Honey & Kunai - A Naruto Fanfiction-

Eight: Another of Life's Hurdles

'Don't blush. Don't blush. He's not this close to you. Think of bunnies! No candy! Yes. Candy. Sweet. Sweet.'

I broke out of my thoughts by silently giggling.

"Much better. You need to relax. If you're too tense then it'll hurt much more." My lamely restrained blush intensified as my brain registered what happned. Kakashi had tickled me. He touched my exposed flesh that is. I was in white shorts and the wraps concealed my chest but my tummy, that was his work area and he dared to tickle me!

I don't know what was more humiliating, the fact that he had to write all around my belly and back, meaning his proximity to me was way too close for my comfort or the fact that he purposely tickled me to get me from being too tense. After a few minutes Kakashi finally announced he was finished. Duelo checked my vitals one last time.

"You'll be fine." Duelo said and ruffled my hair, which was up in a messy bun.

"Okay. I'm starting. Just in case she does happen to pass out, Hachi, you'll need to sit." Kakashi said as if it was no big deal. I stared at him with wide eyes. No one said anything about passing out! He said it would hurt a little! A LITTLE.

After I sat down, carefully too so that the ink on my skin wouldn't get blotchy, Kakashi sat across from me and gave me a firm nod. His hands did a long sequence of various hand signs. They were moving too fast to follow and when he finished he held out his right hand, hovering it over my stomach. At first it pinched and then the pain doubled and it felt like a punch to the gut. Unable to make a sound, being mute and all, I endured and just when I thought I'd make it through there was a painful feeling surging from my stomach to my head and the darkness that followed almost had me believing this was it. I was going to die.

...

Two days later I woke up, I was immediately looked over by Duelo who noticed my put off emotion and had to get Kakashi so he could check and be sure the seal was working. In the meantime I wondering why I was feeling different but I shook the feeling away and assumed it was because of the seal.

After Kakashi made sure the seal was working fine he left. I got my first visitors of the day, more like afternoon. It was Mim and Jun-jiji. Mim I was prepared for but Jun-jiji, we hadn't been on the best of terms before the sealing.

When Jun-jiji came into the room he looked utterly relieved to see me awake. Mim fawned over me and cried. Jun-jiji had a soft look but it was hardened, that was expected seeing as he was as stubborn as I. After Mim got her self together Jun-jiji spoke.

"Duelo has asked for you to move in with him once you're discharged however before that can happen, my mother, Kisaki-mama, wishes to meet you." I tilted my head as this was news. The clan was rarely mentioned by Jun-jiji, hardly if ever. I learned most of what I knew from Mim. Mim explained it to me once and it was briefly. The Hachimitsu Clan originated from the Land of Iron before they settled in the Land of Honey. It was a proud civilian clan founded, led and reared by the women of the clan. That's as much as I got from her. I thought it was just a bunch of fluff really.

'Alright. So when will I meet her? Will she be coming soon?' I asked and looked at Mim who looked at Jun-jiji.

"The thing is, Kisaki-mama can't make the travel. As the Lady of the Land of Honey and the head matriarch of the Hachimitsu clan, she is unable to make the travel, not to mention her advanced age." Mim explained and I simply nodded to be adorable because let's face it, I got more answers when I was being adorable whereas if I was serious adults got stiff, except Duelo, he'd just go into medic mode.

'Is she the Daimyo of the Land of Honey?' I asked curiously since this was the first time I heard about Jun-jiji's mother.

"Similar but not quite. The land of Honey has several noble clans and one of the many get chosen to lead the country after the last predecessor dies." Jun-jiji explained with a sour face.