A strong scent of flowers is what stirs me awake. More specifically, it smells like jasmines – my namesake. I remember... when I first arrived in the Hidden Leaf, and even in the Land of Fire... the forests were lined with them at almost every angle. Everywhere I turned, every bush I took refuge in and under to avoid the drastic weather changes, there they were, their white petals seeming to stand out, even in the shade. I love them. The house I live in has them all across the backyard, too.

When I finally open my eyes, I find that my surroundings are really no different than standing on my own property – save for all the medical equipment, of course. I am in a hospital, after all. I knew this even before I opened my eyes. I've never had the chance to be in one, myself – I've never been so sick for Makara-sensei to drag me to one down below in the Hidden Snow – but I could feel something inside the crook of my elbow, something uncomfortable. It's not really sharp, but it sits there with a clear liquid draining from a hanging plastic bag.

Medicine, I realize, blinking at it almost stupidly for a whole minute before. Maybe it's why I still feel so sleepy. But I am surrounded by these flowers. "Get well" gifts, I imagine. Ino's family owns a flower shop... I wonder if they came from them.

It takes a little while for me to be reminded of why I'd been put here in the first place. The Chūnin Exams; my battle with Garasu. My loss. And, of my injuries. Ah. Injury. Or did something else happen to me?

In a strange sense of the word, I'm strapped down to my hospital bed, my limbs trapped and tucked under what feels like several blankets. Beneath them, my stomach itches, and when my body shifts, it feels like something is catching on the lowest sheet. It's a struggle, and it takes me a while be able to free my one arm to free the rest of me, but I've managed to fling the five blankets to the foot of my bed.

Breathing heavily, I then take one deep breath before looking down at my stomach, where I'd caught a glimpse of bandaging wrapped around it. I figure... as much as the curiosity kills me... I probably shouldn't touch it until I see the doctor, finally.

I hear a sudden moan from nearby and shoot a quick look to the opposite side of the room, my heart racing in surprise of not being alone. In another bed, wrapped up in his own sheets, I can see his black hair poking out and easily recognize it to belong to my teammate.

"S... Sasuke," I'm barely able to squeeze out. I force a cough to try and rid my throat of the raspy feeling stuck inside it, but it only burns it further. I look around the room for any possible water or drinkable liquid and spot a small cup and a pitcher of water laying at my bedside. My hands are a little shaky, but I still make the attempt to reach over and at least grab the cup. It just as easily slips out between my fingers and clatters onto the floor.

"Need a hand?" a voice gently calls. I'd jump in bed if it didn't hurt to move as normal, so I force myself to cautiously turn back around to where I remember the doorway being and find a white-haired woman standing in front of it, having just closed the door behind her.

"A-Are you the doctor?" I decide to ask. The woman shakes her head, still smiling.

"No, Kari," she answers – I immediately tense. She begins walking toward me, toward the other side of the bed, to pick up the cup and pour me some water. "My name is Minako Yamada."

"Yamada?!" I exclaim back at her, my throat cleared from the rasp. She tuts at me, carefully holding me by my shoulders to press me back down against my pillow before raising the bed. "Your last name is Yamada?"

"It is," she confirms. "I'm your grandmother."

"You're... Taon's mother," I finally register, knowing Makara to be Mara's mother. Before I can help myself, I recall her warning in the letter she left for me.

If they are anything like Taon, they cannot be trusted.

But is that really true? I'm sure she's had plenty of encounters with the Yamada, but this Minako woman... somehow... and I know I've only just met her... but I'm just finding it difficult to distrust her. With no hesitation, she'd told me who she is, and cared for me, even if it is just a cup of water.

"That's right." From the right side of my bed, she pulls a rolling stool into view and sits in it, her head and her shoulders now level with me. "I hope I don't come across as a horrible person when I ask this of you, Kari, but... I'm sure your grandmother left you with some choice words about us."

The feeling to be outright honest with Minako is so strong that I end up blurting out my next words.

"She said the Yamada can't be trusted," I say. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize, Kari," she says before patting my taped up hand – there's another needle-tube there, too, that I hadn't noticed. "It isn't your fault, only ours."

So they did do something to deserve being untrustworthy...

"Why... exactly... are you here, then?" I then ask her. She smiles.

"I'm here for you."

"For me," I repeat. "Are you saying you're here for me? Or that you're here for me?"

"I suppose they are one in the same, in a way," she decides. "I've come to bring you home with me."

"But I am home," I tell her, not missing a beat. "My grandmother was the only family I thought I had back in the Land of Snow, but now she's dead. Her dying wish was for me to return to the Hidden Leaf – my real home."

Minako hums, pulling her hand away from mine. "Did Makara ever happen to tell you where she lived in this village?"

