A/N: Yay! Hiatus is over!
Now, I wasn't just letting this fanfic collect dust during my time away. I was on an editing frenzy!
Editing can be such a hassle for some, but it has become enjoyable for me! I am happy to constantly improve my craft!
Also, thank you so much for your reviews! You don't know how much motivation it gives me to continue writing this and seeing it to the end! I am happy to be able to go on this journey with you all!
I would like to thank Brindani for taking the time to Beta my work and help me sharpen my craft!
A/N 3/ 22 / 21: MASSIVE CHANGES! (This message only concerns readers who have read this before 3/22)
Honestly, I did not like how I wrote this chapter. Loathed it even. So, I rewrote it! Don't worry about another long wait, the next chapter will be posted eventually.
Now for the overall edits!
First off, I changed it so that Humiya had only read Part 1 of Naruto in her past life. This is an especially important detail because it changes how she interacts with Itachi and Fugaku. She won't know about the real reason why the massacre happened nor about Indra. Shippuden aspects will still be in this fic though.
Secondly, I decided after a lot of thought to change Amaterasu's name to Naka and altered her appearance. It is weird to be worshiping Amaterasu in the Naka shrine unless Naka was an underling of Amaterasu. I decided not to do that.
Regarding her appearance, I found that she looked too much like Kaguya, so I changed it so that she only has two eyes which are both missing. Naka is blind.
That is all!
Happy Reading! UWU
To Change Fate
Chapter 7: The Sick Return
Humiya squinted her eyes at the sun that shone radiantly down at her face. She scooted back into the shade under the waving branches the tree above provided. On her lap was a light buff chicken. She slowly petted its black and white feathers with a gentle hand and looked at the massive flower field near the Naka Shrine.
Mikoto would not accept no for an answer when she told Humiya that they were going back to the shrine, no matter how much she begged. Instead, her guardian decided to bring Humiya's chicken, Tamago, with them. Humiya thought that it was stupid at first, but it worked to calm her nerves.
She heard Mikoto walking over, humming a little tune as she came closer. Humiya looked up at her smiling guardian and glanced down at the flowers she gathered in her hands before looking at the field that surrounded them.
A sea of wildflowers of all kinds wafted in the breeze that brushed by its vivid colors of reds, pinks, and purples. The clear sky with its blazing sun made its brilliance shimmer bright on the summer day. But even with the beautiful view and soft feathers, Humiya's mind raged with thoughts of uncertainty.
Not too far from the beautiful sight, the side of the Naka Shrine gleamed tall. With it, thoughts of her future swirled to the forefront of her mind. Whatever gave Mikoto relief that day did not lessen Humiya's sense of foreboding.
Too much is going on. How many months has it been since I have heard from Fugaku and Itachi? Three? Four?
Humiya turned to Mikoto who was now making a crown out of the flowers she picked, looking better than she had in weeks. She stared at her guardian's belly, hoping that what she drank in the past wouldn't affect him.
And Sasuke is on the way. Fugaku, what the heck are you doing out there with Itachi? Making us worry so much? If you weren't gone, Mikoto wouldn't have drank and I wouldn't have to be stuck here wondering how much damage has been done to both of my brothers.
With frustration brewing, she wrapped her arms around the chicken that was half her size. As she held the chubby bird close, a sharp pain pierced her heart, causing her to silently hiss and hug the chicken tighter.
And these chest pains... shouldn't the medicine Mikoto's been giving me be relieving them?
"Humiya, if you squeeze the chicken any tighter, she will surely pop,"
Humiya jumped and turned her head to see Mikoto look down at her with a fretful smile, clutching the crown she was making finished in her hands.
"Oh," Humiya replied dumbly as she looked down at the now struggling chicken in her grasp. "Sorry Tamago,"
Tamago clucked and pecked Humiya's hand in annoyance, making her jump and release the chicken, spitting out a few stray feathers that landed in her mouth. Luckily, the peck didn't break the skin.
Humiya haphazardly whipped the rest off herself before wrapping her arms around her knees and laying her face down on them. While wallowing, Humiya felt something placed snugly on her head. She looked up at the petals that decorated her, its colorful assortment contrasting with her dark brown hair.
"Cheer up. Times have been tough, but the war is over, and your father and brother will be back any day now. Our days are going to be brighter,"
Humiya nodded slowly, her eyebrow knit in frustration.
