The Passing Clouds

The Losses

A lot of you hate me now ._. This chapter might just make that even worst >-> Heheh

To the side is picture of Akisha I drew, scanned, and then edited on my laptop. I'm very pleased with how it  came out! ^__^ Enjoy it's pretty-ness~! XD

To the chapter!!

***Akisha's POV*** 

I awoke to the sound of light sobbing. "Uhh, what-?" I stopped my question, the memory of the black panther's lifeless body being kicked aside like it meant nothing coming back to me. "O-Oh God." My voice cracked and tears began spilling from my eyes. "Joka." I whimpered out, feeling broken and useless. "Akisha-sama? You're awake?" I twisted my tear stained face to see Hana. She was on the floor next to the bed I laid in. Little tears mixed in her light fur. "Hana?" You could tell that I was asking what happened with the tone of my voice despite only having said her name. "You're in the hospital. Keio brought me here in case you awoke."  "I see..." Tears stung at my eyes again hearing her shaky voice.

"Hana, can you come up here?" I asked, patting the hospital bed lightly as I sat up on my knees. Hana obeyed my orders, hopping right up in front of me. Not a moment later I wrapped my arms around her, burying my face in her neck and chest, letting out tiny sobs. "H-hana, I'm so sorry.." I was able to breathe out despite the sobs and my face being muffled by her fur. "You shouldn't blame yourself for that idiot's stubborn mind set.." She said back to me with some plain humor. I felt her body start shaking and she rest her head on my shoulder. "Joka... That... Stupid.. Stupid.. Panther." I held on to her as she spoke of Joka in the way she always did but this time...

There would be no angry reply from him. 

"Akisha-sama?" I let her go, looking at her face, sorrow clinging on to both of us. I brushed my nose from the sniffles and wiped my eyes with my right hand, avoiding the puppet one. "Yes?" "The reason I was to watch for you to wake up is because today's... His funeral... Back at our land. If you wanted to come, then I could take you back?" This proposal set me up for several questions like, 'What day is it?' 'What happened with the fight?' and then all of this led to, 'How did I get here?' 'Who saved me?'  Even though I had all those questions, I simply nodded to Hana. Hana nodded back and I could feel her concentrate on her chakra. "Wait! Hana, I'm not dressed for this, won't I be disrespectful?" I interrupted her, looking down at the plain hospital gown. Hana shook her head with a light, humorous smile. "We're felines, you could be naked and it'd be okay." She held up her paw, letting me grab on. "This'll be the first time you've been to our realm right?"

"Yeah... I probably should tell a nurse or something though, shouldn't I?" Hana didn't answer as we both knew I wasn't going too. She preformed the reverse summoning, smoke enveloping us. 

My eyes widen as the smoke around us cleared to reveal a pasture of green. Looking around I let out a little gasp. "Hana, it's beautiful here." I said lowly, just so she could hear me over the wind that ruffled the trees in the distance. "Ah, just in time, Akisha." I whipped my body around, my hair along with my bangs flinging behind me in the breeze. My bright blue eyes matched the bright golden eyes of Surudoi Me or Suru-sama. "Suru..." I skipped on the suffix, feeling too emotional to use it.

 "I know, child. I know." His wise, caring voice echoed in the wind. I suppressed the tears that had started to gather again. "Come follow me." He said, turning to the side. Hana and I both walked along him. "Funerals here aren't too different than the ones in your realm. Who ever has passed, the entire clan shows up. If they were summonings then the other summonings show up as well. Sometimes the summoner..." Suru stopped his explaining seeing me with my eyes on the ground. "...The rest you can gather as we go on... The resting places of the deceased lie beyond the ground of Tsume no Jiin, the Temple of Claws where, as you know, all the clan's lands connect." Suru ended his explanation with that and continued walking.