Sorry it's been soooo long since I uploaded Stwf! It certainly won't take so long next time xP I haven't seen/read anything past the Twelve Ninja Guardian Arc with Sora in it, so I've got A LOT of catching up to do, seeing as I'm sticking close to the actual story line.
I know what happens later, but only through other Fan Fics and what people have told me.... :/
Pic of Kohana --->
Ashley’s POV
Sakura and Naruto both leap for me, their chairs flying backwards as they throw their arms around my shoulders, laughing happily.
“Oh, I’m so relieved that you’re awake Ashley” Sakura sighs softly, hugging me tightly. “We weren’t sure when you would wake up….”
I blink a few times, still growing accustomed to the light. I wince slightly at the pink of Sakura’s hair, the orange of Naruto’s jumpsuit and the bright blue of his eyes. Had my friends always been so colourful? They’re hurting my eyes…..
“How do you feel Ashley-chan?” Naruto asks seriously, leaning back from me and regarding me with concerned eyes. I stare at him for a moment, before reaching up and rubbing my visible eye groggily.
“Thirsty” I mutter, to which Naruto chuckles. Sakura reaches over to my bedside table and hands me a glass of water, which I gratefully accept, downing it swiftly.
As I smack the glass back down on the table, I send my friends scrutinizing looks. Sakura and Naruto are staring at me anxiously, with the pinkette nervously twisting a lock of her hair around her finger. Kakashi Sensei stands behind them, his arms crossed and his uncovered eye hooded, ever looking the picture of cool and calm. Sai leans his back against the wall across from me, his arms also crossed and a blank look on his pale face. His dark eyes study me carefully, as if he’s expecting me do something either incredibly amazing or incredibly stupid. I can’t tell with him. I don’t know him very well and he never seems to show any type of emotion so….
“So” Kakashi Sensei speaks up, making my eyes flick back to him. “What exactly happened last week? Naruto and Sakura have filled me in on a few things, but the only one who can really explain is you Ashley.”
I nod a few times, sighing and closing my eyes momentarily. I guess it’s only natural for my team to want to ask me some questions about Hakuba’s…..appearance on the battlefield.
“I guess I may as well tell you guys, seeing as you know I’m a Jinchuuriki now” I mutter, my throat feeling hoarse and dry. “Well…You already kind of know about-”
I suddenly cut myself off, something that Kakashi Sensei said suddenly clicking in my head. My head snaps up, eyes narrowing at my silver haired Sensei. Naruto shifts on the edge of my bed, looking concerned.
“What’s wrong Ashl-”
“What did you mean by what happened last week?” I ask Kakashi urgently, making the older Shinobi shrug a shoulder.
“You’ve been out of it for five days now” he explains gently. “Nearly six actually.”
“WHAT?!” I shout, throwing back my blanket and leaping up from the bed, almost knocking Naruto to the floor. He flounders around for a moment, flailing his arms frantically, before regaining his balance.
I grab at my hair. How could I have been unconscious for almost six days?! That’s crazy!
“Ashley!” Sakura cries, raising her arms and trying to calm me down as I spin around, looking for my clothes. I do not enjoy wearing a hideous hospital gown. “You need to calm down! You’ve only just woken up, you’re still weak!”
“Weak my ass!” I bark, discovering one of my boots underneath the bed. Where the hell was the other one? If they can put one shoe under the bed, why can’t they put the other one with it?! “I don’t wanna stay here anym-”
I cut myself off again, as my legs tremble, before suddenly giving out from underneath me. Before I can drop to the floor, Sai reaches out and catches me by the arm, draping it over his shoulders. I glance at him suspiciously, to which he gives me a flicker of a smile, helping me back over to the bed.
“Please be careful Ashley-sama” he says softly, stepping backwards.
“Thanks” I reply dryly. “And I already told you Sai. Just call me Ashley. Or Ugly Bitch, whatever you like really. Just not sama.”
Sai nods in understanding as I sit down on the mattress with a frustrated sigh and cross my arms, making Naruto and Sakura sweat drop.
“Don’t be so reckless Ashley-chan” Naruto pleads, rubbing the back of his head. I roll my eyes, pouting childishly.
“Getting out of bed isn’t reckless” I argue pointedly, before Sakura, using her monster strength, places a hand on my shoulder and shoves me backwards, making me hit my pillow with a whomp sound.
“Stay there and behave” she scolds me, waving a pointed finger in my face. “You were in a big fight and who knows what kind of damage was done to your body.”
“But Sakura-”
“No buts!” she interrupts me, shaking her head. “I’m in charge, and you can’t even walk without falling, so stay!”
“I see someone took their bossy bitch pills this morning” I growl under my breath, earning a killer glare from Sakura. I throw my hands up in defeat, pulling the blanket up to my chest and crossing my arms as I begrudgingly lie down.
“Ahhh, I missed my loving students while I was away on my mission” Kakashi sighs sarcastically, catching my attention.
“When did you get back anyway Sensei?” I ask, making Kakashi look over at me.
“Four days ago” he responds, tilting his head. “And you still haven’t told me what happened yet.”
“Oh” I mumble, turning my head and glancing up at the ceiling. It’s a very inviting shade of miserable grey. Note the sarcasm. “Right, I guess I better tell you then…”
Naruto sits back on the edge of my bed, as Sakura and Sai plant themselves down in the plastic hospital chairs, with Kakashi Sensei happy to remain standing at the foot of my bed.
