It was brought to my attention that some people may not know that the "Rewrite" in the title means that this fanfiction is literally being rewritten.
It used to be known as "She Is Wrath" but I got into a writing slump and hated how I'd developed the story, so I'm rewriting and re-posting it.
This is not a stolen fanfiction.
You can find it on my other fanfiction publishing sites at AmralimeOfGondolin on AO3 and in most of its original form at ItsMeBabu on Quotev.
Much love xxx

Akira tensed as she woke up to the sound of breathing that wasn't her own. It was heaving and rapid, as if the person had just run a marathon. Her head rose as whatever she was lying on rose as well, and it put her head at an awkward angle, slightly raised and tilted to the left. Akira vaguely realised she was severely bent forward when a sharp pain in her back appeared when she tried to move. Then, whatever her head was lying on went back down and the breathing became more rhythmic. Akira relaxed her body, trying to get rid of the pain in her back, but her mind went fuzzy. The tension in her body had been keeping her awake and now that it was gone, Akira fluctuated between consciousness and unconsciousness.

"Look what he did to you..." she heard a soft voice say.

Akira wanted to say something, but all she could muster was an incomprehensible whisper. She felt something shift underneath her head and then she was sitting, head lolling forwards. Moments later, she felt someone struggling to pick her up, but they'd managed and started walking. The person struggled down some stairs and even on what seemed like flat surfaces, they were moving slowly with jagged movements. Akira tried to open her eyes and figure out where they were, but bright light flooded her eyes and she closed them in pain, immediately. She went to squeeze her hand around the person's arm, but she couldn't, and burning pain seared straight through her arm. Akira let out a pained and panicked whimper.

"Calm down," the voice hushed. "We're almost there."

They were right. Soon, after what seemed like an eternal walk, Akira was lying down on something soft. As her head touched a pillow, Akira heard something fall to her left and then people rushing towards it. They were all muttering about something, sounding concerned or vexed, or a healthy mixture of both. Just when Akira had settled into the bed and the pain in her back dissipated, someone began touching Akira's hands. She let out another pained cry, the searing, burning pain running through her arms once again. Something cool and damp was wiped across her face, clearing it of all the blood and dust smeared across it, and her dirty clothes were removed and replaced with a clean hospital gown. Akira smiled as a warm sensation enveloped and soothed her arms and, once again, Akira fell asleep, though only for a few hours as the medical-nin did their work.

Akira woke up in the same hospital room she'd been in only a few days prior. Her dirty clothes were folded and placed on an empty chair nearby, her weapons placed on top. The sunlight stung Akira's eyes a little, but she quickly adapted, and she sat up to look down at her arms. They were bandaged from the elbow down, again, and Akira waved her fingers in front of her face. They didn't hurt, but Akira could tell that they had hurt seeing the scar tissue shining in the sunlight. With a sigh, she put her arms back down and looked around. Her eyes landed on Kakashi on the bed across from hers. A small smile rose to her mouth.

"Thanks, Kakashi," she mumbled.
"Akira! Akira!"

Naruto had suddenly burst into the room, calling her name, and he trapped her in a bone-crushing hug. Akira laughed and hugged him back.

"Naruto! She needs to be resting!" a female voice called from the hall.

The woman walked in. She was a little taller than Akira because of the small heels she was wearing and her blonde hair was divided into two ponytails at the base of her skull. Akira didn't recognise her until she saw the lavender diamond on the woman's forehead. Immediately, she got to her feet, swaying a little, and bowed.

"Lady Tsunade! It's an honour to meet you!"
"Oh, please," Tsunade chuckled, waving her hand dismissively. "Sit. Don't think I didn't notice you sway."

Akira smiled a little and sat at the edge of her bed. Tsunade put her hand on Akira's forehead and it began to glow a pale green, nearly the same colour as her own sweater. Slowly, fatigue and eye strain left her, and Akira began to feel better than she had in ages. Then, Tsunade took her arms in her hands and unwrapped the bandages. Akira's skin was peeled and torn in many places, revealing the dermis. Large bruises varying from deep purple to green were scattered across her skin, and scabs had formed where the electricity had torn through her skin. Naruto visibly recoiled, but both women kept looking. Tsunade's hands began to glow green again.

"Lady Tsunade, usually, my skin is... a pain in the ass. It's very resistant to healing scars. But with your expertise, I know you'd be more than capable of making them disappear," Akira said softly. "This is an odd request, but would it be possible to leave the scars?"
"Why would you want to keep the scars?" Tsunade asked, examining the girl's face. She noticed more scars on her chin and neck. "They won't be beautiful or cool. They'll deform your skin."
"Would leaving scars reduce my ability to perform tasks?"
"Well, no, but—"
"Then just leave them... please." Akira chuckled dryly. She sounded tired. "They're sort of a reminder."
"Reminder for what?"
"What curiosity, arrogance and power can cost."

