Chapter 36
Hospitals were hell on earth.
Or, at least, that's what Katy thought. The white walls, the sterile smell of combined chemicals, the too plae, sick, and injured patients along with their worried families was too much for her. How was a hospital a place of healing? It was more like a place where people were silently waiting for their deaths.
She didn't like it, Katy decided, swinging her legs back and forth against the hard plastic chair. She sat in the waiting room practically alone. Since it was late at night, there weren't many people in the emergency room with her. The TV was on some random channel, but she had no interest in that. She rubbed her sleepy eyes that were about to drift closed.
She wasn't sure why they were at a hospital three in the morning. Her mother woke her up just an hour before to go to the hospital. Katy didn't understand why, but she remembered her mother's tears and the worry in her eyes. IF she was crying, something terrible must have happened to someone they knew.
I have a feeling Kuya's the one who's got Mom worried, she thought, irritated. Her older brother, Sean, was such a hassle to deal with. Just because he was sixteen he thought he was allowed to do whatever he wanted. Katy and Sean normally got alone in sibling terms, but she was angry with him. A few hours earlier she wanted to go with him to a party, but he wouldn't let her come with him. She got angry and told him she hated him. She still didn't forgive him considering he never came home at the time their mother told him to. Great. Now we're in the hospital because he probably did something stupid.
Katy hoped their mother was lecturing him. The doctor came earlier to take her to see Sean. They were taking a really long time to come back despite her mother saying she wouldn't be gone long.
He's always causing us trouble. I wish he never met his stupid friends and acted the way he used to before he met'em.
"Katy?"
At the sound of her name Katy lifted her head. She saw her mother standing at the doorway she originally disappeared behind. Meeting her eyes, she got worried. Her mother didn't look so good. Her face was deathly pale and red blotches covered her cheeks and eyes.
"Mom?" Katy jumped out of her chair and ran to her mother. Her mother reached out to her and pulled her into a hug, falling to her knees so she was at Katy's height. Katy hugged her back, confused as her mother began to cry. "Mom, what's wrong?"
"A-Anak, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. They couldn't do anything," she cried, uncontrollably.
"Who couldn't do anything? Mom, what's going on?"
Her mother pulled away, unable to stop her tears, but still had her arms around her. "It's-It's your Kuya. He got into a car accident on his way home. They hit another car headed on. One of his friends died on impact and the rest were injured. Sean-Sean was really hurt, and when he got to the hospital they-they couldn't-He's-"
It suddenly made sense why they were there. Katy suddenly couldn't breathe while her whole body grew cold.
"M-Mom?" she whispered.
"He said he was sorry for everything and for making you angry," her mother sniffled. "He's sorry...He can't keep his promise to be there for you anymore."
That did it for her. The realization of all of it hit her.
Sean was dead.
Katy burst into tears, hugging her mother desperately while she tried to deny the truth of it. Her mother held her tightly as she tried to control her own tears. In that desolate waiting room they let the anguish of their tragedy wash over them.
Kuya, you promised you wouldn't leave. You promised you'd always be there for me, Katy thought. Since she was six and was always bullied at school, Sean promised he'd never leave her by herself. She was a young girl with little to no friends. Her big brother swore he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. So how...How could he die? He swore he wouldn't leave her! He promised!
"You promised," Katy mumbled, her eyelashes fluttering open to the rising light above. Consciousness gripped her as someone touched her shoulder. Tears of the memory slid down the side of her face while she groaned. "You promised..."
"Kid, you alright?" said a young man's voice. "You shouldn't be sleeping out here. You'll catch a cold."
Katy groaned, blinking away the tears. She sat up, rubbing her face. That dream again...She thought after two years the nightmare/memory would stop or at least get better. She got over Sean's death since then. Shaking her head, she realized she wasn't at home warm in her bed but on a freezing cold bench. Confused, she stared at the two shinobi in front of her both holding stacks of paper. What was she doing at a park? She searched last night's memory.
She remembered after hearing the nurses say her body got out of shock she decided to go out for a walk. Then, she went on her walk only to meet Haku, who confessed his feelings for her, and later her and Sasuke talking when the Sound Four-
The Sound Four and the deal.
