AN: I know, I know you all are probably tired of the weak Suki thing, no? First with the being injured and now, well….you'll have to read to see. This is the last of what I call revelation chapters for a while. I think an awful amount has been revealed about Suki and I don't want to spoil everything just yet.
Kakashi walked down the familiar path that lead to the memorial stone. To his surprise, he was not the only one to visit this morning. Suki, her hair loose and blowing in the light breeze was standing before the stone. Although she had changed her image back to that which everyone was familiar with, Kakashi couldn't help but see the real woman standing there, as though a ghost within the image she was projecting. After he had thought about everything he had learned a few weeks before, he decided to not to reveal her but, at some point, she needed to face up. He'd talk to her about that later.
Would the village be surprised at the revelation that was coming their way? One woman could not change things that much and yet this was Suki. He wondered what her motivations were these days.
Kakashi was fascinated at how they had seemed to slip back into the old friendship they had had. It wasn't that they talked a lot or did many things together, there was just this comfortable feeling between them, like old friends have.
The two of them stood in front of the stone in silence for a long while, both content to be lost in their own thoughts. It was a beautiful, if not brisk, morning. The sky was just beginning to lose its pink shades from its earlier rising. A few high clouds hung overhead but, for the most, part the lovely cobalt sky was clear.
Suki was relieved to have one person know her secret. Although she wasn't sure where things were going with Kakashi, he seemed to be comfortable with what she had told him and was not pushing her for more information.
After some time Suki decided to speak. "I guess I understand why you're always late." She whispered, not desiring to disturb the peace in the clearing.
He turned his head to look at her, a smile on his lips. "Not you too. What is so wrong with running a little late?"
Suki giggled, "Nothing is wrong with being a little late but you run perpetually more than a little late."
Her eyes rested on a particular name engraved into polished stone. "Picked that up from him, huh?"
Sadness clouded her face as she thought of the young man whose eye now lay below the headband of the silver-haired man standing next to her. She had not been around when that tragedy had struck but she knew the tale and missed the young man too.
Reaching over Suki wrapped her fingers around Kakashi's wrist, startling the Jonin with the contact. "I know why you come but it's unhealthy to stay so long all the time." Her eyes met his and she gave him a sad smile. "Come on, let's go. Sakura, Naruto and Sai will be wondering where we are." Kakashi allowed himself to be pulled from the clearing, smirking under his mask. This was classic Suki.
When they arrived at the training grounds, they found the three younger Ninja waiting impatiently for them. When Sakura and Naruto complained, Suki could not help but laugh. As she walked up to Naruto she ruffled his hair, saying "What did I tell you before? Do you simply refuse to learn or is your skull so thick that even lessons that have been pounded in repeatedly just can't get through?" This earned her laughs from everyone.
Later, as they trained, Kakashi watched Suki working with Naruto. The boy had been glad to see her back at the training grounds. She seemed to work seamlessly with him, as though she knew just what he needed in order to master a concept or strengthen a skill. She was also wind natured, which only added to her ability to help him. The way she looked at him, it was with care and not a bit of resentment. For a girl who had lost the last of her family to defeating the nine-tailed fox, she seemed to place little blame on the fox's jailer.
Today, it appeared they were working on his focus. She stood in front of him with her fist raised, pushing one forward on occasion. Naruto, for his part, was blocking the blows with an open palm. The idea was to stay focused on her movement and to be able to respond swiftly and accordingly. This was an exercise often used with younger students but it never hurt someone like Naruto to revisit the basics. Suki was not exactly going easy on him anyway.
Suki had a serious look in her eyes but a smile on her face. He must be doing well. Naruto's face held an unusual amount of concentration. It looked so odd on the boy. Kakashi almost felt like telling Naruto he'd better not push it or he'd fry his brain with all that concentration.
Her training with Naruto had not really changed much about the boy but there were subtle changes, mainly in the way he controlled his chakra. Something she had said to him seemed to have clicked and he was slowly learning to channel the chakra more efficiently. He may have a lot of chakra but this would only add to his ability to endure longer than his opponents. Naruto was also less likely to run right into a fight without giving it at least some thought as well.
After a good morning of training, the group sat in the shade while enjoying their lunch. This was one of the nicer training grounds as it had a good amount of soft grass laying around it. While it was practical for use as a cushion when sparing, it also happened to make a comfortable place to sit. From the grass, one could see the Hokage Mountain and if one listened, they could hear the river passing just a little further to the east. It may be a place designed with fighting in mind but it sure could be relaxing.
Kakashi noticed that Suki was more quite that usual. If it were not for Naruto being his usual self, the others might have noticed too. As they were about to go back to back to training she placed her hands to her temple and rubbed them. "Ugh, I think I'm getting a migraine." She remarked as she stood.
Sakura gave her a concerned look and brought her hand to the older woman's forehead. "You don't have a temperature but you ought to go home if you are getting a migraine." She advised. Nodding, Suki began to gather her stuff.
Naruto seemed disappointed, earning him a smile from Suki. "Don't worry Naruto. I'll be back tomorrow if you want me to." After receiving the blondes enthusiastic approval the older nin left the training grounds for her home.
After putting her things away in their proper place, Suki made her way into the kitchen. She opened the freezer, placed some ice cubes in a bowl, and filled it with water. She knew from experience that a cool cloth on her head when she had a migraine felt dam good. Plopping herself down on her bed Suki closed her eyes and let sleep take her. Lord knows she needed it.
