"Anko?" Iruka called as he knocked on her door. "Anko, look. I know it's a Saturday, but there was an explosion yesterday and some extra hands are really needed at the hospital. We're all going so…" Iruka stopped and sighed. It was pointless to yell at a door.
He gave a solemn glance to Asuma who had two needles waiting with a sly grin. "All right, you can take the door out."
Asuma nodded and casually picked the lock with Iruka and Kurenai with annoyance.
The door opened with ease, and Asuma stood with blunt pride. "There you go, lady and Kurenai."
Iruka glared at him as he walked in, Kurenai stuck behind to lecture him. "You wouldn't know how to do that if you didn't cause all the trouble when you were fourteen."
Asuma chuckled and wrapped an arm around her as he escorted her in. "But, babe, if I hadn't had been the little delinquent I was, you and I would have never met."
"Don't remind me." Kurenai sighed, but she gave her troublemaker a curt smile to show she was only being a tease.
"Hey, lovebirds," Iruka called to them. "You can make out later; help us find Anko."
The two cleared their throat s and straightened themselves before joining them in the search.
Iruka was lingering outside of the hallway that led to Anko's bedroom.
"What's the matter Iruka?" Asuma mocked. "Afraid to go in your girlfriend's bedroom?"
"She is not my girlfriend!" Iruka snapped.
"Guys," Kurenai whispered, incase Anko was home and asleep. A sleepy Anko was not a play toy. "I'll go check.
The two watched as the brave woman ventured into the dark hallway. "Be brave."
Kurenai entered Anko's room and checked around. There were clothes on the floor and a chair turned over. Her nostrils flared when she picked up something vile in the air. "Jesus, Anko." Kurenai growled as she hopped onto the bed to open Anko's window.
The scent became too much and she had to flee the room before she got the window halfway open.
Iruka straightened his form as Kurenai re-entered with stinging tears in the corners of her eyes. "Well?"
"No." Kurenai coughed. "But it smells terrible in there. I don't even want to know what she did to get her room to reek that bad."
Iruka and Asuma exchanged glances before shrugging.
"Maybe she already left." Asuma suggested as he sat back on her couch.
"Maybe, but…" Kurenai's eyes dropped. "Something just feels wrong about all of it."
It was Iruka's turn to throw an idea around. "I'm sure everything is fine, after Anko—"
A sharp knock brought them all at attention. The group exchanged glances, wondering if they should open the door.
"I know someone's in there." came a small but harsh voice.
Iruka's eyebrow arched. "I think I know that voice," he commented absently as he slowly strolled to the door. He looked through the keyhole but saw no one, so he budged it open slightly.
"Oh," was all Iruka could saw when he saw the barely familiar white-haired child in front of her. His stare was darker than it had been just a few days ago, and he was washed-out, as if he hadn't had any sleep in a while.
"Hello again…um…"
Kimimaro rolled his eyes and interrupted. "You're wasting your time here; Anko left to go to that explosion the day it happened."
Kurenai and Asuma took Iruka's sides and looked down curiously at the young boy. Kurenai bent to his level. "Are you sure? Maybe she just left for the evacuation...like you should be."
Kimimaro glared at her. "She left when it first happened. She's probably dead now."
Iruka jerked upright. "She went inside it?"
Kimimaro had to conceal his wicked grin. "She did."
Asuma said, "Well, that means she's probably already at the hospital, injured or just—"
Before Kurenai and Asuma could get a hold on him, Iruka was speeding down the gallery, slipping and sliding down each step.
"Iruka, hold up!" Asuma shouted after him.
Kurenai glanced back at the child who had courteously closed the door for them. "Where are your parents? You shouldn't be here by yourself."
"I'll be leaving shortly." He said.
Kurenai was still in doubt, but she ran after her comrades.
Kimimaro slowly trudged back to the evacuation center, grinning because he was almost certain of what they would discover.
…
At the Hospital
"This is ridiculous! Her neighbor said that she went to help with the explosion, she's got to be here!" Iruka exclaimed as a receptionist held him and his comrades off.
"I'm sorry, sir, but everything is a little dysfunctional right now. We had to switch to the back-up generators just to keep the hospital going and—"
"Just find her—"
"Easy, Umino." Asuma edged as he pulled his comrade away from the desk. "Maybe the kid was mistaken and Anko is on a mission or something."
"Asuma, I'm telling you she's around her; I can feel it in my bones."
Asuma chuckled at this, earning Iruka's death glare. He gulped. It was rare Iruka got this dangerous but when he did, a lot of things were said that could break a friendship apart.
Without another word, the two men sulked back over to the bench that was reserved by Kurenai.
"Well?" Kurenai questioned anxiously.
"They don't know a damn thing." Iruka growled as he took a seat next to her, the seat that was meant for Asuma.
Kurenai placed a hand on his back and gave Asuma a patient look. "I'm sure there's an explanation for this."
Iruka stared at the ground. He could almost see Anko's smiling face reflect off the shiny floors.
"Young man?"
Iruka looked up to see the nurse he had chewed up earlier rise from her desk, a clipboard in her hands. "I apologize. There was an Anko Mitarashi admitted this morning, but…"
"But what?" asked Asuma.
The nurse cleared her throat. "She was pronounced deceased when she was admitted. Out autopsy revealed carbon dioxide poisoning."
"What?" Asuma exclaimed. His attention, however, turned immediately to Kurenai who tumbled to the ground, a hand over her mouth.
Iruka stood very still, almost as if moving would wipe out his very existence. His head was swimming with images of the Kunoichi, and the irony of them was that she was alive in all of them.
He flashed to the night of her celebration and was haunted by the way her face lit up when Asuma almost threw his guts out. He saw the darkness in her eyes when everyone burst from her apartment. And he saw the teasing smile on her lips as they pecked the scar on his nose.
He dropped to his knees; his shaky arms the only thing holding him up. He felt a hot, twisted snake curl around in his gut and crawled into his throat, suffocating him until he had to let it out.
Kurenai and Asuma could only look on as Iruka fell to pieces. Anything they said or did would only bring him down more, it was best just to let him grieve.
The receptionist was already calling for help, but nothing could help him now.
