Quarantine
Author's notes: *looks at last update time and sweatdrops* I'M SO SORRY! I kind of lost a lot of my motivation for writing in general in 2018 and wrote a quarter of what I normal do. I usually hit a million words in a year but last year hit about 250K. I haven't written a new word (besides this note) this year.
Not sure what happened to be honest but something made me come back to this website to check things out and I feel horrible for leaving this unfinished. I still don't know where it's going but I've got a few pre-written chapters finished from before last year's "writer's block" thing. I swear I'll get this done eventually.
Rated M for sexy scenes between characters, swearing, drinking, and gore.
Don't own, borrowing.
Warning: Implied Kankuro eating ice cream off Neji. Sakura and Sasuke figure out sex.
It had been odd not to see Kuma kicking at the posts when Neji arrived at field twenty-seven the next day. Tora had looked as disturbed as she threw shuriken, senbon, and kunai at targets on her pole. Akino had frowned when he arrived, glancing at the right pole as if this was some kind of dream he would wake up from.
Neji had said nothing and they ran laps. Yoga came next then strength training, meditation, and their individual training exercises. Neji had sparred with both until Kankuro arrived at ten and took Akino from him. Neji had begun tossing Tora around and she stumbled more times than she had on Friday. Lunch was called at noon and Neji sat at the middle post, frowning.
"Can we go see Kuma after training?" Tora asked.
"Of course," Neji replied.
"This is weird," Akino muttered.
Neji nodded in agreement. Lunch carried on in silence but Neji did not miss the glances Tora and Akino gave the spot Kuma normally sat at. Sakura came right on time and took Tora to a different area of the field, merely giving Neji a little smile. Neji met Akino's eyes as the boy looked between Neji and Kankuro.
"So?" Akino questioned.
"Do you want to work on lightning release?" Neji asked.
Akino thought about it. He shook his head. Kankuro smirked before sitting at the middle pole. Neji chuckled at Kankuro when Kankuro pulled a book out of his bag and relaxed. Neji guided Akino away from the poles and told him to show Neji the water release he could do.
Both Mouth Shot and Water Palm Blade were performed perfectly. Water Pillar Thrust failed. He practiced with Akino for an hour before getting Akino to spar with him. Neji could not help but be impressed when Akino used both Mouth Shot and Water Palm Blade during the spar. Neither hit Neji but the fact Akino had modified his taijustu to incorporate water release jutsu was good enough.
Neji called for a break at fifteen hundred hours and smiled at Akino who flopped onto the ground mumbling his word. The genin spread out on the grass and closed his eyes. The training field was littered with craters not from Akino alone but from Sakura as well. Tora looked to be on the verge of collapse and Sakura called for a break. Tora went to her knees, panting and Neji strode towards Sakura who smiled as she wiped her brow.
"I needed that," Sakura said.
"Oh?" Neji asked.
Sakura nodded and bent to grab her water bottle. She took a long sip before licking her lips and meeting Neji's eyes.
"Team of three came back from a mission and one was almost dead. There's also a flu bug going around so I've been dealing with blood, mucus, puke, fevers, coughs, and other fun stuff. It's been a busy morning," Sakura said.
"And that's why I'm not a med-nin," Kankuro added.
Sakura snorted at him. Neji looked to see Kankuro had gotten to his feet and was stretching his arms above his head. A hint of abs was visible and Neji stared at the bare flesh until Kankuro lowered his arms.
"Anyway, we can call it an early day to see if Kuma woke up if you want," Sakura said.
Neji inclined his head then motioned for Akino and Tora to come join them. Tora came quickly but Akino dragged his feet. Neji did not mind. They both perked up when they heard the plan and began gathering their gear.
The walk through the village was quiet. Neji raised his eyebrow when Sakura stopped them at the hospital doors. She gave them masks and had them disinfect their hands before stepping through the main doors. Neji understood why a moment later.
The front lobby was full of coughing civilians and shinobi alike. All of them had red-rimmed eyes and were sweating. Some were bundled under a blanket while others were fanning themselves with magazines. Some were rubbing foreheads to try to alleviate headaches while others had snot dripping from their noses.
"Uh, this isn't a pandemic yet?" Kankuro asked.
"It wasn't when I left," Sakura replied.
Neji could not tell if she was frowning but the way her eyebrows knitted together did not mean good things.
"You guys know where she is so go on ahead. Don't touch anything and if you need to, don't use your bare hands," Sakura told them.
She turned from their group and Neji spotted another red head.
"Karin, what's the status?"
She asked this as she walked away. Karin, the red-head med-nin who had joined Konoha when Sasuke reformed met Sakura's eyes. Neji noticed all the med-nin were wearing a mask and had gloves. He frowned behind his mask and led Tora and Akino towards the stairs.
Med-nin rushed back and forth around them but Neji kept his team and Kankuro close to the walls so they were out of the way. Neji continued to hear hacking coughs as they walked through the hallways up to the fourth floor. They slipped into room 415 a few moments later and Neji saw Kuma sitting up in bed.
She was rubbing both her eyes as if she had just woken up. A yawn split her face and she shook her head, blinking around the room bleary, confused. Neji was torn between smacking her, hugging her, and crying in relief. He settled on walking up to her.
She caught the movement and met his eyes with a smile. The smile faded when she saw them all wearing face masks. Neji took one from the drawer next to her bed and she put it on. He gritted his teeth then smacked her in the back of the head. Tora and Akino gasped. Kankuro said nothing but Kuma yelped and held the sore spot with both hands.
