Butterflies

"Me? I'm nobody. I'm not skilled like Uchiha-san. I am not passionate like Haruno-san. I am not smart like Nara-san. I'm not as strong as Chouji-san. I'm not as collected as Aburame-san. Or as pretty as Yamanaka-san. I'm not as confident as Inuzuka-san. If anything, I'm like Hyuuga-san, socially awkward. Oh wait, no, she's just shy. The socially awkward one is me." OC! Team 7 remix!

Chapter 35 – Let it go

8-8

Sigh (annoyed). Bite. Chew, chew, chew. Swallow. Sigh contently.

Killing is easier than dealing with this. In fact, being bathed in someone else's blood is easier to deal with than this. And that includes having to wash it out of my hair afterwards!

The bloating is annoying, but I can deal with it. And, looking back, I think it was actually worse yesterday, but I was too busy dealing with Yasu-nee's birthday and getting everything ready to pay too much attention – I wrote it off as nerves, or something.

But now… now I get to deal with some REALLY fun stuff. Like Fox-nii sniffing the air as I walk into the living room (they don't have a visitors' sitting room, so I was told this is just the living room'). He tenses, his head snapping to me. I can tell, even through the mask that he's shocked and worried and scared and really, really embarrassed for me. I don't know what he understands of it, but… I can tell he isn't completely clueless.

I've smelled blood of all types and situations. And this… thing I'm going through smells unique among them. This isn't the smell of old blood, or new blood. Yes, blood is most definitely in there, but there's so many other smells –each more gross than the last– mixed into this Molotov cocktail that I'm not really sure what to think about it. And what's worse, the smell seems to be stuck in my nose, so I constantly fear that EVERYONE smells it!

To be fair… of my team, only Hawk won't smell it.

"You okay, Wolf?" Fox-nii asks. I sigh (annoyed). Take another bite of my chocolate bar. Chew and swallow. Letting that be my only response. "Come here." He demands. I don't fight it, letting him wrap me in a nice, warm hug. I still take another bite of chocolate though. There's just something about chocolate that seems to dull the worst of this crap.

"Oi, oi! Say, are you two an item, or something?" I ignore that. "Aw come on, it's not like I'd hold it against you! I'm just trying to understand!"

I push Fox-nii away from me, studying those I find myself surrounded by. The speaker happens to be the boy that was without a major scratch; tall, gorgeous, long, black hair kept in a bun with two locks framing his very girly face. He's also wearing a guy's kimono and a very, VERY annoyed frown. He probably thinks we don't trust him or something.

Next is the Konoha genin kunoichi. She's slightly shorter than the boy, red, shoulder length hair that seems straight and well kept in some parts and wild and unruly in other parts. Her violet eyes scream anger and bloodlust for some reason. She's wearing Uzumaki blue clothes, with an Uzumaki swirl on her lower back. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what clan she hails from.

The last genin, the nine year old boy. He's shorter than I am, almost a head and a half shorter. He has short, red hair, but it's completely wild and untamed. His violet eyes are soft, gentle, his body language very Hinata-like. His clothes are all Uzumaki red, with the Uzumaki swirl between his shoulder blades. Hmm. Two Uzumakis. I can guess why those Cloud idiots attacked.

The Konoha chuunin is a woman in her early twenties. Pale blonde hair, long, kept in a ponytail. Pale blue eyes with a distinct black band around it. Very pretty, even though she's obviously still recovering. She's a Yamanaka, I can tell just by looking at her. Her clothes are a mess though. The purples and blues are cut up pretty badly. She'll need new clothes or she'll never be able to travel.

"Yuki-san… they're brother and sister, more or less." Yuki? The tall Konoha brunet is a Yuki? Or is it just his given name?

"Really? One of them is a girl? Hmm, I'd have to say it's Wolf-san then seeing as Fox-san is the one being all protective and stuff." The pretty boy announces, wondering why I'm staring at him so intensely. "Something the matter?"

"Hnn!" I shake my head, annoyed. "Sorry if I'm not feminine enough for your tastes." I grind out.

