Scarlet Justice - ep. 47
"Memoriam"

The past two days have been filled with tests of all kinds. As a result, I have not had any visitors.

Ruki obtained some more samples and delivered breakfast before I traveled downstairs. A room full of equipment and with space to run around as desired. It was there that small pads with wires were stuck onto my skin, and I exercised as various uniformed shinobi watched. Interesting tastes on their parts, but I kept my mouth shut as they likely wouldn't receive such banter well. They measured my vitals and asked me to do simple tasks, but the sheer number of them meant that I was down in that room for most of the day. Not a terrible hassle, but a bit of an annoyance considering that I was relaxing so well earlier.

Today is the second day, and it's slightly different. I follow my normal routine, exercise, and perform for the old men again. This time they would like to see how I use my chakra. I display a few basic manipulations of water and lightning chakra, boost my movements, and fire off one or two techniques. I don't feel like using Mobius today for several reasons, and Ruki reports their grumbling back to me. Condolences to them, but this is supposed to be a fitness test, not a showcase for the viewing pleasure of lechers.

"Maybe you could have obliged them," Ruki says as we walk back towards my room. It's evening by now, and I'll probably be heading off to bed early after another shower. "But then, it's my fault for cramming in everything over two days. I just wanted to get them done faster, for your sake."

"I thank you for that, Ruki. And I do understand your sentiments...I simply don't agree with them. Not only am I uninterested in giving out free shows, I highly doubt the hospital would take pleasure in having to replace an entire wall suddenly."

"That much is true, yes. Well, they can complain to the Hokage if anything. I've done my job, and so have you. Some milk to round out the evening, Miss Kobayashi?" she asks with a smile.

"You know what I like already. Perhaps I should take you home with me when the week is up," I tease.

"Hmm...it's a tempting offer. I'm sure you treat your employees well. Let me deliver these reports and I'll come back up with some milk and a few treats. Hopefully, I won't be too long for you."

"You never are. No rush, my darling. I will see you soon."

"Of course. See you in a bit." Ruki gives me a wink and starts on her way down the hall. As always, I watch her form with admiration. If I could grow up to look that good...

"Ah, well. Patience," I say to myself. "Good things come to those who endure, after all. Stay the course." Since I know the way back to my room, I continue on my way. There's a girl down the hall, unsteady on her feet. Her long hair is supposed to be black from what I can tell, but has lightened considerably from what looks to be stress.

Her feet slam into each other and she trips...

...right into my chest as I appear before her.

"My apologies," I say to the people nearby. Running around like a shinobi in the halls must be a taboo at the hospital, but I'm reassured and thanked by people for my quick action. The girl is groaning and her brown eyes suggest dizziness, or some sort of disorientation. Her room number is printed on her bracelet and I take her back down the hall along with another nurse who was passing by. He checks her over and then puts out a call to her assigned keeper, who arrives quickly.

I stand and watch to make sure she's truly okay. And...because there's something I noticed when I was looking at her bracelet. A name that I've heard before, from what seems like so long ago because of this recent strife.

"Is it okay if I ask a question or two?" I ask the girl's nurse before he leaves.

"If she's okay with it, yeah. Call me if anything happens, alright?"

"I will. Thank you," I say with a bow. He closes the door and the two of us are alone. She's lying down, her breathing more controlled than earlier.

"You wanted to talk to me?" she asks. Her voice is gentle and light.

"Yes. Is it alright if I come closer?"

"Of course it is! You can have a seat on the bed if you want, there's room."

"Thank you." I do as she asks and sit next to her on the bed. The sheets are drawn up to her chest, and her face is still red with exertion. She really needs to rest, so I plan on leaving as soon as I ask her this question.

"Before anything...thank you for earlier. It's not often you get saved from a concussion by a kunoichi," she says with a smile. "Or worse. Those floors are pretty hard, you know. As I keep finding out when I fall on my butt..."

"You seem to be having a rough time of it."

"To say the least. There are days where I can't even bathe myself...it's so embarrassing, you know. I feel like the worst."

"It's not your fault, whatever this might be," I reassure her. "I saw on your bracelet...your name is Tamayo, isn't it?"

"Tamayo Kasuri."

"My name is Lilith Kobayashi. You can call me Lili if you would like."

"I'll do that. I've heard your name in passing...ah, right. The number one rookie from this year's academy class, right? My brother mentioned you once or twice, and he was quite jealous...I still remember that."

"What...happened to your brother? Is he okay?" I ask, knowing the answer.

"He died. It was during the Chuunin Exams, we just...didn't get the news until after the invasion. Yesterday, though it...seems like forever since. I guess there's good reason to call it the Forest of Death." Tamayo is quiet for a long while. I don't like that she's sad, but...I can't bring myself to feel remorse for what happened. I think about telling her what her brother pulled, what he did to me, what he made me go through.

