Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of the Blessed Flowers. Enjoy the 6300-word chapter. I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto, and a few others do.
If something else came to Konan's mind? It was that she had failed, that she had cut ties to her group, the one Pain had created before now and for good.
Then he came, the masked one, the one who had tried to kill her or had just about done so. She'd be a corpse according to Aiko and nothing would stop it, nothing would be done to bring her back. She doubted he could revive a corpse at any rate.
She could barely sleep, let alone relax, something that terrified her. She rubbed at her arms, looking down at the ground once more as she cracked her fingers and curled her arms around her bare skin, unsure and uncertain of what to do next.
What she did do next? She would be furious if she let him get away for now, they had a lot more on the line for the time being.
She pondered Aiko's business for now as she sighed, realizing that there wasn't a blanket to go over her. Aiko wasn't able to afford everything she supposed and it seemed like he cared more about his medical career than anything else. A simple blanket seemed just outside his reach… Perhaps she should ask why when it came down to it.
"There's a lot of books around here for now," Konan stated before she looked downwards.
She was all too amused, a lot more unsure and certain of her destiny at this juncture. Whatever she did next would turn away nothing, she had to recover before she managed to get out of there.
Had something else cut her vision off? They had a lot more to try.
"Aiko, damn it, where are you?" Konan asked as she shivered, unsure of what to try and focus on when it came down to it.
(With Aiko)
Aiko hummed and walked down the road. He managed to relax once more, looking upwards and into the sky for now. All of it seemed to come to a head.
He knew Konan would object to being couped up. Anyone would in her state, it was the same as trying to cage a bull. The problem was she wasn't capable of winning.
If her best efforts couldn't kill him? There was no way she'd last long enough to get to relax once more. They had a larger moment of tired exhaustion on the future for now as he sighed, rubbing at his temples once more.
They had a giant talk to try and figure it out. He'd need to find a way to keep her from running off, almost getting herself killed in a battle that wouldn't benefit anyone.
He rubbed at his temples before he leaned on the tree next to him, they had something else to attend to. She was a powerful woman and it was because she needed to stay alive.
"Are you ok? What are your wounds like? Is the medicine working well?" Aiko asked, practicing for when he talked to her.
He was unsure of it for now as she looked downwards at the ground before now, he had a lot more on his mind.
The woman in front of him was bothering him when it came down to it. They had a lot more to try and foil, he had to stop her for now while she ended what to try and do next.
He was something else that could only be figured out as of now. He was to try and figure it out before he hummed to try and figure out as of now before.
There were a lot of things he didn't know about Konan, unsure, unable to figure out when it came down to it. Was something else going to be a problem when it came down to it? They had more to try and figure out.
She was a friend; she was an odd little woman and he respected her to the end of the day. There was a lot more on his mind, something that he had to keep fighting through.
"Are we taking this thing apart or not?" He questioned mentally. "Damn it, Aiko, you are one of the most elite warriors in the village, and yet I'm falling into the portal again and again," Aiko said as he sighed, ready to scream and figure it out for now.
He hummed as he looked upwards and into the sky, all of it was odder as they looked down upon the ground, ready to see it all end as of now.
Was Konan going to be an enemy or a friend? A weakness or a strength? He did not at all know what he was capable of, it all didn't seem to matter for now. He was too eager to see it come down to it all.
He hummed, unsure and silent of it all for now, ready to try and ensure they were all friendly. They had a lot more to try and figure something out. The enemies they were to try fighting out for now she hummed to herself.
Aiko hummed, ready to try before now, she had a shell to come out of for now. They had a lot more to talk about, all of it bothered him before he sighed to himself, looking down to the ground before now.
They were prepared for now; she was going to be prepared for the worst and she would push back against the tide. They had a LOT more to see and do next, a lot more to contemplate upon the time being.
Whatever he did next? He'd best do it quickly before someone else suffered, before more people died for now, before more things went to hell and back.
He wasn't going to see it fall apart anytime soon, there was more to the puzzle as he hummed.
They had a lot more to try and understand for now while he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, something that bothered him.
Konan was the only woman who had been awkwardly on the edge of collapse.
What was that woman? What was her plan? It seemed to be a nightmare that he could and would allow himself to deal with for now.