"Hey, hey, I'm not saying that. I just can't see anything that defines you one way or the other, that's all. Besides, most people take me for a girl anyway. It's not something I see as an insult either. Girls are awesome!" He says, seemingly meaning it.

"Yuki? As in, Yuki clan from Mist with ice release, Yuki?" I ask, trying to change the subject.

"Yes, Wolf. I've talked to them already. Privately." Fox-nii says. Good. Good. Then I can just leave this mess alone before I chew someone's head off.

"Wolf. Please check Yamanaka-san, then get some rest." Captain orders. I nod, liking the idea.

8-8

Dinnertime roles around, so Fox-nii wakes me up, calling me to the table. As I sit down, I'm immediately crowded by the redhead girl and the Yuki boy. I don't smile, but they wouldn't even notice anyway.

"Hey, hey! I'm Uzumaki Minori. This is Yuki Aomaru." The redhead says, bubbly as Ino ever was. I sigh mutely.

"You shouldn't crowd her. She's called 'wolf' for a reason." Hawk warns. The two of them shrug, but don't back off.

"You're a girl." Yuki-san states the obvious. I thought we already went over this? "But you're our age and already in Anbu. That's soo cool!"

"And a medic too! I mean, how much cooler could you possibly be!" Uzumaki-san enthuses. I groan, getting a wince out of her. "Oh… sorry. Forgot." She reaches into one of her pouches. "Here. I know how horrible it can be to… deal with this on a mission." I'm handed a bar of chocolate.

"Minori-san. I like you already." I say, taking the chocolate, tilting my mask up slightly, and happily munching away. Chocolate-danna, you always treat me right, don't you.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Yuki-san, asking me if you can ask me something is stupid. You already did! "Are any of the guys on your team… that way?"

I shrug, knowing he means to ask if they're batting for the same team. "Sorry, no." I say, munching on some more chocolate. "Although, I can't swear for Captain. He's…"

"Very much into girls. Thanks." Captain finishes for me. I shrug, taking another bite and loving the chocolate that found me.

"Well, you're still a lucky girl. Being on a team with some cuties." Yuki-san winks at me. That trips Captain up. "I mean, just look at the those well defined gluteus maximus!" He says, talking about their butts. Hawk trips over his own two feet, but catches himself so he doesn't fall. I giggle at his expense.

"I wouldn't know." I hear the smile in my tone, so I know he'll pick up on it too. "Just don't flirt with Fox. He's spoken for." I tease, biting my lip to not laugh at the annoyed glares from Hawk and Captain. I love how I know them well enough to know they're glaring just from the tension in their necks and shoulders.

"Ooh! Mystery and intrigue. I think I'm going to love hanging with you, Wolf-chan." Yuki-san says, lightly nudging me with his shoulder. "And please, call me Ao-chan. Everyone does."

8-8

After dinner, I'm wide awake, so I don't bother trying to go back to sleep. I'll just end up messing with my internal clock that way. I'm not feeling very… social, but I'm not running from the group either.

"Oi, Haruki-kun. Stop being like that and go introduce yourself to Wolf." Fox-nii demands, but the last boy of their team doesn't look very pleased with that idea. He rubs his bicep nervously, eyeing me and immediately looking away when he notices me eyeing him as well.

"Hey." I say, waving him over. He, looks down and away, but meekly shuffles to me anyway. I hug him, not minding that he's stiff as a board in my arms. "Is your arm feeling better?"

"N-nn." He nods. It takes almost a minute before I feel him slowly wrap his arms around my middle. He relaxes in my arms. "Th-thank you." He says.

"Nn." I like hugging him. He's cuddly. And this hug is really helping me feel less… bleh?

"Wolf. How long before Yamanaka-san is fit to travel?" Captain asks.

"A few days at least. We could strap her into a stretcher and transport her. Might be smarter too considering ventilation issues she's having." I say, not letting the little boy out of my hug.

"We'll do that. We leave at dawn. Wolf is the best rested, so Hawk, Fox, we're going to sleep. Wolf, wake one of us when you need to rest." No timeframe? No rotation? And I get to wake whoever I want? Interesting.

