As always please review, it makes me type faster and makes my day to hear from you guys and what you thing
Chapter onePain… Not nice to wake up with but Skylar finally did. Her whole body felt heavy and sore and she couldn't open her eyes, she reached up slowly and gripped the bandages to pull them off when a hand on her wrist stopped her.
"Don't." Was all Kakashi said as he let her hand go and she put her arm back down again. She felt something in her other hand and traced it with both hands and she began to cry… It was Naruto's senbon. Her breath began to hiccup as her tears wet her bandage and Kakashi rubbed the back of her hand that now held it tight. Did this mean something happened to him or did he break up with her or was she just overreacting?
"He's gone on a long mission and left it here so you had a reminder of him… You've been asleep for half a year." Kakashi explained and she nodded stiffly and swallowed hard. A pair of strong arms lifted her to sit up carefully and held a glass to her lips and tilt slowly as she drank down the liquid slowly and she heard him set it back down. She didn't feel like speaking and turned towards a soft breeze she could feel and tried her eyes but they were bandaged down to tight and she began stretching out her stiffness but the first thing she felt… Her chakra. It was small, weak and she felt cold where she could feel it wasn't reaching inside and panicked.
"Kakashi… What's happened to me?" She asked with panic.
"You have been severely damaged… I should get Tsunade or Sakura to explain, I'm not good with medical stuff." Kakashi almost laughed but she could hear the strain in his voice.
"Just tell me… Will I ever be the same again?" She asked weakly as she tried not to cry because it stung her eyes.
"We don't know but by the looks of things… You won't." Kakashi said with some sadness that only someone close to the jonin would recognise or notice. Her lip was quivering and her eyes stung as she rubbed the bandages to relieve the pain a bit.
"So much for a better life huh?" She said with a broken laugh. Kakashi flinched at that statement but Skylar couldn't see it luckily for him. "So, what is there to do around the village?" She asked, almost like she was a kid who just learned their puppy had died or something like that but it reminded him of the tone he used after his father committed seppuku.
"Well you won't be leaving the hospital for quite some time yet, yet alone walking, you just need to be patient." Kakashi chided with a small but sad laugh.
"I'll be up and moving in no time you know that." She said with a slight happier tone.
"Yes but this isn't normal damage you've sustained… What happened out there anyway?" Kakashi asked, his tone become sad and intrigued at the same time.
"I looked at the Jyuubi and first pain hit my eyes then I felt like I was on fire and breaking, it feels as though I had my chakra network ripped out and placed back into me… I can feel that most of it is still damaged and my chakra level, it's so low." Skylar said with her head tilted down towards the sheets as she ran a shaky hand over them. "Is there still water I can sip?" She asked as she turned her face back towards him.
"Yes, here." He said as he grabbed her hand and led it to the edge of the table next to her bed and slid it so it touched the jug of water and slid her hand up so she gripped the handle. She gripped it and he helped her hand lift it up and she guided her other hand to the edge of the table and Kakashi took that hand and led it to a cup as he gripped both of her wrists holding the jug and cup and helped her pour some water and set the jug back down and let her go to drink.
"I feel so helpless and scared." She said as she gripped the glass between her hands, her head tilted down towards the sheets again. "I haven't even begun to move around yet but I'm already frustrated at this… Who's there?" She asked as she turned her head in the direction of the door. Kakashi turned around to see Tsunade.
"Relax, it's just Tsunade-sama. Now you two can officially meet." Kakashi said with an eye smile at Skylar out of habit.
"It's good to see you awake and to meet you properly Uzumaki Skylar, I'm the Godaime Hokage of Konoha, Tsunade." Tsunade said as she moved up next to the bed and gripped her hand carefully and shook it gently and Skylar smiled.
"It's an honour Tsunade-sama. How's everything going since the Tsukuyomi ended?" Skylar asked as she carefully brought the glass to her lips and sipped.
"It's a bit rough with what Tobi did with the mixing around of shinobi… You wouldn't know why the Raikage's tower and prison were destroyed would you?" Tsunade asked and Skylar froze in mid sip and lowered the cup with a blush and a sheepish smile in roughly the direction of Tsunade.
"Um that was kinda my fault… I had to get Naruto and myself out of there somehow without the enemy tracking us… Long story… Can we leave it for another time?" Skylar asked as she lost her perk and her head fell back down again as she continued to sip carefully. It stayed quite for a while. "When can I get out of here?" She asked suddenly, hoping they were still there.
"Soon but now that you're awake, we can sort out your rehabilitation and living conditions. We'll give you a small apartment on the ground floor and keep you with a fund that was formed for you, you'll also be getting an Inuzuka dog for now until you can get around your house on your own." Tsunade explained.
