It took Anko two more days to recover. She was still very sore, but was able to see now and stand for short periods by herself.
Iruka never left her side. Even when the nurses chased him out, he slept right outside the hospital until he was allowed back in. Ryik usually had to sneak in through the vent system due to Hokage's orders that he remain in his room. Itachi had been let out a day before but he continued to linger outside Anko's room, just staring at her.
Kurenai, Asuma, Gai, and Kakashi were general visitors. Partly for Anko, and partly for Hayate, who was in the dreary process for preparing Yugao's funeral. Kakashi and Asuma had to help him out tremendously for he was still in a state of shock. It was so bad that he wouldn't even go in Anko's room without breaking down.
Anko asked them why he was acting that way, but they had agreed to keep the truth from her when she was well enough to handle it.
"I want to push her out!" Ryik protested as Iruka helped a nurse situate Anko in a wheel chair.
"You might push her down a flight of stairs." Itachi said, one of his few attempts at a joke.
"Oh, like you could do better, Uchiha. You're so weak. You and your weak-"
"Will you two come on?" Anko called impatiently from the hallway.
Ryik and Itachi exchanged glares and ran after her. They had agreed to take shifts of looking after Anko and helping her back on her feet with Iruka, but they had refused to do it together due to the trust issue Ryik had going on.
"Make sure you take all of your medicine." Iruka instructed as he gently rolled Anko out of the hospital.
"Iruka, I got it." Anko sighed. She was grateful to him, but she wished he'd get off her damn back for five minutes.
"Yeah, man," Ryik said as he walked alongside him. "Lighten up, it ain't like Anko-girl didn't just come out of the hospital or something."
"Shut up, Ryik!" Anko growled.
Ryik smirked and picked up speed as Anko rose from her wheelchair to hit him.
"Easy," Iruka said, putting a hand on her shoulder. He watched Itachi brushed past them without giving them a reason for his leaving.
Anko slumped back down. She couldn't wait to get home and get some alone time…as well as chew that asshole Orochimaru for bailing on her.
Anko's ears picked up the sound of a crash and a weak scream, a scream that was more than familiar. She jumped up and ran into the outside world, Iruka running after her.
She skidded to s stop when she saw Kakashi pulling a raving Hayate away from a bleeding Ryik who was being shielded by Itachi.
"You little bastard!" Hayate screamed as Kakashi drug him back.
"Hayate, it's not his fault." Kakashi whispered.
Hayate jerked his arm away and punched Kakashi squarely in the face before running after Ryik again.
Anko instinctively jumped in front of Ryik, almost meeting Hayate's fist before his stopped dead in his tracks. They stared at each other, Hayate's pained eyes staring into Anko's worried ones.
"What are you doing?" Anko whispered to him.
Hayate blinked and his expression changed back into one of pure hatred. "That bastard over there is the reason Yugao is dead!"
Anko's eyes widened. "What?"
"He killed her!" he screamed, trying to charge at Ryik again but was stopped by Iruka who pulled him back by the waist. Kakashi joined him a second later, wincing in pain.
"Iruka, what is he talking about? What happened to Yugao?"
The men around her were silent, with exception for Hayate's grunting as he struggled.
Anko turned to Itachi for answers, but he had his eyes cast away from her and Ryik who looked just as shocked as she did.
"He caused the explosion!" Hayate shouted out. "He blew the ANBU headquarters up and killed everyone! And yet he's alive."
"What?" Ryik shouted out. "That ain't…" However, Ryik couldn't defend himself because he couldn't remember what happened after those ANBU dragged him out of Itachi's house. Everything was mixed up in pain and clouds of smoke.
"You're alive while over thirty people are dead!" Hayate screamed again.
Ryik covered his ears, trying to block out everything else so that he could remember.
"Stop it, Hayate." Anko whispered. "It wasn't intentional."
Hayate stared at her. He could see so much of Yugao in her it hurt. He reached out but stopped himself from touching her. He returned his gaze to Ryik. "Not in my eyes."
Anko felt a heavy weigh fall on her chest as she watched Hayate walk away. Yugao was dead and Hayate would hold it over Ryik's head forever. She felt responsible for all of it. She should have worked harder to keep the ANBU off of him, but she had been so consumed by Orochimaru that everything else faded off.
"Ryik, wait!"
Anko shot around just in time to watch Ryik run off. Itachi had risen but didn't run after him. Anko thought about going after him herself but a shard of pain was building up in her side and she could barely walk as it was.
