He's warm, he realises. All of him, not just individual parts, and not the kind of false warm that comes from too much cold. There is a scent of fire and smoke, of meat cooking and of some kind of herb.
Forcing his eyes open, it takes him a moment to realise that he's back in the shrine again, in the main hall, safely tucked into his own bedroll.
"What happened?" His voice is harsh, raspy, barely recognisable as his own.
"You almost died, is what happened."
The voice is familiar but it is not before the face appears before him that he recognises it, so out of place is it. Or maybe it's just that the last few days have just been that strange to him.
"Gina?"
"The same. And lucky for you that I came when I did, or both of you would have been dead by now."
"Both?"
Frowning it takes him a moment to realise what she means, and then he's sitting up and frantically looking around. His gaze falls on the bedroll on the other side of the fire, covered with even more blankets than his own.
"Calm down, Kakashi," Gina says, gently placing a hand on his shoulder to keep him in place. "I said you're both alive, didn't I?"
He opens his mouth to speak again but his voice fails him this time. She reaches for the fire and returns a moment later with a cup of steaming hot tea. With fumbling hands and only a little help from her he manages to sip some of it down, and when he speaks again his voice is more like its normal tones.
"What happened to her? Where are the dogs?"
"Apart from the wolf pup I found with you I haven't seen any dogs," she replies. "As for what happened to your girl, I found her half naked, soaked and frozen half to death next to a big hole out on the ice."
The wolf cub in question whines worriedly but Kakashi pays it no heed. Instead he puts the tea aside, crawling out of his bedroll. He winces as pain stabs through his injured foot but continues to crawl to the other side of the fire pit.
"She hasn't woken up yet, but I've changed her clothes and looked after her wounds, so she should be fine."
A small frown mars Sakura's face but her breathing is reassuringly slow and regular, a light flush on her cheeks. Brushing a hand over her forehead confirms Kakashi's suspicions.
"She has a fever," he states.
"Not surprising, given everything."
"What happened? You mentioned wounds?"
Worriedly he looks her over, but since only her head sticks out from the large pile of blankets she's covered with he cannot determine the extent of any injuries.
"From the looks of it, she fended off some sort of a monster bear by blowing a hole in the ice and ended up going down herself. And she has some nasty wounds on her back."
Kakashi winces at his cousin's words, gently brushing a stray lock of pink hair away from Sakura's face. This is … this is his fault. He'd thought he'd been protecting her but, once again, he's failed. And to top it all off, the dogs' disappearance is probably a consequence of him forcing himself to use chakra to detonate those explosive tags, even though he didn't have any available reserves left.
"Kakashi. She's alive," Gina says slowly, reassuringly. "Not great, but alive. She'll recover."
He thinks of that mission to Wave-country, when both Naruto and Sasuke almost died. He remembers Sasuke, pierced by numerous senbon and seemingly dead until they were pulled out. Naruto, only alive thanks to the chakra of the Nine Tails. They'd made him proud then, working as a team and ready to risk their lives for each other. This .., he thinks looking down at his last remaining student. This is something different.
He put her in danger this time.
Thinking back, he should have been firmer with Lady Tsunade. He'd told her this was too dangerous for a genin but he'd let himself be convinced. And then, instead of dumping her in the closest inn, he had convinced himself that bringing her along wasn't so bad, wouldn't put her in any danger. He'd somewhat enjoyed the company even, focusing on teaching her things rather than the task before him.
There is a moment when faces flash before his eyes; his father, Obito, Rin, Minato. They'd all died on him. Sasuke, Naruto; they'd both decided they were better off without him and left the village. There are so precious few people he ever allowed to get close enough to consider them teammates. There are some he calls friends, but whom he rarely goes on missions with. He'd never wanted new teammates to begin with; he was fine being a lone wolf. He was good at it even. Yet he had allowed himself to let others get close again, even though he'd known that they were mere genin, so inexperienced and fragile that it sometimes seemed the wind would overpower them.
"Fuck. Kakashi? Kakashi!"
Tugging on his arm pulls him away from Sakura and out of his reverie and he finds himself looking into the eyes of his cousin instead. They're large, and eerily like his father's.
"What are you doing here by the way?" he asks, his mind shifting tracks entirely.
She scoffs at him and he allows himself to be steered back to his bedroll, where the tea cup is firmly placed back in his hands.
"Mother fessed up as to what she'd said, so I figured you were going here and needed my help."