…
"…Ugh…"
Itachi Uchiha opened his eyes and was met with a headache. His vision was blurry at first, but he was soon able to make out the brightly lit lights that gave off a white atmosphere all around him. His legs were burning but were concealed under the starch blanket over them. His right arm was in a cast, and he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.
"Great." He growled. He turned his sore neck to the side and saw the curtain separating him and another person. He could see that the person on the other side was sitting up.
"Excuse me…sir? Where exactly am I?"
The person didn't budge.
Itachi sat up on his side. "Excuse me? Ma'am? Sir?" Itachi was becoming urgent now. "Would you please answer me?"
The person snorted. "Eh-What?" A second later, the curtain dividing the two of them opened to reveal the Third Hokage.
"Lord Hokage!" Itachi gasped. "You're alive!"
The Hokage frowned. "Did you expect me to die in that heap of burning ruble?"
"Uh…no, sir." Itachi stated, trying to hurry things along. His eyes caught the mass of bandages on his chest. "How bad is it?"
The Hokage grinned. "A headache, and broken rib or two, but my lungs weren't shattered, thank God."
Itachi watched him look around before sneaking out his pipe.
"That reminds me, why on earth were you in there, Itachi?"
Itachi gulped. The Hokage didn't remember about him dragging him out of there, let alone did he remember what happened after the roof collapsed on them.
"I…was looking for Ryik." He lied, well, it was sort of true. "But…the roof collapsed and I passed out on the smoke."
Hiruzen heaved a sigh of smoke. "Is that so?" he laughed. "You two have become quite the pair."
Itachi gripped the sheets under him tightly. What if Ryik was dead? He would never get to let him know how intensely sorry he was for tossing him aside. He would never have the chance to renew their friendship…or whatever it was.
"Were quite the pair."
"What was—"
"Lord Hokage!"
Hiruzen jumped and struggled to conceal the smoking pipe he possessed.
A nurse, possible somewhere between fourteen and eighteen years old, stomped up to him and gently snatched the thing away.
"Hokage or not, you cannot smoke in this hospital! Especially when you're around these oxygen tanks and…" she shot Itachi a gently smile. "And children." She turned to Itachi and spoke to him in the most babyish tone a girl her age could have. "Can I get you anything, sweetie?"
Itachi glared at her softly before turning on his side, very conscious of his casted arm.
The nurse stared at him in a puzzled matter, but didn't linger on it and turned back to the Hokage. "Please don't do this again." She said before leaving the room.
The Hokage groaned and leaned back into the soft pillows. "So much for relaxing." He chortled, looking to Itachi for more conversation.
The Uchiha, however, remained on his side, either really or pretending to sleep.
Hiruzen looked away, but continued with his chat. '"You know, I was told that I was found under a tree a good couple of feet away from the explosion. I know for one that I was inside when it happened, so that means some courageous soul went in after me." He smiled at Itachi's back. "I owe that person my life, the same way who ever saved you."
An idea sparked into the Uchiha's head. Maybe it would help him deal with one of the problems, and thus fix another.
He gently turned on his side. "I believe I know who it was." He said, sitting up slightly so that he could better tear the truth and lies apart. "Anko Mitarashi went in with me. She and I separated and…everything is a blur after that, but she must have been the one that found you, and then went back in for me."
He was excited now and saw up all the way. "She's a hero, really she is." But to his surprise, the Hokage was frowning.
"She is just that, Itachi, even if your information is faulty, but I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to thank her."
Itachi's heart rate started to excel. "What do you mean?"
The Hokage really wished he had that pipe now.
"According to the latest information, a woman fitting Anko's description was found this morning. She'd been dead for at least an hour."
The words didn't affect Itachi at first. He didn't know how to care about strangers, let alone grieve for them. But as soon as the word "died" and "Anko" came together, the only thing that kept him from falling was the soft pillow under him.
"What?"
The door opened and the nurse from before walked in, two others followed, all carrying new supplies and sheets.
"Sorry," the lead said. "We have to change the sheets and…" her voice trailed when she saw the look on Itachi's face. She sat her things down and walked over to his bed. "Hey," she said in her kindest voice. "Are you all right little boy?"
"No! No! NO!" Itachi screamed over and over again as the young nurses gathered around him as comfort.
The Third was a bit jealous by the attention the youngster was getting from the ladies, but he knew Itachi had a lot more on his mind than that. He had the same thing on his mind as well.
"Anko can't be dead! I saw her two freaking days ago! There's got to be a mistake! THERE'S GOT TO BE!" Itachi smothered his face with his hands, shaking his head and mumbling repeatedly "She can't be…she can't be…"
The nurses awed in pity, and Hiruzen twitched.
"Young ladies," He announced as gently as he could. "Would you please leave us for a moment?"
The girls whispered something to each other before each giving Itachi a kiss on the head and giving a mere bow to the Hokage.
Hiruzen sighed and prepared his heart for a speech he knew would devastate him just as much as it would do the child.
"Itachi…" he began, glancing at him only slightly. Itachi was hunched over and gripping the sheets under him for dear life. Hiruzen couldn't tell if he was crying or shaking with anger. "I don't entirely know what your relationship is with Anko…but…you shouldn't let it affect you the way you're letting it-"
Itachi roared and shot up, knocking a utensil tray to the floor. "Why should I, huh?" he screamed at him. "Why should I be strong when everyone else is doing the exact same thing! That's what they're all going to do: act like nothing's wrong. But that's because this is nothing to them. None of those people out there care! None on of them care about her!"
Orochimaru stared him down closely. "And what about you?" he asked lowly.
Itachi froze, his expression of hate slowly fading. "What…about…me?"
The Hokage nodded. "You said they don't care about Anko, what about you? Do you care about her?"
Itachi slid back down on the bed and stared at the shiny floors. So many emotions, emotions he didn't even know existed, were flowing through him. "I…" he mumbled, his head bowing lower and lower. "Ryik told me the other day that…he loved her. I got angry because he said that…because…"
Hiruzen waited for his answer, but deep in the back of his mind, he knew what Itachi was going to say. Love had no age limit, just consequences.
"Itachi…try to realize that she's in a better place now. Her happiness ought to be what's really important, right?"
