Amaya Uzumaki POV
And the next moment, I felt the ground beneath my feet vanish...
The first thing I felt was the cold.
Not a freezing cold, but one of familiarity. A temperature lower than normal, which made me feel more at ease than the heat of the sun. And the faint smell of ether in the air quickly told me where I was.
Unlike before, when my body felt nothing but the heat of the sun's rays and the softness of the grass, now I could truly feel my injuries. Injuries that were proof I was alive.
And the silence around me was absolute. No voices or even noise, just the stillness surrounding me.
I opened my eyes slowly and the first sight above me was the white ceiling of the room I was in. It wasn't as bright as the combat room, but it was just as white.
So was all that just a dream?, I wondered for a moment. Or did I really meet Sukea, in that kind of in-between plane? And also that...
I slowly raised my left hand and looked at it for a moment, at the side of it, swallowing dryly when I saw it had a small scar in the exact same spot the Shinigami had marked me in the spiritual plane.
Why would he, a God of Death, be interested in me?, I asked myself again. It seemed like he knew everything about my life, past, present, or future... So why? What is going to happen to me that could possibly interest him?
– Your future, as well as your past and present, are curious, especially to me, when imagining the paths you will take from now on...
His words echoed incessantly in my mind, as I tried to find a justification for them. But nothing really came to me.
I'll need to find out more about him, as well as about the Gods of Death themselves, after returning to the village, I decided. But before that, I still have a mission to finish...
When I tried to sit up where I was, two things stopped me: The first was because of the, possible, bandages wrapped around me from my waist up to my chest, quite tight. And the second was a slight "weight" on my right arm, holding it in place.
It seems Shisui and Kakashi treated my injuries while I was out..., I concluded, lifting the hem of my shirt for a moment and seeing the bandages wrapped around me.
Then I turned my eyes to the "weight" that was holding my arm in place. The figure with platinum hair was lying to my right, on his side, holding my hand between his. His expression was serene, conveying more tranquility than his usual serious everyday demeanor.
Some lighter wounds marked his arms, indicating they had been there for some time. How long was I out...?, I thought while observing Kakashi.
I averted my eyes from the Hatake and let my gaze run over the environment, looking for another person I was worried about. And I soon found my brother further away from us.
He was leaning against a pillar, completely knocked out. It was visible that he was on guard duty when he fell asleep. Were these two so worried while I was unconscious that they couldn't sleep, only passing out when their bodies gave out?, I wondered. They must be exhausted...
I brought my eyes back to Kakashi beside me, to his hands holding mine between them. – I'll be there for you... – the Hatake's promise came to my mind once more and I couldn't help but smile weakly.
His platinum hair, being light, made it very visible when it was dirty, and the dust from where we were only made the situation worse for the Hatake.
I brought my left hand to his hair, ruffling it gently to superficially remove some of the dust that had settled on his strands. And I was a little surprised when I did that.
It's so soft..., I realized while messing with his hair. I didn't imagine he cared so much about his hair... My brother also had a habit of taking very good care of his hair, even more than a woman.
Who would have thought Kakashi Hatake could be so careful with his hair..., I thought and laughed mentally about it.
Kakashi Hatake POV
I woke up feeling a gentle touch on my head, a pleasant ruffling of my hair that I let myself enjoy for a few moments, eyes still closed.
But when my consciousness questioned me about who was doing it, I opened my eyes, seeing the figure with red hair beside me, her greenish eyes turned towards me, distracted.
And it took me only two seconds to come back to myself.
– Amaya! – I spoke and sat up quickly, letting go of her hand, which I had been holding until then – How are you feeling? – I asked, trying not to show my embarrassment that she had seen me like that by her side.
– Fine, as much as possible – She said calmly and sat up where she was – And you?
– I'm fine, don't worry – I said quickly.
– You guys haven't been sleeping, have you? – The redhead asked – You both passed out completely – She looked in the direction of Shisui, who was sleeping a bit further away, where the two of us had stayed to take turns on watch – How long was I out? – I turned my eyes to the Uzumaki.
– Three days – I said in the calmest way so Amaya wouldn't notice my worry.
During all that time, both I and the Uchiha were completely restless. We knew the redhead's injuries were serious, but we couldn't try to move her because we risked aggravating her already present wounds.
And we also knew the Uzumaki needed treatment and rest, but we didn't imagine she would be out for so long.
For that reason, we couldn't sleep a wink, clearly fearing something would happen to the redhead while she slept. And now seeing her awake made me feel much more relieved.
I took the opportunity to fill her in on the little that had happened in the meantime.
The first thing the redhead wanted to know was about the fake Anbu who had been assigned to our team. I told her about my improvised plan with Shisui and what happened to him after we struck him in the chest.
Amaya listened attentively, obviously mentally noting everything. She was always like that when receiving any kind of information.
Right after my whole explanation, she wanted to know what we had done with the body. And as me and the weasel-faced guy had thought, Amaya wanted to take it back to the village for investigation.
Under normal circumstances, it would be a problem for the three of us to carry an adult's corpse, but with Amaya's fuuinjutsu skills, we just needed to seal it away and the dilemma would be solved more efficiently.
I also asked the redhead about what had happened to her during her fight with the fake Anbu, about how she could move after he threw her against the room partition, and Amaya explained that she had created, moments before being caught by the opponent, a Shadow Clone.
When he grabbed her and Amaya realized she couldn't break free, she swapped places with her own clone, using the Substitution Jutsu for that. For that reason, when me and the weasel-faced guy arrived, we thought it had really been Amaya who was thrown against the wall dividing the combat room and the archives..., I concluded internally.