What's over? Sensō? That godforsaken word.
"Mama...what's Sensō?"
Mikoto bit her lip and looked away before flinching in surprise. A smile spread across her face. She gently cupped Humiya's cheeks, her eyes flashing red before pressing her daughter's face against the small bump on her belly.
"Can you feel it? Your sister is kicking!" Mikoto cheered, rubbing Humiya's head.
"Wait! But you—"
"Shh, don't you want to hear your baby sister?"
Humiya closed her eyes and sensed a small accumulating flame inside of Mikoto's belly, its rhythm in sync with her guardian's.
"Not she. He," she muttered.
"He?" Mikoto chuckled. "It would be nice for you to have a cute little sister, don't you think?"
Humiya shook her head.
"It boy. I sure!" she insisted.
Mikoto chuckled before getting up from the shade.
"Do you want to help me pick more flowers? I am sure your father would love them,"
"Really?" Humiya perked up, perplexed. "Likes flowers?"
Mikoto bent over and put her finger over her lip.
"Just between you and me, your father adores flowers, especially Sweet Peas. I would make flower crowns for him all the time when we were younger and he looked just as good in them as you," She whispered with a wink.
Humiya couldn't help but giggle as thoughts of Fugaku wearing a Sweet Pea crown in the flower field filled her mind.
Like a flower girl at a wedding.
"Promise not tell!" she giggled.
"There's my beautiful smile! Come on, I'll show you where they are,"
Mikoto took Humiya by the hand and began to walk into the sea of petals, its depths parting with every step they took. Humiya felt more at ease with each step as pollen from the flowers caught onto her dress with the delightful aroma tickling her nose. She felt like she was floating, mind hazy with only thoughts of flowers.
So beautiful. Wait, am I forgetting something? Ah, never mind. It will come back to me eventually.
Then, in the middle of the field, a sharp pang stabbed her heart. Humiya shouted in agony, clutching her chest that felt like it was going to burst. Everything around when from a hazy bliss to a dark foggy hell.
She could hardly discern Mikoto's shouts from the ringing in her ears.
"Humiya! Stay with me now!"
The pain throbbed more intensely with every movement made; she felt heavy with the feeling of being carried. She instinctively wrapped her arms around Mikoto's neck.
The trees passed her by in a blur, leaving her mind cloudy as well with her vision going black.
The night sky was hazy, and the stars hardly twinkled in the sky. The only thing that illuminated the opaque sky was a full moon. Everything was silent, not even the fires that burned the buildings of Konoha made any noise. The place was empty, desolate, with no one in sight.
"Hello? Anyone there?" Humiya shouted as she walked down the barren road, anxiety filling her with every step.
The only reply was her echoes into the thick fog.
As she walked further down the road, the only signs of life were what death left of it. Blood was splattered in all directions under the rubble. Humiya covered her mouth at the sight as the fog parted like the red sea, the smell of smoke mixing with burnt meat. By the second, more details of the scene became clear.
Indecipherable bodies littered the village in tatters, stray limbs under rubble reaching out as if pleading for mercy. The desire to flee the sight engulfed her being, but no matter how much she tried to move, she was glued to the spot.
Suddenly a roar erupted behind her, making Humiya cover her ears in fright. She looked up at the source of the cries to see the Nine-Tails in all its wrathful glory, its murderous eyes staring through her. Its crimson fur burned her eyes as its tails whipped through the village with wreckage and screams in its wake. As one tail charged toward her, its name formed in her lips.
"Kyuubi!"
Humiya gasped as she hastily lifted herself up, grasping something soft as she went. She blinked and looked down at the IV inside of her arm.
It was just a dream, but I am in the hospital again. I wish this all was a dream.
"What's a Kyuubi?"
Humiya's body froze before turning to see who asked the question.
Itachi leaned forward in his seat next to her hospital bed when he addressed her, his eyebrows scrunched, and head tilted slightly to the side.
He seemed to have grown an inch since she last saw him with his black hair now down to his chin. He wore a black loose short sleeve turtleneck and shorts. His clothes did not hide the traumas he received from his time away. Humiya grimaced at the bandaged cheek and the bandages that went down his leg.
The feeling of worry from his wounds mixed with the relief of his return filled Humiya to the brim, making her eyes water. She could tell that Itachi had been through a lot. Her hands began to tremble as she looked at his baggy eyes.