A desire to try and surpass what he could and would allow himself to deal with for now. They had a lot more to see and do next for the moment, a desire to surpass what had beaten her.
Whoever almost killed her? They'd return, they'd come with such fury it would cut her in half perhaps just by the strength of their arrival.
It was not a battle she could afford for now nor was it a monstrous thing. No, not yet was it one, and not yet would it continue to be a certain way. She had SO much to try and figure out, something about it again and again… They had a LOT more to deal with.
'I try to save this woman and she almost goes to try and get killed again and again in a fight. Something about it all bothers me. I don't at all know what to say about her determination but she doesn't seem to understand what she means to the village.' Aiko thought with a sigh.
There was something to be said about determination when push and shove for now. Something about it seemed to make him want to laugh before he cleared to try and figure it out once more as of now.
An idea that he could and would allow himself to keep going for now.
All of it was odder and odder for him and he knew more and more that their talk wasn't going to be good at all.
No, not even for a few seconds of silence as he sighed, looking downwards at the ground for now. it bothered him a lot more than usual as of the time being, a lot more.
She was a very powerful woman who could deal with it for now, a decision that needed to be dealt with for now.
The quest to try and save her was a desire well said, something that could and would continue to be an odd little thing for now.
They had a lot more to try and figure out, what herbs he needed to fight, to clear out it for now as he hummed to himself before he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
They had a lot more to try and figure out before he sighed as he looked downwards at the ground, undisturbed by it all and kinda expecting something of the sort for now, a sort he truly could not allow himself to deal with for he knew more and more that if he did?
They had a lot more to try and figure out for the time being while he continued to walk through the village, unsure of himself.
They were disturbed by what had come to the town, he didn't know what had come down to it. They had a lot more to see and it was just going to bother them for now, a desire that just hadn't been dealt with for now.
He sighed as he looked down at the ground before he hummed and seemed to try and figure it all out.
Whatever they did next would be a bother, an annoying point in his brain that made him want to scream for the time.
Whatever he could and would do was going to bother him because he felt more like a babysitter to a woman who was without the need to try when it came to fighting. If she wasn't going to be needing spine work? She'd probably snap him like a toy for now.
Sadly? They had a lot more to deal with than just getting back to it. She had so damn much on her mind, so damn much it hurt again and again.
There were a lot of things he'd discuss when he was back home, mostly who the masked man was and why Konan seemed to think she had to handle it alone. He could not fathom chasing an enemy so far beyond the depths that there was not even a small chance of winning.
If an exploding lake wouldn't kill them? Then nothing would, nothing would at all even slow them down and she knew it.
Perhaps she wanted to do, so stripped downwards from what was coming down the line.
If anything? They had a lot more to see and do, something that he could not end today without proper care.
(With Konan)
Konan sighed and looked up at the ceiling, so far beyond what the current thoughts would be. She didn't understand life the same way when it was all decided for now, she wanted something else from life besides just rolling the rest of the town under her heel.
She knew something was going to happen at the moment. She looked out the window, crashing her fingers against themselves before she sighed to herself.
"Aiko, you fool," Konan said to which she rubbed at her temples before she looked downwards at the ground. "I am not the master of the city people think I am. I am not the hero of this all." Konan said before she hummed.
"Yet he thinks so, so much more the better for now," Konan stated as she sighed and looked downwards.
She felt sick
to her stomach, truly annoyed for now… Something more than a problem before now, an idea that needed to try and figure out.
She hummed to herself before she fell to the ground, there was a madness to it all and a madness that persisted again and again purely because she saw it to be so. They had to protest it and win, there was no path to end it.
They had a lot more to try and figure out, a LOT more unsure and final for now again and again.
They had a lot more to see and do, something that could and would continue to bug him for now, a pull of the light for now. He doubted he could be called upon when it came down to it as he hummed to himself.
She was able to try and figure it all out as he hummed once more. They had a lot more to try and figure out as she thought of her next options before she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth.
"Are you going to be, ok?" Konan asked nobody but herself, unable to look downwards at the ground.
"There's a lot more on my mind and yet I cannot be bothered to try and figure out… They have something else on hand than I do, there's always going to be more and more work for now." Konan said before she looked downwards at the ground, ready to try and figure at the moment what needed to be said and done as of now.
