Chapter 7: Ain't No Rest For The Wicked

He knew she was lying when she said she was fine. If the fact that she winced when he moved her in his arms wasn't proof enough, and if the blood that was seeping through his cloak wasn't either, the reactions he got in the hospital definitely were. The moment he arrived, the medics ushered him into a room to put her in a bed so that they could take her to the operating room immediately. As soon as they took her and the child out of his arms, he looked down at his cloak. He sighed as he looked at the bloodstains. Yeah, she was absolutely fine, he thought while rolling his eyes.

With both the woman and the child taken out of his hands, he decided it was best to drop by the Hokage first, before doing anything else. It was long overdue. With a few quick seals, he puffed out of the hospital and into the Hokage Tower, right outside the Hokage's office. He didn't feel like getting reprimanded for entering through the window today.

He knocked on the door twice, announcing his arrival. A few seconds later, the Hokage called him in. Opening the door, he noticed Inoichi was also present in the room. "Hokage-sama," he started, bowing at his leader. He then gave a nod towards Inoichi as well, who nodded back.

"Ah, Hound. Good of you to join us. We were just discussing the situation about the captives you brought in. I understand one of them had escaped?" The Hokage eyed his appearance, which was once again covered in blood and once again not his.

"Yes, but we managed to capture him again. I had Cat bring him back to T&I." Kakashi explained. Frowning as they jumped right into it. In the back of his mind, he thought about the initial mission they were sent on. He almost had forgotten about it, and it hadn't even been a day. Too much shit had happened today, he thought.

"And the woman?" Inoichi inquired.

"She was injured, so I took her and the child to the hospital."

"And you left her there without anyone guarding her?" The Hokage looked at him incredulously. Knowing Kakashi would never leave an outsider unguarded in the village if he could help it.

"She wouldn't be able to leave the hospital in the condition she's in. It actually surprised me she was even able to fight the other guy. Not to mention, I took the weapon-thing they use from her. And from what I've seen, she would need that to leave." He explained as he took out the mentioned items to show them to the Hokage.

The Hokage frowned at that. "And the child?" He asked.

"The child seemed to be unharmed, but I'm sure the medics will check him over as well."

His leader hummed at that but stayed silent. Kakashi waited patiently as he seemed to be mulling everything over. "Alright. Inoichi," he said, turning to the blonde man. "Continue with the interrogations of the captives. Make sure the rooms they are in are sealed at all times. We don't want a repeat performance of what happened earlier." He ordered.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Inoichi responded before bowing and turning around to make his way back to the T&I facility.

"Now, please remove the mask, Kakashi." Kakashi moved his Anbu mask to the side at the request. Keeping his left eye closed, he met the Hokage's gaze. "Now, sit. First things first. I assume the mission was a success?" The Sandaime asked him while grabbing his pipe and lighting it.

"Yes sir," Kakashi pulled out the scroll that was signed by the daimyo and handed it to him. "Per your request he has signed it, even though I doubt he fully agreed to everything. But I suppose that doesn't matter now, so everything should be in order."

"Good. That's one thing taken care of. Any abnormalities besides the capture of these men?"

"No sir, everything went smoothly, until.. Well, you know," he shrugged.

"Hm, yes. I received your short message from Pakkun, and got a short explanation from Inoichi, of course. However, please I'd like to hear it from you as well." The Hokage gestured for him to start talking, so he did. He told him almost everything from the moment they had felt something in the forest, up until him dropping Hermione off in the hospital. The only thing he didn't mention was what had happened when he touched her.

Kakashi still didn't know what it meant. He had felt it again as he picked her up in the forest. It made him wonder what it was about her, as he didn't get the same feeling with the man. It was just her. Mentally shrugging, he figured it didn't matter. He would probably never see her again after this, which was absolutely fine by him. He'd seen enough crazy shit today to last a lifetime, for sure.

