AN: Update! Yay! Because I felt like updating this... and my shoulder hurts from art. My life is really more inclined to the arts than science. Why did I ever take a course related to science? -_- Do any of you readers take any art courses? Like in the lines of language, painting/drawing, or writing? Just curious if any of ya'll do read this note I typed down. Leave a review if you have any thoughts to share. I really want to know your thoughts.
On my way to the tower I came across my cousin and…at the sight of my twin brother I stopped short. Him as a medic not to mention anbu? Good combo for a shinobi, but as her sibling that knows he's protective and worrisome, bad.
"Neesama" Itachi was already in front of me in a blink his hand already glowing green so he can assess my arm that was in a cast.
"Hey, Itachi" I said smiling wryly at him.
"Why didn't you come to me when you got injured?" Itachi said a frown coming on his lips as he pulled his hand back done with his assessment. "The medic at least did a good job with dressing the burn you have."
Well, well, it looks like Itachi has his pride as a medic saying 'at least' about Tohrus' work, but maybe because he wanted to be sure that I would heal nicely.
"Don't worry, I'll recover soon enough!" I said smiling to cheer him up. He always did frown when he saw me come back to Konoha with an injury from the missions I have with Haru-san. "As long as I'm still standing isn't that a good thing?"
"It would be better if you can avoid getting injured." My brother answered bluntly.
"I'll try." I answered as I continued to walk.
"So, how did you get injured this time?" Shisui asked from my left.
"Ah, well, I couldn't avoid it because I had to maintain a seal." I answered. I really have to avoid getting injured again from maintaining a seal. How many times did I already do that?
"Can't you make a seal that doesn't need you to maintain it?" Our cousin asked.
"Do you think I didn't try that? This seal is just one of my complicated seals, the feature to home on an enemy was difficult enough and extending the time limit is more of a pain than you think!" I said explaining the intricacies of my seal without mentioning the main function. One can never know who was listening in, and it was my seal, my hard work. I don't want anyone stealing it from me!
"Passionate as ever with your seals." Itachi said one end of his lips going up.
"Of course!" I said puffing out my chest. "I said I would fight using seals."
"What's with that red bird?" Shisui said. "First it was Obito with a peacock following him, now you with what?"
Yuta came with me to Konoha, since I can't really maintain the second level of my sage mode too long. I needed him to go back and forth between their village and the island. Also, it's a hassle to go around their village looking for him. That place is massive than Konoha is.
And like most of my flock, Yuta didn't like to be referred to only by his feather color as he jump up from my shoulder to my head then to Shisuis' before pecking on him.
I am a phoenix! Yuta screamed through the mind link. Not just a mere red bird! I am a majestic and mythological avian! I would burn you to a crisp—
"Iruna! Get this bird to stop!" Shisui said as he tried to cover his head from the pecks with his hands over his head.
"It's your fault you offended him." I told him as Shisui ran ahead of us trying to dislodge Yuta, but Yuta was tenacious as he flew chasing after him.
Shisui and Itachi were both called by Minato-san to discuss a mission while I stayed outside waiting for my turn. I could also be inside, if my rank wasn't that of a chuunin. Though, I wasn't really worried about my rank, though the disadvantage was that I wasn't allowed to know really sensitive information.
"You two be safe!" I called after the two as they came out of the office. "And don't overdo it!"
"You should listen more to yourself!" Shisui called back.
I shrugged. I am the one with a cast at the moment.
"That bad?" Minato-san asked as I entered his office, his eyes falling on my cast.
"I underestimated him a bit. I didn't think he would be able to use a prominent fire doujutsu in our clan." I answered.
I would have lost my arm to Amaterasu if I hadn't thought to use sage mode. First level of my sage mode gave me boosted speed and strength. It also created a layer of nature chakra to prevent injuries to an extent, but with the Amaterasu if was a second too late…let's just say it could take me longer to recover. Tohru did try to heal it, but even with his expertise I had to let it heal naturally.
"How is he?"
"The process caused more strain to his body than we thought it would. It might take a while for him to wake up than I did." I said. "Tohru wants to keep him under his observation a bit longer to make sure that there are no damages to his chakra channels. The seal and chakra took a deep root into his chakra channels according to his assessment."
Minato-san nodded. "Are you okay? It seems like you had to do more than just fight him."
