Chapter 16- Hospitalization
Me: That was an intense fight between Tid and Spike.
Twilight: Did that really need to happen?
Me: Aye.
Twilight: *sigh* I'll just handle the disclaimer. Tid doesn't own the rights to Naruto Shippuden or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
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(As Itachi)
It was a warm autumn's day as I walked through Ponyville to check on Tid in the hospital. As I was walking, I received glares from many of the ponies that I happened to pass by, some of them whispering quietly to one another, their mouths shielded by their hooves. I sighed and continued to walk, trying to seem as inconspicuous as possible. Finally I could see the Ponyville hospital come into view as I turned a corner. As I walked past the many shops that lined the streets of Ponyville, I could see the Chakra of every pony that occupied them. I noticed ponies without wings had a large presence of Sage Chakra within their bodies. These ponies tended to have Earth-style Chakra natures, occasionally coupled with another Chakra nature, such as Wind-style or another nature. Pegasi seemed to have only Wind-style Chakra, save for the occasional Lightning-style coupling. Unicorns had a more varied Chakra nature pool, which I guessed was because they controlled neither the land nor the air.
I approached the hospital and opened the glass door, surprised to see three men wearing similar outfits in front of the receptionist's desk. My eyes widened when I saw them, as they weren't ponies, but humans! Their Chakra seemed ominous- almost like a Tailed Beast's. I remained silent as I walked toward them, stopping close enough to hear what they were saying.
"I'm sorry, but I can't authorize you to see Mr. Tid." The receptionist said.
"And why not?" One of the men asked.
"Are you personal friends with him?" She asked them.
"Well, no, but-"
"Then I can't let you see him." She said closing a book with enough force to get her point across.
The three men grumbled something I couldn't make out to one another and turned their attention back to the receptionist.
"Fine, we'll just be going then." The one who had been talking to her earlier said.
She nodded and they turned to leave, but stopped when they saw me. One of the men leaned in and whispered something into the center's ear, shielding his mouth from me like the ponies had done. The center one shook his head and before I could blink they disappeared. My eyes widened surprise and I looked around for any sign of them, but they were gone without a trace.
I walked up to the receptionist and asked to see Tid.
"He sure seems to be popular today. Are you personal friends with Mr. Tid?" She asked. I nodded.
"Alright, follow me." She said.
She walked out from behind the counter and led me down the hall to a door marked with an eight.
"This is his room. Please do be respectful, as he's still recuperating." She said.
I nodded once more and she left. I opened the door and stepped inside, making sure to shut the door tightly behind me. In this room there were two beds, occupied by Tid and Spike. They sat in front of medicine cabinets and a sink, as one would expect of a hospital room. Tid and Spike were both hooked up to IV's, their bodies also covered in bandages. Tid's body was more heavily bandaged than Spikes, due to his injuries. I sighed and walked toward Tid.
"Honestly, how do you manage to destroy your body in a place like this?" I asked him as I sat in a chair that stood next to his bedside.
Tid of course said nothing but continued to sleep, his chest rising and falling with every breath he took. The bandages that covered him were enough to conceal his dead skin, even covering up to where his arm connected to his shoulder. His hands and forearms were also heavily bandaged, his muscles having almost completely torn themselves apart. I sat back in my chair and crossed one leg over the other, waiting patiently for him to wake up.
Luckily, I hadn't waited long before he began to stir. His eyes gradually opened, his Sharingan still active. He turned his head and looked at Spike, and then the IV attached to his arm. He then turned his head and saw me.
"Itachi? What are you doing here?" He asked me.
"I'm here to make sure you're alright. After all, you do have a date to keep." I replied. He flinched.
"It's not a date, okay?" He said defensively.
"If you say so." I said. A few seconds later Spike began to stir as well.
His eyes opened and he sat up, immediately grabbing his head.
"What happened?" He asked.
"You fought me." Tid replied.
"Oh yeah, I remember now." He said. Tid tried to sit up, but screamed with pain as he did so.
"It seems you haven't yet recovered." I said.
"Don't be ridiculous, I'm fine." Tid said.