She was relaxed, ready to cut it to the bone, something that could continue to disturb her for now. This always seemed to try and bother her for now, a measure of mercy that she could relate to.
Aiko cared about everything and everyone in town. They had a lot more to discuss when she got back here and she knew for now as she hummed, unsure before it came to the end of the day.
"Are you utterly going to be, ok? We have a lot more to try and figure out… Just as I do, again and again, and again." Konan said as she sighed and ran her hands through her temples, something that needed to be addressed properly.
Konan sighed and looked downwards at the ground, feeling more like she had broken some sort of law that she could not fix. She had so little left to give and yet Aiko had decided someone who was a broken shell of themselves was still a person.
She felt like she was falling through the cracks and Aiko kept patching her back up. Who was this weird little medic who seemed to believe she was worth some value after she could not even protect her best friend's legacy?
They had not started this for war, to harm others… And meeting Naruto was the changing point she saw all her skills fly back at her. It changed her worldview to see something that could continue to grow.
There was still life in the world, a life that needed her to tend to it and cherish it perfectly back into a blossoming flower at the moment, they had a large amount of time to see it grow, but there wasn't enough to see it die. She'd fix it and everything at the moment.
The blessed flower that could continue to grow in front of her now at the moment as of the time being. She'd see it grow slowly yet surely for the moment. Every single little measure upon the mind, every single little second only served to be odder and odder, it balanced just how things felt, how she felt for now cutting through like a grain of grass.
He sighed and looked downwards at the ground, unsure for now of what was coming, unsure of HOW it would go for now, the measure upon which it ended was harrowing.
She realized he cared more than he let on. perhaps he cared for HER? She didn't know, she would confront him when he returned.
She reached a hand around to the base of her spine while humming. He had cold hands and yet she trusted him, she trusted that he could work life back into her… She felt like she had been broken in half and he had tried to help.
It felt odd yet she knew better than to question it… She knew something about it would not change… All of it bothered her and yet she continued to wait.
There was a knock at the door and yet she grabbed the kunai, springing from the bed… Only for a rip and a gasp of pain as she clenched her bare stomach, blood coming from it as she collapsed to the ground.
"Konan, I've… NO!" Aiko yelled as he entered, gripping her shoulder, and forcing her back to the bed. "Damn it, I forgot you were still stitched… Let me get the kit, your bleed internally to death if I don't fix the stitching." Aiko yelled as he sighed and lunged from the door, dropping his bags on the worn-down desk.
She went to speak only for him to quickly shush her before turning his attention to cleaning and fixing her wound. It wasn't a bad one but if it was infected? She'd probably be bleeding and puking all over the ground and deal with it.
"Are you injured or wounded?" He asked, pressing a hand to her bare flesh before sighing. "Hold this against it to stop the bleeding… I'm going to have to stitch it back up while you're awake… Damn it, I'm a damn idiot." Aiko muttered before he sighed.
"It isn't your fault," Konan said as Aiko sighed.
"Don't make excuses… I'm sorry, but what comes next is NOT pleasant considering how it happens. This will hurt a LOT more than you may or may not think." Aiko stated before he sighed.
"I've been in pain before… I do not fear death this way nor do I fear not being strong enough. Trust me, if it stings? I will endure it… I've already had to endure your slimy and cold hands on my spinal cord." Konan said, pressing the rag to her stomach.
She knew damn well that he suffered simply as much as she did, the pain on his face was as readable as anything else. She was terrified more and more of it all for the time being and one that could be reversed only too late for now.
Konan stated before she seemed to try and figure out what to try and do, he hummed what to try as he figured out. She hummed as she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth.
Konan hummed once more as she grunted in pain, starting to look downwards at her wounds before she sighed to herself, she hissed, her stomach bleeding as he continued to work once more.
She looked over at Aiko who was trying to try and figure out what to do as she spoke through clenched teeth.
"Are you almost done?" Konan stated before she got a nod as she looked downwards at the ground.
"Yes. I'm… Done." Aiko said as Konan hummed and then looked upwards before she cracked her fingers and then leaned on the wall before she seemed to try and understand.