"OW! What was that for Neji-sensei?"
Neji tried not to think about how it turned out he was more like Guy than he thought. Neji crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at Kuma whose face went from pout to fear in less than a second.
"For almost killing yourself," Neji said.
Kuma blinked at him a few times. She rubbed the back of her head then placed both hands on her lap. She kept his gaze and Neji would commend her for this later. Right now he had a lecture to give.
"What were you thinking when you tried some kind of new move without anyone else there? You broke your neck in two places, cracked your skull, and completely depleted your chakra reserves! If your sister hadn't come to find you then run into me and if I didn't have Sakura with me you might have ended your career before it even started! You might have died before anyone found you from the bleeding in your brain! Don't ever do something like that again,"
Neji hugged her, pulling her tiny body close and blinked away the tears. She hugged him back, sniffling as she did and he breathed deeply to get his anger to subside. God, he had really turned out like Guy. At least he wasn't wearing green tights and talking about youth.
"I'm sorry Neji-sensei," Kuma said.
Her tears were damp on his shoulder and her little hands clung to the back of his vest with surprising strength. Neji rubbed her back and closed his eyes, holding her and glad she seemed to be okay.
"What were you doing anyway?" Neji asked.
Kuma sighed in his ear. She struggled back and he let her go, holding her arms in his and trying not to think about he could almost enclose her bicep completely in his hand. She met his eyes again.
"Trying to get the hand seals for Grand Fireball before I landed," Kuma replied. "I got to the last Tiger and the next thing I know I was hitting the ground. Then I woke up here."
Neji sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He straightened and ruffled her hair. She giggled. This wasn't over yet. Neji pulled the blankets up over her feet and she blinked.
"Wiggle the toes of your right foot," Neji said.
She did. Neji felt his heart rate slow from its pattering rate. He heard Tora and Akino let out breaths of relief.
"The left," Neji said.
She didn't. Neji blinked. He met her eyes and Kuma stared at her left foot in awe. She tried to move her toes again but nothing happened. Neji bit his lip and got her to try to move her legs to her chest. Her right leg went but the left didn't move an inch. Neji ran a hand through his hair again and let out a breath.
Kuma's eyes had started to tear up. Tora hugged her and Akino muttered his word, hands clenched in fists and shoulders tense. His eyes were damp as well and he was glaring at the ground. Kankuro laid a hand on Neji's shoulder and Neji looked to him.
"I'll go find Sakura," Kankuro said.
Neji nodded and sat on the edge of Kuma's bed, one hand on her back as she cried into Tora's shoulder. Akino joined them after a moment and sat beside Neji with his head down. Neji placed a hand on Akino's shoulder but kept his mouth shut.
There were too many thoughts going through his head to put word to any of them. If Kuma could never move her left leg again he was down a genin. Even if he gained a new genin it would be difficult to put the new genin into the team dynamics even so early in their team training. No one could replace Kuma.
"Everybody off the bed,"
Neji looked up when Sakura entered. She had donned a white lab coat and was removing gloves as she spoke. Neji pulled Akino up and he went easily. Tora took a bit of convincing and help from Kankuro. Sakura used the time to wash her hands and put on new gloves. She was beside Kuma a moment later and her hand went to the back of Kuma's neck. The other pinched her right leg.
"Ow," Kuma said.
"Good," Sakura said.
She pinched Kuma's left leg.
"Ow," Kuma said with tears in her eyes.
"Even better," Sakura said. "If you've got feeling it means the paralysis is temporary. It could last a few more minutes or a few days. I doubt it'll last into weeks since you do have feeling in your leg."
Kuma winced when Sakura pinched the big toe on her left foot. Kuma rubbed her wet eyes and Sakura patted her shoulder before getting to her feet. She grabbed Neji and Kankuro by the bicep and dragged them towards the middle of the room. Tora and Akino followed. Kuma blinked from her bed.
"Kuma, you're going to have to remain here until you can move your leg. Even if you get it back in the next few minutes, you'll have to stick around. We've got an epidemic going on and anyone admitted isn't leaving until they've been cleared. You wouldn't have been training or using your leg weights until Saturday anyway. Neji, Kankuro, Tora, Akino, you're all coming with me to get a shot and then I'll send you guys on your way for the day. You can come back tomorrow but you'll be asked to hose down and don hospital issue infection prevention suits. Let's go," Sakura said.
Neji could say nothing because of shock and was half way down the hallway before realizing they had not even gotten a chance to say good bye to Kuma. Sakura led them down the stairs at a brisk pace and soon they were in the lobby. He saw plastic had been put over the front doors and med-nins were suiting up in infection prevention suits.
To the right was a steel structure covered with plastic that led outside through a door. In front of the structure was a line of people wearing masks and gloves. A med-nin stood beside a desk with a row of needles. Once a person got a needled they were pushed into the plastic area. Neji heard instructions to strip and water began running.
"Holy crap," Kankuro muttered.
"Get in line," Sakura said. "You'll be given a needle and hosed down with clothes on and without clothes on. Your clothes will be put in a plastic bag and you'll be led through the plastic until getting to the door where you'll be given a package of clothing wrapped in plastic. There's a privacy area outside of the hospital doors where you can get dressed. Neji, can you tell Sasuke I won't be meeting him tonight?"
