Vvmmm... Vvmmm... Vvmmm...
That noise...
Vvmmm... Vvmmm... Vvmmm...
What's that noise?
Vvmmm... Vvmmm... Vvmmm...
It's coming from close by, but-
Vvmmm... Vvmmm... Vvmmm... Bip.
That's... My cellphone.
Bip, Bip, Bip, Bip.
A message, someones trying to talk to me. But who?
YOU'RE NOT DEAD, SO WAKE UP!
-
"Ngghh... Huh?" Opening my eyes, I quickly close them again. The light is much too bright in here. Where ever here is. "Hokage-sama?"
"Mmm?" The Hokage was smoking his pipe, I could make out that much through slitted eyelids. I think he's standing near a window, but there's too much glare to tell.
"I was having a dream." Was it a dream? What part was reality? Ugh, my head hurts about as much as the rest of my body, trying to figure this out is giving me brain-ache.
"It must have been quite a nightmare." He turns towards me. It's getting easier to see now. He's still wearing that damn, half a turtle-shell hat.
"Huh?" I try sitting up, and manage to struggle half-way there before a muffled sort of peep distracts me. I give up my quest for an upright position, and settle back against my pillow. The hospital's pillow. What ever.
"You've been unconscious for three days now." He's got to be joking. He doesn't look like he's joking. Somebody, tell me he's joking.
"You're not joking." Crap, not with a look like that on his face.
Shaking his head, he steps closer to my bedside. "The poison spread through your body completely." The Hokage smiled a little, a hint of his less than serious side. "It's not good to take your name so literally, Ebisu."
"But..." Shaking my head, I try and at least lean forwards. "There were only tw-"
"Yes, the ANBU are quite efficient at information collection." The Hokage puffed his pipe. "Two shinobi from the village of Hidden Mist. Missing-nin, to be exact." Missing-nin?
"Runaway shinobi? What were they doing skulking around Konoha then?" They said they were after- SHIT! "Hokage-sama! Those shinobi were after blondie and his cell!"
The Hokage sweatdropped. "Blond- Naruto?" Now the Hokage looked dead serious. "Are you sure, Ebisu-kun?"
Twitch. "Yes I'm sure! They said so themselves right before they attacked me!" Not good, not good, not good. "They were looking for an old man, and a group of four." Oh man, I could barely handle those two on my own, how-
"I wouldn't worry too much about it Ebisu, the ANBU would have found more than a pair of Hidden Mist chained to a tree if they were killed." Chained to a tree? "Kakashi, needless to say, has a great deal more skill than you do."
"Ka-ka-shi?" What the hell was the Hokage talking about? "Th- Ah! Jounin Hatake Kakashi?" Idiot! The cell would have a Jounin leading them, my brain must have taken an extended vacation.
The Hokage nodded, glancing over his shoulder at the hospital room's door. "I have a few things to take care of, but I'm sure you won't be too lonely in here, Ebisu." Smiling, the Hokage tipped his hat to me. "Come see me when that arm of yours is feeling better." Turning, the Third Hokage walked out of my room before I even thought to ask him what he meant.
"My arm?" Moving to sit up again, I let out a hiss of pain and sank back down. Ok, that didn't hurt last time, whatever they've got me on must be wearing off. "Ite... That wasn't the good kind of tingle..." Glancing down at my arm, I let out a sigh, it's swathed from fingertips to elbow with bandage. It looks like I'm a long way off from creating any sort of revolutionary techniques.
Still... I tore the hell out of those two on my own with that little trick of mine. I allow myself a wicked smirk at that particular thought. Nothing quite perks you up when you're busted up and feeling down, like thinking about how some well deserving person is having a worse time than you. If I was the megalomaniac type, I'd be laughing my head off right now.
Still, I'm really not in a position to gloat about anything. Heaving a sigh, I settle back into the soft bed. I'm internalizing a bit more than usual, but nearly dying can do that to a person. At least, I think it's more than usual. Dammit, I've really got to get a second opinion on this, it's the kind of question that'll drive you nuts if you think about it long enough.
Click.
The door.
Narrowing my eyes, I reach for anything at hand. I'm never going to be caught without a ranged weapon again, not if I can help it. A weapon, something, anything! Ah, there! I've got-
A bedpan.
Screw it, I'd rather die than use this in a feeble attempt to defend myself. How embarrassing.
"Um..." Crap, put the pan down, put it down. I really doubt someone with a hesitant voice like that would be coming to kill me.
Heaving a sigh, I turn my head just in time to catch Hyuuga Hinata shrinking back. Great, now I'm a jerk too. "Come on in, you're more than welcome." Think of something to break the tension. "... Hey, do you smell wet dog?" Oh nice, real smooth.
Blushing, Hinata minces her way inside. Geez, you'd think from the way she's walking that-
"He said we could come in, so we're coming in." Arching an eyebrow, I stare at the door as some guy, check that, some really shaggy guy comes barging in. With a dog sitting on top of his head.
"Oh, so that's why I smelled wet dog."
"Hey!" Oops, heh, he doesn't look too happy. Ah well, might as well finish pissing him off. "Y'know, that animal of yours could use a trim and a bath."
The guy bristled. "I just finished giving Akamaru a bath this morning!" The dog on top of his head yipped at me. Huh, wonder if it's just because his master's pissed, or because he understood what I said?
"The dog looks fine." It'll probably take him a few seconds to figure that out. He doesn't exactly look like the brightest bulb in the lamp.
"How are your wounds?" And the final part of the trio, Aburame Shino. Wonder where he got those sunglasses of his? Snazzy.
"Eh, I'll live, well, I hope I'll live." I think Hinata looks a little pale now, it's probably all the bandages.
The puppy, Akamaru, yipped a few times, looking down at the guy who's head he was riding on. Well, if I wasn't sure they could communicate before, I am now. I have never seen a guy so pissed off that his whole body turned red. "An-an-animal!"
"No yelling in the Hospital." Shino moved a little to stand partway between me and the new guy. "Inuzuka Kiba, Ebisu..." He trails off and looks at me.
Oh! He doesn't know my full name, how stupid of me. I'll blame the beating I took on this one. "Ebisu Marise, it's a pleasure to meet you." Usually the family name comes first when you're introducing yourself, but this is different. My name's more like a title than a proper name.
Kiba let out a sound that sounded like a cross between a snort and a growl. "Hrrrff!"
"I was talking to your dog." I try my best not to smirk too much, but it always seems to slip out on it's own. Ah well.
Kiba looks like he's half livid with rage, and half pleased that I complimented his furry friend. At least Akamaru liked the compliment, he's wagging his tail.
"Anno..." Hinata looks a little confused. "Ebisu-kun, you're not related to Konohamaru's teacher Ebi-"
"Oh hell no!" I take a moment to execute a full body shudder, and instantly regret that. Man, it feels like I've been ripped to shreds from the inside out, and stitched back together the wrong way.
"E-Ebisu-kun." Great, now everybody looks worried.
"I'll go get the doctor!" Kiba turns and runs for the door. Ah man, I'm not an invalid.
"No, no, I'm fine, really." I struggle to keep my body from shaking, but it's well past my ability to control my muscles now. The worst chill I've ever felt is inching it's way through my bones. "I'm f-f-f-fine... Just fiii..."
I can vaguely make out what Hinata and Shino are saying as everything goes black again.