Good Girl: Rewrite
Chapter 37
Faster...Faster...We've got to run faster...
Their footsteps hardly made any sound as they cut through forest, toes scarcely settling on a branch before pushing off again. The cloak was barely fastened, whipping behind him. They were carrying the Genin on their backs, the pair beyond exhausted from their own trek and unable to move forward without some type of rest. Gold eyes darted to the side to make sure that he and Kisame were on the same pace, Momi on his back with no resistance from Samehada.
The shark nin caught his eye and gave a nod.
They could go faster.
The branch beneath their feet splinted as they applied more chakra to the soles of their feet, propelling them farther than previously.
How long had it been? Ryu said they made the journey in two days. Two days ago, Taki went into premature labor. Two full days. Now they were making the return trip, maybe a day's worth of travel with their ability, but perhaps more since they had Ryu and Momi. Potentially three days total for Taki. Was she hurting? Was she at least still alive? What about the boys? Did they suffer complications? Did they even make it?
He shook the image out of his head. Taki crying her heart out if the babies didn't live. Or the other, with him alone with the boys due to Taki dying in childbirth. What if he lost both of them? All options were awful and heart wrenching, wanting to make him physically sick with the mere thought of the terrible outcome. He couldn't live with any one of those scenarios. Dependent. He refused to acknowledge the haunting thoughts, pushing his focus to each step, each jump that got him closer to his loved ones.
He had loved ones. Family. Taki. The boys. He wasn't prepared to lose any of them.
Zetsu had to get there. Now.
Her body felt heavy when she woke up after a light nap. Dull, throbbing pain registered to her brain and she grimaced as she opened her eyes, taking a moment for the hospital room to come into focus. Again. She was still bound to the hospital as a patient. Her chest lifted carefully with a soft, well measured sigh so not to irritate her body too much. She was quickly discovering that she was not a perfect patient. Being forbidden from moving was so aggravating, not to mention that the medics still had her boys and she had yet to hold them in her arms. Her boys, Toshiro and Yusuke. They were taken away for immediate care as they were born prematurely and they feared something was wrong with Toshiro's heart, the eldest twin.
Concern was swarming her thoughts. Her boys and their health, as well as the well being of Ryu and Momi who had taken off suddenly for Konoha in attempt to bring Zetsu to her. The action touched her heart but she couldn't help but worry for their safety. Not to mention that Nora was stressed as well.
There was a rustle of movement and she smiled softly down at the blonde haired Suna girl, who was resting on her arms on the edge of the bed. Reaching down, she ran her fingers through her short hair. The poor thing had yet to leave her side, determined to keep an eye on her sensei. It was awful for Taki to watch the girl's tough exterior challenged and breaking. She was so fearful that her teacher was going to die, and then her teammates were off on their own in Fire Country, possibly hurt or lost.
"You should rest." She looked up to see her father sitting in a spare chair by the wall. His arms were folded across his chest, the Iwasura clan robes still appearing as pristine as they always did. Equally green eyes watched his daughter carefully.
"I just woke up," she laughed softly. "I've been doing so much sleeping, I'm about to go crazy." She glanced over, maintaining eye contact this time as she gave a reassuring smile.
"Father, everything's going to be all right," she promised. He seemed to flinch at her word choice. "We'll be all right. I promise."
"Everything...will be all right...Tsakui..." whispered Lani, ashy pale in the hospital setting. The Iwasura clan leader clutched his wife's hand, pushing some of her wavy brown hair away from her forehead.
"Shhh, love, save your strength," he consoled. His own heart was pounding furiously in his chest, the possibility of his wife surviving the ordeal was diminishing before his very eyes. Her once vibrant eyes were growing dim, unable to hold focus for very long. Shallow breathing was becoming more troubled as her eyelids began to lower.
"Tsakui...where...where is Taki?" she asked, lips barely moving. "Where's...my little girl?" Tsakui brought her hand to his lips so to place a kiss on her fingers.
"She is safe, with Mizu," he answered. "Please, conserve your strength and rest. You need to get better...I need you to get better..." She didn't seem to listen as she smiled up at him, chatting still.
