"Natsumi?" A woman's voice softly called out her name from the blinding brightness. "Is that really you?"
Natsumi blinked hard and turned to see who the voice belonged to, but the woman's image was faint, though she stood right in front of her.
"W-Who are you?" Natsumi pressed her lips together and focused her eyes on the figure, nearly transparent like a specter.
"It really is you, isn't it?" Her mouth formed a hard line, then turned downward at the corners. "Oh, Natsumi... what are you doing here?"
The figure stepped closer and Natsumi strained harder to look the woman over. Her form slowly became more solid and Natsumi's eyes widened as she recognized the same shade of deep violet in the woman's eyes and the same flaming red hair.
"A-Are you...?"
The woman's frowned curved slightly up and she tilted her head to the side mischievously. "Am I?"
Natsumi swallowed and took a step toward her, with her eyes growing wider as a hard lump formed in her throat.
"...Mom?"
The woman's smile grew larger and she reached a hand out to cup Natsumi's cheek.
"My sweet little girl... look at how much you've grown." Her smiled faltered and she gently stroked Natsumi's cheek with her thumb. "I'm so happy to see you again... but... you shouldn't be here. It's too soon."
Natsumi's eyes watered at the warmth of the woman's hand and stared up into her eyes.
"Am I... dead?"
The woman looked away momentarily and Natsumi's heart sunk.
"...I am, aren't I?"
Suddenly, Natsumi was pulled into a tight hug and her mother bent to nuzzle her face into her hair. Natsumi stood in surprise for only a moment before she threw her arms around her mother and her eyes spilled over.
"Mom..."
"The last time I saw you, you were only a tiny newborn. But look at you now." The woman muttered into her hair, nuzzling closer and hugging tighter. "You're so grown-up and so beautiful."
Natsumi choked and sobbed, her hair being stroked gently. "I-I've always wanted to meet you. I've always wondered what you would be like..."
The woman pulled back and loosened her embrace, then kissed Natsumi's forehead. "You look so much like me... Your father always hoped you would."
"D-Dad?" Natsumi bit her lip and looked around. "Where is he? Is he here?"
Her mother shook her head. "No, he's not."
Natsumi's breath caught in her throat. "Then... is he alive?"
Her mother sighed, glancing away as she shook her head again. "No. He's just in a different place right now. But one day we'll be reunited."
Natsumi bit her lip harder and stared down. "Oh..."
"But that just means you and I have time for girl talk, right?" The woman laughed quietly and winked, and Natsumi smiled faintly as she squatted so they were eye-to-eye. "I want to know everything. How is Naruto? How did you do in the Academy? What kind of friends do you have? What's your favorite food?"
Natsumi swallowed again and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. "Naruto is... Naruto." She giggled to herself. "He likes to show off and play pranks, and he's a total goofball most of the time, but he's the best brother. He always is there for me, even when I was being bullied."
The woman raised her brow. "Bullied?" After a pause, the corner of her mouth twitched. "Let me guess... the red hair?"
Natsumi's eyes widened slightly and she nodded quickly. "Yeah! How did you...?"
"Dumb boys used to tease me over my hair, too." Her mother smiled, and ran her fingers through the girl's hair. "So, I started to hate it."
Natsumi smiled. "It made me like my hair even more... even if it's different, and people think it looks tacky... I love it because it's unique. I haven't met anyone else with hair like mine."
"Good." The woman's smile grew. "You should love your hair; your father used to call my red hair the red thread of destiny... since you've inherited it, you should always remember how special it is."
"Red thread of destiny?" Natsumi touched her hair.
She nodded. "It's what brought your father and I together, after all."
Natsumi ran her fingers through her hair and smiled at the thought.
"Tell me more." The woman's eyes lit up eagerly. "How did you do in the Academy?"
Natsumi looked back up at her. "Really well. I qualified to Graduate early and everything. I studied really hard, and was top of my class."
"Is that so?" Her mother laughed. "It seems you've inherited your father's smarts. He was a prodigy, too." She stroked Natsumi's head. "And Naruto?"
Natsumi giggled. "Well... He failed the Graduation test three times before he finally passed. He had trouble making clones, but he worked really hard and blew Iruka-sensei away." She paused. "He's slower to learn something, but I just know he's got more potential than most anyone else. He's going to be a great Ninja someday."
"I believe it." The woman winked again. "Especially if he's anything like his father." She put her arm around Natsumi. "And, what about after you Graduated? What have you two been up to?"
Natsumi frowned slightly, then managed a smile.
"Well, Naruto got put into a three-man squad with two people I really can't stand, and neither of them like Naruto at all. They seem like they'd make a horrible team, but Lord Hokage's judgment is usually right..."
"What about you? What's your team like?"
Natsumi opened her mouth to reply, then glanced over at her sleeve that covered her tattoo. "Well..."
The woman followed her gaze, then lifted up the sleeve to stare at the red marking. "The ANBU?"