I said nothing. When Tid was set on something, there was no arguing with him. He continued to struggle to sit up before finally succeeding, panting heavily. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood, nearly falling face-first into the IV rack. He caught himself and managed to stand up straight, his face beaded with sweat causing his long black hair to stick to his face. I sighed. "Tid, if you're going to put yourself at so much risk, at least try to hide it." I said. He turned and looked at me. "Right. Can you hand me my cloak?" He asked. His cloak rested on a coat rack right next to where I was sitting. I reached up and grabbed his cloak, tossing it to him. He caught it and immediately began putting it on, pulling it over his head. He looked at me. "Well then, shall we be going?" "I suppose so." I replied.
(As Tid)
Itachi and I walked toward the door to leave the room when Spike said something to make us stop.
"Where are you going?" He asked.
"I'm attending a concert tonight, so I can't be cramped in here all day." I replied.
"A concert? Can I come?" He asked. I looked at Itachi, then back to Spike.
"Sorry, but I think it's best if you stay here and get some rest. Your injuries are too severe for you to handle." I said.
"Well what about you? Your injuries are pretty bad too." He said.
"I've spent my whole life dealing with these types of injuries, I can handle it." I said.
He sighed and lay back down on his pillow. I motioned for Itachi to follow me and we left the hospital room, stopped almost immediately by a nurse.
"Where do you think you're going?" She asked in a tone I often received when I was hospitalized.
"I can't stay here. I'm fine anyway, see?" I said moving my arms and legs about, trying to hide the searing pain on my face.
She looked at me with a look of suspicion.
"I don't think you're cleared to leave here, Mr. Tid." She said.
"Nonsense, I'm perfectly fine. I've recovered from worse injuries in half the time I've spent here!" I said, which wasn't entirely a lie.
"Hmm, alright, let me just get your release papers then." She said giving me one last suspicious glance before turning around and walking away. I breathed a sigh of relief.
"You know, you'll only get yourself killed if you keep putting yourself at risk like this." Itachi said.
"I know, but I can't miss the concert tonight." I said.
"Are you sure this isn't a date?" He asked me once more.
"I'm sure, now won't you just drop it? Rarity and I are just friends, nothing more, nothing less." I said somewhat agitatedly.
A few minutes later the nurse returned with the release papers that would let me leave the hospital.
"I just need your signature here, sir." She said.
I nodded and took the clipboard and pen from her magic. I signed my name on the dotted line and handed the clipboard and pen back to her.
"Thank you." She said and turned and walked away. Itachi and I then walked down the white hall and toward the exit.
"You'll have to show me to the exits." I said when I realized I had no idea where I was going.
He chuckled a little and took the lead. I followed Itachi down another hall and we turned a corner, the glass double doors coming into view. We exited the hospital and stood in the sun for a few moments. I took a deep breath in, letting the fresh air fill my lungs.
"Ah, don't you find the air particularly delicious when you've finished recovering, Itachi?" I asked looking at him.
"You wouldn't know what the air tastes like after you've finished recovering, considering you're always putting yourself at more risk and never letting your injuries fully heal." He reminded me.
I waved off his comment. I looked up at the sky, shielding my eyes from the sun with my hand. The sun was already beginning to set.
"Say, Itachi, you wouldn't happen to know what time the concert is, would you?" I asked. "Actually, I do. It starts at eight o' clock." He replied. My eyes widened.
"I should get going then." I said.
"I'm coming with you." He said.
"What?" I asked.
"I need to make sure you don't do anything that could kill you. Your wounds are still very severe." He replied simply.
"Fine, but you'll have to clear it with Rarity." I said as I started walking toward Rarity's house.
"Fine," He said following me.
As we walked, something peaked my interest.
"I hope Rarity doesn't think I had to cancel on her." I said.
"I don't know about that, but I do know she was at your bedside almost all night." He said.
"What? She was?" I asked. He nodded.
"Why? I wasn't hurt that badly." I said.
"Actually, you were. Everyone came to visit you and Spike in the hospital." He said.
"Okay, maybe opening the Seventh Gate put a little too much strain on my body, but I can handle it. I'm a shinobi, after all." I said.
"Humph, that's not what the doctor said." He said grinning.
"Ah shut up, will ya? I know my own limits." I said.