“I’d been sensing Sora’s chakra all day” I begin explaining, keeping my eyes focused on the roof. “And I knew something felt a bit…..off about it. The Tailed Beast inside of me, I call him Hakuba by the way, didn’t like the chakra, as it reminds him of the Nine Tails’ chakra-”
“Your Demon doesn’t like the Nine Tails then?” Sakura deduces, making me nod. “Why?”
“Well, he doesn’t like any of the Tailed Beasts really” I sigh. This might take awhile… “The other nine Tailed Beasts were all created from Hakuba’s chakra, and he wants his chakra back. Humankind has been nothing but cruel to the creature inside of me, and he wants his power back so he can wreak havoc and get his revenge on us.”
As Sakura and Naruto exchange worried looks, my face darkens. Humans were cruel to Hakuba for generations, even when he didn’t deserve it. I can now totally understand why he wants to be rid of us. If I was him, I’d want to kill every human I could get my hands on. Er…Paws on….
“I don’t blame him to be honest” I mutter, before shaking my head. “But anyway…..When I finally found Sora and Naruto, I saw something that angered Hakuba. It was Sora, and he was in a Tailed Beast form, which Hakuba didn’t appreciate. He believes that chakra was stolen from him, so he hates it when other people use it. When I saw Sora trying to kill Naruto, I couldn’t help stepping in….”
Naruto blinks, as I reach out and grab his hand, giving him a tiny smile.
“I know that he would risk his life for me, so I did that for him” I explain softly, making the blonde squeeze my hand and grin appreciatively. “But when I couldn’t beat Sora, Hakuba was urging me to use his power, and I eventually gave in…..To be honest, I don’t remember a whole lot after that. I sort of black out when Hakuba takes over. But…..But I remember your voice Naruto….”
“My voice?” he asks, tilting his head and looking confused.
“Yeah” I say with a nod. “I could hear you talking to me, telling me that we were friends, and you needed me to come back…..Snap out of it. I remember that clearly. It was….weird, but thanks to you, I woke up!”
“You seem to do that a lot you dope” Sakura giggles, punching Naruto in the shoulder playfully and making him grin down at the floor. Sakura suddenly pauses, before turning around and looking at me questioningly, narrowing her jade coloured eyes.
“Wait a second…..” she says slowly. “Is that…..Is that what happened back in the Land of Ambience as well? You know, when we were fighting Sirius and he hurt one of your Wolves?”
I grimace, having forgotten about the incident. I can’t believe she remembered.
“The Land of what?” Sai asks, brows furrowing in thought. Seems he’d never heard of my home either.
“The Land of Ambience” I repeat. “It’s the place I was born, not too far from the Land of Lightning. And yes Sakura, that was the beginning of Hakuba’s chakra overtaking my body.”
Naruto suddenly smacks a palm to his head, the sound almost making me jump.
“I remember that!” he cries, gazing at me through wide eyes, realisation dawning on his face. “So that’s why you hugged me and said thank you! I could never understand what you were thanking me for…..”
I lean forwards and grab Naruto in a headlock, playfully scruffing up his hair with my hand, making his arms wave around helplessly.
“Yeah, you saved me back then too ya knucklehead” I chuckle, releasing the blonde and laughing when he pulls a face at me, trying to fix his hair.
“I’m not sure why I did it though” he jokes, poking his tongue out at me, before turning to Kakashi Sensei. “Ashley-chan said that you already knew about her Demon Sensei. How did you find out?”
Before answering, Kakashi’s visible eye flicks over to me. He raises an eyebrow, silently asking me a question, as I scratch the back of my neck, shrugging.
“I think I better explain that” I say uncomfortably, turning my head and looking awkwardly out of the window. “When I was still just a kid and working for um….Orochimaru, I decided to ditch training one day….”
Thanks to my Kekkei Genkai, I feel Naruto and Sakura tense up at the mention of Orochimaru’s name, the man who had convinced Sasuke to leave us all behind with the promise of immense new power.
“As I sat on a rock, talking to Hakuba like he was standing right beside me” I continue reluctantly, “I suddenly felt that I was surrounded by four people. I could sense their movements through the earth, and Hakuba was telling me to flush them out and kill them…..In consideration to Kakashi Sensei, I won’t go into detail. To cut a long story short, Hakuba took over, and I ended up killing two members of Kakashi Sensei’s ANBU Black Ops squad…..”
I hear Sakura gasp, before she swivels around to gape at Kakashi. I wait for Naruto to finish staring at me, before risking a glance at my friends, only to see them both gawking at Kakashi.
“She killed your ANBU teammates?” Sakura repeats in a hushed voice, to which Kakashi stiffly nods. “And she was just a kid?!”
“Obviously Kakashi Sensei was too strong to get killed himself” Naruto jokes, trying to make light of the mood. Kakashi casts him a wry look.
“Ashley almost killed me too” he informs the blonde, stunning him into silence. “She almost killed my other teammate as well. But she stopped because-”
Kakashi cuts himself off, catching the imploring look in my eyes. He gives the most subtle nod I’ve ever seen, obviously catching on to my meaning. I know that my friends seem to be okay with me being a Jinchuuriki, but for some reason I just don’t want them to know that Hakuba can be controlled by the Sharingan.
“Well, she just stopped herself I guess” Kakashi finishes, almost making me roll my eyes. Couldn’t he try to sound a bit more convincing than that?
