When Ibiki saw Akai in her mental state, he couldn't react. He was far too shocked. He used to think of her as an unbreakable shinobi, holding tight to her principles. Not even broken bones could stop her from fighting.

And yet, there she was, screaming her heart out with tears pouring down her eyes, her whole figure shaking despite how she had won the fight, covered in blood. Her teammates soon arrived at the scene, also stunned by her state.

Akito and Shin slowly approached her, still not knowing what to do. Akai was their rock, the strongest of the three, the one who protected them. Seeing her so broken made them feel devastated.

Akito kneeled in front of her, and slowly snaked his arms around her, pulling her closer to his chest and hugged her tight. Her screams ceased, and finally stopped, as she clutched his shirt and continued to sob. Shin crouched behind her, patting her back and ruffled her hair, muttering soothing words, trying to calm down not just her, but also Akito and himself.

Akai didn't care anymore. She had lost her cool, but she didn't care anymore. Guilt, it has been a long time since she felt that way. She tried to kill her uncle, who doesn't even hate her, who had always wanted to apologize. It was her fault, not letting him to explain himself, closing her heart completely so that she didn't have to accept the bitter reality.

The almighty Red Mist had realized her mistakes. She had a family, she had friends. She should have depend on them more. She shouldn't have pushed them away.

A small cough escaped her lips, and she gritted her teeth in pain. Too late now. Her sickness. The meds are gone. Her time would be up soon.

"I-..." She stuttered, taking deep breaths. Her tears wouldn't stop falling, her hands continued to tremble even in her teammates' arms.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, closing her eyes.

With that thought, her consciousness slipped away.

| * | * | * | * | * |

Shock was an understatement. Everyone in Team Ibiki was panicking when Akai's body fell limp in Akito's arms. Ibiki rushed to their side, picking up the girl's frail figure, while Shin ran back to the village towards the hospital. Akito stayed with his sensei, while the two of them made their way back, trying to move carefully not to hurt her more.

Days passed, but no one seemed to know what to do. Her wounds healed fast, but she wouldn't wake up. They found some kind of strange medicine in her body, but none of the medic nins knew what kind of drug was that.

Shin had suggested on going back to Kiri to find Mairu, but Ibiki stopped him. As much as he hates it, no one knows the way to the said house. They would only get lost, while Akai will need them, awake or not.

As soon as Naruto returned, Akito had practically begged for help. The group rushed to the hospital, hearing the matter, but that doesn't make much difference.

"It has been long since the last time I met this case," the blonde sannin stated, "And the cure is still unknown."

"What do you mean, Lady Tsunade?"

"I... I can't do much to help her. The cure wouldn't heal her, only delaying the process. It could only be made with rare herbs from Kirigakure, and only a few people knows where to find those herbs. Not including me, sadly. This sickness was so rare that not so many people bothered to study it further. And with the stage she currently is at now, it's almost impossible to heal her."

Akito's eyes widened, Shin's breath hitched. Ibiki gripped the edge of her bed tighter, his teeth gritted in frustration.

"But I will try." The Senju added, "Before I start, though, let me ask you. What happened that triggered her sickness and send her into a coma like this?"

"Her name is Akai," Akito started, "Akai Hozuki. She is the infamous Red Mist, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist."

"She fought against Kisame Hoshigaki." Shin told the Sannin, "She won, but when we got there, I guess she felt guilty. We don't know much about the fight, but Ibiki-sensei said he heard some words like 'overdose' and such."

Tsunade turned at the Morino, asking for more information. But the man only looked away, his brows furrowed while he clenched his fist.

| * | * | * | * | * |

It has been a long time since anyone could see Akai's grey eyes, filled with her usual excitement. She hasn't woken up yet, much to their dismay. But her condition, luckily, was getting better.

"Well, that chatty nurse will kick us out soon, so, see you tomorrow, Akai!" Akito said, as he looked away from the clock, back to Akai's motionless figure. The other two males nodded in agreement, saying their own goodbyes before they left the room.