Itachi stared at him impassively. He hated himself for succumbing to such emotions, but he had been holding them in for too long.
"I suppose." Itachi stated, but his tone was nasty. "Besides, now that your number one troublemaker is gone, you'll be able to concentrate more on your work."
"Now hold one just a minute!" the Third snapped. "I cared about Anko just as much as you did. She was like a daughter to me, has been since…" his voice trailed off when an unwelcome memory came back to him.
"Since Orochimaru left?" Itachi finished, his voice stained with malice.
The Hokage stared at him and nodded solemnly. To his surprise, Itachi smirked, shaking now from his laugher instead of grief.
"He never left her, Hokage-sama."
"What?" The Hokage gasped.
Itachi looked up with him with dark eyes, but his words were in his mind. "He never left her. Her memories, her ambition, and most definitely not her bedside."
"WHAT THE HELL?"
Both Itachi and the Hokage turned to the closed door as the sound of metal crashing and an utterly familiar voice screaming at nurses and other individuals.
Itachi flinched as the crashings and the yelling became louder, closer. He groaned and waited for the nightmare to begin.
The door burst opened and Ryik enter, pulling his hospital grown down as far as it could go. "WHERE IS MY PANTS? WHO TOOK 'EM?"
Hiruzen and Itachi shrugged obliviously.
Ryik cursed something and then flopped down on Itachi's bed as if nothing had happened between them just the day before. "I tells you Uchiha, the people up in here need to invest in some pants or something, all these people running around with their butts showing…" He then noticed the expression on Itachi's face. "What up with you? Ya'll look more depressed than usual."
Itachi stared at him. Why was he alive and not Anko? Did he even know she was dead?
"Ryik, how did you get here?" Itachi asked slowly.
Ryik gave him an odd smile. "How do ya think? I walked."
Itachi felt like slapping him. "No, no, you idiot! The hospital, how did you get in this freaking hospital?"
Ryik flinched. "All right, dude, don't give birth up in here." He switched his position so that his back was now to him. He gave a slight wave to the Hokage before concentrating on answering Itachi's question. But really, he didn't have too much of an answer.
According to the doctors, he had hit his head sometime during the blurry explosion. He had woken up in the hospital to find his pants gone and some weird looking male nurse trying to give him a bath.
"I…guess one of the rescue corps picked me up." He said quietly. He turned to Itachi. "What are you doing here?"
Itachi sprung up, but the cords and IV hooked to him restrained him from grabbing Ryik. "Anko and I went in to save your crazy ass!"
"Itachi…" The Hokage tried to warn.
"Anko!" Ryik exclaimed. "Where she at? What happened to her?"
"You happened to her…" Itachi mumbled just loud enough for him to hear.
Ryik glared at him. Of course, he didn't know entirely what happened, but if he was accusing him for doing something to Anko, he had to defend his honor. He edged near him, his eyes locked. "YOU'RE the one who let them damn ANBU take me away. If anything, this is all your fault."
Itachi snapped. He pounced forward with a yell, ripping his IV and other supports out as he tackled Ryik.
"Damn it!" Hiruzen cursed as he shifted around in order to find his call button.
Itachi held Ryik down and applied pressure to his throat. "This is all of your fault, you lousy bastard! You killed her! You killed her! You killed her!"
Ryik grabbed his wrists and was slowly able to remove them from his windpipe. He glared up at his ex-friend and flipped their positions with a kick to his stomach. "No, you Sharingan-bearin' bastard! You let them ANBU take me! You're the one who went in with Anko and didn't come back out with her! This is your fault!"
Itachi went limp under Ryik's grip. The spiky-haired little weirdo was right, this was all of his fault. He should have come up with something that would have saved both Ryik and his mom and brother. But he was still a child, and fell apart under the pressure.
Ryik stared down at his petrified face, still angry but sympathetic enough to give him advice. "If you want a second opinion, I don't think Anko-girl's dead."
The two sets of eyes in the room turned to him as Ryik hoisted Itachi to his feet.
"She's the strongest, bravest, and craziest girl I'd ever laid eyes on. She's out there, just laughing at you for going crazy like this."
The door opened and a doctor entered, the school of nurses behind him.
Hiruzen sighed. "Took you long enough." He muttered under his breath. He then cleared his throat to give his order. "Please escort Ryik Katzan back to his room, and give him some pants."
"Finally!" Ryik groaned, obediently following the staff.
Hiruzen looked at Itachi who had crawled back into his bed and hid himself under the blankets. He never realized that this boy, with so much darkness and power lurking in his blood, could feel so much pain for a girl he barely knew.
Or maybe he had seen more into Anko's mind than he thought he could.
"Itachi?" Hiruzen whispered.
"Leave me alone!" Itachi snapped, his voice in one broken sob.
The Hokage sighed and sat back for a much needed nap. He couldn't stay in the hospital forever.
.,.,.,.,
Ryik crawled into his bed as well and stared at the window.
This was a room for suicidal victims. He could tell by the bars on the windows and the security locks on the doors, which had been unlocked the first time he stormed out of his room due to a careless room.
But he could be locked in forever for all he cared, because in the back his mind, he could picture Anko's grinning eyes shut forever.
.,.,.,.,
The smoke was closing in, creating a suffocating curtain of blackness and dust. Orochimaru coughed and did his best to squint through this screen. He was looking for someone, someone who he was very close to yet felt so separated from.
He tried to call to them, but his air supply was slow and he didn't have too much time as it was. But he was supposed to be able to fight off these kinds of weaknesses, but something was happening to him. Something was weathering his strength away…
././.
Orochimaru woke with a sharp cough, sitting up on shaky arms and pushing chard boards off him. There was only a patch of light which signaled that he was he was still inside the accursed building but near the outside world that held real air. He crawled up to it, one of the few things he was able to do properly.
He sucked in his first breath of clean oxygen and lay out on the ground, breathing heavily. His eyes wandered off to the side, where for some reason, he really thought Anko would be. But she wasn't, and this stirred a twisted emotion of worry and anger inside him.
"Anko?" he wheezed, trying to stand. His legs felt like liquid and immediately gave out. He cursed himself and tried again, but fell back into the dirt.
