Kumori awoke a few times only to be met with screaming, blinding, impossible, burning, endless pain. Once, she had heard Hikari call her name before she had fallen back into the darkness. Another time she had seen the Hokage standing over her along with several other medical-nin.
Once she had awoken in a large room with markings spread out around her and her hair loose. There were several people holding up their hands in seals around her in a circle, one of them being the Hokage herself. She had soon passed out from pain again though. This continued for what seemed to be years, years of endless pain that she could simply not deal with. For this, there was no antidote.
This time, she awoke and felt less pain, it was different than before. There was still a breathing mask over her mouth, but she was in a different room. Light poured in through a window, illuminating the entire room well. Her half-closed eyes darted to a weight on her bed and she saw Hikari passed out on his knees with his body resting across her legs.
She coughed lightly, shifting her eyes back and closing them again. That small movement caused Hikari's eyes to open sleepily and dart up to her face. When he saw her eyes were still closed, he pushed himself back onto his chair, looking at her face.
"What are you looking at?" she said quietly, her eyes opening again.
"You're awake!" He pulled his chair up closer, looking her in the eyes intently. He had bags under his eyes, which were bloodshot.
"You look tired," she stated simply, her voice sounding odd because of the breathing mask. She tried to move her arms, but her body wasn't responding at all.
"You had us all scared for a few days... The medical-nin were going to 'put you out of your suffering' but Genma argued with them for a long time, convincing them to keep trying. They said nobody should ever have to suffer that much... You know, you had two heart attacks."
She said nothing, shifting her eyes away and back up to the ceiling. She remembered the incredible pain of the first heart attack, she had never felt anything like that before. It felt like someone had ripped her chest open and thrown a bomb insode before burning it closed again. She had just been about to let herself go completely, until she heard Hikari call her name.
"They said you actually died and came back to life after the first one," said Hikari. She coughed lightly.
"I remember that... I heard you call my name and I opened my eyes again..."
There was silence as they simply sat together and enjoyed eachother's company. Kumori felt her eyes slipping shut again. She began recalling voices as she had been asleep.
"You should really wake up soon, Kumori. Hikari is going crazy, he hasn't eaten for days or slept at all and he only leaves to go to the bathroom..."
"Please wake up, Kumori..."
"If you pull through, we all get promoted to chuunin. Wake up soon, Kumori!"
"You put me through hell, girl. I was up for hours last night filing more reports because of you. but if you make it through, your mission is a success and you pass to chuunin."
"Please..."
"The Hokage-sama says you should be fine by tomorrow, so just last 'till then."
"Tsuno is right, Hikari hasn't left this room for anything. We have to carry him home every time he falls asleep in this chair. He's losing alot of weight just sitting here and staring at you."
"I..."
"I can't believe you had an allergic reaction to one of your own antidotes!"
"This is getting serious, Hikari was actually hospitalized for a few days because of lack of food and sleep deprivation. If you don't wake up soon, he'll be in the same position as you."
"...love..."
"No, really, I can't believe you had an allergic reaction to your own medicine..."
"Hikari saved you... He managed to recall what you used on yourself and the medical-nin were able to reverse the affects."
"...you."
"I can't live without you."
"If you die now, I swear I'm going with you."
"Please wake up, Kumori... I can't see you like this..."
"I'll never let this happen ever again, I promise."
Hikari, she thought vaguely. That had been Hikari's voice. She had heard him whisper things into her ear as she drifted through the darkness. He would talk for hours, until his voice gave out or until he fell asleep. She remembered every word he had whispered to her, begging her to wake up. She had even once felt tears running down her cheeks, his tears, burning down her face.
She remembered him brushing the hair from her face as he whispered in the darkness, his breath brushing her neck and ear. She shivered at the memory of his lips grazing her forehead, her cheek, her sealed eyelids. She even remembered hearing the voice of the nurse who had found him on the floor one morning, passed out and barely breathing. That must have been when they hospitalized him, she had felt lonely for the next three days. But his voice returned, breaking her silence, giving her something to think about, tearing her mind away from her dark thoughts.
It started again as she slipped away, except this time there was no words. She felt tears of joy splashing on her cheeks, running onto the pillows behind her. She shivered at his touch when he leaned over her, brushing the hair from her face and staying perfectly still for a moment. He leaned forwards and his lips brushed her cheek again as they had done so many times before, and she opened her eyes.
