A Lot to Think About (Open)

Tubes were sprouting from my chest, or what was left of my chest, carrying various fluids and nutrients into my body to the areas that the dismantled ribs and snapped diaphragm were blocking the blood from flowing. A hoarse wheeze escaped me as I tried to take a breath, only to remember that I had a machine to do that for me now too. I was in so much pain, so much more pain that I had ever felt before. It was what I deserved though. I threw the fight to not hurt my friend, and in doing so, my friend hurt me. It was a sacrifice that I accepted with grace even before it happened.

And so now, I laid in the bed of the hospital of Aerogakure as a wounded man. It would be a long time before my wounds were healed, and I was extremely grateful that I had finished my appearance at the Summit before I received the blow to my chest. Yeah, Aeran Uchiha would be taking it easy for awhile. While in the hospital for several days, I knew that I had already reached my decision for what to do after I got out of this treatment center.

The nurse walked in, and after giving me a pitied expression, she said with a sadness, "Just here to increase your dose, Aeran." She knew my first name because of an.. encounter.. I had had with her in the time I spent here prior for me setting off to the desert. I meant to laugh and say, "Oh, take your time," but all that came out through the medical tape that wrapped my entire face and body except for my left eye was a cough and a cringe and grimace of pain. She left a few moments later, and I returned to thinking to myself once more. There was no point in trying to participate in the oncoming war in this state, and no point in trying to rebuild a village, so there was only one thing left to do. I had more than proven myself in the Exams, and after the results would be announced in the coming week, hopefully I would be in tact enough to go out on my own. And then I would meet with Ventus to tell him to find Ayame and return to New Uchiha. There he would instruct the people and help them rebuild, and in one year's time, I would return. I needed to take this year of rest to train my body and get it up to its maximum potential.

It had been some time since my fight with the man known officially as 'Uchiha', in that time the doctors had managed to patch him up from my punch. I stood in the hall outside his room and looked at my loosely clenched fist thinking about the power it contained and the results of just throwing it around. I sighed and shook my head before putting both hands in my pockets and pushing against the door to enter. There were more tubes running in and out of my friend that I thought there would be and I felt guilty all over again, slowly I made my way over to the side of his bed and thought back to when I had been in the hospital after Elkwood, no doubt he felt like crap right now so I would just stand there silently to see if he wanted to talk to me.

What happened after my thoughts processed took even me by surprise as I watched Takoda Kuma slowly shuffle his way to my bedside. It was odd seeing him again, knowing that he knew the truth now. I knew there was a lot that he wanted to ask me, and there was a lot that I wanted to tell him, but I couldn't move my arm up to pull the tape down from my face, nor could I speak to tell him to do it for me. So, all I could do was wait to recover just a bit more. I smiled at him slightly and nodded my head just a bit so he would know that I knew he was in the room, and then I closed my eyes. Hopefully by morning I would be in a better condition to speak to him.

I nodded back as he did and noticed that his jaw may as well be wired shut with his bandages. "I'll wait till we can both speak, maybe tomorrow." I walked over and sat in one of the larger chairs in the room and started reading a book, over the course of the day the nurses were in and out and eventually night fell. I just sat in the chair and went to sleep, the hospital staff didn't seem to care if I stayed or not after visiting hours were over because it seemed the exams were sparking a lot of street fights and as a result a crowded and busy hospital.

I couldn't believe it, after one whole year of Takoda and I being separated from Aeran we were finally going to meet up with him, this would also be the first time since I got captured at the Battle of Elkwood that I would see my Takoda as well. I entered the hospital after my first round fight in the chuunin exams which I had won and asked the receptionist at the desk which room belonged to Aeran. She told me and I instantly headed that direction. As I reached his door I was confronted by a nurse who said "I'm sorry but I'm afraid we can't allow you to bring your lizard in." I looked down to Shiro who was already looking at me and then back to the nurse. Shiro was just as much Aeran's friend as I was and he was allowed to see him, whether this nurse wanted him to or not. It was now that I used a little bit of the force that the rebellion leader taught me during my captivity "Shiro is allowed to see Aeran if he wants, and if you want to try and throw us out you'll have to be able to over-power the Lacerta clans particularly deadly form of taijutsu." With that I would push through the door with Shiro following close behind me. As I entered the room I would cringe at the condition Aeran was in, I had never seen him so injured in my entire life. I would look to Takoda then the Aeran and then walk to the opposite side of his bed than Takoda with Shiro whom jumped onto the foot of the bed cocking his head to the right looking at Aeran with his bright red eyes. It seemed really quiet and I really didn't want to be the one to break the silence so I just sat there with my two best friends just enjoying the fact that we were all together again.

