Flowers Bloom, Hearts Shatter
By: Li
Summary: Auron was sent from a mystic land across the sea by a spell cast wrong, ending up on a misty bridge in the Water country. After leaving Hidden Mist with the rest of her traveling caravan, Auron and her new friends get attacked by bandits! Now, a seriously injured Haku is being carried by an exhausted Auron toward the nearest village…
A/N: 7/4/05 Edited and up.
(1) means to see the ending notes or glossary
"Foreign language."
Spirits and Gods
Flashback is like this.
--mind speach--
Chapter Five: Innocent Play (in life unjust)
"Don't worry, Haku; I won't let you die. Just hang on…," murmured Auron to the unconscious boy in her arms. The spell-trained girl wanted to heal his wound completely, not just stop the outer and most serious inner bleeding. She could have given him her blood --since they were connected his body would accept it-- but even the sharpest of the bandit's knives refused to puncture her cement-like skin.
'Stupid protection spells. For my own good,she said. More like annoying as hell, they are,' she mind-muttered, then began whispering reassurances to her comrade's unmoving body yet again. Even if he wouldn't die because of their bond, his body would still go into a coma-like state until he was physically and mentally healed.
Stumbling over a loose rock, Auron leaned against a nearby tree for support, not loosening her hold on Haku's body for even a second. She would save him; she had to. He deserved this second chance at life more than anyone else she knew.
A glimmer of flickering firelight in the distance caught her attention. Travelers, maybe? One of them might be able help Haku…
Taking a chance, she headed in the light's direction, determined to get there no matter the caused to her already exhausted body. The Flordinese had tougher bones and muscles than ordinary humans; she could survive a little overexertion.
The campfire was a ways away, and Auron almost didn't make it. Her pushing took a toll on her body, too; she could no longer stand, let alone walk!
Before collapsing, Auron made sure to lay Haku gently down in a pile of conveniently placed leaves, falling face first to the feet of a shocked dark haired woman. She stared at Auron, gaping, not able to form a complete sentence.
Coughing slightly, only able to lift her head a little bit, Auron murmured, "Please… help him…" Then passed out from exhaustion.
The woman addressed, Shizune, stared dumbfounded at the unconscious duo. Tsunade-sama was a few miles down the street, gamblingat a roadside joint she didn't have a debt at – yet. She'd left the dark haired woman to make a rough camp; everything packed up in case they had to run from debt collectors yet again.
Now, two injured strangers had stumbled upon her and TonTon (the pig) – one carrying the other what seemed like quite a far walk --, requesting help. As a trained medic ninja, she was required to help injured comrades in need, and seeing as the young girl had carried her friend toward the nearest town most likely to help, Shizune decided to adopt them as patients.
Kneeling beside the injured boy, she noticed bandaged wounds unstained with fresh blood, though he was clearly pale from profuse bloodloss. The dark headed woman wondered what had happened, but pushed her musings to the back of her mind. These young patients of hers needed her undivided attention more than anything else at the moment.
The girl began to stir -- conscious enough to mumble and roll herself from stomach to back as Shizune checked her comrade over. It wasn't really Auron, more like the polite Sukien, as her conscious mind was just too tired…
The dark haired woman glanced at Airan, then turned back to her current patient. It was odd for someone with no nin or combat training to awaken after collapsing from exhaustion so quickly, but the medic specialist had more important things to worry about. Like what was wrong with the boy.
Popping a blood-replenishing pill into Haku's mouth and making him swallow, Shizune sighed. There wasn't much more she could do, with their limited supplies. She'd have to wait for Tsunade-sama to return.
Dreading her mistress's undetermined arrival, Shizune did what she could for the boy.
A stone drunk woman in her twenties, bright yellow hair in pigtails and huge breasts bouncing, ran full speed away from the sparkling lights of a moderately sized tent-city. Men in suits and ties gave chase, all shouting about money she owed them from various places.
The Sucker had struck again.
Slug Sennin Tsunade of Konohagakure, the notorious woman who would fall for any bet or gamble, now raced towards her camp, hoping Shizune-chan was ready to up and leave at a moment's notice. But as the woman drew closer, she slowed, sensing something was off. Three figures lay ahead: two on mats and the other leaning over each in turn.