But that would be a torture too much for anyone to bear. She loved him...I can see it. She believed in him. The least I could do is leave her with a pure memory of him, even if it means he gets to escape further judgement and rejection in this world. He didn't die a good person, but I can leave Tamayo with those good memories.

"What was your brother like?" I ask, looking out towards the door. "I mean to say, if it's not too hard of a question, and you feel alright."

"I'm fine. The dizziness is wearing off, anyways. His name was Mamoru. Not a terribly creative name on my parents' part, but he took it seriously enough as the first-born. He wanted to protect me no matter what, and so...when I got sick a few years ago, he kept pestering my parents to become a shinobi so he could help with bills."

"Did they let him?"

"They waffled until he got to the age where most kids need to go in or else they'll fall behind, or so the other parents told them. During that time, they worked extra long hours at their jobs. My father helped make things like protective equipment, and my mother worked as a waitress. The money was just barely enough to cover my treatments, and...sometimes we couldn't afford them. My brother did what he could to help out, but he thought that the only way to get enough money in time was to become a shinobi. So...eventually my parents caved, and gathered together enough money to send him to the Shinobi Academy."

I see. A less fortunate child, trying to make it through. Wanting to do his best for someone he so dearly loved.

"I told him," Tamayo continues, "that he didn't need to be reckless. Enough money to support Mom and Dad, taking some pressure off the payments they needed to make. The regular medicine wasn't doing it for me, and everyone was trying to save for the big procedure that would help me get a lot better. My parents were doing what they could, and figured at the current rate they could coast for about two years. I didn't want them to hurt themselves at work, but they insisted they were fine. Mamoru...he thought differently."

Tamayo shifts a bit and pats down her sheets, letting out a breath.

"He was upset with my parents for a lot of reasons. Stress from his classes because he thought he wasn't doing well enough. The mission pay he thought was too small, and the missions were pointless - our parents, they were okay with his progress, but he thought they were coddling him. And then the matter of my treatments. It was explained to him that the more aggressive solutions would cost too much for us, but he was angry anyways. It was then that...he made that mistake."

"Entering the Chuunin Selection Exams," I say.

"Yes. He got his sensei to agree to submit their names, and his teammates were willing to help him reach that goal. I wasn't entirely sure of their...motivations," she says bluntly. "But it was sweet of them to support my brother. So...off they went. He promised me that morning that when he came back, he would be a chuunin, and that everything would be better from that point onward. That my pain would come to an end."

She closes her eyes.

"He didn't come back. I...thought he might have been in the hospital, badly hurt and unable to talk to us. But...when they announced the final tournament, and his name was nowhere to be found, I knew something had happened. I prepared my heart for it."

"I'm sorry, Tamayo." I really am sorry for her. Not for what happened, but for the pain she's experiencing.

"Thank you for that, Lili. It's comforting having you nearby, somehow. He should have...waited. Taken the time to get stronger. I wasn't going to waste away, and our parents were doing as well as they could. I get the feeling he didn't care about much else other than...no, it's awful to say."

"It might not be," I say as I look to her. She opens her eyes.

"I know...my brother loved me. He would do so much for me, even if it meant dying. But...I had my own feelings, and he kept trampling over them. I just wanted him to be safe and happy, and I said that over and over again, but he wouldn't listen. He just had to fix me. He had to cure me, and he had to do it himself. It sounds awful, like I'm slandering him after he just gave his life to see me well."

"It's not awful. He was a human being too. Flawed, simple. Somewhat misguided." He gave away her name in the forest, and seemed proud to do so. She was a noble end, I realize. The person that he had gone on that heroic quest for. But I still shouldn't talk about those parts on my own.

"I think so, too. It's...more than possible that he crossed someone, and that was how he met his end. His body is in the morgue, and my parents are trying to decide what to do next. I think we might cremate him, for many reasons."

"What about that person?" I ask. "What do you feel towards them?"

"It's entirely possible that I've passed by them in the halls a few times. Maybe they were fighting at that tournament. Or maybe they died themselves in that forest. I don't know. I don't think I ever will, but...there's no anger there. I'm so tired, and it wouldn't be worth it at all. To hate someone for trying to survive, for completing an objective like shinobi are taught to do...no, I can't really make sense of that. Not as I am, anyways."

"Would you like to become a shinobi one day?" I ask her.

"No, no. I know enough about that life now...it's not the chance of death that scares me, though it is still so scary. It's...not suited for me. I have dull reflexes and panic easily outside of a controlled space. I might want to become an accountant...one of those office ladies, maybe?" She giggles softly. "That sounds nice. I like the idea of routine, even if others call it boring."

"To each their own, as is said. Every chosen path in life is valid."

