Hi all, thanks for being here once again. I've had quite a bit of a struggle with this chapter, I've read it so many times and tweaked it a lot, so I hope you'll like it, even though it came out much shorter than the previous ones. Follows and reviews are always appreciated:)
Warning: mention of suicide ahead.
"Are you sure?"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at his former student's question. Why was Sasuke doubting his decision? Oh, well, silly me. That's Sasuke for you. Beside him, the kunoichi cast a glare at the boy. Never question the Hokage's decision. However, her expression betrayed she was dubious about their mission, too.
He was glad they were in his office and not at the main hall for mission assignments, because that meant that those two geezers from the Council wouldn't butt in. He would speak with them later on. Something he wasn't really looking forward to.
"I am," he replied, hoping to end that argument quickly.
"I thought I was not allowed to exit Konoha."
Kakashi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can't keep on giving you D-rank missions. Honestly, it's a waste of workforce," he said. "And there are not many higher-ranked missions inside the village."
Therefore, he had given them an escorting job. Asuka and Sasuke were to accompany a journalist back to the Capital. Apparently, after months of restless asking, the man had managed to schedule an interview with the newly-appointed Hokage, and since he deemed that the information he possessed could be precious to potential enemies, he had requested to be escorted from Konoha to his house in the Capital and to be watched over until the publication of the interview.
"You may leave today. If everything goes smoothly, you should be back in approximately a week."
Asuka stepped forward to accept the scroll detailing their mission.
"There's one more thing," Kakashi said, before dismissing the two. "The date of the trial has been scheduled."
Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat, but did not show any other sign of apprehension, prompting Kakashi to continue.
"March 21st." Two months from then. He looked out of the window, then back at Sasuke. "Starting next week, we'll host ninja from other hidden villages. Each of them will write a report about you, and they will all be taken into consideration at the moment of the trial."
Sasuke lowered his head and looked at the ground. He was feeling anxious. If there was anything he had understood in those two months since his release from prison, it was that he didn't want to die. Or better, he didn't want to let down Naruto and Sakura once more. He wanted to live and redeem himself.
The hand that squeezed his shoulder prevented his mind from wandering too much and landing on dark thoughts.
"We'll think about that when the time comes. For the moment, let's focus on our mission, shall we?" Asuka was looking at him, smiling warmly. Sasuke couldn't help the feeling of relief in his chest. He would have never admitted it aloud, but he was grateful to the kunoichi for her ability to soothe him and say the right thing at the right time.
Of course, apart from those few selected moments, she would only blabber nonsense.
"Well said," Kakashi complimented, smiling at Asuka. "You'll meet with the client at the gate in two hours. Go pack your stuff."
Two changes of clothes, sealed. Towels and a bathrobe, sealed. Soap, shampoo and make-up, sealed. Asuka put the three scrolls inside her backpack, then proceeded to check her weapons. She had enough shuriken, kunai and explosive tags, but she was missing wire. She circled the bed and knelt down in front of Kakashi's bedside table, undid the protective seal and opened the drawer in which he kept his weapons.
"Are you trying to steal from my stash?"
Asuka startled and turned around. When the fuck did he enter? Kakashi was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?" She asked, raising a brow, a little irritated for not having detected the man's presence. His eyes betrayed his amusement. "I am. Or better, my clone is. I came here to check on a little thief."
Asuka looked at the wire in her hands, then back at the man, tilting her head. "A lame excuse for a thief, indeed," she admitted, knowing full well that Kakashi was not mad at her for stealing his wire, and suspecting he just wanted to spend some time with her before she left on her mission.
"Help yourself," he said, eyeing the content of her bag. It was unlikely that she and Sasuke would run into enemies: Kakashi was convinced that nobody would try to steal any information from that annoying journalist; he had just accepted his request for an escort just to see him go and never come back. Still, the ninja checked his lover's weapons holster to make sure she had plenty. Better safe than sorry. He raised his head to meet Asuka's gaze. "I was thinking of slipping a photo of me in your bag for you to look at, during these next long days," he joked. "I know you'll be miserable without me."
