kumogakure medical center

[BLKND]

the medical center

雲隠れの里

STATUS... mint condition
ROOMS OF INTEREST... morgue & research lab [confidential] ; training center
PEOPLE OF INTEREST... various briefing ninja

The Kumogakure Medical Center is one of thee largest and newest structures within Kumogakure no Sato. Kumogakure’s Medical Center lays host to a hospital, a morgue & research lab, and finally a medical training center for aspiring medics. The interior of the Medical Center is state of the art, with calming white and beige coloring, and lighting. The exterior is like most other Kumogakure buildings, the strongest of glass like structure that can closely relate to steel.

Most patients' rooms have massive windows, as to have visible access to the outside- and prevent depression or increasing the chances of PTSD. Most patients have access to a suite in which they will have a bed, a shared bathroom, two guest chairs and a night stand. Patients have access to other features upon request. The windows often give the patient a clear view of the skyline of the village, or if they are in the east wing, a beautiful view of the mountain range surrounding the village. The large windows also assist the ninjas in staying calm, as the rain against the pane has been found to soothe the anxious hearts of wounded Kumo-nin. While in their weakened state, ninja are often subject to secure 'check-ups' in which a chuunin or ANBU will secure their health every hour- unless told otherwise by the patient's physician.

Aside from the care center, the medical center is also known for its ability to accommodate would be med-nin. Often visited by Academy Students and Genin, the program is held by the Kumogakure Ninja Academy every weekday, and special night classes for Chuunin and Jounin still curious about medical ninjutsu. With a handful of classrooms as well as a mock ER room, the program has yielded incredible results for those interested.

Lastly, the morgue & research lab finds itself in an off-site position somewhere only known to a select number of medics and village officials. It is here that captured bodies find themselves for either research, dismantlement or in some rare cases- interrogation. The lab is loaded with various equipment and toxins that are all used to reach the desired effects of discovering new information that would benefit the village.

規則

RULE 1... The only RPing done inside of the tower is requesting and returning from missions.
RULE 2... any acts of violence within the tower will be treated as a threat to the village
RULE 3... feel free to post here as much as you would like
RULE 4... these rules are subject to change

old thread

[Kaeor]

Life in itself was rather intoxicating.

As I laid upon the couch, I felt the heat of the woman beside me as a comfort through the chilly nights. My hands moved over to whisper sweet nothings into her ear, only to see that her eyes were closed and had succumbed to a slumber. Even the dark of the night couldn't conceal her earthly beauty. And long ago I had made up my mind to keep her constant in my life. The golden object locked on my ring finger was evidence enough of my vows and commitment.

Sheepishly removing the covers back in an attempt to leave sleeping beauty the way she was, I slid from the bed silently. The rug beneath my foot provided all the comfort it could and I exited our bedroom and creaked down the hall. There was a door near the very end and I leaned against it before cracking it slightly ajar. Boldly, I peeked inside to see the form of a small creature nestled beneath pink blankets. There were times when the small girl unknowingly threw the blankets off of her in the night. In fear of her catching a cold, I made it my purpose to check on her nearly every night. But my worries were abolished, if only for tonight.

I closed the door of my little angel and crept towards the kitchen. A glass of water certainly would help me get back to sleep. However, in that moment the earth itself quaked and thrust in every which direction. The fabric of the house was being torn before my eyes and my instincts forced my feet to turn from the kitchen. But before I could get a step closer to my goals, I felt my footing disappear.

I had intended to save them.
I had intended to protect them.

However, I never intended to slip between the fissures in the ground.

___

I leaped forward in fright with my heart racing in my chest. Between the heavy breaths, I noticed a vast difference in my surroundings from before. I was no longer at my home but elsewhere as the bland white walls stared back at me. A constant beep alerted me of the machines that sat beside the single bed I rested on as a clear liquid channeled through a tube penetrated one of my veins.

"A hospital?" I was correct in my assumption but that didn't make me feel any more content with this predicament. My memory was jumbled and my mind felt completely fuzzy as I pressed my head against my hand. Sharply, the last memory of being hit from behind projected itself.

"I was attacked... How long was I out for? I could have only been here for a fe-"

The calender to my right was akin to a mighty revelation. I had lost two years of my life supposedly. There had to be some sort of error. In such disbelief, I looked over to see carefully kept flowers along with several lengthy letters scrambled in a box. Each and everyone had been tied in a multi-colored ribbon and I could tell a certain amount of care had been used in making it look girly-like.

Pulling the IV from my wrist, I attempted to move from the bed and over to the box. Though weakened, I still found myself able to perform basic functions to my relief. It surprised me that no nurse had came in or the such. But I took the shouts and fast paced sound of footsteps through the hallways to be a sign of their active duty, not the danger I was unaware of.

