Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...
"Ne... Urusai..." Ara muttered, as her eyes fluttered open, meeting a blinding white walls and very bright lights. She once again groaned and covered her eyes with her arms.
She turned her head, and remove her arm. She was in a small hospital room. Across her bed, is another bed, with someone laying unconscious on it.
Kakashi.
Flashbacks starts running in her mind. The Jōnin Exam, her match against Kakashi, their fight, how they stabbed each other before they both forfeited and passed out.
She looked at Kakashi in concern. He got his limbs all wrapped in bandages, and his breathing was raspy.
And Kakashi eyes suddenly snapped open, meeting hers. They both stayed silent, locked on each other's gaze.
Then suddenly, they broke into a fit of laughter.
Ara herself doesn't understand what's so funny. Maybe because of the awkward silence, or how they both looked like mummies. Maybe because they have same reactions, or maybe they just laugh at each other's injuries.
No matter why, she enjoyed it. She felt so free, and it was relaxing. It has been a pretty long time since she got a good laugh.
The last several months are stressing. The pressure from all her training is bearable, but she of course doesn't enjoy it.
Yūsha wants her to master both her kekkei genkai and her metal bending. The hard part is controlling the metal without being in contact with it. It requires chakra and concentration. Kurama focused on her endurance. It was hard. The fox puppet doesn't need food or rest, so she hardly ever gets a break. At least he made her fox features disappeared as a reward.
Another thing is how to copy Konan's jutsu. Konan can turn herself into papers, while Ara can only use metals. Metal is hard and heavy. It requires more energy, and she must learn how to do it fast. Sasori taught her all the basics of puppetry. She has a pretty large chakra reserves, due to the Kyūbi, and it's not easy to turn the irregular flow of chakra into thin blue strings. Kisame has a kenjutsu battle with her every night. His large, muscular body, plus his experience and his strength, is far from easy to handle.
All in all, she is tired.
She keep laughing, tears leaked out of her eyes. It's funny how she was preparing herself to fight a powerful, merciless stranger, but turns out that she got a duel against her own brother.
And it's funny how she weren't shocked at that. It amuses her that none of them win, none of them lose, and both of them start and end the fight at the same time, same move.
She was stabbed with her katana and he was stabbed by his. Pretty ironic, and again, funny.
Kakashi had the same thought in his mind. It has been a really really long time since he laugh that loud, that long, that free.
Funny how can a simple action can lead into a great change.
The door slammed open. "Who drugged you-... Woah." The ANBU said, as she put the clipboard on the small table nearby, closing the door slowly behind her.
It was indeed a shocking sight. Hatakes were known for their calm demeanor. In the room, there's two injured Hatakes laughing at each other while clutching their stomachs. It's normal if someone thinks they were drugged.
"O-Okay, okay..." Ara breathed out, "I'm done." She muttered, calming herself down.
"Me too," Kakashi mumbled, "We should do that more often, Ara. I like it. But I think I reopened the wound on my stomach." He added with a chuckle.
She giggled, "I do, too. Still, that was fun." She said, before she turned at the ANBU.
"Oh, hi, Aiko-san. What is it?"
Slowly, Aiko removed her mask. "How can you know it's me?"
She grinned. "You had a funny habit on twitching your left middle finger when you're shocked."
Aiko's eyes twitched. "You noticed that?!"
"Of course I do!"
"Right... Hatakes are really driving me insane..." Aiko muttered, "Now, you little crow, hand me the antidote."
Ara raised an eyebrow.
"Kakashi was poisoned by your senbons. And no one can find the cure for your poison."
She nodded, "I made that poison by myself. Of course they can't. Sukoshi, come here."
A wooden scorpion crawled into the room. Ara took the small puppet, and throws him to Kakashi's bed. He landed smoothly on his side.
"Sukoshi, reverse poison WS4T, upper 2-2."
Sukoshi approached Kakashi's shoulder. Then he stung him.
"OUCH!! Hey, what the hell are you-... ARGH!!"
Well, turns out Sukoshi stung him twice.
Ara smiled at Aiko. "Done."
"You're cruel, kid." The Morino muttered, walking towards Kakashi, and healed his reopened wound, before doing the same to Ara.