He gritted his teeth and tried to push himself up with his arms.
"Anko!" he called out again. The echo of his own voice he was given, as an answer was enough to send him back to the ground. He glared at the world ahead of him. Was Anko somewhere in it, or had she been taken from it too soon?
He coughed again, this time something horrid tasting and thick running out of his throat. He wiped a quick hand across his lips and saw a reddish-brown substance: dirt mixed with blood. That was NOT good.
He tried the standing routine again; he was on his feet for maybe ten seconds before he hit the ground again.
"What's happening to me?" he whispered out loud. He couldn't move, could barely breath, and couldn't get nearly enough focus together to attempt some kind of jutsu to help him off.
This had been going on for almost three days now, starting the day he woke up in Anko's room after they officially committed to one another. It started off with just a simple cough, not enough to get him out of bed. But the cough turned into violent vomiting. He had to leave Anko that morning to find an ally that could give him an answer. He had yet to receive one.
A distant cough stung his attention, but he firstly chose to ignore it. But it became strong enough to gain his acknowledgement after a moment. He looked to its direction and squinted as a figure squirmed from under a piece of roofing. Something about that spiky head caused Orochimaru's heart to race. He continued to watch it until he realized that the spiky-haired person—a woman, his woman.
"Anko!" he yelled out, but his voice was so hoarse that he couldn't even hear himself. He struggled desperately to stand, just in case this was the person he was thinking of. When that didn't work, the great snake Sannin actually began to crawl, which he made more progress with than the standing attempt. He dug his chin into the ground and used it to get himself closer to his target, which was getting larger and clearer. His chin was cut up and bleeding, but the only thing he felt was the buzz in his head that told him that that woman was Anko and she needed him.
As he halfway reached her, a large pile of lumber tumbled over and blocked his path. After blinking dust out of his eyes, he used the wood as a leverage to help him to his feet. Each step was a challenge, each breath he wished he had back. A high power must have had mercy on him that moment, for he stood on the supports for a good thirty seconds and was able to make a few shaky steps towards the figure.
He stopped as Anko dropped to her knees, her hands grasping at her sides.
Orochimaru's passive expression twisted into one of extreme worry.
"Anko?" he whispered as he limped to where she was laying. She didn't seem to know she was there until he dropped down beside her. "Anko, are you all right?"
Anko whimpered something, one of her hands sliding up to her neck. "It hurts…"
Orochimaru gently unraveled her hand from her neck to get a look of what she was talking about. The seal on her neck was flaring lightly. He placed a hand over it and tried to apply his chakra into it to calm it down, but he couldn't summon nearly enough to handle that kind of injury.
"Damn." He growled. Anko suddenly slumped into him.
"Ryik…Itachi…they're dead…right?"
Orochimaru flinched. She was still acquainted to his former experiment and that Uchiha? Strange world.
"Later." He replied as he carefully slid his arms under her legs under and upper back. He took in a deep breath before slowly standing; he was thankful Anko was so young and so light.
"Don't take me…there…"
"Sorry, love," Orochimaru apologized.
….
Kabuto Yakushi sighed and dropped on a stool on the far corner of the hospital room he was in, hoping to forestall from the doctors who needed his help just a bit longer. He was barely eleven years old and he already being treated like he was some kind of long-time doctor.
He was exhausted from being up for fifteen hours straight and not having a bit to eat or a second of rest since. Everywhere he looked, more people were being brought in from the explosion that had occurred early yesterday evening. Some came in with just some minor burns and a knot or two, other came in with injuries that ate up their torsos and disfigured them to little if any repair.
He rubbed a slight sweat away from his face. This job wasn't exactly what he had wanted it to be. He expected more cutting, less helping. But hey, as soon as Lord Orochimaru got done they would be off and he'd get what he wanted.
There was a knocking on the window that startled Kabuto since he had his guard completely down. He turned to it and saw the very man he had been thinking about.
"Speak of the devil." He muttered as he hurried to let his Lord in.
Orochimaru stumbled in, Anko situated limply on his back. "No time for talk, check for internal injuries."
Kabuto stared at the woman with surprise, but then a hid an all-knowing smirk. "This was the one Kimimaro was talking about…I can see why."
Now excited, he wasted no time in sitting her down on the examination table. He cracked his fingers and helped gathered the tools necessary to cut her clothes off.
Orochimaru grabbed his wrist and turned him to him, staring down at him venomously. "I'll handle that part, if you don't mind."
Kabuto gulped. "Of course." He turned his back to him so that Orochimaru could go about his business. "I bet you've done it plenty of times." He mumbled under his breath just low enough so that Orochimaru couldn't hear him.
Orochimaru finished changing her into a clean pair of sweats before hooking her up to an IV.
Kabuto's eyes wondered over the Sannin's appearance. He was covered in a thick layer of smut and had a few burns every other place. There seemed to be something else going on, judging by Orochimaru's low guard and depleting chakra.
"Where you in the explosion?" Kabuto questioned
"No, I was playing with fireworks." Orochimaru snapped. "What the hell do you think?"
"Um…" Kabuto stuttered as he searched around to get his attention off of Orochimaru's fury. "Never mind."
"Smart boy." Orochimaru grumbled as he sat down in a chair nearby, removing his shirt.
Kabuto watched Orochimaru carefully. He could tell that he was tired, but there seemed to be a cloud of disease around he that couldn't decipher.
"How…are you feeling?"
Orochimaru turned a glare on his concerned subordinate. "I was almost crushed under a burning building, I'm in deep pain, the woman I'm with is probably dying, and you're fucking ask me how I feel!" He grabbed Kabuto's collar and brought the petrified child level to his face. "I'm fucking great!"
Kabuto stumbled back and gripped the wall for dear life. He stared at his seething boss and carefully deciphered the words and made connections. The medic had to force himself not to smirk when the words "woman I'm with" and "fucking" seemed to come together.
"Lord Orochimaru…have you been with this woman?"
Orochimaru slowly, and daringly, turned to him. "I beg your pardon?"
Kabuto's lips twitched and he stepped covered his face for a moment to let his slight embarrassment mixed with hilarity slip away.