My hands reached in the box and gently unwrapped a letter, almost as if to not ruin the delicateness that my wife had tendered the paper with. In it I saw a full days report of things going on and her daily life. She had kept me informed in my immobile state of everything that was going on. And at the end I felt myself pushing back waterworks.

'I love you! ~❥ Reru Nakashima'

The heart gently crafted on the paper was child-like, but that child-like action meant more to me than anything else. I opened another letter to see it withholding the information of another day, but tagged with the same embracing ending. However, in my love for her and surprise, I didn't even notice the amount of letters didn't sum up to two years. I lifted the box and tucked it beneath my arms. My legs sluggishly moved to the window and I prepared myself to be personally discharged, whether allowed or not.

Instead of seeing the peaceful village that I had faithfully served with children frolicking happily, I saw a state of bewilderment and chaos surging through the streets. It was no secret that something was definitely going wrong with the debris littered everywhere. But my fear neared its peak as I saw the damaged building of the Raikage. The building was a testament to Kumogakure's will. If that tower had been a victim, then I could only pray that the Raikage was at peace and personally handing whatever brought this destruction and mayhem.

Still, I realized I was in no health to offer my abilities or utilize my services. And deep deep down, I selfishly only wanted to find Areru in hopes that she wasn't a victim to any of this. I feared the worst, and in my fear I hobbled out of my room and through corridors. The only destination on my mind had been my apartment. And just like that I slipped through the cries and paranoia that ran rampant through the building and embarked on a journey of my own.

Little did I know, that I would have been better off in an eternal slumber.

[ EXIT ]

[addy-hime ♥]

Kaeor, 10 EXP.

[/justify]

[Estilo]

-- Enter.

Everything around me fell in and out of a near-constant blur, the commotion of sounds and sights swimming in a muffled haze. When I wasn't tuning in on the medical assistants that carried me off, I could hear the gurney's tires skid every time we rounded a corner. Above me, fluorescent lighting fixtures repeatedly passed. And, despite the recognizable sensation of morphine beginning to seep into my veins, I could still feel the pain that lingered in my right eye. During the limited amount of time I had to be conscious, I tried to gather my thoughts. I was still alive. And it was more than likely that Yukiko had arranged to bring me here.

The hospital.

A miasma of black rolled in and out of the edges of my vision, like a churning sea of static crashing its waves rhythmically on the shores of some dreamscape beach. I was falling under once more. And I had all the reason to believe that I wasn't coming back from this one. No final bedside goodbye to all my few remaining loved ones. No comforting and gentle slip into a slumber where I'd finally go in peace. Just the bedlam of a crowded hospital floor, and Vera's hauntingly clear voice, echoing throughout the depths of my mind:

'Atlas...'

-- Timeskip of four hours.

The once fair-skinned maiden was now sickly pale, the left side of her face wrapped in stained bandages, her weak body laid upon a wooden table upon which a white blanket-- now spotted with drops of blood-- was placed prior to her operation. The sound of incessant thunder, beating like war drums in the sky, made the very windows along the cabin walls tremble. There and again, the flashes of lightning outside would illuminate the dark corners of the living room with a ghostly white luminescence. Her surgeon solemnly stood at her side, wiping his bloodied hands clean with a rag. Her husband stood on the other, gripping her hand with a firm but quivering grasp, their faces caught within the orb of orange light provided to them by a nearby candle. Like his beloved, one side of his face was, too, wrapped in bandages.

"Please... don't leave me alone, pumpkin." He sobbed, burying his face into her hand, closing his eyes and wishing this was all just a nightmare. A horrible nightmare he'd soon wake up from. "I-I can't go on, not without you. Please, Vera! ... Please!"

Her other hand gently rose to caress the back of his head, her fingers digging into the strands of cardinal red hair. When he looked up, their tear-laden eyes meeting in the warm glow of candlelight, she smiled-- the gesture brimming with a profound sadness. "You're going to make it," She spoke, her once honeyed voice now weak and frail. It was evident that she was making a great effort to hold back her own tears. "For our son, Atlas. You have to promise me, promise me you'll find him." She choked back a sob, wrapping her arms around her husband, as he leaned in to hug her firmly. "You're both better than this violent world. And I'm so prou-- aackh!"

The pain that she felt caused her body to spasm, flopping around like a fish out of water, despite her husband's attempts to keep her down. With distress and horror in his eyes, Atlas turns to the medic on the other side of the table, who's scrambling to set-up a syringe. "Mal! Help her! Please!"

[Estilo]

"Vera!"