Sasuke telling her to take care of herself.
"That bastard!" Katy growled. He took the Sound Four's offer just to save her! Not only that, he knocked her out so she wouldn't follow and left her on the same stone bench the Uchiha left Sakura on in the series! That jerk! Then, she calmed down as she realized what she thought. Sasuke left with the Sound Four. "Oh, shit! Sasuke!"
She jumped to her feet when she was suddenly hit with a wave of vertigo. Stumbling, she fell against one of the shinobi.
"Hey, careful!" The one she fell against steadied her with one free hand. His eyes crinkled at her pale face and ice cold skin. "Are you alright? You don't look so good."
"I'm fine. I need to see Tsunade," she frantically said. She shook off the man's hand to get going, but stumbled once again. She cursed. Last night she might have gotten safely out of Sepsis shock, but that didn't mean she wouldn't enter it again. "Damn it, not now!"
"Kid, maybe you should head home. Whatever you need to speak with the Hokage can wait until later," said the man who woke her up in slight concern.
"No, it can't wait! He'll be too far by then!"
"Fine. Then, tell us what you want to tell her. Kotetsu and I are on our way to see her," said the man who caught her.
Katy was about to decline but stopped herself. She had no time to argue who told Tsunade. As long as she knew, it didn't matter. She had other people to alert.
"Fine. Tell Tsunade Orochimaru's men took Sasuke Uchiha last night, and they're out of the village," she urgently informed. She turned on her heel to run towards the village without waiting for a response.
Katy ran through the town as fast as she could. Being early morning, there were hardly any people up and about. People were just starting to set up their shops and waking up for the new day. She hardly noticed her surroundings, heading for only one destination. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of a normal looking house in between two shops. She hastily knocked on the door three times. She waited anxiously for a moment. When she heard nothing she was about to knock on the door again when it opened.
A woman with light brown hair appeared at the doorway. She opened the door and looked down at Katy with uncertainty and confusion.
"Yes, may I help you?" the woman asked.
"Hi, my name is Ka-Er, Kioshi Uchiha. Is Sakura home?" she asked who she assumed was Sakura's mother. She almost slipped when giving her official name in this world.
"Oh, you're one of her friends," the woman realized. She smiled. "Sakura is still sleeping. I'll go wake her up. Please come inside while you wait. I can't let any of Sakura's friends stand out here in the cold."
She opened the door wider to let Katy inside. Katy walked in to find herself in a normal looking household where all she could see was the hallway. She stood in the genkan patiently since she didn't expect to take off her shoes for a long time.
"Wait here, dear. I'll go wake Sakura. Are you hungry? You look like you haven't eaten yet."
"No, thank you, ma'am. I'm fine," she rejected politely. Though, she did feel a little hungry from skipping dinner and breakfast.
Sakura's mother smiled kindly before walking towards the stairs to disappear and wake Sakura.
For a minute home sickness stirred in Katy's heart. Seeing Sakura's mother made her miss her own mother. She missed having that maternal feeling of safety where she could talk freely without repercussions. Living on her own without her mother was unbearable in the first few months here, but Sasuke was there to protect her. He chased away her homesickness to remind her she was never alone. Her throat seized. Sasuke wasn't there to protect her anymore. He always protected since Sean died and he did it until the end. Last night was his last act of protection.
And it was all her fault.
Before Katy could try crying from sheer guilt, she heard footsteps approaching. Sakura stepped down from the stairway. She was already dressed and was in the process of tying on her hitai-ate. She yawned widely, but paused upon seeing Katy.
"Katy? What are you doing here? You should be in the hospital," Sakura said, worried. Then, she noticed how pale Katy was compared from the day before. "Is everything alright?"
"No, nothing's alright. Sasuke..." Katy shook her head, feeling the onslaught of impending tears. She was too tired to act like everything was fine when it wasn't. She kept all of her pain behind a smiling mask because there were things around her that dulled that pain. With Sasuke gone she was holding back the mask on its last thread before her tears burst out.
