Flower in the Mirror [Hatake Kakashi] [1]

❄️ Chapter 7 ❄️

When Yumetsuki woke up the following morning, she found herself in an awfully familiar place – one of the many rooms at the Konoha Hospital. However, today, rather than checking on a patient, she was the patient admitted in herself. She felt disgruntled and wanted to get out of the bed but as she got grip onto her thoughts, her head flooded in with the memories of the night before.

The dreadful memories of being snatched away from right behind her home by people she did not recognise, thrown aside just as such and the strange cold in the air. But Yumetsuki felt an unknown warmth, too, and maybe it was embarrassment... but it originated from her lips.

Kakashi had kissed her. Yumetsuki knew that he was trying to make her breathe again but he was horrible at it. It made her face turn red again but she chalked it up to nothing. She didn't want to imagine that she had lost that first touch to Kakashi.

Birds chirping outside the window brought Yumetsuki out of her thoughts and she glanced outside to find that the sun had travelled far above the horizon while she had still been asleep.

A knock sounded on the door and as Yumetsuki looked over, it slid open to reveal that it was Grandma Chi. Yumetsuki held back her tears as the woman hurried over to check on her.

"My precious girl, how are you doing?" Grandma Chi asked as she quickly inspected Yumetsuki now that she was awake. "I heard everything – you were not scared, were you?"

"No," Yumetsuki whispered, not wanting to admit her feelings out loud because she knew that she would cry. "I am okay... how long do I have to stay in the hospital, Grandma Chi?"

"You will have to stay until the evening," Grandma Chi informed her, gently stroking her hair. "Once I have finished with my shift, I will personally escort you back home,"

For a few moments, Yumetsuki was silent before she let out a small sigh. It seemed like Grandma Chi understood what was going on through her head. She reached out to give the young girl a hug, gathering her into her arms and rubbing her back gently.

"It must have been so stressful for you, even if you were not scared," Grandma Chi said softly. "Not understanding why someone would want to hurt you or take you away,"

"Why... would they do this to me?" Yumetsuki breathed, trying to control her emotions. "I have never done anything to any of them... I have never hurt them... why must they hurt me...?"

"Of course, it's not because you are a bad person," Grandma Chi replied. "Those were bad people and Hokage-Sama will personally look into why they wanted you,"

"They were wearing Konohagakure uniform," Yumetsuki mumbled. "But they were from Kirigakure, I could tell so from the way they spoke... they want to take me away... I wish... I wish I was not who I am,"

"But you are a wonderful person, Yumetsuki-Chan," Grandma Chi insisted. "Why would you not want to be yourself? You are such a resilient young girl with so many talents. You are someone with dreams, someone filled with love and full of bonds, you're my Yuren-Chan,"

Yumetsuki could not respond with anything but tears as she allowed herself to be held in a hug by Grandma Chi. She still wished that she was not who she was. She wished that she never had to be resilient through the deaths of her parents, through moving villages and countries, suffering even here on different hands. Yet still, maybe someday the scale would tip on the side with love.

Yuren-Chan

Afternoon arrived swiftly afterwards with nothing much to do for Yumetsuki but rest while Grandma Chi went off to deal with her shift and look after the patients. Yumetsuki sat in her hospital bed, reading through the book that Grandma Chi had left with her to keep her company.