"Alright. Leave the confiscated items with me, Kakashi. I'll make sure they get stored and secured properly." The Hokage ordered. "Get some rest, you look like you might fall over," he added with a raised eyebrow, clearly expecting some sort of objection from the silver-haired teen. But right now he couldn't muster the energy to actually do so.

"Yes sir."

The Hokage fell silent, now with both eyebrows raised, looking at Kakashi in surprise. Well, he couldn't blame him. It wasn't often that Kakashi would just agree with the order to rest. But he was exhausted. Mentally and physically. He already was tired before he left on the mission yesterday and that combined with everything that had happened today… Yeah. If the Hokage hadn't ordered it, he might have asked for it. Maybe. Eh, who was he kidding, he wouldn't ask for it even if he was unable to stand up.

Seeing that Kakashi wouldn't argue at all, the Hokage dismissed him. He bowed once more, before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Arriving in his apartment, he threw his cloak in the hamper, thinking he should probably do laundry soon. He debated whether he should shower first, or just dump himself on his bed to sleep. The need to feel clean won, as he shuffled to the bathroom, taking a quick shower.

He didn't bother fully drying his hair as he came out of the bathroom. He yawned while grabbing a sleeveless shirt with a mask attached and some loose pants. Kakashi then flopped down on his bed, landing on his stomach on top of the covers. The moment his head touched his pillow, he was out cold.

Hermione let out a grunt as she woke. An annoying beeping sound stopped her from falling asleep again. She was just about to try and smash whatever it was that made the sound, when it stopped beeping. Oh, thank Merlin, she thought. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked at the ceiling which looked… off. Where-

Suddenly Hermione bolted up, eyes wide, looking around. The same second she let out a scream as she felt the pain shooting through her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut in pain, as she felt tears forming in her eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?! You're going to rip your stitches, you mustn't move!"

The voice that came into the room seemed to scold at her, if the tone was any indication, feeling hands pushing her back down on the bed. She had no idea what was being said, which reminded her of someone with an animal mask. What was- Dog? No.. Ah! Hound. It kind of sounded like what he had spoken to her at first. Did that mean it wasn't a dream? Was this actually real? Oh no, but that meant... Remus was actually... and Teddy- Shit! Teddy! Where was he?

She started fighting the hands that tried to push her down, looking up to a woman who seemed to be a nurse, "no! Let me go! Where's Teddy?! What have you done with him?!" She rasped. Her throat was as dry as a damn desert. "Please! I have to go find him!" Hermione tried telling the woman, but she could hardly get a sound out.

"Oh for the love of-. Stop fighting! You must stay still or your wound will reopen!" The nurse then turned to the door. "I need someone in here that speaks her language! Now!" She called out.

A moment later, a familiar face entered the room, holding a small bundle wrapped in a white blanket. The sight made her stop fighting the nurse. "I got it, Yumi-san, thank you. I'll make sure she doesn't rip her stitches."

The woman sighed irritably, "Alright, Inoichi-san, she's all yours. Don't stress her too much. And make sure she drinks as well." She walked out shaking her head, softly closing the door.

Hermione watched the exchange with furrowed brows, as the nurse left the room. Turning to the man, she noticed the small bundle moving, before hearing a soft babble. She looked up to the man's face, silently asking him if that was who she thought it was.

He smiled at her, "don't worry, Granger-san. I have the boy right here and he's just fine. He's a lively fellow, isn't he?" He commented as he turned the bundle in his arms, carefully lowering it to her. "Careful though, you don't want to rip those stitches." He warned her.

She couldn't care less at the moment. All she wanted right then was to hold Teddy, making sure for herself that he was in fact okay. As she looked at the little boy's face, she was glad to see he was. Soft brown eyes looked back into hers, taking her in. "Oh, Teddy," she softly sobbed, trying to swallow around the lump in her throat. Thank Merlin, he's alright.

Hermione looked at him in relief. She was happy she was coherent enough in the forest to quickly cast a glamour over him. It was a quick, simple spell and she didn't think Hound had noticed when she cast it, luckily. This would save her a lot of headache and explaining. She figured soft brown eyes and brown-ish hair would be safest for now.

