Akai laid in the hospital bed, her eyes shut and her breathing was slightly off even. Her torso was covered in bandages, and so was the majority of her body.

Beside of her bed, sat Ibiki Morino. The go to tough guy, who was currently taking a turn in making sure someone was beside of Akai at all times. The girl had crucial wounds, and she needed someone to make sure she was okay.

Nurses were in and out of the room, and it was currently three days after the preliminary part of the exam, but Akai had yet to awaken. For the last day and a half, Ibiki was the one by her side. Akito and Shin had told Ibiki they would watch her, that he could go home and take a break, but every time Ibiki would say no.

So they stopped asking, and just stayed in the room with him. Akito and Shin were sitting on her opposite side, involved in their own conversation. Until Akai opened her eyes and let a loud breath escape her lips.

"Akai, you're awake!" Shin said happily, looking at the girl. Akai nodded her head, and pushed herself up in the bed, whimpering slightly from the pain in her side.

"Hey, take it easy, brat. You took a sword to your gut." Ibiki said, rolling his eyes slightly at his student. Akai glanced over at Ibiki and stuck her tongue out.

"I'm fine, tashikani." She said, nodding her head as another jonin walked into the room.

"Morino, the Hokage is requesting you to speak about the next part of the chunin exam. He said that you are to come now, and that Akito and Shin are able to watch over Akai." The jonin said before he poofed away.

Ibiki sighed and stood up, nodding at his students before he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, as always. Akito looked at Akai and gave her a gentle smile.

"That was an amazing fight you had!" He said, giving the girl a smile. Akai smiled back at him, giving him a thumbs up.

"Thank you!" She said. "Same for you guys. I was on the tip of my toes the entire time you guys were fighting, tashikani!"

"Psh, I bet you knew Akito was going to win the whole time." Shin said, crossing his legs over each other.

"I did not!!" Akai said, laughing. "It's kind of pitiful that only one of Team Ibiki is continuing through though."

"Not really, at least one of us made it. There are entire teams who didn't make it out or through the preliminary rounds. At least one of us will." Shin said, pointing at Akito with a bright smile. Akito rolled his eyes slightly before he stood up.

"I'm hungry, do you want to go get food with me Shin? You can help me carry it." Akito said, before looking at Akai. "You should be okay by yourself. If not, you can yell for the nurses."

"I'll be fine, tashikani, go on." She said, shewing them away with her hand. Both of the boys left the room, and Akai had the room to herself for a little while. But all she could think about was Kisame, and how she still couldn't beat him. After all of these years, she couldn't beat him.

She had trained so hard, even before she became a Konoha ninja, so that she could beat her uncle; but for what? She would never be as strong as Kisame, at least not in her current state.

Akai sighed heavily as she glanced outside her window, tapping her fingers along her legs. She didn't snap out of it until she heard voices from the doorway of her room.

"Hey Akai, we're back!" Shin said happily, but Akito kept glancing back at the door. The boys took seats on either side of Akai, and they both got serious faces as they looked at her.

"That kid you fought, he's outside your room. The nurses asked what he was doing, and he said he wanted to check on you." Akito said quietly, and Akai's eyes widened slightly. What could Kisame want with her now? He already had beaten her, and left her when she needed him. What else could he possible want?

"That's strange, tashikani." She said, nodding her head slightly. "You guys go ahead and leave, I'm gonna sneak out of here." Akai whispered quietly. The two boys exchanged looks before nodding and walking out of the room.

Akai took a deep breath and pushed herself out of her bed, wincing slightly as she got to her feet. "D*mnit." she muttered slightly as she got all of her clothes on, and packed all of her things as quick as she could. Akai walked over to the window and pushed it open, climbing out of it, wincing occasionally.

Not even a second after her exit, Sameshi walked into the room, holding a small bouquet of flowers in his hands. Ever since his fight with his niece, he'd been sleepless and replaying every moment in the fight. The exact moment when he found out he was fighting his niece, when he realized he was attempting to kill the one thing of his sister he had left.

Sameshi sighed heavily as he glanced at the bed, only to notice that Akai wasn't in the bed. All of her things were gone, and the window was open. Sameshi took a deep breath, his normal short temper breaking as he threw the flowers at the bed, turned and stormed out of the room.

With an angry look on his face, he made his way through the hallways, bumping over nurses and doctors on his way out of the building.

