Thank you to everyone who's shown interest so far. It was a blast getting to see people favoriting and following the story. And thank Irishwolf07 and pigs103 for their reviews!

Irish Wolf, I'm also excited for Lee's interactions with other shinobi and Rock Lee. I have lots of fun ideas and some scenes already written. Mizuchi's meeting with Guy-sensei is going to be a lot of fun. But for now, enjoy Chapter 3!

Pigs103, I've made sure to clarify Mizuchi's age here. So sorry to you and anyone else who was super confused. This is a growing-up fic, and romance is only one of Mizuchi's great adventures to come!

Chapter 3: The Hospital

Lee woke with a start. Voices swirled around her, quick steps echoed in the cool night, and too-bright lights were flickering on throughout the clearing. Kakashi was no longer at her side, but deep in conversation with two ninjas, one garbed in white with a mask over her face.

Medical ninja.

There were three more ninja, only one in the same white as the woman. This man seemed to be ordering the two ninja about, snapping at them frequently as they struggled to get the axeman (the spear shaft had been removed) onto a stretcher without increasing the severity of his wound. The three men Kakashi had tied to the tree were nowhere to be seen.

Someone must have already transported them, thought Lee. How long have I been asleep?

Lee slowly began to disentangle her limbs, holding in a groan. She lowered her legs to the ground gradually, stretching them out as best as she could with her trembling hamstrings. Her butt went numb and pins and needles blazed down her legs like a cool fire. Her arms felt oddly heavy, and as she tried to straighten her back, her neck failed to support her head properly. It took her at least a minute to get to her feet, and even then, she was not steady by any means. She attempted a few stretches, but she was too dizzy and too unstable. There was a stabbing pain behind her forehead, and the lights made it nigh unbearable. She felt, she thought, the worst she ever had and ever could.

"Lee-san?" called a high, grating voice. Lee blinked at the white figure moving closer. The clothes reflected the stand light so brightly they might have been worse than the original source.

"Yes?" Lee answered hoarsely. Her voice sounded strangely foreign and very distant.

"How are you feeling?" Lee opened her mouth to assure the woman she was perfectly fine, but she swayed slightly and one of her knees gave out for a second. Though she caught herself, Lee heard and felt her heart slamming itself against her chest. Preparing for a fight.

"I—I'm feeling quite poorly," she said. "My head hurts and my limbs are all stiff or numb or tingly. Though I fell asleep in a weird position, so I imagine that's the main issue. Other than that, just some cuts and bruises."

The woman narrowed her eyes and scanned Lee's body systematically, unconvinced.

"You've spoken with Kakashi already, correct? His squad is here. Two of them are going to take you to the hospital. Their names are Naruto," she pointed at a small, blond boy, "and Sakura," she pointed at a taller, pretty girl with pink hair. They looked very young, But, Lee thought, not much younger than Brother.

"You're going to be spending the night at the hospital," the woman continued, speaking loudly and clearly. "They will contact your family. You won't have to give a statement until you're ready to, and it will only be to confirm your story with the prisoners', because you've already spoken to Hatake-san. He and his team will be responsible for guarding you until we're certain there is no threat. Do you understand?" Lee nodded slowly, knowing there was no chance of arguing with this woman.

"Ok. Follow me. Mind the cords." Lee looked down and there were, in fact, thick black cords all over the clearing, connecting the blinding lights. It was a strange sight to see their unnatural, shiny black winding across the rural farm like giant snakes. Lee picked her way over carefully, keeping her eyes lowered and ignoring a throbbing behind her temple.

"Naruto, Sakura, please escort Lee-san to the hospital." Lee missed what they said in response, as she looked around for where Kakashi had gone. He was helping the ninja lower another man onto a stretcher. As if he felt her gaze, he looked up, caught her eye, and either shot her a wink or blinked, before returning to focus on his task.

Even knowing that her brother was a perfectly capable ninja in spite of his age, Lee couldn't help but wonder how useful the two genin would be if they were attacked. She would have preferred one of these serious-looking ninjas, or better, Kakashi, who had sworn he'd protect her. She gazed at his back dejectedly. She didn't want to go. To have someone call her parents. To have to face them without backup. For once, she felt like a grownup was on her side, and she was reluctant to leave him.

They would listen to him, Lee thought, looking at the bright silver hair, practically white in the synthetic lighting. He's important. People know who he is. And he thinks I was brave. He could tell them that. How could they say I was "unladylike" if Kakashi Hatake said I was brave?

Hearing her name called, Lee turned back to the genin. She half-listened as they talked to her. The pink-haired girl gave her an encouraging smile, and the blond thumped her on the back hard and grinned. She smiled back weakly, pretending he hadn't just almost knocked her over. The boy bent down in front of her and told her to get on his back. Before she could, the pink-haired girl kicked him out of the way, sending him flying. Lee snapped out of her daze.

