Mind (Jutsu) Games

I know I never do author's notes at the beginning like this, so I'll keep it short. I've an important announcement to make, so read the entire note at the end of the page! Thanks.

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Chapter 16 - Morbid Thought

Kakashi hated hospitals. In fact, he was hard pressed to think of anything which incurred a stronger sense of loathing. Even cleaning up dogshit in the park - and boy, could ninja dogs leave a pile - was preferable to walking through those glass-paned doors. And anything, up to and including enemy torture, was better than being carried in, at least as far as he was concerned.
For once, however, he was the one doing the carrying, and it didn't seem to improve matters much. There was the slightest hint of relief that he'd made it mixed with his usual trepidation, but that was all. As soon as he stepped inside, the smells nearly overwhelmed his overly-sensitive nose and he fought down the urge to gag.
Wading through the sea of people, he finally approached the help desk where Shikamaru's bloody, unconscious body quickly bumped him to the head of the line. A gurney appeared with a speed only ninja medics were capable of and his burden was wheeled away amidst a barrage of voices.
"Nara Shikamaru, chuunin, age 13," one nurse read from his identity tags.
"13? We'll need parental consent."
"No time."
"He's chuunin. They'll understand."
"Send an orderly to fetch them right away."
"Doctor, his chakra's fading, and his blood pressure's falling fast."
"Two units of whole blood, stat!"
"I'm trying, but he's loosing it as fast as we can get it in."
The words cascaded over one another like an avalanche, leaving Kakashi shaking his head mutely before taking a chair in the corner where he proceeded to pass out. It was some time before the nurses realized he wasn't just a napping ninja waiting for a friend and got him into a room of his own.
And that was where the others found him when the hunt was over.