Clenching his fists, he let out a growl. Why the hell did his niece decided to hide from him? Is she scared? Can't she accept her defeat?

No, that cannot be it. He taught her better than to be a coward. So why? Why does she avoid him?

"Oi, Sameshi. You okay?" Naoka asked, as she saw her teammate walked out of the hospital. The male grumbled in reply, cracking his knuckles.

"Let me guess. Either this Akai person insulted you, or you didn't even meet her. Which one?" Tarasu asked, his face void of emotion, while he crossed his arms.

"The latter." Sameshi, or Kisame, snapped back.

Naoka laughed, and began to walk away from the place, "Why do you even want to meet her? It's so unlike you."

"And although I have to agree that she's talented, for being able to hold against you for that long, you still won, and I don't think her skill is something you should really be interested about." Tarasu added, following Naoka, the team leader.

Sameshi shook his head. "It's not that." He muttered, "She was... An old friend of mine. I was her teacher, but I didn't teach her that far. I only taught her the basics, yet she could fight against me, with only her left hand! Don't you think it's strange?"

"... Okay..." Naoka trailed off, while Tarasu gave a slight nod, motioning Sameshi to continue.

"The main thing is, she knows who I am. My real name."

Naoka's eyes widened. "Well... sh*t."

| * | * | * | * | * |

Akai chuckled, watching how her uncle complained to his teammates.

"Ah, that reaction. He never changes, tashikani." She muttered, as she took a glance back at the room. She saw the flowers on the bed, scattered around, as if it was thrown there in anger.

Shaking her head disapprovingly, she snickered. "A bouquet, huh? To think that he tried a cheesy way like that... And yet he forgot my favorite flower..."

With that, Akai jumped down, landing a bit shakily on the ground, but dismissed the worry. She never put too much thought into her injuries, that's a habit she had from her father. How he always laugh at his own wounds, she will never forget his smile.

Her eyes were getting teary, and she immediately shook her head, wiping it away. Opening her eyes, she saw someone at the end of the road, looking at her with a wide grin.

"Uh-oh..." She muttered, but it was too late. The woman already ran at her, and caught her in a headlock.

"At last I found you, my favorite criminal!" Anko yelled, as she ruffled Akai's hair, "How are you, gaki? Despite your wounds?"

"... I thought you hated me..." Akai muttered in reply, trying to push away Anko's arm from around her neck.

"Well, I did. But who could hate an amazing brat like you?!" Anko exclaimed, releasing Akai and grabbed her shoulders, "You are one of the few genins who didn't cheat, a member of the second team who arrived at the tower, and you put up such a great fight at the preliminary!" She rambled, shaking Akai's body, "You are awesome!!"

"... Arigatō..." Akai mumbled, wincing in pain at the pressure the woman gave on her shoulders. However, Anko abruptly stopped, and looked at Akai with her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Wait a minute. Don't tell me that you're escaping from the hospital."

Akai cringed. Anko's eyes widened, and she scowled.

"Now, you can't do that! I'll bring you back there this time, and you will not try this again, young lady! You got it?!"

"... At least I'm still a lady..."

"Repeat that, Hozuki, I dare you!!"

"Request declined!" Akai shrieked in panic, as she looked away from her sensei.

Surprisingly, Anko only laughed, and grabbed Akai's hand, dragging her back to the hospital.

| * | * | * | * | * |

Akai, this time, could say that she enjoyed her time at the hospital. She knows how her uncle is. Once he left something by his own decision, he wouldn't return. Just like how he left his niece and nephews.

But also, just like how he left the hospital.

She knows how much he wanted to see her, from the way he made the bouquet. It must be pretty expensive, considering the flowers in it, and the ribbons around it. He wanted to meet her so much, and when she's nowhere in sight, he left the hospital in anger. Emphasize the two last words, please. In anger, and that means, for the sake of his pride, he wouldn't try again.

Yet he stood across the hospital, facing the window of her room, every single day.

Every morning, Akai would wake up, leave her bed, and open her window, waving at her uncle, giving him an innocent smile before she closed the curtain. His pissed off expression was just too amusing.

And she's not scared at all. Even if he did return, she could easily retort "I thought you left." After all, only the two of them knew about the secret, so she wouldn't worry.

"Oi, Akai. Get down, you might fall and hit your head if you're not careful."

Akai turned, grinning at Ibiki. "E-llo!" She exclaimed, "Since when am I not careful?"