"You "figured I needed your help"?"
He raises an eyebrow questioningly and she gives him a sharply pointed look back.
"Yeah. Do you know what the first clue to you being out of your element was? You deciding to come here in the middle of fucking winter, that's what! When any sane person would at least wait until spring."
"Well, I didn't exactly have the time to wait-"
"And that's another fucking thing! You clearly weren't thinking this through!"
"I am not-"
"And if you had stopped for even a second to ask any advice before going, from someone who's actually been here before, do you know what I would have told you? That it's a stupid fucking idea, to stay in the damn temple and to not bring outsiders and especially not leave them alone!"
This time he's wise enough not to reply, accepting the scolding for what it is.
"I mean for fuck's sake Kakashi, I know damn well that you need your space and all that and I think I've been pretty damn patient in giving you that, but you're my baby cousin! And I know that you hate me by association of being a Hatake but what have I personally ever done to harm you?"
Kakashi opens his mouth to answer, but quickly closes it again. There are reasons he's avoided Gina throughout the years. Good reasons, it seemed like at the time, but …
"So you'd think that before going off on any potentially fatal family-related quests you'd have the sense to at least ask for some advice, but no! You know better than anyone else and clearly don't need any help so forgive me for worrying!"
She turns back to the fire, her back to him as she tends to the cooking meat with jerky movements. Kakashi remains silent for a minute or two, processing her words and their meanings.
He still maintains that he's had good reasons for distancing himself from the Hatake Clan, after his father's death. That includes Gina. However, she's just a couple of years older than him.
The last time they had any real contact he'd been a child.
She'd been a child, even more so than him, in the sense that she'd still been in the Academy.
Can he still blame her, for repeating the same words her mother had spoken? Because that's essentially what she'd done. Sure, she'd said some horrible, hurtful things, but it was all things that Sarana had said first.
Looking back now, he can see that. Even if he didn't see it back then.
Moreover, Gina has clearly opted not to follow in her mother's footsteps. The mere fact that she's chosen a career as a medical ninja, with a side business of making clothes, is proof of that - because while Kakashi might view just about every medic he's ever known with distrust, it's not the kind of career Hatake Sarana would ever approve of.
And then there's the fact that she's here, right now. On Okami Island, having saved both his and Sakura's lives, scolding him for not asking her for help or advice. For being reckless and putting himself in danger.
How long has it been since someone scolded Kakashi for something like that?
"I'm sorry," he says at last, feeling foolish. "My feud isn't with you."
Not really.
Not … anymore.
Kakashi owes his life to Gina.
Owes Sakura's life to Gina.
He's been angry at everyone named Hatake for the majority of his life, but right now he cannot find it in himself to summon up any anger towards her. For once, he finds himself willing to let bygones be bygones.
At least as far as Gina is concerned.
"I shouldn't have acted out of emotion, the way I did."
"Apology accepted," is her curt reply. But she hands him a plate of food a few moments later and the look she gives him then is softer and warmer than her voice, so he thinks he might be forgiven after all.
They eat in semi-comfortable silence, not quite looking at each other but not quite looking away from each other either. It reminds him of times spent together as a child, back before his father died and before he started the Academy. Back then he had idolised her, her being the older cousin already several years into her Academy education and seeming so very grown up. Thinking back he can even admit that she was always kinder to him than her mother, and he wonders briefly how a mother like his aunt has a daughter like Gina.
"How long was I out for?" he asks after a while, having gathered his thoughts somewhat.
"Don't know," Gina shrugs. "I found the girl first and kind of had to focus on locating the shrine and getting her warm and all that. Then this cub here," she indicates the wolf cub, throwing him a piece of meat as she does so, "found me and brought me to you a couple of hours ago."
He hums, thinking back to the last thing he remembers.
"Near the tree-line?"
Gina nods in affirmation, confirming Kakashi's memories. He had gotten pretty far then. Almost all the way back to the shrine.
"Your foot will heal by the way. I've done what I can, but you'll probably always have some nasty scars there. The function should return to normal though."
"And Sakura?"
And he's back to her. Not panicking this time. Not getting lost in the waves of past trauma. At least that is what he tries to convince himself.
"Did a surprisingly good job keeping herself alive in the cold, so once she gets out of her meditative trance she should be fine."
Looking from Gina to Sakura and back again Kakashi frowns.
"She's in meditation?"
"Yeah, that's my best guess. I take it you're the one who taught her how to keep herself warm with chakra meditation?"
