The door clicks nearly silently behind Hinata as she emerges from the restroom, and Shika slides his gaze away from her blushing pale face to allow her more time to compose herself.
"..and Shizune determined there is nothing inherently wrong with the rice or the bowl. With that drag of a violent reaction, either he's allergic to chakra boosters or to, um, well, rice." Shika says, completing the report as he had heard it.
"So we tossed out that entire batch of food for... nothing?" Sakura says, folding her arms thoughtfully as she directs her gaze to the door.
"It was a good precaution to take. We determined that we have no sabotage by the enemy. Also, the investigation showed that no one attempted to take his life. Considering what we do know of him, of his extended time in Suna, that is good news to hear." Shikamaru says.
Sakura narrows her eyes and looks to Hinata.
"How is he?" Hinata's pale white eyes flick her way. Shikamaru frowns and wonders if his plan to send her in first was such a wise one.
"Ed-sama.. H-he's..Um. H-he doesn't wish to go to the h-hospital." Hinata looks his way. "H-he didn't d-do anything while I was in t-there but..uh..."
"Is he sitting by the toilet?" Sakura presses softly, and is rewarded with a shy little nod. The veins on the sides of Hinata's temples bulge from her extended use of her Byakuban, proving that she sees what is currently beyond the closed door quite clearly. "Good, then this is still a medical matter, and not for Investigations. Shika, could you give me some room?"
Shika does his best lazy yawn and slouches his hands into his pockets. As he leans one shoulder against the far wall, he hears Sakura's sharp knock echoing on the rest room door.
"Fuk off" Ed's ragged voice rasps from beyond the wooden plank. Shika shakes his head and looks off to the side, searching for a cloud to watch.
"H-he really s-should be examined the w-ward, like Mr.Y-yamanaka is now."
"I know." Shika widens his eyes at the unexpected arrival of the Hokage herself. Sakura darts her eyes to Tsunade's and immediately steps back into a respectful bow with both hands clasped together. Tsunade sweeps by as if ignoring her presence and folds her arms as she faces the closed door. She takes in a deep breath, which serves enhance her ample bosom, and speaks with a tone of great authority.
Only Shika finds he can't understand a single word she says.
It's as if he's listening to.. Ah. Now he gets it. Of course. She must have come from examining Inoichi, and he either implanted the language in her brain, which he imagines would be a bothersome pain, or, (This would be an awkward drag if so) he told her exactly what to say and had her practice it to perfection.
Shika lowers his brows slightly as she finishes the Nonsense, and silence fills the air. For several heartbeats, she turns her gaze to Shika, and turns back only when the knob jiggles. He notes that Tsunade doesn't appear to be in pain, and is well aware that her significant medical skills would mask any signs of mental distress.
The door creaks open.
Bruised golden orbs burn them all from within sunken pale cheeks. Enveloped in far too much cloth, the rail thin young man shambles out and painfully reminds Shika much of Choji's nearly fatal visit to the hospital ward.
"Chakra exhaustion. Before the war has even begun, We have chakra exhaustion." The Hokage mutters softly as if to herself.
Shika darts his eyes to Sakura and Hinata, and sees them share a startled glance. They didn't miss the weighty lesson their teacher was giving them this very moment, of what signs to look for in a nin for the coming days in the medical core. If not for the shiny metallic left leg, Shika rather thought Ed resembled a walking corpse having a good day.
He watches Ed's gaze flare with a mixture of recognition and deep suspicion as he looks them over.
"Have we met?" Tsunade says slowly.
"No." Ed rasps, and swallows as he does not quite look away from the amble bosom of the woman before him. "You very like someone."
"And me?"
Ed darts his gaze to Sakura, and Shika sees a faint fluttering of expressions as he looks away.
"Not one I trust." He says steadily, glare fixed pointedly upon Tsunade's face. "You want thing I know. Pay fair? Yes?"
Tsunade nods, then turns to Sakura.
After Sakura introduces the Hokage, herself, and Hinata, Tsunade breaths in to speak again.
"You said word I not know." Ed interrupts with a raised index finger. The gesture shows off the many seals on the pale skin of his arm.
"Huh?" The Hokage says wisely.
"Then I open." Ed gestures to the door. "I learn you speak word."
"Uh. W-what word?"
"Chakra." Ed says, and skews his brows. "What "chakra"?"
"..you're really not a nin." Sakura says with a chuckle.
"No." Ed lowers his brows.
Tsunade looks at him with narrowed eyes.
"Then tell me why you wish to see a sealing so much?"
Ed folds his own arms as he lifts his chin with a straight spine. Shika smirks as he sees the cloth of the borrowed outer shirt flop nearly to his knees; the overall effect making the blond appear ever smaller amongst the slightly taller women.
"Reasons." Ed grinds out. Shika notices a vein throbbing at his temple.
"Very well." Tsunade looks over at Sakura. "This is done with my full authority as Hokage of Konohagakure. Show him exactly how a person is sealed."
ooooo
"This no harm this person?" Ed asks in Gibberish as he points to a guard standing in the very center of a large scribble placed on the floor. The guard rolls his eyes and begins examining his fingernails.
"No. Neither of them will be hurt." The girl called Sakura says with a wide faked smile on her face. "Now will you just..?"