While she knew she was being incredibly rude by ignoring the man that had brought Teddy in, she couldn't make herself care at the moment, only having eyes for the small orphan she held in her arms. Softly caressing his face, she thought about what had happened to them. It was unreal, truly. She noticed he was wearing different clothes, however, which made her wonder. How long had she been here?

Making eye contact with the blonde man, she tried asking him exactly that, but instead started coughing. "Right, water. Here," he said as he held a glass to her lips. "Just, drink slowly. Small sips. Good, there you go." He coached. "Better?"

She shyly nodded at him in thanks, carefully clearing her throat before asking the question she had tried to ask before. The answer however, she hadn't expected. "You've been unconscious for eight days, Granger-san."

"Hermione, please." She said automatically, finally fully paying attention to him. "And that long? How-"

"Your injury was worse than it seemed. While the torn skin was already bad enough, it apparently also caused some internal damage. The medics made sure you would stay unconscious for at least five days, to make sure you would heal properly. After that, it seemed you needed several days more to recuperate, Hermione-san."

She looked at him in wonder. Eight days?! It hadn't seemed that bad at the time. Then again, she's not a medic, so she couldn't have known. Apparently Hound's decision to go to the hospital had been a smart move. Not that she would ever admit that to him. "Right," she responded softly after a few minutes. Dozens of questions popped up, but none were verbalised. There was too much to wrap her head around, she just didn't know where to start.

"I understand all of this is a lot to take in. And while I know you still need your rest, it's important to clarify some things to us so that we know how to proceed with your situation." He said in a calm but serious voice.

Hermione let out a sigh at that. There was really no getting out of this now. Especially since she was stuck in a hospital bed. Without a wand, her mind supplied. "Yeah, I know. Just- just ask whatever it is you want to know. I'll try to answer whatever I can." She said, sounding defeated. She really didn't have the energy to fight him on this.

"Okay. Let me know when you need a break or some water. I don't want you to overexert yourself." He stressed. This made it clear to her that they actually cared about her health, even if it was only a little. She supposed that if they wanted to hurt her, they would've done that already. Seeing Teddy so well cared for, especially since it's been eight days, also made her feel a bit more at ease.

"Sure," she said, nodding for him to continue. And so it started. He started simple. Their names, age and where they were from. She learned that apparently they never heard of England, which scared her a lot. If they had never heard of her home, then how was she supposed to return? When the questions turned towards magic, she became more hesitant. She wasn't sure how much she could tell without giving too much away. But she also wanted to be sure she didn't tell them too much either. That would only endanger her more.

"Alright, that's all for now," Inoichi said. "If we have any more questions or concerns, we'll let you know. For now, focus on healing. Oh, before I forget, we put your bag on the bedside table. Interesting thing, that is," he commented. Standing up, he put all the papers he had written on in a folder. Looking at Hermione and Teddy he seemed to be debating something. "I'll arrange for a nurse to set up a small bed for the child, so that he can stay with you."

She smiled a grateful smile at that, "thank you, Inoichi-san." During the questioning, she had been able to ask some questions as well and she learned that was the proper way to call someone in a formal way. She also learned what their occupation was, which was apparently called a 'shinobi'. He offered to get someone to teach her their language, as not everyone spoke English. Only a handful seemed to be able to do so, which would make it harder for her to communicate with people, so she readily agreed to that.

Inoichi left the room shortly after, not saying anything about the contents of her bag, while she was sure it would have been searched. It made her swallow nervously. Then again if he had questions about whatever she had in her bag, surely he would've asked them, right? Shrugging to herself, she figured it didn't matter at the moment. She'd check later if they had taken anything. There wasn't really anything in there that could harm anyone.