"Clearly," I rolled my eyes and we continued to walk until we were finally at Rarity's front door.
I knocked and we waited for a few minutes, the door finally opening to reveal a drowsy Rarity with a robe on and messy mane. She also had bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep.
"Oh, it's you, Tid." She said yawning.
"Yeah, sorry about keeping you up last night." I said rubbing the back of my head nervously.
"It's fine, I stayed up on my own accord. I simply couldn't sleep not knowing if you'd be okay." She said.
"Well you don't have to worry about me. It'll take more than the Seventh Gate to keep me down." I said.
"I'm sorry; did you just say 'Seventh Gate'?" She asked. I nodded.
"I'm afraid I don't know what that means, dear." She said.
"It's alright, I'll explain later." I said waving the topic aside.
"Is there a reason you are here?" She asked rubbing her eye with her hoof. I flinched. She had forgotten?
"Yeah, remember we were going to go to that concert tonight." I replied. She stood there for a few moments, processing this data. Suddenly her eyes widened and she gasped.
"I'm terribly sorry; I had forgotten! Please, do forgive me. If you'll allow me to get ready, we can leave right away." She said.
"Take all the time you need." I said. She smiled and invited us inside while we waited.
We walked inside and she shut the door behind us and left to get ready.
"I'm terribly sorry you had to see me in such a state; I know I must look downright dreadful." She called from upstairs.
"Nonsense." I replied. "Oh come now, you don't honestly expect me to believe you weren't appalled by my appearance, do you?" She called.
"Believe whatever you want but I honestly wasn't." I replied.
At that moment she reappeared in her Akatsuki dress, her mane fixed and the bags gone. She seemed to almost sparkle.
"I'm ready." She said from the top of the stairs.
"Perfect, then let's get going." I said as I watched her come down the stairs.
"Itachi darling are you joining us?" She asked. He nodded. She smiled.
"Splendid, the more the merrier, as they say."
We left the Carousel Boutique and made our way toward the stadium where the concert was to begin in just a few minutes. The sun had set already and the moon was shining its brilliant rays upon the town.
"I never get tired of seeing Ponyville at night." Rarity said in adoration.
"Reminds me a lot of the Hidden Leaf Village, save for the Hokage Monument." I said.
"You're village must be lovely." She said glancing at me. "It is. I'd love to show you all what it looks like, but I wouldn't even begin to know how to do that." I said. This time Rarity gave me a look of concern.
"Tid, may I ask you something?" She asked.
"Go ahead."
"Do you miss your village?" She asked.
"Of course I do. That was my home, my family." I replied.
"Do you... Do you wish to go back there?" She asked.
"To be honest, no." I replied. Her eyes widened.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"The village rejected me shortly before I was transferred here. That's why I wear this cloak. I had been forced to leave the Hidden Leaf Village, so I joined the Akatsuki, where Itachi was. To me, this cloak is a symbol of power. Obtaining this cloak, in my eyes, meant I had achieved the same level as Itachi." I said.
"Oh, I see. Does that mean I am unfit to wear this dress, then?" She asked me with gleaming eyes.
"No, not at all. Just because it wasn't gifted to you, doesn't mean you don't possess your own strength. It may not necessarily be in combat, but your strength definitely means you're worthy of that dress." I replied smiling. She blushed.
"Thank you." She said looking away.
A few seconds later we heard someone shout: "Wait!"
We all turned and saw Pinkie Pie hopping toward us.
"You guys were going to have a party without me?" She asked when she had finally caught up to us.
"Of course not, Pinkie. You're welcome to join us." Rarity said.
"Yay!" She said bouncing up and down in joy.
We then resumed our walk to the stadium, Pinkie hopping along behind us. Finally we reached the stadium. I turned to the others.
"Are you ready?" I asked. They all nodded.
"Then let's do this."
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Me: Well, the concert's about to start.
Pinkie Pie: I know, I can't wait!
Me: Well, you'll have to wait until I publish the next chapter for that.
Pinkie Pie: Aww.
Me: Anyway, as always, favorite, follow, and please leave a review! I'd like to see how you guys think I'm doing, as well as any suggestions you might have! See you next time!