"Can I take the bandages off yet?" Skylar asked. She felt a pair of hands touch her head and begin unwrapping the bandaging.
"I must warn you… You may not be able to see when you open your eyes Skylar. I'm looking into your injuries but I'm no miracle worker." Tsunade warned as she got to the last few wraps and Skylar nodded in her hands and stiffened for disappointment as the bandage came off. They felt glued closed as she tried to open them and felt a warm wet towel wipe at her eyes and she smelt the old blood, which didn't bode well for her. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes to see nothing but darkness.
Kakashi saw when the bandage was removed how bloody they were and he knew Tsunade changed them everyday as he took the cup from her hands and wiped at the blood around her eyes. She opened her eyes but they were blank and glazed over, a dead purple resembled them as she moved them around but also still blind. He rubbed her back gently as he could see the bloody tears forming but she nodded in acceptance and closed her eyes again as the wind picked up in the room and she opened her eyes again with furrowed brows but then they closed again.
"Alright, at least I know where I'm going, wrap them back up please." Skylar said coolly. Tsunade sighed and began wrapping with a new bandage. Kakashi noticed how her ears twitched and her nose twitched. "Dog… What would a dog be doing in a hospital?" Skylar asked and the door slid open behind them and there stood Kiba, Akamaru and a purple wolf the same size as Akamaru. "Oh, it's Kiba and Akamaru but who's the new dog?" Skylar questioned. Kakashi and Tsunade smiled at how good she still was without her eye sight as they waved the Inuzuka in.
"Hey Skylar, good to see you awake." Kiba said excitedly before looking at Tsunade and Kakashi and pointing to his eyes with a raised brow and they both shook their heads and Kiba slumped slightly.
"Thanks Kiba… Its uh, Good to see you two." She said with a grin and Kiba choked a laugh.
"The new 'dog' will be your guide for now, her name is Murasaki (Purple in Japanese). She's a purple wolf like Kuromaru." Kiba explained, getting an image in Skylar's head. Skylar hung a hand over the bed and Murasaki walked up to it, sniffed and put her head under her hand and Skylar petted her happily.
"Thank your mom for me Kiba, it will be a great help." Skylar said as she petted Murasaki who sat beside her bed now.
"I will. I'll catch you around Skylar." He said, leaving with a good choice of words.
"I'd like to get some rest now if you don't mind." Skylar asked Kakashi and Tsunade.
"Sure, sleep well." Tsunade said as she dragged Kakashi out with her. "She's taking this way to well Kakashi." Tsunade said as she turned back on him, a little down the corridor with a harsh whisper.
"She's not one to break easily. She may change her attitude completely like last time, so don't be alarmed if she does." Kakashi stated as calmly as he could and Tsunade smirked.
"Well then Kakashi, since you're so well tuned to her, I'm giving you this long term mission to help her out until she feels she doesn't need you anymore so you'll be moving in with her… Here's the keys and the address so get it set up and ready to move into because she'll be up and moving in no time." Tsunade said, throwing some keys at him and a piece of paper and left. Kakashi stretched out an arm to try to get her to wait but she was already round the corner and half way down the halls. Kakashi sighed and dropped his head and arm, looked at the address and began making his way to the apartment to set it up… She would definitely be out soon.
It was a basic apartment with a living room and kitchen in one with a counter separating the two rooms and then there were two bedrooms with a bathroom in between connecting the two. The living room had two two-seater couches with a cabinet with shelves and a T.V. He moved to look at the bedrooms that were identical with a double bed in the centre wall and a closet and bed side tables.
Kakashi had checked out the small apartment and already noticed the flaws in the layout. Having one eye covered all the time when he first got his sharingan was difficult and he knew how horrible it is to be a shinobi and still walk into things, it was going to be ten times worse for Skylar with no sight. He moved the couches to the walls and close to each other with the cabinet against another wall, next to the entrance to one of the rooms, which he chose to be his. The adjacent couch was next to a window, which he kept open a little for Skylar to know where she was by the wind. He moved to her room and pushed the bed into a corner so she could feel a little protected while she slept and put the one side table at the end of her bed, also against the wall. The bathroom door was right across the room from her bed and the closet was in the corner down from the bathroom door.
He moved to the bathroom next to see if it was user friendly and luckily it was. It was a pretty curvaceous bathroom with no corners but tiles in certain parts so she could feel where she was and he also opened the little top windows and left the bathroom door open for it to waft into her room. Then his next worries came as he entered the kitchen, it had corners on all of the cabinets he took a lightning blade and a kunai and smoothed the wood into curves so she wouldn't hurt too much if she walked into it. Deeming the house suitable, he locked up the apartment again and went to retrieve his things and hers from his apartment, bought some food and unpacked all of her things before settling in for the night.
