serious, without your guys help I would had died. Thank you."

"Oh shut up, being gracious doesn't suit you." Sasuke grumbled and leaned against my bed.

"Oh ignore him Takara, it was no problem because you would had done the same for us!" Naruto exclaimed as he grabbed and held my hand, sitting next to me.

There was a moment of peace as we three just enjoyed the fact that we all made it when there was a creaking and rumbling sound. We turned to the door to see my dad standing in the entrence gripping the door handle so tight it was bending. He had murder in his eyes.

"Get out." He hissed

Sasuke stood up and made eye contact with me. "Why would Kakashi leave us alone with him? He'll kill us." He asked monotone as my dad practically burst into flames he was so mad at the mere sight that my guy friends were sitting on my bed. Sasuke then quickly walked out of the room.

Naruto immediately began to follow in suit before pausing and then turning to look back at me.

"For the record, I never want you to ever be the damsel again. Those were some of the worst days I've ever had." He flashed me a smile before turning and dancing past my dads huffing figure.

I couldn't stop smiling too. After all, I'm alive, my friends are alive, my dads here, and most importantly dad got me miso soup.

Authors Note:

Well it sure has been awhile, but I swear I have an excuse, not that it really matters much to you guys. (Finals, colleges, and holiday all around the same time. I was so scattered and tired I forgot how to breathe)

Anyway, I should be able to go back to a rather normal schedule now. Updates on Saturday's or Sunday's about ever week to two weeks.

Next chappie we go back to the episodes and start the chunin ark... I think.

Anyway^2, I'm curious if you guys mind it when I make these extra arks. I do need them to develop characters and everything, I just hope their not too... ugh for you guys.

Anyways^3, I only realized how much I use the word anyway when I edited.

Well as always, thank you so much for your support, it really gives me something to look forward to everyday.

Reviews are loved but not required

Thanks and have a nice day!

~ToL

P.s

Happy holidays!