Tsunade removed her hands from Akira's arms. The scars covered her fingers, hands and forearms. There were pockmarks and dimples on her skin, broad and rough scars that traced up her arms in seemingly random patterns, and while Tsunade said they wouldn't look cool or beautiful, Akira thought that they looked like the electricity that had caused them. Tsunade was wrong. Despite the objective ugliness of the scars, Akira found them beautiful in their own way, and they were important. They were there as a reminder of her past doings, yes, but they would also serve as a warning to those who lay their eyes on them, alerting the enemy to the type of suffering she was able to endure to fight for what she believed in.

"Have you gone to see Sasuke?" Akira asked, detaching her gaze from her arms.
"You betcha! Sasuke's gonna be all right!" Naruto said happily.
"Good." Akira turned to look at Kakashi. "Lady Tsunade, would it be possible to help Kakashi, as well?"
"Kakashi?" Tsunade asked, turning towards the other bed.

Tsunade rolled her eyes at him but she went over anyway, placing her hand over his head. Her hands glowed green for a few minutes and then she removed them, bringing Kakashi back to consciousness. Akira watched as he slowly sat up. His eyes were sunken, barely open, with dark circles so obviously underneath them. His head hung low and he was leaning forward, barely able to keep himself up. Akira's jaw clenched. She knew that look.

"Disgraceful," Tsunade sighed. "To be completely taken out of the game by two low-life punks like that. I thought you were supposed to be the best."
"Sorry to disappoint you," Kakashi mumbled.
"There's nothing for him to be sorry about," Akira said sharply. "Itachi Uchiha is the proud owner of a Mangekyō Sharingan and it's arrogant as well as ignorant to think that he's an easily beaten low-life punk. The fact that Kakashi-sensei went through Tsukuyomi and still has his mind intact is a remarkable thing. Don't dismiss him so easily."

Tsunade's gaze hardened as she looked at Akira. There was a resentment in her gaze that wasn't there before, and Tsunade found it looked far too familiar for comfort. She glanced at Akira's shoulder. The curse mark was very visible and Akira didn't even bother trying to hide it. For a moment, Tsunade wondered if her antagonism was natural or if it came from the mark.

Guy came in and interrupted them, insisting that Lady Tsunade come to see Lee and try to heal him. Naruto began to drag her away as well, and she looked between Kakashi and Akira again.

"Can you help?"
"I'll do my best."

Tsunade nodded and walked out, following Naruto and Guy. Akira looked back at Kakashi and sighed. He hadn't moved an inch. He looked dreadful, ghost-like. Akira stood up and gently swung his legs back onto the bed and she fought with him a little when she tried to make him lie down. Ultimately, Akira won, and she managed to cover Kakashi with the blanket at the foot of the bed.

"You don't need to stay," he muttered.
"Shut up," Akira sighed.

She sat at the end of Kakashi's bed and stared out the window at the darkening sky.

"I'm sorry," Akira said quietly.
"This isn't your fault," Kakashi replied.
"I know. I was talking about the whole Orochimaru deal."
"That was pretty stupid."
"I know. Which is why I wanted to say I'm sorry. You took the time to warn me and I didn't listen."
"Actually, you did more than not listen. You actively went against everything I told you," Kakashi corrected lazily. "And probably every standard of living you adhere to."
"Yeah, thanks for reminding me," Akira grumbled.
"You're welcome."

Akira hung her head back and sighed, running her hands over her face.

"Did you know?"

The girl looked back at Kakashi.

"Did you know who he was?"
"No, not at first," Akira said quietly.
"Then it's not—"
"He came to see me weeks before the start of the Chūnin Exams. Weeks, Sensei. He had me fooled for nearly two months before I even met Orochimaru."

Kakashi's eyebrows furrowed and he turned his head towards Akira.

"He said that his name was Maru. At first, I thought he was just some random trespasser who'd stumbled upon my chakra control training," she said. "He said he could help but I told him to get lost and escorted him out of the city. He came back during the festival and said I'd be seeing him again soon. He wasn't wrong. The next time I saw him he was standing up at the front with the Hokage under the guise of the team leader for the Sound Village. I should have known it was him. But we'd just come out of the Forest of Death and my memory was shot. I didn't even remember that I had a mark at all until Sakura mentioned it. When I saw Zaku in the arena with his arms all messed up, I didn't know that was my fault. It was only when the proctor said that Orochimaru may be responsible for the attack on the village that everything came back to me."
"So, you didn't know."
"I can't use that as an excuse, Sensei. I knew exactly what I was getting into. I knew he was dangerous and all sorts of wrong, but—he just didn't seem threatening. He was almost... kind. He said that I reminded him of himself when he was younger and I just felt—"
"Understood."

Akira sighed and brought her knees to her chest.

"He said he had a personal interest invested in me. I couldn't say no," Akira said, casting her eyes towards her feet. "I sought him out whenever I wanted training. I wanted to learn, I wanted to know more about him, I wanted to know what it was that he saw in me that my family never did. I always thought I didn't want or need that attention, that I was fine with Sasuke and Itachi having all of it. I guess I was wrong."
"It's not exactly your fault," Kakashi said, trying to sit up.
"Lie down, Sensei," Akira said quietly, gently pushing him back down.
"He preyed on a weak spot you didn't know you had. It's not your fault."
"Don't try to put the blame on him. I'm not stupid—I shouldn't have gone to him regardless."
"No, you shouldn't have. That's true. But you couldn't have really expected yourself to turn down the first person to ever show any real interest in your abilities," Kakashi reasoned. "Your father never did. Your brothers never did. Your friends never did. I never did. It's not wrong to want someone to be proud of you."
"But him?" Akira scoffed.
"And that's why it matters that you didn't know who he was. No matter how wrong he may have seemed to be, you could have never guessed he was Orochimaru."
"I guess."

