35.
Those few days that she had gave Yuna enough time to get cleaned up and go over everything the Uchiha's medics taught her.
She spent most of the days on her bed, simply reading and memorizing scrolls like maps. When she tried very hard, Yuna could recall her time with her family…almost. She had to go through intense period of study to learn everything about the world and its history as well.
Her parents were preparing her for the future and she was thankful for that, because thanks to their endless knowledge-pounding sessions Yuna could learn things faster.
She had developed a very set schedule for herself.
In the morning, she woke up before breakfast arrived and cleaned herself up. After breakfast, she would study and scheme until two o' clock, then it was time for lunch somewhere nearby and a little walk around the town to observe the guards and possible escape routes.
Following hours would be spent studying, until it was time for bed. The cycle was dulling and occasionally nauseating, but necessary.
During her strolls in the cold sun, Yuna would always end up glaring at the strange castle in the heart of the village. It looked breathtakingly beautiful, but there was something strange and dead about the place. She tried to blame it on the scaring fact that inside there, some paranoid psycho was killing poor innocent women who were probably scared out of their minds.
A horrible way to die really…On a cold metal table, with a blade pushed against your neck as if you were a pig in a slaughterhouse.
Just the mere thought caused her to shudder uncomfortably.
Yuna felt a pang of guilt every time she thought of Rat. He trusted her and cut out her ticket to freedom and now Yuna simply left to the upper city without a word or an explanation.
One of the things that Yuna didn't think about at all was Madara and his current whereabouts.
She had to focus on becoming Hikari, who was single…not that Madara ever really defined their relationship. It was simply filled with lust and mutual understanding. They weren't like puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly, far from it. Madara was impatient and Yuna occasionally loved to test that patience simply for the fun of it.
They were more like...blobs, as unelegat as the comparison might be. They clashed, but also changed their ways for the other.
For the next week, none of it mattered. Yuna had decided to do this properly and forget about any pain ever felt.
On the fateful day, Yuna was scared out of her wits. Before checking out of the hotel, she had to spend almost an hour simply meditating. If I believe that I'm Hikari, then they will as well.
That's what she told herself multiple times.
She took her course towards the ominous castle in the middle of the village.
The city was lively as always, filled with hoards of people. Without a mistake, they were elaborately dressed with brightly coloured and handmade outfits, one more flamboyant than the other. It seemed as if the seamstresses were competing in who could fit more colours in one piece of clothing.
That's where Yuna stuck out like a sore thumb with her simple coat and red hair, which was tied into a loose bun.
She conjured a softer, more curios and knowing expression to seem more like a wandering healer.
The beautiful fortress was becoming bigger and bigger with each step. She couldn't help but to gawk once she reached the front gate. The crimson gates were guarded, that much was expected. The mansion had no open windows to allow in fresh air. Everything was sealed shut from the outer world.
Yuna took a few steps towards the door, only to be stopped by a spear pointed towards her face. She frowned and tried to force down the natural urge to slam the spear away from her face.
"Commoners are not allowed to enter the castle," stated the man with a strong voice. Yuna sighed and leaned back nonchalantly, "What makes you think that I'm just a random peasant? I'm Kuroki Hikari, the healer from Earth country."
The guard seemed unaffected by her response, "Uematsu-sama is currently busy and is accepting no visitors."
Yuna was starting to get impatient and nervous at the same time.
"I'm more than willing to wait to meet him. I've heard of his troubles and I want to help, to rid him of his bodily curses…" she replied, her voice trailing off.
"Don't you want to see your leader in full glory?" Yuna demanded loudly, hoping to play on their sense of patriotism. Acting this dramatically was attracting attention from the other guards as well. Since the guard in front of her didn't respond negatively, Yuna found courage to continue her rant, praying that Uematsu wasn't one to mistreat his guards.
"How about you let him decide if I'm worth his time."
Part one of her mission was a success. Yuna was now seated in one of the guest rooms to wait for Hideto. It was a small room, very well lit with many candles and lights. There were no windows in this room and no place to hide. There was only the lonely wooden table in the middle of the room with six chairs. The walls were painted white, ornamented with complicated red patterns and the floor was covered with a black carpet.