Sakura was at her side in a flash. "Sasuke? What about Sasuke?"
"I can't talk right now. Just follow me."
Katy glanced at Sakura's shoes in a silent message for her to put them. Sakura got the message, swiftly pulling on her sandals with practiced ease. As soon as they were on Katy grabbed Sakura's wrist to pull her out of the house. Sakura made no protest as she was dragged through the village. By then, more people were out and about to begin their day. Katy envied them. Everyone was so cheerful and happy while she was on the verge of losing her only family left. Because she was so distraught, it took her longer than it was supposed to reach their next destination.
"The village gates?" Sakura asked upon seeing the gigantic gates allowing passage into the village. Katy dragged her all the way to the village gates, which were already open for all visiting and leaving travelers or shinobi. "Why are we here?"
Katy almost didn't answer her. She was distracted by the small group gathered near the gates. They were huddled together to discuss their plans. She ran towards them despite how dizzy it made her.
"Naruto! Haku!" she called.
Haku and Naruto turned at the sound of her voice. Beside them, Shikamaru, Neji, Chouji, Kiba, and Lee did the same. Katy halted in front of them breathing heavily.
"Katy? What are you doing out of the hospital? You're still sick," Naruto stated, concerned.
"We heard the story from Tsunade," Shikamaru said. "Sorry, but we can't take a civilian or Sakura on this mission."
"Mission? What mission?" Sakura asked.
"You don't know? Sasuke was taken out of the village late last night. Your friend was there with him." He gestured to a silent Katy.
She gasped. "What?"
"Please, you have to hurry and find him. This...This is all my fault." Her tears finally made their appearance as she shook violently, hating herself for this whole mess. "They made Sasuke choose which of us would go with them. That idiot decided I was more important, so he let them take him! If I wasn't here, none of this would have happened! Naruto...Haku...Please...Bring my brother back! Sasuke is all the family I have left! If he gets hurt because of me-"
Her words dissolved into sobs. She lost all energy to stand and fell to her knees, unable to support herself any longer. She didn't care if they were pitying her. She just wanted Sasuke back home.
Sakura dropped to her knees beside her and hugged Katy gently. Her own green eyes filled with tears directed at Naruto. "Naruto, please bring Sasuke back. I beg of you."
"Sakura..." Naruto's lips twitched up in a sad smile. "I guess you really like Sasuke, huh?"
"Katy." Haku knelt in front of Katy. She looked up to see his sad eyes as he smiled wryly. "I promise to get Sasuke back home. I know how important he is to you. Even if I lose my life, I will bring him home to you."
Haku...Katy felt awful all over again. Last night, she rejected his confession despite how he poured out his feelings for her. Now, he was promising to save her best friend at the cost of his own life? She realized she was a terrible friend to Haku. He did so much for her and this was how she repaid him. She couldn't trust herself to speak, so she stayed silent.
"Yeah, we'll definitely bring him back!" Naruto smiled brightly with a thumb's up. "Promise of a lifetime."
Sakura giggled through her tears. "Thank you."
"Hey, Naruto. You sure you can keep that promise?" Kiba teased.
"Heh! I won't take back my words. That's my nindo."
"I made a promise to Katy and I intend to keep it," Haku said with the same determination.
"Alright, let's go!"
Sakura, Katy, and Lee stood at the gates as they watched the Genin team walk away. Lee and Sakura were content with watching them go. Katy was not. She was still feeling the guilt of letting Sasuke go like that eve against her will. He did knock her out, but he made that deal because of her. He didn't want to see her hurt anymore, so he chose to give himself up at the risk of being a prisoner for three years. She didn't want him to do this, even for her. If it weren't for her, Sasuke would still be home.
If I wasn't so weak, none of this would ever happen, she thought, ruefully. She hated herself for being so weak and a burden to Sasuke and everyone. To them, she was nothing but the Uchiha civilian with some shinobi knowledge. She was an open target free to abuse, and she was sick of it. Naruto and everyone were doing something she could have prevented herself. Useless...I should just disappear. Why am I even here?