Aiko hummed before he slowly straightened up and then leaned on the wall before she clicked her fingers and smiled once more. Aiko was going to be able to try and figure something out as she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth.
She had to try and understand what else to try and see at the moment. She cracked her fingers before she hummed and then sighed, looking out the window.
Whatever that she seemed to look at? Well, she was going to be ready to see and do something about it all.
"I'm damn sorry, I forgot that your stitches were still healing, damn it. I should have knocked on the door or tried to talk to you first." Aiko said before he clicked his fingers.
Konan crossed her legs under her before she sighed once more at him before she looked out the window.
"Are you going to be, ok?" Aiko asked before he sat down at his desk, starting to try and dig through the bag.
He looked at her stomach before he looked at her face, smiling as he realized the woman wasn't going to die today. He didn't at all know what to say either way as he sighed.
"Yes, I should have tried to get up slowly," Aiko stated before he crossed his arms once more.
"Oh, this is going to be a lot more annoying for me to try and deal with if I'm going to screw up," Aiko stated as he hummed and rubbed at his temples.
Aiko hummed before Konan nodded, leaning on the window behind her. She cracked her fingers and then hummed as she seemed to try and dance for now as she hummed once more and then looked downwards at the ground.
She was utterly able to keep her composure as he shifted his weight toward her.
Aiko seemed to be utterly unable to try and understand, for now, something about it all that utterly surprised and surpassed them for now. it was better, so much better that he did not have to relax.
Did she know more and more that the longer she tried to deal with it all? The longer she'd be unable to do something about it for now, something that could and would keep growing for now.
They had little if nothing else to truly check for at the end of the day and yet? she didn't at all understand it for now at the end of the day.
"Isn't there some sort of rule about things like this or am I being silly to think so?" Konan questioned to which Aiko hummed.
"It fully depends upon what you think is the right option. Charging into hell? No, that isn't the right option and you know it. You will get yourself killed and you know it." Aiko said as Konan leaned against the wall and tapped her hands against the wall.
She didn't at all know what to say, what to see and do at the moment, she didn't want to relax, she didn't at all know for now.
Perhaps she didn't know and perhaps she didn't wish to know, she would see it end soon enough. It hurt but she knew more than anything that what needed to be done would be done well enough.
"You know something? I do not know why you are fretting over me will not help you for now. It will only lead to more pain." Konan stated before she sighed.
"Yes, because every single little measure of time and space should die at the end of the day," Aiko said as he looked at her with a smile once more.
"You should know differently than what I mean," Konan stated before Konan hummed.
"Perhaps I am simply snarking at you. You are well aware we don't act like a patient and a doctor for now." Aiko stated before he hummed.
"Very funny, Aiko," Konan said, holding a hand to her stomach as she realized just what was going on.
"Sometimes… Sometimes I think you aren't at all taking me seriously when it comes to… DO NOT CUT THE STITCHES." Aiko said before he sighed, pointing out that her wounds were far worse than they seemed.
Konan simply sighed and rested a hand upon her stomach, making herself remember that he had been trying to keep in touch with life as it needed to be. She simply could not fathom it being handled a certain way, not at all thinking for now at the end of the day, now more than ever did they manage to get it working properly.
Something about it only seemed to compound the issue more and more as if she had been floating in jelly. Perhaps she was and perhaps she could keep going and going and going for now in ways that only seemed to be odder and odder.
They were a very odd little dance and it spiraled out of control once more and more for the time being as he looked downwards at the moment before now while she clicked and cracked her fingers, unsure and unable to do something about it all… Whatever came next? They had a very long amount of amusement.
She had a LOT more to try and figure out and a lot more to try and deal with for now.
"What is the medicine for? You said you had to try and numb my wounds?" Konan asked before Aiko hummed.
"I didn't just get more medicine for your wounds… I got something for when and if you get any other symptoms I didn't expect. A doctor without backup plans is like a glider with no wind." Konan heard before he sighed and then paused to catch her breath.
He hummed to himself before cracking his fingers and then paused to go look at her as she hummed to herself, making himself click his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
He hummed to himself before he rubbed at his temples and then yawned to himself as he sat down next to him once again.