I smiled though I know it would come up as a sad one. "Is insight one of the things a Hokage needs to gain?" I asked him out of humor.
"Just one of the many" He answered.
I shook my head as I recalled the words that left my lips and the thoughts that were in my head as I found Obito-nii to be weak. "I'm fine as much as I can be." I shrugged. "For the moment, I'll be in the avian realm. Tohru said I won't be able to use my left arm for two to three months because of Amaterasu. It has a corrosive nature than a normal fire jutsu."
"And the avian on your shoulder?" Minato-san asked raising an eyebrow.
"Oh! This is Yuta!" I said smiling widely. "He's a phoenix and a member of my flock just like Tohru. I met him during one of their bi-monthly competitions there. He has a really nice singing voice!"
"You must be fond of him."
She's fonder of Koushi and Shouyou out of all her flock members. Yuta said in a sulking tone. Well, you do have feelings for Koushi, so, you would be fonder of him.
I am not! I answered hotly.
On the contrary, you don't see what we do.
I felt my cheeks and ears burn at Yutas' comment, before looking at Minato-san who was smiling. I stayed for a while joining Minato-san for lunch and leaving a message to Tenten and Sasuke that I would be out of the village for the next four months. Sasuke, I know would be sad that I wouldn't be around, but I told him I would send him letters like we usually did.
Nothing changed with Obito as he remained in his slumber. There was nothing to do, but to wait and because of my injury I wasn't allowed to use my left arm or put too much strain to it.
The challenge while I was there was to spar with Koushi using only my right arm, sometimes Yuta would join in and even spar with Koushi. It could be useful when the time came that one of my arms get broken that I can't use both. I won't be able to form hand seals if my other arm is broken which lead me to using seals. Using a seal with one hand, just one of the many gambits I have.
I was by the beach of the island looking at the water before me and listening to the waves. It was peaceful and it felt like I was having a summer break while I sat there. I didn't always stay on that island. I would leave to head to the archives and then go to Nabi in the palace to ask him how I can extend the second level of sage mode. There are three stages to sage mode and I have yet to master the second level.
"Hey, Iruna, time for lunch." Yuta called. I turned in my spot as he remained under the shade of the trees. I jogged over to and walked with him back to the stone house.
Tohru was just exiting the house when we got to the table and chairs outside of the house with meat and vegetables on top waiting to be savoured.
"How's sleeping beast?" Yuta asked as he sat next to me.
"Still sleeping" Tohru answered.
I think it was Koushis' turn to keep watch on him, and they have been calling Obito as 'sleeping beast' for a while now.
Two months had passed, and Obito-nii had yet to wake up. That was worrying. It had taken me a month to wake up and yet he was still asleep. Even Tohru had no explanation only that it might take him longer to wake up. I don't know why, but somehow part of me wanted him to remain in sleep.
It was a peaceful day outside, there were some clouds above, and it wasn't going to rain anytime soon. It was warm, that I had to wear shorts instead of my usual knee length pants, not even a wind jutsu would lessen the heat. It wasn't scorching, but it did make me sweat. It would be nice to go out and swim, but it was my turn to watch Obito-nii.
Obito-niis' room in the stone house was on the second floor next to Koushis' and across the one Yuta uses. Most of the rooms in the house were of the same size, small but enough to have a single bed, a closet and a table in it except for the one Tohru used. He said he needed the space to make his medicinal concoctions, I can bet there was poison in there. He didn't allow anyone to enter his room.
The door to the room opened while I was seated by the table, well, at the moment I was using it as a desk. I was reading one of the many scrolls I borrowed from the archives. I couldn't bring the scroll out of the realm.
A wooden cup was placed under my nose blocking my sight of the characters on the scroll. I left the scroll on top of the table before I took the cup thanking Koushi for the beverage and with him asking about any changes with Obito-nii.
"Asleep like a hibernating bear" I replied as I took a sip, the drink tasted like mango, last time it was melon.
"You don't have to stay here, you know."
"I'm not much of a help out there either if I'm injured." I answered turning to the window as a breeze blew. "All I can do is make my seals or recreate my seals or make my research."
"There's still the masked man that approached him." Koushi said. "His offer was really tempting."
"Do you want a world like that?" I asked Koushi.