"Katy? Come on. We should get you back to the hospital," said Sakura, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I doubt Sasuke would like it if he came back to find you still sick in-"
She was cut off as Katy slapped her hand away. What followed was a stunned silence. Sakura didn't know what to say. Katy never showed anything but kindness to her friends.
"Sorry, Sakura. I'm afraid I'm not going back yet," Katy apologized, her lips quirking up. It was so forced it hurt to do it.
"What are you-"
Before she could say more, Katy shook her head and took off down the road. Sakura called after her, but she didn't listen. She was sick and tired of being the helpless little civilian girl. Naruto and Haku were about to risk their lives to save her best friend. It was like that when she wanted to prevent Sasuke from getting the curse mark. She sent Haku to do a job she wished she could do herself but couldn't, because she didn't have the power to.
Well, no more.
Katy was going to rescue Sasuke herself. She got him into this mess, so it was her job to get him out of it.
She ran back through town and took as many shortcuts as she knew of. In no time at all she found herself back at the Uchiha estate. She ran all the way back to their house, barely having time to take off her shoes, and headed straight for her room. It wasn't her room, so to speak. Before she ever came alone, it used to be Itachi's old room. She didn't know ti was his room when she chose the room until she found all of his old clothes.
Once in her room, Katy grabbed her old school bag in the closet where it had been gathering dust since they came here. She began shoving in weapons Sasuke gave her for training as well as a first aid kit. Then, she ran into the kitchen to shove non-perishable items in like bread and chips. After that was all packed, she rushed back outside.
Katy knew what she was doing was dangerous. It was her first real time she left the village on her own. She didn't know what the forests of the Fire country as well as her friends. For all she knew she could get lost for days and days without ever being found. The thought of getting lost in the forest forever terrified her. Then, she remembered Sasuke and the future set for him should Orochimaru get his hands on the Sharingan. She couldn't leave him to that fate of serving that guy. Orochimaru was beneath Sasuke's power and beneath his clan. There was no way she should leave him there.
Running through the village once more, Katy arrived at the gate. She hid herself from the main road in the safety of the trees. Sakura and Lee were long gone to her relief. Sakura was most likely searching for her. She was thankful for Sakura as one of the few girl friends she could ever have. However, she didn't want to have her intrude on her problems. There were some things no one but Sasuke could understand. As soon as she saw the coast was clear of both travelers and shinobi alike, she bolted for the open gate. She didn't stop running until she was well past the gate and far away, leaving the place she called home behind for what felt like the last time.
XXX
The next time Sasuke opened his eyes everything was dark.
He groaned, holding a hand to his head as it throbbed terribly.
Ah, what the hell hit me? he thought through the aching pain. It felt like someone decided to smash his head against a brick wall. Repeatedly. He squeezed his eyes closed while rubbing his temples to soon the migraine until it dulled. That's better.
Sasuke opened his eyes, but still saw darkness. Where was he? He was sure he didn't fall asleep somewhere strange. The last thing he remembered were the Sound Four-
The Sound Four.
That's right. I left with them to go to Orochimaru, he realized. He accepted the deal with leaving in Katy's place, so she wouldn't get worse in her condition. It was the only thing he could think of at the time to save her from being kidnapped again. He could have fought against them, but at this sate of his training he would not stand a chance against four skilled shinobi trained by Orochimaru himself. Giving himself to them was the only way to ensure Katy's safety.
Which led to his current situation.
Not that he knew what happened to him, it didn't explain where he was. He knew he was punched in the abdomen so hard he passed out seeing as how sore his stomach area felt. He rubbed the tender spot. Where in the world was he? By what he could feel, he was somewhere small and confined with a smooth surface. But where was he being held? A small cell? A box? Were they trying to ship him to Orochimaru like some mail-order bride?
The image of himself in a wedding dress, veil and white dress, popped into his head.
I've hung around Katy too much, Sasuke thought, shuddering. That image was going to haunt him forever. Shaking his head, he was brought back to the situation at hand. So small and confined...Definitely a container of some sort. It feels like wood. But what-
His thoughts were interrupted by a motion rocking the container he was in. In such a confined space any body part not held down ere knocked into the walls or into other body parts. His head slammed against one side of the walls while his elbows rammed into his gut. He coughed. He took a while to recover when he heard loud yelling outside his prison.