The room was completely flat with no places to hide anything. No places for secret weapons or items.
Paranoid indeed.
Nearly an hour had passed since the guard brought her in, yet there was still no sign of Hideto. Yuna was so bored out of her mind that she decided to observe the patterns drawn onto the wall.
No matter how she looked at it, the pictures weren't making any sense. It looked more like someone was murdered in the room and the painting was nothing more than a large splatter of blood.
…Actually that made much more sense…
Yuna jumped when she suddenly heard the door open behind her. She was prepared to meet Hideto's cold gaze, but a small girl entered instead. She looked no more than twenty, with light blonde hair and dark brown eyes. The woman was carrying a tray with a teapot, two cups and a small plate with yokan on it.
She closed the door behind her quietly and walked over to the table. Without uttering a word or sparing a glance she put everything on the table with perfect symmetry and poured tea to the two cups. After doing so she got up and left as quietly as she came.
"Strange…" mumbled Yuna.
A few minutes later the door opened again. This time Yuna's blood froze.
Whenever she thought about Hideto's appearance, Yuna imagined a short, skinny man with weak muscles and thin hair. This man in front of her was buff, every muscle perfectly defined. His posture was great, his jaw was strong and his eyes held no mercy.
She observed his movements, expecting to find any signs of poor health, but couldn't detect anything.
He entered the room and Yuna bowed to him automatically. This man wasn't a ninja, that much was obvious, but the way he held himself made his presence a lot more dangerous.
In a way, he reminded her of Madara. Both of them used fear to gain control, only Madara didn't kill innocent people out of selfish reasons...On a second thought, that was up to debate.
Yuna didn't lift her eyes until Hideto was seated. She held her back erect and looked straight ahead into those cold eyes.
"Why did you come?" he asked finally. Hideto's voice was low and held a certain tone of authority, well aware of the influence he possessed.
Yuna tried to remain passive, "To usher out words about my limitless good will would be a blatant lie. I'm mostly curious about the cause and cure. Medicine is all about evolution; it's a race to beat everyone else."
"So you're just a selfish crazy doctor?"
Yuna couldn't help but to smirk, "Every medic is, not all of them dare to admit it though. By letting in the madness one also broadens their mind and imagination. That's why I believe that I can cure you."
Hideto's mouth curled into a snarl, "How can I believe your words, which sound practiced and artificial, coming from a foreign person with no name or fame?"
Yuna chuckled and shook her head, "Of course you can't. This may very well be an assassination attempt, but from what I could gather I learnt that you've only been treated by regular medics. I on the other hand have treated ninjas as well. Everybody has a chakra network in their body. Many conditions are caused because there's an irregularity in the network. Ninjas notice it immediately because it will interfere with their regular duties, yet on regular people it manifests differently and may escape your notice."
"Again with the fancy words. I've had plenty of leeches and assassins already."
"Well you haven't given me a chance to prove myself. Give me a week; if there's no progress by that time then I will leave."
Hideto lifted the cup of tea to his lips calmly and took a large gulp, not even flinching at the heat.
"You will be monitored. At any sign of suspicious behaviour and…well I strongly suggest you don't try anything funny."
The threat was left up there in the air.
Yuna's eyes widened with surprise before a large smile broke out, "So…during this week I can perform any test necessary? Of course none of them won't be harmful to you…"
Hideto nodded, "Any kind of tests, but there will always be someone with you. Also you have access to our libraries. A maid will come to escort you to a room soon. Your week shall begin tomorrow."
With that statement Hideto left. Yuna felt physically lighter after his departure. The shock of witnessing Hideto's appearance was finally wearing off. She leaned back and sighed, cracking her neck. Now all she had to do was to figure out a way around the maid.
The door opened and Yuna met a pair of very familiar eyes. The maid seemed to recognize her as well because she almost tripped over her own feet. She quickly entered the room and closed the room.
"What are you…?"
"It's been a long time," replied Yuna with a polite smile. This chance was too good to be true.
Hahaha I bet you want to find out who the maid is? Soon~ very soon.