SURPRISE! Have another chapter to celebrate the slaying of the writers' block! May it rot in a ditch and stay away for a long time! And also because the last few chapter have been rather short. :)

Hear the Silence

Chapter Fifty

Minato stayed in the hospital until Kyo was discharged the next morning. She was provided with a pair of very old fashioned crutches and then gently ordered to go home and rest.

Minato came with her, keeping a close eye on her the entire time, looking like he was prepared to run in and swoop her off her feet if she showed so much as a hint of stumbling.

It was a nice sentiment, but also, incredibly annoying.

"I'm not about to collapse, Minato," Kyo told him tiredly after ten minutes of watching him twitch every time she moved.

The wooden crutches were the kind you fitted under the pits of your arms. It made Kyo miss the sort of crutches she had gotten used to in another life something fierce; they had seemed so much lighter and more practical.

"You look sort of unsteady," Minato returned after a beat of silence, though there was an apologetic note to his voice.

"Which definitely has more to do with these annoying crutches than anything else," Kyo muttered sourly.

Neither of them was in a very good mood, considering they'd just left Naoki behind in the hospital.

Thankfully, the boy's mother had turned up last night and hadn't left the room for anything other than the bathroom since, looking like she was prepared to camp out in there until the moment Naoki woke up from his induced sleep.

He had a few more surgeries and a lot of healing to get through.

"Do you- Do you think they'll assign another Genin to our team?" Minato asked a few minutes later, frowning down at the ground.

Kyo sent him a sharp look and he glanced up at her.

"That's what they did for you," he added quietly, "right?"

"Jiraiya said he won't be fit for any kind of active duty for a really long time," Kyo said darkly. "But maybe he can pull some strings to get him into cryptology once he's well enough."

Minato nodded, but hadn't missed the fact that she hadn't answered his question.

She didn't know, and it wasn't like Kyo was fit for active duty right now, either. Not until the cast was removed from her foot and she was sure everything was working as it should.

Considering Tsunade had been the one who fixed her up, Kyo wasn't overly concerned, but it was still a faint thought in the back of her head. Lying there, waiting.

"Come on, let's get home and fix something to eat," Kyo muttered, motioning for Minato to come with her.

Neither of them felt up to spending time alone right now.

.

Kyo carefully settled down on the grass off to the side of their training ground, putting her crutches beside her. Within reach, but still out of the way.

"So what did you have in mind?" She asked, turning her attention to Jiraiya, who was watching her with an unreadable expression. "I can't really spar," she pointed out dryly.

Which was obvious and something Jiraiya was already well aware of.

Minato snorted and sent her a wryly amused glance, before he focused back on their sensei.

"Which is why this is the perfect opportunity to hold a more theoretical lesson," Jiraiya said, rolling his shoulders and sending them a thin smile, which was no more than a shadow of his usual grin. "What do you two know of fuuinjutsu?"

Kyo blinked a couple of times and considered him. "The art of sealing, ranging from anything between storage scrolls to explosion tags, to... more extensive works," she said slowly.

"Barriers, too," Minato added thoughtfully.

Jiraiya nodded. "Theoretically, there are very few limits to what you can not do with fuuinjutsu. The only thing that's setting the limit is your imagination and level of skill and competence." He paused to eye them both intently. "It's a field not many shinobi try their hand in, due to the high death toll," he added seriously. "So? Interested?"

"After such a riveting introduction speech?" Kyo wondered dryly, sending him a sardonic look. She shrugged. "It's not like I have much else to do, and I might just lose my mind before this thing comes off if I don't keep busy."

"It sounds interesting," was Minato's response.

"Very well, then," Jiraiya said, seriousness bleeding away for an eager, excited smile. "Let's get started on the basics!"

Which was how Kyo found herself in her first calligraphy lesson.

.

She had almost forgotten what It was like learning something new that didn't involve purely physical activities.

It was busy, engrossing and all-consuming, leaving no room to think about anything else.

The lessons also pointed out just how bright Minato was, and it was... humbling.

But no matter how much Kyo was enjoying learning something new and interesting, that didn't mean she could let her other responsibilities and tasks fall to the way-side. Which was why she found herself in the Uchiha district an early morning, overdue to check on the batches of poison she'd put to dry in Ryota's house.

The man himself had let her in when she'd knocked, looking like he'd just rolled out of bed, and when Kyo had sat herself down on the floor in the living room, had let himself fall onto the soft couch to stare despondently up at the ceiling.

Kyo threw a glance at him in between motions as she carefully scraped the poison out of the bowl-tray, mindful not to let anything go to waste.

Ryota looked a bit... well, there was really only one word on her mind: Pathetic.

"Have you tried telling them you don't want to get married?" She asked into the sleepy morning quiet.

A throaty grunt was all the answer she got, which she took as an affirmative.