I pause, watching as everyone suddenly turns to stare at me, curiosity burning in their eyes, even Sai’s.
“Why didn’t you kill Kakashi Sensei?” Naruto questions, eyes wide with intrigue. I shrug uncomfortably, pushing my long fringe back from my face.
“I…I don’t really remember” I lie softly, my eyes dropping down to my white blanket. “I remember that I felt Orochimaru coming and I didn’t want him to find out about Hakuba. Hakuba never liked Orochimaru either, and he often kept a low profile when that man was around. He didn’t want me to be experimented on, any more than I had been, in case Orochimaru discovered him and tried to somehow extract him from my body.”
Naruto nods, as Sakura rubs my arm, giving me a sympathetic look.
“So….Orochimaru doesn’t know that the Ten Tails exists then?” Sai questions, tilting his head.
“That’s right” I smirk triumphantly. “That dirty snake had no idea I was a Jinchuuriki, and I lived with him for almost six years!”
Before anyone can say anything else, the door to my room suddenly flies open with a bang, making everyone besides Kakashi jump with fright. Looking up, we see Lady Tsunade standing in the doorway, with Shizune peeking over her shoulder.
“Ashley!” Lady Tsunade bellows, striding swiftly into the room and stopping right beside my bed, hands on her hips and foot tapping at the floor impatiently. “About time you woke up!”
“Lady Tsunade…..” Shizune complains, sending me an apologetic look. “You said that you’d be nice when Ashley finally woke up!”
Lady Tsunade rolls her caramel eyes and shakes her head.
“That was four days ago”! she snaps back, while glaring at me accusingly. I return her look, unperturbed by the idea of getting a possible punch to the face.
“Oh, I’m so sorry Lady Tsunade” I retort sarcastically. “I didn’t realise that my being unconscious was soooo inconvenient for you! Next time I lose consciousness, I’ll be sure to ask when you’d like me to wake up again. Perhaps you could set an alarm clock for me so I don’t oversleep?”
I smirk as Lady Tsunade grows an anime vein, the blonde woman reaching down and snatching me up by the front of my gown, holding me close to her scowling face.
“I’ve been standing here for ten seconds” she hisses, eyes narrowed, “And you’ve already managed to piss me off.”
“I’ve heard that old ladies tend to have shorter fuses” I say smugly. “You’ve probably got the shortest one in the Village.”
“WHAT WAS THAT?!” the Hokage screams in my face, making me close my eyes tightly as my hair flies back behind me.
“I WAS HINTING THAT YOU’RE REALLY OLD!” I shout back, getting annoyed that Lady Tsunade is already angry at me. I hadn’t even done anything to her when she’d walked in!
Naruto suddenly bursts out laughing, unable to contain himself anymore. He grabs at his stomach, while pointing at the Hokage and myself, laughing uncontrollably. He enjoys taunting Lady Tsunade as much as I do, although he’s smart enough to be afraid of her. If it came down to punches, Lady Tsunade’s is no doubt much stronger than mine.
Sakura shoves past Naruto, making a point of knocking him over, as Lady Tsunade freezes, sparks shooting between our eyes while we glare at each other. Shizune gulps, before jumping forwards as well, grabbing onto her Mentor.
“Come on Milady” she says soothingly, sweat dripping down the side of her head. “This isn’t good for your blood pressure after all. Ashley’s just kidding around…..Aren’t you Ashley?”
“No I’m n- mmpphh!” I protest, as Sakura slaps her hand across my mouth, dragging me back down into my bed. With a good tug, Sakura throws me back onto the bed and throws the blanket over my head, before waving at Lady Tsunade.
“Of course she was kidding Milady” the pinkette laughs nervously. “You know she’s just a big joker.”
“Ow!” I cry, receiving a punch over the head from Sakura as she says the word joker.
“Naruto?” I hear Kakashi ask, as I wrestle to pull the blanket from off of my head. “Now that I’m back, do you want to get on with the next part of your training?....I don’t want to be here if Ashley and Lady Tsunade start brawling……”
I roll my eyes. What a wuss!
“Alright!” Naruto cheers, no doubt fist pumping the air. “Let’s go find Captain Yamato! See ya Sakura, Ashley! Catch ya Granny and Shizune!”
Like a whirlwind, Naruto sprints from the room, slamming the door shut behind him, Seems he’s very eager to train, as usual.
“Well, I guess I’ll be off then” Kakashi sighs, running a hand through his silver hair. “See you guys later….Please try to keep Ashley from doing anything too stupid Sakura.”
“I’ll try Sensei!” Sakura salutes, and making me mushroom sigh. I don’t need a babysitter. I’m not Naruto!
“I think I will joint them” Sai says softly, looking eager to escape before any fights break out between the rest of us.
“Ashley” Lady Tsunade suddenly addresses me, sounding serious.
Third Person’s POV
Ashley slowly removes the white blanket from her head, eyes trained suspiciously on the Hokage. Why had her tone suddenly changed?
“Why didn’t you tell me you were a Jinchuuriki?” Tsunade asks, slightly accusing. If she had’ve known the girl had a Demon inside of her, she’d have kept her on lockdown in the Village. The last thing she wanted was for Ashley to fall into the wrong hands, and the same went for Naruto.