I also told her that while we took turns watching over her and the room we were in, me and Shisui searched the documents that were in that room. Most of the information we were looking for when we came to the laboratory was there.
And Amaya soon wanted to read them.
She made a move to stand up, but I was still a bit concerned about her physical condition. So I asked her to wait while I fetched the documents we found from her spot.
The redhead started reading the papers that me and the weasel-faced guy had read and that made some sense. Now we finally had some idea of what that laboratory was and its objectives.
As Amaya herself had deduced, they were seeking to obtain the sharingan. But not in a conventional way, by trying to get it from legitimate members of the Uchiha clan who already had it:
They developed their research from human beings, more specifically, by creating artificial life.
The first documents were files on each of the children that were produced there. Amaya's was the last one, since all the sheets were left organized by order of creation.
The last note made about the redhead declared her as 5 years old, 150cm tall and weighing only 27kg, she had always been tall for her age, but her weight was low compared to a child of the same age group.
Amaya's eyes continued to run over the pages of the documents she had laid out before her. I picked up one in my hands, which I had already read, as had the redhead. It talked about the organization of the experiments in a very general way.
– Structure of the Study:
– Objective to work on:
Kekkei genkai linked to Uchiha blood;
– Type of experiment:
Genetic combination compatible with the cells and genes of the Uchiha clan, that can enable the awakening of the sharingan on a large scale;
– Basis of the study:
Genetic structure constituted from creation, coming from common genetic materials (Uchihas), as well as from selected clans.
But I stopped my reading when I heard the Uzumaki coughing. And from knowing her for a long time, I knew that wasn't normal, especially after learning from these laboratory documents that she was generally resistant to illnesses.
The redhead was covering her mouth, but I could notice the blood that had appeared between her fingers. And once again, worry for her assailed me. I looked for some cloth leftover from the bandages and handed it to the redhead, who promptly took it.
– What's happening to you? – I asked, shortly after Amaya's cough finally subsided.
– I'd say I'm sick – She said quietly – The fake Anbu, one of my creators, said that – The redhead looked at me – It seems I am... – She stopped for a moment, as if trying to choose her next word better – Dying.
– What?! – I asked, not even trying to hide my worry – What do you mean?
– I, just like all the children who lived in this laboratory, are imperfect creations – She explained calmly – It seems, because we are like this, our lives are short. In my case, it seems the situation was a bit different, for some reason nobody understood until now – The girl looked at me – But even so, I am like the others and my time seems to be running out.
– And is there any treatment or cure? – I inquired quickly, already fearing the imminent response.
Amaya just limited herself to shaking her head, weakly denying, with her eyes downcast. I clenched my fist, completely frustrated.
Now that Amaya was living free as a normal person..., I thought. That she was finally discovering herself and facing her past to take a step towards her future, this emerges like a plague to destroy her hopes...
– Don't worry – The redhead spoke calmly and continued before I could protest – I don't plan on giving up so easily – She smiled – After all, I hate losing.
How can she always be so strong?, I wondered, looking at her. How can she be so... Her?
And involuntarily, I ended up smiling too. Yeah, if there's one thing Amaya hates, it's losing, be it a bet or something she's set her mind on.
– I guess it's good you're not thinking about throwing in the towel – I said – After all, we have a competition to finish – She smiled.
– You mean the competition I have to win, right? – And we both ended up laughing at that.
__________________________________________________________________________
Many of the documents we read while the redhead was unconscious contained medical data that made no sense, both to me and the Uchiha. And it seemed now they didn't make sense to Amaya either when she started reading them.
The only thing that caught our attention in all those files was the part dedicated to the cortisol levels of each of the children. They were extremely high, regardless of which one it was. However, since we lacked the necessary medical knowledge, most of the information contained there continued to make no sense at all.
I was distracted reading one of the documents and only returned my attention to reality when I felt something on my legs. I quickly looked down, finding Amaya with her head lying on my lap.
– H-Hey, A-Amaya... – I mentally cursed myself for not even being able to speak properly, so great was my surprise at the redhead's action – W-What are you doing?
– I'm resting a bit... – She said quietly.
– But why... Like this? – I questioned her again, feeling my face burn.
– Why...? – She spoke in a somewhat sleepy voice – It's more comfortable than the floor...
And I had to laugh weakly at her sincere answer. It was rare to see her like this, being so direct in a response or saying something someone would normally say. What sleep doesn't do to someone..., I thought.
I tried to return my attention to the papers in my hands, but I couldn't. I turned my gaze back to the redhead on my lap, observing her for a moment.
A few more rebellious red strands had fallen over Amaya's face and I made sure to remove them as subtly as possible so the redhead wouldn't notice. Which didn't help much.
– Thank you... – She thanked extremely quietly just as I removed the strands from her face.
She was breathing slowly and her chest rose and fell gently each time. Her eyes were closed, with a serene expression on her features. Her lips had a faint twitch, forming a weak smile.
– Your reading seems really interesting... – I heard a familiar and irritating voice comment quietly, and I automatically looked at him.
Shisui had a mocking and carefree expression on his face as he made that comment.
– Shut up... – I quickly scolded him in the same low tone he used so as not to wake Amaya, and turned my attention back to the documents in my hands, hearing the Uchiha laughing quietly.
Damn idiot weasel-faced guy..., I mentally cursed him, feeling my face blush uncontrollably once again.