"No, she didn't," I say. "It wasn't important." But then she points behind my head, where I know sits a window.

"You might change your mind when you look outside," she says. Frowning, I follow her finger. It takes me a moment to recognize it, but I can't help my eyes from widening when I do.

"I-Isn't that—""The Uchiha Compound," she finishes for me. "Curious, isn't it? How so alike she and your young friend behind me look. How similar Mara and her look? It isn't a coincidence of any kind, Kari. I don't know how much she's neglected to tell you or how honest she's been to you, but her name is Makara Uchiha. And when the clan was at its peak, she had been its matriarch."

"I..." I'm shaking my head too much, but I can't seem to stop. I can't believe what I'm hearing come from this stranger's mouth. I-It's just impossible.

"Has she ever shown you her Sharingan?" Minako inquires. I swallow, hard. "It's not so common that female Uchiha manage to achieve it, and yet she was one of the first. That generation was something else, after all..." She seems to lose herself in thought, leaving me to my own, which I instead vocalize.

"T-There's just no way!" I insist, propping myself up on my elbow to face her better. "My Sensei has the Sharingan, and he is not an Uchiha."

"Kakashi Hatake has a Sharingan," she corrects me. "It is possible to receive and transplant eyes if they hold ocular Jutsu, like the Sharingan. He likely received it from an Uchiha. It would be the same with the Byakugan that the Hyūga have.

"Haven't you made these connections since you've arrived here? You've had plenty of time to collect proof."

I shake my head at Minako, astonished.

"Why are you saying this like she's guilty and I need evidence?" I demand of her. "My grandmother, the only family I've ever known, is dead, and you're trying to make her sound like some kind of criminal? She was trying to protect me from the world. I don't care that she hid from me what her family name was – I only wish she told me who she really was to me sooner, but even then, she was trying to protect me from the pain she knew I'd feel the day I had to leave her behind. She knew it was coming."

I take a deep sip of my water.

"You and whoever else shares our last name – where were you? I don't doubt that you've known where we were the whole time, and yet, none of you bothered to show your faces the entire time. The one and only person who stayed by my side was Makara-sensei. Not you. And her being an Uchiha is pretty amazing. Would you leave? Now, please?"

"Kari—""Leave! You don't get to say things about her when she's gone! I'm not going back with you, so leave me alone!"

I barely hear my door click open over the rapid beeping of the machine that says its monitoring my heart, and to my anxious surprise, the Lord Hokage walks in, looking furious.

"No one gave permission for visitors," he says to Minako, "nor should you be in this village at all, Minako."

"Knowing my granddaughter was here, you truly expected me to stay away for long?" she retorts. A wave of heat flushes through my body in the form of anger.

"I wish you would have stayed away longer," I spit. Lord Hokage gives a slight wave of his hand behind him, and through the now-open doorway enters several members of the Anbu.

"I'll have these men escort you out of the village now." Minako shoots a look over her shoulder at him before turning back to me. "Minako."

"Kari," she calls to me, her tone bordering desperation, but I've since turned my back to her, refusing to dignify her with any kind of response. "Kari..."

"Now, let's go."

Her reluctance comes off in waves, while I can easily feel the Lord Hokage's anger and frustration, emotions that I've seldom seen him wear – around me, at least. And I have spent quite a bit of time around him.

"This way please, Lady Minako," one the Anbu gesture toward the door. Their footsteps eventually disappear, the door remaining open behind them.

"To... add on to what I'm sure Minako already told you," he starts, but I cut him off.

"I already know. I know she's an Uchiha. I already knew that she lived here, a long time ago. I know the house you gave me was Mara and Taon's. And I know... that Mara is still alive."

"How do you know?" he asks

"She visited me, on the last day of the Chūnin Exams and on that mission to the Land of Waves," I lowly explain. "But you already knew that she was. And... you already knew they were both Uchiha. You... didn't think that was important to tell me? Maybe... to tell Sasuke?"

He clears his throat with a light cough. "In truth, it wasn't the time for you to know these things," he says. "In fact, it still isn't."

"Then who's permission do I need, then?" I ask. "I can't get Makara's – she's dead. My mother? Should I just wait until she appears again? My father? He's dead, too, isn't he? So, I have you, the man who should know all about "these things", and Minako, who I can't stand to see even after knowing her for all of five minutes! You mean to say that it's not time for you to reveal more of your secrets? Like the one you had everyone in the village keep about Naruto?"

I don't mean for those words to come out – I never planned for them to, despite my great anger toward him and the village for everything surrounding that secret. I might as well just let everything spill out while I'm at it. Why stop now?