What the-? What just happened? They're going to fight? Lee felt a rush of blood swish through her head, and the throbbing behind her forehead beat louder than her heart. Her breath quickened. What are they fighting for? I thought they were on the same squad? What do I do?

"She's had a hard enough time without having to deal with you, Naruto! I'll take care of her, and you just keep an eye out for any more bandits? Got it?" she said bossily, holding a finger out warningly. The boy rubbed his bottom, shooting the girl a dirty look.

"What the hell'd you do that for?"

"I'm not letting you grab some innocent girl's butt, you pervert!"

"I wasn't gonna grab her butt! And did you see what she did to those guys? She might be scarier than you, Sakura-chan. I'm not getting on her bad side," Naruto laughed. Sakura growled angrily and kicked him in the shin.

"OW!" He hopped around, hugging his knee to his chest. "And what was that for!"

"For being an idiot!" Sakura yelled back, but to Lee, it sounded like a whisper from far, far away.

Lee fell over sideways in slow motion, black spots popping up one at a time until they consumed her vision. Two glowing yellow orbs floated in the dark, before blinking out of existence.

For the second time, Lee woke with a start, heart racing and sweaty fingers clutching at the sheets.

Sheets? Oh right, the hospital. She sat up and looked down at her arms. They were cleaned and any major cuts were bandaged. Her hands, too, were clean, but they were still stained pink from blood. Lee wondered if her hands would ever feel clean again, but she pushed the thought resolutely from her mind and devoted her focus outward.

So this is it. The hospital. The Hospital. She looked around the room. The walls were a pale blue-green, with wood paneling along the bottom painted in the same weak shade. Her bed had sterile white sheets and a very industrial-looking wire frame. When she shifted slightly, the bed creaked below her, alarming her. She supposed compared to a futon, a bed must be more practical if patients had mobility issues, and it also doubled as seating. She wondered how sturdy it was, and if people often fell out.

There were two more beds in the room, hers being directly next to the window. Both beds were empty, which Lee was thankful for. By each, light blue curtains hung from tracks set into the ceiling.

I guess you can completely close off a bed from the room that way, Lee thought, examining the tracks above the perimeter of her own bed. That's actually really clever.

It all looked so strange to Lee. The building was old, yes. Maybe as old as her own home. But it was so full of new things. Lee had only left the Old Konoha district a handful of times in her 12 years, and, on those occasions, she had left the village entirely to meet with noble families her parents wanted to marry her off to. She smiled, remembering the chaos her brother and she had caused to make her seem as unappealing as possible.

The door slid open, interrupting her thoughts.

"Oh hey! You finally up?" a boy asked, ducking into the room. "I was just in the bathroom. I've been here for ages. You were totally zonked out!" he grinned widely, his teeth shining brightly. "Did you know you snore?"

Lee shook her head slowly, blushing and looking to the side.

"So how do ya feel, Lee-chan?"

L-Lee-chan? We only just met. He's so forward.

"Better, I think," she said quietly. "Thank you for asking."

Naruto walked over to the large window near the bed and peered out for a second.

"You did really well out there, Lee-chan. Kakashi-sensei said you took out over half those big guys by yourself. Ever thought of being a ninja?"

"T-that's...Something like that isn't possible for someone like me." The boy gave her a weird look.

"What do you mean 'for someone like me'? You seem tough enough. Though there's a lot more to being an awesome ninja than being tough!" he grinned again and checked to make sure his headband was centered.

"Oh! Grandma Hatsu. Please, is she ok?"

"That old lady? She's just fine. A couple of bruises, but nothing serious. There was a tunnel to the village right under her floor! Can you believe that?"

"And my parents?" Lee inquired, nervously.

"Your parents were there? I didn't hear anything about them…"

"Do they know? That I'm here? About the bandits"

"Well, uh…The thing is...We didn't know your name and no one had seen you before. That old lady said it wasn't her place to say, or something like that. But now that you're awake, we can let them know where you are right away! They must be really worried."

"No, no. It's fine. It's better this way. Where are my clothes? I need to leave now." She made to get up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" A long shadow was stretched out into the room, blocking much of the light from the window. "Hold your horses, there." Kakashi said, hopping down from the window sill, a bag in one hand. "You're not going anywhere in that state."

Lee put a hand to her heart and took a deep breath.

"Did I startle you?" he laughed easily, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "This way's much more direct." Kakashi tilted his chin back at the window behind him.

"Where the hell have you been, Kakashi-sensei? I have places to be, y'know!" Naruto complained.