Had Shizune found patients?
Instantly sobered, she held a shushing finger up to the money collectors now drawing to an abrupt halt beside her. Clever as she was, the gambling sennin made a convincing liar right off the bat. If those were patients, then there would be blood…
"Would you please be quiet? My assistant is tending to our injured friends." They stared at her questioningly, nervous nonetheless. They'd seen her jump through a stonewall unscathed; if this was a trick to confuse them and attack, their lives were over.
Tsunade sighed, still in the act. Thank goodness she sobered quickly when it really counted. "My assistant and I are traveling medics. I only came to gamble to get more money for supplies and their medicine; we're almost out."
"Medicine?" one asked skeptically, not buying the act all the way through.
Tsunade looked remorseful. "To keep them from dying."
"Their wounds?" the same man asked, feeling a little bit guilty for asking such a thing, but still suspicious of the con-woman's lies.
Tsunade used a simple jutsu, without hand seals, to see what Shizune was doing. The patient to her right was beautiful, and could have passed for a girl if his flat chest wasn't bandaged in plain view. The one to her friend's right was another story: she looked totally exhausted and was covered in blood.
The sennin shuddered and began to shake from the sight of her phobia, but to the collectors it seemed as if she was reliving the horrid scene that had caused her supposed friends' wounds. A few glared at their comrade, who had the decency to look ashamed.
Someone patted her shoulder, jolting Tsunade from her bloody memories of lost loved ones. "We'll let you go for now. There's a hospital up ahead and to the right; can't miss it. Treat your friends there, and send us the money when you have it," a male voice stated, pointing in the town's direction.
"Alright…" There was nothing to say. Had her lie really worked?
"Good. We'll be waiting for that money." The collectors walked back towards the tent-city, seeing no reason to hurry, as they talked amongst themselves. Tsunade just stared.
It was unbelievable! Someone had believed her lying! The woman ran towards her camp, bent on telling Shizune.
Tsunade arrived at the mini-medic camp; Shizune-chan was tending the boy's wounds, leaving the girl to her own devises. At the moment, said girl was stripping off her blood drenched outer clothes to reveal untouched inner ones shining white even in the dead of night.
Her near-transparent blue orbs locked with the slug sennin's, and the stranger grinned, her smile not meeting those sad eyes. They weren't the lonely kind of sad that those who had been through too much carried, but a newborn sadness caused by a sudden realization.
Who was she, to have such eyes?
The medic nin sensed no hostility or advanced chakra from her, so those eyes couldn't be a nin bloodline limit. Genetic mutation? Could be.
Lost in thoughts of the strange teen's appearance, Tsunade almost didn't hear her voice. "Hello, madam. Are you the other to this campsite?" The girl was polite even drained as she was. She had to be exhausted beyond belief, so why was she still conscious?
"Yeah. Who're you?" No time for pleasantries; the girl could be a threat or spy from the Sandaime to get his old student to come back to Konoha. No way she would; that place was cursed for her.
The girl just laughed, a tired undertone though it was a happy wound. "Kandai Shurina of the Snow Country, respected elder. The one injured is my cousin, Shinsetsu Kuhaina. We were part of a caravan train and got separated, then attacked by bandits…" The girl shivered from what Tsunade thought was a traumatizing experience. She was half right, as it was.
Auron had remembered what she could become; the terrible thing the one called Yuki was responsible for. Killing again hadn't helped rest her conscious, either.
Tsunade nodded, wondering why two from a country of constant blizzards were doing in the Water country. She didn't ask, just assessed the situation and the girl's injuries.
Stare, blink, and blink again in disbelief. There were none.
Not a scratch, not a bruise, just energy exhaustion and mental stress. The girl wasn't a ninja, so why was she unscathed? That was a question to ask another time, preferably in daylight.
Yawning, Tsunade was continually ignored by the busy Shizune now treating Kuhaina's blood loss once again. He was still terribly pale; he needed either a transfer or more pills.
Pulling a blood-relinquishing pill from a pouch usually full of money to gamble with, Tsunade turned to hand it to her assistant, whom already had one popped into their patient's mouth. Satisfied that the younger woman could take care of the boy on her own, the female sennin turned to her bedroll beside Shurina.
