A/N: Thank you so much for any follows, favorites, or reviews! They make me a happy camper and they highly encourage more chapters. With that said, I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form. But I did make up Akuri over a decade ago!
X Naruto X
"I won't let him get away," Akuri swore, her voice crackling with static over the wireless headsets we all wore, "I left a trail for you to follow. We don't have much time."
"I'm going to help Sakura and Lady Chiyo, hopefully team Gai can make it to us," Kakashi began calmly, glancing over to the shattered cave mouth before he addressed me again, "you track them and give Akuri full support, got it?"
"Yeah," I growled, heat boiling under my skin at the thought of Gaara's prone form dangling from the clay bird's beak. "Good luck, Kakashi-sensei."
We parted ways then, racing toward our respective destinations across the surface of the water. I noted small slashes along the tall river banks, the anbu in our midst having left the tiniest of indications of her whereabouts. When I caught up with her, I could see her Sharingan zeroed in on the avian target above us.
"He wants you," she warned, her eyes not straying from their prey, "stay close if you're going to pursue him, he's after the fox within you."
"He can't have him," I snarled, "whoever this guy is, he's going to pay for what he did to Gaara!"
Akuri said nothing, but grunted in agreement as she continued her heated chase. The ebony-haired woman reached into the large gear pack strapped above her left nether-cheek, wrapping the handle of a kunai with a specially decorated bomb tag. Her eyes remained locked on, her arm moving so quickly I barely caught it.
"Be ready to catch him," she ordered lowly, wincing as the explosion sent waves of wind and clay as it went off above. "That should have had enough of a kick to decimate the bird, I'm going for the guy in the cloak."
I sprinted as fast as I could, passing my partner and snatching the limp body of the Kazekage from the debris. The landing was shaky, but I remained upright and deposited Gaara a distance from the battleground, settling him into a sitting position against a tree.
"He's going to pay for this," I swore to him, grimacing slightly at the sting of a fang slicing my lip, "mark my words, he's going down."
"How beautiful," I heard the man praise from a ways, "art is but a glorious and explosive moment, you seem to know that much at least!"
The clang of metal drew me in, launching from my place to witness Akuri's natural battle capabilities. I'd seen her fight once or twice over the course of our lives together, but never with such a ferocious intent to kill. With one hand, she defended her throat from a blade with a kunai knife; with the other, she appeared to be focusing her chakra like I'd seen many times before.
"Enough about art," she gritted, shoving the man back with one good flex of her defending arm, "who the hell are you, Akatsuki lackey?"
"Oh no," he replied with a chuckle, "I'm no lackey, my girl, I'm called an artist. My given name is Deidara, and I'm going to grace you by being the last face you see."
"Don't be so sure," she taunted, launching herself high up for an aerial assault on Deidara. It backfired, the blond quick enough to evade and grip her forearm to slam the smaller form against a river bank. The impact knocked the wind out of her, as evidenced by her guttural gasp for air.
I summoned three shadow clones, a pair of them remaining behind with Gaara's body while the third followed behind me as I tore off in the direction of the fight. Heat rumbled under my skin as I held my hand back for the replica to generate chakra for my signature attack, roaring the name as I came in for the kill. When the debris settled, I realized that I'd missed my target and began to frantically search for him.
"That's right, Jinchuuriki, fight me yourself," Deidara taunted from above, "I'll keep this meddlesome woman out of it, I promise."
The Akatsuki member landed over Akuri's gasping form, a kunai in hand as he plunged it into her middle in the same solid motion. She cried out hoarsely, silenced by one carefully timed punch to the head.
"Now we can have some fun, huh?"
"First Gaara.." I rumbled deeply, feeling a fire burning deep within start to catch my outsides, "and now you've really done it...you hurt my Akuri.."
"Oh, was she your lady friend?" He asked with a sneer, "my apologies, but it seems like I just did you a favor. She's a bit of a bitch, if you ask me."