The others head off to bed, I can bet they're tired from not sleeping at all last night or during the day.

8-8

"Yamanaka-san?" I nudge the woman. Her vital signs are improving, the colour's slowly returning to her features, but she's just as tired and worn out as she was this morning. I can't blame her, really. Her body is trying to recover from physical trauma.

"Wolf-san. Is it already that time?" She sounds worn out, but she sounds much better than before. I nod, unbuttoning her shirt and moving it out of the way so I can check her wounds. Yes, they've all closed, but new skin isn't as thick so they reopen at the littlest thing. Add to that the risk of infections, the weakened immune system from have to work in overdrive, and all the vital nutrients she'd lost from nearly bleeding out? I have to be super careful to keep her in good health.

Her belly and chest are riddled with bright pink slits of new skin. None of it shows any signs of her condition worsening, so I'm really happy with that. I take out my scroll and unseal a balm meant to aid her body in recovering at this stage – one part antibacterial, one part moisturiser to help stimulate the new skin, one part beauty cream to help her build back the beauty she deserves to get back. Sure, scars are badges of honour, but that doesn't mean we want to collect them!

I carefully rub the balm into her skin, hating that the scent overwhelms my senses. She whimpers pitifully – the balm helps, but new skin can be REALLY sensitive! "Sorry." I say, meaning it.

"Don't be." She says. "My team might have died without you." She sounds… hurt, having to admit that.

I snort. "Without my team, you mean." I correct.

"Your team didn't stabilize me." She presses. I sigh. This isn't worth discussing right now. I help her onto her side, rubbing the balm into the skin on her back. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" I ask, still carefully tending to my patient.

"… I'm sorry." She repeats, in tears this time. "I'm… sorry. I'm so sorry." She says it over and over again, crying more each time.

I'm silent, letting her repeat herself over and over again. When I'm done with her back, I try to balance her on her side for a bit, so the balm has time to be absorbed into the skin. She just keeps repeating those words, over and over and over.

She blames herself for what happened.

Luckily, she didn't have any wounds on her lower half, so I straighten what's left of her shirt and jacket, and lay her on her back again. I button her up, zip her up, and wrap her in the blanket to let her warm up naturally.

I move near her head, carefully picking her up by supporting her shoulders and neck. She's so worn out that I doubt she'd be able to support her own weight right now. Once she's tilted up enough, I move behind her and let her rest against me. Now that she's sitting up, I take out my scroll and unseal some chocolate. I break off a small piece, then bite it into two. I place the chocolate at her lips. "Chocolate is a girl's best friend, isn't it?" I tease, slipping the snack between her lips and letter her chew on it. Honestly, this isn't the brightest idea. She could choke on it, no matter how small.

She needs this right now.

I carefully watch her chew, watch her swallow twice to get it all down. I unseal a water bottle as well, carefully bringing it to her lips and only letting small amounts trickle into her mouth. She swallows a few times again.

"Yamanaka-san. I won't lie and say I know how you feel. I've never been in your shoes." I tell her honestly, breaking off another small piece of chocolate and biting it in half. "But I know that you were willing to die to keep your team safe. Don't you dare look down on that kind of loyalty."

She chews as best she can once again, but I know the chocolate's mostly just melting in her mouth – it's why I'm willing to take the risk. She swallows a few times. We're going to have to put her on liquid foods for a while, until she builds back up her strength.

8-8

Once back in the living room, I find three fidgety and clearly nervous genin. Minori-san and Ao-chan rush me immediately.

"Is she okay?" They ask as one.

"She's weak, but recovering." I tell them honestly.

"But is she okay? She's not crying is she?" Minori presses.

"She's fine. Come see for yourselves." I invite them into my patient's room. "But please keep it down. She needs to rest." The three genin nod seriously, following me without another word.

I keep a keen eye on them, worrying about how they're coping with this. Yamanaka-san opens her eyes, taking in her team the second they're visible. She starts crying again, but remains silent.

"Mika-sensei…" Minori-san murmurs, crying herself. Ao-chan isn't much better. And poor Haruki-kun looks like he's halfway to a meltdown.