The girl stared at the pill curiously, obviously wanting to look at it closer. Tsunade sighed and handed the medicine over.
Auron caught it and began studying the design and ingredients expertly. The older female wasn't paying her any mind, just settling into her sleeping bag.
"This won't work on Kuhai-kun, I'm afraid," the girl announced, causing Tsunade to jerk up and stare at her in shock. Auron just chuckled, still serious. "He has a system resistance to the two main ingredience; he needs a transfusion of my blood."
"Your blood?" Tsunade repeated questioningly, still shocked that a girl so seemingly young would even know how to look for the pill's condense. She wasn't even a trained ninja!
"Yes, mine. We have the same kind of blood; we are cousins, after all. I just need something… extremely sharp. My skin is quite resistant to anything other. A side effect of being Kuhai-kun's guinea pig for new jutsus, I'm afraid." She smiled.
"Your cousin… is he--?"
"A shinobi? Quite. Trained more in medicine than fighting, though. He's traveling with me as a guard, or atleast that's what he himself said. Now, do you have anything infused with chakra? Like a scalpel, for example?" Auron stared at her wrist, knowing she would feel the pain Haku did if she gave him blood.
Tsunade's hands began to glow; she would use the chakra scalpel.
Auron nodded, letting Sukien take control again. Her other half would have a better time dealing with the pain soon to come than her own mind, at the moment.
Airan held out her arm, expression unreadable, and nodded sharply once. Tsunade, face stone and deep down a little confuse, pulled the loose clothe of the donor's second outer layer of silken white upper garments, the female sennin punctured a thin line along her wrist's blood web.
Hissing inwardly at the slight --unwelcome-- pain, Haku's mistress smiled despite it all. If she could help him, she would.
And she did, in more ways than one.
Her blood was lased with memories, you see, and when transfused, he could relive their time together from her point of view. It was helpful, informative -- and gave him the blackmail material he needed, seeing some of Auron's inner thoughts. He knew his mistress was just glad to help, and he was silently greatful.
Haku's health steadily improved, though the only woke to the conscious world when Auron called him to drink or eat. His injuries healed neatly, though it would be a few weeks until his full recovery. Tsunade and Shizune were kind enough to let the two strangers stay at their campsite, then travel with them.
For the next two weeks, Auron kept a look out for any sign of the traveling caravan as the three females carried the lone male from village to town. Tsunade took it upon herself to cheer the depressing girl up by taking Airan under her wing. The first time, Shizune was tending Haku while her mistress snuck off with the uncertain form of Auron behind her…
((No more flashbacks… The italics are icky!))
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Tsunade-san?"
A wary-looking light brown haired girl stood behind her much larger, blonde friend. The street was crowded with various townsfolk and brightly dressed travelers, all talking amongst themselves and admiring the merchant street's window displays.
Shizune had been tending to Haku in their hostel room (paid for with borrowed money from Auron, of course) when the foreign girl's new mentor decided to introduce her new student to the joys of an adult's world. Gambling and sake, that is.
Tsunade had led Airan away from the inn at a moderately fast pace –though the girl had kept up with some difficulty—and to the street Game Way intercepted a few steps ahead of where they now stood: Lilac Drive. (All the streets save Game Way and Main Road were named for flowers or herbs common to the area in Mizutaka Town, named for the founder's Clan.)
"Yes, yes, I'm sure. Now hurry up!" the slug sennin snapped impatiently at the girl behind her, weaving through the masses of people easily. A few men turned to stare, the rest openly drooling or gaping, but she all but ignored them.
Auron hurried in her wake.
Walking onto Game Way as a few groups near her own age parted, Auron gasped. She'd seen nothing like this before; the neon signs, scantly clad girls calling to passing men, and sweet yet musty unknown scent that greeted her amazed the poor girl. Only for a moment, though.
She stalked down the crowded street, ignoring the few second glances she earned from males and females alike, finally locating her wayward older friend drooling before a highly lit window. Standing by the sennin, Auron glanced in. Stools and tables, shadowy people dressed in black, a smoky atmosphere; definitely one of the bars the girl had read about.