"You know when I was busy with medicine? I guessed we should try and talk about everything for now. There's a lot of business on the line sooner or later and we're going to need people for now." Aiko said before he looked downwards.
There was a lot more to this than usual. Yet? he was utterly unsure of what to do next. He had a LOT more things to see and do and she was not one of them.
"I will do what I can when I am free from your care…. I've been thinking of what has been transpiring for now. This was rather odd but I can understand why you are acting like this. You care a lot about your people, no?" Konan asked as she looked downwards at the ground.
"I care about helping people as best as I can… There is nothing to be gained from people all suffering for no reason… At least a reason is as simple as payback. If they're dangerous? I can understand it to a degree, even if I don't think it's the best answer." Konan heard as she sighed.
Leave it to her of all people to get a doctor with a rule against not hurting others… She supposed it made sense considering he was a doctor after all. They were supposed to know very well what needed to be obtained and dealt with in short order.
Still? it was odd, very odd again and again when it came to it all. They had a VERY large list of things to try and figure out as she looked downwards at the moment. She would keep growing more and more until it spilled out and consumed EVERYTHING in the way for the moment.
Then she'd enjoy it and then she'd laugh about it all for now, otherwise? There was just no point in it for now, utterly unsure at the end of the day. Something about it all? Something about such a measure only bothered him more and more.
He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. It burned the soldier that such things would keep being easier and easier to try and figure something out. Yet? She hummed to herself as she cracked her fingers.
He moved the strip of her robe around her stomach before cleaning her stitches and sighed to himself while working.
"Are you ok? Because I'm not by the way, it isn't easy to do something at the end of the day, not when I have to deal with the constant internal bleeding… And the fact that it's going to be impossible to fix." Konan heard.
"Is it a fatal wound?" Konan questioned as Aiko shook his head.
"No, because if it was? You'd have gone into shock by now and probably be dry heaving a lung onto the ground… Which I just got fixed." Aiko said as Konan snickered at the attempted humor.
Aiko smiled for a second knowing that he had been unable to try and figure something out for now. he didn't want her to die obviously but more permanent medical attention was out of the question, there had to be about half a dozen warlords and thugs that all wanted her head.
That also meant he couldn't do much as he knew more or less than trying to go to the Hokage would have issues with it… Perhaps if he had more time? No, he doubted it.
"You're going to be good enough to walk soon, it might be hard but you should know what to try and figure out what to see and do when you get up… Though as I said? You are not really in any condition to get out there and relax. I don't know what to see and do as of now." Aiko said before he sighed and cracked his fingers.
There was a silence as he fell just short of what he wished for… Yet? he would not mind or care… Such things were beyond him as of now… Yet? they had a lot of problems to try and figure out as of now.
She sighed to try and figure as of now… Something about it all only made her more curious about what he would do at the end of the day… A desire to try and figure out what to try and deal with, such a move would only continue to deal with it all again and again for now, knowing that such measures would continue to bother them all…
Still? Whatever needed to be done would be done and done properly… It was worth enough fun to be dealt with.
Aiko said nothing as he guessed that such measures would be impossible to try and deal with correct details… Yet? He could not simply allow it to die out overnight, not without a fight on his hands for now and forever. Yet? He could not wait for either way, something that he had to carry out, knowing that it was off and that he had zero chance.
But he couldn't fail either, failing either blasted way, knowing what awaited if he failed even for a few seconds. What came next was arguably something far worse as he knew such details would persist as he knew more or less that he could not at all allow it to end for now and knew something was up.
He knew more and more that such things would grow dull and wasteful for now, he could be allowed to deal with it in a manner which he could properly relax upon dealing with such things, he knew when to try and bow and when he relaxed? He knew that he could do this.
Konan hummed as Aiko slowly but surely moved the strip of fabric around her stomach out of the way, knowing that he was trying to do what he could to fix her wound.
He did not ogle her like a cheap piece of meat, one freshly cut and hung from the rafters. He did not gape upon her beauty, he simply nicked and tucked her flesh back into a shape where it did not tear, did not break itself.
"You've done a lot more surgeries than me, haven't you? why did you not help before this?" Aiko heard as Konan paused and hummed.