"I'm fine." Yamanaka-san say softly. "Wolf is taking care of me. Nothing to worry about."

"What do you mean 'nothing to worry about'? Sensei, you almost died protecting us." Minori-san says softly, but I can hear the frustration in her voice, smell the tears in her eyes.

"And I'd do it again in a heartbeat." Yamanaka-san says seriously, smiling a little, worn out smile.

"Alright. You three need your rest. I will be in here with her all night. No complaining." I demand, shooing them out of the room.

The three of them look at me, betrayed. None of them move. I thought so.

"Go grab your futons. You'll sleep in here tonight. But if any one of you makes so much as a peep to keep my patient from resting, you'll all three be sleeping in the snow. You hear me?"

8-8

I don't sleep at all during the night. So I wake everyone about an hour before dawn, telling them to get ready. With Fox-nii's help, we get Yamanaka-san onto the stretcher again, and we strap her in snugly. She looks to me, smiling her little worn out smile. Everyone eats their breakfast, but Yamanaka-san can't risk eating, so I take two rations bars, a bottle of water and a lot of patience, beating the mixture into a mushy porridge-like substance; which only takes forever to do. I take my time, feeding it to her with a spoon – which Tsunami-san demands I take with me so I'll have it, and the bowl I'm using, to tend to Yamanaka-san on the way back to Konoha.

We carefully wrap Yamanaka-san in some extra blankets I have sealed, making sure she'll stay warm in this weather. With little else to do, we head out, saying our thanks and farewells to the family that took us in when they didn't have to.

We move fast, but not so fast as to risk my patient's health. At every break, Minori-san and I help my patient to go, if she needs to. I make sure to change my pad each time as well, hating being female like never before. But, this is the life of a kunoichi. Love it, or back away slowly.

8-8

It takes us three days to make it back to Konoha. Fox-nii and I take Yamanaka-san straight to the hospital, before rejoining our team at the Hokage Tower for our debriefing.

Entering Hokage-dono's office together with the genin we'd saved, I notice how nervous the three of them are. Hmm, they must think this is a bad thing. I offer Minori-san a gentle squeeze on her shoulder, letting her know that it'll be alright.

"Ah, there you are. I'd gotten the report from the gate, saying that Yamanaka Mika was being brought straight to the hospital. Tell me, what is her current status." Hokage-dono looks to me for answers.

"She lost a lot of blood and suffered some nerve damage. She's going to need time to rehabilitate, but I see no reason she shouldn't make a full recovery." I say professionally.

"Then her being brought to the hospital… makes no sense." He says, carefully checking for my reaction.

"Standard procedure." I say, shrugging. He nods, deciding not to press further.

"Well, Aomaru, Minori, Haruki, it would seem the three of you have a very trying mission. How are you holding up?" He asks kindly.

"… Well enough." Ao-kun says. I snort.

"You disagree, Wolf?"

"I do. They show signs of mental trauma, even though Ao-kun hides it better. I recommend reduced missions and increased training until further notice. I would also recommend they not be separated for the time being. They didn't take it well when I tended to Yamanaka-san out of their sight." I lay it all out.

"And who would you recommend to see to their rehabilitation?" Hokage-dono asks, eyeing me carefully.

"Namiki Aya."

"Very well. Wolf, you will bring Aya-chan up to speed. Have her collect Yamanaka Mika from the hospital. And inform Yamanaka Inoichi of the situation. I expect a full report on my desk tomorrow morning, and inform Aya-chan that I'll need weekly reports on each of them. She'll be advised against taking missions for a while, and if she has a problem with that, she can come to you for answers."

"I will see that she understands the situation." I nod, not caring. These four need this, and no one will see to them the way I will.

"Good. Have Aya report to me before collecting her charges. And I will have a scroll ready so that the hospital won't be able to give her a hard time. Aomaru, you and your team will wait in the hall for her. Dismissed."

8-8

It takes me almost an hour and a half to arrange things at home. Apologizing to Yasu-nee, sending Naru-nii for a blender in town, getting a bed for my patient, discussing the situation with Inoichi-san… it's all just very time consuming.