Tsunade glanced at the white-clad girl from the corner of her eye, than grabbed the younger female's unbandaged wrist and dragged her inside the establishment.
Several not-too-drunk tenants glanced up and leered at the scantly clad woman and her teenage companions, a few shouting jabs that would make most women blush. The blonde just ignored them, for once keeping her temper in check, as the brunette just sighed. Why did most men here insist upon being so rude to the opposite sex?
The bartender glanced up from where he dried glasses with a warn clothe, the burly man immediately recognizing the woman as The Sucker. Sweating a little, he leaned a tattooed elbow on the bar counter, eyeing the females now sitting on high stools before him. One glanced warily around the room whilst the other smiled sweetly at him.
"Two bottles of sake, bartender." The blonde stared hungrily at the green-tinted bottles decorated with the Sakurai Clan's brewing emblem, obviously wanting both his current stash.
"And an Orange Rush, if you please." Politeness was unheard of in a bar of this type.
The huge man glanced quickly at her, startled that this teen –seemingly underage—wanted the house special. There was not sign for it, just the cost of a glass or bottle, so how did she know about it?
Tsunade glanced at the girl; had she misjudged the girl for an innocent?
Auron continued to glance around, wincing when accidentally catching another's' eye. She shuttered as the gloomy air moved when someone inhaled a cigarette, then exhaled the toxic smoke.
The older sweatdropped. Definitely not.
"Your Orange Rush and sake, ma'ams," stated the bartender, setting two small glasses and a large one filled to the brim with creamy pink liquid before his two female customers.
"Thanks," the nervous Auron stated with a half smile, sipping her drink. Tsunade took a swig of the sake bottle, not even bothering with a cup. Their fellow bar mates either stared or ignored them completely, though most gazed in awe at the twenty-something pigtailed girl who would hold her drink quite well.
The Orange Rush was strong, Auron noted, a faint blush tinting her slightly-pales cheeks pink. Her Flordinese digestive system, on the other hand, only aloud her body to feel the buzz for a few minutes at most. One good thing about that: Airan could consume a whole bar of beer (if her bladder aloud) without becoming a stone drunk.
Tsunade, in her drunken haze, pored her student of life an overflowing glass of sake, who downed it and smirked. The bartender just stared; both could hold their drinks, though the younger seemed to have a much easier time doing so.
"More sake here!" shouted Tsunade, the former pink tint to her cheeks now bright red. The woman glanced over at her friend, and even through her drunken haze, stared in wonder. Auron was casually sipping a small dish of rice wine, not the least bit tipsy in any way. Sure, the girl had had a little less than she herself, but someone so young and inexperienced should have passed out my now.
The barkeeper setting another bottle before the hiccupping woman – his last Sakurai – and discreetly glanced in the younger's direction. Something was odd about that girl; she caught his gaze and smiled sheepishly, setting the sake dish beside Tsunade's unused one.
"This is quite good. Do you have any White Molten wine? It was recommended to me, and since I'm here anyway, I might as well try some, ne?"
The bartender just stared. White Molten was a grape wine from the Grass country, highly expensive and stronger than most men could handle after only one glass. Well, if this teenage girl could handle all half a bottle of sake and his famous Orange Rush, White Molten should give her the kick she seemed to crave.
Setting a thin, crystal glass that didn't seem to belong to such a rundown place before Auron and unlocking a safe (ninja made of the finest quality), the bartender pored a small amount of clear yellowish liquid from the bottle he'd pulled out of the now-locked chamber. It was the famous White Molten all right.
Men turned to stare in anticipation as Tsunade just stared blankly, watching face reflect in the green tinted bottle of sake before her. She was too drunk to care about the commotion.
Auron just smiled, slightly confused. "Why is everyone staring?"
The barkeeper glanced at her, putting the cap back on the golden bottle of White Molten. "The liquor is strong; not many can handle it. Most likely they think you'll fall over in a dead faint after the first swallow."
"Hmm… Interesting. I'd hate to disappoint them, though; my body will not allow to become intoxicated for too long." Seeing the huge man's unbelieving look, she just shrugged and downed the shot in one gulp.