"Tell her...tell her I love her...so much...Tsakui..." She returned his grip, albeit feebly. "And I...I love you...with all of my heart...Tsakui...and I will...love you...both...forever..."
"Lani," he tried, throat growing tight. "Please...don't..." Her grip on his hand lessened as her eyes lowered fully, chest stilling as she exhaled one last time.
"Lani!" he cried out. "No!"
The father rose to his feet and made his way to the bedside, Taki watching him with wide eyes, surprised. Carefully, his hand reached out and he brushed some of her equally white hair away from her face. While his hand busy with her hair, he leaned down so to place a kiss on her forehead.
He couldn't remember the last time the last time they shared a father and daughter moment. Lani would be so disappointed with him.
"I...am so very proud of you, Taki," he whispered, hand trailing to her cheek. "Your mother...your mother would be as well..."
He dicolored eyes became bright with unshed tears as she smiled, keeping his hand where it was so that she could lean into his touch, tears rolling as she closed her eyes.
"I love you too, father."
Nora was back in her seat out in the hallway, dozing off. The medic had told her that Taki-sensei needed to rest and should be left alone. Taki had suggested that the girl should go home and rest, but the Suna Genin refused. She didn't want to leave. What if something happened in that time? Something bad? Taki-sensei was still recovering from the childbirth. The medic told her a handful of times now that it was beginning to look promising for the clan leader.
She was about to close her eyes when she heard running footsteps. Brown eyes wide and alert, she hopped to her feet. Was it Ryu and Momi? Were they back already?
Instead, the running figure turned out to be Ookami, that boy from Team Eight. He appeared panicked, the light blonde hair mussed as he hurried, the color contrast to his dark skin. His eyes darted about, searching. His features brightened in recognition as he made his way to Nora. The Suna nin raised her brow as she held her ground.
"Oy, Nora!" he called, slightly out of breath. As if he ran there. Her mouth kept a firm line, determined to give nothing away.
"What do you want, Ookami?" she asked, maintaining her front. His hands found his waist as he caught his breath before standing fully upright, the two at the same height. Nora lifted her chin to increase her own height so to hold some type of advantage over the boy.
"Is it true? About Lady Iwasura?" he asked. Immediately, she bristled at the subject of her teacher and she crossed her arms over her chest.
"What's it to you?"
"Is it?" he asked again. "I heard there was some kind of accident, that Killer Bee brought her here. That she was in some kind of trouble-" Her eyes set in a glare, jaw tight.
"Taki-sensei is none of your business!" she snapped at him, taking an aggressive step forward. He looked taken aback by her outburst and his brow furrowed, fists clenching.
"Nora, you're not listening!" he said, giving her shoulder a push. "Is she hurt because I ran into you guys at the market?"
The girl stared at him for a moment, confused. "What?"
He huffed, not making eye contact for a moment. "Is Lady Iwasura hurt because I ran into you two at the market. Remember? I pushed you, and you ran into her. Is that what happened? Is it my fault?"
Nora blinked owlishly at him for a moment.
"No...it's not your fault," she answered slowly. "There was some kind of...complication, with her pregnancy."
His shoulders dropped with relief. "Oh." He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck, eye contact fleeting again. "So...she okay then?"
She nodded. "She's getting better. Least that's what the medic just told me."
There was a moment of quiet that quickly shifted to an awkwardly long pause of silence, neither Genin knowing what to say to the other. Ookami shoved his hands into his pocket while Nora kept her arms crossed, both stances steady, like they almost wanted to fight again.
"You called me Nora," she stated after the silence threatened to drive her insane. She didn't do well with quiet. Quiet meant trouble. She grew up with volume, from the other children at the orphanage, from battle, but mostly from her twin and their bantering. She liked noise. Noise meant life.
"So? That's your name isn't it?" he returned, this time avoiding eye contact for certain. Her mouth pulled at the corner, a smile almost.
"Thanks."
"Whatever."