Kyo hummed thoughtfully. "You're making this more difficult than it has to be, you know," she continued idly, narrowing her eyes as she carefully poured the fine powder into the jar she'd prepared.

There was rustling from the direction of the couch, and she was pretty sure Ryota had just sat up.

"So I've been told," he drawled with clear disdain.

"I'm pretty sure your Clan Elders meant it differently from how I do, though," she said evenly, still not taking her eyes off of her work.

Ryota didn't say anything to that, but she could feel his gaze on the back of her head, silently demanding some sort of explanation.

"You've made it very clear you don't want this, so why don't you just find a woman who feels similarly? You don't have to make a go at marriage in the same way as the Elders might want you to; so long as you're married and produce a kid or two, they'll be happy, right?" She continued before he could say anything. "So find a woman who are of the same mind as you and be upfront with her. Treat it like a mission and stake out parameters that will ensure that if you don't end up happy, then at least you won't be miserable." She shrugged and finally sent him a glance over her shoulder.

Ryota looked like he had frozen in place where he sat, face entirely blank, but there was a clear, speculative glint in his eyes that let her know he'd heard and understood every word she'd said. And not said.

"I'll be very sad and disappointed with you if you don't take proper care of any future children you may or may not end up with, though," she added calmly.

Ryota snorted.

The next time Kyo sent him a look, the man looked far less pathetic. Like he no longer dreaded the near future with overwhelming intensity.

Kyo couldn't help but smile faintly to herself, feeling relatively happy and content. Because she'd actually managed to do something to help solve a problem, for once.

The feeling faded quickly, when her thoughts inadvertently turned back to Naoki and the fact that his life wouldn't ever be the same. Once he eventually woke up, anyway.

She and Minato had been to visit him a few times in the last few days, and the sight of the stump of his right leg under the blanket always made it feel like she was going to throw up.

It was wrong.

He wasn't supposed to look like that; he was only ten.

Kyo wasn't sure it would be okay even if he'd been twenty years older, because no one- no one deserved this.

Sighing quietly to herself, Kyo finished what she was doing, stacked up her equipment and pushed it into an out of the way spot where no one would accidentally step on it until she came around to wash them and start a new batch.

Curse it all to hell, she hated the damn crutches.

.

The day's fuuinjutsu lesson had gotten cancelled due to Jiraiya being called to an urgent meeting. Which would no doubt turn into an urgent mission.

Leaving Kyo with nothing to do.

After a few minutes' thought, Minato had decided to go off and train. Work to increase stamina and strength.

It made Kyo feel all kinds of useless, because she couldn't help him spar. Couldn't even see much use in spending the day with Genma, horrible as it might sound, because she was all but stationary, with her foot pretty much useless.

Tsunade had threatened dire consequences if she spent any time walking around on it again, and Kyo was inclined to believe she meant business.

She frowned down at her crutches, tempted to smash them against the nearest tree, but seeing as that wouldn't just accomplish absolutely nothing, but also leave her without means to get around, Kyo refrained.

Barely.

"You're unhappy."

"You would be, too, if you suddenly couldn't move around without the use of two glorified sticks," Kyo shot back, sending Kisaki an irritable glance, even though it wasn't the ninken she was upset with.

It was a bit harder to frown at herself. Or life.

Kisaki gave an amused huff, did the dog equivalent of rolling her eyes, and then stalked over, every inch the apex predator.

Kyo watched the ninken take one of the crutches in her mouth, holding it between her teeth.

"The hospital will be put out if those break," she commented idly, making absolutely no move to save them.

Kisaki didn't dignify that with a verbal response, though she did give her a superior glance. And proceeded to toss the crutch aside.

The other one joined it shortly.

"Nice. Thank you," Kyo deadpanned. "Your plan better not be to leave me here," she warned lightly.

Kisaki sighed at her and grabbed hold of Kyo's arm, getting drool all over her forearm. Definitely on purpose.

"Ew." Kyo snickered, but obliged happily enough when Kisaki pulled on her to stand up, careful not to put any weight on her bad leg.

Kisaki's eyes were laughing at her, and before Kyo could do more than smile back, the ninken had let go of her, snuck around to behind her, slipped her head between her legs and lifted her off the ground.

Kyo slid to a stop on the dog's shoulders, peering curiously down at the top of her friend's head.

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this," she admitted.

Kisaki slanted a questioning look at her as she began to amble back in the direction of the village.

Kyo sighed, tightening her hold on the white fur under her fingers. "You're my friend, not some sort of... transportation, or beast of burden," she muttered with a frown. Taku would have kicked her ass for even suggesting it.

