strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
|
Post by strangevisitor on Apr 29, 2010 22:31:16 GMT -5
Oh geeze. NOW you've done it.. Couldn't just fork over the trinket, could you??He did feel rather ashamed. It was...foolish, really...and yet for some reason he felt compelled to persist. But then the Hokage entered the room, and directly up to him. Being belligerent to hospital staff was bold enough of him, but there was no way on heaven or earth he could keep it up in front of her. "It is just...just this.." He sighed in defeat, unfurling his hand from around the object, the small cat idol jingling slightly. It was already looking slightly worn from being so persistently on his person and handled so frequently. "Maneki-sama. Ayaka-san gave him to me to help with my bad luck. He is small, but a hard worker...I did not think it would be a problem to ask for his help today...Gomen." Utsuro finished, holding his hand towards the Hokage.
|
|
Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
|
Post by Tensei Kaori on Apr 29, 2010 22:38:27 GMT -5
"I see," Kaori mused, gently picking the item up and holding it at eye level. The cat's face smiled happily at her, as though wishing her good luck as well as looking after Tsutomegi-kun. She held it there, studying it closely, almost lost in though. A lucky cat charm? And given to him by a certain Ayaka-kun. And he refused to give it up. Could it be... "So... this is what you needed to fetch from the tent? You wanted to have it with you for the operation?"
|
|
strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
|
Post by strangevisitor on Apr 29, 2010 23:55:03 GMT -5
Utsuro nodded, shrinking away a bit in embarrassment. "As bad as my luck can be, I did not want to go into such a serious operation without...at least a little protection.."
|
|
Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
|
Post by Tensei Kaori on Apr 30, 2010 0:18:43 GMT -5
"I see," Kaori mused. "Well, it's true that normally such things are kept with the patient's personal belongings and not brought into the operating room, but if your fortune has truly been that bad in the past, then far be it from me to deprive you of a gift from your goddess of good luck. "So, I will offer you a compromise. I'll let you bring that, but if it gets in the way of the operation, I'll have to move it. Should that happen, I'll keep it on my person so its luck will pass to both of us. And when you wake up, it will be back in your hand. Is that all right?"
|
|
strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
|
Post by strangevisitor on Apr 30, 2010 0:42:00 GMT -5
A compromise? Utsuro couldn't believe his ears. He had expected her to hand Maneki-sama to an aide to be put with the rest of his things and told how frivolous such a thing was...but..a compromise? He nodded with a good bit of uncharacteristic enthusiasm. "Th-thank you, Hokage-dono! That is...very generous of you. I just...feared that without him, even with a doctor with such skill as yours, I would awaken to something bizarre. Like moving a leg when I wanted to move an arm. Thank you." But...wait. A gift from a goddess of good luck? He highly doubted a goddess would even bother with a lost cause like Tsutomegi Utsuro. That was what made Maneki-sama so special, after all....Ayaka-san had given it to him.
|
|
Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
|
Post by Tensei Kaori on Apr 30, 2010 1:13:29 GMT -5
Kaori nodded, placing the charm back in Tsutomegi-kun's hand and curling his fingers around it reassuringly. "Very well, then. Here you go. When you awake, your little friend will be here, just like this. And," she added with a slightly bemused grin, "you most certainly retain control over which limb to move when. "Now, then , Tsutomegi-kun. It's time."
|
|
strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
|
Post by strangevisitor on Apr 30, 2010 2:45:03 GMT -5
Utsuro nodded, holding tight to Maneki-sama. "Thank you...again...Hokage-dono....for everything. I am sorry for being such a problematic individual." With that, he waited to be lead to wherever they needed to take him, focusing on the smiling idol in his hand instead of what lay ahead. Even so, his throat tightened as old memories bubbled up to the surface of his mind.