The woman deadpanned. "Yeah, like you actually have a photo of yourself aside from those," she scoffed, pointing at the framed pictures of Kakashi's teams. She bent over the bed, reaching for the bag on her side and pulling it towards her, placing the wire inside. She then raised her head and looked at Kakashi, a malicious smirk on her face. "Besides, you'll be even more miserable than me."
"Are you going to give me a picture of you, then?" Kakashi asked, smirking. "Mmh.. I was thinking about a little more action," Asuka replied. Her head tilted to the side and her eyes ran to the clock on the nightstand. "I need to be at the gate in forty minutes, and I was planning to have a shower, before," she said, and immediately felt herself lifted up and flipped, falling back down onto the bed on her back. "Then we'd better hurry," Kakashi whispered to her lips, before kissing her.
"Hokage-sama, are you kidding me? A woman and a kid? This would be my escort?"
Kakashi's eyes closed in his trademark masked grin. The one that meant that the man was not giving a shit about the other person's opinion. "Matsumoto-san, this woman and kid, as you've called them, are able Konoha shinobi. They are more than qualified for escorting you to the Capital." The older man seemed rather displeased with the answer.
"Rokudaime-sama, you surely understand that the information I possess is of extreme importance for your village, and if it were to be revealed to enemies, it could potentially be harmful. I understand Konoha shinobi are all skilled, but I would prefer to be protected by some stronger ninja, like the infamous Green Beast who fought against Madara Uchiha himself."
Kakashi's expression did not falter. His head tilted more to his left, in an attempt to seem concerned.
"I'm afraid the Green Beast is not available right now, Matsumoto-san. But believe me when I say that I am really concerned about your protection. That is why I assigned you to the care of the only daughter of our late Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Asuka, and of her current student, Uchiha Sasuke, whom I'm sure you already know pretty well." At the mention of their surnames, the man stiffened, and his head shot towards Asuka first and Sasuke next. He then bowed in front of Kakashi, profusely thanking him.
"I'm so sorry for my rude behavior, Hokage-sama. I should have never doubted your judgement. Please forgive me."
Sasuke asked himself if Kakashi hated him. The Hokage knew fairly well that their client was a true pain in the ass, yet he had still decided to assign his escorting to him and Asuka.
The journalist was self-centered, fussy, and wouldn't stop talking, or better, bragging about himself. 'Who the fuck cares about you, anyway? Just shut up!' Sasuke thought.
Asuka, walking at the man's other side, seemed to be interested in what the man was saying. But if Sasuke had learnt anything about her in the two months they had known each other, most of the times that interested expression was just a fake.
Indeed, Asuka was internally debating with Amanozako over which would be the perfect way to put an end to the man's blabbering.
'I'd say a senbon that severs the hypoglossal nerve. That way, he wouldn't be able to move that annoying tongue anymore.'
'Just cut that off, Princess. Or cut his fucking head off. It would be more effective.'
'Mmh. I think Kakashi wouldn't approve if I decapitated a client, you know.'
'Tsk. That asshole Prince of yours is the one who put you in this mission. And he wore that constant smirk on his face, knowing full well how unpleasant this man is. I'd say he needs a lesson.'
'Nope. He's the Hokage and I'm his kunoichi. And it's not like we can accept missions only from nice clients.'
'Geez, you're such a killjoy. Hey, look at the kid. He's frowning more than he's used to doing.'
Asuka eyed Sasuke and stifled a laugh. The boy seemed on the verge of freaking out, crying out his frustration and tearing off his own hair.
"But that's enough talking about me!" The journalist exclaimed, loudly, turning his head towards the boy. "Uchiha-san, may I ask you some questions?"
Sasuke looked at him as if he was internally debating on using his trademark fireball jutsu to put an end to the man's days.
"Matsumoto-san, it would actually be better if we stayed silent, you know… so that we do not stand out too much. A potential threat might always lurk in the shadows, after all," said Asuka, trying to sound serious. Sasuke mentally thanked her for effectively silencing him without using violence.