"Don't you ever talk about her again!" I bellowed, the inferno suddenly more than I could take. My body moved without my instruction, my clawed right hand swinging out a devastating hook that missed. Dozens of trees behind Akuri's body fluttered like leaves in a breeze and I seemed to freeze while standing over her on all fours. "Don't you dare touch her!"
The voice that came from my mouth wasn't my own and I began to fear the inferno coursing through me. I lashed out at the nearest sound, a bubbling red chakra decimating stones and trees to reveal my target.
Deidara stood thirty meters to my east, smirking darkly with his remaining hand buried in his clay pouch. My body began to charge, the scenery so different from this height as a quadruped that if I'd had any sense, I would have found rather cool. The attack was on the terrorist's remaining arm, my clawed hands flaying the flesh and muscle like I were tearing through rice paper. Red began to block out my vision and I could no longer see the assault unfolding, but I could no longer feel skin under my hands as they pounded and gouged whatever they could.
The next thing I knew, the flames that encompassed my body began to extinguish and I found my eyes coming back under my own control, focusing on the masked countenance of my sensei. Confusion must've been evident as he chuckled tiredly, peeling a small square of paper from my forehead.
"A-Akuri! Where is she?! Is she-" I panicked, but soreness all over my stopped my barrage of questions.
"Calm down, Naruto," Kakashi advised, crouching down to inspect the damages, "she'll be alright, Sakura is tending to her and Gaara now."
Kakashi got me to my feet and supported me as we made our way to the rest of our company, releasing me to be at Akuri's side and take her hand. She smiled at me, the dried blood at the corners of her lips crackling with the motion, and tears welled in my eyes.
"I'm so glad you're okay," I expressed to her, brushing a few strands of hair from her orbs while she grimaced and squeezed my hand. I looked to Sakura with gratitude, the wound on Akuri's abdomen steaming as the flesh stitched itself back together.
X (homesick)
"You haven't touched your ramen," Jiraiya grumbled that afternoon, the smell of sake rolling off of my mentor. "What's wrong, kid?"
I didn't want to divulge my homesickness, my yearning to hold the woman I loved or laugh with my comrades had never been so intense. What would the old sage know about love?
"It's nothing, Pervy Sage," I lied, "just an upset stomach, I guess. Sorry."
"You can have my bao," he offered, hands resting on our respective lunches to offer a kind-hearted swap. "I bet ramen everyday can get old."
A lump formed in my throat as I looked at the pork buns before me, recalling that shrimp bao were Akuri's favorite. She particularly enjoyed the ones from the stand about four blocks from Ichiraku, where they also sold mochi ice cream as a sweet finale.
"You miss your woman," he guessed intuitively, abandoning the suggested swap as he inhaled a bun before continuing, "and your friends, that's acceptable. I get that."
"I sense a 'but' in there somewhere..."
"Exactly. But when you joined me on this adventure, you knew that this was solely about bettering yourself as a Shinobi. Making yourself strong enough to protect the people you love and to bring home your best friend."
"I just can't help but miss her..." I gritted, making fists at my sides at the shame of admittance.
"And that's okay," the sage comforted surprisingly, a large hand clapping onto my shoulder. "You've got a reason to train hard, a reason to get strong enough to bring her brother back home."
For what felt like the first time, I was comforted by the old toad's words. I looked up to meet his dark eyes, taken aback by the softness they held.
"Don't use it as a heavy sadness," he suggested, "use it as a fuel to push you forward kid, you can go home and make up with her as soon as I think you're ready. You've come a long way."
"I think you're right, Pervy Sage," I agreed, taking a mouthful of ramen and swallowing it with purpose. "I'm going to learn all that I can so I don't go home without at least a promise to bring him home."
"That's the spirit," he encouraged, indulging in a few sips of sake before ravaging what was left of the bao on his plate. "With that being said, you've still got a lot of work to do, but you're on the right track."
I finished the bowl before me, feeling renewed by the pep talk and ready to get back to work with the toad sage.