“You never asked” Ashley spits back defiantly, crossing her arms. She didn’t want to have this conversation right now. In fact, she never wanted Tsunade to know, because she knew what would happen now. Tsunade would tread carefully around her, only assigning her easy missions that didn’t involve travelling far from the Village. ANBU would be keeping her under surveillance, and she’d pretty much be kept a prisoner in the Village. Wonderful.
Lady Tsunade sighs, her shoulders drooping as she closes her eyes and massages the bridge of her nose. This was the last thing she needed right now; another reckless Jinchuuriki to deal with.
“Don’t play with me Ashley” she warns, dropping her hand and looking at the young blonde seriously. “You should have told me. If any of the other Village’s heard about this, they’d be very angry. They’ll think we’re trying to gain power over them by possessing two Jinchuuriki……What Demon do you have anyway?”
“I don’t have a Demon” Ashley corrects. “He was sealed inside of me against his will. And he’s the Ten Tailed Wolf. His name is Hakuba.”
“Ten Tails?” Shizune repeats incredulously, eyes widening slightly. “I thought there were only nine Tailed Beasts….”
Tsunade stares at Ashley seriously, something important having come to mind. She rubs her chin, before clearing her throat.
“Ashley” the Hokage begins, attracting said girl’s attention. “About that…..mission I asked you to go on….Forget about it.”
Ashley’s eyes narrow, before she closes them and nods, folding her hands behind her head and leaning back against her pillows.
“I followed the Akatsuki on your orders for over a year” she says cheekily, “So I was going to tell you that I’d changed my mind about this mission. I was lucky to come out of that Akatsuki mission with my life, I’m not risking it again by doing another suicidal mission.”
Tsunade nods slowly, eyes drifting to a confused Sakura, who is eyeing her blonde teammate curiously. What was this mission Tsunade and Ashley were talking about?
“Fine” Tsunade sighs, not wanting to go into too much detail. She didn’t want Sakura to know about the mission she’d planned for Ashley. “That’s just fine I guess……I have to go and check on a few other patients now, but this talk isn’t over Ashley.”
“Good bye” Ashley growls pointedly, before smiling sweetly and waving when Tsunade turns to glance at Ashley over her shoulder.
As the door clicks closed behind Shizune, Ashley releases a low sigh, crossing her arms and bowing her head, eyes closed. She can feel Sakura staring at her, but she really doesn’t want the pinkette to know anything about the mission Lady Tsunade had asked her to go on. Even though she wasn’t planning on doing the mission, if Sakura and Naruto knew what it was, they’d probably try to attack Lady Tsunade…..Which could have some unpleasant repercussions later on.
“What was that about?” Sakura eventually asks, sitting down beside Ashley and leaning her elbow on the bedside table, chin resting in her palm. Ashley shrugs, turning to the pinkette with a slight smirk.
“She must be drunk again” Ashley jokes, making Sakura giggle.
“You know, she’s not always drunk” Sakura corrects, before pausing. “Anymore anyway…”
Ashley laughs lightly, the sound fading as she drops her head and looks down at her hands, expression turning serious.
“Hey Sakura?” she eventually asks.
“Yeah?”
“What um…..What happened to Sora?” Ashley asks hesitantly. “Is he okay?”
“You’re worried about Sora?” Sakura asks, mouth curving up into a smile as Ashley nods quickly. “Well don’t be! He arrived at the hospital in pretty bad shape, you know, since you beat him into unconsciousness….”
“Gee, thanks Sakura” Ashley mutters sarcastically, to which Sakura laughs and waves her hand dismissively.
“No, it’s really okay” she assures Ashley. “After I briefly explained what had happened to Sora, Lady Tsunade herself set to work healing him and fixing him up. He still had a few bruises and was covered in a lot of bandages, but he left two days ago to travel the world.”
Ashley blinks, processing this information. She was glad she hadn’t killed Sora. The kid was annoying and rude, but he didn’t deserve to be killed for those reasons. She hoped he would do okay out on his own.
“To travel the world?” Ashley asks with a smirk. “How cliché….”
Sakura elbows Ashley playfully in the ribs, a knowing smirk on her face.
“You can’t fool me Ashley” she teases. “I’ve known you for too long now. You’re happy that Sora’s okay.”
Ashley smiles and shakes her head. She wasn’t going to admit to that.
“So, what’s been happening while I’ve been out of commission?” she asks Sakura, who scrunches up her face, tapping her chin in thought.
“I’m not really sure to be honest” the pink haired Kunoichi admits, rubbing the back of her head and poking her tongue out. “I’ve been spending most of my time here at the hospital! Naruto’s been in here a lot too, and everyone else has been visiting you as well. We’ve all been worried about you….”
“Everyone was visiting me while I was out of it?” Ashley questions, feeling both surprised and rather pleased. It always felt nice to know that people cared about you. Sakura nods and points to the flowers on the bedside table on the other side of Ashley’s bed.
“Ino brought those in for you yesterday” Sakura explains with a smile, seeing the happy shine in Ashley’s fuschia eyes. The blonde was obviously glad to know that the others had been concerned for her health. Ashley smiles at the pretty white and pink flowers.
“Lillies are my favourite flower…” she murmurs to herself, before glancing over at Sakura. “Who else has come in?”