"I mean, have you read the interview? Matsumoto is truly good with words… the article came out fairly interesting, even though there was literally no information on either Kakashi or Konoha there…" Asuka put the magazine down on the small table next to her bed, in the room they had been given. They had been staying in the journalist's spare bedroom for the past week, to carry out their protection mission. With the interview published, however, their mission was finally over, and they would go back to their village the following day.
Sasuke huffed. "That's because your boyfriend's an idiot. When he introduced himself to team 7, years ago, he spoke for five minutes and in the end all we got to know was his name," he explained, remembering the first time he had seen the Copy Ninja. He heard the woman laugh lightly at his tale. "Well, he wouldn't go around hidden behind a mask at all time if he liked to talk about himself, I guess…" she offered. "But, in this case, it's for the better. I don't think Konoha and its leader should be that out in the open, after all," she said that last sentence while sealing away her belongings and putting them into her backpack, ready for the following day.
Sasuke, already in bed, watched Asuka as she finished packing. She had just gotten out of the shower, and she was now in her pajamas, if a plain t-shirt two sizes larger than hers and what looked like very old man's shorts could be considered as such. Her hair was bundled up in a towel, and her face was free of make-up. "You look like a kid," he commented. If not for her curves, still somewhat visible under her oversized clothes, she could easily pass as a teenager. "That brat, Konohamaru… you two do look alike." Asuka smiled brightly, nodding. For a while, she seemed lost in her thoughts. "Asuma was the one who took after father the most," she finally said, voicing her memories. "While everybody said that Toshiro and I looked more like my mother. Toshiro was my eldest brother, and Konohamaru's dad," she explained, noticing Sasuke's confused expression. "And my nephew clearly did not take anything after Mira; he could very well pass as my own son," she concluded, remembering her sister-in-law's blonde curls and piercing black eyes.
There was something about Asuka that made Sasuke feel at ease. She was like Naruto, in a sense. She projected a feeling of warmth and tranquility, an encouraging sense of protection. If Sasuke had to describe his friends, he would describe Naruto as the wind, varying from a light breeze to a powerful tornado. Sakura was a mountain, firm and unmoving, welcoming yet dangerous. Kakashi was a cloud. Fickle and far away, unattainable, but always present, even though at times menacing and dark.
Instead, Asuka was a river flowing by. Sometimes, she was lively and cheerful, like a narrow mountain stream. Other times, she was calm and placid, like a wide river in a plain. No matter what, it was nice to observe it flow. It brought calm and peace.
But there was something. Something dark, underneath the surface. Something dangerous, like rapids leading towards a deadly waterfall. Asuka might have been a river to look at safely, but jumping into the water unprepared would be life-threatening. Sasuke's eyes moved to the exposed skin on her body. Asuka was a shinobi, and as such, her skin was not spotless. Many scars marred her body. But some of them were not permanent marks you get on the battlefield.
"How many times have you tried to kill yourself?"
Asuka made no visible movement to indicate she had heard the question. She kept on packing her bag. However, Sasuke's sharp eyes caught the constant twitching of her lips. After what seemed like hours, she looked straight ahead of her and freed her hair from the towel around her head.
"I cut my wrists three times," she started, her voice low but steady. "Stabbed myself in the stomach, twice. Heart and neck, once each." She put the bag onto the floor and crawled into the bed, bringing the sheets over her body to her chest. Never once during her list had she looked at Sasuke. "Starving myself, five times. Drowning, three times. Setting myself on fire, falling from a tree, only once. The pain was unbearable." She sighed and looked over at Sasuke, who was staring at her in disbelief from the other bed.
"Why did you do that? And how come you've never succeeded?" A legitimate question. Asuka leaned her head against the head board. "Desperation," she replied, calm. Then, she seemed to be taking her time to put her thoughts into words.