"Since the day I met you." He retorted, approaching Akai who was sitting on the windowsill, "You don't look like a hospital patient."

"At last someone understands, tashikani!" Akai cheered, as she jumped off, but still leaning there, "What brings you here, Scarface?"

Ibiki stayed silent. His gaze traveled far away, leaving Akai speechless at how the said interrogator looked really out of character.

"What happened to you?" He suddenly asked.

"What are you talking about? You know it already. The Forest, the duel, and-..."

"No," he cut her off, "Before you come here."

Her expression didn't change. This shocked Akai herself. Maybe she was calmer about this topic now. Probably because she had met her uncle, or maybe she trusted Ibiki?

"Lots of things. Why do you ask?"

"You are... strange. I mean, you cared about your team's safety, and you became their friend. Joking around, talking about things people wouldn't think about, doing nonsense, like a normal kid. But we know nothing about you."

Akai nodded, looking through the window. Everything reminded her about her old family now. The weather, the villagers, technically it's all she could see.

"Not many people can do that. You get close, but you never opened up to us. All we know is that you're a half Hozuki, and the famous Red Mist."

She chuckled. "Yeah, and it was by accident, too, tashikani."

He gave her a confirming nod, "I mean, why don't you trust us? Akito and Shin told me everything. You can't take all your actions alone. Everyone, even me, will need help every once in a while."

"That's true." She stated, walking away from the window, now in front of her sensei, "Are you really that curious?"

"Not really. My point is, you can't keep your secrets forever."

"I can try. Am I not allowed to?"

He sighed, "Look at you. No offense, Akai, but I know you must have had a messed up past. And you're still young, yet you have gone through a lot." He told her.

She stayed silent for a while, before letting out a deep breath, "I appreciate it, really, but you don't have to care that much. I'm not a good person, Ibiki."

He looked at her grey eyes, but he found no sign of sadness or anger. All he could see is her usual mocking gaze, but now she doesn't have her signature smirk. Only a smile, a very sincere one.

"You can still change, Akai. We can help you. We will help you, but you have to trust us. No one can live alone." He stated, frowning.

Akai shook her head. "I'm proud of who I am. A thief, a lone traveler who never stops running. Just watch me, I will fight and survive, for me and by myself."

Ibiki huffed, chuckling to himself. He stepped closer to Akai, and much to her shock, he ruffled her hair. Her eyes widened at his actions, her lips parted as a warm feeling spread through her body.

"You don't have to prove anything. Akai. You're a great shinobi already." He said, before walking out of the room.

Akai soon regained her composure. She let out a groan of annoyance, and sat back on her bed.

"Damn him..." She muttered, as she lay down, and lifted her arm. She stared at her bandaged hand, chuckling slightly.

"Would you believe me, Dad? There's a jerk here who acts like you, and he doesn't even realize it!" She exclaimed, laughing at the end.

Her laughter died down, and she frowned.

"I miss you, I miss you and Mom. I miss Mangetsu, I miss Suigetsu. And yet only Kisame is here, and he's acting like a coward. Or maybe he is one."

"This sucks, tashikani."

| * | * | * | * | * |

Kisame had been a guy who was not afraid to show his feelings. He wasn't afraid to be pissed off, he wasn't afraid to be happy and he wasn't afraid of other people's feelings.

Until Akai.

His sister had been his best friend when they were younger, and Akai was the next best thing to his sister. And when his sister died, Akai was all he had. Kisame, a man feared and known throughout the shinobi world, became someone who loved a little girl who loved him just as much.

Akai used to be attached to her uncle's hip, because when her father went on mission, Kisame was always the one to watch her. And when her father died, Kisame took her in.

He trained her, taught her to use swords and to create some herbs with the help of his girlfriend. They made sure to make Akai into a nice young lady.

And nothing hurt more than when he was forced to leave Akai. But now he acted like a coward, scared of a little blue haired girl who hated him with everything she had.

Sameshi kicked a rock, mentally cursing himself for all the mistakes he had made along the way. All the times he hurt Akai, all the times he broke his promises and all the times that he made his family feel like less than they were.

He wondered towards the forest, twirling a kunai around his finger slightly as he walked through. Finally, he reached a few trees that seemed decent enough to practice with. Even though kunai practice was for younger people, Sameshi felt there was no use in letting himself get rusty on it.