I shot into an upright seated position on the bed, my chest heaving with a rapid succession of breaths, as a drop of cold sweat slid down the surface of my forehead. With my eye(s) widened in shock, I blankly stared forward at the white wall before me. The horror I'd felt then had struck me to the core, underlined with a profound, and seemingly everlasting, agony. I could feel the goosebumps along the surface of my skin. The images of that memory imprinted in my mind like freshly taken Polaroid pictures. And I dared not close my eyes, in fear that I might return to that awful moment. The moment I'd lost everything that I had once held dear.

Tentatively, my bare hand rose to touch the right side of my face. My fingers lightly grazed the surface of the white bandages that had been administered around that portion of my head, hiding my pain-ridden right eye from complete view. A chill ran down my spine. This was all so familiar to me. So hauntingly familiar. And, coupled with the nightmare I had just woken up from, the realization that my time was finally coming to an end struck me. I knew that, at one point, my right eye would give out. It had lingered at the back of my mind every day, like a predator stalking its prey in the wilderness of some god-forsaken jungle. I had just strived to ignore it during the past nine years. Too much to live for, too much to worry about, and do. Or, perhaps, too fearful to make a stand and face it.

And now I was here.

With no other alternative.

Though only seconds had passed since I'd woken up with a shout, it had taken me that long to take notice of my surroundings. I was in a hospital room, furnished with medical equipment, a bathroom, chairs, and a wide window that offered a scenic view of Kumogakure no Sato. The sterilized smell of syringes and disinfectants seemed to be bolstered by the chilly temperature contained within these walls. The nearby, and constant, 'beep' of a heart monitor emitted from a sepia-toned desktop. My heart was racing at over a hundred and ten beats a minute. Not enough to call the attention of the nurses (apparently), but enough to convince me into taking a deep breath.

As I remembered the final moments of consciousness I had before passing out, I realized that I had indeed come back from a plunge I was certain would have ended me. Despite the needle fastened to my arm, and the steady dosage of pain-relieving morphine it was pumping through my veins, the mere realization that I remained alive-- for now-- steadily calmed me down. But the raw horror was still there, gathered at the center of me. As unpleasant and sickening as the day I'd lost her. And, that, I couldn't control.

[Yuki-chan]

[Enter]

'Wonder what happened to Atlas-senpai at the apartment' thought the female with a nervous look at her face. A small 'ding' could be heard as she entered the large hospital. It was visiting hours now, so Yukiko knew she did not have to sneak in.
She walked towards the counter where a couple of nurses were handling papers as well as talking to visitors. The young woman lined up in the small queue while her mind raced through what could have happened to the male.

"Next please" called the nurse wearing pink scrubs. She stepped forwards while trying to calm her nerves a little bit. "Hello...I'm here to visit Atlas Burabiya" told the Chuunin with a neutral voice.
"Just give me a moment please" replied the woman as she checked the register. "He is at room number 218; he was asleep the last time I saw him but he could be awake now" informed the nurse.

"Thanks" replied the female before she gave the older female a small bow. She then went over to the map to find out where the room was. '200-250 is at the second floor at the east wing' read the brunette while her eyes scanned the map.
She went up the stairs while she clutched the small present she had bought for Atlas. It was a small bag with fruits plus a magazine that she knew that he liked reading.

It did not take long for her to find room number 218, but her heart was beating at a really fast rate. What if he - no. He could not have died or the nurse would have told her that.
The young woman took a deep breath when she reached the room where the man was. She stretched out her hand and opened up the door to the room.

Yukiko let out a sigh of relief when she saw that the former Raikage was looking at the ceiling. A huge smile formed at her face before she closed the door to the room. "Senpai...I was so worried!" exclaimed the female with a relieved facial expression.
She walked over to the bed with the bag in one of her hands. "I bought you some guava fruit, mandarines plus that magazine you like" told the Chuunin as she laid the bag on the bed.

She wanted to hug him but he looked a bit frail laying in that bed. Not to mention that he had a couple of tubes attached to his arm that made her pull a small face. "What happened back there senpai?" inquired the young woman with a somewhat stern look.
He was noticably older than her, but she was no longer a little kid that she used to be. She wanted him to tell her why he had fainted after breaking into his old apartment a couple hours ago.

