A/N-Thanks to those who reviewed the interlude-Kyiri Makrono, Emily-The-Elemental and Elemental Dragon2.0. To Enraged Karupin-you are entitled to your opinion.
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Disclaimer-I don't own Naruto
Chapter 22
In her entire life, Michelle had never been as lonely as she had been in the first 24 hours after her friends left her. Even though she had told her mother the previous weekend about being a Kunoichi, she had never let her in on the fact that she might leave. The day after everyone had left, she skipped school and told her mother about everything that had gone on, coming clean about how close Mrs. Sanchez had come to losing her daughter. Once the conversation was over, Michelle went down to her basement and trained. Not that there was a point or purpose to this training, seeing as how there would be no Akatsuki members left for her to face but some of the exercises that Kakashi and her cousin had shown her were good exercise.
Finally, when she was close to collapsing with exhaustion, she went back upstairs to her room, intent on lying down on the bed. However, when she got to her room, she found Mika's parents along with her mother (her father was at work) hanging the ornate mirror that used to be in Mika's room…in her own room, above her dresser.
"We can't keep it. It's a reminder of the fact that, despite what we might believe, we're never going to see our little girl again. But…that way, if messages can be sent through this…. you can still be connected to your friends. That, and, since it's connected to Naruto…we feel it belongs to you." Michelle's eyes filled with tears. "Thanks…"
After the Fields had left, Mrs. Sanchez went back up to her daughter's room and sat down on the edge of the bed, upon which, her daughter was lying facedown. "I know these last hours have been hard on you dear…I've phoned your father and told him everything." Leaning forward she stroked her daughter's dark hair. "He's going to meet us for supper…not to celebrate the fact that your friends left…but to celebrate that you stayed.
Michelle nodded and pulled herself into a sitting position, smiling at her mother. "Thanks…I'm…glad you understand." Her mother enfolded her into a tight hug and simply held her, comforting her.
It happened when she was in her room, changing to go out for supper. She stared into the ornate mirror that used to be Mika's and began to comb back her hair. "My my don't you look sexy today…. you should straighten it." "Well it's too bad we can't all have hair like yours Seyann." Said the mirror…which shouldn't be talking at all…
Michelle leapt backwards and snatched a blunt object off of her dresser. "Relax it's just us Michelle-Chan." The reflection of the mirror dropped like someone had turned on a light and, behind it stood Seyann and Mika. Michelle dropped her alarm clock and said, "I knew that…"
"So…what's with the primping?" asked Mika, eyebrow raised. "Is there a boyfriend we don't know about?" Michelle rolled her eyes and swatted the glass of the mirror. "My parents and I are going out for supper." "Did you finally tell her about the decision you had to make?"
Michelle paused. "Yeah…I.." she was interrupted by the door swinging open. "Who are you talking to dear?" "Mika and Seyann. They're in the mirror." Mrs. Sanchez looked at the mirror and said "Oh hi girls. Michelle-" she said, turning her attention back to her daughter "We're leaving in five minutes."
"Ok Mom…Guys I gotta go. I'll be home in a couple hours; can you be at the mirror by then? "Yeah…it's in a room in Hokage tower, we are the only ones who have full access to it." "See you then Mika, Seyann. You guys better be ready to tell me every single detail about your first day in Konoha." "And Suna." Chirped Mika. "And Suna." Conceded Michelle. "I'm going now though, I'll see you guys when we get back."
In the car with her mother and father on their way to the restaurant, she was only dimly aware of her mother and father discussing some matter in the front. In the back, she was too busy contemplating her luck. She got to keep her family and yet she could still see her friends. The best of both worlds.
Growing bored with the long drive, Michelle began playing with her Sharingan, turning it on and off, seeing how fast she could turn it on and off, and the like. With her Sharingan, in a brief instant that it was turned on, she saw it almost an instant before it happened. She was sitting on her mother's side and she whipped her head around to see two headlights speeding towards their car on her father's side. She deactivated her Sharingan reflexively…there was a scream-her mother-twisting metal…
And darkness.
Three hours later, Mika and Seyann were standing anxiously in front of the mirror in Hokage Tower along with Sasuke whose panic was, for once, slightly visible. One thing they knew about their friend was that she always kept her word. If she said she was going to be somewhere, she'd be there.