Her bandaged hands seemed to move this time as she met his eyes, one resting on the side of his face and the other pulling down her breathing mask. She tilted her head back slightly, ignoring the pain and keeping her eyes fixed on his as he leaned forwards again. His touch stole her breath away this time as his lips pressed into hers and she lay back on the pillows, relishing in the moment and hoping it would last forever. So sweet, so warm...
But it didn't. He pulled away and she closed her eyes, longing for more. He replaced her mask and leaned forwards, whispering into her ear, his breath brushing against her neck.
"I love you," he whispered, his hair brushing against her ear.
"I know," she whispered even quieter. "I love you too."
He remained for a moment before she felt her pillows rise and he lifted his weight from her bed, leaving the room of his own will for the first time in weeks.
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He visited her every day until her condition began to improve, but he was soon called out on a mission. During the week and a half he was on the mission, Kumori had a relapse, plunging back into the darkness. When she finally recovered, she found Hikari had still not returned. The hospital was very quiet during the day, and she would simply stare up at the ceiling boredly.
The life support machines and breathing mask were no longer attached to her body, and she was free to walk around with crutches if she wanted to, but there was nothing to see within the hospital, so she never used them. She wore new hospital robes, a plain, loose black t-shirt and white shorts, and it was alot more comfortable than her previous hospital robes.
She sat in silence as usual, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about Akame and Hikari, wondering if both were alright. They had told her his mission would take a week and a half, it had been three weeks so far. She heard voices outside as someone moved towards her door, but she ignored them and kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling.
"Kumori?"
She sat up at the sound of Hikari's voice, turning her head towards where he stood in the doorway. He wore black pants and a white t-shirt underneath his chuunin vest, his right arm bandaged. She looked into his face as he stepped fully into the room and noticed a fresh scar running from his left eyebrow, over the bridge of his nose, and down onto his right cheek, an inch under his eye.
"I heard you had a relapse and I wanted to see you last week, but I got assigned another mission directly after I got back," he explained, taking his usual chair by her bed.
"What happened to your face?" she asked. His hand reached up and ran along the scar timidly, tracing the line's length before dropping back into his lap.
"Some of my team mates got taken hostage by a group of four Jounin and I was the only one left since we split into two groups. I had to go in by myself and fight them off to get to them."
"Four Jounin?"
He nodded. Kumori shivered slightly and looked out the window. It was now in the middle of winter here in Konoha, although you wouldn't be able to tell because of the sunshine and warmth.
"I still can't get over how warm your winters are... Right now, the Kumogakure is probably under a few feet of snow in the middle of a blizzard. It's so different here." And I wonder how Akame is holding out...
She sighed, her mind wandering back to her previous life in the Hidden Cloud. Her muscles still ached slightly, but the poison was almost completely out of her system.
"The doctor told me you are allowed to walk around the hospital... And I bet you're hungry. Do you want to go get something to eat?"
"But I'm only allowed inside the hospital," she replied. But she knew what he was saying. "Sure."
A moment later, she was clinging to Hikari's neck as he sneaked out of the hospital room, placing a 'Visitors' sign on the door before sneaking past a few nurses. He managed to sneak outside unnoticed as the secretary at the desk was busy writing something with her head lowered. Once outside, he slowed slightly, strolling through the town.
"What do you want to eat? Umm... Nothing too expensive though. My father kicked me out of the house and I have to pay my own rent."
"He kicked you out?"
"Well... Not exactly. It wasn't just him, the Main family... Well I did something I shouldn't have and I got a taste of the Juin before being banned from the house."
Kumori had heard of the Hyuga family and their curse, their Main family and Branch family splitting. She didn't understand it fully, but she knew enough from what Hikari had told her. She knew the severety of an act needed for the Main family to use the Branch family's curse seal against them as punishment.
"What happened?"
"...It's nothing..."
They stopped at the ramen bar, Hikari setting her down on one of the benches and ordering. She didn't really like ramen, but she hadn't eaten properly for awhile and it would probably taste alot better. Plus, it was with Hikari outside of the hospital, away from the strange cries and odd smells of the horrible building. She hated hospitals.
"How long until they let you out of the hospital?" asked Hikari, picking up his chopsticks and breaking them easily.