"Ita, where you been?!" Humiya cried before she opened her arms and flung herself onto him, making Itachi hastily wrap his arms around her. A part of her immediately regretted it as a wave of dizziness hit her, making it more like she fell into his arms instead of the initial hug.
"Careful! You shouldn't get up so fast. Especially with your condition," he lectured, gently holding onto her before placing her back onto her bed with the softness that belied his strength.
"Sorwy," Humiya murmured, hunching and rubbing her fingers. "Happy so. Missed you lots,"
"It's okay, so don't be sorry. I am not mad at you. Just worried," Itachi stammered as he gently lifted the covers under her chin. "I came right away after I found out you were back in the hospital. I thought you were starting to get better with how active you were before I left,"
Itachi began to run his calloused fingers through Humiya's hair, soothing her oncoming headache.
Humiya leaned into Itachi's touch as she grabbed onto her blanket to put them up to cover her nose and mouth, intrusive memories of her dad patting her head began to fill her mind. She could feel his large dark hands in a similar rhythm to her brother in her mind's eye with his usual placid face showing a hint of concern which overlayed Itachi's. She smiled sadly at him.
"Humiya?"
"Y-yes?" she replied, blinking rapidly before glancing up at her brother.
"I must have worried you sick for being gone for so long. I should be the one who is sorry,"
Humiya faced her brother, her cheek completely covered by her pillow, and looked at Itachi's guilty expression with a comforting smile.
"It's okay. You're back. Safe,"
Itachi nodded before looking as if he remembered something.
"Ah, you didn't answer my question. What is Kyuubi?" he insisted. "It must have given you quite a scare to make you wake up like that,"
Humiya bit her lip.
That's right, I said his name out loud! I can't tell him the full truth and I suck at lying. What a pickle!
"Evil fox sleep. Big evil fox. Bad," she whimpered, hoping that that was enough information.
"Ah, a nightmare demon," Itachi replied while nodding as if he knew exactly what Humiya was talking about. "I used to have one myself when I was younger. It was a giant crow with fangs that I had to defeat. They leave with time and never cause harm,"
Itachi slowed his head pats, his eyes going distant. His voice lowered as he continued with a humorless laugh.
"Funny enough, I would rather be fighting a giant fanged crow than have the dreams that I have now..."
Humiya was about to say something before he shook his head and quickened his slowed pace.
"Besides, nightmares are a part of sleeping and they never hurt you. So, don't worry, we will surely overcome them,"
Humiya scrunch her brow at that, knowing full well that neither of them could control her dreams nor the tragedy soon to come.
If only that were true. Nothing is going to prevent the Kyuubi from rampaging through the village.
"But I weak,"
Itachi paused his petting as if her words struck him. He then clenched his hand into a fist and lowered himself to her eye level, their foreheads touching.
"We are Uchiha, Humiya," He stated simply. "Father always says that our weakest are others strongest. Even if you have your arms and legs cut off, even if you become blind and mute, you are still strong. Uchiha's strength does not lie in one person, it is shared," He stated before taking something out of his pant pocket.
Humiya looked to see that it was the stuffed cat, Chi. It looked as pristine as it was when she first gave it to Itachi.
"So, don't worry about it and focus on getting better. Leave the strength to me and Chi," he continued before placing the cat doll next to Humiya with a comforting smile on his face.
"Now go to sleep, you should be resting,"
Humiya looked between Chi and Itachi and gave her brother an encouraging smile. She snuggled herself into her covers, knowing perfectly well that she wasn't going to sleep anytime soon with the questions swirling around in her head.
"Hey Ita, tell trip! Tell! Why hurt?" Humiya asked hastily, clutching the ends of her soft blanket.
Itachi's eyes widened at her questions and was silent for a moment. He then got up from his chair and tucked Humiya in.
"I just went on an adventure with Father and just got scratched up on the way back. It is no big deal,"
Humiya's eyes flashed with frustration, making her puff out her cheeks.
"I wanna know! First, Mama no tell. Now you no tell. Don't like!" she huffed.
Why can't I get a straight answer from anyone?!
Humiya glanced at Itachi and her expression softened at him as he rubbed the back of his neck in unease.
