Disclaimer: I gnarley- do not own Naruto, for if I did I wouldn't be writing this story at the moment and wouldn't love it nearly as much!
Beep…. Beep…. Beep….Were the first things Minako heard before she opened her eyes after becoming conscious but as she did open them she panicked. Minako had woken up in a hospital attached to a heart monitor and an oxygen mask covering her face. She had no idea where she was and she had no memory of how she got there, the last thing she remembered was waking up from a dream or rather… nightmare about her past. Suddenly Minako shot up and began tearing away at the mask and wire attached to her body.
"So you're awake, Minako."
The woman turned her head slightly to see an old man sitting beside her hospital bed. "Lord Hokage."
"So tell me, Minako, have you decided to return to the Hidden Leaf village after your little leave?" asked the old man.
Minako turned her head back so she could stare at the wall in front of her as she spoke. "I don't know… I don't know how I even got here, the last thing I remember is traveling to the Mist… and then I was dreaming about that night… and next thing I knew I was standing in a completely different room and everything blacked out."
The girl didn't have to explain any further about 'that night' for the Hokage already knew what she was talking about. "You were in the Jonin lounge, Kurenai and Anko found you just as you collapsed, they brought you to the hospital, you've been out for three days."
"Hn," was all Minako responded with, she didn't deserve Anko's and especially Kurenai's kindness, she was so cold to them after her parents died, hell she was nice to anyone before they died, the people she ever really should herself to back then were her parents and Jiraiya-sensei.
"You know, Minako, I would have thought you would have told your old friends you were going away, but instead you didn't tell anyone leaving them to believe you died on a mission, those two women were quite surprised when they found you, they came to me to see if it was really you."
"I wouldn't have really minded… if everyone in this village believed me to be dead, I had no thoughts of ever coming back to this place."
"You're lucky that you told me you were going to be leaving for a long time, because if you hadn't there were several people who wanted to report you as a missing-nin and others who wanted to claim you as dead. And if I hadn't known you left I would have had the ANBU black ops looking for you."
Minako let out a small laugh and turned her head back to the Hokage and smiled. "Thank you."
The old man seemed to be taken back by the girl's words. "What."
"Thank you… for what you just said, it shows me you care, and that's all I could ever ask for. You're like the Grandfather I never had," stated Minako with her eyes closed and smiling. After a moment's thought she laughed again and opened her eyes. "Although there is Jiraiya-sensei, but then again, he's perverted and there's no knowing what he'd do to me if I ever saw him again."
The Hokage smiled softy and laughed with her. "Indeed that would be a scary thought. You definitely went through a personality change since you've been gone."
"No… I really haven't, I've just decided to show people who I actually am, you know? My whole life I followed the Shinobi way, never letting my emotions get the best of me, but that isn't anyway to live, I just glad I didn't act like that around my Mom and Dad, I would have hated myself even more."
"That's good, I'm glad! I have no doubt you are exactly like your father, but you also have a lot of your mother in you," stated the Hokage.
"Thank you, that means a lot to me."
"Now, I do believe you are able to leave the hospital now, and I think you owe some old friends an explanation," said the man as he stood up from the chair and began walking towards the door. "I'll leave you to change back into your regular clothes. Come by later to tell me if you've decided to stay or not, goodbye for now… honorable daughter."
The Hokage left before Minako got the chance to reply. "Damnit, don't call me that."
After the man left a medical-nin came and in removed the wires connected to the heart monitor and handed Minako her clothes telling her she could leave whenever. Slowly Minako stripped out of the hospital gown replacing the it was a of black skin tight shorts with an orange skirt type thing over top, on her upper body she wore an open three quarter length sleeved jacket that ended just below her breasts, her chest was covered up with linen bandages. The design of her jacket was half orange and half black, the top part including the collar, sleeves and shoulders were black and the rest was orange. Finally Minako picked up her black headband that branded the symbol of the Hidden Leaf shinobi, for the longest time she had worn in the most popular way, but now she decided she wanted to change that, so inside she placed it around her head like a bandana with the metal plate off to the side.
"Well... I guess it's time to face some people, first… I should find Kurenai and Anko to thank them," Minako said to herself as she put on her iron guard gloves and walked out of the hospital. "But where to find them."
As Minako stepped onto the street she smiled to herself. 'Some things never change.'
'So, the old man told me, they found me in the Jonin Lounge, so there is a possibility they are there if they aren't on a mission,' thought Minako as she made her way through town. It didn't take long before Minako found herself in front of the door to the Jonin Lounge, she barely even remembered how she got there, and the trip just seemed natural to her.