Natsumi nodded slowly. "Lord Hokage said I was impressive, and there wasn't anywhere else for me to go, so..."
Her mother frowned slightly. "What kind of fool would put my precious girl in such a dangerous position? You're so young."
"I-It's okay!" Natsumi held up her hands, laughing to herself. I actually like it, for the most part. Most of the people on my team I really like, and it's kind of fun to see how the village operates behind the scenes." Her smile faded and her eyes fell to her feet. "At least, I did like it."
Her mother's expression fell. "That's... why you're here, isn't it?"
Natsumi closed her eyes tightly, clenching her fists as she muttered under her breath. "...It's all my fault."
"Natsumi?"
Slow tears rolled down Natsumi's face. "I-it's all my fault. If I hadn't convinced them to take a different route... if I hadn't chased after him... Sena wouldn't have..."
Her eyes shut tighter and her tears flowed faster, her chest burning and aching. "S-She would have been okay. Everything would have been fine... why couldn't I have just kept my mouth shut and just followed the route Kiri picked? I-If I hadn't been so blinded with anger... if I hadn't chased after that guy... We could have gotten Sena help sooner. If..."
Natsumi was pulled into another firm hug and she cried harder as she allowed herself to sink into the warmth of the embrace, sobbing as she let out a mournful cry.
"I-It's my fault... it's all my fault..." Natsumi sobbed and buried her face in her hands. "A-And now... I never even got a chance to tell them I was sorry. I made us fail the mission... and... I'll never see Naruto again...He'll be all alone now... all because of me."
Natsumi suddenly gasped for air and a sharp pain filled her body. She clutched at her chest and cracked open her eyes.
"Why does it hurt so much? I thought death... was supposed to be peaceful?"
The woman stroked Natsumi's cheek softly. "...It takes a little while for you to process everything- all of your regrets- and to learn to accept it. In time, it gets easier. My only regret... was not being able to watch you two grow up. It's something that sometimes I still have a hard time accepting."
Natsumi bit her lip as another sharp pain spread through her chest and her vision blurred slightly.
"What's going on?" Another pain made her bite her lip hard and look up at the woman. "Mom?"
The woman's eyes brightened and a small smile returned to her face. "It seems like your time isn't up yet, after all."
Natsumi looked down at herself quickly as her body began to faintly glow with a warm golden light. "What is this?"
The woman leaned forward and kissed Natsumi's forehead. "We'll be reunited again someday, Natsumi, I promise. Don't waste your precious time holding onto regrets... always live facing the light of a new day."
Natsumi's body slowly dissolved into golden light and she stared wide-eyed at her mother.
"But... I only just got to meet you! I can't go yet!"
"This isn't goodbye, ya know!" The woman's smile grew. "It's just 'see you later.'"
Natsumi's waist and torso disappeared and her eyes spilled over once more. "Mom..."
"Remember how much I love you, Natsumi. Remember how much we love you both."
Natsumi reached out to her mother as her arms and face started to fade away.
"No! Mom!"
"Live, Natsumi. Live without regrets."
Natsumi's eyes slowly opened and it took several minutes for them to adjust to her surroundings. It took longer for her to regain control over her body and she looked around the room in confusion for a while.
I'm in... the hospital?
She shifted in bed, then winced and looked down at her hands to see the IV taped in place and frowned. Then, she looked around the room at the vases of flowers on the nightstand and windowsill and noticed a sleeping figure curled up on the plush chair in the corner.
Kiri? She frowned slightly and then sighed. She opened her mouth to say something, then sighed again. No... I'd better let her sleep.
Natsumi rubbed her throat, which she was suddenly, painfully aware of how dry it was. Her eyes wandered until they fell on the unopened bottle of water sitting on a tray near the hospital bed— but just out of reach.
Natsumi's frowned deepened and she leaned over the rail, stretching her arm out as much as the IV would allow.
Not... enough. It's still too far.
Natsumi bit her lip, stretching further and the tips of her fingers brushed the edge of the tray.
Yes! Now, if I can just slide it this way...
Natsumi's fingers slipped and the tray tipped over instead, the bottle, silverware, and empty Styrofoam cafeteria trays crashing to the floor.
Kiri's eyes burst open and she looked around, her eyes widening even further as they landed on her friend.
"Natsumi! You're awake!" She scrambled over to the bed, ignoring the mess on the floor to throw her arms around the girl. "I've been so worried I thought I would have a heart attack!"
She pulled away and looked over Natsumi with a grin. "How do you feel? Are you okay?"
Natsumi opened her mouth to answer but the dryness of her mouth burned and she clutched at her throat, only able to respond in rasping wheezes.
"Thirs...ty."
Kiri nodded quickly in understanding and retrieved the bottle from where it had rolled, then opened it and handed it over, watching patiently as Natsumi took one long gulp after the other until the bottle was nearly empty and she pulled the bottle from her lips and let out a contented sigh.
"Better?"