"Kimimaro mentioned a while back that you were involved with a woman. Of course, I didn't entirely believe that you were…with this certain woman." He subconsciously let a light chuckle, unknowingly earning a glare from Orochimaru.
"I have to ask, Lord Orochimaru, what part does she play in our plans? Is she going back with us, or is she just hanging around so that you may-"
Orochimaru's fist connected with Kabuto's jaw before he could finish. Kabuto hit the door and didn't even have time to open his eyes before the Sannin had him by the throat and pinned against the door.
"Do you have any idea how close you come to dying each time you open your damn mouth?" the snake hissed, applying small amounts of pressure each time he felt the boy lurch in his grasp. He made sure Kabuto could look directly into his eyes. "Very close, my friend. Too close actually."
He released him harshly, staring him down as he slumped to the floor. "Luckily for you, however, I chose in the first place because of your potential. If it weren't for said potential, I'd snap your neck and leave your carcass in the morgue for the idiots here to deal with..."
Kabuto watched his master release him; stumble back, and then hit the examination table as he collapsed to the floor.
"Lord…Orochimaru?" Kabuto whispered when Orochimaru stopped moving. He crawled franticly over to him and felt for a pulse on his sweaty skin. His own heart began to race as he jumped up and ran to the emergency phone on the other side of the room.
"I need help in here…don't worry about the damn reason, just do it now!"
…
"Move it! Clear the way!"
Iruka and the others looked up just in time to see a group of medics push past various patients and staff members out of the way using a stretcher. Iruka's eyes fell upon the object that they were carrying and everything around him stopped.
He had known Anko Mitarashi for years. He had been on small mission with her, he had crushed on her, he had been sent to the hospital by her, and he had come close to falling in love with her countless times.
He didn't care about who her Sensei was, nor did he care if she was off the wall crazy. She had a sensitive side he knew he could get to if he tried hard enough, and he was more than certain he could get her to love him back. His love for her held no boundaries.
That's why he was able to recognize her mutilated face when she was rolled past him.
Another stretcher followed, but he didn't pay the least bit of attention of who was in it.
Iruka heard an "Oh, my God!" and then a drop of some sort, but didn't turn to see if it was one of his companions. Instead, he broke out after the front stretcher, a man voice cursing him as he did so.
"We need that A positive now!" "We're running out! She'll have to hold out until the donors show up."
"Well then, stick a needle in me, I'm an A positive!"
"Doctor, don't be-"
"Wait! Don't do that! Let me donate to her I'm O! She can take that."
The doctor looked over the panting Iruka closely. "Sorry there, son, but she'll need an A positive before she gets anything else.
Iruka went into panic mode
A tan arm was sudden at her side, a needle impaling it in the main vein. Red liquid oozed from it and slipped into her.
Anko felt the rush, and somehow knew whom the familiar warmth belonged to.
./././.
"Iruka! No, Iruka, don't do this for me! I don't deserve it; I slept with Orochimaru! I let him into the village! I betrayed you!"
./././.
Iruka looked down at her, hurt in his eyes, yet he forced a smile for her sake.
"You're going to be okay, Anko. You've got to be because…well, I want to ask you something when you wake up."
"Relax, son, she can't hear you."
./././.
The light was beginning to glow brighter, and Anko felt like it was affecting her ability to breath. She kept gasping but nothing came in.
"Easy now, Miss." A voice said. Anko couldn't open her eyes to see who it was, but her ears were powerful weapons and picked up the sound of strong footsteps closing in on her. She heard the clanking sound of metal and then was given the life of oxygen. She pressed down on the mask that was delivering it and breathed in deeply.
"Slow down, Miss." The nurse instructed. "You're not going to run out of oxygen anytime soon."
Anko's hand slid up to her eyes so that she could find the source of her blindness. She felt cotton circles lying over her eyes and went to peel them off. A pair of cold hands stopped her.
"Sorry, Miss, not yet."
Anko let her place her arms at her sides. She swallowed a lump of fear in her throat and questioned the nurse. "Am I blind?"
The woman laughed softly. "No, dear, but you did sustain some minor burns around your eyes from the ashes from that fire."
"The fire!" Anko gasped sitting up. "Ryik! Itachi! Lord Hokage! Where are they, are they all right?"
The nurse saw that her blood pressure was rising and did all she could to calm her. "I'll check for you but you have to calm down dear!"
"I want to see them! Let me see them!"
The nurse pressed the call button repeatedly while trying to hold Anko down. Finally a doctor and two more nurses came dashing in, each stepping up and whispering gentle words to help keep Anko restrained.
The doctor took out a needle and filled it with a blue liquid. "Hold out her IV." He instructed the nurse closest nurse to him.
Anko heard this and struggled even more, both for her own safety and the ones of the people she was searching for. Sadly however, three nurse gathered together and where able to get a hold on the feisty Anko.
"Stop it!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Get away from me!"
The doctor was an inch away from her IV when an urgent came up behind him.
"Wait! Let me talk to her, don't put her under—"
"Young man, this woman is about to go into hyperventilation; she needs to calm down."
"Let me calm her down, please, just give me a minute with her!"
The doctor and his nurses exchanged worried looks but gave him consent. "One minute, if her blood pressure isn't back to normal, I'm putting her out my way."
Iruka crouched down beside Anko and held her hand tightly. "Anko, it's me. Please, Anko listen to me-"
"Iruka, tell them to let me go!" Anko begged. "Ryik…and Itachi…I told them I didn't like them. But I lied, Iruka, I swear to God I lied! Tell these bastards to let me see them! I have to know if they're alive. I have to know where—"
"Anko!" Iruka shouted, calming as she did. "Ryik, Itachi, and Lord Hokage are all fine."
"What?" Anko reached up and felt his face, as if to see if it was really him and not someone who would lie to her.
"I saw them. Ryik was jumping around trying to get to you. Itachi was trying to calm him down…" Iruka stilled for a moment; he was starting to fade from giving so much blood. "And he Hokage…well, he's a tough old man…he's all right."
Anko smiled and leaned into his hand. "I told Ryik I hated him Iruka. He hates me now, he wants me to die."
