The Kekkei Genkai Curse

By Shiroihato

(Chapter 2: My Question)

Tsunade looked away, struggling to maintain composure. When she finally did speak, her voice came out rough, and choked.

“I-I see. You all should leave now, so I can treat her. I don’t want to see you within five yards of the tower or the hospital until tomorrow morning, got it? And if this gets out, I know who to hang.”

“B-but, G-Godaime-sama…” protested Tenten.

“I said go!” the older woman screamed, and the teenagers turned heel and ran.

As soon as she was unable to sense their chakra, the sannin let her defenses slip.

“Sakura…” she murmured, “please, not Sakura, too…”

Soft sobs echoed through the otherwise empty air. Jaraiya, still partially stunned at all he had witnessed, slipped away from the window he had been peeping through and hurried off unnoticed.

This was definitely not what he had in mind when he decided to spy on Tsunade.

Slowly, he trudged along the worn path, kicking the snow absentmindedly. Faces flashed in front of him- Tsunade’s at Dan and Nawaki’s funerals, Naruto’s when he heard the news, Kakashi’s…

“That’s what I’ll do!” he exclaimed suddenly, looking up, “…I wish somebody else could do it though… he’s not gonna be happy…”   

-----Break

Kakashi sighed as Anko, his girlfriend of three months, tapped her foot a furious look on her face.

“What did I tell you?

“But, An-”

“No excuses!” The jounin’s eyes were furious, and the copy nin didn’t like her tone of voice.

“I-” The silver haired man was saved by a knock on the door.

“I’ll get that!”

Running to the battered front door, Kakashi threw it open. Seeing the man on the other side of the threshold, he sighed.

“Jaraiya, not now…Anko’s already furious at me for…”

“Kakashi, this is serious!”

Something in the white haired sannin’s voice made the Hatake stop.

“Tell Anko you two can pick up the fight later. You need to get the hospital, A.S.A.P. But, you may not like what you find….”

------break

Sakura sighed, staring at the ceiling, listening to her shishou pound down the hallway. Closing her eyes, she tried to calm herself by counting the beeps of the heart monitor.

The irritating sound her ventilator made as she breathed slowly, in and out, was already getting on her nerves. It wasn’t really necessary, but she didn’t want to be the one to point that out to an already distraught Tsunade. Silently, she removed it from her face, shutting off the machine as quickly as she could. It felt nice to take such deep breaths on her own.

For just a moment, she sat there, completely relaxed. The pink haired girl was on the verge of forgetting. For just a second, she wasn’t the patient. She was simply in a hospital room, doing some extra hours, listening to the steady rhythm that represented SOMEONE ELSE’S heartbeat, not hers. But that all was lost as she felt a familiar chakra just behind her. She had no choice but to return to reality.

“Kakashi-sensei,” she asked in a voice so soft he had to strain to hear her, “What do you think it will be like to die?”

Her sensei’s eyes widened in shock, and then narrowed.

“Sakura?! Who … whoever did this to you…I’ll make them pay…”

A chuckle escaped her lips at the irony. It was a sound he had never expected to hear coming from her lips, and he was confused. “What could have possibly happened to my daught- my student, I mean?”  He felt sharp clawed fingers tearing at his heart at the mere guilty smile on the kunoichi’s face.

“You can’t, Kakashi –sensei. I did this to myself,” she didn’t look at him, “You didn’t answer my question…”

“How…” he breathed.

“Ask Tsunade-sensei. You still didn’t answer me. Do you not know? Or…are you afraid to answer. I…I really need to know.”

The shaken man just stared, transfixed at his student’s back, and then turned, running out the door.

Anko, standing just outside, immediately pushed all thoughts of anger out of her mind. She wished she could say anything to him, anything to comfort either one of them. After all, hadn’t Sakura just recently started calling her neesan? Instead, all she could do was hold her boyfriend when the tears came, the ones she had hoped she’d never see.

------break

Naruto walked briskly down the road, a smile on his face.

“It feels good to be in Konoha, after such along mission!” he thought, “I can’t wait to see Sakura-chan! I wonder if she wants to go to Ichiraku’s with me. The Land of Autumn doesn’t even really know what ramen is! And no matter what that old lady said, no one’s better than Ichiraku!”