"Yeah. A couple of days ago."
Gina scoffs at him in disbelief.
"Boy, that ain't the technique of someone who just learned it a couple of days ago."
"It's about a month since I introduced her to chakra meditation to begin with," Kakashi admits. "Though that particular technique I only taught her a few days ago. She's quick on picking things up."
Consideringly, Gina turns her gaze towards Sakura.
"Well, maybe. Either way I think the shock of the water and the cold might have pushed her further into it than she meant to, thus why she's not waking up."
"Can you wake her up?"
Already before Kakashi has finished asking the question Gina is shaking her head.
"No. I'm only a chunin, remember? And while I'm a medic I'm no mind specialist, so I don't dare mess with this."
That does worry him and once he's finished eating he finds himself staring into the fire, as if it holds the answers to all his worries.
"You should try to sleep some more, Kakashi," Gina tells him, taking the dish from him. "If you feel up to it we'll leave in the morning and head for Konoha."
Although he doesn't feel like sleeping his body has other ideas, and with a yawn he gives in, crawling back into his bedroll. He falls asleep watching Gina clear their dishes and he wonders at the complete lack of animosity he feels.
Perhaps something good has come of this after all.
Just before he falls asleep he feels the wolf cub snuggle up next to him.
In the morning Gina summons her own dogs, a pack of sled dogs with thick fur and goofy grins. Though Kakashi's foot has healed plenty, enough for him to be confident in his ability to make the trip on his own two legs, Gina won't hear of him straining it. Instead she pushes him down into the sled before placing Sakura in his lap and then the wolf cub in Sakura's lap, wrapping all three of them in plenty of blankets to keep them warm.
Travelling like that is strange, for more reasons than one, but since he is grateful to Gina for coming along to save them he lets her take charge. And if he cradles his student closer sometimes, reassuring himself that she's there and she's alive, well then that's nobody's business. The proximity also makes him realise, more than anything else has, just how much smaller she is than him. Not even thirteen years old, he thinks. She seems so much more … fragile than he ever was at that age. Or at any age, really.
The realisation isn't a comfortable one.
With Gina's dogs it takes them four days to reach the border, where the thin layer of snow soon forces them to abandon the sled. By then his foot is well enough that even Gina can't complain about him putting strain on it.
Getting from the border and back to Konoha takes them another three days, Kakashi going slow to allow Gina to keep up this time. Sakura remains a steady, though worryingly light, weight on his back. It reminds him of bringing Naruto back after the fight with Sasuke.
When they do reach the village they report immediately to the hospital, where Sakura is immediately admitted and soon thereafter given her own room. The nurses confirm Gina's diagnosis but don't dare do anything else, leaving Kakashi alone in the room to wait for the specialist to arrive.
Gina has disappeared off somewhere, he isn't sure where and truthfully doesn't care at the moment.
Out of habit more than anything else he pulls out his book but then stares blankly down at the pages. All his attention is instead focused on the reassuring sound of soft breathing. He knows she's alive, has felt her breathe against his back for days now and before that against his chest for several more days. Yet the stillness is bothering him and he can't quite chase the fear that she will stop breathing for one reason or another.
She wouldn't be the first one.
He thinks back to the things Gina has told him, and the things he has seen for himself; those giant bear tracks and the large hole in the ice. The spot where Gina had apparently found her, worryingly far away from the hole. The traces of the avalanche that had buried the temple until Gina dug it out again. The shredded tent and the still missing bedroll.
He owes his student's life to Gina and pure luck, as it seems.
He wishes he himself could do more than suppress his dislike of hospitals to sit at her bedside. At the same time he's terrified that whatever he does will only bring more danger. People around him die. It has been a long time since he learned not to let people get close to him, yet somehow in less than a year this girl has become … pack.
Frankly, he cares more about her than his biological family.
He glances up as the door slides open. His aunt steps through, as if summoned by his thoughts.
The wolf cub, who's been sleeping peacefully at Kakashi's feet, stirs, quickly standing to growl at the intruder.
"Good boy," Kakashi says, pointedly petting it.
"I see you're back," she says, ignoring the growling wolf. Her mouth forms a thin, tightly compressed line, making her look permanently displeased.
"That I am," he replies stiffly. "Are you disappointed?"
She raises her eyebrows then, giving him a disapproving look. Without answering she surveys the room, gaze lingering on Sakura and then the wolf cub.