“Ummm, well me and Naruto have been here multiple times every day, since we’re such loyal teammates” Sakura adds jokingly, earning an eye roll from Ashley. “Ino and Shikamaru came in yesterday…..I know Lee has come in a few times, and he’s brought Tenten and Neji with him once or twice…Uhhh….Hinata and Shino came about two or three days ago…..Captain Yamato came in with Sai and Naruto the other day….Ughh everyone has come and visited you okay? I can’t remember them all!”
Ashley nods slowly, her happy mood fading. There was someone specific Sakura hadn’t mentioned.
“So….Kiba hasn’t come in then?” the blonde asks hesitantly, not looking forward to the answer. Sakura opens her mouth to reply, before pausing. She closes her mouth and furrows her brows in thought, holding her chin.
“You know what?” she asks slowly. “I don’t think he has come to visit. Well, not that I’ve seen anyway.”
“Oh” is all Ashley says, turning around and lying down in her bed, facing the door. “Okay then.”
“Don’t worry Ashley” Sakura reassures her friend, hearing the disappointment in her voice. “Now that he knows you’re awake, I’m sure he’ll come and visit you! He probably just couldn’t stand to see you so hurt and that’s why he…didn’t um…..didn’t visit………”
‘Or it’s because he still hates me’ Ashley thinks sadly, squeezing her eyes closed, as they fill with tears. Oh no, she wasn’t going to cry!
“Yeah……Okay well, I’m tired now Sakura” Ashley says blandly. “I’m going to sleep. Thanks for coming in.”
“Oh…..Well, okay then” Sakura replies, frowning at the back of Ashley’s head in thought. Why hadn’t Kiba come to visit her? Ashley’s feelings where obviously hurt.
“If you like, I’ll go and tell Kiba to come and visit y-”
“No!” Ashley growls sharply, gripping the blanket tighter. “I mean….If he doesn’t want to come of his own accord, then I don’t want him to come at all.”
Sakura nods, rubbing her arm awkwardly, before walking over to the door and pulling it open.
“I have to go and see Lady Tsunade” Sakura explains quietly. “But I’ll come back and visit you later okay?”
“Okay. Bye” Ashley replies simply, rolling over to face the window, her back facing Sakura. The pinkette sighs softly, shaking her head as she closes the door behind her.
Ashley stares out of the window, watching the fluffy clouds float lazily through the blue sky.
It wasn’t fair that Kiba hated her all of the sudden. It wasn’t Ashley’s fault that the Ten Tails had been sealed into her. And besides, Naruto was a Jinchuuriki, and Kiba still liked him. So it didn’t make sense for him to suddenly hate her.
Ashley sighs, her eyes slowly fluttering closed as she continues to mope about her situation with Kiba. Suddenly, Ashley jerks herself awake, sucking in a sharp breath.
“Can’t fall asleep” the blonde groans, rolling onto her back and running a hand down her face. “Don’t fall asleep Ashley….”
‘……You can sleep’ Hakuba informs Ashley lowly, sounding hesitant. Ashley shakes her head, eyes closed.
“No, I feel bad for you and all, I really do” she replies with a sigh, “But I know you want revenge, so I don’t trust you to not try and take over my bod-”
‘You have been asleep for six days’ Hakuba interrupts angrily. ‘And I have done nothing to harm you! Weren’t you the one who said we need to learn to trust each other? Humans, can’t keep to their word.’
“I’m sorry Hakuba…..” Ashley apologises sincerely, realising that Hakuba really hadn’t done anything to harm her while she’d been sleeping. She hadn’t had so much as one nightmare. Seems he could be a reasonable guy….
“You’re right” Ashley adds, wishing she could change Hakuba’s opinions and feelings towards people. “Thanks for not…..For not doing anything to me these past few days…..”
‘Don’t thank me’ Hakuba snorts, rolling his eyes. ‘I’m merely resting……And while I rest, I suggest you do the same, because once I am finished resting, I will be back to taking over your body.’
Ashley smiles to herself, folding one arm under her head and turning back to face the window, closing her eyes.
“Thank you Hakuba” she whispers, quickly drifting off to sleep.
‘Hmph……………Thank you?......Not something I have heard very often……’
Ashley narrows her eyes, pursing her lips in deep thought. She crosses her arms, tapping her finger lightly against her skin as her eyes scan the board in front of her.
Shikamaru, sitting on the foot of Ashley’s hospital bed, leans back on his hands and smirks. Though she was smart, Ashley wasn’t particularly good at this game, which is why Shikamaru liked playing it with her. He always won. It was the only way he could beat her at something.
“Ah hah!” Ashley suddenly cries, leaning forwards and moving a piece diagonally forwards by four squares. “Check! Suck on that Shikamaru!”
Ashley leans back against her pillows and grins devilishly, certain that she was about to obtain her first victory since she’d been playing Shogi with Shikamaru. He’d come to see Asuma, who had gotten a minor injury during a mission, and play a few games of Shogi, when he’d decided to visit Ashley on his way out.
He’d walked in on her half out of the window, with two nurses trying their best to drag her back inside. Though the Nara couldn’t say he was surprised by her antics, she was obviously feeling better if she was trying to escape from the hospital.
“I hate to say it Ashley” Shikamaru says dryly, leaning forwards. “But the Lance can’t move diagonally, only straight ahead. Back it goes….”
“Aww…” Ashley complains, pouting as Shikamaru moves her piece back to where it was. “Dammit, it’s too late at night to be playing this stupid game!”