Iruka glanced at Anko's heart monitor. Her vials were calmer, but she was still at risk for crashing.
"Anko…Ryik doesn't seem like the kind of person who would hold a grudge like that. Besides, he likes you, a lot, so just ask him and you'll see."
"No!" Anko sobbed. "I can't ask him. I can't! I'm scared, Iruka. I'm scared to death of what he'll say…" Her cries became heavier and long white ears came from her bandaged eyes.
"Anko…"
The doctor placed a hand on his shoulder. "Son, we have to do it."
Iruka stared at Anko sympathetically. He didn't want to let them put her to sleep by force, but it could save her, and he could regain his strength to console her when she woke up. He stood aside and watched as Anko slowly stilled.
"You should rest too, son." The doctor advised. "You gave blood, that's not something you can feel from in five minutes."
Iruka nodded and allowed a nurse to lead him to an empty bed on the other side of the room. He watched the nurses check Anko and then leave, leaving him and the unconscious Anko alone.
He stared at the chest that rose and fell with each shallow breath that passed through her oxygen mask, the bandaged arms that were now scarred with burns from her heroic deed. His main attention however was focused on the drying tears on her face.
More would come when he told her the truth: he had no idea what had become of the people she had mentioned. They could be dead and they wouldn't find out until their bodies were claimed.
A knock at the door brought he from his guilt.
"Am I too late or is it time for the mourners to walk in?"
Iruka shot up. "You! You're…"
"You're having the worse time with names, aren't you, Iruka-kun?"
Iruka gulped slightly. Even if he was practically a stranger, Urami Choro was a terrifying man.
"How is she?" he asked as he edged over to Anko's bedside. He was clothed in a clean kimono that exposed his bandaged chest. He looked sickly, but still strong.
Iruka's possessive nature shot up and he did his best to sit up. "Um…she should be fine now that she's had a blood transfusion."
Orochimaru/Urami nodded and ran his fingers through Anko's hair, now clean due to a light washing. He could feel Iruka's chakra spike and did his bed to hide his pleasure.
"She's beautiful, isn't she, Mr. Umino?"
Iruka cleared the lump from his throat. "Yes, she is."
Orochimaru continued his advances, playing with Anko's hair and egging Iruka on. "She's going to have a hard time when she's older, maybe even more than she's having now."
"What do you mean?"
"Why, her beauty." Orochimaru said. "I saw how you and those other men were watching her the other night at your little get together. Even the little ones were lost, poor souls." His movements stopped and he just stared at Anko for a moment.
Iruka was now confused and slightly embarrassed. However, he knew he had to defend Anko's honor, as well as his own and the comrades Urami was referring to. "Well, I assure you, none of Anko's comrades look at her in the way you are mentioning. As for Ryik and Itachi, well, they're children. I highly doubt they feel anything like that towards her."
Orochimaru rolled his eyes behind his hair, but hid his annoyance with a jaded smile. "And what about you, Iruka-kun?"
A dark fire twisted in Iruka by the way this man was acting like they were so close. Still, he melted a little when he thought about what Anko really meant to him.
"Well…I care a lot about Anko. She's one of my closes friends."
Orochimaru laughed dementedly, pulling away from Anko and leaning into the wall to keep himself from toppling over from the irony.
"Come now Iruka-kun," he laughed through his hate. "She's obliviously a lot more to you than just a close friend. Why else would you give her your blood and stick by her side, despite the way she treats you?"
Iruka's heart raced. Could this guy read thoughts and feelings?
"Well…" Iruka began to admit. "I…have always had a…interest in her."
"Interest…you say." Orochimaru's nails clawed into his thighs as he dug his hands deeper into his pockets to prevent himself from soaring over Anko's bed and demanding Iruka's full answer.
"Yes…" Iruka admitted, now smiling shyly. "Ever since we were kids, Anko's always been special. She wasn't like those other girls at all. She didn't care what she looked like, or what others thought about her…" Iruka paused for a moment to bring back a fact he knew. "With exception of her Sensei."
Orochimaru rage and hate faded momentarily at those words. "Her Sensei?"
Iruka shrugged. "Back then, he was everything to her. She trained every day to make him happy and focused only on that."
Orochimaru looked down at her, his sleeping angel. "Is that so…"
"Anyway," Iruka went on. "Those are the reasons I like her so much. She's so strong and confident, and she'll become a great Jōnin some day."
Orochimaru smiled and nodded, agreeing completely with those reasons.
"That's also why I want to ask her out today."
Orochimaru's eyes shot open and he gripped the metal rods securing Anko's bed. "You…what…?"
Iruka leaned back, completely oblivious to the dark tone that adorned the man's voice. "I think I might have a chance with her this time."
Orochimaru turned to the smirking Chūnin and his blood boiled just by the look of him. He released the now bent bars and slowly strolled to Iruka's bed.
He looked up just in time to see him standing over him, an impassive but dangerous glare in his eyes. "Um…what's the matter?"
"You can't do that." Orochimaru stated simply.
Iruka gulped."…I don't understand."
"You can't ask Anko…" Orochimaru's fist curled up. "out, because Anko is already with someone."
Iruka gasped silently. Who could it be? Defiantly not Asuma or Hayate. And Anko's not nearly as crazy as to date Might Guy. Kakashi, maybe? It didn't seem impossible but…why hadn't he mentioned it?
"Do you have any idea who?" Iruka gently asked Orochimaru/Urami.
Orochimaru sneered. "Oh yes, I know him quite well, and I'll just warn you now…Iruka-kun." He bent down and got face-to- face with the fearful boy. "This man Anko is with is very…possessive. And already finds your company a nuisance." An idea came to him and he just couldn't resist. "Not to mention that he's fucked her more times in one night that you could in one year, my friend."
Iruka's stomach turned, but he was too afraid to speak out to point out his disgust.
Orochimaru leaned back, not satisfied that he had tortured the prier. "Just thought I'd give you a heads-up." He turned and strolled back towards Anko's bed, staring down at her. He leant over and purposely gave her a long kiss on the head; he saw Iruka flinch out of the corner of his eye.
"Until next time, Iruka-kun."