"You appear relatively unharmed, so I suppose things went fine then?"
Playing along, Kakashi makes his voice as cold as he can manage.
"They did. Will you sign the papers now?"
He forces himself to meet her considering gaze, making his own gaze demanding rather than questioning and refusing to show how weary he still feels from the journey.
"On one condition," she says at last, looking away from Kakashi and instead resting her gaze on the hospital bed.
"You said that if I grew up you'd approve!" he protests. "I did your stupid coming of age ritual, now do your part of the deal!"
"I said no such thing." Her voice is haughty, her voice disdainful as she glances at him. "And you may have passed the test but clearly there is still a lot for you to learn if this is the condition your so-called apprentice is in."
He doesn't think before he lashes out, his fist connecting with her chin.
She doesn't so much as flinch at the blow. Granted, Kakashi doesn't have the strength of someone like Lady Tsunade, but still … that's worrying.
"Finally you decide to bite back, huh?" she says, eyes shining dangerously. "We might make a man out of you yet, boy."
Pushing him backwards she dismissively turns her back to him, pausing by the door long enough to say;
"I'll sign the paperwork, if you and your apprentice move back into the compound. It is high time you started living in your own house, rather than renting that stupid apartment of yours."
She leaves before he can argue.
Lady Tsunade herself arrives shortly thereafter, Gina in tow.
"Kakashi," she greets him shortly, barely even glancing at him or the cub, before reaching for Sakura.
Her hands glow with medical chakra and Kakashi resists the urge to squirm in his seat. There's a certain bitterness to the scent of medical chakra, and he wrinkles his nose in disgust.
Gina teasingly pokes his forehead before standing next to him, facing Sakura and Lady Tsunade.
The cub moves to jump up on the bed, clearly curious as to what's going on, but Kakashi restrains him by the scruff of his neck.
"Why haven't you healed the wounds on her back?" Lady Tsunade asks, glaring at Gina.
"I tried, Tsunade-sama, but … I couldn't."
Lady Tsunade scoffs, muttering something about how useless Konoha medical ninja have become.
Gina opens her mouth, presumably to object, but closes it again without speaking.
"Let's turn her over and I'll see to it myself. Kakashi, you can wait in the hallway."
No, Kakashi wants to object. Just … no. He's not leaving her side, not even now. He needs to know that she's alive, that she'll be fine and-
"We need to get her undressed in order to get a proper look at the wounds," Gina explains, glancing at Kakashi over her shoulder.
Oh. Well, in that case … Rather than stepping out into the hallway, where there will be more medics and annoying scents, Kakashi climbs through the window. He takes a deep breath of the fresh air and settles down on the windowsill with his back against the room.
He doesn't ask if this is an acceptable compromise, but from the fact that he isn't kicked out he surmises that it must be.
Minutes pass by, agonisingly slow.
The cub, now held securely in Kakashi's arms, squirms impatiently.
"Maybe you're not a useless medic after all," Lady Tsunade mutters at last. "Are you certain it was a bear that did this?"
Kakashi turns his head lightly, catching a glimpse of Sakura's bare back. Four ugly scars run across her shoulder blades, partly healed but still raised and angry red. His stomach plummets a little at the sight.
Then he plummets, quite literally, as Gina simply kicks him out of the window.
"Show some decency, cousin! No peeking!"
Naked, underage, unmarried - nope, he's not going there!
Kakashi lands safely on his feet, sets the cub down and casually strides back up a nearby tree, settling down in a spot where he'll be able to listen in without accidentally seeing something he shouldn't. He listens as Gina tells Lady Tsunade everything she's already told him - about the unnaturally large bear tracks, the hole in the ice - and feels goosebumps rising in his own skin.
He'd been so close to losing Sakura.
So close.
Again.
Distractedly, he keeps an eye on the cub, who's now doing his best to climb the tree. It's going just about as well as you'd expect it to, and eventually he grows bored and starts chasing bugs instead.
"Well, I guess this is as good as it's getting," Lady Tsunade states at last, though she doesn't sound happy about it. "Let's get her dressed again, and then I'll wake her up."
Kakashi twitches at the last part, but manages to contain himself from rushing in there immediately.
"Will you be able to wake her up?" he asks instead, loud enough that they can hopefully hear him.
"Of course! It's just a meditative trance, that part is easy."
Kakashi sighs in relief.
A couple of minutes later, Sakura is awake.