Iruka stepped beside her. "Let me take you home."
She glanced behind him to see Kakashi leaning against a while pinching his nose, most likely broken due to Hayate's hit.
"He'll be fine." Iruka reassured, "But you'll be back in that hospital if you don't get home and get some rest."
Anko rolled her eyes. "You're not the boss of me." She looked back at Itachi who was still staring in the direction Ryik ran away to.
"Uchiha?"
Itachi's head dropped and he slowly walked away.
"Ita-"
Anko stopped herself. Itachi was in pain, like Ryik, and needed some alone time. She nodded to Iruka and swung an arm around his shoulder for better support.
"Well, bye!" Kakashi called after them. He sighed when they didn't acknowledge him back.
Anko and Iruka walked to Anko's apartment in silence. Anko was looking all around for Orochimaru. She was so ready to chew him out, but at the same time just wanted to see him.
She tried to quicken her pace but Iruka wouldn't allow it, ranting about her health and such. "Screw my health, I want to get home!" Anko would say.
Finally, they reached her home. Anko threw the door open. Orochimaru wasn't in sight at the moment, thank goodness. But suddenly, Anko saw a shadow sweep across the wall. She looked up just in time to see Orochimaru's dark curtain of hair disappear into her hallway.
"Oh, shit!" Anko hissed. Iruka had moved to the kitchen, looking for something. She had to get him out of here; he would probably have a heart attack and die if he saw Orochimaru.
"Well," Anko said, grabbing him by the collar and pushing him out the door, "Thanks for your help! BYE!"
"Hold on," Iruka said. "I'm supposed to make sure you take this." He brushed past her again and returned to his task in the kitchen.
Anko looked worriedly at her hallway and jumped into the kitchen to better distract Iruka. "So, uh, need some help?"
"Um…no thanks." He sat two coffee mugs on the table as well as three medicine bottles. "How about we have a talk, Anko?" He suggested, ushering her to a chair.
Anko faked a yawn and stretched. "Actually, I'm kind of worn out maybe some other time 'kay?"
"Anko," Iruka said very seriously, "This is very important."
Anko gawked some. It was rare that Iruka got down right cold, but now he seemed afraid, as if what he was about to tell her would save her life. "All right," she said, sitting down across from him. "Speak your mind."
Iruka took the cup he had made for himself and took a long sip from it.
Anko sniffed hers and took a sip as well. She grimaced at the bitter taste. "What is this, mud mixed with fish guts?"
"Tea mixed with the medicine you have to take for the next two weeks." Iruka slyly grinned. "So get used to it."
Anko pushed the cup away defiantly.
"Anyway," Iruka sighed, "I guess I should get this over with."
"What are you talking about?"
"Yugao Uzuki, Hayate's girlfriend, was killed in the explosion."
Anko's hands clenched. "Yeah, I caught onto that."
"The thing about it is that someone mistook her as you. We all thought you were dead."
Anko's eyes widened. "What? How could you make that kind of mistake?"
Iruka sweat-dropped. "I didn't show up until later, so-"
"Yeah, right," Anko scoffed standing up. "You probably wanted me dead like everyone else does."
Iruka froze up. How in the hell could Anko think that of him? Without thinking, he rose from his seat and turned to Anko who was washing the nasty substance out of her cup. He grabbed her shoulder as gently as his irritation would allow.
Anko gasped as Iruka spun her around, slightly pressing her to the sink. "What the heck?"
He squeezed her shoulders, glaring at her. "Anko…please don't say things like that ever again."
Anko's eyes widened. She could have slapped herself at how blind and pig-headed she had been acting. Iruka had done so much for her in the past month than anyone had done for her in a lifetime. And after what he said in the hospital…
"I'm sorry, Iruka." She whispered, pulling him closely.
Iruka stiffened as if he had been bitten by a snake, in technical terms. Anko wasn't supposed to be hurt and vulnerable. She was supposed to be a fighter, someone who gave out the pain.
"Anko," Iruka whispered. "It's all right, really…"
"No, no, it's not." Anko whispered. She was such a traitor. Iruka was practically tearing his heart out and handing it to her but she couldn't accept it.
"If this is about that guy of yours, then don't let that eat at you."
Anko rolled her eyes and pulled back. "Iruka, who told you about that?"
"Urami Choro." Iruka answered sadly. "I kind of assumed he was talking about himself."