"I know that not knowing stuff can be… troubling, but you will understand when you are older,"
Her frown deepened in response to his reply until an idea came to mind.
Maybe I need to change my approach. Something is very wrong here and I will get to the bottom of it! Maybe I should ask about the definition of words instead! I might finally understand that one word that has been bugging me for months.
"No tell trip. Tell words? Know big words, right?" Humiya asked hesitantly.
She felt anticipation bubble within her when she saw Itachi's shoulders relax.
"Of course, I can tell you the meanings of words. I know many of them and I can write them too," he replied lightly.
"Really?!" she squealed, leaning forward on her bed, "Tell ninja is!"
Itachi put his hand under his chin in contemplation before a glint came into his eyes.
"Ninja are people trained in the ninja arts. They fight for their people's safety. Father is an amazing ninja and Mother used to be one too before she had us. One day, I am going to become a ninja too and keep you safe,"
"Cool! I one too?" Humiya asked, her eyes like puppy dogs.
Itachi's eyes darkened but quickly covered it.
"You don't have to be a ninja when I am. Besides, there are a lot of other things you can do," he insisted.
"Okay," she replied, trying her best to sound disappointed.
Thought so. But I am sure to find a way to learn some ninjutsu. Now for the kicker!
"Tell me. Um, what's Sensō?" Humiya asked her brother carefully.
A moment of silence passed between them as Itachi's relaxed shoulders tensed again with his face seemingly devoid of emotion.
"It's not something you should concern yourself with,"
Before Humiya could reply, there was a knock on the door.
"Is Humiya awake?" Fugaku asked as he entered the room with Mikoto closely beside him.
Humiya turned to her guardians and hid her frown under her blanket.
Like Itachi, Fugaku's loose robes did not hide the traumas of his trip. He was thinner than when she last saw him, and his skin was slightly tanned due to the constant sun exposure. Even though she could see the wariness in his eyes, his straight posture revealed none of his discomfort. Fugaku wore a stern frown on his face with a hint of worry by the scrunch of his eyebrows.
Mikoto smiled down at Itachi and Humiya, eyes teary. She went over to the pair and motioned Itachi over and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Humiya, my baby. You will have to stay here for a few days,"
Seeing the tears in Mikoto's eyes made Humiya's anger fuel her determination.
I must get to the bottom of this and get better while doing it.
Months went by and Humiya felt like she was going to pop with annoyance. After her solemn days in the hospital, there was nothing but celebration after celebration. There was nothing wrong with the celebrations in it of itself. In fact, she even got to see a glimpse of the 4th Hokage when he got inaugurated during one. What infuriated her was that the reasons were completely lost from her.
What a ninja wants hidden stays hidden. That or I'm just stupid.
Humiya grumbled as she turned the page of her book and stared intently at the illegible characters, a new pitiful pastime.
The qualms of being illiterate. This book could have the answers to all my questions. Everything!
She ran her small fingers down the page, caressing its slightly wrinkled edges.
Why do things have to be so close yet so far?
"Humiya, stop playing with my cookbook and come here,"
Or a lousy cookbook.
She sighed before getting up from her spot beside the window in the living room.
"Coming!"
Humiya walked over to the front door where an expectant Mikoto was waiting.
Her guardian's stomach was as big as a pumpkin and made her waddle instead of walk. On one hand she held a paper that looked like a list and rubbed her stomach with the other.
"Come along and be my little helper! I need a few things from the market," Mikoto ushered as she slipped on her wooden sandals.
Humiya nodded and quickly mirrored her guardian and followed her out the door.
The summer day was bright and hot while Humiya walked down the dusty dirt road. She held her guardian's hand tightly as she walked toward the crowded open market.
Aisles of stands aligned the long, massive street, some covered by white tarps and others basking their products in the blazing sun. Merchants in colorful garb shouted over each other to usher curious customers to come to and from their stalls in organized chaos. In the heat, everyone's skin glistened with sweat that mixed with the sparking specks that sprinkled from the dry dirt road.
Even though the colorful assortments of fruits and vegetables caught Humiya's eye as she passed, she wanted nothing more than to cover her ears and run to her peaceful home.
"Go home now?" Humiya shouted, avoiding a rugged passerby leading a muscular black bull that was hauling a cart full of raging chickens, its hoofs almost stepping on her toes.