Natsumi nodded. "Yeah..." She cleared her throat, then coughed, her throat still aching and her voice still rasping. "A little."
Kiri let out a large breath and sunk onto the edge of the bed, staring at Natsumi for a moment before breaking out into laughter. She wiped her eyes and forced her laughter to fade.
"Are you okay?" Natsumi smiled faintly, almost joining in until her throat burned as a reminder.
Kiri nodded and chuckled. "I'm just... you scared the hell out of me earlier, you know?"
Natsumi pressed her lips together. "...I did?"
Kiri ran a hand through her hair and her expression became serious. "...About five hours ago, you... you flatlined." She paused and her eyes fell to the floor. "Four minutes... four of the longest damn minutes I've ever lived through..." Her eyes watered and she looked back up at Natsumi. "It took four minutes of resuscitation and shocking you until you finally came back. I was about to find a way into whatever is on the other side, find you, slap you, and then bring you back."
She let out a breath and let her hands rest in her lap. "And then... you finally came back. I'd never been so happy to hear that annoying, infernal beeping. But... it was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard, because it meant that you were still holding on."
Natsumi swallowed the lump that formed in her throat.
The other side.
Natsumi swallowed again, and stared down at her hands, whispering softly. "...I saw my mom."
Kiri's eyes widened and she looked up. "Y-You... what?!"
"My mom." Natsumi's eyes rose and she bit her lip. "I saw her. I was with her for a little bit."
Kiri covered her gaping mouth, then took a moment to take in a deep breath. "What was she like?"
Natsumi opened her mouth, then frowned, and slowly shook her head. "I can't... I can't remember, really. I can almost picture her face in my mind... but it slips away." She lifted her hand to brush her cheek. "I remember the sound of her voice... and the feel of her hand on my cheek, but everything else is so fuzzy... like it was all a dream."
Kiri smiled faintly and gently touched Natsumi's arm. "It's okay. You just had a brush with death... I wouldn't expect you to remember every little detail."
Natsumi sighed heavily and her eyes fell to her lap. "...But... I want to. The first time I see my mom... and I can't even remember it."
Kiri's smile grew slightly and she leaned forward to press her forehead to Natsumi's gently. "It seems like you remember exactly what you should." Pulling away, she poked the girl's chest. "The feeling of being in her presence... the safety and joy of being with someone who loves you that deeply... that's what sticks around because that's what's most important, isn't it?"
Natsumi's eyes slowly rose.
"Appearances aren't so important." Kiri shrugged. "But what you remember is that feeling of love. That's what really matters. It's that feeling that helps you hold on when things are tough— not the images."
Kiri smiled faintly and looked over at the flowers and cards. "Everyone's been so worried about you, you know. Aito, Ahmya, Hana, and all the others have been visiting and leaving gifts. Even Rie and Satoshi."
Natsumi looked back at the flowers and frowned slightly. "You say that as if... we didn't just get back."
Kiri grimaced and scratched her head, laughing sheepishly. "That's because... we didn't. It's been almost a month since we came back."
Natsumi's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. "A... month?" She closed her mouth tightly, then stared down at the backs of her hands. "...How has it already been a month?"
"Trust me..." Kiri let out a breath. "It's been a long month, for those who haven't been sleeping through it."
Natsumi looked up at her. "So... then... Sena? How is she doing?"
Kiri let out a long sigh. "She's doing... okay. She's stable, at least."
Natsumi bit her lip. "That doesn't sound good."
"It's better than the alternative." Kiri forced a smile, though it faded. "The blade was coated in poison. She would be fine now if they only knew what kind it was so they could give her the antidote. Damn incompetent morons." Kiri shook her head slowly. "They've got the poison isolated to one area, but they're pissing me off after all this time, not being able to help her already."
Natsumi bit down on her lip harder.
She's not better...
"Well..." Natsumi spoke slowly. "Has... Naruto come back from his mission yet?"
Kiri frowned as if guilty and shook her head. "Sorry, no. I'm not sure how long it will take." She patted Natsumi's head. "But, don't worry. Their mission was an easy one, so they'll be back soon. You don't have anything to worry about."
"Yeah..." Natsumi swallowed and lay back down against the pillow as the paper cover crinkled beneath her head.
"Are you hungry?" Kiri smiled. "I'm sure you're starving. Why don't I grab you something to eat?"
Natsumi nodded slowly and Kiri stood, moving toward the door.
"Kiri, wait."
She stopped and turned. "Yeah?"
"Go home and take a shower, too." Natsumi's mouth cracked in a smile. "You kind of stink."
Kiri laughed loudly. "Is it that bad?" She sniffed her armpit and gagged. "Well, I kind of haven't left the hospital in about a week..." She scratched her head again. "Alright, I'll shower really quickly and then come back with a feast, okay? Try to rest a little more until I get back."
Natsumi laughed under her breath as Kiri disappeared and shut the door behind her, then she sighed and turned to stare at the monitors beside her bed.
A month already? I hope Naruto's okay...