The man took a stance, his feet slightly apart as he leaned his weight on his right leg, and with the flick of his wrist, he let go of the kunais. All of the blades lodged in the wood, and Sameshi chuckled slightly.

"Mighty impressive, Kisame." A voice said, and Sameshi spun around quickly to be met with the face of Orochimaru. The man's snake-like figure and markings had turned him a dead stand out. Orochimaru had a small, up turned smile as he saw Kisame.

"What are you doing here, snake?" Kisame said, his tone hateful.

"Oh, calm down, my dear shark. I'm not here to do any harm to you." Orochimaru said, and Kisame rolled his eyes slightly.

"Then tell me why you are here."

"I'm just here to bring in two new members to my squad. Uchiha Sasuke, a boy who has great potential, the last member of the Uchiha Clan."

"And The Red Mist. Such a fantastic young shinobi, without much of a history. But I believe they are in Konoha, and I will find them." He said, his long tongue licked his lips, and his sharp teeth pointing off his smile.

Kisame looked at Orochimaru, and shook his head slightly. "You've only gotten worse, snake. I hope your plan doesn't fall through like all the rest of them." He said, before the blue man disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Orochimaru chuckled slightly as he looked at the smoke. "If only you knew who I was truly after, I do not believe you would say that, my dear Kisame."

| * | * | * | * | * |

Akai took a glance at the white bed for the last time, before she turned away and closed the door. Walking through the hallways, she grinned at the nurse who always check on her. The said woman gave her a playful glare, sticking her tongue out as Akai ran backwards to the exit.

The blue-haired girl finally got out of the building. She let out a happy cheer, twirling and jumping around. Getting out of there means she would be able to train again. The thought, though, turned her grin into a frown.

Her hands pulled out her daggers, the disguised Hiramekarei and Kubikiribōchō. She stared at them, before putting them back, and started throwing and catching a silver coin.

Now she had to train. She must have gotten rusty, considering how she lost her battle. She needs to defeat him. She has to defeat Kisame, no matter what.

For Mangetsu. At least for him.

She soon reached Ibiki's house, and entered. Putting her stuff back to their previous places, she lay on her bed, looking at the ceiling.

Shin had a family night, And Akito would spend the rest of the week with his brother. Ibiki had his work, and most of the time, she will be alone.

Her thoughts soon drifted to something else.

Kisame probably wants to apologize, but she wouldn't let him. If he really regrets his mistakes, he should be brave enough to face her wherever she is, even in the middle of a crowded street. Not just in private place like a hospital room. And she wouldn't accept him if he show up in disguise. No, he had to face her like a true Hoshigaki, both physically and mentally.

Suddenly, her eyes narrowed, as they landed on a small, fist-sized hole at the left-top edge of the ceiling.

"I'm sure it wasn't there before..."

Sending her chakra to her soles, Akai climbed up the wall, and examined the hole. It wasn't really big, but it looked like something had gone through it. Akai noticed a small, thin, translucent skin stuck near that, and frowned, picking it up. It wasn't big enough for her to determine what was it, though. Holding it near her nose, she sniffed it a bit.

"... Reptile...?"

Her eyes widened. "A summoning?!"

Jumping down, she approached her desk, and scanned through it. Many things are misplaced. Her books weren't stacked in the correct order, and so were her kunais stock. She may be a thief, but she's a quite tidy person.

And then she gasped. "No... Please tell me he didn't take it..."

She started to drop her stuff from the desk, one by one, looking and examining through everything. She kept muttering the same words, over and over, and when finally her desk was left with nothing, her breath hitched. She fell to the floor, out of shock.

"No... Not my pill bottle..." She whispered, clenching her fists, "I need it... Why was it taken?!"

Her shaking hand went through her pocket, pulling out a small plastic bag. She lifted it up, counting how many pills left inside. Only thirteen. Thirteen pills were all she had to fight against death.

She bit her lip at the amount of the medicine. "Will this be enough...?"

Clutching the plastic bag tightly, she let out a growl, and stood up.

"I don't want to die... No, I will not die, tashikani!"

| * | * | * | * | * |

A chapter with no tension, to calm you down from the last one. We hope you still enjoy it?

Anyways, I wanna cry. This story will be over soon... just a few more chapters... (whoops, spoiler XD)

Don't forget to comment, tell us what you think! And also hit that little star below, okay?

See you later, tashikani!