"That sounds nice. I just have to get over this sickness, somehow. I don't want my brother to have died in vain." Tamayo smiles at me. "Thank you for listening to me, Lili. I've always wanted to talk to another girl about these sorts of things."

"That's amusing. I'm...not a very good person, to say the least."

"You were good to me."

I can't help but smile at that. "I'll leave you to your sleep, Tamayo. Be well from now on."

"Thank you. I hope you recover well yourself."

I get up from the bed and start on my way out. For a while, there's something that I've meant to do for this girl. I decide that I will do it after all. It's barely any cost for someone like me. "Tamayo. If...someone were to offer you help, without any condition...would you be able to accept that?"

"Without condition? It sounds like a dream."

I walk back towards her bed. "It does. But if it were truly real, would you grab hold of it?"

"I would. There's always a small bit of pride nagging at you in these times," she says as she turns her head towards me. "But I wouldn't need much time to think on it. I would take that opportunity. You wouldn't be happening to offer me such a thing, would you, Lili?"

"I would be, yes."

"Because you took pity on me?"

"Yes."

Her brown eyes widen. "I...didn't expect-"

"An answer like that. I know. I did take pity on you. I thought your story was tragic, in a way. I also think that you're worthy of this assistance. Not everyone would be. You are more than just a drone, just a good daughter or sister waiting to be rescued. So I want to give you the strength to decide your own fate."

"Hm." She wipes the tears that come down and rolls back over to face the ceiling again.

This isn't some sort of repayment for what I did. I would do it again. I would erase that trash, even if it made Tamayo sad all over again. Because I have dreams and people that I need to protect. It's because I see something in this girl. Something bright, and potentially strong. She doesn't need to be tethered to her brother, dragged into the abyss because of those guilty feelings lying just under the surface. She is braver than that. She is better than that.

"Please. Lend me your strength, Lili. I want to live."

"You have it, Tamayo. I will take care of everything from here on." I turn and start on my way out once more.

"If this works out...I wouldn't mind working for you, you know."

I grab the door handle and twist, smiling.

"I see. Then I'll be looking for a secretary in a few years. Make sure you're ready for me to scoop you up."

Finally, I close the door behind me as I leave, and head back to my own room. Ruki hasn't returned yet, so I sit on my bed and wait for her. She arrives with a good sized bottle of milk and two glasses.

"Whew. Okay, that took a while longer than expected. Sorry about that, Lili."

"It's no trouble. I kept busy in the meantime."

"Good. I wanted to sit down and have a discussion with you about these results. They're all good, but it always helps to be clear about what's going on. Is that okay?"

"That sounds perfect."

"Great."

"I have a question unrelated to this," I say as Ruki sets her folders down on the nearby table. "It's regarding another patient."

"Oh? Did something happen?"

"Nothing bad. I had a chat with a young girl, and...I've decided I want to help her. She has some sort of illness that I'm not very well versed on, but it causes her dizziness and the like, and makes her terribly weak. A proper diagnosis and aggressive treatment would likely save her life. The problem is that she and her family can only afford the bare minimum."

"That's unfortunately a problem I hear far too often. So you want to personally help, then?"

"I was thinking that the hospital could take care of the connections, and I could arrange payments for the treatments and care directly," I say.

She nods and pours out two glasses of milk. "That's about how it works. Most people request a certain level of care according to what they can afford, outside of standard treatment of course. Extra procedures cost a bit more, with costs being offset by family status. Shinobi get all their sicknesses and injuries treated at no cost, of course. Family members of shinobi get discounts and the like, but complicated procedures still cost a lot of money. The hospital is billed, and then the bill is sent to the patient. It can get complicated." Ruki sets the bottle down and closes it before sitting. "But if you can pay the physician directly, that removes a lot of hassle."

"If possible, I would like the highest level of care for her."

"Understood. What's the patient's name?"

"Tamayo Kasuri," I say.

"Ah, Tamayo. I've seen her around...she's very sweet. Her brother recently died during the Exams...it's always sad to hear. Twice a year, listening to grieving parents and siblings..." Ruki sighs and writes Tamayo's name down. "I'll make the arrangements and take care of the paperwork. A call will be put out tomorrow. Would multiple people be fine?"

"As many as it takes. Money is no object."

"Okay." Ruki writes down a few more notes before nodding. "Done. I'll take care of it. Now, we can go over these results together...and see what exactly we're dealing with. The last few tests are still being processed, so by the end of the week we'll have an even clearer picture. It should satisfy the old pols."

I slide down from my bed and take a seat in the chair beside her. She pulls out an image of my chakra pathway system, with notes written on various parts of the page. I pick up the milk glass and sip from it as she starts to speak.

"So as we can see here, everything is all clear. The points that were focused in on are here, around the heart..."