Forsaken Innocence

Chapter Eleven: Wounds

Forsaken Innocence

Chapter Eleven: Wounds

“Hitomi, wake up,” a tender voice called to me from amiss the darkness, the sound reverberating around me. Unlike the other voice, this one was soothing. Comforting me. Warm hands stroked my cheek, willing my eyes to open.

“Finally,” Sakura sighed, placing a hand over her chest. What happened? My entire body ached. And, I couldn’t remember why. 

Sasuke was leaning over me, his body relaxing at the sight of my opened eyes. I was placed rather comfortably on a couch, surrounded by unfamiliar shinobi. Did we make it? “Alright, clear out. There’s nothing to see here. She’s fine.” Kakashi ordered, taking a place beside me.

Everything was unusually fuzzy, and slow. “Hitomi,” Kakashi took a step forward, raising his hands. Similar to how you would approach a dangerous animal. “Are you feeling okay?”

I opened my mouth to try and form words, but he stopped me. “Just shake your head yes or no.” Bewildered, I slowly nodded my head, confused of recent events. Why were they acting as if I were a tiny, fragile girl? I was a ninja, I would heal.

“Good. Now, do you remember anything?” I paused for a moment, biting my lip. I didn’t. Every time I would try to, my head would start hurting. A migraine that made my hands shake, and my vision go blurry.

“Sensei, will she be okay?” Sakura asked. Kakashi thoughtfully rubbed his masked chin. “Honestly, I don’t know. She’ll need to be cleaned. With all of that blood on her, I can’t tell if she’s wounded, or not. You’re lucky she ran out of chakra when she did, or you all would have been her next targets.” A jolt went through my body. What had I done?

Sakura shook her head, refusing to believe him. “She wouldn’t have! Sasuke, tell him, she wouldn’t have!” Her eyes held desperation. She so badly wanted to believe the lies that spilled from her lips. But, even I wasn’t so sure what I was capable of. Not anymore.

“I’m sure she wouldn’t on purpose, Sakura. Hitomi wasn’t in a right state of mind. When the curse mark was activated, she succumbed to darkness. She had no control.”

Sasuke looked down at me, idly playing with my hair. “When you say she needs to be treated…”

“I’m taking her out of the chunin exams. She’s too dangerous,” Disappointment filled every pore in my body. He couldn’t do this to me, not when it was so important. But, he could. He would. And, no matter how I put this, I had failed.

“Kaka-…” I tried speaking, but my voice could barely break pass my lips, what did came out sounded only of gurgling, burning my throat on the way out. Almost making me gag.

“I think it would be best to take you out too, Sasuke. It’s not safe. Just the fact that you are both alive is a miracle. With special precautions, I’m hoping to keep that fact remaining the same.”

“You can do that afterwards. You’re right to keep Hitomi out of this. But, not me. I’m capable enough to finish; and I will. You can’t stop me.” Sasuke’s voice was cold, as he glared daggers at the man before him. Kakashi meant well. But, in many ways, his decisions were rather offensive. Made us feel weak, like we were incapable.

Kakashi seemed skeptical, but allowed Sasuke onto the next round. Whereas, no one would even let me move. Kakashi and Sakura left the room, giving Sasuke some alone time with me It was only then did I realize Naruto was nowhere to be seen. Good. He caused enough problems.

Sasuke knelt down beside me, taking my hand. He carefully brought it up to his face, resting his cheek against it. Sasuke was never one for words, but when we were alone, it was like he was an entirely different person. I was relieved to find I didn’t lose that side of him, like I had originally thought.

“As soon as I can, I promise to come see you, again. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” He gently kissed me, lips moving against my own. The passion filled my battered body, leaving nothing but ecstasy. I couldn’t remember the last time he kissed me, at least not like this. But, that didn’t matter. What did matter was the feel of his soft lips against mine, the way he could leave me absolutely breathless, yet still wanting more. It was amazing. He was amazing.

Sasuke finally pulled back, laying his head on my chest. It was quiet for several long moments, the only sound heard was my labored breathing, gasping for breath. I could still feel the imprint of his lips, wishing he’d kiss me, again.

“I have to go, now…But, I’ll be back soon. I promise.” He said rather reluctantly, moving towards the door, pausing only to look back at me. I didn’t like having to say goodbye to him. Even if it was only temporary.

Kakashi stepped in then, lifting me off of the couch. “I’m taking you to the hospital. After we make sure you’re okay, we’ll start to seal that curse mark of yours.” Kakashi always felt like a father to me, if nothing else. And, for once, I actually started to appreciate the man that sacrificed so much for his teammates.

~~

“Well, it seems as if she’s taken minimal damage to her vocal chords. Although, the cause unknown. There are many bruises covering her body, and small cuts. But, nothing too serious. Her body might be severely sore, though. Other than that, she’s fine. None of the blood found on her body was her own. I’d hate to be the poor shinobi that went up against this young kunoichi.” the medical nin said, never once looking up from his clipboard. 

“Will she be able to talk, again?” Kakashi queried. For once, he didn’t have his nose stuck in Make Out Paradise, genuinely concerned for my well being. 

“Oh, of course. Give it a few days, and she’ll be back to normal.”

“What about her head?”

“She suffered no injury there, why?”

“She says she can’t remember anything. What do you think could have happened?” The nin looked up, mildly surprised. Well, I guess he hadn’t been expecting that one. “Some memories could be blocked out from traumatic experiences. If she’s not remembering something, but has no record of a head wound, then it could be that the memory is locked up safe in her mind.”

Kakashi nodded, taking in the new information. Traumatic? Just, what exactly happened in the last few hours?

“Kakashi, I recommend you do something about that curse mark, as well. It’s not healthy for her.”

“How so?”

“Well, for starters, it drastically shortens her life span. Each time she uses it, she’s in that much more danger. Not to mention the blackout Hitomi seems to go through when she activates it. Not only that, but it eats away at the users chakra. She’s not as strong as the Uchiha, and I don’t know how long she’ll be able to handle it.”

Kakashi nodded, “I understand. Do you think you can walk, Hitomi?”

I nodded, a bit unsure. 

~~

Moments later, we were in a massive room, with cold stone flooring. I couldn’t help but wonder what business we could have in here. When he said we’d be sealing my curse mark, I thought it meant somewhere outside, with the warm sun caressing my skin. Not in this damp, dirty room. It was only when Kakashi started drawing complicated symbols on the ground did I realized I wouldn’t be able to feel the sun’s glorious rays on me during this awful process.

“This may hurt,” he whispered apologetically, starting the agonizingly long process. The image of Sasuke was the only thing setting my mind at ease as my body felt as if it had set on fire. If I could just endure this, maybe I’d be okay. We’d be okay.

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Sorry it took me so long to upload this. I’M SUCH A HORRIBLE PERSON ;__; I was hoping to upload on a brand new freaking laptop, but NOOOO, I can’t get it ‘til this weekend. -.- Fack.