"That happened when I was between twenty and twenty-three years old, then I gave up. Whatever I did… I just couldn't die." Asuka passed a hand through her still damp hair. She really didn't know what to say, next. She hadn't provided any background for her actions to Sasuke… he was probably thinking she was insane.
Sasuke just had to ask. He spoke before Asuka could go on.
"Is that linked to your black chakra?"
Kakashi had given her permission to talk freely about Amanozako with Sasuke. He thought that knowing her story, the boy might feel closer to her. But Asuka frankly didn't know where to begin. Telling Kakashi her story had been different. They knew each other, they had spent years together. But Sasuke… He was just a brat she had met a couple of months before.
"This is S-class information. Extremely confidential. It concerns important safety issues that might be dangerous to the village," she started. When he nodded, Asuka weaved a series of hand signs and put a privacy seal on the room.
Then, she looked at Sasuke in the eye. Inhaling deeply, she pulled back the bed sheets and motioned for Sasuke to go closer to her. He stepped out of his bed and stood beside Asuka's. She delicately grabbed his wrist and led his hand onto her stomach, pulling up her shirt to reveal her navel. A blue seal was glowing on her belly.
"Activate your Sharingan," she ordered, placing his hand onto the seal.
What the fuck is that?
Sasuke found himself inside a gray hall. A throne stood in the middle, and a feminine monster was sitting on it. At her feet, on the ground, were some open handcuffs, as if the creature had recently freed itself.
The boy couldn't help the fear that ran through his spine, even though the monster seemed more bored than angry. It was not its expression that made Sasuke shiver; it was its chakra: sinister and dark, cold and lethal.
"Please, you're definitely too old to wet your pants, even though you're just a brat," the monster said, making fun of him, with a creaking voice. It then cackled, the sound echoing in the hall. "Amanozako's the name, brat. And, in case you were wondering, I don't like you. Nothing against you, actually. Your angsty look is frankly amusing. It's more my personal dislike for people with ocular powers. Such cheaters, don't you think?"
"Don't scare him like that, Amanozako," Asuka's voice came from behind Sasuke. He turned around and found the kunoichi standing there, smiling. "Don't worry, Sasuke. She barks, but rarely bites."
"Just what the fuck is that? A bijuu?" he blurted out, and felt annoyed at how frightened his voice sounded to his own ears.
"I'm a Goddess, you impudent brat. A demon Goddess. Tsk. Me, a bijuu."
"She's very sensitive about that topic," Asuka whispered to Sasuke's ear. The boy turned to her and stared at her face.
"Why is it inside you?"
Asuka looked down, then her eyes met Amanozako's. The creature's lips tightened, and it sighed loudly. "Fine, tell him. Make him use his annoying eye-power on us." The woman smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Thanks, Amanozako."
She then turned to Sasuke. "Use your Sharingan to see through my memories. Maybe you'll understand me a little more, and – who knows – like me, even?"
"Ugh, Sasuke, that's so gross! Ohmygod it's so gross!" Asuka whined, when Sasuke collapsed and emptied his stomach onto the floor between their beds.
"I'm warning you, I'm not cleaning. Ugh, the smell. And, by the way, when did you have ramen?"
"Shut… up…" Sasuke managed to utter, among staggered breaths. He had seen so much, so fast. It was as if he had ventured inside the river but had been sucked into a black whirlpool that had left him torn and exhausted. He was not prepared for Asuka's memories. He didn't expect they would be so horrifying. That monster… how could Asuka still retain her sanity?
He heard some rustling, then the woman's steps towards the bathroom. The water in the sink flowed for a few seconds, and then Asuka's legs were before his eyes.
"Here. Clean your face and drink some water. You'll feel better afterwards." She then looked at the carpet on the ground. "Ugh. I'll get rid of that."
Sasuke raised his head and looked at Asuka. "You said you wouldn't clean," he commented. The woman sighed loudly. "I'm not cleaning. Just destroying all evidence," she said, groaning loudly as she folded the carpet, picked it up and threw it out of the window, aiming an explosive tag at it while in the air. "There," she commented, admiring the charred object as it fell, turned into ash, onto the garden behind the journalist's house.