Neji nodded. Sakura pushed them towards the line and Neji fell into step beside Kankuro, Tora, and Akino. The line moved swiftly and soon Neji got stuck with a needle. He winced but was pushed through the plastic.
"Mask off and stand still," the med-nin said.
Neji took off the mask which the med-nin took with long tongs before dumping in a yellow bin marked "hazardous." Neji was soaked moments later but said nothing as every nook and cranny was sprayed down. Kankuro was being sprayed beside him and Neji was pushed down the structure and told to take off his clothes and put them in a plastic bag.
Neji did as he was told, shivering from the cold water and heard Akino yelp a bit further down. Neji undressed quickly before shoving all his clothing in the bag along with his hitai-ate, gloves, arm wraps, bandages and shoes. He put the bag on the floor in front of him when instructed and was sprayed down a second time.
Tora was being told to take her hair down. Neji trembled in the cool water and was told to pick up his bag and head towards the door. He did and noticed Kankuro following him with a stunned look on his face. Neji held his bag over his groin as he stepped out of the hospital door and into the sunny day.
There was in fact a privacy area in this section as well, a twenty by twenty area covered in plastic and made from steel supports. Neji went to a table where he was given a packet of clothing had had been sealed in plastic and told to move along. Neji moved along, stopping to grab a pair of sandals, also in plastic from a second med-nin.
"Don't open your bag of belongings for forty-eight hours and when you do put everything in the wash immediately. Anything that can be discarded should go back into the bag and brought back to the hospital to be burned.
"Clothing should be dried for an extra twenty minutes in the dryer and if you don't have access to a dryer then use the one marked at the following Laundromats. Do not touch anyone until you can return to your residence. Shower upon entrance in water as hot as you can stand for at least twenty minutes.
"Wrap the hospital issue clothing back in the plastic bag and bring it back to us. Leave your belonging bag in a closed area, bathroom vanity or under the bed. Any questions?"
Neji shook his head. The med-nin gave him a piece of paper with the instructions on it.
"If you feel lightheaded, start coughing, or start running a fever come to the hospital immediately,"
Neji nodded. He was told to get dressed and go. Neji left the table as Kankuro got the same run down. He glanced back to see Akino in line behind Kankuro, the bag of clothes over his groin. Tora stepped out of the door, the bag covering her groin and an arm across her chest. She was blushing profusely.
Neji noted he wasn't the only one in this area. There were other men and women in various stages of getting dressed or getting instructions. Neji huffed as he turned to face a plastic wall and put his bag of clothing down. He ripped into his hospital clothing bag first and pulled on the pants. They were a bit loose but Neji didn't think it mattered.
"Does this normally happen with epidemics?" Kankuro asked as he came to stand beside Neji.
"If it's determined the virus isn't a typical one: yes. This happened once before, I think I was two," Neji said.
"Huh," Kankuro said. "We don't get viruses in Suna."
Neji snorted.
"Too hot," Neji said.
Kankuro smirked then nodded. They dressed quickly and Akino joined them part way through. Neji picked up his bag of belongings and looked around. He spotted Tora standing away from the shoe and instruction table, lower lip trembling, bag of belongings held over her groin and bags of hospital clothing held over her chest. Her cheeks were deep red and she had tears running down them.
"Ah, I'm going to get Tora. I guess I won't be seeing you until after that hot twenty minute shower?" Neji asked.
Kankuro hummed but nodded.
"I'm going to teleport back. Akino, stay out of people's way till you get home, okay?" Kankuro asked.
Akino nodded, eyes wide, and mouth open in shock. Neji had the urge to pat his shoulder but he wasn't allowed to touch anyone. Kankuro left in a burst of smoke. Akino finished putting on his shoes and started walking mutely towards the exit. Neji went to Tora who hadn't moved.
"Tora, come on, over here," Neji said.
She jolted when he spoke to her and she nodded. Her long hair was plastered to her back and shoulders, drenched like his. Neji wanted to badly to grab her arm to lead her but it would mean both of them would have to go through the entire process again.
She followed him still trembling slightly and Neji stood behind her. He told her to get dressed when she didn't move. It took her a few moments to gather enough courage to drop her belongings bag and rip into the hospital issue clothing. When she had the pants and shirt on she let out a breath and turned to face him.
"You'll be okay," Neji told her.
She nodded but sniffled. She looked like she wanted to hug him but they couldn't. Tora pulled the shoes on her feet, picked up her bag and they left the area together. They both stopped a few feet from the exit of the barrier.
A barrier had been set up in front of the doors to the hospital, again made of steel and plastic. A med-nin stood in front of the plastic tarp leading in to tell people they either had to soak down and change or leave. The few people coming decided leaving was better.
"Woah, what's going on?"
Neji turned to the familiar voice to see Naruto and Sasuke staring at the scene in awe. Neji let out a breath.
"Tora, go home as quick as you can and take that shower, okay? Meet me at Kankuro's room at eighteen hundred hours. We'll all have dinner together," Neji said.
She nodded and took off. Naruto and Sasuke watched her go then came towards Neji. He held up a hand when they were within two yards. Naruto looked confused but Sasuke frowned.
"There is some kind of epidemic going on, no one knows what the virus is only that it seems to present like the flu so the med-nins are taking no chances. Sakura's in there and I don't know when she'll be leaving. I'm technically contaminated so don't come closer for all our sakes. I have to go home and have as hot of a shower as I can stand for twenty minutes and can't touch anyone. I'd suggest not going to visit anyone until this is cleared up," Neji told them.