"Hatake one, or should I call scarecrow, you got your shoulder dislocated, one of your fingers broken, 3 cracked ribs, bruises on your arms, your stomach was stabbed but it won't kill you, and the rest are just cuts and scratches."
"Hatake two, crow, you got a twisted ankle, dislocated arm, 3 ribs broken and 2 cracked, burn marks on tour hand, a large wound on your chest, the rest are cuts."
The siblings stare at each other wide-eyed.
"And you two obviously fight carefully. No vital organs damaged. Amazing."
Aiko then let out a sigh, grabbing her clipboard. "Well, my job's done here. Knowing Hatakes, they hate hospitals. Even Sakumo. Don't worry, you'll be released soon. And the Hokage wants to meet you tomorrow."
With that, the woman walked out of the room.
Ara turned at her brother, raising an eyebrow.
"Who's Sakumo?"
Kakashi turned away immediately.
"I... I'm sorry, Aniki. I shouldn't have asked that. You don't need to-..."
"He's my father." The older Hatake muttered, cutting her off.
Kakashi himself doesn't understand. Tears fell from his eyes at the mention of that name.
"He... killed himself when I was 7. He failed his mission to save his comrade. The whole village hated him and he committed suicide."
"I'm so sorry. He must be a great person." Ara whispered.
Now the case is different. He never got his. Not from anyone. Most people will said that his father's too weak if he can't take the consequences of his own action.
"... Thank you."
*/*\*/*\*
Kakashi couldn't sleep. Not because of his injuries. He's used to sleep with a bleeding knee and a large gash on his stomach. He can add 'in the middle of enemy's territory' to that last sentence, if he needs to.
The lights were off, but the moon shone from the large window. It's relaxing for him.
He was watching Ara. Now that he was put in the same room as hers, he noticed how her way of sleeping is so... peculiar.
She was facing the ceiling, not her side. Her arms were crossed on her chest. He noticed how her ears twitched when there's a small noise, and her left eye twitched when the wind blows. She's not using the pillow. Instead she use the folded blanket under her head. The pillow was beside her, leaning on the wall.
'I should have done that,' Kakashi mused, 'These doctors never learn. The pillows are always either too fat or too thin. And they smell like medicines.'
He can hear her letting out a small annoyed grunt. She uncrossed her arms and put them under her head.
"You should go to sleep, Aniki."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "How could you know?"
"... I just do."
He didn't answer.
Ara rise to a sitting position, leaning on the pillow behind her, her feet dangling down the bed.
"I think I'm going to start rambling now. I have many things that stuck in my mind, and I need to share it with someone. After all, it seems like we both got insomnia. Is it okay with you?"
Kakashi nodded, smiling, as he grabbed his own pillow and put it behind his back.
"My family members, all of them, never had a good life. They are either alone, hated, or both. But they're not evil. They told me stories about their life. And they were treated like monsters."
Ara looked up. "Aniki, what's the definition of monster?"
Kakashi turned his attention to the window. "Monsters... I think they are the ones who kill many without regret."
Ara sighed. "I don't think there's anyone who can be called a monster. Everyone must have a soft spot in their heart, no matter how small it is."
Ara took a deep breath. Her eyes are watery, and she looked down, twiddling her fingers.
"People are afraid of what they don't understand. I realize that humans can lost their humanity on what they hate. And that last sentence alone already scares me."
Kakashi let out a deep breath. "I know... But maybe you can say that I'm used to it."
Ara didn't reply. Her tears fall, but she hold back her sobs.
"Ara... Why are you thinking about all these things? I mean... you're just 7, Ara. You were supposed to play with your Academy friends, not staying up late at night in hospital, talking about shinobi's philosophy."
She bit her lip. "I myself don't know... Maybe over thinking is my bad habit. I just... If I don't tire myself out, I can't sleep. And if I'm going to stay up all night long, might as well just awake thinking. But in the end, my mind will always turn into these topics."
"It's not healthy, you know?" Kakashi stated, staring straight at her eyes.
She smiled bitterly. "It can't be helped. Plus the fact that I'm a light sleeper."
Kakashi sighed, laying down. "I can imagine that. However, Ara, I think I'm sleepy now. Is it okay if I left you awake alone?"
Ara nodded, smiling.