[Estilo]

After briefly calming myself down, I would fall back onto the bed I was on with an exasperated sigh. Staring at the white ceiling above me, I began to think of all the things I had yet to do. All the wrongs that needed correcting. All the 'goodbyes' I needed to give. Things became much clearer to you when you were less than a few days away from dying. Life became, strangely enough, simpler in many aspects. Decisions I had been conflicted with prior to the resurgence of my affliction suddenly became easier to understand. Words that had been brewing in the obscure depths of my mind had finally come into the light, ready for me to speak them to those who would listen. I had experienced death countless times before. I'd seen it with my own eyes. I'd dealt it. And I'd, on more than one occassion, walked the fine line between this life and the next. But this... this felt different. This death had been following me throughout the better half of my adult life. Watching, and waiting. A shapeless demonic entity lingering behind my shoulder, whispering only to remind me of its presence here and again. To feed on the fear, and the hopelessness. I didn't need a nurse to tell me I was going to die soon. Like a hound before a storm, I could feel it coming.

Just when the heart monitor's incessant beeping was starting to become a nuisance to hear, I'd turn my head just in time to see the door open. And, to my utmost joy, I was relieved to see Yukiko there. Which, based on her inital expression, I quickly assumed was a mutual feeling. "I'm happy to see you, too, Snow Pea." I'd give her the best smile I could manage. On account of my current state of being, however, it would appear considerably diminished compared to my usual demeanor. Regardless, there was nothing but cheer in my eyes as she placed the bag of goods at the foot of the bed. Surely, I looked like something the cat had dragged in this morning. I certainly felt that way, at least. And, jokingly, I pondered whether the embarassment of having people see me like this was worth being alive for a few days longer. With a pain-filled grunt, I slowly rose to an upright seated position once more. "Guava fruit, mandarins, and the Archaeology Insider." I reiterated, inspecting the goods within the small bag with a weary grin. "You know me all too well, sister." Palming one of the guava fruits, I'd feel for its ripeness, before taking a healthy bite. The medicinal drugs they had me hooked up to were still very present in my bloodstream. The low intesity of the dosage, however, prevented me from becoming too sluggish-- or entirely pain-free, for that matter. But, as always, I was a soldier. And soldiers learned to deal with it.

My visibile green eye met with Yukiko's gaze as I took the second (and final) bite out of my guava, savoring its juicy interior with a rather jovial smile. When she inquired after the situation that took place back at the penthouse, however, that small gesture disappeared. I knew that, eventually, she would ask. And I couldn't refuse to answer her. Tossing the few remains of the fruit I had devoured into the nearby trash bin, I let the silence between us linger as I contemplated where I would begin. It struck me then that, despite the close relationship we'd nurtured over the last decade, I'd hardly ever explained to her why I wore a half-mask. "I remember," I began, recalling the memory with a nostalgic gleam in the eye. "When you were nine, or ten, years old... I remember taking you trick-or-treating. Do you remember? ... I'd been unable to go on a mission with you all that month. And I'd promised that I'd take you. Not only that, but that I'd don a costume of your choosing, too. A tanuki, or "raccoon dog", if my memory serves me right. And, much to my chagrin, I wore it." I chuckled, lightly shaking my head, as I stared out the window of my room. The whole thing seemed to have taken place eons ago. Me in that ridiculous striped animal fur suit, sporting a tail, and clumsy oversized paws. I'd deserved it, for missing out on so much with her then. And now that I looked back on it, I grew homesick for a time that had long since passed.

"Anyways," I continued. "You asked me that day why I wasn't wearing the raccoon mask that had come with the outfit. And I told you it was because I thought the face paint looked cooler. Being the smart kid that you were, though, I could tell that you knew there was something more to it. And, eventually, you asked me why I-- quote-- 'wear my weird half-mask all the time'. And... and I remember telling you something along the lines of it being 'lucky', like a four-leaf clover." I paused then, my expression pouring with contemplation. "You hardly ever asked me about my mask after that... I suppose you were too busy counting your candies afterwards." I smiled, finally turning my gaze back to Yukiko. "And the topic never really mattered between us... did it? You and I had bigger fish to fry, in a manner of speaking. And I've always liked that about you, too. Because with you... I could keep looking forward." I stopped then, reaching for another guava, and palming it as I had with its predecessor. "... I'm dying, kiddo." I spoke solemnly. "I've been dying for the past decade... and I'd failed to work up the courage to do anything about it." I lightly squeezed the guava in my hand, testing its ripeness, pretending I was unfazed by what I was saying. "I have a week, at best, before the affliction in my right eye reaches my brain. At that point... my time's up for good." With that statement, I'd take a bite out of the fruit in hand, eyes locked on the peaceful Kumogakure no Sato horizon outside.

[Yuki-chan]

((OOC: Atlas, please don't interrupt me this time Yukiko needs to get her anger out))

"Guava fruit, mandarins, and the Archaeology Insider. You know me all too well, sister." chuckled the male. He started to chew on the guava while she seated herself in a comfortable position. "When you were nine, or ten, years old... I remember taking you trick-or-treating. Do you remember? ... I'd been unable to go on a mission with you all that month. And I'd promised that I'd take you. Not only that, but that I'd don a costume of your choosing, too. A tanuki, or "raccoon dog", if my memory serves me right. And, much to my chagrin, I wore it." laughed Atlas.