Thankfully, their silence was shattered when even more running could be heard. This time Nora could tell it was more than one person, bigger than Ookami too by going off the sounds they were making. The Cloud Genin stepped closer to the Suna kunoichi, stepping into a defensive position.
"What's going on?" he asked. Waves of high power chakra could be sensed and Nora's smile split into a wide grin.
"They're back!" she cheered, looking at the boy with wide and excited eyes. "They made it back!"
"Who made it back?" Ookami asked, beyond confused. Of course, he wouldn't know the dynamics of their team, their members, their family, their clan.
The figures came into focus easily enough. In the lead was Zetsu, with his tone clashing skin, green hair and gold eyes that forbade anyone from getting in his way. She spotted Ryu clinging to his back, fearful of losing his grip. Next came Kisame, with his own blue skin, navy hair and sharp, menacing teeth, Momi's arms around his neck so not to fall from their intense speeds. Ookami scrambled quickly so to get out of their way as the two jumped from their backs. Nora pulled them both into a tight embrace, so happy to see that they were all right. Ryu and Momi returned the hug fiercely.
"How is she?"
"How're the babies?"
"Is she hurting?"
"They're all okay, right?"
Instead of answering the onslaught of questions, Nora started to tug them toward the door, so that they could see for themselves how their teacher was fairing. Their movement was stopped by Kisame's large form. Three sets of eyes looked up at him, confused. The Mist nin folded his arms, stance solid. Zetsu was nowhere in sight, having already slipped into the room. A moment later, Taki's father stepped out of the room.
"Let's give them some time." Kisame nodded in agreement, taking up his role as guard. The kids exchanged a glance and took their seat on the waiting bench.
Zetsu sneaked into the room noiselessly. Immediately, his gaze locked on Taki and her quiet form. Her father was standing at her bedside and studied the plant man with the same intense green eyes as his daughter. They shared numerous features, the former leader and the post-heiress. The white hair of the Iwasura clan, the sharp green eyes. From his information he had gathered while he was in Grass village the first time, he saw their similar quiet natures. Diplomats, as they handled stressful situations that needed to be diffused. Tsakui with the other clan leaders and Taki with the other Akatsuki members as well as the Genin. Each wanting to prove to the other how strong they could be. Taki, proving her shinobi strength and ability, passionate. Tsakui, proving that he could go on without the love of his wife, albeit cold heartedly. They were truly father and daughter, just two sides of the same coin.
The two males focused on each other for a moment, analyzing the other. This monster that was irrevocably in love with his only daughter. It was his fault for getting her pregnant, for the twins, leading to the trouble that could potentially take her life. How could he possibly be good enough for his girl? Dual skin tones, double personalities that clashed, S-class criminal, cannibalistic appetite. Yes, how on earth could he be good enough?
Tsakui Iwasura walked right up to the criminal, a stern glint to ever seeing eyes. They stood face to face, almost equal in height. Zetsu had perhaps two inches over him, but his authoritative presence made him seem all the more formidable.
"Do you love my daughter?" he asked, voice even.
"Yes," they answered without hesitation. There was no need to pause and over think his answer, to elaborate for the sake of the father. It was a simple fact now.
"And you promise to protect her, and the children, for as long as you live?"
"Forever," they promised. They couldn't possibly move on without her. She was too far past his emotional boundaries. Meant too much to them. She was a part of their life now. Both black and white.
Another moment of silence before he nodded and made his way out of the room, head held high.
"Very well then."
The door closed behind him and he wasted no time in rushing to her bedside. Kneeling, he leaned forward, black hand brushing back her hair while the white gripped her hand carefully. It only took a moment for her eyes to flutter open and he welcomed the sight of her dicoloration. Her lips pulled up in a smile as she moved to sit up.
"Zetsu! You're here-" she was promptly cut off by the man pulling her into a crushing embrace. Her physical tenderness faded for the moment as all of her attention was devoted to her partner. Arms wrapped around him tight, she buried her face in his shoulder, eyes threatening to pool over with happy tears. His grip was ironclad, unyielding. Black and white fingers dug into her form, securing their lock. Making sure she was real, that she was still there with him. That the childbirth didn't take her away from him. That she wasn't ripped untimely from his life.