"I know," Kisaki replied loftily, and she sounded amused. "You're mine," she added, as if it was all very simple. She must have picked up on Kyo's confusion, because after a brief pause, she continued with a huff. As if she thought she was being intentionally obtuse. "I like having you close, and pack helps when someone is hurt," she sent Kyo a pointed look, "so this is fine. I decide it's fine," Kisaki said easily.

Anyone else, though... Kyo could imagine that if anyone else tried to do this, the reaction would be both explosive and violent.

Deciding to relax and enjoy the sense of easy mobility, Kyo finally took an interest in where they were going.

"Kisaki?" She questioned a while later, when it became clear that they weren't going home. To either of them.

"Sensei," the ninken answered, calmly continuing towards the Hokage tower.

Kyo smiled and amusedly watched one of the Chuunin absently hold the door open for them and then startle when he realised it wasn't just another shinobi walking passed, but an enormous ninken, currently acting-pony.

Kyo gave him a slow wave in thanks.

Leaning down to get closer to Kisaki's ears, she murmured to the dog, "You have an evil sense of humour."

"You've rubbed off on me," Kisaki shot back.

Because the long looks they were attracting were downright hilarious, if you were inclined to that particular sense of humour.

Kisaki quickly made her way to sensei's office, knowing the way and slipping through the working shinobi with ease, even with her extra burden.

"Hey, sensei," Kyo greeted when they slipped through the open doors.

Katsurou looked up from his work sharply, only to blink. "Kyo, Kisaki," he greeted amusedly, eyeing them curiously. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I don't have anything to do, and I'm currently crippled," Kyo told him breezily, gesturing down at Kisaki.

Katsurou-sensei's lips twitched. "Are you volunteering for paperwork duty? Because that's what it sounds like."

"I am desperate," Kyo told him solemnly, and even the other Yamanaka Jounin snorted at that.

"I suppose we can find something for you to do," Katsurou huffed, shaking his head and getting to his feet. "Come on," he said, motioning for them to follow.

He gave Kisaki's head a fond pat as he strode passed.

Katsurou brought them to what looked like a highly secure filing room not too far from his office, and he opened a drawer, grabbed a bunch of files, and handed them to Kyo.

"Do a preliminary screening of their mental states," he said, nodding at the files. "There's plenty of space for you to make notations," he added, which told her plenty of what he wanted from her.

"Am I really qualified for this?" Kyo wondered, peering down at the files with quiet apprehension.

"We'll find out, won't we?" Sensei mused lightly, taking a step closer to place a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "It's mostly logic and good sense," he added when Kyo continued to look uncertain. "You're my student," he pointed out dryly, eyebrows climbing fractionally up under his hitai-ate.

"So that's a yes," Kyo muttered to herself, frowning thoughtfully.

She cocked her head, considering what was on offer here, weighing her own abilities against the task at hand.

"You'll go over every one of these when I'm done, right? So if I botch something completely, it won't be a disaster," she asked, lifting her gaze to stare intently at Katsurou.

Her sensei's dry look was assurance enough that anything else was unthinkable. These were Konoha shinobi they were talking about. Their mental health.

Kyo gave a small, firm nod. "I'll do my best," she promised.

"I know you will," Katsurou returned and walked back towards the door. "Go find somewhere to sit and get to it. Come find me when you're done and we'll see where we go from there."

.

The break room in the Hokage tower was surprisingly more peaceful than what you might have expected from the workplace of a bunch of stressed, professional murderers, but Kyo wasn't complaining.

"Over there, please," she murmured, pointing at one of the corners.

Kisaki obligingly walked over and sat down, being a steady hand-hold for Kyo until she could lower herself to the floor and settle down.

Injured leg stretched out in front of her, the other folded in towards her hips, Kyo made herself comfortable, distractedly pulling a pen from one of her pouches and flipped the first file open.

She quickly read through the basic information on the shinobi it was concerning and carefully absorbed what she'd been provided with about the situation.

It didn't take long for her to get lost in the work.

Kisaki had settled down behind her, lying down to relax like a warm, breathing backrest with built in people repellent.

All the ninken had to do to make sure no one approached them was to crack one pale yellow eye open to stare unblinkingly at whichever shinobi had been studying Kyo a second too long with curious interest.

Not that Kyo was overly aware of that, absorbed by her task as she was.

Sliding yet another finished file underneath Kisaki's foreleg, Kyo turned her attention to the next one, ignoring the rest of the room.

Which worked perfectly well until a familiar hand reached into her field of vision and she automatically snapped the file she was reading shut.

"Hello, Kyo. Kisaki," Inoichi greeted, peering curiously at the diminished stack beside her. "What are you doing?"

"Working," Kyo returned blankly, trying to focus back on the present situation and the break room they were sitting in.

When Inoichi's fingers twitched toward the files, Kyo pointed her pen at him. "Don't even think about it," she said firmly, pressing her other hand down on the stack.

"I'm just curious," Inoichi said, smiling pleasantly at her.