If only they had stayed.

Hours later, almost reaching midnight, the said girl opened her eyes. It was dark, but she could clearly see where she was. A hospital room, on the bed with IVs attached to her body.

Akai blinked. A deep breath escaped her lips, as she brought her hands up, staring at her palm, clenching and unclenching it for a few times. She coughed slightly, instinctively pulling the blanket higher while her eyes glanced at the bedside table. Her two daggers were there, Hiramekarei and Kubikiribōchō, both laying as if waiting for their wielder to wake up. She smiled ever so slightly, reaching out towards the blades.

The sound of a sword being unsheathed made her froze. She closed her eyes, focusing on her hearing, and more voices could be heard.

"Hurry up!" A girl, running through the halls.

"Yeah! Our Lord said that we need to get her as soon as possible!" Another set of footsteps, male.

"What was her name again?!" Third, also running.

"Akai Hozuki, room 564! She's currently in coma, it's our only chance!"

Her eyes snapped open. Who the hell are they, what do they want with her?!

Akai quickly grabbed her two daggers, sealing them in her body, a jutsu her family taught her. She knew with her condition now, she wouldn't be able to fight 3 shinobis at once. She could only wait and see what would they do to her. Even if she ran away now, they would be able to find her easily.

She took some deep breaths, her right hand rummaged through her pocket, until she found what she was looking for. A folded paper, her 'in-case-of-emergency' message.

Akai silently slipped the paper under her pillow, before she turned around, her back facing the door. She bit her lip, and waited. One second, two second, three second, four, five. Ten meters, seven, five, three, two-...

The door creaked open. Watching the shadows, she could see that three shinobis had entered the hospital room. Akai closed her eyes, her body relaxed despite her racing mind.

"This is easy." The voice said with a laugh.

Cold air suddenly hit her, as the blanket was ripped away, exposing her wounded, bandaged limbs.

A hand went and cover her nose and mouth. Before Akai could do anything, a strange smell entered her nostrils.

Then her body went numb, followed by her mind.

| * | * | * | * | * |

Ibiki entered the hospital room with Shin and Akito following him, Akai laying motionless against the bed. Ibiki walked to the bed as the boys took the seats beside of it, holding their gifts in their hands.

As always, he went to her side, brushing a few strands away from her face. But unlike usual, she didn't twitch. Ibiki narrowed his eyes, taking off his gloves and touched her skin, but instantly pulled his hand away. Her skin felt cold as ice, and it was at this moment that he noticed the girl had no chest movement.

"Akai." Ibiki called, shaking the girl slightly, but she didn't move. Her closed eyes never opened, and she looked peacefully asleep. Not even a single movement, not even a single sound from her.

"Akai!" He said louder, picking up the limp girl by her shoulders, but her head just rolled back. At this point, the two boys started panicking and ran out of the room to get help.

"No, don't do this." He said to her before turning slightly. "I need help in here!" Ibiki screamed, and in came the girl's teammates with a few nurses. The nurses took the small blue-haired girl from the large man, and they began to perform CPR on her.

"Akai, don't do this to me..." Ibiki muttered slightly, looking at the blue haired girl. "You're a pain in my ass, yes, but you can't just leave."

Ibiki and his team watched as the nurses tried to get the girl's heart to start again, but after a few minutes, they stepped back and glanced over at the boys with a sad look on their faces.

"I'm sorry." One said. "She's gone."

"No..." Ibiki muttered slightly, as Akito broke down into tears, and Shin just stared at the body of their deceased teammate.

"No she's not..." The bald man said as he moved towards Akai, and grabbed her by the shoulders. He started to shake her, screaming at her to wake up. A single tear ran down his face, but not one person in that room would dare to tell a soul.

"Akai, you can't leave. You have a life ahead of you. You have so much potential. You cannot just die now!" Ibiki said in a stern tone of voice.