"Nonsense! We just got here. Now, here is the list. Can you tell me what we need from the it?" Mikoto asked before placing the paper into Humiya's hand.
"B-but no read!" Humiya whined before looking nervously at the grocery list.
She realized why her guardian handed her illiterate self the list the moment she put her eyes on it.
In addition to words and numbers, there were neat sketches of different perishables items that they needed.
"Oh,"
Humiya glanced at Mikoto who had her eyebrow raised, waiting expectantly as they walked around the market.
"First carrots!" Humiya squeaked before looking around for a stall piled with them. "There!"
"Oh! Lead us to them," Mikoto cooed as she made Humiya weave through the crowd to where a cheery plump woman greeted them.
"Good afternoon," Humiya's guardian greeted in reply before looking down at Humiya, motioning her to do the same.
"Afternoon good," Humiya stammered, cheeks red from noticing her mistake.
The stall clerk laughed before asking them how many carrots they would like.
They both looked down at Humiya and she quickly answered.
"Five,"
"Five! Great job, Humiya! My baby is so smart," Mikoto cheered, making Humiya's pink cheeks deepen into a tomato red.
Mikoto then took out a scroll and swiftly popped the carrots into it after paying the stall owner what was due.
They repeated the process as they went down the list, Humiya slowly getting used to the people and buttered up by Mikoto's constant praises.
When they neared the end of their list, Humiya felt an intense presence. Concerned, she looked at Mikoto who was doing some small talk with the stall clerk. She closed her eyes and turned her head into the direction of the sensation, shocked at what she saw with her mind's eye.
There were three flames in one body. The dominant one encompassed a much darker one while a smaller flame pulsed indifferently to it. She opened her eyes to see a beautiful woman with the longest red hair she had ever seen.
The eerie woman looked too normal. She wore a dark green apron dress over her white shirt and had a cream reusable grocery bag hanging on her shoulder. Her back was to them until she was finished with whatever she was doing. The woman then revealed to Humiya her vibrant violet eyes and her soft face.
"Humiya, it is rude to stare," Mikoto scowled, making Humiya flinch out of her stupor.
Her guardian then took a gander at who Humiya was gazing at before her black eyes sparkled with familiarity.
"Kushina! Is that you?" Mikoto cheerfully called, making Humiya's heart drop.
Before she walked over, she stopped and winced in pain and gripped Humiya's hand before walking it off.
Humiya looked up at her guardian with concern as she was led over to Kushina, who turned around at the sound of her name with a gleam in her eyes.
"Mikoto, it's been a while, you know! And you're expecting!" she squealed, motioning to her friend's stomach as she met up with the pair.
Mikoto nodded happily, rubbing her belly.
"Yes, I haven't seen you since you're wedding. How is Lord Fourth?"
"That long ago? Goodness, life just passes us by. Minato is fine. He fits the Hokage role well," Kushina replied with a hand on her cheek before looking down at Humiya.
She kneeled to Humiya's level with her smile bright, making the small girl take a step back.
"And who is this?"
Humiya gripped Mikoto's skirt and hid her face behind it nervously.
She's the Hokage's wife?! No wonder her presence is so big! And she must be pregnant due to all those flames! What do I do? What do I say?!
Mikoto put her hand on Humiya's back and gently pushed her forward.
"This is Humiya, my second. Now Humiya, don't be shy. Say hello to Mrs. Namikaze,"
Humiya looked toward the intimidating Kushina, lifting her hand before immediately grabbing it down with the other.
Bow instead of handshake! Bow instead of handshake!
She gripped the hem of her dress to resist the urge before giving a deep bow.
"I-I Humiya! A-a peasure, Mrs. Namikaze!" she shouted, her face beet red from knowing she made more slips in her speech.
Kushina looked like stars were emitting from her as she squealed in delight. She quickly put her hands on Humiya's shoulders and rubbed her cheek against her's.
"Haaa, so cute! I wish I'll have such a good girl as you, you know!" she cooed before looking into Humiya's eyes. "But I kept my maiden's name, so call me Mrs. Uzumaki instead or better yet, Aunty Kushina!"
Humiya stared at Kushina in shock, tongue tied.
She's Naruto's mother! Naruto is in her. But why is her stomach so flat? Isn't he due in a few months? Wait, the Nine-tails attack is happening in a few months! She's going to die! Die!
