Nyoko

where am I…?

I can't tell if I'm unable to open my eyes, or if everything is just pitch black around me. I feel like I'm separated from my body, and my mind is in a thick, dense fog.

am I… dead?

I feel like I'm floating in the air, as if my body had turned to smoke. It's like I'm not physically here… wherever here is. I feel myself cascading downward, like a leaf that fell from a tree branch.

I vaguely feel my feet plant onto the ground, yet everything is still pitch black around me for as far as my eyes can see. Maybe they are just forced shut and I can't feel it. I struggle to feel any part of my body right now, it would not surprise me if my cursed eyes were included. I try to look around, but my movements are slow and forced, as if I were underwater. Once I finally turn my head and body around, I see the first semblance of light in the distance. It glows bright orange and yellow, but it lies in such a small point on the horizon, I wonder if I could ever even reach it.

Well, I guess I should try.

I plod forward, each step feeling like I am pulling my foot from quicksand. The fog in my mind grows thicker as I travel towards the light, and I feel more and more removed from my body. It's like I'm going back up into the sky.

Am I going to the afterlife?

I continue to plod forward. I can't go now, I need to find out what this light is. Every movement I make is straining my body, I feel like if I get much closer I'll become paralyzed. My body continues to evaporate into the air as I near the light.

I'm able to get close enough to begin to make out what I see before me. It's a fire, a rather small one though. I can hear the crackling of the kindling, but I am unable to feel the flame's warmth. Perhaps that's for the best. Fire doesn't exactly hold the best connotation with me anymore. Beside it sits something… no, someone. It's a man. He looks to be wearing a green cargo vest, and he has shoulder length brown hair. I try to reach him, but I have trouble getting close enough to touch him. It's like he's drifting away from me, without moving a muscle. No, it is I who is drifting away. I'm floating back into the air from whence I came.

"Sir, who are you!" I cry, though my voice is weak.

The man begins to turn around, however not fully. Just enough so for me to see the side of his head as I drift into the heavens.

He now turns around to face me, but I can't see his face due to the backlighting from the fire. The shadowy man speaks: "I'm sorry, but it isn't your time yet."

What do you mean? I tried to speak, but no words left my mouth. As I continue to drift into the black sky, I feel something that I've unfortunately become well acquainted with: the separation from my consciousness.


When I regain consciousness, if you could even call it regaining consciousness, I faintly hear someone speaking.

"… is she alive…?"

I wish I could answer that, but I don't know the answer myself.

My body feels like it is full of lead. I couldn't move a muscle, not even open my eyes if I wanted to. It's as if my body is dead, but my soul remains alive, condemned to exist for eternity in the husk that connects me to the world of the living.

The fog in my brain thickens, and just like that, I black out once again.

My brain stirs again with more speaking: "… I assure you, I mean you no harm. Just get her the help she needs, I'll be sure he doesn't interfere." The voice sounds oddly familiar, but I can't put my finger on it. I try to open my eyes, but to no avail.

I have to be dead. No one could feel this and still truly be alive.

I fade into sleep once more.

I awaken again, more and more annoyed by the constant flow between consciousness and unconsciousness.

Can I not just stay asleep or just wake up?

I hear more talking. I can't tell what annoys me more, my inability to stay awake, or my inability to know what is occurring around me. I can only make out some of the conversation, the only words I hear being: "… I hope you are right… I must take… only worry about Nyoko…"

It's the same voice from before… How does he know my name? Who is he? How do I know him?

I know the feeling all too well now. Please, just don't let me wake up this time.


I awaken once more, but this time, my eyes flutter open. The sudden influx of light blinds me, and my eyes take what feels like an eternity to acclimate. I hear a soft beeping to my right. When I can finally see what's around me, I slowly move my head to each side, though I'm met with a lot of resistance. I'm in a room, everything in it appears to be bright white: the walls, the ceiling, the floor, even the bed I lay in. To my right side there is a window, the source of the bright light that blinded me. Also to my right, there is some sort of monitor, with many wires stemming from it. I follow them with my eyes, and see that several of them connect to my right hand. When I look to my left, I see a tube sticking out of my arm, connecting to another machine, this one with a bag of some sort of liquid.

Where the hell am I? How did I get in a hospital?

I try to lift my head, but I don't have the strength. Even moving my arms feels impossible. I feel pressure around my head and neck, something is wrapped tightly around them. Bandages, probably.

What the hell was all of that before? Was it all a dream. What did that strange man mean… I recall the mystery man's words: "It isn't your time yet…"

The door opens and I tense up, I can see the door well enough to know that someone has entered the room. They wear a white jacket with a white shirt underneath, and grey pants with black sandals. Their most distinguishing feature is their bright red hair, and they wear black, blocky glasses.

Akihiro.

"W-What… are you… doing h-here?" I speak for the first time since my battle with Ryuji. My voice is weak and hoarse, I'm honestly surprised that any words even left my mouth.

"Oh my god! You're awake!" He cries. He rushes to my side. "How do you feel?"

"Where a-am I? W-What's going on?" I ask, frantically. Though, I'm not sure he can tell that I'm frantic given the state of my voice.

"Oh, of course, you don't know. This is a long story, so I apologize in advance." I listen closely, impatiently waiting to know what has happened. "You see, when you used that jutsu to keep the man away from my son and I, we fled out of a window. I picked Tenpi up and ran, ran as fast as I could. I'd never feared for my life like that before. After a few hours of running on and off, I tried to figure out what my next move was. It was clear that the Akatsuki wanted me dead, so I had to flee them at all costs. However, I had a lot of important materials and papers in my hut, things that would've made a return to my home village, the Hidden Sand, difficult at best, and impossible at worst. I pondered my options. My absolute priority was to keep my son safe. I was too far from any of the other Great Nations to seek asylum from them, my only option was to attempt to return to the Hidden Sand. So, I had to go back to my hut and get my belongings.