But nothing else comes out except tears – I count myself lucky that they're silent.

"I... suppose so," is his response. There's a slight creak in the flooring when I hear him walking away from my bedside.

I feel like I'm finally able to take a proper breath when he finally shuts the door, sinking even deeper into the pillows behind my head and letting out a sharp exhale. I've only been awake for less than ten minutes, but for however long I'd already been sleeping, I wish I'd do it again.

Drifting in and out of consciousness has become a common theme in mine and Sasuke's hospital room. As far as I've seen, he hasn't woken up once, his body too worn out from what had happened to him back in the Forest of Death, but he also could've easily woken when I'd been asleep.

It must be near evening now, from what I can see of the light coming through the window. The last bit of sun is setting and sending its last sun into our room, cast over the bit of floor I can see in the corner of my eye. It suddenly gets too bright for me, after having been asleep again and just waking up, and so I shut my eyes again, and try to focus on the beeping of my machines to put me to sleep again. The sooner morning comes, the sooner my next treatment comes.

Apparently... Garasu had done a lot worse than shatter my cheekbones. The reason I started losing strength, why I'd started vomiting and puking up blood – she's a Medical-nin. She used some technique called "Body Pathway Derangement" to screw up my insides... damage my organs... She even ruptured my spleen, which, I was told wasn't such a terrible thing; it's not something I need in order to live, anyway – it just hurt a lot, so they'd removed it with surgery. That's why my stomach was all bandaged up.

But the sooner I get out of here, the sooner I can help Naruto – and maybe even Sasuke if he manages to get out of here in time – prepare for the finals. I'm so very happy for them that they managed to move on to the last round... and so very happy for them and Sakura that they didn't have to face Garasu. None of them would make it against her.

Not only this, but I want to find that Snow "Jōnin" and confront him. Why did he look like that? Why did he get so worried over me? I'm... still uncomfortable about it. I want to find him as soon as possible to ask. And I'm not waiting until the day of the exam to do so.

The door of our room clicks open. I don't bother to look, trying hard to keep focused on the beeping to put me back to bed. It's probably just one of the nurses checking on our vitals again. At least, that's what I'd thought until whoever'd entered speaks.

"I suppose brilliance can sometimes have its disadvantages. We failed to avoid Orochimaru's watchful eye, and it's most unfortunate for both of us."

That's... Kabuto, my semi-tired brain decides. It sounds like him, but... why does he sound like that? So spiteful? And... Orochimaru?

Oh, that's right. That's the person who attacked Sasuke and the others back in the Forest of Death, isn't it? Wait, was Kabuto attacked by him, too? I listen closer, ignoring the beeping now, hoping to get further information, but he doesn't speak again about it. As much as I try to ignore it, the same beeping fills the room, until there's a loud whoosh of air forcing half of my hair onto my face. I hold my breath, trying not to react to it tickling me so I don't move.

"Well, well, Kakashi," Kabuto says, in that same dreary tone. Sensei?! "Foiling my attack by striking from my blind spot, huh? But now, are you ready to take me on? Next time, you should station at least ten guards."

"You..." I dare to peek through my one eye, finally discerning where they stand in the room by just Kabuto speaking. He's nearby Sasuke's cot, standing before the bed and holding a knife. I try not to react, but my blood has gone cold and it's uncomfortable. "You're not an ordinary Genin, are you? You caught a whiff of me and immediately readied your weapon. Quite impressive."

"You overestimate me," Kabuto says.

"So. What do you want with Sasuke? Finding you like this, I ought to haul you in for questioning."

"What, just you?" Kabuto scoffs. "I wonder if you could."

"Are you looking to take me on?" Kakashi-sensei inquires. "Wait. I know who you are. You're the Leaf's Medical Corps chief's son. Your name... what was it... Kabuto Yakushi? What are you, one of Orochimaru's puppets?"

"Even if you did take me into custody, you'd never be able to prove if I was connected to him."

"Just answer the question."

"And if I say no?"

"I'm the one asking the questions," my Sensei reminds him.

"Look, you'll have your answers soon enough, even if I'm not here," Kabuto tries to reason, "so why don't we skip the middleman and let me go?"

"You smart alecky little brat." I can sense Kakashi-sensei's temper rising, not even by his tone, but by the new energy in the room. I hear a clink of metal. "I'll teach you to mess around with grownups."

For a moment, I'd forgotten that my bed has an attention alarm next to it. I consider making the brash move to press it, but I realize just before my body jerks toward it that it would probably be a huge mistake to invite any new bodies into this situation. Either they could get hurt, or Kabuto could get away.