Shikamaru chuckles, watching as Ashley sighs dramatically and leans her chin in her hand, boredly trying to figure out what her next move will be. He waits patiently, having grown used to Ashley’s long, drawn out turns. She really just couldn’t get the hang on this game, and Shikamaru was trying not to enjoy that fact too much.
“Shika-kuuunnn!” Ashley whines pitifully. “Where can I move this thing? I can’t remember….”
“Your Silver General?” Shikamaru asks, tilting his head. “It can move one square diagonally in any direction, or forwards one square.”
“Okay, thanks” Ashley sighs, pushing the small piece forwards with one finger. “I don’t care the Silver General goes, this game is too damn hard….”
Shikamaru rolls his eyes good naturedly, strategically moving a piece forwards and capturing one of Ashley’s Pawns.
“Ugh!” Ashley exclaims, throwing her hands in the air dramatically, almost sending the Shogi board flying. “Can we please do something else Shika-kun? I’m not smart enough for this dumb game!”
“Shogi isn’t a dumb game” Shikamaru repeats, for what feels like the hundredth time to Ashley. “It’s a board game that requires patience and-”
“If you finish that sentence again” Ashley warns, glaring at Shikamaru, “I’m going to hurt you.”
Shikamaru blinks a few times, taking in the killer intent in Ashley’s eyes, before smirking.
“Strategic thinking” Shikamaru says slowly, raising an eyebrow at Ashley, as if to taunt her into going through with her threat. The blonde’s eyes narrow dangerously.
“That’s it!” she cries, suddenly lunging for Shikamaru, actually knocking the board to the floor this time, Shogi pieces flying in all directions.
Shikamaru’s eyes widen, as Ashley tackles him backwards off of the bed, making him crash to the floor heavily on his back. Exhaling sharply, Shikamaru rubs the back of his head, groaning softly. He hadn’t expected that!
“Ha!” Ashley smirks, crossing her arms and looking down at Shikamaru. “I hope that hurt1”
“It kind of did” Shikamaru sighs, opening his eyes and looking up. His eyes widen slightly, when he sees Ashley sitting on his stomach, legs either side of him.
“Wh-What a drag…..” he complains, closing his eyes again and lying his head back down on the floor. It had taken him a long time to get over his feelings for the Minami, and he knew that Kiba and Ashley felt very strongly for each other. But if he was completely honest with himself, he wouldn’t exactly be upset if their relationship didn’t work out……
‘No!’ Shikamaru mentally slaps himself. ‘I’m not going there again. Get over it Shikamaru you idiot…’
Ashley, seeing the strained look on Shikamaru’s face, tilts her head, watching him carefully. Maybe she really had hurt him by accident?
“Are you alright Shika-kun?” Ashley asks, to which the Nara nods, eyes still closed.
Before he can say anything however, the door to Ashley’s room slides open, making both Ninja turn to look at it.
“Hi Ashley-” Sakura greets, pausing in the doorway and staring at her two friends on the floor. “And…Shikamaru” she adds, closing the door behind her, giving them both strange looks. “What’s going on here?”
“We were just playing Shogi” Ashley smiles brightly, rising to her feet and holding out her hand for Shikamaru.
“I’ve never seen Shogi played like that before” Sakura comments, raising an eyebrow playfully at Shikamaru, making him blush slightly as Ashley helps him to his feet.
“We made a few extra rules” the Nara mumbles, causing Ashley to laugh as she bends down to pick up some stray Shogi pieces. “On a side note, Ashley is terrible at Shogi.”
“Hey!” Ashley gasps, jumping to her feet. “You said I was doing well for a beginner!”
Shikamaru shrugs coolly, studying a Gold General he’d found on the window sill, other hand placed in his pocket.
“I lied” he says simply, smirking to himself as Ashley scowls. Sakura shakes her head, giggling as she begins scooping up Shogi pieces as well. She didn’t even want to know how they’d gotten strewn across the whole room.
After collecting all of the Shogi pieces, Shikamaru puts them away, Shogi board tucked under his arm. He stands at the door, giving Ashley and Sakura a lazy salute.
“I better go” he sighs, shoulders drooping. “I’m meant to go and see Lady Tsunade about something…..Actually, I was meant to go and see her an hour ago…”
“Oops” Sakura says, sweat dropping as she thinks about how annoyed her Mistress would be.
“Ha!” Ashley snorts. “She’s gonna kick your ass Shikamaru!” The Nara sighs again and nods, already knowing that.
“Women are so troublesome” he mutters, before disappearing out of the room, sliding the door shut behind him.
“I’d disagree” Ashley comments, relaxing back on her bed, “But I know that I personally do try to be troublesome.”
Sakura laughs again, picking up a clipboard that is hanging from the foot of Ashley’s bed.
“You are troublesome” the pinkette teases, eyes falling to the paper before her. She pulls out a pen and taps the end against her chin, before glancing up at Ashley. “Now, check up time!”
Ashley groans, throwing an arm across her face. She’d been awake for three days now, and she’d been telling Sakura and the other nurses, over and over again, that she felt just fine. But no, Lady Tsunade was adamant that Ashley was to remain in the hospital. Ashley had the feeling it was just so the Hokage wouldn’t have to assign her any missions.
“Have you been taking your vitamins and other medications?” Sakura questions, pen at the ready. Ashley shakes her head.
“Nope, I’ve been spitting them out the window when the nurses aren’t looking” she says seriously, to which Sakura lowers the clipboard and frowns, making Ashley sigh deeply.