"I've managed to mostly heal the wounds on your back, but you will have scars," Lady Tsunade informs Sakura. "It should not affect your functionality or movement."
They're alone again, Kakashi-sensei and Gina having left a couple of minutes ago, on Lady Tsunade's request. Sakura is still sitting in her hospital bed, dressed in a hospital gown.
It's disorienting.
The last thing she remembers is being at Okami Island. Facing down that bear.
Then the water.
Not being able to breathe.
She shakes her head, trying to shake the memory away.
"That's ok," she says, still struggling a little to stay in the present. "Being a shinobi means getting some scars, sometimes, right? I'm fine with that."
Internally she winces, because ladies are supposed to have smooth, unblemished skin.
But Sakura isn't a lady.
She's a shinobi.
A kunoichi.
Which means that large, ugly scars are ok … right?
"Well, good for you, because if the best-damned medic in the world can't heal a couple of scratches from a bear, then we've got bigger trouble than your ego, kid."
Lady Tsunade stands abruptly, stalking over to the window to glare out through it as if the whole world is an insult to her personally.
Sakura fidgets with the blanket lying across her legs. She hadn't thought about it like that, but it makes sense, she supposes. Medics are able to heal almost anything, and especially a medic of Lady Tsunade's calibre. A couple of flesh wounds shouldn't be too difficult, considering everything else she can do.
She'd been able to re-build Hyuga Neji's legs after they were crushed during the invasion.
He's walking again. Back to doing missions, even.
And yet, the scars on Sakura's back remain.
Now that she's thinking about it, that is worrying.
"If it makes any difference, I don't think it was a normal bear."
"Well, that much is obvious already."
"It was … huge," Sakura continues, a shiver running down her spine. "It had these strange, red eyes. And the claws were silvery."
Lady Tsunade sighs and returns to Sakura's bedside, no longer frowning.
"That does make it a little bit better, yes. I still don't like the thought of a bear that is able to create injuries that won't respond to regular medical ninjutsu running around."
"I don't … think it's running around, exactly," Sakura says, hesitantly. "I think … it's just on that island?"
She doesn't know why, but that thought feels right.
"Besides, I … I killed it, right?"
"Maybe," Lady Tsunade agrees. Then her expression changes, growing more businesslike. "Anyway, you'll be a bit weakened from essentially being bedridden for a week. You've lost weight and you've got a bit of an electrolyte imbalance, so make sure to eat properly."
Sakura nods, showing that she's listening.
"That means spinach, cale, broccoli - fruit and vegetables, basically -, beans, nuts, tofu, milk, fish, chicken and so on. You might want to start with soups and work your way back to sturdier foods. Other than that, make sure that you don't overexert yourself for a couple of days, and you should be good to go."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Sakura wonders if it will ever come to feel natural that the highest leader of the village is also the most qualified medic, and to therefore have the Hokage herself tending to her injuries. Don't get her wrong; being tended to by one of the three Legendary Sanin is an honour in and of itself, but it just feels … strange.
Not to mention the vague sense of guilt and the urge to apologise for taking up the Hokage's time.
It certainly makes for good motivation not to get injured again, so perhaps that's good.
"Before you leave though, there is one other matter which we need to discuss."
And just like that the Medic Lady Tsunade has shifted to become the Hokage Lady Tsunade, not that the two are ever completely separate. Sakura straightens a little, unsure if she's in trouble or not. She doesn't think she's done anything to warrant trouble, but ...
"Yes, Hokage-sama?"
Lady Tsunade is levelling her with a thoughtful look. Sakura tries not to squirm nervously under it, even though she feels an awful lot like a mouse being scrutinised by a cat.
"You know, going that deeply into chakra meditation is a really advanced technique that requires great chakra control."
"Oh. Thank you?"
Sakura isn't sure what to say, and the Hokage continues to scrutinise her intently.
"I underestimated you, kid." The admission is quiet, but clear. Not quite an apology, but there regardless. "Had I known about your chakra control when you came to ask to become my apprentice, I might have given you another answer."
"You said you didn't have time for an apprentice," Sakura points out, recalling the meeting in Lady Tsunade's office. Sasuke being there. Calling her weak and trying to get an apprenticeship with Lady Tsunade for himself.
She'd been so angry, back then. She'd slapped Sasuke.
And in the end, they'd both been turned away, only for Lady Tsunade to then take Sasuke on as her apprentice anyway.