"C'mon, give me a break," Kabuto huffs before chuckling. "Don't be so arrogant. The cards are clearly in my favour here." There's a small double beep from one of my machines, a new one, that has Kabuto turning his head slightly. I'm quick to snap my eyes closed without being found out – a good trick I'd learned whenever Makara-sensei had thought to check up on me in the middle of the night knowing full-well I'd still be awake. But I think the beep had meant that more of one of my medicines were being given to me because I suddenly feel forced exhaustion.

The window in front of me suddenly explodes, sending some of the glass flying into the room and lands on my bed, startling me enough to give me an extra moment of consciousness.

"K... Kakashi-sensei," is apparently all I'm able to get out before I'm finally overtaken with sleep.

The next day, Sasuke is finally, fully awake.

It's already been several days since we were taken to the hospital for our injuries. My surgery went without a hitch – no complications, and I've already taken well to the healing process. My stomach is extremely itchy, though. Sasuke had woken up near the end of my recovery, so me waking back up from the anesthetic and finding him there with his eyes open has made my day.

Now, we eat together, our meals being brought into our rooms hot and fresh and smelling delicious. He's not supposed to be out of bed at all, but he's brought his tray over to my bed to eat with me. I'm touched by the gesture, having half a mind to ask if there's a reason for it.

"Here," he suddenly says, startling me from my thoughts. "I'll trade you my chicken for your bun."

"Deal," I say, and with his fork and knife, he lifts the chicken breast onto my plate, and I drop the bun on his. I watch him as he rips it in half to spread some butter on it, only to catch his eyes rise to look at me. "Sasuke?"

"It's nothing," he mumbles, taking a bite.

"... you can talk to me," I remind him lightly. "I'm your friend." And your family, I guess. The thought has me straightening up slightly, a part of me thinking I'd said it out loud.

I... I don't know what to do. I remember hearing about the disaster of the Uchiha Clan in my first week arriving to the Hidden Leaf. I still don't know much about it, only that it had been a single person of the same clan to do it. The Uchiha were all supposed to be elite Shinobi, so this must've meant this person was above all of them. And Sasuke survived that.

... do I tell him? Do I say, "it turns out I'm like, your cousin, or something"? I want to tell him. But also, I don't want to hurt him. And... would he even believe me?

"It looks like you want to say something, too."

My breath catches in my throat, and I choke on the piece of chicken I'd just swallowed. Forcing a quick cough and patting my chest, it finally clears.

"I-I, well..." Should I just say it?

"... you had a visitor the one day," he says, "that woman with the white hair."

My heart sinks into my gut when I realize what his words mean. "You were awake, then," I say, my voice cracking. "You... heard?"

Sasuke clears his throat. "I... heard. A little."

I set my fork down on my plate and clasp my hands together, trying hard to come up with something to say to him. But all I feel I'm able to express is my relief.

"I'm glad that you did," I admit. "Ever since I was told about it, I've been trying to decide on how to tell you, but then I remember that when we first met, I'd been thinking of how much you reminded me of my grandmother. Your hair, your eyes, your stance – even the attitude," I lowly add, leading to Sasuke shaking his head and sighing at me. "You, her, my mother – all the same. And then, the Sharingan... She'd used it the night I ran away from the Land of Snow.

"M-Maybe I should've spoke about these things sooner to you, but... after I heard about what happened, I-I... I didn't want to make you sad."

"Sad isn't exactly how I feel about that anymore," he mutters, and I'm nodding now.

"I know. I'd always wanted a big family. It would've been nice." I exhale. "You're sure we never met before the Academy?"

I watch his eyes consider one of the cherry tomatoes rolling around in their bowl before looking up to me. "I think I would've remembered a sick girl walking around the compound." It's out of character for him to want to eat them first of his whole meal, but I can understand why he hasn't even touched one of them. "So, then. We're related."

"... yep." The silence that follows my single word is almost deafening; I swear I can hear my own pulse. Our eyes meet across the hospital cot once more, neither of us really blinking. A relieved heat rushes into my cheeks, and before I know it, I'm smiling at him. He makes a disgruntled expression that nearly has me laughing, though my amusement must show on my face for him to sigh out with the corner of his mouth turned upward.

"... when the Chūnin Exams are over," he suddenly starts, "I want to show you something?"

"W-Wait, when they're over?" I repeat. "That's like a month away! You couldn't have said something like that a little closer to the date?" I huff at him, reaching over and snatching a couple of his cherry tomatoes before he could stop me. "Payment for leaving me in anticipation for that long, jeez..."

To my surprise, he chuckles at me. "I think you'll say it was worth the wait when the time comes."

My chewing is aggressive, and I chew at him, contorting his previously content expression into one of annoyance.

"I better!"

Updated March 14th, 2022 | 4,066 words