----*----

Hours later, Sarutobi Asuma sat in a chair supposedly designed to accommodate overnight guests, though it seemed something more akin to a torture device. It certainly didn't make the waiting any easier. Glancing over at his former student, Asuma let out a sigh. Shikamaru's face was pale as the bed sheet on which he lay; the stark white bandage round his neck, marred by the barest blush of blood, blended against the skin.
The boy was lucky Kakashi had been on hand; few ninja could transport themselves that far, let alone carry someone else the distance.
And if we had lost him, Asuma mused, what then? While not exactly irreplaceable, Shikamaru's advanced intellect would be hard to top, and his status as the only person to pass the chuunin exams made him even more valuable to the village. He was an important member of the Cryptography Unit, and, he had to admit, a good friend.
Honestly, Asuma couldn't comprehend what it would be like to loose one of his students. Gai's first gennin team had suffered such a loss and it had taken years for the man to recover enough to even contemplate mentoring another set of rookies; only Lee's obvious need and stubborn perseverance had been able to pull the despairing man back to a sense of duty.
Even then, he was never the same. Maito Gai had once cared only about being the best ninja possible, taking the tough missions and getting them done. It was only after Takeko had pushed himself far past his limits - fatally so - that Gai realized what he had done. In the years they spent as his gennin, Team 1 had been taken up so completely by training and missions that the only people who came to the funeral were the boy's parents, his teammates, the Hokage, and the instructors from the Academy. There were no friends, no rivals; even his own teammates were remarkably unaffected on an emotional level.
And that's when Gai came to understand how important it was to stop and take the time to enjoy life. His obsessive nature turned the lesson in an interesting direction and his "Power of Youth" speeches were now high on everyone's list of things they could have gone through like without hearing. No one could deny that his student's death had affected the Green Beast of Konoha forever.
Equally life-altering, though perhaps not so final, was the defection of Uchiha Sasuke to the Hidden Village of Sound and its serpentine master, Orochimaru.
Kakashi had been forced to grow up earlier than most ninja; the death of his father, mother and teammates had seen to that. The loss of his mentor - to the beast which was sealed into a baby who eventually became his own student - seemed like the last straw. For over a decade, he had failed every graduate the Academy sent his way and there were some who wondered whether or not that pattern would have continued had it not been for Sasuke.
It was impossible to ignore the similarities between teacher and student. Both geniuses, yet both feeling eclipsed by the glory - and shame - of their predecessors. They both were far too serious as children, damaged - some said - by the tragic loss of their families. Only the bizarre relationship Kakashi had developed with his own teammates had managed to cure that; maybe he felt he could guide the sole remaining Uchiha to a path where healing was possible.
But Sasuke would have none of it. He lived in a world which had only three colors: black, white and red. The dead, the living, and the blood that separated them. Consumed by the rage that boiled within him, he had only two goals in life: refound and restore the pride of the Uchiha Clan, and kill his treacherous older brother. Anyone who questioned his motives, means or agenda instantly became untrustworthy to the paranoid boy's mind. The world was out to get him and you were either with him or against him.
It had only been a few months since the young sharinghan user had disappeared; there was still a great deal of speculation as to why he'd really left and whether or not he would return.
The various members of Team 7 reacted as their personalities allowed. Kakashi once again buried himself in his work, too busy with this mission or that to spare a thought for guilt. Sakura and Naruto had each found a new mentor and were likewise overworking themselves, though theirs was an attempt to enhance their skills in a desperate gamble to bring their teammate home.
All the jounin, Kakashi included, knew the harsh truth - there would be no returning an unwilling Uchiha to Konoha. And by the time Sasuke was willing to admit he wanted to come home, he probably wouldn't be able to. His crimes against Konoha were already such as to necessitate jail time; the longer he stayed away, the worse it would get. And the blacker his name, the more his sensei blamed himself and hid form personal responsibilities behind a veritable mountain of mission scrolls.
Asuma wasn't entirely sure but, given how badly the recent death of his father had affected him, if he'd lost a student, he very well may have found himself in that same boat. Thankfully, they'd managed to avert danger this go round, but as he toyed with the unlit cigarette he held, he knew it was only a matter of time before at least one member of Team 10 lost the roulette wheel of life. He couldn't protect them forever.
A slight change in breathing patterns, the precursor to a groan, snatched his attention back from the various and sundry paths his brain had been wandering. Eyelids twitching, Shikamaru slowly began to wake. Asuma felt his own breath whooshing out of him as he finally relaxed.
Clawing his way back to consciousness didn't appear to be the easiest task the young chuunin had ever undertaken, but it relieved his teacher to no end to see him coming around. Trying to sit up was pushing things a little too far, however.
"Take it easy," he ordered fondly. "You're not going anywhere for a while, so don't do anything stupid to prolong your stay."
Shikamaru seemed to be trying to speak, but his mouth was too dry to form the words. His teacher reached for the standard issue cup of water and held the straw toward him; he sipped gratefully before turning wary eyes on the man.
"What's the damage?" he asked at last.
"I'm assuming you mean the battle count, not your personal injuries, so I'll start there." At his pained nod, Asuma continued. "We've caught the two who were actually taking Ino over, but that's it. We know there were at least three more people involved, but we've found no sign of their whereabouts."
Closing his eyes, the injured ninja seemed to be absorbing this information. "I recognized two from the chuunin exams," he divulged bitterly, "but the other guys... I haven't seen them before."
"Ibiki-san and the Hokage are interrogating the two we did get as we speak, trying to figure that out. Just leave it to them." The reassurance didn't seem to be doing its job, but it was all his teacher could offer at the moment.
"And Ino?"
The question was not unexpected. Asuma was merely surprised he had asked so directly. "She's safe. She's resting right now with Sakura and Hinata."
Two girls. She's upset. That was the understatement of the century, and well he knew it. Digging the heels of his palms against his eyes, he cursed his own overconfidence. "I fucked up."
"Quite literally, unless I'm mistaken," the older man was giving him no room for pity.
His student winced. "So everyone knows." It was a statement, but not entirely a correct one.
"No, not everyone. No one in your age group has been informed, though Ino might tell her girlfriends, and will be encouraged to do so. She'll need their help for the next little while especially, Kurenai says." Thinking for a moment, he continued. "Kakashi knew first. Gai, Kurenai, Ibiki and the Godaime all know, but I'm pretty sure that's where it will stop. Her parents will not be informed unless she chooses to tell them herself. No one else needs to know."
Shikamaru nodded, still refusing to look at the man sitting beside him. The silence between them stretched on for several minutes before Asuma finally put an end to it.
"You can stop feeling sorry for yourself now, Shikamaru," he declared bluntly, "and we both know how Ino feels about being pitied, so that's out too. We were remiss in thinking there would be no outside reactions to your promotion, and I'm sorry. I should have seen this coming."
The shock of his sensei taking even partial blame left Shikamaru speechless, but the jounin's next words had him fighting down a surge of shame.
"We are, however, going to do our best to prevent anything like this ever happening again. Tomorrow afternoon, you'll be starting some very specific and tailored training. You're to report to practice area twelve at one o'clock, alright?"
"Yes, sir." Head bowed, Shikamaru was enormously grateful for the knock on his door that interrupted them.
Kurenai poked her head around the door jamb. "Asuma? Can I talk to you for a bit? It's Kakashi."
The man she addressed sat there for a moment, fiddling with his pack of cigarettes as he thought. It was difficult to weigh leaving his student alone with leaving his friend.
"Go ahead," said student reassured him. "It's not like I'm going anywhere."
Nodding to Asuma's hands, which were trembling badly enough that he had nearly dropped what he held, the chuunin continued. "And have a smoke while you're out. You're getting shaky again."
Nodding thankfully, his sensei rose from the treacherous chair and made his way out the door, trailing his fiancée.
Have a good snog while you're gone, too, Shikamaru mused. You both look like you need it.
Normally, a lazy boy such as he would have loved being ordered to lie around all day. But hospital ceilings were nowhere near as amusing to watch as clouds, being completely static - unchanging, unmoving patterns were boring. Clouds at least had randomness and chaos on their side. But with the window and curtains closed, he couldn't hope to see them.
Shifting restlessly, he felt something jabbing him in the thigh. As he reached into his pocket, his calloused fingers traced along the length of the pencil he'd shoved in there that morning. Taking both it and the crumpled paper out, he glanced around cautiously before starting to write. As his was a solitary room, he needn't have bothered. He would most likely hear anyone coming before he saw them; it was good manners in a Hidden Village not to ninja up on your comrades as it was generally considered a bad idea to test your speed versus their battle reflexes.
His note was short, but the wording would be important, and he took his time making sure it was exactly right. Ino would understand. At least, he hoped so.