Naruto's eyes went wider with every sentence. His shoulders had slumped and his mouth had dropped. Neji wanted to poke him in the forehead, knowing Naruto would fall back but didn't. Even Sasuke showed visible shock: eyes wide and lips parted. His entire body was tense and he looked towards the doors.
"Sakura will be fine, I'm sure," Neji said. "But it does mean you won't be seeing her tonight."
Naruto shook his head to clear it then frowned.
"What about Hinata? She was in there to volunteer today," Naruto said.
Neji inwardly cursed and scowled. Neji looked towards the entrance of the hospital but shook his head.
"Either she will stay to help where she can or she will be going through the same thing I went through to leave. We won't know until she leaves," Neji said.
Naruto pouted. Neji raised an eyebrow at him as Naruto met Neji's eyes. Neji blinked when Naruto rubbed the back of his head and started blushing.
"We were going to go on a date tonight," Naruto said.
Neji snorted. Of course Hinata-sama was stuck inside the hospital and not allowed to touch anyone until showering when she had a date with Naruto. Fate liked to mess with the Hyuuga clan in weird ways. Neji shook his head.
"It will have to wait. If you'll excuse me," Neji said.
Naruto and Sasuke nodded. Neji teleported into his room. He tossed the bag of belongings under his bed before going into the bathroom. Neji tucked all the hospital issue gear into both plastic bags before getting into the shower and turning on the water as hot as he could stand it. Neji gritted his teeth as he scrubbed then stood under the spray for twenty minutes.
Finally he stepped out and toweled off. He dressed quickly in his typical attire, glad he had foresight to have a few extra sets of gloves and arm wraps. He found his hitai-ate from when he was a genin and wrapped it around his left leg, tucking the straps under it when he was done. Neji grabbed the bag of hospital issue clothes and teleported back to the hospital.
The med-nin at the front door took his bag and gave him hand sanitizer. Neji sanitized his hands in front of the man before teleporting back to the compound. He blinked then scowled. Normally he would tell Hiashi-sama about this but Hiashi-sama was not due back until Sunday or Monday. He could tell the Elders. It was the best he could do.
Wednesday came but Sakura had not come for Tora. Neji had swung by the hospital every day but the situation did not change. He had also taken some time to finish paying Ibiki as he did owe the man.
Hinata-sama had returned to the compound a few hours after Neji but she knew no more than him. Tonight they would be getting their belongings washed together and dried.
Konoha was in a panic. Kakashi had taken over as Interim Hokage and was fielding questions from ANBU, the Fire Lord, shinobi, and various other high authorities without help from Shizune or Sakura who were in the hospital. He did get reports delivered to him at the end of the day from a teleportation jutsu.
The news had all been good so far. The med-nin had found patient zero and cured them. No lives had been lost. They knew what the disease was and were on the way to cure it. Even good news left the Villagers on edge.
Six jonin had been complaining of symptoms when the outbreak happened. Kurenai and her daughter had been among the group. Genma and Raidou were two others. Anko, Ebisu, and two others Neji did not know by name made up the jonin. Konohamaru and Choji had been among the people Neji knew of who had symptoms.
Neji had no idea how Kuma was doing as no one received specific reports on a loved one unless they had been in critical condition during the outbreak or were affected by the disease. It left Neji, Akino, Tora, and Kankuro on edge.
"This sucks," Akino said.
Neji ruffled Akino's hair but the genin took it. They were at Ichiraku Ramen, twenty minutes after their training session and waiting on their orders. Tora sat to Neji's other side and Kankuro had begrudgingly taken the stool beside Akino. Naruto sat beside Kankuro with Kiba beside him.
"Sakura hasn't come out at all," Naruto said.
He was poking at the ramen in his first bowl. It was so un-Naruto like Neji wondered if they had fallen into some alternate dimension.
"Ino went in Monday night and hasn't come out either," Kiba mentioned.
"Kakashi-sama wrote a note to Tsunade-same but hasn't heard back yet," Neji added.
Teuchi shook his head but delivered ramen to Neji, Tora, Kankuro, and Akino with Ayame's help.
"Something like this hasn't happened in eighteen years," Teuchi said.
They all looked to the man and Neji waited while Teuchi frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.
"That outbreak killed dozens before it was contained. Thank gods we have Sakura and Shizune with us this time," Teuchi said.
"Really, dozens?" Naruto asked with wide eyes.
Teuchi nodded.
"Final count was fifty-four: eight jonin, ten chunin, and fifteen genin, the rest civilians. The streets were dead when it struck because no one wanted to leave their homes for fear of contamination. Those were dark days. It's not so bad this time around because we know it's contained to the hospital. Mind you, everyone's been extra careful about getting hurt," Teuchi said.
"And they've suspended any away mission since we can't go in for physicals," Kiba added.
"Every mission from D to S rank was suspended the last time for three months," Teuchi said. "Put Konoha in an economic spiral for years."
Neji could not imagine the strife. He hadn't even seen it since he had been too young. He had also been part of the Hyuuga clan which always had a contingency plan for any kind of emergency. He would not have felt it anyway. In fact, he might have thought it a good thing because it would have meant more time with his father. Teuchi shook his head and smiled.
"But it'll be okay. Sakura and Shizune will fix this up quick and Tsunade-sama will be back soon to help," Teuchi said.