Everyone, nowincluding Tsunade (after drinking half the sake bottle), stared in anticipation. Auron just turned and sighed, standing.
"Here's your money, barkeeper. Thank you for the excellent servce. Keep the change." She handed the gaping man a large number of bills, who took them without even counting.
Grabbing Tsunade's wrist, the younger female dragged the drunken woman now singing tunes Auron didn't know toward the outskirts of town, pointedly ignoring the stares and curious gazes of townsfolk.
So ended Tsunade's first adventure with Auron, though she remembered only half of if it. Shizune, on the other hand, wasn't so fond of Auron's 'life lessons' with her mistress, though her ranting only gave the slug sennin's hangover more pounding.
Then they were off to more adventures, with an injured Haku, nagging nurse, energetic pig, irresponsible teacher and slightly reluctant student.
The next town they came to, Hoshiyama Village, was along the coast of Water country and the stranger's former caravan's latest stop. Auron and Tsunade arrived first, while Shizune looked for what she could do to help Haku, who was twitching to consciousness. They all needed food; their preservations had run out five hours ago, save their emergency stash.
Seeing the familiar wagons, the girl turned to her blonde friend, a serious expression on her face. Airan was rarely more than sadistic, sardonic or morbid around the slug sennin (which they had in common) anymore, once she'd gotten over her reluctance and opened up her true personality to the slightly surprised adult. They'd had fun, acting at different bars until either kicked out or it got too late (i.e. the sun rose).
Fun as it was, Auron knew her adult world playtime was almost up.
"Tsu-chan…" the younger said tentatively, jerking other female's white coat sleeve. Tsu-chan, as she had called the older, was a nickname that had stuck after one acting prank in a particularly seedy bar.
"Yes, Ai-chan?" Likewise with Ai-chan, though Tsunade always spoke it with a comical touch.
"Ano… well… you see… the caravan Kuhai-kun and I were with kinda separated… and I saw familiar wagons… so…" Auron glanced down, seeing her friend's hand signal for a touching show. One last performance for the immediate future, then…
Forcing tears by remembering one of the saddest moments in her life (when Obaba-sama had acted dead once), Auron sniffed. Real tears ran down her cheeks in waves; it seemed as if she had lost someone important to her, as the staring villagers saw it. Tsunade glanced back at her, truly concerned, and knelt down to her level (the younger was four inches shorter).
"What's the matter, Ai-chan? Did something happen?" Grabbing the girl's shoulders and gently shaking, Tsunade made sure her face was inches from the other's.
"I-I have to leave you, Tsu-chan!" Airan let out a strangled wail after shouting sorrowfully. Even more stared and began to gather. The females just ignored them.
To the crowd, it seemed as if the reddish-brown haired girl was either the taller, blonde woman's sister, niece, or (to a choice few) young girlfriend1. The girl was to leave somewhere, whether be it another family member or her parents didn't approve of their relationship, and go far away, though she didn't want to. Some had to admit, they did look perfect together…
Three in the crowd knew better, though. Haku, still unconscious, watched as a memory ghost, a side effect of excepting the Thrice Heiress's blood a second time (it counteracted the Awakenment spell somewhat, so when asleep or knocked out, he could go around as a transparent being at will). He sighed to himself, knowing the girl was only joking.
Shizune on the other hand was uncertain what Tsunade-sama was doing. The elder woman did such things often enough, but never with such sincerity. Oddly, the twenty-ish female turned a bright shade of red, staring intently at the other women through fingers of the man modestly covering her eyes.
The third, Nagiru the caravan driver, had noticed his former fellow wagon traveler -- one thought captured by bandits or worse -- was chatting intimately with a woman he knew by reputation. Doing business in Konoha often, he had heard tales of the woman and her strange ways, along with Tsunade being one of the Three Sennin. Why would the one he'd watched since she'd joined his train be with the legendary Sucker, known for her monstrous strength and temper?
"Why, Ai-chan? You said we'd be together, through thick and thin, for as long as possible. Are you going back on that promise?" Tsunade asked a little too roughly, purposefully shaking the smaller girl a little too hard.
