My Absolute apologies for being late in the update! Thank you for you patience and thanks to all my lovely readers and reviews! Also thanks to the reviewers that wished me luck on my exams, which I think I did well on.

Anyway! Here is the next installment of The Wandering Woman! Enjoy!

EDIT 1/12/2015: This story now has a beta and with this note, what you are reading is the beta'd version. All betaing has been done by bleeding-roses 16

Meeting Kakashi was an experience, to say the least, it was completely unexpected. I never wanted to engage with any of the characters minor, major or otherwise. I hadn't seen the series for a long time but what I could remember was that everything turned out alright in the end and I had no intention of changing that. All I wanted to do was find the cause of my ache and wander. But meeting Kakashi, or rather finding Kakashi, threw a wrench in my plans. But I always knew from the start that nothing would ever go to plan after all, "No battle plan ever survives first contact with the enemy"(1).

And to be honest, there was no actual meeting until a few months later, since in the first one he was pretty out of it, there were many very close calls, bumps and almost's. At the time I was caught between frustration and relief because whenever we almost met I was pulled between the emotions of being glad that I had missed him, disappointment that he hadn't recognized me and later, when I had found out that we passed in the same towns, a longing to see him. Such years were a trying time with the ache increasing in intensity after every encounter.

Excerpt from the Memoirs of Akiko Hatake nee Reko

Page 119

x

Akiko stared at the man in stunned silence, jaw slack in disbelief. Closing her eyes, Akiko counted backwards from ten before releasing a shuddering sigh after clamping down on the half hysterical laughter that had threatened to break free. She had not counted on this at all. Reopening them once more, Akiko took another look at the man her eyes roaming over his form and forcing them not to linger on his face but down to his chest wounds. There were various other cuts in his clothing and there were stained in red, indicating an open wound just beneath the fabric. Releasing one more sigh, she moves out of the room and makes her way down stairs intent on getting the healing salve that she had created, from her bag.

Walking in a semi-daze, not completely aware of her surroundings, Akiko made her way down the stairs and entered the tea room. The young woman from earlier is there but there is nothing pleasant about her, her nose is upturned and there is contempt in what could have been considered gentle brown eyes. While the woman didn't say anything aloud, Akiko knew that she was not welcomed into this establishment by her. Straightening her back, Akiko walked in with her face in a neutral expression because whether she liked it or not, this woman is attached to the place that gave her the chance to save Kakashi and it is for that alone that Akiko will give her the barest amount of her respect. Most of it, however, goes to the old lady that had assisted her during Kakashi's surgery.

With a curt nod, Akiko snatches her bag, acutely aware that the woman was close enough to snatch her bag or rummage through it and steal something just out of spite. It's not something that Akiko would put past her and even if she is, just judging by appearance she trusts her instincts and feelings more. Hurriedly she makes her way up the stairs again, feeling the burning stare of the woman.

Kakashi hasn't moved, he hasn't even twitched since she left, that she is sure of. Even so, there is still the sense of pooling apprehension in her actions. Akiko removes the covers over his chest and has her knife out with the intent to cut a line through the man's clothes from the hem to the arm pits just to make her life easier because that would be much better than bunching it up close to...his face. Or neck. But Akiko is wary, she heard of the skill of ninjas have, seen the damage they can cause to each other, she had even watched Kakashi battle on screen.

Even though he was unconscious, there was still a faint chance that he could react on instinct alone. Taking a deep breath, Akiko moves slowly cutting his shirt as slowly as she could making no sudden movements lest Kakashi reacts with violence. She doesn't have to do much since most of his shirt has been crisscrossed with slices and narrow cuts of various sharp blades and it comes of easily enough. Akiko knows that he will need a replacement and she does have a shirt that doesn't quite fit her since it is about three sizes too big.

Once the shirt has been removed and his chest and injuries were exposed, Akiko can't quite stop the blush that has placed itself on her cheeks as she takes in Kakashi's semi naked form. His form is well defined with his muscles, especially his pectorals and the abs that can be seen clearly has her blushing like a school girl that she hasn't been in years. Shifting her focus from his looks to the various wound littering his chest, Akiko takes in the lacerations he had accumulated. Many of them are already crusted over with dried blood and others are still leaking the red liquid. Her salve seems unnecessary but she can at least wipe away the blood. Moving away from Kakashi again and to her bag, Akiko takes out her water skin and uses a single roll of bandage, dampening it with water to wipe away the remaining blood.

Akiko pulls up the covers once more on to his prone body before falling into the chair, feeling the exhaustion catching up to her. Releasing a heavy sigh, her eyes turn toward the small window. Sunlight filtered through the glass in rays, illuminating the playing particles of dust as they float in the air. The light shines on Kakashi and Akiko watches as his chest slowly rises and falls, assuring her that he is alive, not only that but it's picturesque with Kakashi sleeping peacefully.