From what he could make out, there were several voices yelling back and forth. Through the walls, he couldn't hear much. Sasuke pressed one ear against the wall. The yells were still muffled, but he could tell whose voices were there. Some he recognized as three of the Sound Four. The others...
"Hey, come back here!" Kiba yelled after a crash emitted.
"You're not getting Sasuke that easily!" Naruto shouted louder than usual.
Naruto? Sasuke could say he was still dreaming, but he wasn't that stupid to mistake Naruto's voice. His voice was like the ringing in his ears-they never went away. What's Naruto and Kiba doing here? Don't tell me they're trying to rescue me?
It was expected. He knew the moment he decided to leave with the Sound Four Konoha would try to rescue him. In the series it wasn't a time they were. For once he was grateful he had friends he trusted (somewhat). And for what he was about to do, he trusted them to keep their mouths shut and never mention it again. If they could.
"Naruto? Naruto!" Sasuke yelled as loud as he could. He banged against the walls ot create a loud racket. Without much leg room he had to use his fists in an attempt to break out of the box.
"Sasuke? Sasuke, are you in there?" Naruto asked. His voice was muffled, rising high and low for an unknown reason.
"I don't know where here is!"
"They stuck you in a coffin," Shikamaru explained loud enough for him to hear. "Are you okay?"
A coffin? They stuck me in a freakin' coffin? No wonder it's so cramped.
"I'm fine. Just bruised!"
"Good!" There were several curses. "Neji, look out!"
Sasuke heard his comrades cry out in surprise. He tried calling out to them to ask what happened but received no response. Worry overtook him. If they weren't saying anything, they were either fighting with one of the Sound Four or dead. The latter was unlikely. Naruto was too stubborn to go down so easily while the others were equally as stubborn. Lord knows Kiba was like that. They would do their best to rescue him. Hopefully.
Sasuke hated himself for having his friends rescue him. He hated being a burden to anyone like this. He knew they were going to get severely injured trying to rescue him. If he hadn't been so weak to protect Katy, he wouldn't have had to give himself up. His friends wouldn't need to come and rescue him.
Damn it! I'm so weak! he cursed, punching the wall of the coffin. He sighed in frustration. When I get out of here I'm going to kill the Sound Four and help my friends.
Until that time comes, he had to wait impatiently in the dark.
XXX
Darkness. It was the ever present natural element in the world which people feared the most. With every light there is a darkening shadow following in its wake, growing more and more as the light fades into oblivion.
The darkness of the forest was what frightened Katy at the moment. The trees covered the light of even the moon to bring forth creatures who relished the dark of the forest. No light was present to save her from such creatures she feared were larger than her.
She hid in the crevice of a tree whose base was uprooted high enough to create an open mouth long ago. Her legs were pulled to her chest for some semblance of warmth while a cloak covered her. Still, that did nothing to stop the cold seeping into her bones.
Cold...So cold...She repeatedly thought. Although everything seemed cold, if one touched her skin they would find it burning to the touch. Her fever, one of the symptoms of the septic shock returning, had fanned into a flame waiting to burn her from the inside out. It was terrible. She was hot, cold, and a headache persisted to slam open her skull. For the first time she cursed herself for leaving on an impulse. She was going to get worse at this point. I wish I could go home.
If only she could! As soon as she realized this, she thought about going back. There was but one problem with this: Katy was lost.
It was embarrassing but true. She thought she was staying on the path leading to Wind Country, which she was sure would be near Rice Country. Apparently, she wasn't and was now lost.
Stupid. I'm so stupid, Katy thought, curling further into herself. She was going to die out here in the wilderness. Not from lack of food or water, but from her fever. Of all the things she neglected to bring it was medicine. She knew she wouldn't last long out in a forest on her own. But, no. She wanted to save Sasuke herself. And after he sacrificed himself to save me. I'm so stupid.