Like Kakashi expected, three days later after Skylar drove Tsunade up the wall with nagging, she was ready to return home. He was watching through the window of the rehabilitation room as Shizune led her through an obstacle coarse with hers and Murasaki's help. He noticed how deflated she looked with having to be helped and his heart went out for his apprentice. Two years had so much happening in her life: Adjusting to a new world and chakra, being thrown into a war, having strange abilities, nearly dying multiple times, having her and her boyfriend kidnapped, saving said boyfriend with major injuries, training straight for three months to better herself, being accepted into a group, becoming a full fledged ninja and then loosing it all in one shot with near fatal injuries and now not being able to follow any sort of dream she had in the past.
It was going to be a rough few months ahead as he watched her arguing with Shizune about something as he peaked over his little orange book, it was going to be a test to their bond of friendship, family and tutorage as she learns to deal with her new life. Finally Shizune slumped in defeat and Kakashi had to laugh at the triumph Skylar's posture now held as she held onto Murasaki's harness and led her out of said room to stop at Kakashi. Skylar kept the bandages around her eyes saying the light made them sore and such but she promised Tsunade she would remove them while she slept and washed and maybe an hour or two during the day.
"You ready to go home?" Kakashi asked. She sighed and nodded as Kakashi stood next to her and nudged his elbow to her softly as she felt his arm to wrap her arm around his with her cane in hand and hold the harness in the other hand as he led them to the apartment, teaching the wolf at the same time where she lived.
"I was thinking… If I get some use of my chakra back that I should place senbons around so I can get around easier like at home, the shop, hospital and Tsunade's office just to piss her off." Skylar smirked.
"I like the last part but remember, you might not get your chakra back again like before." Kakashi warned and she nodded.
"H-hey Kakashi?" She asked tentatively and Kakashi hummed to let her know he was listening. "Thanks for taking care of me… I know it's not really your thing, you're more of an action orientated guy." Skylar apologised while her face tilted towards the ground and he could see the furrowed brows under the bandage.
"It's no problem, I don't mind… I've kind of been in some sort of position you are in right now when I first got my sharingan plus, I had enough action after the last war for a while so this is a nice change of pace. You're good company to keep around." Kakashi said with a shrug as he examined the looks he and Skylar were getting from people on the street. Skylar just smiled and gripped his arm a little tighter and Kakashi eye smiled.
He led Skylar around the house as he helped her get acquainted with it and she sat down by the window and almost looked like she was staring out of it. She unwrapped the bandage and opened her eyes to stare out the window, the glazed and dead purple gave nothing about her thoughts away.
"Are you hungry?" Kakashi asked.
"No." Was her blunt reply.
"Okay… I'll just make something so you can warm it up later when you're hungry… Tea?" He asked again as he hovered in the living room.
"Coffee please with three sugars and milk, thanks." She said, still resting her chin on her hand, staring out the window as she opened it wider. Kakashi shuffled to the kitchen and put the kettle on, Murasaki watching him from lying next to the couch as he moved around and put the stuff into the cups and gave Skylar's hers. She took it with a smile and sipped before putting it down on the table next to her on the other side of the couch, sliding it onto the surface just far enough.
Kakashi had never felt so awkward in his life before as he moved to his room and took off his flak jacket, vest and hitai-ate and sat in his room on his bed and watched her stare out of the window.
"Do you want me to label you as a pervert for staring at me after having me around for only a few hours?" She asked blatantly from her spot and turned to Kakashi, almost like she could see him. Kakashi blushed.
"Sorry… How did you know?" He asked as he lay back on his bed and pulled out his Icha Icha.
"I could feel it and I don't like people staring at me but after our little stroll through the village, I guess I better get use to it… Rumours spread quickly." She added for good measure as she smirked outside again.
"That they do." He agreed as he tried to focus on his book. He looked up after a while and noticed her stand up, grab the cane and make her way to her room. He felt conflicted on what he thought he should do, should he get up and follow her or stay where he was? He listened through the bathroom and watched through the door as he heard her rummaging around. After a few bumps and 'ow's' heard, she emerged back into the living room, found by following the walls and found her spot again. She had her earphones in and the bandage back around her eyes again.
