The Lost Flower of the Hidden Leaf (WIP - On Hiatus)

Chapter Twelve; Cursed

Katana glimpsed down her body. Only now did she notice she was swaddled like a mummy. Dark red patches blotched the white fabric around her legs, staining her pastel green hospital gown. The gaping wound from where the IV had been was still bleeding as well. 
Kakashi took some fresh bandages, cotton gauze and a brown bottle of antiseptic from the cart, and then cradled her hand to clean off the blood. It had already left a small pool on the floor as it had dripped down over her hand.

"Where's the medical staff?" asked Katana.

"They're dealing with some others that came out of the Forest of Death alive," replied Kakashi. "I said I would monitor this room. You're both my responsibility, after all. I was reading outside when I heard you. Do you remember what happened to you?"

"Nothing after I fell in the water. How long was I out?"

"Five days. The last round of the preliminaries ended a few hours ago. We feared the worst for a while. The ANBU agents lost you in a sudden mist. Anko entered the arena to get to your last known location as quickly as possible, but you were already in the water. Fortunately, Kurenai's team was close by and found you before she did. They knew you from around the village and tried to stop the bleeding. When Anko arrived, she took over and waited for the ANBU so they could bring you here."

Kurenai's team... Katana only knew them in passing. Kiba was one of the kids who bullied Naruto sometimes, but Shino was okay. The silent type. A bit like Kakashi too, the way he dressed in that high-collared coat and constantly wore sunglasses. She didn't think they would know her or even stop to help, but that might've been Hinata's doing. The Hyuga-girl sometimes looked at her from a distance but never approached. She often wondered if Hinata remembered Katana had stepped in to save her and Naruto from those three hoodlums when they were six. As soon as she could leave, she would seek her out to thank her.

"Has Mameha stopped by?" Katana glanced around the room, but nothing showed the geisha's presence.

"Once. Kitiara is away, so she can't stay away from the okiya. Sit still now. This might sting a bit."

Katana winced and hissed when Kakashi dabbed the gauze against her skin. He made quick work of putting a clean bandage around her hand and then kneeled down. As he removed the stained dressings around her legs, Katana dared to look at her wounds. Her eyes widened, her mouth dropping in silent horror. There were hundreds of bite marks, some single ones tiny and spread all over, others clustered together, making it look as if an entire chunk of flesh had been torn out of her in one big snap.

"Your legs got the worst of it," said Kakashi when he noticed her staring. "There are some bites on your arms, back and abdomen as well. The medical ninja tried to treat them with chakra, but something prevented the healing from taking effect, so we're forced to go back to basics. They're already looking a lot better than when they brought you in, but you still need daily tending. I've already spoken to Lord Hokage and Mameha, and we agreed to pause your training for a few weeks."

Katana didn't reply. Instead, she hid her balled fist between Sasuke's sheets. Was she supposed to be grateful they allowed her time off to recover? She should never have been in those damn woods to begin with. And that Mameha, the woman who'd adopted her as a sister, hadn't even bothered to check up on her any further! That not even she would take a mere five minutes to drop the stoic facade and show the slightest hint of compassion! It made Katana's blood boil with rage.

"You're angry." 

Kakashi's casual statement made her scowl, and she sneered back at him, "Don't pretend like you actually care." 

He raised his eye to her. There was something about the way he looked at her that made Katana regret having said such a thing to him. 

"I care," he said. "Never think I don't."