"Zetsu," she whispered. Her voice was soft, muffled by the cloak's material but he couldn't properly express how it felt to have her say his name. To have her be all right. Alive. Right there, alive, in his arms. He tilted his face toward her white hair and closed his eyes.
He had no idea how long they remain intertwined, each refusing to let the other go. A knock at the door brought them out of their peaceful reunion.
"Lady Iwasura?" called a medic. The door slid open and the young woman carefully pushed the cart into the room, the higher authority medic supervising her. The woman smiled brightly at the pair. Zetsu's heart began to pound fervently as he studied the cart that carried the two bundles that were securely swathed in blue cloth. Taki gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, sensing his mild distress.
"The boys have responded well to treatment," explain the medic, cheeks pink with exhilaration "Of course, we need you and the babies to stay here a little longer, but you can at least hold them now." She looked over to Zetsu, giving him an encouraging smile. "Can I assume you're the father?"
He swallowed with difficulty, body tensing with nerves. What if he held them too tight? What if he dropped them? What if they didn't like him? What if he terrified his own children? Good lord, what would he do if they cried?
"Y-Yes," the tones clashed unevenly in their nervousness. "The father-Yes..." Taki tugged on his hand as she scooted over, offering him a spot to sit on her hospital bed. Yes, most likely a better idea to sit down if he was going to be handed a small, fragile child. He was starting to worry that his own legs would give up on him. Worn out from their journey and from the shock of the children. He was sore, tired and dirty. Was he in any condition to be holding a child?
"All right, now that you're settled," chirped the woman. She made her way over and picked up the first bundle with no difficulty at all. He could see the excitement in Taki's eyes as she watched the bundle's every movement as it progressed to her. Her irises seemed to shine brighter with tears as she held out her arms to receive her child. The joy was practically rolling off her in waves, her skin glowing with happiness. He, Zetsu of the Akatsuki, made her that happy.
"This is the first born, Toshiro," said the woman as she shifted the hold over to Taki. "He's been quite the fighter. There are some complications with his heart, but we're running some tests to see if we can at least stabilize it. Other than that, he's been a darling, quiet baby."
Taki covered her mouth with her hand as she stifled a happy sob, the tears brimming over. She gazed adoringly down at her first born. He was smaller than he should be, both twins would be as they were born prematurely. His skin was inky black, darker than normal, taking after his father. Tuffs of white hair could be seen and white lashes lined his eyes, a stark color contrast courtesy of their mother's Iwasura lineage. His mouth opened in a small yawn, eyes blinking after a moment, slowly locking on his mother's face. Wide gold eyes looked up at her, pupil-less like their father again. The pair simply watched the other, the soft smile never straying from Taki's face. She thought her heart was going to burst from her chest with so much joy. The tears continued to roll and she made no move to stop them. They were happy tears. No need to push them away.
"I love you, Toshiro," she whispered, placing a gentle kiss on the boy's forehead. "Mommy loves you..."
Zetsu watched their interaction, simply stunned. He could almost see their bond forming. How was that so? Was it natural? Did Taki simply have an affinity for such connection?
"And this is Yusuke," smiled the medic as she approached the man, the other blue bundle in her arms. "Born two minutes after Toshiro. So far, he's been completely healthy, rather odd as he's the youngest. Almost like he knew his brother was in trouble, hm?" She offered the bundle to Zetsu and he could only stare, unable to move his arms willing.
"Come on now, dad," she chided, using one hand to prep his arms into the proper position. "You'll be fine. Keep him secure and keep his head up. It'll just come to you, don't worry," she winked as she slipped the baby into his grasp.