Was this how her life was going to end after everything? She was going to die out there in the wilderness to a stupid fever? She should have stayed in Konoha to get better while Naruto and Haku saved Sasuke. She would have gotten better in time for when he returned. Or, at least, that's what she would have liked to believe.
Katy bit her lip. She knew she wasn't getting any better. All the nurses gave her sad pitying looks each time they took blood samples. Even she knew what that meant. Sure, she had gotten better for a short time. But, from the gossiping each time they came to her room where she pretended to be sleeping she knew better.
They were pitying her...She hated it. Just because her blood count was low and she couldn't fight off the infections they thought they had the right to pity her. She hated pity and never liked to face it.
A loud hoot jerked Katy out of her thoughts. It scared her out of her wits. She buried her head into her lap while covering her head and whined.
"This sucks. This totally sucks." She was hot/cold, tired, and felt terrible. Why did bad stuff always have to happen to her? "I want to go home. Why do I have the worst luck in the world?"
"Hm? What's this?"
Katy jerked her head back up at the sound of a deep male voice. Through the dark a silhouette formed at the mouth of her shelter. It was a man by what she could tell with his broad shoulders and tall stature. Fear gripped her heart. After the Incident-she-shall-never-speak-of, she was afraid to be alone with a man she didn't know. She was afraid they would do something to her like last time.
The man ducked his head in order to enter the shelter. She gasped, backing away until her back met the bark of the tree.
"St-Stay back! O-Or I'll be forced to kill you!" Katy warned. If her voice wasn't weak or shaky, the threat might have worked. As it was she sounded like a frightened child.
"You? Kill me?" The man snorted at the pathetic threat. "I doubt you can kill a fly much less kill a human."
She bit her lip. The man was right. She couldn't kill anything if she tried. When she was still with Orochimaru and forced to fight the best she could do was knock out her opponent if she did win.
"You don't know that. I can kill you right now if I wanted to!"
"Oh, yeah? Then, I'd have to kill you if you did. And we both know who would win between the two of us."
Katy winced. Oh, she knew who would win and she knew for sure it wouldn't be her.
"Don't worry. I'm not here to kill you or anything," he reassured her. "I stopped by to see what was making so much noise it practically said open dinner."
"Oh." She didn't realize she was crying so loud. She was a bit relieved he wouldn't kill her when he could but tensed. "Wait, that's why you're here?"
"No, I decided I wanted to come here instead of going on my way in the middle of nowhere," he said, sarcasm practically dripping. "Speaking of being in the middle of nowhere, what's a kid like you doing here? Unless you're a Genin, which you obviously aren't, kids your age would be fast asleep. Unless..." he chuckled. "You're lost?"
She flushed, her face becoming hotter. "So what if I am? It's none of your business."
"Hey, I'm just wondering is all. I heard you crying and I thought some kid got lost out here."
"I wasn't crying!"
"Really?" The man's voice became higher into a falsetto voice that sounded oddly familiar. "I want to go home. Why do I have the worst luck in the world?"
"Sh-Shut up! I don't sound like that!"
"To me you do."
Katy's eyes narrowed. Of all the people to find her in the forest it had to be a jerk who kept mocking her. Great, she did have the worst luck in the world.
"Well, you found out what the noise was. It's me. Ta-da!" she exclaimed with little jazz hands. "Now, you can go on your merry way and leave me alone."
"Hm, I would but..." There was the small shuffle of clothing followed by a sharp flick. Light and heat sparked in front of Katy's face. She flinched at the sudden light. A hand covered in a glove tilted her head up to make her look into a dark eye, amusement dancing in the firelight. A smirk spread across a scarred face. "You got me interested. It's not every day I find a sick kid wandering through the woods."
She stared up at the older man before her. He looked to be in his late twenties as his spiky black hair stuck up every way like Naruto's. Where the left side of his face was indeed handsome the right sight was marred with ridges of old scars. The left side may have been handsome but his left eye was covered by a white eye patch, which was a sharp contrast to his black clothing. He must have been in a terrible accident to get his face reconstructed like that. What the hell happened to him? With his left hand, absent of a glove, he held a match. He dropped the match into a pile of dry sticks he must have had with him before. If she wasn't sick, she was sure her face would be red. What could she say? Give the guy a half-mask and he would be like the Phantom of the Opera, who she simply adored in the movie version.