About an hour later, a nurse came in with a cradle that was raised to her level, so she could easily put Teddy down without moving too much. Since she had no idea what to say, so nodded her head in thanks and gave the nurse a smile. She hoped that that would convey what she was trying to say. If not, well, at least she tried. Looking down at Teddy once more, she started singing softly, trying to get him back to sleep.

She really needed to rest some more, feeling the pull of the stitches every time she moved. Hermione was actually quite annoyed at that. While she now realised she wouldn't have been able to mend her wounds herself, she knew she was able to stop the scarring with dittany. Sitting upright, of course! Dittany! She berated herself for forgetting she actually had some essence of dittany in her bag. Stupid, stupid!

Shifting Teddy on her lap, she sat up some more, so that she could put him in the cradle. She then carefully got out of bed, wincing as she moved her arm towards the bedside table, to grab her bag. As she sat back down, she crossed her legs and leaned against her pillow. It was probably best she didn't just flip the bag upside down and let all the contents fall on the bed, so she gingerly put her arm in her bag, feeling around. Damn it! Nothing was where she had placed it before.

Hermione closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. Right. She would have to take out all the contents of her bag after all. She really didn't want to do this right now, but she really did need to put some dittany on her wound. Moving backwards a bit more, she created some extra space on her bed before grabbing the underside of her bag and holding it upside down. She made sure to keep it as close to the bed as possible, so that it wouldn't be spilling all over the floor.

"Aha!" She called out, as she found the small bottle of dittany. It would be a bit uncomfortable to put it on herself, but it would have to do. Carefully lowering the top of the hospital gown, she winced at the sight of her wound. Admittedly, they had done an amazingly good job with the stitches, clearly they knew what they were doing. She put about three drops on her wound, on the left, right and in the middle and watched it slowly heal. It wouldn't fully heal the wound, but it'd do its job in preventing most of the scarring. Happy with the result, she placed the bottle to the side as she looked at the rest of the contents. Books, clothes and other items were strewn across the bed. She systematically sorted through all her stuff. Carefully stacking the books on one another and folding her clothes as best as she could while seated. After everything was sorted, she placed everything back in her bag, starting with the books.

Hermione wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it became quite hard for her to see, the room getting darker by the minute. She got up and shuffled towards the door, where she had noticed a lightswitch before which she flipped. Immediately the room was lit with a fluorescent light, which in turn woke Teddy right up. Oops. Smiling softly at the little boy, she picked him back up and sat back on the bed.

"Right, little man. How about a little story, hm? It'll help us pass the time a bit before going back to sleep." She cooed.

Digging around in her bag, she pulled out a book that had quickly become one of her favourites. "Alright, what story would you like to hear?" She asked as she opened the book. "Well, might as well start at the beginning, no?" Chuckling softly, she said, "'The Wizard and the Hopping Pot' it is."

"Daa-" Teddy started laughing

"Oooh? Excited are we? Alright then, let's get started." She said, before changing the tone of her voice slightly as she started reading out loud. "There was once a kindly old wizard who used his magic generously and wisely for the benefit of his neighbours." She began, as she pointed at the book, reading it slowly. After a few minutes she had successfully lulled Teddy back to sleep, when she noticed something move outside her window.

On the rooftop there was a man in a different kind of uniform that she had seen up until now. The most striking part, besides the bone-white mask was the silver hair that almost seemed to be reflecting in the moonlight. She didn't know what the man was doing there, but after blinking he was gone. Something about it bugged her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. The mask seemed somewhat familiar, hadn't it? Then again, thinking about all the different masks she had seen the shinobi wear, they looked quite similar to one another and from this distance she couldn't clearly tell what animal it was.

Shrugging, Hermione looked back at the sleeping child in her arms. She closed the book and placed it next to her, as she picked Teddy up from her lap and placed him back in his crib. She tucked him in and gave him a soft kiss on his forehead, before laying back down. As she lay there, she realised how tired she was and pulled her blanket up. She would think more about it tomorrow, she decided.

For now, it was best to follow Teddy's example and sleep.