“Yes Sakura, I have been taking my unnecessary pills” she assures the pink haired girl wryly. “I was kidding.”
“Sleep?”
“Yes, I’ve been sleeping just fine. All night.”
“Any pains?”
“Yeah, in my neck.”
Sakura lowers the clipboard again, eye twitching in annoyance. Ashley internally smirks. Obviously Sakura’s temper wasn’t any better than it had been when they were younger. She guessed that training under an explosive woman like Tsunade could do that to a person.
“Ashley, I’m serious” Sakura informs the blonde, feeling slightly exasperated. “I need to know how you’re feeling.”
“Sakura, I feel the same as I have for the past three days” Ashley whines, throwing her head back against her pillow. “I. Feel. Fine!”
“Fine isn’t good enough” Sakura mumbles, rolling her eyes as she scribbles away on some paper. “So I’ve noticed you’ve had a lot of visitors since you’ve been awake.”
“Yeah I have!” Ashley says brightly, sitting back up and grinning. “Yesterday me and Naruto faked that I was dead. He was so convincing when he started crying, and it was so hard not to laugh when he told the nurse I’d choked to death on my pudding.”
Sakura deadpans, not finding it that funny at all, but not overly surprised that Ashley and Naruto had pulled such a stunt.
“Neji, Tenten, Lee and Guy Sensei also visited me yesterday” Ashley says, pulling a face. “But Guy and Lee were escorted out for making too much noise and disturbing the other patients. Plus, Guy Sensei broke a chair when he tried doing a one handed hand stand on it…..I feel so bad for Tenten and Neji sometimes.”
“We all do” Sakura giggles. “So who else has visited?”
“Umm, Choji and Ino have visited me twice” Ashley recalls, tapping her chin. “Keiji has been flittering in and out through the window every now and then. In fact, he almost beat Shikamaru at Shogi the other day, it was pretty impressive. Ummm……Kyoku visited me two days ago. Kakashi Sensei walked in when she was here, and I think he almost had a heart attack! It’s so weird seeing him around Kyoku.”
“I know” Sakura laughs, before wrinkling his nose. “He acts so cool and blaze, but you know his heart is really pounding underneath……By the way, has Kiba visited you yet?”
Ashley sighs, looking down and shaking her head. Nope, the idiot still hadn’t come to visit her yet.
“What?!” Sakura barks, eyes widening as she clenches her fists. “I told him that you were awake and that he needed to come and see you!”
“Sakura!” Ashley groans. “I told you not to ask him to visit me!”
“I didn’t ask him to” is the steely reply, Sakura’s lower jaw jutting out forwards. “I told him to. Excuse me.”
That said, Sakura stomps over to the door, before ripping it open and slamming it behind her. Ashley flinches as the walls shake, waiting for the ceiling to collapse in on her. What had gotten her so bent out of shape?
A sudden tap on the window makes Ashley freeze, before slowly turning her head. She sees a pair of eyes looking back at her, almost making her shriek in fright. Why was someone sitting outside of her window?! And besides, Ashley was on the third floor!
Jumping out of bed, Ashley strides over to the window, scowling at the mysterious eyes. Pausing in front of the glass, Ashley sees the silhouette of a familiar person, confusing her greatly. What was she doing here?
“Kohana?” Ashley asks, sliding the window up and allowing the young girl to drop into the room. “What are you doing here?”
The dark eyed girl turns around and glances at Ashley, looking her up and down in a scrutinizing way.
“You don’t look injured” she eventually decides, crossing her arms. Ashley raises an eyebrow.
“Because I’m not” she replies. “What made you think I was? And why are you here? Don’t you realise what time it is?”
Kohana rolls her eyes, flicking the long parts of her silvery blue hair back.
“My Mother said you were in the hospital” the small girl explains in her soft, cold voice. “And yes, I do realise the time. Night is the only time I can leave the house. Most people are in bed at night.”
“Which is where you should be” Ashley says pointedly, smirking when Kohana scowls at her. “Wait….Does Kyoku even know you’re here?”
Kohana shakes her head, looking slightly guilty.
“No, she’s on patrol tonight” she admits, making Ashley sigh and massage her temples.
“Not that I don’t like seeing you” Ashley says dryly, “But if your Mother knew you’d left the house, she’d probably have a heart attack Kohana. You know she doesn’t want anyone to discover you.”
Kohana gives Ashley a hard look, seeming much older than six.
“You said to me that you don’t agree with Mother’s decision to keep me hidden” she argues, to which Ashley nods uncomfortably.
“Yeah, I think it’s ridiculous and she’s robbing you of your childhood” the blonde agrees, crossing her arms. “But you’re not my kid. You have to do what your Mom says.”
“Do you always do what your Mom says?” Kohana asks sharply, trying to gain some leverage over Ashley. The Minami stares at Kohana for a moment, before shaking her head.
“No, but only because my Mother is dead” she says calmly, making Kohana’s eyes widen. Ashley sighs lowly and sits down on her bed, resting her back against the pillows, eyes downcast.
“Your Mom is dead?” Kohana questions, jumping up onto the bed and sitting on her knees, watching Ashley with fascination. Though she wasn’t very good at communicating with others, Kohana enjoyed listening to the young Minami’s stories. They were amazing to the little girl and made the world seem like such a huge, exciting place to explore.