Tohru had told Koushi first about the masked man that had approached Obito-nii while I was on a mission. He only told me along with Yuta after the extraction.
"A world where everything happened the way I wanted?" Koushi looked surprised before he shook his head. "I would have my wings, but then I wouldn't have met you."
"That's true." I said chuckling. "If things happened the way we wanted, some events won't happen and what we want doesn't always help us grow to be better. Do you think I'm a better person, Koushi?"
"I know you are."
"I'm not, as you like to believe." I said tapping on the wooden cup I held before gazing out the window. "I said I would protect those important to me once I become stronger. I am stronger, but I found myself holding a blade and without a second thought brought it down wanting to end his life."
Koushi didn't reply and I didn't look at him afraid of what his eyes or face might contain.
A laugh bubbled out of me, but it was by no means out of humor.
"I'm just like those power hungry people. I would dispose of someone that wasn't of use, someone that's a burden. I believed he would get stronger after I left, but…after watching and fighting him—my own expectation only brought me sadness."
"Iruna" Koushi held my chin turning my head to face him, while brushing away the tear that fell from my eyes. "Your thoughts may have brought you astray, but you didn't—"
"You're wrong." I said turning away. "I was disappointed with Obito-nii as I fought him. I thought it would be better if he was gone when I pulled out my katana. He was easily swayed by emotions, too easy to manipulate. Anyone with a crafty mind could use him as their pawn. Madara showed up and was convincing him to join him!"
"Maybe you're not giving him enough credit, Iruna. He could surprise you."
I stared at Koushi his gray eyes were filled with warmth and understanding. Like they always did, never reflecting anger or hatred, they were just—how is it that he knew what to say to calm my mind or at least make me feel reassured?
"Princess, it's—am I interrupting something?" Tohrus' voice came from the doorway, and I realized then that Koushi or my face was too close to his. I don't know which, but—
"Ack!" I stumbled back as I stood up causing the chair to fall to the floor and the juice to fall on my clothes. I snapped to the scroll on the table and sighing in relief that it remained spotless.
"You were saying, Tohru?" I asked turning to the albino peacock once I found the scroll to be safe.
"Do you need some time to talk with Koushi alone?" He asked a teasing grin on his face.
Great. First the lovebirds, then Suzume, followed by Yuta and now him! The lists of people that tease me about Koushi just increases!
"Right now, I have to change my clothes and wash them before the color stains." I answered rolling the scroll back, giving the now empty cup to Koushi and bypassing Tohru by the doorway with my ears burning.
It was early in the morning the sun had yet to rise when I heard a crash and a loud bang downstairs. In a rush, I used my banishment seal to get to the first floor without running through the cramped hallway and stairs. I was in stance holding my kunai as I looked around the lounging and dining area. Chairs were on the floor while the dining table was broken with the table surface on the floor with Obito-nii lying on it unconscious while Tohru was checking his pulse.
"Tohru?" I asked snapping my fingers to return the kunai back to storage.
"He woke up and tried to slip away using his trick. He hasn't mastered it yet." Tohru answered. "You should place chakra restriction seals on him. Our attacks phasing through him is going to be annoying."
"Gotcha." I said walking over and placing six chakra restriction seals on him. Thank you, Minato-san for giving me that scroll about these seals. They're really useful at times like this. "Let's place him on the sofa. Do you want some tea?"
"Please." Tohru answered while he lifted Obito from the table.
While I had water boiling, I looked around the kitchen for tea leaves. I don't often use the kitchen. It was either Yuta or Koushi using this area of the house.
"Morning"
I glanced over my shoulder and found Koushi was by the doorway, like me he was still in his sleeping attire and his hair was sticking up making me giggle at his appearance.
"Morning, isn't it a bit early to make breakfast?" I asked as he grabbed the apron hanging on the wall.
"Might as well start since it is morning." He answered wearing the apron. "The tea leaves are in the wooden box over there." He pointed to the table at the left side of the kitchen. "The teapot is under the counter near that table along with the tea cups."
I said my thanks to Koushi before rinsing the teapot and the cups. Once I was done rinsing the cups and I dried them, and I on the last cup when it slipped from hands and dropped to the floor shattering into pieces.
"Sorry!" I said squatting to gather the large broken pieces on the floor and cutting myself with one of the pieces. I stared at my hand as a small drop of blood oozed out of the cut.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, at all.