When I make my way to the Tower, with Naru-nii at my side, I see three familiar, but very nervous, genin waiting in the hall. I walk up to Hokage-dono's secretary. "I've been summoned." I tell her simply. She nods, entering the office for a moment, before inviting me in.

"Aya-chan, thank you for coming." He says, smiling. "I have that scroll ready, as well as the scroll for the long term C-rank mission for the rehabilitation of Team Mika." He says, tossing them both to me. I nod, slipping them into separate pockets to read through later. I really don't care either way, I'd have helped them even if I wasn't getting paid for it.

"Also… I want to thank you." Hokage-dono says, smiling warmly. "Part of the reason for the genins' trauma is that they've isolated themselves since arriving. The other genins you'd saved all blend in effortlessly, building up bonds with their new teams, making friends at every turn. But these three…"

"I understand. I will have Yoshino-sensei help me, if she is willing." I say, smiling. Yoshino-sensei got through to me, so these three should be a piece of cake for her.

"You do that. And by the way. Both Zabuza and Haku have fulfilled their probationary mission." He says, eyeing me closer than he normally would.

I snort. "That was true two months ago." I point out. He shrugs, not giving anything away. "They'll be taking the missions I'd usually be on then?"

"Until further notice, Haku will be filling your role on your team. That way I'll still have a first response cell on call. And you'll be able to tend to your patients."

"I understand." Naru-nii doesn't look pleased though.

"That's all for now. Do remember what I said. Weekly reports on their progress." I nod. "Dismissed."

8-8

Out in the hall once again, I walk up to the genins. They eye me warily, wondering what to make of me. "Genins Uzumaki, Yuki and Uzumaki." They nod. "I am Namiki Aya. This is Uzumaki Naruto."

The two redheads stare at Naru-nii, shock plain in their eyes. Naru-nii turns around, showing them the twin scimitars he's once again wearing and the Uzumaki swirl between his shoulder blades. They nod, knowing what they need to.

"You will be staying with us until I say otherwise." They nod, once again eyeing me. "Come. I believe we have to collect another member of your team." I turn, letting them see the 'wolf' kanji on my jacket. I don't need to see them to know they they're making the right connection.

"Oi, oi! Aya-chan!" Ao-chan is at my side in a flash. "Say… are you…?"

"Do not finish that sentence. You know what you need to." I tell him simply, smiling a little. He nods, understanding. "Don't worry. I'll take care of you." I say. He nods, smiling brightly.

We make our way to the hospital, finding Yamanaka Inoichi at my patient's bedside. I nod to him, motioning everyone into the room. "Ah, Aya-chan. You work quickly, you know." I look to him, questions in my eyes. "I know this team. They are slow to trust and quick to spurn." He says, noticing how Ao-kun and the others are following my nonverbal commands.

"If anyone knows the value of trust…" I trail off, knowing he'll understand. "I need to transport my patient, Inoichi-san. You may come with us, if you like."

"Thank you, but I really must get back to work. I'll be passing by to check up on her though." He says.

"You do that. And please bring Mariko-san and Ino with you." He promises he will, and tells his clansman something I can't make out, before excusing himself.

"Yamanaka Maki." She eyes me, nodding a little. "I am Namiki Aya. Hokage-sama and Inoichi-san have agreed to let me take you and your team to help you recover."

"Th-thank you." She says, her eyes smiling.

"I know this won't be fun, but I don't think transporting you in a wheelchair through the snow is a bright idea. So we'll be transporting you on a stretcher again." Her eyes widen slightly when she hears 'again', but they soften and tears well up a little. "I assure you, you're in good hands."

She nods, her eyes smiling again. With nothing else to do, we ease her onto the now familiar stretcher, but don't need to strap her in this time. I unseal the same blankets, tucking her in to keep her warm. Aomaru and Minori all but demand they be allowed to carry her; Naru-nii and I don't mind.