"I remember that! But I was not ten at that time. I was eleven; it was the first Halloween after your Chuunin promotion" stated the female with a bright look in her eyes.
She had managed to persuade him to dress up as a raccoon while she had dressed up as a weasel. It was a quite fun Halloween where she had collected candy with him and her brothers.

"Anyways, you asked me that day why I wasn't wearing the raccoon mask that had come with the outfit. And I told you it was because I thought the face paint looked cooler. Being the smart kid that you were, though, I could tell that you knew there was something more to it. And, eventually, you asked me why I-- quote-- 'wear my weird half-mask all the time'. And... and I remember telling you something along the lines of it being 'lucky', like a four-leaf clover." muttered the man.

"You hardly ever asked me about my mask after that... I suppose you were too busy counting your candies afterwards. And the topic never really mattered between us... did it? You and I had bigger fish to fry, in a manner of speaking. And I've always liked that about you, too. Because with you... I could keep looking forward." told the auburn-haired male as he reached for another fruit.

'Keep looking foward?' thought Yukiko with a puzzled expression. "... I'm dying, kiddo. I've been dying for the past decade... and I'd failed to work up the courage to do anything about it. I have a week, at best, before the affliction in my right eye reaches my brain. At that point... my time's up for good." stated the male as his eyes looked at the village.

It felt like the world had stopped. The young woman felt her blood freeze in her veins; was he kidding her or something!? "WHAT!? WHY HAVEN'T YOU TOLD ME THAT ANY SOONER!" exclaimed the Chuunin as she stood up from her chair. She had not shouted that loud but people right outside the room would have probably heard her.

"But who am I kidding!? You've been gone for more than a year and a half, haven't you? You've missed my 20th birthday last month as well as my twin brother's promotion to Chuunin.
And in case you haven't noticed, I'm hopefully going to move out of my parent's house soon! Oh, don't tell me that your travel is ' a secret' or 'you're too young to be trusted'...I'm not an 11-year old Genin anymore Atlas!" continued the female.

"Have you any idea of how SICK I am to be left out in the dark like this!? I've been your only student for seven effing years for Kami's sake!
I understand if those secrets of yours involve manslaught or anything along those lines. Oh, I almost forgot that I met Asa last year after he had escaped some institution. But you probably already know that since it was one of the things you weren't supposed to tell me" finished the brunette.

She KNEW she was a bit over the top, but she have had that anger pent up in here for quite a while. "I'm sorry if I offended you there. However, why did not you tell me this a couple of months before you left on that secret trip of yours? That would have given me time to get comfortable with that thought plus that we could spend some time together. I don't want to lose you..." muttered the young woman with a sad look in her eyes.

[Estilo]

"I'm sorry..."

I muttered, after she'd finished putting out all that she had on her mind. Needless to say, I felt sick to my stomach about what I'd kept from her throughout the years. It showed on my face. You could hear it in my tone. The past year and a half, however, had not belonged to me. It had belonged to Esau and, unfortunately, I had carried no control over that. "I don't want to lose you either." I continued, shifting my sincere gaze to meet her own. "But you have to believe me when I tell you that I had no control over it. I... I wasn't myself after I'd gone to face the Four-Tailed Yonbi. I'd lost my memory, and was literally at the brink of dying, before an old woman rescued me. She took me in, with her grandson, and gave me a new life in the countryside of Taki no Kuni. I was there, Snow Pea, for the past year and a half. Completely unaware of who I was, or what I had done. Everything before Taki no Kuni was a complete blur."

What I had said was true. My life as Atlas had been buried so deep within my mind that I had failed to recall anything at the time. But what I hadn't mentioned was the intuition. I didn't know anything about my previous life then, but I had withheld a sinking feeling in my gut. That being said, I'd be lying if I said my alter-ego "Esau" hadn't carried his own suspicions. That there were people out there waiting for him-- Hirihi, Eiichiro, Aota, Yukiko-- and that there was more to his life than being a farmer in Taki no Kuni. "Eventually, as the days in Taki no Kuni wore on," I began once more. "I started to recall tidbits of my life prior to being rescued. And, slowly, I was returning to myself again." I stopped then. I could continue on about how the civilian village I was in was attacked by a giant colossus. About how, in the heat of the moment, I became Atlas once more, regaining my knowledge of the ninja arts to fight off the monster. I could also tell her about Grandma Mai, and her treachery. But there was something I longed to tell her more than anything else.