|
|
Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
|
Post by Tensei Kaori on May 1, 2010 0:23:02 GMT -5
The following hours were among the most intense of Tensei Kaori's life. After reassuring Tsutomegi-kun one last time, the anesthesia had kicked in, and the operation begun. Though she had an entire team of doctors and nurses with her in the operating room, Kaori was the only one performing the actual task: repairing her patient's chakra system. The rest had other, equally important tasks to perform, like monitoring the boy's condition (and Kaori's own), and making sure the rest of the team had everything they needed to ensure that everything went smoothly. Under other circumstances there might have been someone else - like Akina - working with her, but the simple fact was that Kaori herself was the only person she dared trust with an operation like this. If even she was incapable of this, then there would be no one else to turn to in order to help this boy. Because of that, failure was not an option. Because of that, she would succeed. The operation lasted for hours, with Kaori hovering in a strange limbo of perception: time as a whole seemed to barely move at all, yet the occasional overheard comment, or the realization that one of the nurses had been replaced and gone home, would reveal that a startling amount of it had actually passed. Though in a way, it wasn't startling at all: with the amount of knots and twists that needed to be repaired, and the fact that she was reconstructing an entire human chakra system entirely on her own, it was to be expected that such a thing would take time. And then there was the fact that this boy's chakra system seemed to be naturally different from others, even without the knots. Medical ninjutsu required a very intimate knowledge of all the body's systems and their locations in he body, but in Tsutomegi-kun's case, Kaori had to rely almost exclusively on her knowledge of the natural flow and application of chakra, combined with the memorized images of his damaged system, to accurately decide how the boy's system should be, and then reconstruct it - almost in its entirety - as she went. It was an exhausting process, and she dared neither go too quickly nor too slowly, but time wore on, the operation progressed, and at long last - after a healthy infusion of healing chakra to help his system recover from everything she had just done to it, and a temporary seal to make sure it was allowed to heal properly - she straightened with a sigh. "It is done." * * * * * A short while later, after Tsutomegi-kun had been settled properly into his hospital bed - with moonlight shining through the window, no less - Kaori finally released the jutsu that had been keeping him unconscious since they left the OR - and the anesthesia - behind. After just enough of a wait to ensure that he would be awake enough to hear her, Kaori spoke with a voice that somehow managed to only sound half as tired as she felt: "Good evening, Tsutomegi-kun."
|
|
strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
|
Post by strangevisitor on May 1, 2010 1:21:20 GMT -5
It never changed, no matter how often nor how long he visited.
The same crumbled buildings. Recesses of scorched earth. Snapped trees with frozen smoke curled above the charred boughs. The worn stone benches circling the snuffed firepit.
And as ever, only two of them occupied.
"Seems like things are almost over, Utsuro. 'Bout freakin' time. Not exactly good company, y'know?" The figure on the scorched bench jeered, shifting positions impatiently for the twenty-seventh time, embers drifting through the still air.
"Gomen, Ichiyuumaihi-sama..." Utsuro replied quietly, staring off into the black horizon. A faint breeze drifted through, uncharacteristic for this static place, and on that breeze, a whisper was carried." Good evening, Tsutomegi-kun." Gray eyes snapped wide open, and a sharp breath was inhaled. Frantically scanning before him, Utsuro saw the moon through the window. A small table lamp adding to the dim illumination of the room. The Hokage above him. No blinding but muddled lights. No masked doctors, gleaming red instruments still in hand. He exhaled just as sharply, trying to collect his bearings. "Hu...Hokage..dono...wha.." Something felt very, very amiss, though.
|
|
Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
|
Post by Tensei Kaori on May 1, 2010 1:31:50 GMT -5
"Shhh, calm down, child," Kaori said soothingly, gently smoothing the panicked-looking boy's hair for just a second before returning her hands to her lap. "Everything is fine. The operation was a success, but I've sealed your chakra for the time being. You need time to heal and acclimate yourself to the changes you'll feel before you can be expected to handle it freely. With time, though, you will find that ninjutsu will come much more naturally now. "As for our location, I thought you would prefer to wake up in a nice, soft bed in your room than on an operating table with everyone still dressed for surgery. I've been in your place a few times, after all, and I always found the beds quite comfortable. I thought you might be more inclined to feel the same way if you weren't woken in a place you obviously dislike." To say the least. The poor boy had seemed downright terrified. "You will also be happy to know that I kept our promise," she added with a smile, nodding to his hand, in which - just as when he had entered the operating room - rested a smiling, beckoning cat.