----*----

Nearly an hour later, Asuma returned to his student's room with an apology for his delay ready on his lips - he'd been discussing sensitive information, that had absolutely nothing to do with physical contact, with Kurenai - only to find it empty. The IV bag was still on the rack, meaning the nurses hadn't hauled him off for more tests. The window was open and a piece of paper on the table stirred in the gentle evening breeze.

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Gasp! Plot exposition from Asuma; can you believe it? The randomness that is me and my writing buddy in the middle on the night came up with that "Gai's lost student" bit. We were hypothesizing explanations for his over-the-top attitude (no one is that weird for no good reason) and this was the result. Other favorite ideas included, but were certainly not limited to, spandex chaffing (hence all the weird posses, in an attempt to rub against a different patch of skin), a pathological desire to be so completely opposite of Kakashi that no one could doubt their rivalry (I'm still in favor of that one, and will probably use it in future tales), idolizing some past weirdo (possibly one of the Fourth Hokage's teammates because, I mean, why not?) and being dropped on his head as a small child. Any and all seemed equally viable, but we went with the one we did because it seemed like a good idea at five in the morning to give Gai more than a brief cameo.
Some of you may be wondering why I'm posting two chapters in such rapid succession, especially given how close we are to the end of our tale. Well, there are several factors, but it boils down to three major ones.
First: did you know that I've now been posting on adultfanfiction for over a year? Neither did I until I happened to glance at the dates on my stories. That, in and of itself, deserves an extra chapter.
Second: my dear friend and writing buddy, 'Nera, has apparently come down with some dreadful disease and has been bed-ridden all week. She thinks it might be strep throat, but one of her coworkers just got quarantined with swine flu, so she's none too sure. I'm hoping that seeing another chapter posted might cheer her up. Best wishes, 'Nera, and get well soon!
Third: I happen to have the time tonight. I know, you were expecting something more glamorous that that, but it's true. I had the time to do one final reading of the chapter before uploading it in the hopes that I've eliminated every error, even though I know I'll have missed at least one. Pesky typos! Also, I can't wait to see everybody's response to this.

Well, our story is beginning to wind down. Yes, I know, weep and wail, but there are only two chapters left. And now for the announcement I warned you about. As we are nearing the end of our delightful time together, it is quickly becoming apparent that I will be posting a new story sometime soon. That being said, I would love your feedback. Yes, you, my readers! So here's how this is going to work. Tacked on to the author's notes in the next chapter, I'll include summaries for the stories I'm ready to start posting. You can then submit your votes (via review or e-mail: crimson_iris@live.com ) so I can see what you all are more in the mood for. You can also submit any original ideas you like (pairings, plotlines, one-liners, or anything else you want me to use) and we'll see where that takes us. I really would like your input in this. It gets a little lonely on this end of the story sometimes.

Anyway, thank you all again for your wonderful comments and critiques, and I do hope you've enjoyed yourselves thus far. Have a great day and good reading!

Crimson Iris