"You're aware we live in a town that's mostly run down and ramshackle to the point where a fair number of criminals and such exist, right? Anything I do doesn't work. I get antibiotics stolen, I get threatened not to patch someone up or maybe they want me to patch up someone ELSE." Aiko hummed before he sighed
"Meaning?" Aiko heard as he rolled his eyes and then turned to look to the ground, amused.
"It means by all accounts? I'm not exactly someone who can deal with every single little problem at the end of the day." Aiko stated to which Konan hummed.
Aiko could only sigh to himself, utterly unable to do more and more things that he wasn't able to do much if anything when it came down to it. Still? Such a thing was beyond him more and more as she clicked her fingers before he hummed.
He sighed to himself and pushed himself before he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth before he hummed and sighed to himself once more. He knew that she was a skilled woman before he leaned on the wall once again.
He clicked his fingers before he sighed again and slowly yet surely pushed himself to his feet before he turned to look at her before he slowly yet surely seemed to dig through the bag before he hummed.
This was an odd little thing to try and figure out as he sighed and then? He had to tend to then possible, such a thing would be all too easily over for now and for good.
Such options could keep growing more and more and more, all of it hurt for now as he looked to himself and then to her as she sighed.
Konan seemed to be more and more concerned with everything around her as she hummed once more. There was more to try and figure everything out as she hummed before she fell to the ground, something about it all didn't end.
She didn't know what was going to come, she didn't at all know what else was being done. She would not be able to relax as of now, something that kept growing more and more as she snapped her fingers.
She hummed before finally looking at this time being, utterly unable to see and do next. She clicked her fingers against the roof of her mouth. This was a lot more madness in her moves, ones which were not dealt with.
She didn't know the next move but she could relax more and more and more until it came down to it as of the time being.
He had too much to try and deal with for now, something that kept trying to figure out as she sighed more as she looked to the side, clicking her fingers once against one another.
"Can you see if my spine is good? I have not checked more and more is wrong than I am trying to deal with more than I think I can deal with," Konan asked to which Aiko hummed before he nodded.
"The spot I checked before?" Aiko asked before he hummed as she sighed.
"Yes, a bit lower than that before," Konan stated as she sighed and then pointed before she looked downwards at the ground.
"There is just too much to try and deal with and so little I cannot deal with, annoying, no?" Konan asked as Aiko sighed and sat behind her as she hummed before she turned and looked.
"Yes. I still need to deal with your spine. I have to try and figure out where the damage to your body is." Konan heard as she turned and looked to the side. "I'm still sorry for tearing your stitches. I forgot that your wounds are still patching themselves up, there are a lot of wounds in your stomach from how the kunai went into your back… I should have checked and scanned for poisons." Aiko said before Konan hummed.
"Aiko? I am not stupid. If there was poison? I would be dead because it would have shut down my internal organs by now." Aiko heard from Konan as he nodded.
"It's not as easy to detect poisons as you think by smell because you also have to deal with the fact that each poison attacks the body differently," Aiko stated as Konan clicked her fingers.
She didn't know what was going on more and more but she did also guess for a fact that these sorts of issues were beyond it all for now and for good at the moment.
She was utterly unable to try and figure out what to see and do at the moment as she sighed. Aiko hummed before
Aiko hummed as he looked downwards at the ground once again as she relaxed more and more and she clicked her tongue before she sighed once more.
There was a lot more to try and deal with at this juncture as she cracked her fingers against the wall, leaning on the wall while she sighed to herself.
There were a lot of measures that she could relax upon to try and deal with for now as she cracked her fingers once more and smiled before looking upwards and into the roof. She would not be able to deal with it for now and she didn't seem to gleam it as of now.
She sighed before she looked to the side, something that made her unsure and uncertain of her future. She supposed tomorrow she would try.
"Are you ok?" Aiko asked as he slowly pulled the back part of her robe to the side, feeling that his fingers were poking at her spine before she sighed.
"Yes, I'm well enough to try and figure out what to try and deal with for now," Konan stated before she rolled her eyes. "Your fingers are very cold, Aiko."
Author Notes
Phew. Another chapter is done! I want to point out that the next will be in 2-10 months and will show more and more of Aiko and Konan bonding and more about Konan writing her Letter. Until then, Lighting Wolf is out!