8-8

Once we get her into our home, Naru-nii and I take over transporting the patient. We bring her upstairs into the room we prepared, motioning for the three genins to back up for a second. We ease we out of the stretcher and onto the bed, propping her us so she's sitting comfortably but not at risk of toppling over.

"Introductions." I say, motioning Yasu-nee over – she'd never want to be left out of this. "Namiki Yasu. These are Yamanaka Maki and her team… Yuki Aomaru, Uzumaki Minori and Uzumaki Haruki." Yasu-nee's eye's nearly fall out of their sockets from shock. I understand all too well.

"As in…?"

"Yes. Is Haku here?"

"No. She's out on a mission with Zabuza-san."

"… Zabuza-sama… Haku-nee… you know them?" Ao-chan asks carefully.

"Yes, they've been here ever since they came to Konoha. They practically live here to be honest." Yasu-nee says, a little worried about how careful the boy's speaking. "Why? Is that a problem?"

"No, no! It's just… I haven't… we haven't really…" He's flustered. Really, really flustered.

"Ao-chan?" I encourage him a little. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." He lies. He's not angry as far as I can tell, but he obviously feels something about those two. Time will tell.

"Anyway." Changing the subject is for the best. "I don't want to give you guys a crutch for too long. You'll be allowed to sleep in here with her for a few nights, but no more than that. As well, I'll be running you into the ground during trainings, so don't as for sympathy. You won't get it."

"Umm…" Haruki begins, worried. "You're… taking over for sensei?"

"For a while, yeah. At least until she's up and around again." He still looks really nervous about that. "Haruki. I don't belittle my comrades." He blushes and looks away. I'm not sure if he believes me or not, but I'm positive that's the issue.

"Come. You need to meet everyone."

8-8

"Alright! Everyone settle down!" I tease, seeing as everyone's already quiet and staring at the three standing behind me. Still, that does get everyone's attention. "Everyone, please meet Yuki Aomaru." Everyone murmurs, wondering if the boy's really Haku's family. "And Uzumaki Minori and Uzumaki Haruki."

All murmuring stops. In fact, I think they stopped breathing from a second there. "As in, Uzumaki Naruto… Uzumaki?"

"Yes. We haven't gotten into the details yet, but we're almost certain they're related. Their sensei is upstairs as well, Yamanaka Maki. Now… guys, please meet Namiki Sakiko. Namiki Yasu you've met upstairs. The Hyuuga sisters Hinata and Hanabi. Uzumakis Udon and Moegi." I point them all out one by one. "There are others that are here often enough. You'll meet them eventually. Just keep in mind that everything you see here, everything you hear, everything you learn… it's all a secret. I will not trust you around my pack if I you mess up. And trust me, it only takes one screw up with me." They nod, nervous about that. Good, that means they'll be careful.

"Some basics you need to remember. Every family has its own hierarchy, and each family has one alpha who's therefore the head and has the final say. Yasu-nee is the only exception to this. I am the alpha of the Namikis, but Yasu-nee can pretty much control everyone in this house if she wants to." Yasu-nee rolls her eyes at my words. "For the time being the Hyuuga sisters are part of my family as well. However, know that we are many families but one pack."

The three nod seriously. "Good. We all try to help Yasu-nee with everything we can around the house. I won't be able to help as much, seeing as I have a patient. Yasu-nee, I would advise that you start making a chores list so everyone knows what they need to do. I find it completely unfair that you're job becomes harder because I accept others into my care."

"Now, now, sweetie. If I minded you know I'd tell you. Besides, Naru-chan has been helping me with everything he can. And Asami is here most days as well. And Yoshino-san, Remi-san and Mariko-san come over often enough to help if they can. Really, it's fine."

I glare at her dully, but she just smiles a little brighter. She's obviously not budging on the matter. I roll my eyes, deciding to let the matter rest, for now.

8-8

End Chapter 35

8-8

A/N: ^_^ I had to rewrite a few parts of this chapter, so it took a good deal longer. Not to mention bringing out Broken's chapter today as well!

Not much left now... just one more major milestone, but it may or may not take up multiple chapters to get done properly. We'll see how the next chapter works out ^_^