X Akuri X
"You'll make a full recovery," Tsunade promised, not even looking up from my chart, "but there was another finding during surgery that I think we should discuss."
"Oh?" I sat up a little more attentively, thankful for the medication dulling any pain I may have had, "what did you find out?"
"When you were stabbed, part of the blade made it all the way to your uterus, rupturing it," she began, pulling a stool over to sit at my bedside, "and while the team was inspecting the organ for more severe damage..they found an embryo. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but I'm afraid it didn't survive the attack."
"I was pregnant?" I uttered aloud, wracking my brain for any signs that I'd missed. Guilt suddenly came up like a shadow strangle and fixed itself into a lump in my throat, my eyes suddenly burning with tears.
"You didn't know," Tsunade surmised sadly, a warm hand came to curl around my own, "don't blame yourself, Akuri. These thing happen every single day, even to moms that knew they were expecting."
"I should have known," I spat, not able to meet her gaze as I stared down at the blankets covering my lap. "There were obvious signs, but I had an excuse for each one. I should have cared more."
"There's not a sixteen year old girl on this planet that wants to think about being pregnant," Tsunade countered, "you cannot put this on yourself. Sometimes, things just don't happen or can't occur and it's no one's fault."
"But there is a culprit," I shot back, my voice wavering while I tried to suppress a sob, "Deidara killed my child and tried to take Naruto.."
The first mention of my partner's name did me in, my hands reactively coming up to cup my face as I began to cry. What brought on further pain was Tsunade's arms coming up around me, painted fingernails threading into my hair as she cradled the back of my head in the supportive embrace. The tears and cries of anguish amplified then, the Hokage feeling more like my mother in that instant than ever before.
"You can tell him whenever you're ready," she cooed softly, "I know how much this hurts right now and it's okay if you can't even think about it."
She was right, though my brain outright refused to drop the matter. Thoughts of announcing the news to our friends and mentors were sullied, the soft idea of holding a small bundle of pink or blue the day they arrived was now a mental image of standing before their tiny grave with my partner. Tsunade remained at my side for as long as she could, her duties finally pulling her from my room.
"Do you want someone here with you?" She asked softly, "or would you rather be alone?"
"I don't want to be alone," I admitted, looking up at her honey colored eyes as though pleading with her not to go.
"I wish I could stay here," she comforted, "my heart just aches, knowing what you're going through at your age. But...I have a lot of work I need to catch up on."
"I know, I appreciate your care, m'lady," I expressed, bowing my head politely, "it means more than you know."
The Godaime smiled warmly, nodding her head in respect before exiting the room. It wasn't long before Sakura's form replaced her mentor's, a small floral arrangement in hand and a sympathetic smile displayed. The round vase held delicate white lillies and their beauty was accented by gentle pink and blue dyed carnations; stems and water masked by the silver pearl finish and the elegantly tied white lace bow.
"Good morning," she greeted softly, walking in further to place the flowers on a table by the window adjacent from my bed.
"Morning, Sakura," I returned quietly, "those are beautiful, thank you."
"I thought they might brighten up the room, I used to bring flowers to Lee often and they really cheered him up," she reminisced, "I was hoping they could do the same for you."
"Were you on the surgical team?"
"I was," she admitted, moving over to the seat by my bed and settling there before taking my hand, "I'm the one that found your baby."
"What did it look like?" I wondered, "how old was it?"
"A sea monkey with stubby little paddles where the arms and legs were growing, a big head," she described, sadness saturating every single vowel, "almost seven weeks along. I'm so sorry."
"I didn't know," I told her, grimacing at her look of surprise, "I've been so busy that I didn't notice the signs or didn't really care enough to know more."
She didn't seem to have more to say, instead closing her other hand around my own and giving it a comforting squeeze. I squeezed back, another lump forming in my throat as another wave of shame washed over me. It was like Sakura could sense how I felt, her hands releasing mine after a brief moment.