The next morning came, and I woke up to Takoda sleeping in a chair as well as a very grown-up looking lizard staring at me. Hebi was standing against the wall next to Takoda, and I guessed that he had just arrived. I decided to try my hand at speaking again, and realized that I had gained back a good chunk of energy. I didn't have enough to fight or to walk, but now I had enough to move my arms and speak. I reached up and pulled off the wraps around my head to reveal a scar that traveled from the top of my forehead, across my eye, and down through my cheek. I had won that little beauty by skidding across the ground on an ill-placed rock after Takoda had punched me, although I didn't really feel it like I felt the initial punch. After my hair was free, I could move my mouth, and my Sharingan were revealed, I spoke. I decided to stick to my kidding nature, and I talked to the lizard first, acting like I didn't notice the other two. "My, Shiro, you've gotten quite large!" I said in a rather pathetic sounding raspy voice as I reached down with my hand to pat him on the head.

I had started waking up when someone entered the room but when I head aeran's voice as well as a mention of Shiro I jumped up out of my chair and looked to see both of my best friends. At first I had a blank expression on my face as I hadn't seen Hebi since Elkwood other than his match against the mouthy brat in the coat. Then I smiled and laughed, "It would take a hospital room to get us together again eh?" No doubt Aeran would be confused by this slightly as I seemed to have heavy emphasis on the concept as though none of us had seen each other in a while and he hadn't been around for Elkwood to know what happened.

I would smile as Aeran cracked a joke to Shiro and then patted him on the head. Shiro would click to him happily which would then cause me a chuckle a little myself. I felt like this entire encounter with each other would just be a bunch of questions firing back and forth, us asking Aeran where he had been, Takoda asking me what happened to me after the battle of elkwood, and Aeran asking us what had happened at Elkwood, but that conversation should come later. I nodded at Takoda and said in my normal low tone "It seems that way, what were the odds that you two get paired up in the chuunin exams huh?"

"Yeah, lucky me," I replied to Hebi with a wheezing laugh. I then turned to Takoda, and then back to Hebi, and then frowned at the realization that I had missed an entire year of the lives of bth of my best friends, and the only result to show for it was me laying here in a hospital bed. "How have you two been," I decided to break the silence, "I'm sure you have your questions. Well, I'm all ears, and I'll be honest, so start firing them away."

I chuckled as Hebi pointed out the astronomical odds of me and Aeran fighting in round one of all things then turned back to the bed as he asked if we have questions. "I don't really care where you've been or what you've been doing but I do have one question. Why did you fake your own death? And to us of all people." No doubt the room would fall silent for a moment, I knew there was no point in asking about where my friend had been since if it was important it would just come up. This though, I felt this was something he wouldn't want to answer but I needed to know.

After Takoda asked Aeran why he had faked his death to us the room fall silent again. I really didn't know what to say because Takoda had just asked the only question that was eating away at me. I simply looked at Aeran and Shiro looked back to me, then back to him as if he too was waiting for a response.

A sigh escaped me as I listened to the only true question that my friends had asked, and even though they didn't admit it, I was sure they were curious about what I had been up to, but that was small talk, and what they had actually asked mattered much more. I laid back down flat and looked up to the ceiling. A small tear rolled down my cheek as I refused to make eye contact with them, and then with a muffled grunt, I stated, "My father."

I was taken back for a moment, I didn't know much about Aeran's dad but the official reports my uncle had spoken of read that he had fallen in the line of duty long ago. Apparently that wasn't the truth though as I was fairly sure that if anyone would know if his father were alive or not it would be the boy in the hospital bed. "Alright that's a start, what about your dad made you keep such a distance though?" I knew that talking about this would upset him but it was better to get all of our facts out now rather than spread it out over a long period of time.

His father? Why would a dead man cause him to leave his home and best friends while faking his death? It just didn't make much sense to me at all. As usual Takoda had beaten me to the punch and asked what I was thinking first so I just continued to look at Aeran anxiously waiting for what he had to say.

I decided to start with the obvious, and just ease into the more complicated stuff. "He's not dead, guys," I began, "And not only is he not dead, but he's one of the leaders of the Raksaka." I paused for a few moments to let that sink into their heads before continuing. "His name is Johnny Uchiha, and he leads the Raksaka with another man named Akuto, and the man who leads them was locked up at Unmei, but I'm guessing the prison was ransacked in order to break him out. My father is one of the most evil men in this world, how could Morigakure allow me to stay there anyway? They would just relentlessly question me about if I knew where my father was or not, or even worse, if I was working with him. But that doesn't answer you question, does it? No, the reason I faked my own death was for you two. As strong as you both think you are, you're still only genin, and the if the veteran forces of the Raksaka were to come after me and you two were in the way, there would have been no remorse. I couldn't let that happen, so the only way to protect you guys by leaving you and making sure you didn't follow me.. was to convince you both that I was dead. And not just you two, but our other classmates as well, which is why I know you'll both keep my existence a secret. I won't have to stay away form you both for as long this time.. I have a mask now, and my strengths have improved enough so that I can handle myself in a fray if need be. So I'll pop in now and again to check on you both, and I'm assuming with the war coming to a close, which should be news for you, you'll both be aiding in the reconstruction of our home at Elkwood, right?" I realized that the entire chunk of information I had just given them was enough to make a head spin. It was all very momentous information and I did sort of just dump it all onto them at one time. I waited a few moments to see how they would process it before a tear rolled down my cheek again. I looked downat the tubes popping out of my chest, and in a quivering voice, I gave into my childish emotions one last time. "I'm sorry..."

