Cats and Dogs (Naruto)

Chapter Five

Shiro woke in a hospital bed beneath overly starched sheets with a crick in her spine from laying in the same position for days. Shakily she sat up, pulling the various IV's from her arms and ripping the tube out of her throat that had been helping her to breathe. She looked around the vacant hospital room and relaxed a fraction as she spotted Kuro curled in a ball on a chair beneath the window basking in the sun. Someone had changed her out of her clothes and replaced them with stretchy black shorts and a loose fitting white t-shirt that hung off her shoulder. Her mind felt hazy, her memories of the incident were fuzzy. Where were Mace and Layla?

She bolted for the door and jumped as it flew open her violet eyes widened as she spotted the dog boy. His dark eyes grew wide as he stared down at the petite girl with the frosty white hair covered in bandages. He gaped as she side stepped him in one fluid motion and stepped into the busy hospital corridor.

Genma, the leaf shinobi she had met before the exam began, was sitting outside of her hospital room. He got to his feet as Shiro exited her hospital room and reached out to catch her by the arm only to stare in awe as his hand brushed through thin air as she dodged him swiftly. She took off down the hall in a daze. Running blindly trying to listen for Layla or Mace's voice. Closing her eyes as she ran she focused on the sounds around her trying to find their voices, breaths or their heartbeats. Where were they? Why couldn't she find them?

At the end of the hall she heard two faint familiar heartbeats and sprinted for the room they were coming from. She threw open the door and felt her heart drop as she spotted Layla and Mace unconscious in their hospital beds. There were monitors everywhere and all manner of tubes and IV's sticking out of them. How serious was it? Were they going to be okay? They were the closest thing she had to family, she couldn't bear to lose them. Tears welled in her violet eyes, breathing became steadily more difficult and her knees buckled.

Strong arms encircled her from behind and she warily looked up to see Genma. He offered her a somber smile and carried her to a chair between the hospital beds of her injured comrades.

"Are they-?" Her voice cracked, they were in bad shape, there were so many monitors, tubes, IV's and bandages, how could they be okay.

"They're both expected to make a full recovery." He replied his voice was soft and calming.

Shiro nodded as her tears fell freely. If she was stronger, this wouldn't have happened, if she'd trained harder she could have protected her friends. She looked to Layla's pale comatose form before turning to Mace who had more bandages, because he tried to protect Layla. "I'm sorry." Her voice came out in a choked sob, she'd let her friends down, and she could never let them down again.

Genma lightly pat her on the head, "They're going to live, because of you." His words were meant to reassure her, but she wasn't done beating herself up.

"What are you doing here?" Shiro asked after a long moment.

"I came to give you this and to let you know The Hokage has decided to assign you under me, so for the time being I'll be your captain." He extended a forehead protector with the hidden leaf symbol engraved on it, the band was a beautiful deep violet.

Shiro stared down at the forehead protector in awe, "Thank you, Genma-sensei."

He smiled, "I look forward to working with you, Shiro."

She bowed politely as he took his leave before turning to her fallen comrades. Desperately she clung to both of their hands, willing them to wake up as her tears fell freely. Dropping her chin to her chest she let out a choked sob. Her gaze fell on the two paw prints seared into her skin on her chest. Now they each had four claw marks. Would they notice? It was the Nekota Clan's most sacred and dangerous jutsu. One she could only use a limited number of times, and each time took a toll.