A gentle awakening [Ban/Shiro]

"Coming through!"

The hospital was a buzz of activity; people were running around like headless chickens trying to figure out what was going on. Dana was technically the highest ranking person present - well, who was conscious, Dana had no clue if her two unconscious comrades outranked her - so the responsibility probably fell on her to calm the civilians, but Dana thought it was much more fun to let them figure it out themselves. She walked through the panicking crowds serenely, flanked by two of her shadow clones who were carrying her comrades in their arms.

Dana and her two clones carried the two unconscious village ninjas to a quiet part of the hospital, to the room that Dana had claimed as her own to run her organ business from. Thankfully, it appeared that the hospital staff were too scared to claim it back, as the room itself was still empty and its walls were covered in Dana's elegant artistic scrawls. As Dana walked through the door, she smiled sadly at all her old drawings; they were a glimpse into her happy past, with all the friends who had abandoned her... Despite it, Dana hoped they were safe. Were they even still in the village?

She pulled out two hospital beds and her clones laid her comrades on either one. They disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Dana alone with two unconscious ninjas. She plonked herself down on a chair facing the two beds, crossed her legs, and brought out her old sketchbook. She began to sketch a picture of the ruined gates of Kirigakure whilst she waited for them to wake up.

WC: 274

“Wake up… Wake up Shiro.”

His mind was washed with the sounds and feeling of someone trying to get him to wake. He could feel as though he was in some place different than where he’d normally be. WHat had happened, was he knocked out?! His eyes were both in tact for the moment that he was in a place like this, his mind shaking and stirring with the person he saw in his mind. Her flowing white hair and graceful steps as she walked towards him. He felt his chest begin to grow heavy, his eyes widened in shock as he saw her face again for the first time in over five years.

His own mother was what he could see, he didn’t know if it was a vision, or something else that he was seeing, perhaps he was dead, perhaps there was no real way for him to go back and help his allies. Perhaps he had died on the battlefield like he had always wanted. In a pit of fire and glory, that’s what he wanted in life. Yet instead he was now face to face with his mother, wondering what she was doing here.

“Mom… W-what are you?-”

She didn’t speak, only coming close to him before placing a hand on his face, her soft palm against his cheek before she placed her hand over the left side of his face. He felt cold, almost shivering… before she pushed him, sending him crashing back into reality. Into the living world.

Shiro almost bolted himself out of the white hospital bed that he was in, his clothing still partially intact, yet his mind suddenly felt pain, his hand reaching for his mind as he began to try and look around the room, his Byakugan’s vision was still fine… Until he realized something else entirely…

His left eyelid began to open, yet he could see nothing, no eye was inside of his socket… It was almost empty. Completely and utterly taken away by someone that wanted his dojutsu. He could still see the ruins of the gate, the people all surprised that they had not all been destroyed and their lives were taken away by this opposing force. Yet he focused directly back into this room here… Seeing Dana scribbling down at her drawing from a small distance away. He had not recognized her, yet she seemed to be a medical shinobi… He could see that his two comrades that were with him had not survived the battle. He was expecting it at this point, yet the sheer thought that he had survived surprised him. Perhaps this was some kind of mercy for himself… Or maybe this was something entirely different.

He looked down at his own body, burn marks and scars from the battle were also there, mitigated somewhat by iryojutsu. Yet It still didn’t stop him from the pain in his head, it felt like his skull was caving in, being squeezed like an apple in a vice-like grip.

“I need water….” His voice was dry, scratchy even to speak as he requested water from the Senju clan member. Focusing on the now and how he could at least be at somewhat full strength in the future.

WC:541