In the meantime, Sasuke had crawled back to his bed and was sitting on it. He was feeling a little better, but what he had seen inside the woman's mind still lingered in his thoughts.
"Why did you show your memories to me?" he asked. Asuka turned around and leaned on the windowsill.
"I've been listening to your night terrors for the past week. You are a lot more talkative in your sleep than when you're awake, you know."
Sasuke's lips puckered. There was never a good night's sleep, for him. His memories haunted his dreams. His brother's fate, the massacre of his family, the time he had spent with Orochimaru. His fears played over and over again in his mind: losing his friends, hurting them.
Fuck.
He thought he had everything under control. But his subconscious had probably found a means to vent during the night. How much had he revealed while sleeping?
"I meant it, when I said we've all suffered, Sasuke. You're not alone in this. That's what I wanted you to understand. I've got so much sorrow, regret, guilt, in me. It's not my place to tell, either, but Kakashi has been suffering, too. And like us, lots of shinobi. I'm sure your brother must have felt this way. However, what I want you to understand, is that it's not a matter of who's suffered the most."
Asuka stepped in front of Sasuke and put her hands on his shoulders. She leaned in and looked at his eyes, intently.
"It's a matter of recovery. I've been desperate, to the point of wanting to die. You saw that. I thought there was no solution. But now I know that would have been the biggest mistake of my life. There is always a way out. Don't lose hope. I've seen you change over these past months, Sasuke. True, there's a long road ahead, but I know you can atone. You can convince the other Kage. I'll write the best report anyone has ever read, and I swear you'll be acquitted. Or I'll help you escape," she added, lowering her voice and ending with a light giggle.
She squeezed his shoulders tightly when she felt him tremble, but she didn't expect that Sasuke would pass his arm around her waist and start crying against her stomach. Even though she was taken aback by his reaction, Asuka didn't step away. She sighed and started caressing his head in a consoling way. After some time Sasuke seemed to have calmed.
"If Sakura knows you hugged me, she'll kill me," Asuka joked, trying to ease the atmosphere. Sasuke snorted and pulled back, looking away, slightly embarrassed by his breakdown. "Sorry," he whispered.
Asuka sighed. "Don't worry. It's comforting, actually. At least I know you can show other feelings beside apathy or irritation."
The river had gone back to flowing peacefully.
"I really can't wait to meet Asuka-chan and see how she's doing. Are you sure she's coming back soon?"
Kakashi sighed and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "For the last time, B-san, yes. She's coming home today. I received her message this morning." You are the one being early, here.
Shinobi from the Land of Iron and from the Land of Sand had already visited the village in the past month, and it had all gone smoothly. Each envoy had left with positive remarks on Sasuke, and that had left Kakashi cautiously optimistic about his student's future.
It was now the Land of Lightning's turn to send shinobi to Konoha, which was what Kakashi feared the most. Raikage had always been explicit about his dislike towards the Uchiha. The Hokage knew that, if anyone were to oppose to the boy's acquittal, that would be A.
Kakashi had been surprised, at the beginning, when he discovered that the appointed ninja was Killer Bee. The man had never shown any sign of interest towards political matters, even though he was Raikage's brother. After ten minutes together, however, the Hokage understood that the true reason why the man had volunteered to go to Konoha was just to see Asuka, seeing how he had only asked about the kunoichi and completely disregarded Sasuke's matter. The man had arrived two days before and had literally followed Kakashi everywhere in case Asuka, who was currently away on another mission with the Sasuke, showed up.
They were now in the Hokage's office; Kakashi was working through some paperwork at his desk, while B slouched on the couch. He was seemingly writing some verses for his music, and he was unaware of the murderous glares the Hokage was sending him. Kakashi was internally debating on the best way to make the jinchuuriki leave, whether to let out some killing intent or uttering a sarcastic joke about his "art". He sighed and looked at the sofa, his lips tightening.