Neji kept his flush down as he was the reason Tsunade-sama wasn't here in the first place. He saw Kankuro bow his head and poke at his ramen. The rest of the meal went by quietly and Neji walked Tora then Akino home. He and Kankuro walked hand and hand down the streets and Neji noticed there were fewer villagers out than normal.
The streets were not completely dead but there should be at least double the amount of people out at this time of night. The disease had done more damage than Teuchi had thought. At least no word had come of anyone dying yet.
"Of all the times I pick for an extended stay in Konoha," Kankuro said.
Neji smirked at him as they headed to Kankuro's hotel room. They didn't speak, even when they entered the sitting room. Kankuro pulled Neji toward the couch and Neji went willingly. Neji smiled as he ended up in Kankuro's lap, leaning into the neck of his puppet master as Kankuro massaged his back.
"You might as well move in with me here," Kankuro said with a laugh.
Neji shifted to look into Kankuro's eyes. Neji felt his heart rate increase. Move in with Kankuro?
Neji flushed when he thought about the mornings (and nights) he spent with Kankuro doing simple tasks. He considered how nice it felt to be held at night and how much he would miss it when Kankuro left. Kankuro raised his eyebrows. Neji knew he was taking too long to answer.
"Not here," Neji said.
Kankuro frowned. Neji kissed him lightly on the mouth and he blinked. Neji smiled.
"In a place we can our own," Neji said.
Kankuro grinned then kissed him deeply. Yes. A place they could call their own. It would be perfect.
Sakura did not come for Tora on Friday but this was because Sakura had left the hospital to catch up on much needed rest. They were no longer under such a serious epidemic threat. Visitors did not have to be hosed down upon entering and leaving the hospital but masks were still worn and hand sanitizer still used.
Neji knew his team would be distracted with the news so after lunch they made the trek to the hospital, Kankuro holding Neji's hand as they went. It took them little time to grab masks and sanitize their hands. They were in room 415 within moments and Neji stared.
Kuma was out of bed and doing handstand push-ups. Neji let out a little breath before striding into the room (without Kankuro) and kicking Kuma's hands out from under her. She yelped but immediately tried to correct. Neji caught her and tossed her onto the bed before smacking her in the back of the head again.
"When someone tells you no training until Saturday they mean it!"
Kuma pouted at him then made to kick him in the waist with her left leg. Neji blocked the kick and raised his eyebrow at her. She grinned. Neji snorted and put her left leg back on the bed. Instantly she got to her feet on the bed and began jumping on it.
"Look! I can use my leg again," Kuma said.
Neji sighed and rubbed his forehead. He knocked her down and she landed in bed with a giggle. He managed to keep the smile off his face but she hugged him and Neji gave in. Tora joined a moment later as did Akino. Neji chuckled when Kankuro got in behind him and hugged the group.
They came apart after a few minutes but Kankuro did not move from his position at Neji's back. In fact, Kankuro rested his head on Neji's shoulder and wrapped his arms around Neji's waist. Akino rolled his eyes and muttered his word while the girls blushed and giggled. Kuma jumped to her feet again.
"So I can leave tomorrow?" Kuma asked.
"If Sakura allows it, yes," Neji said.
Kuma started shifting on her feet, going up on the balls then the heels in a smooth almost rolling motion. Her grin hadn't faded.
"But I can start training tomorrow?" Kuma questioned.
"Yes, but not elemental release while you are in the hospital," Neji told her.
Kuma pouted. Neji shook his head at her as she continued rolling on her feet, hands clasped behind her back. Neji would give Guy some kind of medal for putting up with Lee but Guy was as bad. Neji could still give a medal to Kakashi for Naruto though.
"I'm bored," Kuma said.
He didn't doubt it.
"Why don't you read?" Tora asked.
Kuma rolled her eyes as she began jumping softly on the bed, not going for any height but simply bouncing.
"Reading's boring," Kuma answered.
Neji kept his laugh back at Tora's abashed look. Kankuro chuckled.
"Then sleep," Akino said.
"I'm not tired," Kuma told him.
She started to bound higher. Neji raised an eyebrow at her and she pouted before lessening the propulsion of her jumps.
"You can meditate," Neji suggested.
Kuma opened her mouth to protest.
"It is technically training," Neji said.
Kuma blinked then nodded. She did not fall into a lotus position but kept bouncing on the bed.
"I can do that later when you guys aren't here. Can we go for a walk Neji-sensei?" Kuma questioned.
Neji supposed a walk would do no harm. He nodded. Kuma hopped off the bed, landing on the toes of her left foot and began skipping towards the door. Neji stopped her and put a mask on her face before making her sanitize her hands. Kuma accepted the treatment then tucked her feet into house slippers that looked like they had come from home.
Kuma left the room but Neji wouldn't call it skipping. She shifted gracefully from the toes of one foot to the toes of the other almost like grand jete. Neji realized she gained a lot of speed by doing this and had to jog to catch up to her.
"Walking Kuma, not whatever it is you're doing," Neji said.
She pouted and they waited for the others to catch up. Kankuro shook his head at her when he got close enough and she tried to stick her tongue out at him. It didn't work and Neji was glad the mask hid his smirk. They started walking again but Neji noticed Kuma kept to her toes, stretching out her legs in full when she went to take the next step.
"Can't you walk normal?" Akino asked.
Kuma shook her bushy hair.