"Let's get some fresh air in here," she suggested, standing to open the window before turning to face me again, "are you feeling nauseas at all? Or can I get you something to eat?"
"These meds work well, and I could stand something to eat," I answered after carefully pulling myself together, "no nausea, no pain at the moment."
"Good, I'm glad to hear that," she chirped, heading for the door, pausing before leaving entirely, "I'm here to listen if you ever need me, Akuri, don't shoulder this alone. I'll be back in a bit with your breakfast, alright?"
The moment the door closed behind her, I wept as quietly as I could manage. Loss wasn't an unfamiliar part of my life, but nothing stung me as deeply as this. An almost-person made from love had been in my body and had died there, murdered by an outsider.
X Naruto, three days later X
"Why can't I see her?!" I demanded, slamming my fists on the Hokage's desk, "Sakura told me she was out of surgery and in recovery, it's been nearly three days since then!"
"Akuri hasn't felt up to visitations from anyone in two days," she replied, "her first day, Sakura and I would rotate when I was able to, but after that she told us both she wanted to be alone."
"Even me..?" I nearly whimpered, "isn't there any way that I could see her? The hospital staff won't let me in!"
"I don't know," she seemed genuine in her answer before she moved onto answering my prayer, "would you like to accompany me today? I have to check on her wounds and probably change the dressing before I can send her home with you."
"Of course I would," I jumped at the opportunity, desperate to know what made her want to isolate herself from me. "How do I take care of her at home?"
The Godaime stood from her seat and tilted her head as an order to follow her, the pair of us leaving the office building to begin the trek to the hospital.
"She's a bit fragile right now," she revealed, "I want you to be patient and gentle with her. Help her change her bandages every two days, I'll send you home with an antibiotic ointment to use on the incision."
"I can do that," I promised, "what happened to her other than being stabbed?"
"She'll tell you when she's ready to," Tsunade omitted, entering the hospital with me trailing closely behind as we climbed stairs and weaved down hallways, "it's a private discussion for you both to have. Please, don't push her. That's all I can tell you other than medical advice for aftercare, Naruto."
I affirmed my readiness to care for her in any way that was needed, my concern unwavering as I followed Tsunade to Akuri's room. We stopped at a closed door that had "Uchiha, A" written on a chalkboard nailed to the wall beside it and a room number scribbled below. After a few curt knocks, we entered the room. It smelled of flowers and the prettiest one was sitting up in bed, looking at me with the saddest eyes I'd seen in a long time. I closed the distance between us, taking a seat on her bed to take her hand.
"You have no idea how happy I am to see you," I told her sincerely, running my thumb over her knuckles. I had so many questions to ask, but instead squashed them to inform her of the proceedings at hand. "Grandma Tsunade is here to change your bandages and sign you out, I'm here to take you home. How does some tea at the house sound, huh?"
"It sounds nice," she answered evenly, looking down at our hands for a long moment before her eyes moved over to the vase of flowers on the table. Akuri looked a bit far away as she gazed at the flowers, the sadness still tinging the air around us.
"Who brought you those?" I asked, pulling her out of whatever she was stuck in, "they're really pretty, I think we should take them home with us."
"Sakura did," she murmured, "I think so too."
Tsunade approached and helped Akuri out of her gown, instructing her to stay still while she unraveled the gauze around her middle. The incision was light pink and the area around it was clean, the wound above looking even closer to becoming a scar. Those painted fingers gently prodded and she examined the surgeon's handiwork, a satisfied hum ringing from her throat.
"You should keep these covered for two more weeks," she ordered, "change your dressing every two or three days, apply the salve and let your skin breathe for a couple hours before wrapping back up. Watch me do this, Naruto, so you can do this at home."
Remaining beside Akuri, I paid mind to the Sannin's application of salve and her mentions of watching for signs of infection. The pinkness would deepen to varying shades and there would be heat radiating from the site, I'd be responsible for cleaning the wound thoroughly and reducing the bacteria. Her motion was restricted to slow walks, sitting, and laying down - Tsunade forbade bending over of any kind and upward reaching for any reason. I'd been so engrossed in the demonstration and lecture that I didn't hear the door open and close.