"Oh…DAMN IT!" Anko yelled as she slammed her fists down on the table, causing Iruka to shrink back. Anko took a deep breath before giving her explanation. "Urami and I…we have been in a "relationship", but it isn't official, and I highly doubt it will be."
While Anko still had her back turned, Iruka smirked and silently cheered. He still had a chance!
He cleared his throat, "Well, that's good to know." Iruka said. He chuckled, "No offense Anko, but you have a strange taste in men."
Anko pondered between smacking him or turning the arrow back. She chose the latter. She brushed past him in a sly sort of way, making sure she brushed him. "Well, you have a strange way of showing a girl you like her."
Iruka's face turned into one giant blush. "Anko, that's-"
"True?" Anko finished. She burst out in laughter as she headed toward the living room. "Get out of here Umino before you get in trouble."
Iruka, still red as a beet, walked to the door where Anko was waiting. If someone had told him just three days ago that he would never see her again, he would have probably lost his mind and beat the hell out of them.
He stepped hesitantly closer to her, his eyes studying the grin on her face as it bowed to a line of question. He leant his head down and did something he had wanted to do since the night of Anko's seventeenth birthday.
Anko's entire body stiffed up when Iruka's lips met hers. Iruka had a thing for her, and probably had his little fantasies, but she never thought he'd just go through with one, especially with the circumstances at hand.
As time increased, Anko actually began to feel some part of this. There was a feeling…
He pulled back, breathing deeply.
Anko numbly touched her lips. What was it about his kissing that she left her so empty unlike Orochimaru? Oh, shoot; he's probably watching this!
Iruka saw the look on her face and stepped back as far as he could. "I…" There was no room for explanations. If he hadn't screwed up with her before, he sure as hell did now.
"I'll…just be going." He stuttered. "Ryik, Itachi, and I…we'll look up on you later…okay?"
Anko only nodded, still too lost in thought to respond.
"I'll see you later?"
Anko slowly walked away, her arms crossed over her chest. "Bye."
Iruka waited until he was a few steps down to slap himself.
Anko groaned, biting her wrist to keep from sobbing or screaming her head off. Her ears picked the sound of her floors creaking and she quickly remembered the man in the other room. She straightened her tattered appearance and slowly made her way to the bedroom where she knew he'd be waiting.
"You have a lot of explaining to do!" She growled as she threw the door open.
She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him. He was the picture of death. He looked paler than he ever had, his dark hair standing out. His eyes as he looked up at her hazed, almost as if they were about to close forever. His legs trembled as he stood and he took in deep breaths.
"What the hell happened to you?" she gasped, running up to him and touching his face. "You're burning up!"
Orochimaru's shaky limb took hers. "Anko, I don't have a lot of time…"
Anko ignored him and sat him back down to examine him further. "Your pulse is racing, your eyes are almost bloodshot, and..." She pulled up his shirt some, shocked at what was under there. "Orochimaru, why are you covered with bruises? You look like you got the hell beat out of you."
"Anko, please!" Orochimaru hissed hoarsely. He squeezed Anko's arms as a wave of sickness ran over him. He doubled over and coughed harshly, blood shortly following.
Anko squeezed him with her own strength. Was he going to die?
"The…other day…" Orochimaru began through the blood, "When I left you…I…"
Anko got up and ran away. Orochimaru listened at her hurried actions and waited until she got back into the room, a dishrag and glass of water in hand. He drunk it in large gulps and let Anko wipe his mouth as though he were a helpless child. However, he was just that, not a child, but helpless.
Anko then positioned the pillows behind his back so that he could sit up. She sat beside him and gripped his hand, wanting to hear what he had to say.
"The day after you birthday," Orochimaru panted, now a little relieved. "I woke up that morning…and saw you…I didn't want to leave, Anko…believe me when I say that."
Anko's grip tightened. She wanted so desperately to believe him, but so many lies were piled up that the truth barely seemed to exist.
"But, I started coughing. It was nothing at first, just irritation…but it began to hurt. So I got up…and stepped outside so that I wouldn't wake you up…you're so less threatening when you're asleep…and I saw blood in my hand." He paused for a moment, letting his eyes close for a few seconds. "Then, I left you, and went to see Kabuto." He released her hand, his features becoming fiercer. "He said it was time for me to leave…to shed this body off."
"Shed your body?" Anko questioned. "What do you mean?"
Orochimaru didn't want to explain it to her, but if he left without giving her the full truth, she'd look for it herself and find out something that will tear her apart.