|
|
strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
|
Post by strangevisitor on May 1, 2010 1:45:32 GMT -5
Listening to her explanation, his heart began to calm, the panic leaving his eyes as he settled back into the bed. It was very comfortable, even more so than the cot in the tent, and that was one of the most luxurious beds he had ever slept in. As for her decision in moving him to the hospital room before allowing him to awaken, he began to wonder if she truly realized just how brilliant that was. Dislike was, after all, a very mild word to use in his opinion of hospitals. Looking down to his curled fingers, though, Utsuro smiled softly. "Arigato....I...cannot even begin...." His chakra had been sealed, though...It made sense. He could not even begin to imagine what repairing a chakra system would entail, it was not like a broken bone, which could be set and cast, or a gash stitched shut. Truly, she had to be an absolutely amazing doctor. And she said the operation had been a success. That alone kept the boy smiling.
|
|
Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
|
Post by Tensei Kaori on May 1, 2010 1:57:22 GMT -5
Kaori just smiled. "Come now, child," she chided gently, retaining her warm expression. "You are one of my precious Konoha family, are you not? Now, then. You and I both need to get some rest, so I'll tell you just a few more things before I go. First, if you need help, ask for it. The nurses are here to help you, after all. Second, you haven't eaten since this morning. Some people don't feel like eating after surgery, but your body needs nourishment now more than ever. Don't force yourself, but try to at least get a little bit down before you go to bed. Other than that, I'll be by tomorrow to check on you, so just relax and get some rest until then. "Oh, and one more thing," she added with a slight grin. "You have a visitor. I asked her to wait outside while we brought you in, but I'm told she's been waiting for you for hours. Would you like to see her, or shall I tell her to come back tomorrow?"
|
|
strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
|
Post by strangevisitor on May 1, 2010 2:11:08 GMT -5
He listened intently, committing her instructions to memory, as it gave him something to focus on other than the seemingly unusual display of warmth towards him. Precious Konoha family? Sheesh, is she ever overdoing the bedside manner thing..He blinked in surprise when she informed him, however, that someone had been waiting for him. Not just someone, though. The Hokage had specified 'she', and there was only really one girl Utsuro knew who also knew he was having an operation today. But why had she stayed so long?? It must have been very late by that point..surely she had work tomorrow, she should have been asleep.. "Ah...y-yes, of course.. I would like to see her, that is."
|
|
Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
|
Post by Tensei Kaori on May 1, 2010 2:21:41 GMT -5
"I thought you would. In that case, I believe that is my queue to exit. Have a good night, Tsutomegi-kun, and rest well. I will see you tomorrow." "You may go in now, child. But don't keep him up too late. He needs to rest.""Ah! Y-yes," Ayaka agreed, hurriedly getting up from her seat out in the hallway. "And thank you." The Hokage nodded, smiled, and swept off down the hallway. How she managed to look like that after something like what the nurses had described was beyond Ayaka. But that didn't matter now. And so almost before she knew she was moving, Ayaka was inside the dimly lit room, hurrying over to where her friend lay. "Tsutomegi!" she 'exclaimed' softly, an extraordinary amount of relief showing through the friendly, happy expression she had tried to put on. "You're really okay! I.... I'm so glad."
|
|
strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
|
Post by strangevisitor on May 1, 2010 2:36:25 GMT -5
"Thank you, Hokage-dono. You as well." ***** "A...Ayaka-san..Yes..I am." He replied to his incredibly enthusiastic guest. Why did she look so relieved? Had he really worry her that much? He smiled as best as he could, to try and put her at ease. "I did not mean to worry you, forgive me. That is why I left the note, so you would know where I was when I did not return to the tent.."
|
|