Closing her eyes, she begins to hum one of the few songs her grandchildren had badgered her to learn to fill the silence.

X

As Akiko's steady humming fills the room, the muscles that were once tense relaxed and the foreign lullaby followed Kakashi into his dreams as he completely relaxed.

X

Akiko awakened with a start, unaware that she had fallen asleep. She spares a quick glance at the window, quietly questioning how much time had passed. Sun light is still visible but she isn't sure whether it is morning or early in the afternoon. Her gaze follows the sun beams and lands on her patient.

Though it appears that he hasn't moved, there was something different about him. Different from yesterday at least. Peering closer at the man, a sheen of sweat on his forehead catches her eye and Akiko's eyes widen in alarm. She hurriedly reaches out to place her hand on his forehead to check his temperature to confirm her suspicions.

A hand grips her wrist in mid-movement, squeezing almost painfully. She gasps and her eyes flicker to his face in shock. It should be impossible for him to awaken from the sudden blood loss, it should have taken him a week at most!

But his eyes are closed, he wasn't awake.

Akiko stares at Kakashi, by his sudden reaction and his lack of consciousness she could only assume that it had been his shinobi instincts at work, and they were certainly something else.

She gently tugs against the grip but his arm doesn't move and his hand doesn't give. If anything the grip tightens slightly. Akiko nibbles at her at her lip in consideration of her next move.

"Um...Sir? Can you let go of my hand?" she asks softly. Akiko doesn't say his name, a name she isn't supposed to know and one that could get her into trouble especially knowing the old woman downstairs knows who he is.

Akiko notes curiously that when she spoke, the grip on her arm loosened slightly. Absently staring at the offending appendage, she hums at the peculiarity of the act. Her eyebrow raises in surprise as the grip loosens a little bit more, not enough to remove her arm but it does give her an idea.

She hums a note again as an experiment to confirm the theory developing in her head and observed, rather surprisingly, that the arm relaxes next but his unconscious grip does not falter. This giving her enough credibility for her theory, Akiko hums the same tune she had before she had fallen asleep and watches in fascination and slight awe as the grip slackens and his arm and body relaxes completely.

Still humming, Akiko slowly reaches over to touch his forehead and feels it being alarmingly warm. Bringing it against her own forehead confirms her fears. Fever, one of the symptoms of infection. Something she dearly hopes it isn't.

Pulling back the covers slowly, examines the stitched wound and finds that there is nothing wrong with it. Still stitched but healing. Moving further up to his chest, Akiko catches sight of three of the wounds oozing sickly yellow puss. She stares at the wounds in shock before cursing in the confines of her mind in order to remain humming. She had done this; her negligence had caused three wounds to become infected. Akiko is certain that her exhaustion played a part in this, but she makes no excuse. This was her fault.

Pulling away at a slow pace, leaving the wounds exposed. Once out of range of the injured man, Akiko rushes to her bag. Plunging a hand into the bag, searching for a few of the salves she had made in rain. There are a multitude of medicinal bottles and salves surrounding her bag, most likely as a gift or aid from the old lady down stairs, but since she didn't make them, she doesn't know what they contain and thus doesn't trust them with Kakashi, her patient.

Her hand wraps around two small containers at the same time and pulls them out. Holding them in one hand, she dives back in to retrieve the fresh bandages. Once each are in hand, Akiko moves back to Kakashi. Her water skin is still on the small bedside table, placing the objects in her hand on the same table, Akiko rips a small section of the bandage, a piece big enough to wipe away the puss. With practiced hands, she cleans the wounds, wiping away the puss and gently scraping off the dried blood from the other wounds. Moving quickly she takes a generous amount of the each salve and slowly mixes it in the palm of her hand before applying it to each wound.

Once applied to all the wounds rather than the three that were infected. Akiko wraps the bandages over his chest, struggling somewhat with going around Kakashi's back and his...weight.

Stepping back and giving the man a once over, worry for Kakashi takes hold. She knows that in this day and age, there are no antibiotics for small time towns like Iwate and since she is far away from the Leaf village and doesn't know how to contact them all she can do is wait. Wait patiently and hope that the ninja's own immune system can fight against the infection.

Akiko leaves the room, anxiety still very present in her heart, intent on distracting herself by thanking the old woman for her help.

X

The small tea shop is quiet but not empty. There is one person that she assumes is a customer as she had not seen them during the morning of activity.

It's the old woman who sees her first.

"So, You're up now are you?" The lady asks with glee, the smile and humour evident in her voice.

"I am. Thank you for housing me and my patient at such short notice" Akiko thanks the woman, smiling as she did so.