A few hours later Suki blinked her eyes open a groaned. She hadn't felt this bad since…well, since she couldn't remember. Sitting up, black spots exploded into her vision. That didn't mean anything good. She waited for the spots to clear before standing. "Dam it." She muttered as she walked over to her mirror, her hands rubbing her temples. She slid her shirt down over her shoulder, revealing a mark on her collarbone. Rubbing it as though it was tender, she examined it. Stupid thing was always a little sore but when she got sick, it seemed worse.
"What's that?" she heard a voice ask from behind. Looking into the mirror, she saw Kakashi sitting in her window, a placid look upon his face. Covering her shoulder quickly Suki blushed. "Nothing." She said quietly going back over to her bed and letting herself fall into it face first. She simply did not feel well.
Kakashi wasn't sure exactly why he was here but something told him to visit Suki. When he arrived at her apartment the door was locked but the window was open. Suki was clearly asleep, but it wasn't peaceful. Her face showed her discomfort, scrunched up in an odd contortion. She must not be feeling well.
Her bedroom wasn't large but big enough to hold everything required of it. There was an oak theme with the furniture. Across from the window was an elegant dresser with a mirror hung just above it. His reflection stared back at him as he squatted in the window. It was a simple dresser, two drawers wide and three drawers tall. On the wall to the right of the dresser was a full-length mirror. As his eyes continued down the wall, he saw her bed, a simple four post, with a nightstand next to it. In the bed was Suki, covered by her light blue comforter. On the wall in which the window was set there was a bookshelf, which Kakashi noted was full. The wall to his left had, what he assumed, were closet doors and the door that lead to the rest of the apartment. The walls of the room were a plain white, probably only remaining that way because she was not the owner.
Now she was awake but not exactly responding to him. Poor girl must be feeling really poorly. He hopped down from his perch and walked over to the bed, sitting down next to her. "Sorry for intruding." He said, "I just wanted to check on you. You didn't look so hot when you left the training area earlier." His response was a muffled groan from the figure lying in the bed. Chuckling he rubbed her shoulder gently, prompting the girl to look over at him. Immediately she cringed and buried her head back into the comforter.
Realizing how bright the room was with the window open, the silver haired jonin stood and closed the window, blinds and curtains. Now the room was quite dark, he had just enough light to get back to the bed. Sitting down once again, he ran his fingers gently through her hair. "That better?" He asked. Her only answer was a contented sigh. The strong woman he was used to seemed so pitiful right now. His fingers brushed over her skin as he continued to play with her hair and the tips felt the scorching heat beneath. "You're warm Suki, I think we need to cool you down."
Her hand gestured to a bowl full of ice water and a washcloth that lay beside her bed. Kakashi wondered how often she fell ill like this if she had known to prepare that before falling into bed the first time. The jonin reached over and dipped the cloth into the cool water. As he wrung it out, he pondered how he had ended up caring for her when he had originally meant only to check up on her. He lifted her hair and ran the cloth over the back of her neck and onto her shoulders. He noticed a slight tensing as he passed over the right.
Suki relished the coolness of the cloth that Kakashi was currently running over her neck. It felt so good on her burning skin. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she should feel slightly uncomfortable about this but the illness pushed those thoughts aside. A little care never hurt anyone, especially when they were sick. He couldn't know how much closing the blinds had helped. The light had been extremely irritating, as though it were creating needles, which were stabbing themselves into her head. She got migraines occasionally, but rarely felt this ill. It was as if the migraine had taken on a life of its own and extended its self far beyond its usual realm. This made her want to snicker. What, had the migraine hired an army and decided to conquer previously unknown territory?
Kakashi leaned over to rewet the cloth, leaving her long hair brushed aside. His eyes never left her right shoulder though. Just below her collarbone was what looked like a black butterfly tattoo. If he hadn't known better he would have believed it. However, this covering did not fool the copy ninja. Underneath the meticulous covering she had created, he was sure there was some sort of curse mark. It did not have the same feeling that other marks he had encountered had though. If he had to make a comparison, he would say it felt more innocent.
"This isn't going to do a lot of good on the back of your head." Whispered Kakashi, careful of her headache. She slowly turned herself over, resting on her back. Blue eyes blinked up at him as he ran the cloth over her forehead. When had she changed them back to their natural color? They had been brown when he arrived, hadn't they?
Suki gave her friend a weak smile as the cool cloth made contact with her skin. "Thank you, Kakashi." She said quietly. He smiled back but the darkness and his mask prevented the woman from knowing. Dipping the cloth again, he wrung it and folded it. After brushing her bangs out of the way, Kakashi placed the cloth over her eyes and forehead.
The silence in the room began to close in on him as he sat beside her on the bed. Suki had not yet returned to slumber and there was nothing more for him to do. "Nice tattoo." He commented into the quietness, not sure, he would get a response.
"Not a tattoo." The woman beside him muttered.
"Oh, I see." The silver-haired man replied, not sure how to react. Was this considered taking advantage?
"Curse mark, very annoying." Suki continued to talk.
"Who gave it to you?" Kakashi dared to ask.
"My fiancé." was the quiet response.
"Fiancé?" Kakashi inquired with surprise.
"Jerk wanted me to remember whom I belong to." Suki whispered.
"Oh, I take it you two don't exactly get along any more then?" Kakashi asked. Part of him could not resist. After all, this was the most open she had been since she had shared her secret with him.
"Ha, I hate Itachi Uchiha." Was the last reply he received before she fell asleep.
Dun, Dun, Dun. Bet you didn't see that one coming. Sorry again about the weak Suki thing. I needed her to be a little more open so it was either being sick or getting drunk. She really is a strong woman and all but, like most of us, doesn't handle illness well.
Please let me know what you think so far. I'm trying to take the advice given to me. Good or Bad please press the pretty button and leave a review.