This carried on through a few weeks. Kakashi would wake up early, dress and head to the memorial stone. When he would come back, Skylar was waking up and so he made breakfast and left her to get ready and wake up with a shower or bath and she would set the table carefully with Murasaki putting her front paws on the counters and point to what Skylar was looking for, Skylar would follow her head and down over her nose to what she was looking for and had her steps around the kitchen mapped out soon. While she cleaned and set the table, Kakashi would do a bit of training and come back in, eat and have a shower. When he came out, he would find her sitting by the window once again and staring out the window without her bandages until her eyes got too sensitive, she would then return to her room, place the bandages on and her earphones in her ears and continue to stare, not moving or eating until dinner time where Kakashi cooked and helped her set the table. They would eat together and get dressed into their sleep wear and sit in a companionable silence until they got tired and went to bed.
The routine was starting to bug Kakashi but what irritated him the most was Skylar's obvious depression. She never smiled anymore and when Kakashi suggested the go out or something, she would politely decline and go back to staring. Kakashi left her for an hour or so to do something or shopping, hoping to come back and see her doing something, anything other than staring out that stupid window… Kakashi swore he was going to board it up and see if she noticed but it would just piss him off even more. Sure, people came around to visit and Skylar would interact with them but he could see how forced it was under the bandages and frowned… He was failing her again as she sunk deeper and deeper, eating a little less everyday.
Today was different though, he came back from the memorial stone to find her still asleep and not moving around like she normally would. He knocked on her door and waited for a response. Receiving none, he opened the door and had a kunai to his neck in seconds. Skylar stood behind him with the kunai to his neck and dislodging the senbon from the wall. The kunai lowered as she flashed in red back to her bed and snuggled in, asleep instantly. Kakashi felt utterly confused at her actions… Was she even conscious when she did it? How did she do it with her chakra coil so damaged? It was time for her to visit Tsunade again.
Kakashi sat with her at the table a little later that morning as they ate in silence, completely ignoring the earlier actions. Her eyes were uncovered and open, looking around almost like she could see as she ate and picked at the table, moving the food around in an uninterested manner. The next second, he wasn't sure what happened but the window behind him smashed and the familiar clank of metal against metal happened behind him as he ducked instinctively. He looked up at Skylar who was outright scowling as she stood up, located the fallen kunai and senbon easily and threw it back out the window earning the person who threw it a thump and a yelp… The voice belonged to one Mitarashi Anko who had been trying to get under his mask since they found her at the Akatsuki base. Kakashi stood up, with his mask on and turned around to stand behind Skylar, helping her to scowl at Anko as she hopped up sheepishly and took off.
They both moved to sit back at the table and finish their tea and coffee as Kakashi stopped in mid sip. How did Skylar see the kunai coming and what about the whole Hiraishin incident that same mornings… Perhaps Skylar hadn't been wasting her time staring out the window but instead, working to fix herself again, either way, he was going to take her to Tsunade's.
"Skylar, get dressed, we're going to see Tsunade-sama this morning." Kakashi told her with a commanding tone, knowing she doesn't question him when he uses it. She frowned but nodded and moved off to her room to throw on some flick pants and a jaytee with her black hoodie and walked with Kakashi and Murasaki to Tsunade's office. Kakashi noted how much more confidently she walked now as she got use to not being able to see but she used her cane to walk up the stairs even when Kakashi offered to carry her up them.
"Nice of you to visit me Kakashi, Skylar." Tsunade said as she leaned back in her chair and was happy to see Skylar had her eyes open and not bandaged up even if it seemed like she could see and such.
"Could you do a check up on her, she's been acting off lately." Kakashi stated and Skylar snorted at him talking about her like she wasn't even there. Skylar was led to the couch in the office and sat down as she felt the hum of chakra checking her.
"Her chakra network has healed… But her coil still has a bit of healing to do and all other injuries have healed, you shouldn't bleed from your eyes anymore either as I can't find damage but healing tissue, giving me a chance to finally see what I can do to possibly get your sight back." Tsunade said with a smile. Skylar nodded, seeming to stare off again, unresponsive.
"She's been doing this everyday but today was a bit… weird." Kakashi stated as he stared at her and turned his eye back to the now concerned but intrigued Hokage.
"What do you mean 'weird'?" Tsunade asked with a smirk.
"She attacked me this morning with the Hiraishin I told you about and then when a fangirl's kunai came through the window, aimed at my head, Skylar threw a senbon that collided perfectly… She looks like she can see but I can still see that she can't." Kakashi said almost sadly.
"Take her out to the training grounds later and try to keep her occupied, it may help her with how she is able to 'see' these things, she may not realise she's doing it." Tsunade suggested but Kakashi could see the glint in her eye that she had something planned. Kakashi agreed before snapping Skylar out of her trance and leaving.
"She seems to be doing well Tsunade-obaa chan." A familiar voice called at her window and Tsunade smiled and faced her little adoptive brother.
"She's getting there but I need your help for later, you up for a little dangerous prank brat?" Tsunade asked the blonde crouching at her window who just grinned.