Suddenly, a cloud of smoke appeared in front of Kakashi's desk, and a loud thump was heard as whatever had materialized fell onto the floor. Both Kakashi and B sprang up from their seats, and the ANBU guards stationing outside stormed into the office, alarmed by the commotion.
"Hurry! Call for a medic team!" The Hokage ordered, and one of the ANBU guards swiftly left. He then focused on the still body on the ground.
Sasuke's face was a bloodied mask, the red liquid flowing from a deep and long cut along his forehead. Blood was gushing out from an injury to his hip and was rapidly creating a small red pool on the ground. Sasuke was unconscious, and he was clearly having trouble breathing.
The Hokage's head was overflowing with worry and fear as he frantically held his hands on Sasuke's injuries, to somehow stop the bleeding, only for his hands to rapidly soak in red. No, no, no, no. This can't be happening. He was dreading the worst. Why was only Sasuke here? His mind was torn between tending to his student and wondering what had happened to Asuka, and the reason for her absence.
"Let me down! Hokage-sama!" Kakashi's head snapped to his left when he heard the faint voice whining from his left.
"What are you? A talking raccoon?" B asked to the animal he was holding in his hand, his brow furrowed in question.
"Let him down!" Kakashi ordered, agitated. For once, he had totally lost his cool. "Tano-san. What happened? Why is Sasuke like this? Where's Asuka?" he asked, afraid to hear the spirit's answer.
"Kakashi-sama!" Tano exclaimed, hurrying towards the man's side as soon as that dark-skinned giant had freed him, "Asuka-sama and Sasuke-san were ambushed on their way back. Sasuke-san was their target. Asuka-sama ordered me to bring him to Konoha and stayed behind to buy time for us to escape."
"What?!" B thundered. Kakashi's throat went dry. He stared into the tanuki's eyes for a second, wanting to ask him a thousand questions all the same time, when his door opened and four medic ninja entered, carrying a stretcher. "Sasuke-kun!"
Sakura stormed to the unconscious body on the floor, her hands glowing green, and immediately worked on stopping the bleeding, shouting orders at one shinobi to hand her some tools and to another ninja to inform the hospital to prepare for a urgent operation. She then glanced at Kakashi, meeting his worried eyes.
Sakura's eyes never lied. Sasuke's conditions were serious. The clench in Kakashi's chest tightened, but the kunoichi had a determined look on her face, as she grabbed a pair of scissors from the Hokage's desk to cut open Sasuke's shirt. "I won't leave him until he's fine, sensei. You can rest assured of this."
He was mesmerized by her cool-headedness and reprimanded himself for being overcome by his own agitation instead; he then looked at Tano. "Was Asuka ok when you left?" He nodded slightly. "When I left, she was. She and the boy had been separated; one of those men thought he had killed her, but he was wrong. It took her a while to track them, but in the end when she got to that cave, she managed to surprise them and free Sasuke." Kakashi frowned. "Hold on," he said. "Which cave are you talking about?" The deep black eyes of the tanuki stared back at him. "Kumari cave, Hokage-sama."
That place brought him back to many years prior, when Kakashi and Asuka had saved Naruto from that priest. "Also… That man's chakra felt similar to that time, Kakashi-sama." His eyes widened at Tano's comment. Was it a coincidence? That same place… the chakra. He closed his eyes to recollect his thoughts, then as he opened them, he looked ahead, determined. "Taka," he said, addressing the masked shinobi of his guard, "Inform Tsunade-hime that she'll be in charge with decision making here until I'm back." The ANBU stiffened. "Hokage-sama, wouldn't it be better if you stayed in Konoha and send someone else instead to rescue Sarutobi-san?" Beside him, B flailed his arms, volunteering for the job.
Of course it would have been better. He was the village leader. If something were to happen to him, who would take his place?
Shitty, shitty Hokage. That was what he was.