His muscles tensed out of reflex, pulling the child toward him. Yusuke. Gold met gold at the baby stared up at him, unabashed. He looked identical to his brother. He shared the same impossibly dark skin, the bright white hair and lashes, as well as the pupil-less gold eyes. Zetsu's chest constricted as he noted their similarities, connections between father and son. They had inherited his deep black skin tone, the strange eyes and Taki's trademark hair. Such an odd compilation of genetics. Perhaps his cheeks were a little rounder than Toshiro's? He leaned in closer to study the boy and their noses were almost touching as they both stared.
Then Yusuke gave a small, fearless, giggle of a laugh.
The child didn't fear him.
Zetsu looked over to his wife and she continued to smile, having witnessed their interaction. He looked from her to the child, to his brother, then back to her. He had dozens of questions flooding his brain, memories flitting about and overlapping each other. All of their decisions. All of their trouble. The hurt. The fear. How they endured it all. They refused to let go of each other. All of it. Everything.
Because he had gotten hurt and took refuge in some shabby tree house in Grass village.
Because he had insisted that she heal him.
Because she didn't run away from him, the monster.
Because he had called her a "good girl".
The superior medic glanced back at the doorway, allowing the parents to have their moment of silence. A strange sight, but he was a medic, he saw plenty of strange things. He folded his arms and smirked as the three man team pressed their noses to the small panel of glass, trying to see. He gave a soft chuckle at the sight, giving the pair a few more moments of quiet. It was when he could hear the arguing between the children as to who could see better and the door began to creak as they pushed, that he decided to speak up.
"Would you mind if the rest of your team comes in?" he asked. "If not, I can tell them to lower their voices or perhaps head home?" Taki gave a soft laugh and Zetsu sighed.
"Yes, yes, they can come in. Goodness, they've been waiting forever," she said.
"Honestly, I'm surprised they haven't broken down the door," agreed Zetsu. "Though I'm sure that's their next bright idea. I bet Kisame would help too." The medic chuckled again as he turned to open the door, allowing the three man team to fall into the room in a heap due to their leaning. Kisame and Tsakui Iwasura smirked at the trio while Ookami watched, amused and confused by everyone's interactions, not fully understanding the dynamics.
The medic quickly explained the rules. They were to be quiet, careful and well behaved. "I must congratulate you on your patience. For shinobi of your age, you are all very impressive." He glanced back at Taki as the other shinobi filled the room, circling the bed so to get a look at the twins. Momi and Nora immediately began to fawn over the boys while Ryu did his best to remain macho and maintain a staring contest with Yusuke, before caving and allowing the little child to wrap his tiny hand around his index finger.
Taki looked about at the assortment of people involved in her life. The Suna Genin, Ryu Nora, and Momi. Kisame of the Hidden Mist. The Cloud village that was slowly beginning to accept her, despite her history with the Akatsuki. Her father, after the years of tough love, rarely ever seeing the 'love' side of that equation, and here he was, standing alongside her and supporting her. Everyone helped to make her who she was, to make her stronger, better, to reach her full potential she herself didn't know-didn't possibly think-she was capable of.
Vision blurry, she turned her face up toward Zetsu. Her husband. Her teacher. Her partner. This figure who had struck a chord due to his power and frightening behavior. Who inspired to step outside of her boundaries, to dare to tempt fate. Who helped to shape her into the woman she was right then, right there. Who refused to leave her behind.
Zetsu felt her eyes on him and he turned to return the look, each one silent with their own thoughts but well aware of the other's mindset. They were partners, of course they knew what the other was thinking. They were a team. Husband and wife. Zetsu's black hand slipped around her neck, becoming twisted in her white hair as he pulled her closer so to steal her lips with his own.
A perfectly bizarre twist of earth and fire personalities, uniquely blended so to create something as beautiful as glass. Strange, different in their very own right. Two damaged halves to heal each other. Conflicting personalities, each contradicting the other. A determination that would not be challenged. A disability. A monster. An heiress. Criminals. Partners.
Balanced.
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Oh my gosh, almost there, almost there! Yay, yay, yay!
Epilogue's next, we're getting there guys!
*Toshiro -clever son
*Yusuke-superior/help
(at least those are the definitions that I found. Courtesy of Google)
I hope you enjoyed! One more left!