"Oh! Nothing to it, nothing to it. How is the young man?" She asks curiously. Akiko moves closer to the face of the old woman in the kitchen intent of having the conversation away from prying eyes and wagging ears.

"He's running a fever at the moment but I have applied some salve to his wounds to give him a helping hand." She says quietly to the woman. The old lady pulls back slightly, giving Akiko a peculiar look before speaking again.

"Good, good. If you need anything just ask. Someone so young should be allowed to live a long life." The old lady murmurs to Akiko whom nods in solemn agreeance.

"If it's too much to ask, could I please have a hot pot of water and a cup?" Akiko requests.

"It's not trouble. Just you wait here, I'll be right back." The woman hobbles back into the kitchen, the sounds of bubbling water and clangs of ceramic floating out behind her.

"I wouldn't bother if I were you." A snide voice comes from directly behind her. Akiko clenches her jaw, very familiar with that particular tone having heard it many times before.

"You're just unable to even use chakra to heal a wound. And you call yourself a 'medic'." Akiko could practically hear the quotation marks. She doesn't turn around because she knows it's the woman from earlier, doesn't grant her the satisfaction.

"I didn't call myself anything, that's all you and I don't need chakra to save lives. Completely relying on it would only serve as a handicap should you ever run out." Akiko speaks calmly, knowing that her words would rip past the guise of the accusation of her medic status.

"You ridicule me on my non-usage of chakra and yet, I doubt that you are even capable of using it yourself. Next time, don't use trivial reasons to even attempt to disguise your jealously. I don't know what you are jealous of and I don't care." Akiko can feel the woman behind her burn with humiliation at her pathetic attempt to rile her up. She can already guess the reason for the woman's jealously. Kakashi and Akiko's role in saving his life and perhaps even seeing his face.

Be it coincidence or the favour of the gods, the old lady choose this moment to return from the kitchen with the requested items. And from the look on her face, there is little doubt that the old lady heard everything. There is the sound of rushing air from behind her and the sound of footsteps that are harder than needed on the wood moving away from Akiko.

"Thank you very much." Akiko thanks with a genuine smile and gratitude.

"It's not a problem my dear. None at all." There is a motherly tone in her voice that reminds Akiko of her own mother, someone she hasn't seen for almost five years. Of course there had been some correspondence during her time in Rain but it doesn't change the fact that she was miles and kilometres away from her family.

"I was also wondering what your name was." Akiko admits sheepishly with a shy curl of her lips. The old woman laughs softly, seemingly amused by the entire situation.

"I was wondering when you would ask. I am Eiko and you've met my granddaughter, Fumiko." Eiko introduces with the laugh still present in her voice and a glint of mischief in her eyes.

"I'm Akiko, It is really nice to meet you and your granddaughter." Akiko returns politely, internally glad to put a name to the face. Eiko snort at Akiko's reply.

"I highly doubt that. Fumiko can be a right handful, and that's on the best of days." Akiko winces in silent sympathy.

"Now, off you go, or that water will be going cold!" Eiko shooed Akiko away and the orange haired woman turned and made off with a smile.

'Eiko huh. Now she is interesting.' Akiko muses silently as she makes her way up the stairs and to the simple wooden door.

X

When Akiko enters the room, Kakashi is still out of it. After a cursory glance at the man, she puts down the pot and the cup before once again rummaging through her travel bag.

She can feel the folded cloths she had used to store the various herbs that she had collected on her travels. Akiko opens them carefully, looking for the bark of a white willow which has the properties for both reducing pain and reducing the fever that Kakashi has.

Akiko found it but not before opening six other of the fabric herbal packages, and swears to herself that she will label them next time. Taking one good sized, but small piece of bark, she breaks it carefully into about ten to half a dozen pieces attempting to be as accurate as she could.

The water is easy, still hot from the boiler down stairs and the heat combined with the bark changes the clear water in the tea cup to a beautiful red, akin to that of raspberry jam. Akiko only fills the cup with hot water to the halfway point; she added cold water for the other half keeping the water in a drinkable temperature.

Absently humming to herself again, Akiko looks to Kakashi to see that he is still breathing and is still alive.

His chest rises and falls but that's not what catches her attention. It's the fact that Kakashi has his eye open.

So What did you think? It's mid-night here and I apologize for any spelling and grammatical errors. If you see any, please let me know and I will fix it as soon as possible!

(1) - Helmuth Von Moltke The Elder [Yes I used a known quote!]

And Yes, 'agreeance' is an actual word, just not one that has been used in a long time.

White Willow is an actual herbal remedy that can be used for the reducing of fevers and to reduce the pain. The method I described is half true and half mix and match so if you want you can research the real thing. I just modified it for the sake to the plot.

Also future updates maybe a bit slower as there is now only one computer between my mum and me. So it's pretty much a battle for the computer.

So please let me know what you think and review!