"If you'd told me about your chakra control, I might have prioritised differently."
"I did tell you."
"You said that your chakra control was better than that of the Uchiha-brat, which is hardly an achievement. However, from what I've seen and what I've read in your file since, your chakra control is a fair bit more impressive than that."
Sakura shrugs, still not sure what to say to that. Yeah, her chakra control is good. So what? It's not as if she's got a lot of chakra, after all. Who needs a medic who can only heal scratch-wounds without running out of chakra, Sasuke had said.
"I'm going to give you a choice," Lady Tsunade states. "You've already made your choice once, but hear me out."
She pulls out a small stack of papers, holding it up so that Sakura can see. It's the application to become Kakashi-sensei's apprentice.
"You can stick with this application and stay with Hatake Kakashi, who's badly suited to being a sensei to begin with and to being your sensei in particular. Or, you can become my apprentice, and put that chakra control of yours to much better use. Which will it be?"
Sakura's breath catches in her throat. Being offered an apprenticeship with Lady Tsunade is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience, and here she is, being offered an apprenticeship for the second time in a matter of months.
She.
Nameless Sakura.
"I-I've already signed a contract with Kakashi-sensei."
"And the application has finally been handed in with all of the necessary signatures, but I have yet to approve it. If you want to change your mind, this is it."
Steely blue eyes meet hers and for a few moments Sakura can barely breathe, her chest suddenly too tight for comfort.
"I have never seen chakra control like yours," Lady Tsunade says quietly. "And trust me, I've seen a lot. You'll make one hell of a medic, if you want to."
Sakura forces herself to take a deep breath.
"Like you said, Hokage-sama, I've already made that choice once. My answer remains the same."
Despite the rejection, Lady Tsunade still smirks.
"Imp. Do you know how many would give anything to get this opportunity, and yet you've got the gut to ask for more?"
Yeah. As if an apprenticeship with Lady Tsunade herself isn't enough. A blush burns on Sakura's cheeks, but she squares her shoulders none the same, repeating the words from the last time she was offered the apprenticeship.
"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I want to be more than just a medic."
"Oh, you'd be no ordinary medic, trust me. You'd be the best in Konoha. Perhaps even better than me, one day."
And that's … so much more than Sakura has ever even dared to hope for.
And yet …
Her gaze falls to the contract that Lady Tsunade is still holding in her hands.
"What do you mean, that the contract finally has all of the necessary signatures?"
"As it happens, the Hatake clan head has finally signed her approval for Kakashi to take on an apprentice."
So that's what has been causing the trouble with her apprenticeship paperwork, Sakura realises. And what are the odds of her and Kakashi-sensei's recent coming-of-age thingy at Okami Island just coincidentally aligning with the Hatake clan head's decision to approve of her apprenticeship?
Sakura doesn't believe it's a coincidence. Which means that … Kakashi-sensei not only got in contact with a clan he clearly hasn't spoken to in years, maybe decades, but even went on this whole journey just for her sake.
For Sakura's sake.
Because Sakura had wanted a proper apprenticeship contract, and Kakashi-sensei had clearly wanted to give her that.
The realisation makes a wonderful warmth spread within her. He cares. Kakashi-sensei cares for her, enough to do all of this.
She cannot remember ever feeling so wanted.
"Like I said, I want to stay with Kakashi-sensei for as long as he'll let me."
Lady Tsunade does not look surprised, though she certainly doesn't look happy with Sakura's choice either. Then she offers a depreciating smile.
"What a waste. Let me know if you ever change your mind though, kiddo."
She's left alone to get dressed. Sakura brings the clothes with her to the attached bathroom, standing before the mirror above the sink as she removes the hospital gown. She's pale and thin. Thinner than Ino even, though she cannot bring herself to feel any joy at the thought.
Despite having done nothing but sleep - meditate? - for the last couple of days, there are dark bags under her eyes. Her cheeks have lost some of the roundness she's used to seeing there, and her eyes look too big for her face as she meets her own gaze.
Twisting, she can see her own back and the scars there.
Four long, ugly scars, running across her shoulder blades. Still raised and red, despite Lady Tsunade working them over.
She's a kunoichi, she reminds herself. Not a lady.
That makes it okay, right?
She still hopes that the scars will fade with time. The thought of carrying these scars, this vivid reminder of Okami Island, with her for the rest of her life is just dizzying.
Next time, she promises herself as she gets dressed, she'll be stronger.