A soft wind rustled softly through his golden hair, and he turned, sensing a familiar presence. Sure enough, there she was: his girl friend. She looked so beautiful, the moonlight glimmering off of her soft pink locks and all of the surrounding snow. Her cheery red coat stood out brilliantly against the dusty green, white glazed pine trees that surrounded them to either side. Her bare hand, exposed in the pale light, seemed just that; pale, as she reached to touch the prickly needles adorning the tree branch. But it was probably, only the lighting.

“Stop staring, baka,” she teased him gently, “If you have time to stare at me, you should be training!”

He laughed, knowing not to take her too seriously. He walked up behind her, fastening something small, golden, and crimson around her neck.  

“Huh?” she asked, touching the kanji dangling off the delicate gold chain, and gave him a questioning look.

He laughed again at her puzzled expression.

“It’s a good luck charm. I picked it up on my mission. I thought you’d like it.”

“A good luck charm?” she gave him a joking grin “Why would I need one of those? After all, I’ve got you. I’d think that’d be enough!”

The kunoichi’s expression softened; Naruto missed the bittersweet look of happiness that flashed through her eyes.

“Naruto? Thank you.”

“Oi! Naruto” Kiba’s voice rang out from behind them as he rounded the corner, “Want to go for some ramen? I’m starving! You have to pay for yourself, but I’ll pick up the tab for Sakura.”

“Hey, Inuzuka, isn’t it rude to only pay for one of us?!”

“Well, if I could trust you not to rob me blind…”

Sakura turned to face Naruto.

“You go on. I’ll catch up in just a minute.”

“You sure?” he looked at her with new founded concern. She just smiled at him.

“Yeah, I just need a moment to myself.”

-----break

Naruto dived into his bed, instantly burrowing under a mound of blankets, trying to escape the cold. Rolling over onto his side, his gaze fell on a picture frame sitting on his bedside table. It was he and Sakura, laughing, and sticking their tongues out at Kakashi, who was newly adorned with snowflakes that looked like powdered sugar.  Anther snowball was caught in time, forever sailing towards Anko’s laughing face.

There was something wrong with your mate.

Naruto sat up, startled at the voice.

It’s just me kit. Calm down.

Naruto sighed as he recognized the Kyuubi’s voice.

“Sakura’s not my ‘mate’!” he thought angrily, “she’s my girlfriend!”

And the difference is…?

“Sakura-chan is fine.”

Still, he couldn’t help but think back to the meal at Ichiraku’s, and how pale she had seemed…and those circles under her eyes weren’t comforting either. He thought about it, relieving without further input from the fox.

“That’s it” he said aloud, suddenly, “she’s probably depressed. I mean, her clan was only massacred…what, five months ago? I’ll just have to find a way to cheer her up.”

Still, he didn’t sleep well that night. In the end he just sat at the window, gazing out at the perfect winter night sky.

Across Konoha, other eyes, also restless, gazed at those same glimmering pins of light- a surrogate mother who wasn’t sure if her patient/ daughter had been released too early, a worried sensei who was grieving again, and four friends whose minds were filled with thoughts of a fifth.

Also awake, but not stargazing, was the girl who haunted the others’ minds. Tears fell cold and hard into medic hands. Softly she sobbed, all alone, “I-I’m d-dying.” And it was as if the wind voiced her deceased family’s mournful wails, in place of voices they no longer had.

A/N: Hi, it’s me Shiroihato. I just wanted to answer a few people’s comments. Okay:

1.       #1idiot: The background story is Shattered Glass, one of my previous fics, but I intend to add in flash backs where needed, so you probably won’t have to read that. (Although, I’d appreciate it if you did, and would be so kind as to review!) 

2.       Can't wait to see Naruto's reaction to the entire thing. Delightfully angsty I hope- templar132 : Don’t worry; lots of angst. But, you’ll have to wait ‘till the next chapter. 

3.       After a chapter like that you didn't leave an author's note! This was really good, it was magnificent, you deserve a standing ovation, I feel like saying TADA! (am I a great best friend or what!) This is SO going in my favorites list. Update soon and call me to tell me what happens. Oh and I would have reviewed yesterday, except my mom kicked me off...Literally (just kidding)!
screamingcrazyproctorlady
a.k.a:c-chan Okay, C-chan! :) More Anko soon, I promise! 

To every one else who reviewed, thanks! I’d post your comments, too, but Kaachan is kicking me off. Don’t worry, I’ll try to include the names of all my reviewers next chapter, if at all possible. Oh, and a special thanks to Gnosismaster!!! Please review!!!!!!

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