"Sensei." Shin said as he placed his hand on the man's arm. "Enough."

"She can't be gone." Akito said, shaking his head as he took a few steps back, slowly sitting down on the next bed.

"But she is, Akito. And... And we have to accept that, for her sake." Shin muttered, closing his eyes as he leaned on the wall, still in a state of shock.

But the pink-haired boy swore not to show it. Akito likes Akai, and Ibiki was the closest one to her. If anyone could stay strong at this moment, that person was the Haruno, no one else.

Shin looked at Akito, who was still trembling on his seat, tears falling from his eyes as he clenched his fists. Shin gritted his teeth at the sight, turning back to look at Akai's lifeless body.

Akito looked up, but seeing his crush  frozen in his Sensei's arm, he couldn't take it, and immediately looked away, closing his eyes as he took a few deep breaths trying to calm himself down.

Quietly, Ibiki placed Akai back down on the bed slowly, taking a few steps away from her and letting his shoulder fall slightly, as he let out a heavy sigh.

| * | * | * | * | * |

It was a week later, and the entire village seemed like it was depressed. The skies were grey and the clouds allowed their tears to fall freely to the ground in the form of raindrops, landing on the people and their umbrellas as they walked.

Akito was dressed in all black, his headband tied around his forehead and his brother beside of him as he walked. His brother placed his hand on Akito's shoulder, squeezing it slightly to comfort him every once in a while.

Shin was also dressed in all black, but his headband was missing. His sister, Sakura, stood beside of him as she finished fixing his outfit, and they left together. Sakura and Shin never spent a lot of time together, but lately Shin always needed Sakura to help him get through the day without feeling empty.

But most of all, Ibiki was dressed in all black. He tied his headband around the top of his scared head, staring into the mirror. Now, no one understood why he was acting the way he was over a comrades death. Comrades die all the time, and they never affect him like this.

But Ibiki knew why he was.

Because Akai wasn't just Akai. She wasn't just his teammate, his squad member or someone who he taught. She was someone who could get under his skin and actually bother him. She was someone who gave Ibiki a reason to push them. She was someone whom Ibiki actually cared about. Because she wasn't just a team member, she was like a child to him oddly enough.

He left to the funeral, being one of the last people to arrive. The rain was still falling and people were speaking over what they believed Akai to be, and what they knew about her. Akito and Shin were too torn up to speak, and the last person asked to saying anything was Ibiki.

He slightly hesitated before getting up and walking to the front of all the people who had chosen to attend. He stared at their faces before beginning to talk.

"Akai was... She was something different. Akai was someone who forced you to smile, even when she didn't try to. Akai was someone who... who put everyone in front of herself. Put her own life on the line multiple times for everyone she knew. And even some of those she didn't. Akai was selfless, and brave. She was everything everyone should want to be." Ibiki said before turning to the headstone. "Akai, my life will never be the same from knowing you, brat." He said sadly as he rubbed the headstone that said,

'Akai Hozuki, loved teammate and friend.'

| * | * | * | * | * |

"Sensei." Akito called. Ibiki looked up, finding his students in front of him. He sighed, putting down his sake bottle.

"What is it, Shin, Akito?"

"We found this under her pillow." Shin stated, pulling out a small folded paper. Ibiki reached out and took it, inspecting it. It was folded neatly, but a little crumpled, probably have stayed in her pocket for a while.

His two remaining students stood behind him, and the man slowly unfolded the paper, revealing the message, written messily by Akai.

'Well, guys, I'm terribly sorry for being unable to say this to all of you, directly. You can say that I'm scared... or whatever.

Anyways!
You must be wondering about everything (literally) about me. So, I'm going to tell you. And DO NOT ask questions.

My dad was a Hozuki, and so are his nephews. As you already know, Mangetsu is dead. I'm currently looking for Suigetsu, his brother, and I'm planning to give him Zabuza's sword, like how he always wanted.