He smirked, reclining back with one hand behind him and the other propped on a knee. "What? Cat got your tongue?"
"Psh. No. Just wondering why an old man is out past his bedtime," Katy retorted.
"So says the crybaby." He ran a hand through his hair. "So, kid, what are you doing here out on your own? Did you run away from home or something?"
"Don't call me kid! And I'm not a crybaby. Besides I have a name, you know," she snapped. "It's Kioshi."
"Okay, Kioshi. My name's Seishi. Now, are you going to answer my question or what?"
Katy wasn't sure whether or not to answer him. Here she was in the middle of a forest and some random stranger was asking here what she was doing there. Was it a good idea to tell him why she was out there? For all she knew he was going to do something to her, take advantage of her, or not do anything at all. The third choice was unlikely since he said himself he could leave her but didn't because he was interested in her. So, it was the first two she was cautious of.
Well, he already knows my name, she thought. Of course, it was her alias but still her name. And she knew his name (which might be a fake name) and they were most likely never going to see one another ever again. As she knew telling a stranger something was better than telling a friend. They would listen and never figure out the truth. Oh, why not?
"I didn't run away from home. I'm trying to save a good friend of mine from being forced into something he doesn't want. He was kidnapped, and it was all my fault," she answered quietly. "I tried to follow after them hours after they left. I figured they were heading for Rice country. But..."
"You got lost," Seishi finished. He chuckled. "Did you think about taking a map with you when you decided to go after them?"
She shook her head. "I didn't think to bring medicine either. I feel awful."
"You look awful." He reached his left hand over to put it on her forehead to her surprise. His hand was remarkably cold and soothing to her heated skin. She subconsciously leaned towards his hand. "You're hot."
"I'd beg to differ. I'm thirteen, so that's illegal," she laughed deliriously. She stopped short. "I'm sick."
"Very sick," he agreed. He removed his hand, much to her displeasure. "With a fever that bad you should be in the hospital."
"That's kinda a funny story. I escaped a hospital to go after my friend."
"...Do you have a death wish or something? Or are you this stupid?"
"I...don't know. I really don't feel good." She sighed, leaning her head on her legs once more.
"Why don't you go home? There's a town down that way you can ask for directions or find a doctor," Seishi suggested.
"I would, but I don't want to leave my friend. It's my fault he got kidnapped. Others went after him, but I don't feel any better knowing he would still be here if it wasn't for me."
He snorted. "You really are a stupid kid. You shouldn't have left if other people went to go rescue him. A kid like you should leave this kind of thing to those capable."
"I know, but...Didn't something ever happen to someone important to you and it was your fault?" she asked.
Seishi lowered his eye to stare into the fire. He looked contemplative-lost in thought and most likely in the past. She stayed silent, allowing him to think and reminense. They stayed like that for awhile. She was trying to resist the urge to cough, which could lead into a fit. Plus, he looked like he needed to think without being disturbed. She didn't want to interrupt his thoughts. Finally, he spoke."
"Yes," he said. She gazed up to see him speaking softly as if he was not entirely there. "A long time ago I had two friends. One who was annoying but he turned out to be my best friend, and the other was the girl I loved. They were so important to me I was willing to risk my very life to save them. I saved them from being killed, but almost died in the process to end up with these scars. But...Not long after I did save them, my best friend killed the one I loved. After that day, I decided I wanted to change the world to one she would be proud of. One where she would have liked to live. To this day I'm always wondering what would have happened if I didn't save my best friend from dying. If he wasn't alive, she would still be here."
"It sounds like you loved her a lot," Katy commented. The fondness in his voice spoke volumes of his feelings for this girl. But, the anguish of her death also spoke out. She kept her mouth shut of any sympathy. She didn't like sympathy from people after her brother died. She wouldn't torment someone else with it. "Do you blame him? Your best friend?"
"No. Not anymore. It doesn't matter if I hate him or not. She's dead." He paused, staring at her strangely. "I find it strange you don't sound sympathetic. With a story like mine people would normally give their condolences. Especially from one your age."