"It keeps changing... Some doctors said a week, others said a month, one even said I'm fine to go now, so I'm not sure..."
"There was something I wanted to talk to you about as well," he said quietly, eating a few noodles. She looked up from her meal, looking at his troubled face.
"Our whole team is now at the chuunin level, and chuunin is the first level in which we are able to apply for Anbu. But, Anbu entry missions are taken by groups of three or four. Tsuno and I wanted to become Anbu, and went to speak to the Hokage, and she said something about you. She said that we work well as a team, and that we should ask if you would take the entry mission along with us."
"What's the mission?"
"That's the thing I wondered about... We have another assasination that she said requires your knowledge of poison... But not only your knowledge of poison, your knowledge of the area."
"You mean..."
"We are being sent to the Hidden Cloud to assasinate the Raikage and another man of high stature to free their country from their rule. Yours is not the only account that has been reported of the numerous homeless children and families, and what's worse is the number had grown considerably."
The Hidden Cloud... Is this my only chance to go back to my home? To go back for the reason of killing my Kage and a Cloud-nin?
She dropped her head in silent thought, her eyes unfocused as she thought of one thing. "...Akame," she whispered. Hikari looked at her strangely.
"'Akame'?"
"...Nevermind. I'll go."
"Oh," he said, looking disappointed. "It's a really dangerous mission you know."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she replied.
"Why?"
She considered his question for a few moments. "Because..." she had never told anyone about Akame before. "Because, like you said the first time we met, I left someone important behind. I don't even know if he's still alive. His name is Akame."
"... So you love him?"
The question was blunt, but not meant to be an accusation. She dropped her head, thinking. "Yes... no- I don't know. He probably hates me. I left him tied to a metal fence by a chain and a leather dog collar that his dad had left him with. His only source of food was from me and his cat, and I left without telling him, without even saying goodbye. Winter in Kumogakure is harsh, full of blizzards and ice storms, feet of snow, icicles and hail. Ninety percent of the homeless people die during winter, and on top of that, they have spring to go through after, full of floods and storms. A person anable to move because he is tied to a fence stands less chance than someone who can find shelter on their own."
Hikari said nothing, but turned back to his ramen, finishing it quickly. Kumori finished hers as well, resting her chopsticks on the edge of the bowl.
"Let's go," said Hikari. He lifted her from the bench and carried her away again. She was tired, and the warm sun added to her sleepiness, so she buried her face into his neck as she had done before, breathing in his scent and closing her eyes.
When she opened them again, it was considerably darker and colder out. She was sitting alone on a hill overlooking Konoha, the grass poking through her shorts and Hikari nowhere in sight. But she was reassured when she found his chuunin vest wrapped around her, keeping her warm. She pulled it closer, lookinf out at the setting sun and blinking sleepily. She pulled her knees up, her severed tendon twinging in protest as she rested her chin on her knees, burying her face into her bare arms.
Hikari appeared to her left, walking up the hill and carrying two drinks. He sat down beside her silently and handed her one. It was a warm cappucinio, and she wrapped her cold hands around it, the feeling returning. She sipped it timidly, watching as the sun set fully and resting her drink beside her.
As she watched the sun disappear, she realized she had never seen a sunset before. She had seen the light fade, the temperature drop, but never cleary seen one before.
"This is the first time I've ever seen the sun set," she whispered.
"Really? I guess you'll have to remember this time then," said Hikari. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her close, his warmth seeping into her. She closed her eyes and shivered before opening them and looking up at the sky. The stars were beginning to take over.
Hikari leaned back, laying on the grass and pulling Kumori down beside him so they could better see the stars. But she was tired and turned her head away from the stars, burying her face into his chest and closing her eyes. She wished life could always be so easy.
The last thing she remembered was Hikari brushing her hair out of her face again and pulling her closer. She nuzzled up closer to him, taking one last breath, breathing in his scent as her mind slipped away. She would always remember her first sunset.
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"You're free to leave whenever you wish, but I suggest you still use your crutches. These pills will help your muscle control that was affected because of the poison. Just take one per day in the morning."
The nurse placed the container of pills on her table and left the room. Hikari had been sent on another mission, and she had recovered almost fully. Her tendon had healed and the poison had been washed out of her system, allowing her to move freely. She glaced at the crutches leaning against the wall, slipping her feet from the bed and into a pair of sandals. She then moved over to the wardrobe on the other end of the room, quickly changing into her clean clothes.