Not long after her brother fell asleep, a black cat jumped through the window, entering the room, and landed onto Ara's lap, before turning into a small white tiger.
-You have lots in your mind, don't you?-
'Yeah. So many.'
-Ease up, Ara. You must enjoy your childhood.'
'I'll try, Yūsha.' She replied, as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.
*/*\*/*\*
Ara's eyes snapped open when someone the door was pushed open. Kakashi were still snoring, deep in slumber.
"Oh? You're awake already." Minato mused out, as he walked in. He was wearing his kage robes, and he was smiling at her, his eyes hold some mixed emotions she couldn't read.
"I'm awake the moment you open that door."
Minato cringed. "Well, that's the door's fault. You think it's okay if I woke Kakashi up?"
"I'll do it." Ara said, as she grabbed her medical report, and folded it quickly into a paper plane, and threw it at Kakashi. It hit his eye, which twitched then opened.
"... What was that...?" He muttered sleepily
.
"Paper plane. Wake up, Aniki. Tou-san's here."
"... I hope you will get this bed later. The pillow sucks." Kakashi told Minato with a sigh.
"Eh? What do you mean?" The Namikaze asked, obviously clueless.
Ara smirked, crossing her arms as she sat up.
"We mean, when we're out of this place, you'll be the one staying here." She explained. Minato paled.
"The match, Sensei. You put us at the last, against each other. You're so gonna get it." Kakashi added, glaring. Minato gulped, rubbing the back of his neck.
"W-Well, you can kill me l-later, righ?"
The two Hatakes gave him a dead-panned expression.
"Why did you forfeit?" Minato asked again, trying to change the subject.
Ara sighed. "I feel like I can't hurt my sibling anymore." She said, surprisingly in a sync with Kakashi.
"Now, why are you here?" Kakashi demanded.
Minato sighed. "Kakashi, you became a Captain ANBU. Congratulations."
"But Ara, your case is rather... difficult."
Ara raised an eyebrow.
"First, you sealed the Kyūbi. For someone who can seal a Bijū, it can be categorized as a kage level, or even sannin level. Second, you are in a tie with Kakashi, who was an ANBU at that time when you fought. That technically made you an ANBU, too."
"Then again, you are just 7, and this is your first ranking. So, after an hour of heated discussion with the elders, I decided that you will be..."
"... a Jōnin."
"YAY!!" Ara cheered, as she stood up abruptly, still on the bed.
"Itai! Itai! Itai! Kami that hurts!" She yelled then, holding her ankle, wincing in pain, as she slowly sat down.
Kakashi snickered. "So amusing." He stated, shaking his head disapprovingly.
Ara pouted. "Shut it, Captain."
"Alright, Karashi. I'm not done yet."
"Who made that nickname?!" The Hatakes exclaimed, obviously annoyed.
"Kushina. But everyone soon knows and uses it." Minato replied calmly, as he put down the scroll he was holding.
He opened the scroll, unsealing something from it.
It was a headband.
"I can't find any jōnin vest in your size," Minato said, "But you have this. I know you wore red headband back then, but I think this black one suits your hair more."
"My hair's white." She stated calmly.
"It was white." The Namikaze corrected. Ara narrowed her eyes, as she took a few strands of her hair, twirling them between her fingers, while looking at them in suspicion.
"It's silver. Just like mine." Kakashi muttered.
"Well.... damn."
*/*\*/*\*
I'm so happy!!! ^.^ Everyone likes the previous chapter! And that was my first time writing fighting scene, too! >.<
Anyways.... For any of you who wants to know (and cares), I'm 14. Just turned fourteen a few days ago. I wish I was still 12 TT_TT
On that, congratulations to MarieRoberts3, Psychic_Kitten_Girl, and K-poke123 who guessed right! ^.^
Some others guessed 13. Yeah, I was 13 the day before that chapter was posted. Thanks for anyone who guessed younger. That means it doesn't seem like I'm old! And for any others that guessed older.... I feel so honored because it means my writings are good for my age! (That's how I took it XD)
Change of topic!
This chapter's just a filler. On the next one, there will be another.... I don't know how to say it... Chaos? Problem? Conflict? I'm getting to the part of the title's explanation XD
I don't have anything else to say, just, thank you for reading *grin*