"Not for Genin eyes," she huffed, sticking her tongue out at him.

Inoichi pouted.

"So if I go get Shikaku it's fine?" He wondered, doing his best to look wounded by her words.

Kyo narrowed her eyes at him. "No."

Inoichi heaved a dramatic sigh, slumping down to sit on his butt on the floor. "How come you're here, anyway?" He asked, gaze sliding to the side to inspect the cast on her foot.

"Jiraiya was called in for a meeting," Kyo said, eyeing the nosy Yamanaka boy suspiciously for a moment, before she tentatively turned part of her attention back on the file she'd been going through when he'd interrupted her. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's no longer in the village," she added absently.

"And that blond teammate of yours?"

Kyo huffed a laugh at Inoichi calling anyone else blond. "Training." She sent him an amused look. "I would join him, but Tsunade might actually follow through with her threats." She shrugged, pointing her pen at her foot.

Kisaki rolled onto her stomach and yawned wide, displaying her impressive canines for a moment. She made a grumbling noise, deep in her chest and Kyo nodded, waving her off.

Absently pulling the files she'd already finished close, Kyo tucked them under her leg and turned her attention back to Inoichi, who was watching her with a peculiar look on his face.

"What?"

"...Is it okay to ask, or do you want me to back off?" He wondered, eyeing her intently.

Kyo frowned down at the pen in her hand, considering his words.

She wasn't ignorant to the fact that it felt like Inoichi had received the brunt of her temper over the last few months, and that wasn't fair. He was just trying to be a good friend. He was a good friend.

"Naoki lost his leg," Kyo said evenly, scribbling down another few points in the mental eval report.

The words and the tone of voice she had said them in didn't correspond, and as such, it took a second for the full meaning to sink in.

She knew the moment he realised what it meant, because Inoichi didn't quite manage to bite back the wince.

"I am," he took a deep breath, "so sorry, Kyo," he said quietly.

She shrugged, lips twitching self-deprecatingly. "I'm not the one in a medical coma, crippled."

"You know what I mean," he returned seriously and Kyo finally raised her head to meet his gaze.

"Yes."

Inoichi studied her for a long moment, and then took a mental step back and away. "So will you at least tell me what these are about?" He asked hopefully.

"No," Kyo scoffed, rolling her eyes, relieved at the change of topic. "You can go ask Katsurou-sensei," she suggested with a wicked grin, knowing full well Inoichi would do no such thing.

"No thank you," the boy in question muttered quickly, predictably.

Eyeing her friend fondly a moment, she managed another few lines in the comfortable silence that settled between them.

"The fuck is this, some kind of daycare centre?" A gruff, disapproving voice grumbled loudly.

Kyo slanted her gaze to land on the Chuunin that had just walked into the break room, appearance both harried and ruffled, looking like he'd hardly slept in the last week, with bags beneath his eyes.

She guestimated him to be sixteen, seventeen years old and there was an ever so slight limp to his gait.

There didn't seem to be anything wrong with his legs, though, and if she was forced to guess, Kyo would say there was some issue with his left hip. Possibly the pelvic bone?

She exchanged a quick look with Inoichi, and had to look down to hide a small smile.

"You think that's funny?" The Chuunin grumbled a moment later, after he'd gotten himself a cup of much-needed coffee and gingerly collapsed into a chair at a nearby table.

"I do, yeah," Kyo returned idly, flipping through the papers in her current file, checking she hadn't missed anything, before she snapped it closed and tucked it in with the rest of the finished ones, under her leg.

Grabbing the next one waiting for her attention, Kyo flipped it open and absently stabbed her pen at the hand Inoichi had reached towards the same pile in an attempt to sneak a peek.

"You are no fun," he huffed without a hint of anything other than cheerful amusement.

He did keep his hands to himself after that, though, so there was that.

"I didn't think there were Genin working here," the teenager muttered sullenly, eyeing Kyo with something like disapproval.

"I'd say you're right," Inoichi told him with a friendly smile the teenager looked offended by the mere existence of.

He sent Kyo a pointed look.

"Chuunin," she said absently, frowning down at what she was reading. With a wordless grumble, she noted down a few pointed words and moved on.

The teenager scoffed, drained his coffee and pushed himself back to his feet to get back to work, shoulders tensing with pain before he got himself back under control and walked away.

Inoichi stared after him, a small, thoughtful frown on his face.

"Sometimes, I wonder how long this can go on," he said, voice soft and quiet and instantly drawing Kyo's full focus and attention. "Tou-chan says it's starting to get bad, even for those who're still functional and capable of service."

"There will be a breaking point," she agreed, just as quietly.

The question was just when that breaking point would be reached, and what would tip the war over that precarious edge.

Her stomach churned uncomfortably at the thought.

-x-x-x-