Most of what I was hearing was just making me depressed until the bit about the war at the end. I shot up straight and looked at him more seriously than I ever had before, "What do you mean the war is ending? Is that what the kage have been doing between the matches?" This was the first I had heard about this and I was almost just as curious as to how Aeran had gotten his hands on this information.

After his speech I began to speak answering both Takoda and Aeran "I had heard slight hints of the Yamakage wishing to end the war during the time I was captured by him in Chikagkure, but I thought it was nothing more than mere hopes, I never thought he would actually do it." I then returned to the matter at hand dealing with aerans father "I suppose I understand why you would've kept it from us at the start when Takoda and I were both naive, but ever since the destruction of the other villages that forced Morigakure to take imperial refugees we were forced to mature, and I know that ever since my apprenticeship under the Yamakage I've gotten stronger." I would pause for a few seconds and look at Aeran and continue "I won't force you to accept my help in this search for your father, because I'm sure there is a personal aspect to it, but I want to make sure you know that you have Shiro and I's help if you need it, for anything."

I turned to address Takoda first, "Hebi's right, the war is ending. I've always hated this war, you both know that, and I love that it's ending more than anything. The world needs to focus on peace within itself rather than an Empire or a Confederation, which is the purpose of the Summit that was called by the Yamakage. And I'm sure you've both matured, as I have also," I said this as I agreed with Hebi, "Which is why neither of you can accompany me on this journey. Maybe someday, but for now, your villages need you. You're both rightful heirs to the Morigakure throne, and at some point that will mean something. That means that you need to help rebuild the village and let the people learn your faces. You need to stay with them until the call for war against the Raksaka is sounded. I will, however, go back to Elkwood with you both to aid in rebuilding our home. I'll spend the next year at the old house recovering from my wounds, and then I will have to leave you both again. I have a village to help run now, you know, and a father to hunt down. I'm sure you'll both understand and you'll take up your new mantles of responsibility as they present themselves to you."

So he would return home to rest only to leave yet again, normally I would be outraged and might even give him a second hole in his chest but I was oddly calm. I just slowly shook my head as a look of sadness crossed my face, I turned and started walking towards the door. With my back turned to both my friends I spoke, "I guess I'll see you at home then." I walked through the door into the hall and walked away to rest, I had gotten a lot of information today and most of it I didn't like so I had a lot to think about.

[exit]

I could tell that Takoda was angry at Aeran's decision, and I can't say that I wasn't either. It made sense though, so no matter how much I didn't like it I had to respect it. I walked up to Shiro, who was still on the bed, and picked him up and began to head to the door. Before leaving I looked back to Aeran and said "Morigakure will always be your home, just as I will always be your friend. Don't be afraid to ask us if you need something." I would then walk out the door apologizing to the nurse from earlier before walking out and heading to the training field, my recent influx in combat due to the chuunin exams had sparked an idea I wanted to try.

[EXIT]

I had been standing outside Aeran's window for quite some time, much longer than these boys had been awake for meaning I had gotten a front row seat to what had just gone down. I lifted the pane and climbed inside wearing my red oni mask, giving the room a look over before walking over to lean on the wall next to Aeran. "You have some good friends you know, more than I can account for having anyway." I reached up to my face and took off my mask, hanging it on my belt and then crossing my arms as I looked to him for a response.

I smiled, a bit embarrassed that my new partner had just seen me cry. "Yeah well, they're family," I said with a cough and a moan as I tried to sit up despite the various tubes and tape coming from my chest. "You have a new job. Ayame seems to have disappeared, as she hasn't responded to any of the carrier birds within the past month. We can only expect that she's left, which means our new village is without authority. We've gather many families, nearing 200 Uchiha refugees, and they need someone there to guide them. I'd say me, but I'm going to be taking one year to heal. This wound is devastating. Return to New Uchiha, and focus on rebuilding, but do not take your mind off of the Raksaka. I will return to you in twelve months. Understood?"