"I may not have long to live, Snow Pea... but I want you to know that I never meant to keep you in the dark, especially out of distrust." I spoke, my eye observing the bitten portion of the guava fruit I had in hand. "I only wanted to keep you happy. To keep you away from all the bad things in this world. And, yes, I know-- not a very bright notion, right? It sure as hell backfired on me horrendously." I joked, regarding her previous rant. "Just know that I did it because I care for you... okay? And, now that you've grown into the exemplary kunoichi you are today, I see that I shouldn't keep things from you anymore. So, as long as I have left on this world, I promise I'll answer any questions you have for me. Promise." My visibile eye gleamed with a lighthearted mien as I turned, promptly taking another bite out of my guava afterwards.

Confessing to what I had done, and why, felt relieving. It was still a strange, and uncomfortable, feeling for me. Yet it managed to make me feel as though a burden had been lifted off my shoulders. Like a cold chill running down the length of my spine on a hot summer day-- refreshing, but ominous in some preternatural way. It was nice to have someone else to talk to. To really talk to. The fact that it was Yukiko made me feel at peace. But, of course, there were others I wished to see before my demise. People I loved and cared for. Old friends, old lovers, comrades in battle. And the few remaining individuals I considered to be my close family. Yukiko was, of course, one of them. But there were others. And I couldn't leave this world without saying goodbye to them. Not while I had the chance to do so. I tossed away the remains of my guava, then paused, before asking: "Snow Pea, could you do me a favor? I could use a notebook and a pen. There are some letters I'd like for you to send."

[Yuki-chan]

"I'm sorry..." muttered the male. 'You SHOULD be' thought the female with a raised eyebrow. She could tell that he was being sincere despite the half-bandaged face.
His green eyes (or eye) had a tinge of regret in it plus that there was no smile on his face. The latter was something quite uncommon for him.

"I don't want to lose you either. But you have to believe me when I tell you that I had no control over it. I... I wasn't myself after I'd gone to face the four-tailed Yonbi.
I'd lost my memory, and was literally at the brink of dying, before an old woman rescued me. She took me in, with her grandson, and gave me a new life in the countryside of Taki no Kuni. I was there, Snow Pea, for the past year and a half. Completely unaware of who I was, or what I had done. Everything before Taki no Kuni was a complete blur." confessed Atlas.

Yukiko raised both of her eyebrows in complete surprise in what she had heard. A part of her wanted to believe this because it could explained why he had not spoken to her any sooner. Her father had been one of the backup reinforcements when it happened, but thank Kami he was never called out for duty.
But this COULD also be something he partially made up to comfort her. A memory loss was dirt common when it came to cases like these that involved long-time disappearance or similar stuff.

Eventually, as the days in Taki no Kuni wore on, I started to recall tidbits of my life prior to being rescued. And, slowly, I was returning to myself again. I may not have long to live, Snow Pea... but I want you to know that I never meant to keep you in the dark, especially out of distrust" muttered the man as he looked at the bitten guava fruit.
'He's either really sincere or an incredibly good liar' thought the young woman. She decided to listen him out to see if there was a clear cohesion in his story.

"I only wanted to keep you happy. To keep you away from all the bad things in this world. And, yes, I know-- not a very bright notion, right? It sure as hell backfired on me horrendously" chuckled the former Raikage. She could not smile...this was starting to get quite serious for her.

"Just know that I did it because I care for you... okay? And, now that you've grown into the exemplary kunoichi you are today, I see that I shouldn't keep things from you anymore. So, as long as I have left on this world, I promise I'll answer any questions you have for me. Promise." finished the male. Her mind mentally replayed everything that he had said a couple of times to see if there was any flaws in his story.

'Thank Kami that my parents signed me up for Japanese lessons' thought the Chuunin as she repeated everything for one last time. She could not find any flaws or something that did not make sense in the story. The memory loss was a bit iffy, but the last time she had seen him was indeed prior to the Yonbi attack.
There was however a couple of things that the young woman wanted to ask him about. Such as his child as well as his former wife that he had not told her about yet.

"Snow Pea, could you do me a favor? I could use a notebook and a pen. There are some letters I'd like for you to send." asked the auburn-haired man.
She shook her head a bit to snap herself out of her reverie. "Sure...just give me a moment" muttered the brunette as she went towards the desk inside the hospital table.

She ripped off a couple of pages from the small notebook that guests could use before removing the pen from the small box at the left side. "Here you go" said the female as she handed him the things he needed. 'I think I should ask him something easy first...like the snow globe' decided Yukiko.
"Senpai...I noticed a really pretty snowglobe of Yukigakure no Sato in your bedroom. Was it for me or someone else that you knew came from there?" inquired the young woman.