My mom was a Hoshigaki. See? 2 feared clans, and I have their blood in me. As far as I remember, everyone in Kiri calls me a freak.

My mom has a little brother. It's Sameshi, the one I fought at the preliminary. In other words, he's my uncle. He's not that young, he was in disguise.

His real name is Kisame Hoshigaki.

You're right, Ibiki. A messed up past. My dad's gone, Mangetsu's killed, Suigetsu's kidnapped, Kisame left. My mom died due to a sickness, which I also have. I hope that explains the whole coughing blood thing.

I really don't know how much time I still have before it kills me (not long, definitely), but I'm glad that I told you. Maybe I'm not with you when you read this, but it doesn't matter, right?

See you. Probably.

-Red Mist, tashikani'

Ibiki gritted his teeth, slamming the paper down. "I'm not keeping it." He grumbled, before he stormed out of the dining room.

Akito and Shin turned at each other, letting out heavy sighs. Shin took the paper, folding it back, handing it to Akito.

"Here, Blondie. It's yours. Don't lose it."

"Never, tashikani."

| * | * | * | * | * |

Kisame took a sip of his coffee, staring at the clock waiting for his partner to return. His injuries had resulted in him being unable to go to missions for weeks, due to the poison. It was well-made, Sasori told him, as it took him almost 3 days to find the cure.

This only makes the Hoshigaki felt even prouder. Yeah, he lost against his niece, but he's fine with it. She grew up into a splendid swordwoman.

"Kisame."

The blue-skinned man turned, seeing his partner standing in front of him.

"At last you're back, Itachi! Leader-sama gave us a new mission, and now I'm allowed to go! Let's-..."

"I received a bad news." The Uchiha cut him off, pulling out a sheet of paper. Kisame raised an eyebrow, taking the paper. The title said it was a medical report. But a few words caught his eyes, making him abruptly stood up as his lips parted.

'Akai Hozuki... Unknown sickness... Comma... Found dead in her hospital room...'

"No..."

The man gritted his teeth, and ran out of the hideout.

| * | * | * | * | * |

A cloaked figure could be seen crouching in the middle of Konoha's cemetery, right in front of a grave.

"Goddamnit, Akai. You're leaving so soon. I haven't officially congratulated you yet." He muttered, placing his calloused hand on the tombstone, tracing his finger over the name written on it.

"Yeah, it should stay this way. Akai Hozuki. You shouldn't have my name too. Hoshigaki is a disgrace."

"I'm sorry, Akai. I don't know if you will forgive me, probably not. But just telling you this."

"I'm proud of you. So proud of you. I'm sorry that I leave you, but please believe me, Akai. I actually love you, your cousins, I love you all, but I had to leave you." He whispered, letting out another huff as he stood back up.

The man sighed, looking at the sky as it began to rain, "I will find Suigetsu for you, I promise, Little Red. Then I'll let him beat me up, like how you want to."

"See you later, Akai. This time, I will visit."

| * | * | * | * | * |

In the end, we authors just can't wait to post this chapter. Almost 3000 words.

Now, before you continue to read this annoying author note, wipe away your tears and calm yourself down.

Okay, here we go:

There, the ending. Heartbreaking? Definitely, ne? We felt the same (not really).
Thank you so much guys, Reader-senpai, or anything, for sticking with us through the whole 20 chapters, through the funny, the scary, the happy, and of course the sad moments. Thank you for all your comments, all your votes.

We really enjoy writing this story. We're really attached to Akai's character, what she did and even her life story. With that in mind, the journey is not over.

THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL.

You heard me right. A sequel. You might be wondering how (of course you won't ask why. You're happy, admit it) but trust me. A sequel is coming up soon.

So don't remove this story from your Library. We will announce to you when we got it published, but for the time being, just wait.

For the time being, just wait. It won't be that long. JUST WAIT, THE SEQUEL IS COMING, TASHIKANI!!!