Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made.
Spots of light danced behind his closed eyelids, before a shadow descended upon him. A hand touched against his forehead, fingers brushing against his bangs.
Ranma grabbed the hand before it slipped away, bolting up from his cozy spot on the bed. "Tsuna..."
He closed his mouth quickly, and swallowed the lump of disappointment when pale eyes stared back, surprised.
"My apologies, Hyuuga-san." He released her hand slowly. "I thought you were..."
"I understand, Umino-san."
He shifted in the bed, leaning back as she stuffed a pillow behind him. "What happened? And how long was I out?"
"You were brought back to the village by Jiraiya-sama several months ago, Umino-san, in critical condition. I was called in for assistance, and we managed to stabilize most of your wounds without disrupting your... unique Chakra pathways."
"Another coma then?" He asked.
"Yes." Her hand still resting on his shoulder, she nodded. "But your body was healing itself while you slept, you were in no danger of death, thus we believed you were out of the danger."
Blue eyes closed as he recalled memories of frantic screams, disorientation, and a familiar face, weeping in happiness above him. "My wife... and my son?"
"They've been watching over you ever since, waiting for you to wake up. They... we were all taken by surprised with the violent reactions your body went through when you woke."
"Oh..." He brought a hand to his throat. "I remember. What happened afterwards?"
"Your body was in danger of shutting down from the shock, Umino-san. But fortunately, you pulled through." She paused again, slim fingers tracing down his shoulder. "We couldn't risk letting your body fall into another coma. You were very weak after the second operation, so you were placed under a Chakra-induced trance. You woke up several times, and your body responded well..."
"I don't remember." Ranma cut in softly.
"They were very brief." She explained. "You were fully released from the Jutsu today. I have been waiting."
"Oh... Thank you, Hyuuga-san." Her hand trailed down further to his back, and Ranma shivered as the digits brushed against the mark, a simple, miniscule kanji that had mutated from Weak after that night.
"I knew that he did something to cure you, Umino-san. But at what price?"
Ranma shifted, and moved away from her touch. "It matters not, Hyuuga-san. What happened... has ended."
"But..."
The door banged open, a small blur flew into the room, and on to the bed, slamming into Ranma.
"Tousan! You're awake!"
Ranma laughed, hugging the boy against his chest tightly, burying his face in the soft brown hair. He heard her sigh, and looked up.
His wife stood at the door, brown eyes intent not on him, but her. The two shared a long look, before pale eyes looked away, offering a small nod, which his wife returned, and walked out of the door.
"They let me hold this." Ranma looked down to his grinning son, presenting the small string in the palm of his hands proudly.
"Oh..." Ranma blinked.
"Airen!" Shampoo glomped him. "Shampoo bring whisker back, Airen want Shampoo comb hair?"
Small hands tugged at the frayed edges of his hair. "Want me to braid your hair, Tousan?"
"Not long enough, young man." His wife said, pulling the boy down from his lap. "Now come down, your father needs his rest."
"But he just woke up!" The nine-year-old whined, waving the string in the air. "What I should I do with this then?"
"No way, Jai. I'm growing it out. The day I get rid of my pigtail is the day I die."
His lips twitched, and he plucked the string from his son's hands, eyeing the boy. "I have the perfect idea."
-------
Ranma looked up at the knock, and the door opened as shock blond slipped in.
"Yondaime." The greeting slipped past his tongue, heavily with bitterness.
"Not yet, Umino-sensei, the ceremony had been pushed back to April." Cerulean eyes watched him, the young man gestured to the chair by his bed. "May I sit?"
"Please." He replied stoically.
Blond hair blobbed, and the young man sat down in the chair, fidgeting. "This is awkward, Umino-sensei."
"Umino would be just fine, I am not your teacher anymore, and I have not you your teacher for a long time, Yondaime." Ranma winced, and bit his tongue at the crestfallen look shot his way. "Forgive me, I am being childish."
"Of course, Umino..." A slight pause. "San."
Ranma nodded. "How many knew?"
His visitor looked relieved at the change of topic, and quickly replied. "A very small number, Umino-san. The mission has been classified by the Hokage, aside from myself and Jiraiya-sensei, no one else knew your assignment was to go after him."
Silence.
"I see... That's good. That's very... good" Ranma nodded, and spoke again when cerulean eyes shot him a look of curiosity. "My past dealings with ANBU were not details I mentioned often, or even at all, and I prefer to keep it that way."
"I will speak to the hospital staff, and quell downany unnecessary gossip, Umino-san."
"Thank you."
"It's the least I can do."
-------
"Hey..."
He looked up to the windowsill. "Hey."
"Sorry. The doctors won't let me visit after hours, since you're still under observation." Jiraiya murmured softly, lowering his voice to a small whisper. "Just wanted to check on ya when I heard you woke up. Heh... gave the medic quite a run, didn't you?"
"Yeah..." Ranma managed a small grin for his white-haired friend. "I think so."
A moment of silence.
Jiraiya shifted from the window, but did not enter the room. "Sensei shouldn't have sent you after him. I don't think he realized how close you two were."
"Hmm?"
"Don't give me that look, Ran." Jiraiya was frowning at him, watching him with dark, wise eyes. "I know you were good friends with him."
Ranma looked away. "What's your point?"
"Nothing..." Jiraiya sighed, "I need a favor."
"Eh?"
"I'm leaving the village. Think you can drop the message to Sensei after you recover?"
"Jai..."He managed, after swallowing the shock. "Why?"
A bitter smile. "It's past time already, Ran. Tsunade's got a head start on me, with her making such a name for herself, and with Orochimaru gone... well, somebody needs to keep an eye on him. I always wanted to travel around a bit, 'sides..."
There's nothing here left for me.
"... Of course, Jai. Good luck."
"Thanks Ran. I'll remember you." Jiraiya disappeared from the windowsill.
Silence.
"You were wrong, Jai..." Ranma murmured softly, staring at the far wall. "Orochimaru was never my friend..."
Smirking, the pale shinobi pushed the bottle into his hands with a soft whisper. "Welcome."
"It's a dangerous time, Ranma-kun." A deliberate emphasis on the honorific that made him twitch...
"Neither could I, Ranma-kun, neither could I." A thirst for power... and darkness that rivaled his own...
"It'll be a grueling pace, Ranma-kun... Can you keep up?" Certainty, and concern...
"Going to accept, Ranma-kun?" Curiosity...
"Learn to accept your face, Ranma-kun, and thrive." Supporting him through his crumbling sanity...
"What will you do?" A constant presence in every challenge he faced...
Nimble fingers running down his scalp, combing his hair in slow, gentle strokes. The scent of crisp pine and wet moss tickling his nose, pulling him from the clinging darkness of the Neko-ken...
"You were the means to what I wanted, Ran." The bitterness of betrayal...
"Do you trust me?" Close... closer than anyone he had allowed to be...
"Ran... Come with me..." An ultimate temptation...
"Next time we meet, I'll kill you." And final goodbye...
Stormy blue eyes closed tiredly.
"He was my kin."
-------
TIMELINE – Year Sixteen, late December.
Poor little monkeys, they're down to one. Note of thank, as always, to the peeps at anifics forum, spelling, grammar, the gigs.