[Estilo]

I thanked her for the sheets of paper and the pen, propping the magazine on my blanketed thigh, and placing the blank papers over it. "I received it from a very old friend of mine-- a long time ago." I answered, clicking the pen, and dating the first letter I'd write. "Her name was Aela." I recalled, with a barely noticeable smirk, as I continued with my task. "Aela Aizen. She was a very talented actor. Sweetest girl you'd ever meet." I paused then, glancing up at Yukiko, and smiling. "You know, now that I think about it, you remind me of her." It was the eyes, mostly. And the manner in which they spoke. Although, arguably, both could be attributed to the fact that they were Yukigakure no Sato natives. 

After briefly gauging the look in my little sister's eyes, I'd turn my gaze back down towards the letter I was writing. I could tell the snow globe had some kind of effect on her. If it hadn't, she wouldn't have asked after it. And it wasn't quite difficult to imagine why it mattered, either. The snow globe depicted an image of Yukigakure no Sato before the Great Catastrophe. The very village she was born in, in near perfect detail, before its destruction and relocation. I imagined it stirred some sense of sadness within her heart. "It's yours." I added. "I'm sure you'll take good care of it. And your family might like to see it, too. Just keep an eye on Hisao when you share it." I'd light-heartedly remark. "I remember him being rather clumsy."

As I continued to write the first letter I meant to send, I found it increasingly difficult to put what I really thought on paper. I knew that most, if not all, the people I was writing to were never going to see me again. And it was heartbreaking. I hated having to depart from them using written word. I hated not being able to look them in the eye, and tell them exactly how much they meant to me. I hadn't seen some of them for years. And, with others, I hadn't exactly left a good impression the last time we'd reunited.

[Yuki-chan]

"I received it from a very old friend of mine-- a long time ago. Her name was Aela, Aela Aizen. She was a very talented actor. Sweetest girl you'd ever meet." told the male before he looked at her. "You know, now that I think about it, you remind of her." told Atlas.

"Really now? How?" inquired the female as she raised her eyebrows a little bit. She had read about Aizen in a magazine where they featured up and coming talents from Yukigakure such as shinobis, actors or politicians. The only thing she MAY have in common with that woman was the eye colour. Plus that they were from the same village.

"It's yours. I'm sure you'll take good care of it. And your family might like to see it, too. Just keep an eye on Hisao when you share it. I remember him being rather clumsy." chuckled the man.
"REALLY!?" gasped Yukiko as she looked at him with wide eyes. That snowglobe that she had seen in the apartment was probably worth just as much as a majority of her jewellry collection!

"Whoa...thanks a lot senpai! I would have hugged you if you were not in the state that you're in" replied the young woman. "But how do you know Aizen-san? Is she a friend of someone you knew or are related to?" inquired the Chuunin as she pulled her chair a little closer. Being too direct about his wife as well as his son could prove more harm than good after all.

Especially because he had a picture that said that she was 'the love of my life'. Her parents or nobody else she knew had a photo of their wives or husbands at the wall that said that. Crystal blue eyes glanced at his hands.
He had a silver ring at his right hand, which indicated that he was either divorced or a widow man. But it did not look like the typical golden rings or the silver ones with a gemstone on it that she had seen.

[Estilo]

"Actually-- I met her here, in Kumogakure." I answered, continuing to write. "She'd come to participate in a couple of wartime advertisements then, representing the early alliance we'd formed with Yukigakure no Sato during the First World War. I was the head of her security team." Having finished the first letter, I briefly paused to look over what I had wrote. My eyes carried a serious mien as I scrutinized everything I'd written on that paper, wondering whether it was adequate, before turning back to the conversation at hand with a nostalgic gleam. "Besides the fact that she treated me like her personal butler," I continued, placing the first letter beneath the other papers, then glancing up at Yukiko and smiling. "We got along fairly well."

And so, I'd start on my second letter, dating it as I had the first. "Anyways, behind her celebrity persona, I came to find that she was actually a genuinely amiable person. In that aspect, you remind me of her a lot. Well, that, and the ice blue eyes." I added. "You snow-folk all seem to share that." This next letter I'd been writing was fairly short. Particularly due to the fact that I knew that I only need to write a few sentences. Just enough to make the future recipient of the message understand what I was attempting to convey. We knew each other that well, after all. Filing the second letter beneath the first, I moved on. 