Overwhelmed, Humiya shrieked as she shook herself out of Kushina's arms and quickly hid herself behind Mikoto's skirt.
"Oh, my apologies," Mikoto sighed, putting a comforting hand on Humiya's trembling back. "Humiya has never been good with strangers. There there, dear. She is very frail, so she hardly goes out,"
Kushina stood up and put a hand over her mouth.
"Poor thing! I am so sorry,"
She turned to Humiya, "I did not mean to scare you, you know,"
Humiya's eyes met Kushina's, feeling immense guilt about her behavior. She slowly let go of Mikoto's skirt and walked up to her, clutching the hem of her dress.
"It- it okay, Aunty. Aunty s-surprised me," Humiya stuttered, rubbing her foot into the dirt road.
"Haa, so cute," Kushina cooed, putting her hand out to touch Humiya but stopped herself.
"If you don't mind me asking," Mikoto interjected. "Why did you keep your maiden's name. I thought it was custom to take the husband's surname,"
"It is, but I decided to keep my maiden's name, so that other Uzumaki will hear of me and be more willing to come here. Konoha will be a safe haven for Uzumaki descendants and have it be an official clan of Konoha,"
"Really? That's great! When will it be official?"
Kushina expression shifted from all smiles to a look of annoyance, crossing her arms.
"Sometime in early winter. The council is being way too difficult! Especially that Danzo! They're insistent on making it not a priority and go on and on about how the war just ended. It's been almost a year and reconstruction has been going smoother than anyone expected. Those elders need to calm down, you know,"
Before Mikoto could reply, she leaned over and let out a surprised shout.
"Mikoto, are you okay?" Kushina cried, hastily grabbing Mikoto's hand.
"I am fine. The strong contraction took me by surpri-ise. I think it's time," Mikoto huffed in reply, trying to straighten herself with Kushina's assistance.
Humiya looked down at the small puddle forming under Mikoto's feet.
"Aunty, water! Broke! Water broke!" she cried as she tugged at Kushina's green dress.
Take Mikoto to the hospital quickly! Ah, the hospital is miles away! Why does a village as big as this only have one hospital?! It would be more likely for Sasuke to be born in the middle of the road than there at this point! Is there a clinic around here or something?
Kushina's eyes widened at the puddle before an intense amount of energy emitted from her, making her hair split into nine parts and whip around her rapidly. She snarled, "Make way! My friends in labor, you know! Out of the way!"
The crowds surrounding them jumped at Kushina's cry with looks of terror. They rapidly tried to clear a path for them.
Humiya shook at the negative energy but was able to hold her ground due to it not being directed at her.
"Don't you worry, Mikoto, I will get you to the hospital in a jiffy!" Kushina said soothingly.
"Too far!" Humiya screamed, gripping Kushina's dress as she followed them in tow, "Help need!"
"Kushina, Humiya is right! Smart gir-AH!"
Mikoto winced at another contraction, causing her to misstep and lean into her friend. The sweat slipping down her head caused her hair to stick to her face.
"A-at this rate, we won't make it to the hospital. I have a scroll full of supplies in case this happened. Those incompetent-Ah Ah! They told me I had another week! Just take me to a shady area and I will have my baby there," Mikoto heaved, gritting her teeth as they moved forward.
"You mean in a dark alley or in the park somewhere? That's ludicrous! We just need to catch a ride," Kushina cried, panic creeping into her voice.
"Help! Help! Someone!" Humiya shrieked into the crowd.
Suddenly, a dark-haired trio swiftly appeared in front of them, all looking the same in their Uchiha Police uniforms.
Humiya realized that they looked so similar because they were triplets.
"We heard your cries. Please, let us take you to the hospital," the young officers offered in unison.
"Well, hurry up you three! A woman can't hold a baby in, you know!" Kushina shouted, one foot forward in anticipation to push past them.
Mikoto weakly nodded to them and beckoned them to do what they needed to do.
The three of them looked at each other before two of them put their hands together into hand signs.
One of them shouted, "Transformation jutsu!"
A giant puff of smoke emitted from them both to reveal them gone with a hand drawn wooden wagon in their place.
"Come on," the remaining officer ushered with an open hand.
Kushina nodded before quickly helping Mikoto and herself on. Humiya quickly followed.
The officer grabbed onto the carriage and began to run as fast as he could to the hospital.