Iruka watched him leave and then tried to crush himself into the soft mattress. He glanced over at Anko, but couldn't bring himself to fully look at her. He felt sickened by the information that had been delivered to him, but was it possible that Urami was just a sicko who wanted Anko all to himself? If so, why would he make up such an outrageous story about her?
"Anko," Iruka spoke. "I know you can't really understand me, well, maybe you can. You know, it's said that people in comas can hear what's going on outside their sleeping states." He laughed slightly but couldn't keep a straight smile on for once.
"I don't know if what Urami said was true, but…" he swallowed a lump of pain and hurt. "I want you to know that…I'm here for you." He forced himself to look in her direction. He smiled just at the sight of her pretty face. "If you ever…need someone to talk to, or to help you when things get too much for you to handle…you know, relationship wise."
He watched her for the longest time and then sighed, something like a sob broke through his throat.
"I really wanted to ask you out, but I'm willing to wait…because…because I love you, Anko. And I want to tell you that when you wake up so…so hold on Anko."
He stood carefully and walked over to Anko's bed, hesitantly running a hand over her cheek as Orochimaru had done earlier.
"Please, Anko…don't die…just don't die, Anko…"
.,.,.,.,.
"I don't get it." Asuma mused as he lit a cigarette. "If they just brought Anko in, who was it they thought was dead?"
Kurenai looked at him, she too wanted to know the answer to that question.
The two of them were sitting in the garden area outside the hospital so that Asuma could have his hourly smoke.
Kurenai stood, the smell working on her. "Well, an autopsy can't be performed until all of this settles down. And that could be days from now."
Asuma chuckled, his mind somewhere else. "I still don't get how anyone can be confused as Anko Mitarashi. I mean, come on. She's so-" his words turned into a gulp as Kurenai's dark stare fell on him.
"So what, honey?"
"So…different…and not nearly as lovely as you." He bent down and kissed her on the head with shaky lips.
Kurenai smiled satisfied. "That's what I thought you were going to say, dear."
Asuma swallowed a lump of tar and finished up his cigarette.
"Do you think it could be somebody we know?" Kurenai said, getting back on the subject.
Asuma stomped the finished bud in the dirt. "It's not impossible, but I'd hate to find out whom."
Kurenai felt a slight knot in her stomach. "What if Anko becomes like her?"
Asuma reached out and brushed a strand of hair from his girlfriend's face. "Relax, she's a tough little hottie."
Kurenai jeered at him. She knew that he was only kidding, but even she was jealous with Anko's good looks. "Let's go back inside before the medics have to bring a reviver for the poor soul who felt into the duck pond.
Asuma laughed nervously and led Kurenai to the door.
"Asuma! Kurenai!"
The two shot around to see Kakashi, Guy, and Hayate trailing up to them.
"Hey!" Asuma rushed in a greeting. "Where have you guys been?"
"Running around looking for you guys!" Kakashi panted.
Guy took notice of this and slapped him on the back. "Already out of breath, rival!"
Kakashi was on the verge of passing out and decided not to answer.
Hayate stepped out from behind them. "Is Yugao in there? I haven't talked to her all morning."
"When did you last see her?" Kurenai questioned.
"Last night." He said, a bit of urgency in his voice. "She went to go help secure the explosion, but she never came home. She's never done this before!"
Asuma and Kurenai looked at each other. They had the same accusation on their minds but they didn't want to bring it up right in front of Hayate.
"Have no fear!" Gai boomed while slinging a reassuring arm around his neck. "Lady Yugao is strong and vigorous! She will show up eventually!"
Hayate lowered his eyes unsurely.
"Uh," Asuma hummed. "Why don't you two go inside and look around for her."
"Great suggestion!" exclaimed Guy who pulled Hayate along against his will.
Kakashi was about to follow them when Asuma pulled him back. "What's the deal?"
He pulled him to the side for their secret conversation. "Kakashi, this morning a dead girl was admitted into this hospital. We were told it was Anko."
Kakashi's visible widened. "What?"
"But it wasn't." Kurenai cut in. "Anko was found barely an hour ago. She's messed up, but they said she has a high chance of making it."
Kakashi sighed with relief. "That's really good. But, what does that have to do with anything?"
Kurenai and Asuma stared at each other. "The other girl they found must look a lot like Anko to be confused as her. And…well, Yugao does have a few physical traits that match hers…so…"
"It's possible that Yugao might be dead, and had been confused as Anko since Anko was seen going into the explosion last night."
"…Yeah."
Kakashi sighed. "Hayate's going to be pissed."
"We shouldn't tell him until we're absolutely sure." Kurenai said. "After all, this could just be one big mistake."
They boys nodded.
"In the meantime," Asuma said with a slight grin towards Kakashi. "Why don't you work some of that ANBU magic and get us into a morgue."
"Ex-ANBU, and that's almost impossible. They don't allow anyone but doctors or direct family in to identify the bodies. Most of those people in there know me too well to know if I have someone in there."
"Just say it's an emergency."
"Why can't one of you do it? They don't know you."
"I can't look for a girl." Asuma defended. "People will think I'm some kind of freak."
Kakashi looked to Kurenai for her answer, but she looked down, cringing.
She could see a dead comrade like that. It'd haunt her forever.
"All right."
Kurenai and Asuma stared at him in awe.
"I'll do it, but you two owe me big time!"
"Thanks, buddy." Asuma said as he patted Kakashi's back.
After giving a courteous nod to Kurenai, he mad off to the morgue.
"Please don't let it be her." He prayed. "Don't let it be someone we know."
../../../..
Anko slowly began to awake from a dreamless slumber. Despite the ache that consumed her entire body, she felt alive and peaceful. She opened her eyes and was met with a blurry face; somehow though, she was able to make out a familiar smile.
She smiled; almost certain she knew who it was. "Oro-" she stopped herself, however, when she was met with an unfamiliar touch.
"Hey, Anko." Iruka's soft voice greeted.
"Iruka!" Anko gasped.
"Easy," Iruka warned gently. "You're not healed yet; we've got to keep you stable."
Anko lied back down and stare around the room. There were wires of all sorts in her skin and by the dark pinkness of her hands; she was burnt up pretty badly.
"What's wrong with me?" she whispered.