“Yep” Ashley replies simply, looking up at Kohana, who seems to be waiting for her to continue. “She died while saving my sister and I from…..from a bad guy.”
“What about your Dad?” Kohana asks carefully. “We always talk about my Mom and Dad, but never yours.”
“Because I don’t want to talk about them” Ashley says lowly, trying not to snap at Kohana. It wasn’t the little girl’s fault, Ashley just didn’t like talking about her parents, as it brought up memories and made her miss them terribly. “My Dad was killed a long time ago. I don’t want to talk about that especially.”
Kohana doesn’t reply, trying to understand the look of pain that flashes across Ashley’s face. She didn’t really talk to anyone but her Mother, so it was hard for Kohana to know when people were upset, or when she’d gone too far.
“Was he weak?” the girl questions. “Did he get killed on a mission?”
Ashley’s eyes snap up to Kohana’s face, a nasty look behind them.
“No, my Father was not weak” she growls. “He was the strongest man out of all the ANBU Black Ops-”
“He certainly was” a voice agrees, making both girls pause. “I worked with him a couple of times.”
Ashley relaxes, having recognised the familiar voice and presence. Kohana however, scoots backwards on the bed, dropping down to the floor on the other side, eyes narrowed.
“I didn’t know you worked with my Father Kakashi Sensei” Ashley muses, interested to hear about it. “Did you like him?”
Kohana’s eyes suddenly widen, hearing the man’s name. She watches as he walks over to Ashley’s bed, hands stuffed in his pockets and his visible eye hooded.
“He was a very honourable man” Kakashi recalls, eye flicking down to the unfamiliar girl beside Ashley’s bed. “Who’s this?”
Kohana sucks in a breath, her legs shaking slightly. She’d never seen her Father in real life before. Sure, she’d seen pictures of him and heard stories, but she’d never actually seen him. He was very tall and muscular, and she couldn’t help feeling kind of intimidated by his presence. Despite his calm demeanour, Kohana knew of the man’s abilities and accomplishments.
Ashley looks down at Kakashi’s daughter, seeing the look on her face, like a deer caught in headlights. Though Kohana looked so unsure, Ashley couldn’t help thinking that this was the perfect moment to introduce Kakashi to his daughter!
“Kakashi, this is my friend Kohana” Ashley introduces, ignoring the way Kohana turns and narrows her eyes at Ashley accusingly. “And Kohana, this is my friend and Sensei, Kakashi Hatake.”
“Pleased to meet you” Kakashi says, obviously not used to dealing with children, almost making Ashley laugh. He’d be the worst Father….
Kakashi eyes Kohana strangely, wondering why some little kid is in here visiting his student. He’d never seen her before, and he certainly never expected someone like Ashley to be friends with such a young child.
“Kakashi, there’s something you may like to know about Kohana” Ashley continues, grinning down at the young girl and sending her a subtle wink. Kohana however, scowls back in return, placing her hands together.
“What’s that?” Kakashi asks curiously, giving his student a suspicious look.
“Not only is she my friend, but she’s also y-”
“SHUT UP!” Kohana suddenly shouts, leaping up onto the bed. Ashley gasps as lightning forms around Kohana’s left hand, the blue sparks shrieking shrilly in the small room. Kakashi’s eyes widen in shock, seeing the tiny girl performing his Chidori with such ease. He hadn’t sensed this girl’s chakra at all, and now, all of the sudden, her chakra was so easy to sense.
She had an impressive amount of chakra for such a young child. Even the kids in the Academy didn’t posses such strong chakra yet.
As Kohana swipes her hand towards Ashley, Kakashi whirls around, swinging a round house kick for Kohana’s side.
The little girl leaps up, landing on Kakashi’s foot, before back flipping over to the window. The glass explodes as Kohana’s Chidori hits it, sending glass and plaster from the wall spraying across the room. Crouching down, Kohana glares at Ashley and Kakashi, who cover their head with their arms, before the young girl flips down from the window sill, hitting the ground easily and running off into the night.
“Who was that?” Kakashi asks when the glass and plaster has finished raining down on them. Ashley coughs, before gazing out of the huge hole in the wall. Obviously Kohana hadn’t wanted Kakashi to know about her, but she didn’t have to freak out like that….
“She’s…..an aspiring Ninja” is all Ashley says, earning another suspicious look from Kakashi.
“How did she know the Chidori?” he questions, looking up at the damage to the wall and shaking his head. Ashley merely shrugs, not knowing exactly how Kohana knew the Chidori.
She’d figured that Kyoku had probably taught the girl somehow, seeing as it was Kakashi’s signature move.
“For a little kid, she sure had impressive reflexes” Kakashi muses, shaking his head. “Not that I attacked her full force, but still…..”
Suddenly, a group of nurses burst into the room, Sakura among them. They all gasp at the sight of the room, as Kakashi and Ashley blink, looking back at them innocently.
“Ashley!” Sakura shouts angrily, making Ashley’s eyes widen.
“No!” the blonde cries, throwing her hands up as Sakura stomps towards her. “It wasn’t me Sakura!”
Now! Please don't forget to vote and comment if you enjoyed :D Also, Twi needs more votes in the Watty Awards! PLEEEEEAAAASE go and vote for it, and spread the word to other Naruto fans! I REALLY want to beat the 1D Fanfics! PLEASE HELP ME NARU ARMY!!!!