Humiya felt dizzy watching the buildings zoom by with bursts of wind slapping her face, gripping onto the makeshift wagon's edge for dear life. She always thought that the road was smooth since she only walked the dirt road's powdery surface but that was far from reality. Clutters of rocks were scattered across the road, causing the wagon to bump them often.
Out of all the days, why did Sasuke want to come now?!
She winced as Mikoto yelled in agony in her ears with every big bump, tears now streaming from her eyes.
"Why did Fugaku give in when I told him I wanted a third child?! Why did I want a third child?!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "It's coming, damn it! It's ripping up my insides! Naka have mercy! Get it out!"
Humiya grabbed onto her guardian's shoulder but she hardly seemed to notice. "We almost there! You okay. You okay," she said, trying to sound soothing.
"We are almost there, Mikoto," Kushina comforted nervously, her hands on both Humiya and Mikoto to prevent them from falling out of the cart.
She flung her face toward the running officer, enraged.
"Hey, ride smoothing your big oaf! Can you see you are making Mikoto feel worse?! If Mikoto's baby pops out from a bump in the road, you will deeply regret it, you know!" she snarled, beating her foot on the wagon.
"My apologies, but please refrain from beating my brother or we will no longer have a wagon. The hospital is up ahead," the officer replied, taking a quick glance behind.
Mikoto let out another hurling scream, deep red seeping through her clothes. She quickly started to chant a string of indistinguishable prayers, eyes becoming distant as if in a trance.
Kushina put her hand into Mikoto's "Here's my hand. When you feel another contraction, just SquEEZE!"
The crunch from Kushina's hand mixed with the bumps made Humiya's stomach curdle, resulting in bile climbing up her throat. She struggled to lean outside the vehicle and emptied the contents out of her stomach, splattering an unsuspecting passerby's kimono.
"Sorry!" she cried in between her dry heaving.
When Humiya's nausea passed, the sight of the hospital made her shed tears of relief.
Before the wagon came to a complete stop, Kushina scooped the wailing Mikoto into her arms and ran into the hospital, leaving Humiya and the police officers to bite the dust.
"Quick! My friend needs care immediately, you know!" she hollered as she held Mikoto like a damsel in distress.
Humiya watched the pair run in before struggling to get out of the wagon herself, her stomach hurting with a rancid taste in her mouth. She looked back with wide eyes when a set of long calloused hands grabbed her from behind.
"Another smooth job well done for us officers, right Tsuki?" the policeman asked with an indifferent smile, letting Humiya's legs dangle due to him holding her by under her arms.
Humiya heard a puff of smoke and turned to see the other officer wheezing with his hand on his knees, sweating profusely.
"Easy for you to say, Mikazuki! You are not the one almost out of chakra and covered in all this gross...liquid!" Tsuki replied with a heavy sigh, exasperated.
"Hey, don't blame me. You're the one who volunteered and insisted on showing off your transformation skills," Mikazuki replied bluntly. "Besides, think of the awards we are going to get! I bet Shingetsu already alerted the Boss and his son. After giving the Boss's daughter to a nurse, I will alert the Lord Fourth and he will surely give us even more praise!"
"What? Why?"
"Didn't you know the woman with the Boss's wife was Lord's Fourth's wife? That is double promotion material!"
Humiya just leaned her head down, hanging limp in Mikazuki hands, feeling heavy and her arms strained.
I am so done with this day.
"You! What are you doing making that poor child hang like that?" a woman in a nurse uniform demanded as she swaggered out of the hospital, her dirty blond hair in a messy ponytail and baggy eyes a fiery hot pink.
The police officers turned simultaneously at the nurse.
"Akasuki, is that you? We haven't seen you since graduation," they said in unison.
"Yeah, yeah. Now hand Humiya to me," she scowled before snatching her away from the two black-haired teens, making sure to hold the little girl the right way. "There, little Humiya, I got you now. You remember me, right?"
Humiya paid no mind to the trio and just wearily blinked at them.
"How do you even know the Boss's daughter's name?" Tsuki asked.
"Zip it, you, and come on. You two need a change of clothes and your injuries checked," Akasuki sighed, her back to them and walking back into the hospital.
As the nurse walked into the hospital, Humiya's droopy eyes closed, lost to the world. And while she slept, the fox roared with rage in her dreams.