"Well I was helping this little old lady cross the road, but then she needed help bringing her bags inside. And while I was there, she asked if I could help her put the groceries away. And before I knew it, one o'clock had come and gone! But she offered me these in thank you." He held up the bag and put on his best apologetic face.

Yeah, right. He was probably just reading one of his dirty books, thought Naruto.

"Yeah, well I have ramen with Iruka-sensei, so I'm outta here. See ya 'round, Lee-chan!" Naruto jumped out the window behind Kakashi with a quick wave. Lee watched him speed from roof to roof.

And then there were two, Kakashi thought, looking over at Lee.

The liveliness of the mountain seemed to have been sucked out of her, leaving something between a nervous teenager and a lifeless sack of potatoes in her bed.

He reached into the bag by his side and pulled out a shiny red apple, "Hungry?" Her eyes locked onto it sharply, but then she looked down dumbly. Kakashi had a feeling, based on Naruto's casual exit, that the girl had been much more at ease around him. He silently envied the boy's ability to draw words, for better or worse, from virtually anyone in his vicinity.

Kakashi half-sat on the window sill, pulled out a pocket knife, and began peeling the apple carefully. They sat in oppressive silence as he worked. He set the knife down and held up the continuous peel. He bounced it in the air a few times, mildly amused by the makeshift spring. He snuck a glance at her and was certain he'd caught the beginnings of a smile hidden in the right corner of her lips. He smirked to himself. He threw the peel out the window for the birds, which appeared as instantly as if they'd been summoned.

"You've been asleep a full day, you must be starving." He sliced the apple and tossed the core out behind him without a glance, where it landed neatly in the center of the ring of birds. Not missing a beat, he offered her a slice, which she took without thinking. He snuck a glance and saw the cogs of her brain turning wildly, trying to calculate whether his throw had been planned or coincidental. He found himself disproportionately proud of his dramatics.

Before half the slice was gone, he offered another, which she took without protest.

"Milk?" he asked, pulling a small carton up. The girl looked around for a glass, then back at him. He snapped and, with a small poof of smoke, a glass appeared in his hand. He saw her eyes go wide and her jaw slacken marginally. He smiled underneath his mask. He had her now.

She drank the milk quietly, ate every apple slice he offered, and in minutes her glass and hands sat empty, and her eyes looked much brighter. He hummed to himself, looking out the window and around the room, bored. She had to come to him, after all.

"So you're the Kakashi Hatake?" she asked looking down at her hands, emboldened by her sated hunger. His eyebrow rose.

"Have we…met before yesterday?"

She shook her head, then looked up with a faint smile. "I thought you'd be a bit taller. And more…burly, I guess."

He hummed again. "Sorry to disappoint." He looked at the window sulkily

"Sorry. I've heard a lot about you, you see," she continued.

He hummed again, watching two birds bickering over the apple core.

"I owe you my life, Kakashi Hatake." His head snapped back to her. She shifted out from under the sheets and onto her knees. "As well as my gratitude." She bowed low, her arms folded before her. "I am in your debt."

He laughed modestly, scratching his head again. "It's a part of the job. Besides, you were doing my job for me. Protecting civilians and the village from those men."

"Nonetheless, I owe you my life," her eyes locked onto his as she pulled herself up halfway. "Anything within my power, I will grant." She sat back on her heels.

He thought for a moment, pulling himself away from the window sill. He leaned over the bed. His sleeve wiped a smudge of dirt the nurse had missed from her nose. He crouched, putting himself at face level. She looked at him curiously.

"A smile, then." He said cheerfully, eyes crinkling and head tilted to the side. He rested his elbows on the bed, and then his chin on his stacked hands, and waited patiently.

"A...smile?" Lee asked, puzzled.

"Mm hm. Brighten my day. I've done so much paperwork and I need a pick-me-up."

She pondered it for a minute, eyes wandering his face quizzically. Or what she could see of it, rather. Then her lips parted and she gave Kakashi Hatake the most brilliant smile he had ever seen. He couldn't help but smile back under his mask.

As long as there are still children smiling brightly in this village, Kakashi thought, even if it's tiring, I can't help but protect this place.

Even as the smile faded, Kakashi thought the girl looked a lot happier, brighter, and more alive.

A smile was a powerful thing, after all.

So I've decided to separate "The Hospital" into two parts. I had a busier day than expected, and I don't want to rush it. Plus, this felt like a good point to end a chapter.

BUT, I'm going to update on Sunday with the next part, instead of waiting until next Wednesday.

Look forward to "Chapter 4: The Hospital - Part 2" on Sunday, July 5th!

Hope all my American readers have a safe but fun 4th of July!