Strength of a Flower•(Itachi fanfic)•editing

Hearing and Loss

"I can't..." she hesitated, hoping she was forming the right words, "I can 'ear 'ou," she finally said, swallowing hard as she brought her now freed hand up to one of her ears.

Shit! That sound wave, she couldn't block it! The boy did not say anything else, knowing it would be futile to do so, instead he cut the last of the ropes off and, using the sign language all ninja learned in the academy for their jutsus, he said, "We'll go to the hospital in the morning, after we talk to the Hokage," he paused, "After we're sure that you're safe."

Azalea sniffled in reply, turning away from him. I couldn't even fight those guys off... how am I supposed to be ANBU? Or a ninja? she thought, tears going down her face.

Itachi turned Azalea around to face him and saw that she was crying. His facial expression softened and he sighed as he lifted up her head with his hand to get her to look at him. "Hey, stop that. You're strong, you were caught off guard, of course you wouldn't be able to fight those guys off. They were from the Kyüubi gang, one of the strongest there is." he signed, to which the Uchiha girl's eyes widened.

"But... that's one of the gangs my parents had to do a recon mission for!" they'd done the mission a long time ago, "Oh Kami! What if... what if it's what they're doing this mission for, I-I should've known! But how would they have known about me? Okaasan's told me to never tell anyone outside of Konoha or even in Konoha that I don't know too well about-about them. An-and why would they want me? No! I-it can't-they can't-!" she signed back, her hands flitting around in practically a blur as her realizations and her horror grew. She's taken to the signing portion of the Academy easily, finding that she enjoyed it.

Right then, the third hokage and a few ANBU came into the office, an urgent aura about them. The ANBU noticed the two and immediately apprehended them, trapping them in a chakra prison. "Hokage-sama!" Itachi exclaimed as he signed, so Azalea wouldn't feel left out, confused at the way they were being treated as of now.

"It's just Itachi and Azalea... let them go," Sarutobi commanded, raising an eyebrow at the pair. When the chakra dome was released, he questioned the two, "Why are you two here at this hour?"

Azalea had an utterly confused expression on her face as she could barely hear anything, it was like she was wearing mufflers. The Uchiha prodigy continued to sign as he spoke, him being the only one she could understand right now, thank Kami for sign language being a mandatory class, "Can you please sign? Azalea can't hear very well right now."

The five ANBU that was in the room showed surprise in their body language, there was barely any movement, but it was there, along with the hokage. "I presume this relates as to why you're in here?" he spoke, his voice laced with concern, also complying with the boy's request, looking at the girl beside him who looked... well... lost.

"Yes, uh, Azalea?"

Azalea went into mission mode, "Right... three men of the Kyüubi broke into my room tonight and kidnapped me after I attempted to fight them off. I called for Itachi just before I was knocked out. After a short time, or so it seems, I woke up and one of them was carrying me... then there was a battle and I... I can't really remember much of what happened after that. I don't remember the fight. I mean, it's all sort of fuzzy after the battle was initiated," she explained, not even bothering to speak out loud, as she knew she would not be able to pronounce hardly anything right, "Next thing I knew, I was here and everything was muffled." The girl winced at how hard it was to breathe, dried blood on the corners of her mouth. She coughed, crimson blood being spat out as she did so.

"Care to elaborate, Itachi?" the Third requested while keeping his observational eyes on the girl, making sure she wasn't about to drop.

"One of the guys did sound jutsus, he created a soundwave and, because Azalea was tied up and had just woken, she couldn't or didn't have the time to block the sound from her ears. I had to run, as these guys... they and I were too evenly matched and Azalea needed to get out of there," Itachi covered the missing holes. He turned his head to look at Azalea and noticed that there was dried blood on her skin and in her hair, free from their usual braids. She was looking at him, fear in her eyes. He knew what that fear was for. She was scared that her hearing would cause her to not be able to be a ninja. To not be an ANBU and her parents... what might've happened to them.

The hokage nodded, "Sounds like you two had a pretty interesting night... actually, we are here because of the Kyüubi gang..." he looked at Azalea and shook his head as he silently signed, "I'm... sorry, Azalea..." The man knew that the girl was smart enough to figure out why those people would go after her, even if she didn't know what her parents truly were.

A clear sob broke the silence that followed Sarutobi's own silence, the sob was followed by the sound of Azalea falling to her hands and knees, her back arched as her brain tried to process what her leader just implied. She was desperately trying to take in a deep breath, but all she could do was gasp, her gasps were loud and panicked, filled with pain.

Her theory had just been confirmed.