"I'm not asking for your opinion. It's an order." His imposing tone put an end to more potential objections from the ninja, who bowed apologetically and flickered away. Kakashi addressed his other guard. "I want 24/7 surveillance around the hospital. Someone from ANBU must stay with Sasuke at all time." The shinobi nodded his head vehemently.
Kakashi then looked at Killer Bee. "Are you coming with me?" he asked, sure of what his answer would be. In fact, the man beat his chest with his fist. "Of course! Raccoon, show us the way!" But just like that, Tano suddenly disappeared. His summoning could have been voluntarily released, sure, but Kakashi feared that was not the case. Asuka's chakra levels must have been extremely low, or… 'Don't think about that possibility. She's alive. She must be,' Kakashi scolded himself, regaining his cool. Even though he was terrified.
"Kaka-sensei, Asuka is strong." He had almost forgotten about the medic nin still in his office, trying to stabilize Sasuke conditions before bringing him to the hospital. "However, I would advise bringing Fukuda-san with you." She pointed at a woman on her team, who swiftly stood up. "She's a very skilled medic, she can be of help in case you need fast treatment." Kakashi nodded, and motioned for the other woman to follow him. Before heading out towards Kumari cave, he turned to the pink-haired kunoichi who was once his student. "Do your best, Sakura." Her green eyes flickered back to him, and at that moment he knew that she would give her all to make sure Sasuke would live. "Good luck, Kakashi-sensei."
Her lips parted slowly, opening just enough for the blood that had gathered in her mouth to slowly flow outside, down her cheek, and pool under her head. Just that microscopic movement of her jaw was enough to send a jolt of pain through her entire body.
It was hard to breathe, probably due to a collapsed lung. She probably had a few broken ribs. She couldn't feel her left foot, yet she couldn't recall it being chopped off or injured. She slowly opened her eyelids as much as she could, fighting against the pain caused by a broken eye-socket, and took a quick look at her feet. Good, they were both there, attached to her legs, which in turn were attached to her hips.
The good thing was that she was still in one piece, alive and conscious enough to formulate thoughts.
The bad thing was that spiky spear stuck through her stomach. The moment it had pierced her, what looked and felt like a thousand nails had stuck out of the shaft, making it impossible for her to extract it from her body. And what was even worse, it was draining her of her chakra. Not only hers, though, if the green and black cloud running up the pole was enough of an indication.
'Amanozako, are you there? Are you ok?'
Asuka didn't get to hear the spirit's reply, but she felt a soothing sensation in her body. The demon was trying to heal her. 'Thanks, Amanozako.'
'Save your chakra, Princess. If you die, I'm done for.'
'Heh, easy to say. That stick is seriously bothersome. I fear this might be it.' Asuka tried to sound cool in her own head, while truly she was freaking out with fear.
Had Tano brought Sasuke back to Konoha? Had he survived? What had Kakashi said? Was he mad at her?
Fuck, her fourth mission outside Konoha, and she had already screwed up that bad, to the point that she was almost on the verge of dying. She imagined how Kakashi would take the news of her death. They had just found each other again. She couldn't leave him again. Her breath accelerated, increasing the pain to her chest. Tears started streaming down her eyes, mixing with the sweat and blood that already moistened her face.
She couldn't die.
Her thoughts flew to Naruto, his beaming face, so similar to Kushina-sensei. She wanted to see him become the Seventh Hokage. She had already abandoned him once; she couldn't do that once more.
She couldn't die. She couldn't. Fuck, she couldn't.
'Princess, calm down. You're just aggravating your condition, here.'
"I feel so much regret, I wish I hadn't sealed you, Amanozako. I wouldn't have had to leave, and maybe things would have gone differently. Maybe my father would still be alive. Maybe Toshiro and Asuma wouldn't have died."
Asuka was now spasming and shaking. Her head jerked to the side, and she vomited more blood.
'Princess, for fuck's sake, calm down.'
Asuka kept on rambling more, and the rate of her and Amanozako's chakra draining increased.
'Fucking Princess, do me a favor and sleep for a while,' were the last words Asuka heard before her mind blacked out.