As she stood outside the door contemplating if she should go in there she heard voice from inside.
"I think I'm going to go to the hospital today, want to come with me Anko?"
"Yea, sure," replied a female's voice.
"Since when are you two so close, and why are you going to the hospital," asked a male.
"We've gone on missions together and have hung out occasionally," replied the voice belonging to Anko.
"And haven't you heard? Minako Namikaze has returned to the village, she was hospitalized due to exhaustion," replied the still unknown female voice, but Minako could only assume it was Kurenai.
"Minako Namikaze? Didn't the youthful young lady die several years ago?" asked a new voice, belonging to a man.
'Gai Maito, that's the only explanation.'
"No, apparently she left, she told Lord Hokage she was leaving and said she didn't know when or if she was ever going to return. He thought she told people, but apparently she didn't leaving everyone to believe she either died or betrayed the Konoha," explained Anko.
"Anko and I found her in here three days ago, she passed out and we took her to the hospital, we were surprised when we found her I.D." At this point Minako had opened the door to the room without anyone noticing, she was rather surprised with how many people were in the room normally it was either empty or two people but at that moment there were four people sitting there.
"How sweet, you guys are talking about me," voiced Minako, deciding it was about time to let them know her presence. Everyone in the room snapped their heads in the direction in which the woman's voice came. Minako was leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed.
"Minako," mouthed Kurenai as her red eyes met Minako's blue ones.
"Well Kurenai, I see you have finally decided to become a Jonin," stated Minako with a smirk, knowing it irked Kurenai when she was younger and Minako had been able to become a Jonin before her especially with the seven year age difference.
Kurenai's eyes narrowed significantly as she glared at the blonde woman. "I see you finally figured out how to use emotions on that emotionless face of yours, kid!"
Minako's smirk softened and turned into a smile. "I'll admit I deserved that."
"What's this, Minako Namikaze is gasp – smiling," smirked Anko as she stood up and walked over to the woman. "Are you sure you're Minako Namikaze?"
"Want me to kick your ass to find out?"
"Okay, she may be Minako," replied Anko slowly backing away from the woman.
Suddenly Minako was pulled into an embrace, her face suffocating in a woman's chest. "I'm so happy you're alive, Minako. You may have been an emotionless little brat who I wished didn't lead some of the missions I went on but you're still my friend."
"Kurenai… I don't think she'll be alive much longer if you continue to suffocate her with your chest," said one of the men with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.
"Shut up Asuma," replied Kurenai as she turned her head to glare at the man before pulling away and slapping the blonde across the face.
Minako's eyes widened in surprise as well as the rest of the people in the room, slowly Minako looked back at the woman and just blinked not really knowing what to say.
"That's for making me believe you were dead, you're like my little sister, I can't believe you!"
"I guess I deserved that," replied Minako looking down at her feet. "That's actually why I'm here at the moment, I was looking for you and Anko to thank you for bringing me to the Hospital, and I didn't deserve your kindness. And I'm sorry, for making you worry about me, I didn't mean to cause anyone trouble but I had to get away from here to think about some things without people giving me looks of pity when they didn't even know me, I wasn't even planning on coming back here anytime soon, I don't even remember how I got here."
"Well… I guess we can forgive you now, but I'm not too sure about Iruka," replied Anko.
"Iruka… yea I guess you're right about that."
"Now that that's over, Minako do you remember these guys?" asked Kurenai pointing to the two men sitting down.
"Not really… I remember Gai, but that's because it's hard to forget someone with such bushy eyebrows," stated Minako with a shrug of her shoulders, her statement caused Gai to weep.
"Well this is Asuma Sarutobi and you already know Gai," explained Kurenai pointing to both of the men.
Minako nodded towards the two men and gave them a smile before turning back to Kurenai. "I must be going, I have a few things I want to do in the village before I decide whether to stay or not, but maybe we can do something later?"
"Of course, Anko and I will find you later okay?"
"Sure, now can you tell me where Iruka would be?" asked Minako.
"Isn't he an academy teacher now?" asked Asuma looking towards the women and Kurenai nodded in agreement.
"Yea, he works at the Academy as well as the mission room."
Minako smirked, a plan now forming in her mind. "Thank you, I'll see you later Kurenai, Anko! It was nice meeting you Asuma-senpai and Gai-senpai." The blonde slowly left the lounge and made her way down the street towards the Ninja Academy knowing a certain someone was in for a surprise, but little did she know… so was she.
AN: Thank you for reading this chapter :3! I hope you enjoyed it! If you want please review!