Tears streaming down her face, Auron glanced in Haku's direction and discretely winked, an impish smile soon replaced by a whimpering lower-lipped frown. "N-no, Tsu-chan! Honest, I'm not! It's j-just… I-I.." Sniffing for effect, the girl saw her pretend captor smile slightly in amusement.
'She's good at this, really. Better kick it up a notch, then,' the slug sennin thought to herself.
Pulling the trembling girl into a tight embrace, as if to reassure the younger, Tsunade buried her face in the girl's long brown hair. Airan's eyes widened in surprise before she sighed in contentment and snuggled into the woman's hold, startling the elder, though she didn't show it.
Anyone watching could think their own thoughts, as far as either was concerned, as long as the attention was fixed on their performance. Auron was the first to pull away.
"Ano… Tsu-chan… We did promise to stay together, but… when I was separated from my caravan and you saved me from those bandits…" The crowd gasped at her quiet words and Airan couldn't help but smile, head downcast and thick reddish-brown hair falling into her face, acting as a curtain between her act and the audience. "Well… Kuhai-kun and I have ties to that wagon train…"
Tsunade sighed, looking for all the world mournfully regretful. "I understand, Ai-chan. I'll see you again, sometime. Maybe in a few years, when you're older…" A slight blush, whether from her implications or seemingly now noticing the crowd they had drawn, colored her cheeks as she continued, "Nevermind. I'll let you go, for now, my dear."
Auron smiled, a childish innocent young teen for all the world to see, and pecked 'Tsu-chan' on the cheek, before running off into the crowd now 'ooh'ing and 'aw'ing at the cheesy moment. Smiling to herself, Auron went off to retrieve Haku and rejoin the caravan.
As far as either actress was concerned, that had been a worthy show.
Riding in the back of Nagiru's wagon, Airan sighed. Haku was still unconscious and wouldn't wake for at least another few days, insistent as he was on finding out what the others thought of their sudden appearance while in ghost form. Everything was as normal as it ever was to Auron, though she found herself surprisingly missing Funno's sudden outbursts and meddling behavior.
One of the deceased's friends, Misakichi, rode up a horse to the side of his boss's wagon, staring at the two still forms in its otherwise empty back. Silent for a few blessed minutes, he finally spoke.
"So he's…"
Auron looked down. "Yeah…"
The man smiled ruefully, a slight glint to his dark eyes. "So… What happened? If you don't mind my asking, that is," he said quickly upon seeing her look.
Auron just sighed. "Ha-Kuhai-kun tried to protect me but was wounded by taking a sword slashmeant for me. It was Tsunade-san who saved us, and Shizune-san took care of our injuries. Unfortunately, they didn't have enough medicines for my dear cousin and made to use a powerful jutsu that depleted his chakra. He'll be out for a few more days."
Misakichi stared at her in silence, then turned his head away.
The girl smiled ruefully. "Funno and the others fought as well, but were out numbered. The bandits… had a chuunin with them as well…"
The dark haired man nodded curtly, turning his horse away and driving toward the back.
Turning in his seat and handing the reins to his partner in the front beside him, the caravan driverNagiru smiled in reassurence. "Dat's dah way life is: unfair. Stop worryin' 'bout all dah stuff that dun concern yah. Live yar life as best as possible. Dat's all yah can do."
Auron smiled back, though her expression was tired and the seeming happiness didn't reach her near-transparent eyes. "I guess so, sir… I guess so."
Nagiru just smiled and turned in his seat, taking the reins back from his partner, glancing at Auron now and then. All he saw was a girl wary of the world, stroking her sleeping friend's hair and staring into the sunset over deep forest trees, sunlight reflecting in her eyes as a small smile graced her lips.
A/N: 1 – I'm sadistic, a little… Can anyone believe the fifty-year old Tsunade would go for the thirty-year old ones? Besides, she's straight… I think. Hey, you never know what she and Shizune-san really do, eh? Jk, jk… Yeesh… I just like teasing, ok?
Next chapter: 6: Hidden Kind (stories to tell) (The caravan reaches it's last stop, a village not far from Konoha. Auron meets a hyperactive Naruto, blushing Sakura, suspious Kakashi, understanding Sandaime and maybe others! Interested yet?)
Laters, all who read this!
Li