She slipped on her chuunin vest over her black tanktop, admiring it for a few moments. The Hokage had presented it to her when it became positive she would pull through, bringing it to her room because she was unable to make her own way to her headquarters. But that wasn't what had suprised her.
The make of the vest was different from a normal chuunin vest. It was made from a strong, lightweight, black fabric with minimal padding allowing for maximum movement. The outside had many small, padded pockets with waterproof linings for holding poisons, and the inside had an added layer for warmth. It was also easy to slip on and off. The Godaime had told her that it would allow her to safely carry her poisons and easily keep track of them. She had also said it made full use of her bloodline, being easily slipped off in case of battle.
She stepped out of the room, limping slightly as she left her crutches behind. She headed directly for her apartment, the afternoon sun beating down on her. She couldn't belive how warm it was in the winter here. She saighed as she saw a paper taped to her door securely. It was an order list from the hospitla with a number of hard to make antidotes and antivenenes. She ripped it off roughly before stepping into her dark, messy apartment.
It was the way she had left it, with scrolls, containers and metal instruments covering evey surface. She closed the door bahind her and moved to the table, clumsily wiping the scrolls onto the floor and placing the order list in front of her.
Aoyari x1-$300, Physostigmine x3- $40, Calcium EDTA x5- $75... She scanned the next few orders before she reached the last one. At the bottom in large letters read 'BAL (dimercaprol) 200 mL - URGENT -'
She sighed, looking over the order again. It was barely enough to pay her rent for this last month, but she'd take it. She didn't feel like mixing the antidotes herself, so she simply moved to her closet, pulling out the correct vials and counting them up to make sure she had the right amount. She pulled her last vial of Aoyari antitoxin from the shelf, carrying it over to the table and setting down.
She counted and recounted it several times before filling out the form and pulling out a large carrying case. She organized the vials carefully, making sure they weren't going to touch eachother before placing the plastic lid over it and taping the filled out form to the top. She sighed, standing and heading out again, back to the hospital.
She gave the secretary the order and recieved her money in return, taking it back to her apartment and stashing it away before leaving again. She strolled towards the edge of the town, moving up to the hill where she had watched the sunset with Hikari a few weeks ago. She sat in silence, eventually closing her eyes and relishing the wind blowing around her. Her ears picked out every noise, the birdsong, leaves rustling, wind rushing through the grass, a dog barking... A dog barking?
She opened her eyes as two shapes darted across the grass below her. After them dashed two dogs, one soft brown and slightly larger than the other, who had creamy white fur. She recognized one to be Tsuno and the dark dog to be Shouri. Shouri suddenly stopped running and lifted his nose, panting before barking twice. Tsuno turned his head up the hill, noticing Kumori. His smile grew wider and he changed directions, dashing up the hill at high speed. Just before he reached her, the other dog grabbed his ankle, tripping him and causing him to fall face-first into the grass at her feet.
"Ow... Hey, I wasn't ready!"
"Too bad, you let your guard down!" shouted the other boy, coming up behind him and sitting on his back, pinning him to the ground.
He made a quick movement, and was suddenly switched with the other boy, sitting on him instead. He had moved too quickly for Kumori to see. The boy with him was a gennin and wore no chuunin vest, unlike Tsuno.
"Hey, Kumori," he said casually, grinding the other boy's head into the dirt. He growled animal-like.
"This is my cousin, Kiba," he explained. Kiba tried to execute the same move Tsuno had, but it ended with both of them on the ground. Their dogs barked a few times.
"I heard you accepted the Anbu entrance mission with me and Hikari. It's not gonna be easy to get this job done," he said, sitting up.
"...Yeah," she said, looking past him down at the village. Kiba eyed her for a moment, before turning and whacking Tsuno in the head painfully.
"Hey... You said you'd teach me today,' he complained. Tsuno rubbed the back of his head.
"But I-"
Kiba grabbed his arm suddenly, dragging him back down the hill.
"Uhh... I gotta go now... Bye!"
She watched in silence as Kiba dragged him back into the trees, their dogs dashing after them. The sun was getting lower in the sky, and Kumori stood, glancing northeast, the direction of her former village. She sighed, wondering about the upcoming mission before turning back down the hill and heading back to her apartment.