Akira sighed and she looked out the window again. It was dark now. She could see the lights from the houses and the street carts down on the street in front of the hospital.

"Are you feeling as crappy as you look?"

Kakashi chuckled and it turned into a fit of coughs. When Akira looked at him, concerned, he waved it off.

"I'm all right."
"What happened to not lying to me?"
"What happened to calling me Kakashi?"

Akira smiled lightly and shook her head.

"I've demoted myself," she said. "You don't need a friend like me after what I've done."
"I thought we just established it wasn't your fault?" Akira gave Kakashi a sceptical look. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I'm not gonna hold it against you—you're beating yourself up over it just fine."
"Fine. How are you really feeling, Kakashi ?"
"Like death. That jutsu of your brother's..."
"It's a very specific kind of pain, I know. I know that look in your eyes."
"You do?"

Akira nodded slowly.

"I've seen it in Sasuke's eyes. I've seen it in mine, too, just staring right back at me in the mirror," she said. "You never should have gone through that. It's torture, plain and simple. I don't even want to know what Itachi made you relive over and over again, and I'm not going to ask. I've been there."
"He used it against you ?" Kakashi asked, sounding surprised.
"Does that really shock you? He massacred my entire clan, remember? And right after Sasuke and I stumbled upon our dead parents, Itachi was there to greet us with a wonderful sojourn inside Tsukuyomi," Akira sarcastically. "It was only seconds, really, but it felt like days. I saw everything—everyone. There was so much blood... Funny thing is, that wasn't the worst part. Itachi tried to dirty every single good memory I had of anyone."
"Did it—"
"Work? Yeah. It did. For the longest time, my best memories were my worst nightmare. But you're lucky."
"I don't feel lucky," Kakashi said with a chuckle.
"Well, no, not technically. But you've got something that I didn't have."
"What's that?"
"Someone to get you through this." Akira brought her knees down and scooted closer to Kakashi. "I'm not letting you go through what I did."
"You're doing this because you feel guilty."

Akira frowned and looked at Kakashi. He'd turned his head away, unwilling to look at Akira. It was so out of character for him. He looked so hurt, so vulnerable, and it saddened Akira. She really didn't think he expected anyone to care enough about him to help.

"I'm doing this because I care, Kakashi," she said.
"I'll be fine."
"Don't lie to me. Do you really think you're so undeserving of other people's sympathy?"

Kakashi glanced at her sideways.

"I'm helping you because I want to, Kakashi. Because I don't want you to see your best memories turn into your worst nightmares. Because I don't want you to turn into me."
"Akira, you're not some monster."
"Aren't I?" Akira chuckled humourlessly. "Take away the curse mark and what am I?"
"You're just a girl."
"Yeah, just a girl... A girl whose brother murdered her entire clan. A girl whose family jutsu is based on anger. A girl who killed someone for the first time and got over it because she was used to death already. A girl who prevented someone from ever using their arms again. A girl who willingly sought out power from a murderer." Akira sighed. "You might not be able to tell, or you're ignoring it for my benefit, but I'm a monster created by circumstance. I'm damaged. I'm nearly broken. But I've had help.
"I don't know what's happened in your life. Maybe I'm preaching to the choir, and maybe you're just as screwed as I am. But I don't see it. And because I don't see it, I'm going to help you as others have helped me. Without Kai, Kiba and Shikamaru... I honestly wouldn't be here. I'd have killed myself a long time ago."

Akira hesitated for a second, but she reached out and clasped Kakashi's hand.

"I'm not letting that happen to you," she whispered. "It was their care that kept me in one piece, and it'll be my care that holds you together."
"Why?" Kakashi muttered.
"Because you're my friend. That's what friends do."
"Friends just visit in the hospital, they don't usually take part in the whole healing process."
"Kakashi this isn't some regular injury. Itachi literally turned everything good in your mind into torturous thoughts. Love, friendship, affection—those are the only things that are going to get you through this. Now, I can't promise that I can provide all of that," Akira added a little awkwardly. "But I can help you find it again. You've already got friends; Guy, Asuma and Kurenai were worried sick about you."
"Are they going to give me love and affection too?" Kakashi joked. Akira gently smacked his shoulder.
"You're laughing now but you're already experiencing affection, you idiot," Akira said. She rose hers and Kakashi's hand that she was holding. "And I'm going to make sure you get all the rest you need—"
"Oh, no, come on!" Kakashi protested.
"—I'm gonna be waiting on you hand and foot—"
"Akira, no, please! You're not doing this—"
"Oh, yes I am, and there's nothing you can do about it, old man!"