Where was she?
Kakashi, Gaara and Sakura were also there, and although their panic was somewhat restrained, it was clear they were worried. Finally, her patience wearing thin, Seyann went to Tsunade and asked for permission to examine other mirrors.
The first thing that the Fifth said was a firm "No. It was hard enough to get permission from the council to leave one mirror open, I will not be able to get permission to open another one."
Seyann gritted her teeth. "Hokage-Sama." She said, using the title somewhat sarcastically. "Michelle is one of my closest friends. We're worried for her, she never breaks her word. We'll have Gaara, Sasuke and Kakashi with us for protection in case something happens. She's…" Seyann could tell Tsunade was wavering but wasn't entirely convinced yet. "She's an Uchiha, a high ranking member of a Konoha Clan. You are obligated to find her and help protect her." When Tsunade didn't say anything, merely turned her back on Seyann and began rummaging in her desk. Finally Seyann pulled out her ace in the hole.
"I swear, Tsunade, if you do not allow us to find Michelle, I will unleash Celina and I will not reel her back in until we've found her."
Tsunade looked up sharply. "No need to get so drastic Sey-Chan." She said with a chuckle. "I was getting an unsealing scroll. We'll need to if we find her." Seyann turned a bright red and muttered a 'Sorry' before following the Fifth.
It turns out that out of all the villages, the Hidden Leaf had been assigned with watching the portals…in other words, almost every single room in the Tower contained a mirror that was a portal to Mika and Seyann's world. The ninja split up and began scanning all the mirrors.
It was Sasuke who found her. He was near the top and he let out a yell, alerting everyone else to his whereabouts. Mika and Seyann reached the room at almost the same time, racing in to see Sasuke standing stone still as he looked in.
The scene he was looking in on made Mika and Seyann freeze as well. It was a sterile hospital room with egg white walls, several uncomfortable looking chairs and a single bed. On that bed lying still, face white, was Michelle. Her brown-black hair was spread out in a fan around her head which rested on the most uncomfortable looking pillow that the group had ever seen in any of their lives. They could hear the steady beep-beep-beep of the cardio machine and the equally as steady dripping of the IV.
Michelle was a mess. Cuts covered her face as well as her right arm. Her left arm was in a huge white cast up to her elbow and supported by traction. Her left leg was wrapped in an ace bandage and rested on a pillow. Seyann leaned on Kakashi for support as Mika was captured from behind by Gaara. "What…how did this happen?" she managed. Reaching out a hand, she brushed it against the glass of the mirror. "We leave you alone for 2 hours Michelle…"
As if to answer her question, a doctor carrying a chart, accompanied by a nurse walked into the room to examine her friend. "Her arm should heal up nicely." Commented the doctor as the nurse scribbled on the chart. "She was lucky, her leg was merely sprained and she has cuts all over her body." The nurse finished and hung the chart at the end of the bed before going over to change the IV. "Sara….please make sure that when she wakes up, a Grief counselor is notified to come be with her." The nurse nodded, before reaching out a hand to smooth back the girl's hair.
"Poor thing…I was watching the news, I saw the car."
"It's a miracle she survived when her parents were both killed."
Mika almost gasped but Gaara put his hand over her mouth in the nick of time. Seyann had tears pouring down her cheeks while Kakashi held her in a tight hug. Turning to the Fifth with the question in her eyes, the Fifth nodded.
Meaning that once the Doctor and Nurse had left the room, the Fifth undid the reverse sealing scroll she had brought with her and preformed the counter jutsu. As soon as the reversing was complete, Mika and Seyann plunged back through the mirror with Sasuke hot on her heels. Pulling up the two chairs, they settled down around their friends and got comfortable.
And that was how the nurse found them when she was making her rounds. All were sitting around Michelle, connected to her in some way, all asleep except for a black-haired onyx eyed young man who only stared at the patient.
All through the night, all Sasuke could do was sit there and stare at Michelle, and pray she would wake up.
A/N-There ya go. This chapter was hard for me to write, mostly because of the fact that it was my close friends parents who I killed off…I couldn't look at her when she read this.
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