"I've been bored for almost a week so no," Kuma said.
Neji rolled his eyes but kept walking down the hallway. They came to a set of stairs leading down so took them to the first floor. Neji led them into the cafeteria area which led into an outside park. He had grab Kuma's shoulder to stop her from running into the park and she sulked.
Akino found an empty bench and sat. Neji settled beside him and Kankuro took the remaining space. Tora settled on the ground but Kuma kept walking back and forth in her odd steps and soon fell into doing cartwheels.
"Kuma," Neji warned.
"This isn't training," Kuma said as she came up. "I've done cartwheels all my life. Ask Tora and Akino, I used to do them all the time in the halls."
Neji looked to both who nodded.
"She did front and back-flips too," Tora added.
Neji sighed but continued watching Kuma cartwheel over the grass. She added in front and back flips within moments then started walking on her hands. She flipped back onto her feet before Neji could yell at her then kept moving in cartwheels. Neji shook his head and watched as she kept moving back and forth in front of them using cartwheels, front flips, back flips, jumping handstands, and a few jack knife kicks for fun.
"Man, just watching her makes me tired," Akino muttered.
"Yep," Kankuro said.
Neji chuckled as Kuma kept going. He had a feeling it had become training a few minutes ago but he didn't stop her. He was happy to know she hadn't terrified herself out of doing any kinds of leaps because of her fall. He blinked when she launched into the air and kicked. She landed on her feet and started spinning on one hand effortlessly.
"Kuma, no training," Neji called out.
She got back to her feet and moped. Seconds later she was doing cartwheels again. Neji snorted as she kept moving.
"Well at least she's get some energy out of her system," Kankuro said.
"Are you kidding me?" Akino asked. "She still has energy after a full training system."
"Enough she goes back later and trains on her own," Neji said.
"Right," Kankuro mumbled.
"She trains on her own?" Tora questioned.
Her eyes had gone wide and her lips had parted. Neji nodded.
"She feels she has to work harder than the two of you because she was dead last in the Academy," Neji said.
Akino said his word and yawned.
"No wonder she improves so quick," Akino said.
"Yeah," Tora said softly.
Neji grinned at his students as Kuma continued to move through the grass using cartwheels, front and back flips, jack knife kicks, and now the grand jete. He had a feeling Kuma had been in gymnastics and dance before entering the Academy. No one could move as effortlessly as she did naturally.
Neji watched her move. Akino had closed his eyes, leaning back in the bench so he was dangerously close to falling off. Kankuro wrapped an arm around Neji's shoulders, pulling him in for a close side-ways hug. Tora watched Kuma with a little frown on her face as Kuma continued to flip and weave through the air.
"Jeez, she's worse than Lee-san,"
Neji looked back to see Shizune had joined them. Shizune had her arms crossed over her chest and narrowed eyes over her mask. She also had bags under her eyes but Neji had a feeling she would not leave to get rest until Sakura came back.
"It's not training apparently," Neji said. "She cartwheels and has been for years. As well as front flips, back flips, and, damn it! Kuma, no spinning hand stands!"
Kuma flipped back onto her feet then front flipped, landed on her feet then did a one-handed cartwheel. Neji sighed and shook his head. Kuma kept moving and Neji knew she had a grin on her face.
"Yeah, well, at least she's working off all that pent up energy. Getting that girl to sit still for more than twenty minutes is a job on its own," Shizune said.
"Neji-sensei always makes sure she's eating or meditating when she's sitting," Tora said.
Shizune laughed. Neji smirked.
"We can't keep shoving food down her throat though and I know she won't like the idea of meditating for longer than thirty minutes," Shizune said.
"And she thinks reading is boring," Tora added.
Neji chuckled. Kankuro coughed to hide his laugh. Akino snorted.
"Of course she does. Maybe she can read comics?" Shizune questioned.
Neji hadn't thought about comics. Normally when Lee was in the hospital he behaved because he knew he needed to rehabilitate. When he did start getting antsy, Guy told him it was training in patience to stay still. Neji had a feeling it wouldn't work with Kuma.
"That's an idea. I know some comics she might be interested in," Kankuro said.
"Oh yeah?" Neji asked.
Kankuro nodded, looking happy about being able to buy comics. Neji had no idea Kankuro read comics.
"Yeah! Lots of action adventure types. She'd love action ones," Kankuro said.
"Uh-huh," Neji said.
Shizune chuckled. Kuma started doing handstand push-ups until Shizune yelled at her. Kuma flipped onto her feet then did a jack knife kick followed closely by a second and third. She flipped onto her hands again, walked for a bit then got back onto her feet to grand jete away.
"I've never seen anyone move like her," Shizune said.
"Me neither," Kankuro added.
Neji had seen dancers move similar but not like Kuma. She had a weird mix of gymnastic moves, ballet forms, and martial arts kicks going on. No one would be able to replicate her way of fighting unless they could learn to move like her. It would take a lot.
Shizune left them after a few minutes with a shake of her head. Neji let Kuma move around the field until fifteen hundred hours. She performed cartwheels to get to him and he mused her hair. She had broken a sweat but wasn't taking the deep gasping breaths any normal person would be taking.
"Hey, pipsqueak, do you like comics?" Kankuro asked.
Kuma's eyes lit up and she jumped up and down while shouting yes. This woke up Akino who muttered his word then got to his feet.
"Chill, jeez," Kankuro said to Kuma.