"I'm not sure whether she survived the Great Flash. I'm not even certain that a 'Yukigakure' still stands today. But I'm sending a letter to her, too." I solemnly stated. Starting on the third, I took a brief moment to wonder whether she was still out there. Alive. Perhaps with children of her own, and a loving husband. But there was also the possibility that she, like the rest of old Yukigakure no Sato, was buried beneath the leagues of snow that covered that land. It only made me realize how lucky I was to have met Yukiko. "Might as well try, right?"

[Yuki-chan]

"Actually-- I met her here, in Kumogakure. She'd come to participate in a couple of wartime advertisements then, representing the early alliance we'd formed with Yukigakure no Sato during the First World War. I was the head of her security team. Besides the fact that she treated me like her personal butler, we got along fairly well." told the male as he placed the first letter under some other papers.

"Anyways, behind her celebrity persona, I came to find that she was actually a genuinely amiable person. In that aspect, you remind me of her a lot. Well, that, and the ice blue eyes. You snow-folk all seem to share that" mused Atlas. "Yeah...it's probably a part of our national heritage" stated the female before she let out a small laughter.

"I'm not sure whether she survived the Great Flash. I'm not even certain that a 'Yukigakure' still stands today. But I'm sending a letter to her, too. Might as well try, right?" inquired the young man.
"Yukigakure IS still standing today. However...they are lacking a bit in manpower as well as houses" informed Yukiko with a somewhat energized look at her face.

She HAD visited Yukigakure a couple times after the war. The last visit had however been more memorable than the others for the wrong reasons. It was the visit where her heritage had been subdued because of the danger it could pose for her body.
The young woman bit her lower lip as she remembered the visit to the hospital where the family had undergone the treatment for about a year ago. It was NOT something they had wanted to do at their own will...


Flashback.

"Can the Fuyumori family from Kumogakure please come in?" inquired the nurse. The five people stood up before they went into the office with a grim look at their faces.
Kenichi was the one who seemed most reluctant with this since he had actually been borne with this bloodlimit. The fact that he had passed it on to his children did not make matters much better.

"As you all know, this injection will make your Yukina genetics less effective. You will still have the ability to learn the hyouton jutsus but not without knowing suiton plus fuuton. Do you have the permission slip?" asked the doctor.
"Here" muttered the man as he handed it over to the older male. "Thank you Fuyumori-san...I'm sure it must be tough but it's for your own good" assured the medic.

He injected the serum into the man with a small syringe until he moved on to the children. The Chuunin did not like the injection because it felt like a part of her now disappeared. Hyouton jutsus had always been a part of her and it was now gone.
"There you go" told the man with a warm smile. She sat back as Koji sat down in the seat with a dark look in his cobalt blue eyes.

End of flashback.


She shook her head slightly. "Anyways senpai...do you know what's going to happen with your stuff in the apartment? Do you have any relatives who will come over to clean it out?" inquired the female.
Perhaps this would give her some information about the inlaws or possibly the son he had. The boy would most likely show up at some point since his father was on his deathbed.

[Estilo]

"Ah, is that so?" I answered, in response to her claim that a new Yukigakure no Sato had been formed. From what I gathered after glancing at her, it seemed she was still very invested in the success of her people. It was a shame I wouldn't be able to go see it for myself, as I recalled the architecture within the Land of Snow being rather impressive and beautiful. And I imagined Yukiko had a mind to go there again one day, too. "It's good to hear that they're slowly recovering." I continued. "The country is absolutely lovely."

As I continued to write the third letter, I noticed Yukiko seemed to be lost in deep thought. I quirked an eyebrow, wondering what was going through her mind, before finishing the last few sentences on paper. Like the previous letter, I was sending this to a person I wasn't even certain had survived the Great Catastrophe. An army comrade who had saved my life on more than one occasion. Upon finishing the missive, I filed it to the bottom like the rest, starting on the next message promptly.

My ears perked up right after I finished dating the fourth letter, as Yukiko had voiced an inquiry regarding the possessions in my abode. "It'll be taken care of..." I answered nonchalantly, pausing from my written work, as my gaze drifted off pensively across the room. I had no idea whether Hirihi knew I was alive, or whether that man I'd seen Yukiko with in the penthouse even knew it had been me, and consequently informed her. If he hadn't, then she was still expecting word from Yukiko, ready to head over and clear the penthouse with some help.

But if he had...

I struggled to decide whether I should send her a letter, call her over, or just let her forget about me. Whether my appearance in her life now would do more harm than good. Whether there was someone else in her life now. Like Yukiko, I just wanted her happy. Was it selfish, to want that? Was it wrong to keep such things away from her, for the sake of her happiness? I sighed, not wanting to delve into the matter of my possessions any further, as I continued to write the fourth missive I intended to send.

"Snow Pea... where have you always wanted to travel?"