"If you need help at any time, call on me," Sakura piped up where she stood with her back to the door, startling our trio. A small basket hung from her left elbow, the contents invisible to me. "Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt."
"It's alright," her mentor muttered, "thank you for bringing those jars of salve and the fresh gauze. Did you bring that oral antibiotic with you?"
"Yes, m'lady," she replied, depositing them beside the vase of flowers and pulling out a small bottle of water. The pinkette changed the water and threw away the empty water vessel before walking over to the small closet in the corner. She came over with a small shopping bag and placed it on the nightstand by Akuri's bed. "I picked you up a comfortable outfit to wear on your way home, your gear was..well, kind of ruined. I hope you like it."
Sakura's kindness wasn't unheard of, but I was surprised by her gesture. She and Akuri had always been more or less collateral acquaintances due to her being my comrade and her devout interest in Sasuke. I wondered if a deeper relationship had been forged in my absence, but decided not to ask at that moment.
Akuri said her thanks and Sakura left after being given further orders from her mentor, the changing of bandages completing soon after.
"I'll leave you to get dressed, I recommend Naruto helping you for the first few days to avoid opening your wound. There's an herbal pain medication as well, take it as needed," Tsunade advised, "I'll sign your discharge paperwork and you're free to go as soon as you're ready. You know where I'll be if you need something."
The last bit was spoken directly to Akuri, who nodded her acknowledgment before the Godaime departed. She picked up the bag from the nightstand, pulling out what looked to be a soft dress. Upon holding it up and out, it appeared to be a dark gray kimono with a large Uchiha emblem stitched into the back side. I smiled at the gift, knowing that Sakura had to have taken it to an embroiderer to add the custom clan ensignia and taking a great joy in her sincerity.
"That'll look so nice on you," I told her, rubbing the material between my thumb and index finger, "and it feels so soft, you could probably sleep in it too."
"Probably," she agreed, slowly swinging her legs over the edge, "will you help me stand up and get dressed? I haven't gotten up in a few days, I don't know how reliable my legs will be."
"Of course, don't worry about it," I assured her, standing to put an arm around her waist and take her other hand in support. "Ready?"
She grunted, her bare feet meeting the floor and pushing her to her feet shakily. Her legs steadied after a moment, Akuri remaining upright without my support. I stepped to the side to grab her kimono, one arm extended to her in case she needed to grab on. With some time and slow movements, she was dressed and I'd combed through her hair with a brush.
"I can carry your flowers," I offered, walking over to the closet and retrieving her shoes before returning to kneel at her feet, "I'm gonna put your shoes on you one by one, you can use me or the bed if you feel wobbly, okay?"
"Okay.." she nearly whispered, lifting her left foot when I touched her ankle. Her right foot buckled and her hands came crashing down to my shoulders, an audible gasp of pain escaping her lips at the motion.
"Alright, it's alright, I know it hurts," I soothed the moment I heard her, "let's sit you down on the bed, we'll go nice and slow. Okay?"
I took her by the waist gently and lifted her to sit on the mattress as I stood. Once she was seated, I hunkered down to slide her black sandals onto her feet. When I stood again, I leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead and take one of her hands in mine.
"Let's go home," I suggested, "we can take as many breaks and go as slow as you need, just say the word."
Carefully, we vacated the room and building with one arm around her and the other toting the flowers. The walk would normally be ten minutes, but we made it home in twenty-five with two breaks where Akuri rested at a bench or stall seat. She seemed grateful once we'd arrived at our front door, even more so when I set her up in bed with the vase on the nightstand. I left her to boil some water, measuring out a dose of medication to stir in with a dollop of honey after the tea had steeped in her favorite mug.
"Here's your tea," I informed, placing the ceramic cup in her hands and releasing it once I knew it was steady, "you should be able to get some sleep after you finish it, Grandma Tsunade said it would probably make you sleepy."