"Let's get you back inside," Neji said.
"Aw, do I have to?" Kuma questioned.
If she wasn't wearing a mask then Neji would see her lower lip trembling. Neji chuckled but nodded. She sagged, bowed her head but followed at a human pace. This lasted all of two minutes. Then she stood straight and began prancing away on her toes.
"They have got to stop giving her energy drinks for breakfast," Akino said.
Neji smirked as Kankuro laughed and Tora giggled. Kuma kept moving away then stopping so they could catch up then moved away again. They got back to her room to see her mother re-arranging the bed while Sako set up new flowers.
"Hi mom! Hi Sako," Kuma said.
She danced into the run and hugged her mother from behind. Kuma's mother chuckled and patted her on the head. Neji was stunned to see her hands had regained as much mobility as they had. They were no long stuck in a half-fist with dark brown flesh covering bones. Her skin tone was darker at her hands than the rest of her but she could move them, abet slowly but she had function.
Kuma hugged her sister next then jumped into bed. Her mother rolled her eyes before turning to Neji while Sako scolded her older sister. Kuma plugged her ears and sung to pretend not to listen to Sako.
"Neji-sama," Kuma's mother said.
The 'sama' at the end of his name was foreign but Neji inclined his head. He saw Kuma's mother had clasped her hands in front of her waist demurely and had them somewhat hidden by the long shirt she wore over the black ankle-length skirt.
"Thank you so much for what you've done for our family. I don't know how to repay you but I want to start by inviting you to dinner tomorrow night," she said.
"Ah, that is not needed," Neji said.
She smiled at him and Neji saw Kuma in the smile. Damn the family for looking identical.
"I insist, please, it is the least I can do," Kuma's mother said.
Neji frowned but nodded. Kuma's mother smiled and bowed slightly to him. Neji felt embarrassed by the display and was glad his mask covered up the heat in his cheeks.
"Thank you," Kuma's mother said. "Come for 4:30, ah, half passed sixteen hundred hours. You only have to bring yourself and your man."
Neji licked his dry lips and hoped he wasn't blushing hard enough to show through the mask. He nodded while Kankuro chuckled. Again she bowed and Neji thanked her. They said good-bye to the family and Neji promised he and Kankuro would be at the Takenaka residence at the proper time. They left Kuma's room and Neji let out a breath.
"Awkward," Kankuro said.
"I hadn't noticed," Neji said.
Kankuro laughed. Tora had her head bowed and eyebrows wrinkled in her deep thinking expression. Akino strode forward completely unperturbed. Neji wished he had the boy's relaxed attitude.
They ditched the masks at the front of the hospital, sanitized their hands and said their parting sentiments. Neji reminded Tora and Akino they would be meeting for oh-nine hundred and Tora smiled before walking off with a wave. Akino grunted as he walked away.
"So, you gotta go to Sakura's tonight?" Kankuro asked.
Neji blinked then shrugged.
"I've no idea. I am going to check though and if not then I'll come to yours," Neji said.
"Good plan," Kankuro said with a laugh. "But till then, let's go to a comic store."
Neji chuckled but leaned against Kankuro when the man pulled him close. They strode through the streets easily and Neji felt lost once he entered the comic book store. It wasn't arranged like a book store. Everything was in elevated white boxes and there were posters covering the wall of movies Neji had never heard of.
He followed along beside Kankuro as the puppet master went to the elevated area. Neji spotted hundreds of thin books lined up in the boxes, separated by white dividers with names on them and arranged alphabetically. Neji did raise his eyebrow when Kankuro let him go and kept grinning at the boxes.
"Oh she'll love this one," Kankuro said.
Neji took the stack of comics Kankuro had unearthed and blinked at them. The cover showed a leanly muscled girl, around Kuma's age, kicking the butt of an odd looking man. The name of the comic was "Adventures of Kick Girl." Neji grinned. Kuma would definitely love this one. They toured the store for a bit until buying all ten issues of the Kick Girl comics. The teen at the counter nodded at their purchase as he rung them through.
"One of you must have a little sister at home," the teen said.
"Actually they're for his genin student," Kankuro said.
The teen blinked then took a better look at Neji. He noticed the curse seal than Neji's white eyes and gulped.
"Ah, right," the teen said.
"She's probably a lot like Kick Girl," Kankuro said.
The teen nodded and Neji bit his tongue to keep from laughing. Neji paid for the comics and they left the store hand in hand to the teen stuttering out a good-bye. Kankuro took the bag from Neji and Neji raised an eyebrow at him.
"I'll give them to her tomorrow while you work with Tora and Akino till lunch," Kankuro said. "Even if she gets released tomorrow at least she'll be occupied at night now."
Neji inclined his head then realized he had half an hour to grab night clothes and buy ice cream. Neji gave Kankuro a quick kiss on the cheek.
"I have to go see if I'm meeting with Sakura," Neji said.
Kankuro returned the kiss but placed it on his lips. Neji snickered at him but accepted the closed mouth kiss. They parted and Neji took off.
Neji hated being late. He showed up at Sakura's home ten minutes later than normal carrying a tub of Chocolate Fudge ice cream and a bag with his belongings in. The scowl on his face was not pretty and Neji mentally prepared for being yelled at.
The house looked quiet and Neji took a breath before knocking. No movement. Neji knocked again and wondered if it would be rude to use Byakugan to see if Sakura was sleeping. The sound of footfalls didn't come and Neji sighed.