Ed darts his eyes her way, swallows with a deep frown. He steps back with great reluctance and sweeps his gaze over the design, studying it.
Another nin stands across from them both, and bring his hands together. The fingers are a blur of movement, and Ed feels the little hairs on base of his skull rise.
He tries not to think of the long ago basement experiment, or the massive wave of blood seeping into neatly balanced chalk lines. He grips his left thigh as he feels the throb of remembered pain, and equation after equation flowing forth unbidden from his memory.
The nin lunges down suddenly and smacks his palm onto the floor. Ed feel a faint buzzing in his bones as the room fills with a burst of white smoke.
"There." Sakura says with a false cheer. "A real sealing."
"Yeah." Ed manages, watching the smoke swirl. He turns his widened gaze to the girl, and frowns.
"Listen. I'm sorry that they choose to deceive you with the switching technique and an lousy illusion, but..."
"Bring! Him! Back!" Ed snaps his eyes back into the haze.
Sakura stops talking so fast, her smacks uselessly closed. She lets out a breath of air, and says. "Do it."
A burst of smoke follows another set of waving fingers. Ed doesn't wait for the bored guard to walk off design before he grabs the man's chin and examines his general condition with his own eyes. The man nearly snarls as he pushes him away, but Ed is grinning as he stumbles back. At the side of the scribble, he impulsively waves his right hand over the great mark. The entire thing glows faintly gold in response, and he hears several gasps of surprise.
His smile fades as he looks to the pink haired girl, who offers up a frail grin.
"Is trick, right?" Ed says in Gibberish.
Her brows lower as her face pinches in confusion.
"Is trick of eyes. You show me what I want to see." Ed says, trying to clarify with his limited mastery of the stupid language. "Like that Kankuro. Tricks and tricks and.."
She shakes her head.
"It's real." She says, and adds. "Oh! I can show you how to tell but..."
Ed narrows his eyes.
"I'll show you, ok? I might get in trouble for it, but it's simple enough that it's not really much of a secret."
Sakura brings her hands together much like the other nin had. Ed darts his eyes to that side of the room and sees the nin slouching against the wall, seemingly glaring daggers at the guard.
"It's a technique we nins use to break ourselves out of the illusion cast by others like us." Sakura continues, "Kai!"
"Kai?" Ed says, and shakes his head. "Say word and..?" Ed waves his hand in a lazy circle.
"More than that actually. You disrupt the flow of your chakra at the same time." Ed lowers his brows.
"It's like waking from a dream." She simplifies and raises her palms. "You do not have the skill I do, I guess. So, um. Shall I..?"
She steps closer, and nearly places her palms on either side of his chest. He steps back with a disbelieving frown.
"What?" He says, chuckling nervously.
"I'm just going to disrupt the flow of your chakra." She says. "That way you know this is real, ok?"
Ed stares at her sea green eyes, seeing in her a faith, no, a confidence, which is only brought about by learning a skill. It is so very different in nature than the misguided Rose of Liore. He swallows down the bitter pill that this "chakra" nonsense may be as much about faith as it is about a technique of an unknown science.
He's is an Alchemist, and wells knows that true Alchemy is a science which emphasizes one must experience all that life has to offer.
With that thought, he stands solidly, and nods to give his permission. Even through the cloth of the massive borrowed shirt, her palms are quite warm.
He hears her cry of "kai!" before the world completely shatters.
ooooo
Tsunade strides into the room and immediately knows where to go. She begins pushing her way past the many nins clustered in the small place, and wonders just how so many can be so idle at a time like this.
"All of you clear out of here. Now." She orders, "Go to your posts!"
Some begin moving off, and other stubbornly remain. She turns her glare at them and allows her killing intent to rise.
"T-this is my post." One nin stammers. "I-I'm in Intelligence..." The others nod even as they back from her presence warily.
"This is a Medical matter. Now. Get. Out." She says, and doesn't bother to note their passing as she turns her attention to the matter at hand.
The boy she saw earlier stands so solidly still he may as well be made of metal, and the only movement she sees is the steady twitching of his lips. Her student, Sakura, is on the ground, hands shaking, and as she looks her way, she lowers them limply to her lap. She shakes her head as she says, "Tsunade-sama.."
"What happened." A statement of a demand rather than a question of any sort.
Sakura swallows as she begins. "I just disrupted his chakra and this.." She lifts the draping cloth of the over large shirt just enough to expose the skin.
The dark march of the many seals she glimpsed in the hall is readily apparent, and she lowers her brows at the disturbing sight.
"W-what's it doing..?"
"Shh..!" Tsunade hisses and turns her attention to the only other movement on the boy's body. His voice is hoarse and so wispy, she brings her ear close.
She widens her eyes in horror at what she hears. She shakes her head as she steps back to gaze at the unseeing golden eyes. She snaps her fingers, the noise echoing loudly in the near empty room, but the boy doesn't so much as blink.
"Disrupt his chakra." Sakura obeys without question.
"Kai!"
Tsunade dives to catch the boy as he collapses into a boneless heap. She grabs one of his limp wrists and looks closely at the seals, now sedate on the too pale skin. At length, she slides her eyes towards her student.
"We need a seal specialist to look these over right away." Tsunade says. "I think I know what the Akatsuki bought him for."
Sent via a stray supercharged nano particle of unobtainium....
No comments:
Post a Comment