"I kept my senses keen, I had to make sure that no Akatsuki members or affiliates had been tailing me, or were wandering around the area in which my hut resided. When I got back, I could see that a battle had taken place… it looked ugly. I was looking around as I neared my hut, and I saw a body lying in the grass. I assumed that they were dead, but the doctor in me forces me to always check for a pulse. I dragged my feet towards the body, and I saw you. I was certain that you were dead. The burns on your neck and head, the bruises and the blood that had soaked the ground all over the clearing… I couldn't see a scenario in which you survived. However, I checked for your pulse anyway, and while it was weak, probably the weakest pulse I've ever felt, you had one.

"I got you into the hut and began treating you to the best of my ability. I was able to stabilize you, but it became apparent very quickly that if you were to stay alive much longer, you would need more medical attention than I alone in the middle of nowhere could offer. So, I had to take you here. Oh, of course, you don't know where here is. You're at the Katabami Gold Mine Village. It was the nearest place where I knew they would have the tools necessary to treat you properly. Plus, I had worked with these doctors in the past, and I was owed a favor or two from them. I also knew that this place would be safe from the Akatsuki, so I'd be able to keep you here as long as needed."

So many thoughts and questions raced through my mind, I barely knew where to begin. "B-But how? How did you g-get me here? H-How do y-you know the Ak-Akatsuki won't come?" I ramble.

"Don't worry about any of that, just take my word for it. I have nothing to gain from lying to you about anything."

My head is spinning, I feel as if my brain is trying to crawl out of my head. "But… Why have y-you gone through so m-much trouble to s-save me?" I ask, meekly.

"You risked your life to save my son and I. For that, I will forever be in your debt," he says. "Now, your wounds and injuries were severe, but myself and the other doctors here expect for you to make a full recovery. The burns on your head and neck have nearly completely healed, as has a rib you had broken. The main issue is the general head trauma you sustained in combat. It appears that you had a concussion, among other things. I think you'll need a few more weeks to fully heal from that."

Hearing the list of injuries shook me to my core. I had no idea I had sustained so much damage. "I-I didn't even know t-that I broke a r-rib…"

"Well, either the adrenaline prevented you from feeling it, or you are truly just too tough for your own good." He smirks, seemingly amused by his own assertion.

"The injuries you m-mentioned sound like a-a lot… How is it p-possible that I'll re-recover in just a f-few weeks?"

"Nyoko…" he pauses. "You've been in a coma for six weeks."

My heart drops. Six weeks?! How could I have been out for that long? It feels as though everything had happened just yesterday. Had my dreams really taken six weeks?

Akihiro breaks the silence. "I know this is a lot to take in, I'm going to leave you be so you can rest for a while, and hopefully process everything. Before I go, I want to thank you for saving my son and I. I am eternally grateful." Akihiro walks to the door and exits, softly shutting the door behind him.

I can't even speak to say 'you're welcome' or to thank him for his help as he leaves the room. I am in complete shock. Six weeks… To think, I battled my brother to what we thought was the death over a month ago… and I just now woke up from it.

Ryuji… you went so far… is there truly nothing that I can do to bring you back to my side?

For the remainder of the day I am left alone with my thoughts, sans a few doctors or nurses coming in to check on me or bring me medicine. They are all very kind, as if they had known me for a long time. Well, I suppose they have known me for a while now, it is I who doesn't know them. Each one of them expresses their joy that I have woken from my coma, but my shock is too great to even properly thank them for their kind words. All I can think about is Ryuji.

I have to see him again. This is the conclusion I come to after thinking it over for the rest of the day. I must find him, and bring him back to my side at all costs. Even if it really kills me this time.

I wait until nightfall to unhook myself from all of the machinery and attempt to get out of bed for the first time. I struggle to even shift my body to the edge of the mattress, before placing my feet onto the floor. My first attempt to stand fails miserably, as I simply fall back into bed. My legs have atrophied horribly. I take it slower this time, easing myself up, gripping one of the poles of the machines for support. I'm able to remain standing this time, albeit not on my own. It doesn't matter… I have to get to Ryuji. I search the room for my clothing. The chairs placed along the wall are barren, so I hobble towards a dresser situated in the corner of the room, opposite to the door. I open a drawer. Empty. I open the drawer beneath it. Also empty. What, did they throw them away? I continue to search through the dresser when a chill fills the room.

"Now, shouldn't you be in bed?" a cold voice says.

I look towards the door, but it has not opened. I turn around as quickly as my unstable legs will let me. In the window, now open, sits a silhouette of a man.

Itachi Uchiha.

I pause for a moment before charging at him out of instinct. Madara sent him to capture me. I knew I shouldn't have believed Akihiro when he said this place was safe. I attempt to punch him, but he catches my fist easily in his palm.

"This is a hospital. Don't be noisy." He says, calmly.

"What the hell are you-" I cry before he interrupts me.

"Don't worry, Nyoko. I mean you no harm."

"W-Why should I believe that? You w-work for that m-masked psychopath!" I cry.

"Shhhhh," he silences me. "I said quiet down. This is a hospital, people are trying to sleep. Now, as for why you should believe me, that is quite simple. I am not on Madara's side."

I am confused. What does he mean he's not on Madara's side, he's part of the Akatsuki! My confusion must have been evident by my facial expression, as Itachi quickly elaborates.

"I know this is a surprise to you, but you must believe me. I will explain everything to you."