He shifted his bag on his shoulder and ran a hand through his hair. He could knock harder but didn't want to be the one to wake up Sakura if she was in fact napping. Neji activated Byakugan and checked out the place. It did not take him long and Neji gaped, entire face heating as he stumbled back from the door. As if taking half a step back would stop him from seeing what was happening.
Sasuke was in Sakura's bed with her. She was on her back and Sasuke atop her, her legs wrapped around his waist, her hands trailing up and down his back. Sasuke moved quickly but smoothly, eyes closed and breath coming out in pants. Neji de-activated Byakugan and shook his head.
No wonder Sakura hadn't heard him knocking. She was occupied with other things. Neji ran a hand through his hair again and let out a breath. He had no idea if he should wait until the two were finished or if he should go to Kankuro's hotel room.
Neji stood in front of the door for a few minutes. He activated Byakugan again and let out a breath. They had finished. Sasuke had stayed on top but leaned slightly to one side so he wasn't crushing Sakura. Both were still catching their breath. Neji knocked, loudly this time.
He saw them both jolt and Sasuke scowled. Neji de-activated Byakugan and waited until a count of twenty. He knocked again. He should have left. Then he might have been able to eat ice cream off Kankarou's...
"You again,"
Neji stared at Sasuke who had a glare in place and his pants on. His hair was a mess, there was a hickey on his collar bone, his cheeks were still pink, and he was damp with sweat. Neji heard Sakura curse from down the hallway but didn't activate the Byakugan.
"Well it is Friday night," Neji said. "I am about twenty minutes late as well."
Sasuke did not need to know Neji had been standing out here for half that time. Hell, Sakura wouldn't ever know Neji had been standing out here for so long. Sakura came into sight wearing a backwards and inside out tee shirt and a pair of shorts. Her fingers were running through her hair to straighten it and her entire face matched her hair.
"Neji, hey, um," Sakura said.
"Hello," Neji greeted.
Sakura turned pinker. Sasuke glowered. Neji stood in his place outside the house and waited. He raised an eyebrow when Sasuke slammed the door in his face. Neji listened as Sakura yelled at the Uchiha then the door opened.
Sasuke had been shoved out of sight but Sakura didn't move away from the door to let him in. Neji stared at her. She cleared her throat.
"Um, can we do this tomorrow night?" Sakura asked.
Neji let out a little breath but put a smile on his face.
"Kuma's mother is having Kankarou and me over for dinner, so no. I mean, unless you do not mind me coming much later than normal," Neji replied.
Sakura thought about it for a moment then nodded. She grinned.
"Okay, that works. I mean we could do it Sunday but then we'd be exhausted come Monday morning. Well, get here when you get here, okay?" Sakura questioned.
"Done, have a good night," Neji said.
"You too,"
"And Sakura?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't scratch up his back too much, hm?"
Neji smirked when she went beat red. He leaped away before she could fully process his statement but he did hear her yell. Neji chuckled to himself as he headed towards Kankuro's hotel room.
Neji nodded to the man at the desk when he got there and headed up. He knocked on Kankuro's door no response came. Neji rolled his eyes, waited a few beats and knocked again. No response. Neji blinked then activated his Byakugan. It took him a few seconds to realize Kankuro was not in the room.
"The Hell?" Neji muttered.
Kankuro knew Neji might be coming straight here from Sakura's. He should be here. Neji frowned and expanded his vision. Kankuro had to be in the area. Neji didn't spot him. He sighed.
Great. He had a tub of melting ice cream in a plastic bag, his normal sleep-over partner was making out with her ass of a boyfriend, and his boyfriend was nowhere to be found. Neji ran his free hand through his hair. He de-activated Byakugan and looked at the melting ice cream container in his bag. No point in letting it go to waste.
Neji sat on the floor in front of Kankuro's hotel room and opened the box of ice cream. He dug around in his bag until coming up with his plastic water bottle then unscrewed the cap. It wasn't a spoon but it would do. Besides, Kankuro would be back soon.
Neji drew his feet up so his knees faced the ceiling as he ate his ice cream. He got a quarter of the tub down and frowned. Kankuro wasn't back yet. Neji licked the bottle cap then his lips and activated Byakugan. Kankuro was heading up the stairs.
There was a hand print on one side of his face and he had a bag full of takeout in one hand. His eyes were narrowed and he had a frown on his face. Neji de-activated Byakugan when Kankuro got up to the proper floor. They met eyes. Kankuro sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"I knew I should've come back here first," Kankuro said.
"What happened?" Neji asked as he stood.
"Went to Sakura's to look for you. She didn't answer so I went in through her window. She and Sasuke were fucking. Yeah," Kankuro said.
He pointed to his cheek. Neji pursed his lips to keep from laughing and kissed Kankuro on his uninjured cheek. Kankuro huffed.
"You can eat ice cream off me if you like," Neji said.
Kankuro grinned. Neji chuckled as Kankuro unlocked the door then kicked it open, throwing Neji over a shoulder as he went. They were going to have a fun night.
"Done!"
Isn't Kuma just a firecracker? The Adventures of Kick Girl is something I made up so don't go looking for it. Haha, Neji telling Sakura to not scratch up Sasuke's back too bad. Hypocrite. ;)
Reviews welcome. I won't completely abandon a story ever but I don't know when this will ever end. Let's just assume it'll go on forever.