"About three years ago," he said, "I began studying a technique called the Living Corpse Reincarnation…I was hooked on becoming immortal, and that was the only way…"
Anko looked away from him, trying to piece things together. "So you…did something to your body?"
"Precisely," he said. "I…took over the body of a young girl…my wife to be exact."
Anko jumped up. "You were married?"
"…I thought you'd be more upset about the whole "taking over another body" thing."
Anko glared at him. "You were married, and you took over her body?"
"I had to-"
"Just…shut up, all right? Let me think." She took a seat on top of her desk. She had been having sex with a damn cross-gender maniac! Oh, the irony!
"You are one fucked up son of a bitch!" Anko growled.
"I'm sorry."
"You're—What—Don't—Get out!" Anko jumped down and pointed to the door. "Get the hell out of my house!"
"I'm sorry," Orochimaru repeated, sitting up. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way."
"What way?" Anko shouted, blushing slightly. "Oh, I see, you were hoping to get one last fuck in, is that it?"
"Anko-"
"You honestly think you can fuck me, leave me to burn to death, and then fuck me again like nothing happened!"
"Anko, just-"
"It's not going to happen this time."
"Anko, shut up and listen to me!"
And for once, Anko Mitarashi did exactly what she was told. Orochimaru was one of the very few people in the world who could actually get her to mind.
"I didn't go into the ANBU headquarters with you because I started coughing up blood again. I didn't want you to see…" He sighed and stood up. "I never meant for it to happen… Any of it. I never meant to permanently move next door to you, screw you over maybe, but not create this. I hadn't meant to have sex with you, that was…the animal in me."
Anko couldn't surpass the small grin when he said that.
"The second I saw you again…when you and that Tsubaki girl showed up…I had to find out what kind of a woman my former apprentice had become." Anko fought off a shudder when Orochimaru's icy fingers met her cheek. "But now that I know, I don't have a reason to stay."
Anko gasped as he walked past her. Was he serious, or was this his idea of a sick joke?
She followed him. "Well then…when will you be coming back?"
Orochimaru stopped and looked back at her. "I'm…not coming back, Anko."
Anko's heart dropped to her stomach. Her throat was so closed up that she couldn't speak.
He turned back around. "Iruka," he said with some bitterness, "has showed his interest in you, and to honest, I think you and he are much more suited for each other." His fists clenched. "He can be here for you."
"Orochimaru," Anko groaned.
He opened the door. "I have to go; I told Kabuto and Kimimaro I'd be right behind them."
"Wait!"
"Goodbye, Anko." The door closed.
Anko ran after him. "Orochimaru, wait!" She twisted her knob only to discover it was locked. She panicked, "Orochimaru!"
She finally kicked the door open and staggered outside, leaning onto the railing as bolts of pain ran through her. "Orochi-"
She looked around franticly, like a child lost in the market place looking for their mother. Orochimaru was nowhere in sight; it was as if he disappeared out of thin air.
Maybe he never existed at all. Maybe the past five weeks had just been an illusion and she had been too in love with it to realize it. But…the fights she had with him…the laughter, the playful moments, the things they said to one another…that had to be real! She had markings all over her body to prove it all had happened!
Her aching legs gave out and she fell to the ground, still gripping the railings. She was overflowing with emotions she hadn't felt in years: hurt, sadness, regret, hate. So much hate.
"Orochimaru…" she growled so low that she could hardly hear it herself. She clawed at the mark on her neck. Orochimaru hadn't allowed it to hurt since he was becoming so damn cozy with her. But it sure was hurting now. Everything hurt.
Tears stung her eyes and blood flowed into her mouth as she gnashed her teeth together. "You…BASTARD!"
.,.,.,.
Orochimaru looked back at Anko's apartment complex with woe as Anko's scream of pain reached him. He too was in pain too, not the pain of heartbreak that his dear Anko was going through, but the pain of regret and confusion so much pain in fact that he couldn't even cry about it. He couldn't talk about, couldn't walk it off, only let it run through him like snake venom and let it kill him.
He looked at the empty ally several feet below him. He wondered if it would go away if he let himself fall into it. If he just died, would it stop?
No, he had to live.
He closed his eyes and walked quickly away.
He was nowhere near done with this place, or the woman he left behind. He smirked, some of his sick humor returning. Once he was well, Anko would be his again, and he would make exactly sure he was the only bridge she had to cross.
A line of dark, warm blood ran down his mouth, but he was to numb to feel it.