Iruka summed up her injuries in his head. "You've suffered from two broken ribs, extreme dehydration, a few burns here and there, and some temporary sight problems. The doctor mentioned something about a spinal injury, but you've seen to have proven him wrong."
Anko sighed with relief. She began to relax again but then a thought occurred to her. "What are you doing here? You don't look banged up."
Iruka laughed nervously. He features remained soft, but his yes became completely serious.
"I woke up this morning with this gnawing sensation in the back of my skull. It told me that someone I really cared about needed me, and I chose to listen to it." He stared down at her, tears in his eyes. "I'm so glad I did, Anko. They needed my blood to keep you alive. If I hadn't listen to that voice…"
Anko took one of hands. "I owe you one, Iruka."
He smiled sheepishly. "Earlier today, I was actually hoping you'd say that, because I had a way you could pay me back, but…"
Anko laughed lightly. "But what?"
Iruka's lip twitched. "I was going to ask you out when you woke up, but I just found out I was too late."
"Say what?"
"It's okay!" Iruka defended. "I'm happy for you, and the guy you're going out with."
"Iruka, I'm-"
"He better take care of you." Iruka cut in, his expression sorrowful. "Girls like you are…" he gripped her hand a little tighter. "One and a million Anko."
"Iruka, please listen to-"
"Anko!"
Iruka and Anko looked up to see Itachi Uchiha, clad in only a hospital gown, standing in the doorway. He seemed to be trembling, but his face was stone cold.
"Itachi," Anko gasped, trying to sit up despite Iruka's protest. "How are you, kid?"
Itachi gulped. "They told me you were dead; I feel like I'm going to be sick."
"Dead?" Anko turned to Iruka who had shot a hard look in Itachi's direction.
"We all thought you were." Iruka sighed. "You-"
"Anko-girl!"
Anko groaned with great pain crushed her lungs in.
"Girl, what the hell happened to ya! Itachi over there was spillin' all this crap about you being dead, but I didn't believe him, no, ma'am. I said my main girl's gonna make it through, that I did!"
Anko looked around at the three faces in the room. She felt so happy to see these people, to know that they really cared about her, but there was one other face she didn't see that she wanted to.
Why wasn't Orochimaru there? He was having sex with her, didn't that mean that he cared about her?
A wave of pain rushed into Anko, so great that the only way to make it stop was to let the darkness around her take her away.
"Anko-girl!"
Iruka gasped and went for the call button. A doctor appeared a moment later only to have Itachi and Ryik come close to trampling him.
Ryik: "Something happened!"
Itachi: "What's wrong with her?"
Ryik: "Is she dead?"
Itachi: "What caused this?"
Ryik: "Is fucked really a word?"
Itachi: "Ryik!"
"I want to know!"
Iruka pulled them off the confused doctor. "You'll have to excuse them, they're petrified. Can you please tell me what's wrong with our friend? She just fell out."
The doctor picked up Anko chart and read it silently before turning back to the anxious boys. "It's the medication she's on. It will cause her to fall asleep each time she wakes up. We'll take her off of it when she's well."
"Thank you." Iruka said. He pulled on Itachi and Ryik.
"Thanks." They sighed in illusion.
As soon as he left, they all turned back to Anko who was sound asleep.
"We should let the others know she's all right." Iruka suggested. "There are a lot of people freaking out."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Ryik grumbled.
Iruka looked back at Anko one last time before closing the door behind him. "…I love you, Anko."
.,.,.,.,.
Asuma and Kurenai waited anxiously in the waiting room for Kakashi to return from the morgue.
"You think he's okay?" Kurenai egged nervously.
"He's fine." Asuma sighed. "He'll be out when he gets out."
Kurenai blew a strand of hair out of her face. She felt like she had been waiting for years, but it had barely been an hour. "I'm sick of this." She complained.
Asuma rubbed his rough jaw. He really needed a cigarette but he didn't want to leave Kurenai alone to tear the hospital down. He nicotine fit would just have to wait.
"Guys?"
The two shot around to see Hayate and Guy coming towards them. "Where's Kakashi?"
Asuma stood, his eyes locked on Hayate. "He…had to take care of something."
Hayate growled and flopped down on the bench Asuma had been occupying. "I can't find Yugao anywhere."
Asuma and Kurenai exchanged glances. "I'm sure she's fine."
"Yes!" Guy exclaimed. "She is a true kunoichi, and her strength will see her through anything!"
"Not this time, Guy."
The crowd looked up to see Kakashi making his way slowly towards them.
"What news?" Kurenai breathed.
Hayate looked at her and then back at Kakashi.
Kakashi sat down beside Hayate, his head low, and he hands clasped together as if he were praying.
"What's going on?" Guy asked, one of the few times he wasn't loud and hyper.
Hayate had the same question in his eyes and was about to ask it when he saw Kurenai turn her back to them, her shoulders shaking lightly.
"Kakashi?"
"…This morning," Kakashi spoke with a husky voice. "a girl was brought here from the explosion. Someone had confused her with Anko Mitarashi."
Hayate's sickly eyes widened. "Is it true? Is Anko…"
"No." Kakashi whispered. "Anko was brought in afterwards, and I went in to find out where the mix up came from."
"Kakashi quite leading me on and just tell me what happened."
Kakashi shrugged; he had asked for it. "Yugao's dead. The body they found was hers."
Hayate was still for a very long time; the only movement was the shaking of his eyeballs. He shot around and stared at the people who wouldn't look him in the eyes.
"It's a lie." He growled. "It's a fucking lie!" he ran away, towards the morgue.
"Hayate!" Kurenai called after him. Asuma however grabbed her shoulder.
"Leave him alone." He said. "He needs time to process this."
A few feet away, a figure stood watching this disaster, as well as smirking at the pain on the people's faces.
"It seems I made a mistake." The man chuckled, turning back towards the labyrinth of hallways to locate a particular person.
"Anko Mitarashi is still alive, this makes things very complicated…"
"Mizuki?"
The man shot around to see Tsubaki running after him. "What is it?"
"We need you in Examine Room 8; this guy's lost a lot of blood."
Mizuki sighed tiredly. "Well, Anko, I'll just have to deal with you later…"