"Thank you," she murmured, taking a slow sip and sighing in what sounded like relief. "You make a really good cup of tea."
"I've been making tea with you for a long time," I said with a chuckle, "I should know how you like it by now."
"I guess that's true," she agreed, taking another small swallow, "will you lay here with me when I finish this?"
"Yeah, we can take a nap together," I offered with a smile, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. I waited for her to finish her cup, carrying it out to the kitchen sink before returning to our bedroom. The medicine seemed to be taking an instant effect, Akuri's bicolored eyes half mast by the time I'd undressed enough to crawl in beside her. "How do you feel?"
"Good," she slurred, "well, kinda. But also not really. This medicine makes it not hurt outside, y'know?"
"Let's get some rest," I urged, denying my own desire to inquire about what ailed her inside, "we can talk about it later, alright?"
"Yeah, later.." she mumbled, eyes finally too heavy for her to hold open any longer.
"I love you, Akuri," I expressed, smiling at her barely intelligible reply that I understood to be her returned sentiments. The smile faded and I then became lost in my concerns, unable to drift away. All I could do was be there for her when she woke up again. It was nearly dinner time when she roused, her stomach being the force that tore her out of a peaceful slumber.
"'M hungry," she rumbled groggily, "'n thirsty too."
I stood to retrieve what she'd asked for, bringing a small box of sweet dumplings and a bottle of water to keep bedside. Once I'd assisted her into a seated upright position, she began to eat the provided snack.
"I can go pick you up something else," I offered, "or we have ramen in the cupboards, you were craving the shrimp one a lot last week, so I picked up a few of those."
Akuri put down the toothpick, abandoning the dumplings in her lap and I could almost taste the pain that soured the air of our bedroom. A hiccup sounded from her and it was a signal that the floodgates were going to open.
"Th-the dumplings are good too, forget I said anything about ramen, okay?" I quickly tried to recover, but her pained sobs told me that I was too late. I was baffled by her upset and at a loss for words, taking her into my arms and doing what I could to comfort her.
X Akuri, six days later X
I sat still while Naruto began to apply salve to my lower belly, studying the healing marks rather intently that morning. My mind never stopped it's constant what-ifs while I was awake and sober, making me wonder if it would cease once I spoke of it or not.
"Scars are sexy, if that's what you're worried about," Naruto rumored from below, having become quite good at taking me out of my head as of late. He finished his task at hand and leaned back to inspect it before sitting down beside me on the bed. "Feeling up to going out for brunch? I washed that new kimono from Sakura if you want to wear that today."
"Yeah, actually," I replied, "I haven't left the house in almost a week, I'm sure I could do with some fresh air."
"Good deal," Naruto exclaimed softly, seeming genuinely pleased, "I'll wrap you up here soon and we can get going."
While the ointment dried on my skin and my pores enjoyed the oxygen, Naruto cleaned the kitchen and set out clothes for me before returning to the bedroom with a hairbrush. The Genin wrapped my lower torso in bandages with a now-expert hand and seemed to have learned the complexities of women's kimonos as he finished the last knot. My heart squeezed in both adoration and guilt when I felt the soothing pull of Naruto's ability to gently untangle unruly hair with a brush.
"Bun? Loose pony?" He began offering hairstyles, "I can try to braid it, but it sounds a little challenging."
"Loose pony is fine," I answered evenly, keeping myself stable for the moment. He made quick work of my long hair and leaned in to kiss my cheek. "You've gotten really good at this. I can't thank you enough for everything you've been doing."
"You don't need to thank me," he was quick to assure, "that's what being together is all about, and I missed out on being able to do this for almost three years. It makes me happy that I'm able to do this for you now."
Before I realized that I said, emotions tumbled out of my mouth like an alphabetic vomit. The pain that I'd been carrying with me for nine days reared it's ugly head in a single sentence, one that I myself hadn't been ready to come to terms with.
"You would have made such an amazing father, Naruto."