"Why should I when this happened a long time ago? It's obvious you hate hearing sympathy as much as I do when you talk about this girl."
"As much as you?"
"Yeah. I had an older brother. He died two years ago in an accident. I hate hearing how sorry people are when he's already dead. It's not like it'll bring him back. And like you, I'm always wondering if he would still be alive today if it weren't for his stupid friends. They were the ones who got him killed. Maybe if he hadn't gone with them, he wouldn't have gotten into an accident and died."
"Did you blame them?"
"Of course I blamed them. I hated them so much I wished they had died in my brother's place. My brother was always there for me when I was alone. He would always protect me whenever I was bullied me. He was the nicest brother and the only one I had. I hated his friends because my brother didn't deserve to die." She sighed with a shaky voice to calm down from her rant. "But, I wasn't the only one suffering. Other people died in that accident so I wasn't the only one in pain. Did my hatred really matter when those at fault are dead? You can't hate the dead or even blame the families of those friends. After death, nothing really matters. After that day, my best friend vowed to take my brother's place to protect me. The very one who was kidnapped is gone, and this time I'm the one at fault. If something happens to him because of me, I'm never going to forgive myself."
Sasuke was too important for Konoha to lose. She didn't matter since she was adopted into the family and not a true Uchiha. He was the last true Uchiha left. Konoha couldn't lose him to Orochimaru.
Seishi shook his head. "Did you ever think your friend expects to see you in a hospital getting better rather than out here lost and sick?"
"Yeah, but..." Katy trailed of. She knew she was stupid to rush off without any sort of plan. Sasuke would be pissed if he learned she was risking her health to rescue him. Was she really making the right decision?
Her train of thought stopped when something dropped on her head, her vision blinded. Hands scrambling, she pulled off the mysterious object to see it was Seishi's black cloak. He took it off to put it on her. She looked at him questioningly. He scowled.
"I already know what you're thinking. You're still going after your friend no matter what I say," said Seishi. It was a fact, not a question. He ruffled the back of his head. "I'll help you rescue this friend of yours. He better be important if you're trying to rescue him on your own in that kind of condition."
"R-Really?" He nodded once. "But, why? You don't really need to help me. I'm sure you have more important things to do than help me."
He shrugged. "Not really. Plus, like I said earlier, kid, you're interesting. If I let you go off on your own, my conscience is gonna be a bitch telling me I should have helped you. And, you remind me of myself and the girl I loved at that age. When I would do anything to save a friend or a comrade and she was willing to risk her own life."
For the first time that night, Katy giggled. She was glad someone cared enough to let her go save her friend rather than tell her it was a bad idea. She didn't need to be reminded of that fact when she knew it herself. The support she recieved made up for that matter.
"Thank you, Seishi."
"You can thank me after we get him," he grumbled.
Katy smiled. Who knew strangers were kind? She wrapped the cloak around her. Fortunately, it was more than enough to cover herself with. She snuggled her nose against the fabric. It smelt faintly of the rain and sweet dango. She yawned, lying down on her side.
"G'night," she mumbled.
"Night."
The dark normally frightened Katy. But she didn't mind it at all if someone was there to find her.
Ok, so alot of things happened in this chapter. I know there's a lot of Katy parts, but Sasuke is currently trapped in a coffin. There's not much that boy can do other than listen to the Rescue Team shouting and stuff while he's stuck there. And, plot development! Yay, plot development! I dropped so many hints on who 'Seishi' really is it's not even funny. With that plot point the story is going to be ending soon. Like, really soon. Two or three chapters left. And since I've been writing the chapters little by little every day it's gonna be done soon with school wrapping up for the summer in three weeks. Yay!
So, please review!
P.S. Fun fact: I got the name Seishi from the creator of Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto's, twin brother. Who's art style is so similar to Masashi's, I swear to God in one of his manga series there's a character who could be the love child of Sasuke and Naruto. No joke. Oddly enough, I prefer his works to Masashi's. Especially his one-shot on Cinderella. It's my favorite one-shot.