Teardrop of the Wolf

Chapter 39

Iruka opened his eyes, groaning softly as a beam of sunlight shone directly on him. He blinked rapidly, getting rid of the sleep that clung to his mind and stretched his arms over his head.

He glanced down at the slumbering woman beside him. Her colour was beginning to look better, and her face was relaxed as she slept deeply. He slowly and carefully removed himself from Mori's slumbering form and pulled a sheet over her. He briefly glanced at the bandaged chest wound. He did his best to stop the blood that flowed freely from the reopened wound, and thankfully sometime during the night it had stopped bleeding. His eyes narrowed in suspicion when he saw smaller injuries on her chest in the shape of an outline. What made those smaller injuries? They were in complete circles. He shook his head and affectionately brushed some strands of hair away from Mori's face. He would leave her to rest and recuperate for the day. Iruka then quietly got ready and locked the door as quietly as he could behind him. When he turned around, he sighed and walked down the road. 

He blinked when Kakashi appeared beside him, hands in his pockets.

"You were right, Kakashi. Mori was different when I found her" Iruka murmured to the Jonin.

Kakashi nodded and started walking beside him.

"All she needs is time to heal. Keep her safe until this whole thing is figured out" Kakashi said, and transported away when Iruka nodded.

Iruka sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He needed to keep Mori safe until they figured out the entire thing, and if Danzo was somehow involved in it. Mori had mentioned an older man with a cane...and Danzo walked with a cane. He shook his head; he didn't want to place blame on someone when there was a chance it wasn't. He leaned his head back and gazed at the clouds floating by as he continued walking. Something wasn't right here.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Mori felt cold and hot at the same time. Everything hurt, and she didn't want to move. Her chest felt constricted, and a deep pulsing pain resonated over her chest. Her mind took her away from the pain, and she fell into a deep slumber. Dream after dream invaded her mind, and she let herself be carried away by them.

A deep rumble caught her attention, and dream-Mori looked up from the field of flowers she was kneeling in. Cracks zipped through the field, and a strong wind blew through. It tugged at Mori's hair and clothes, and she raised her arms to shield herself. The flowers melted away to an inky blackness, and she was surrounded by wispy grey clouds that clung to her limbs. All around her was shades of black and grey that pressed on her. Mori blinked and tried to peer through the blackness, but her eyes couldn't pierce through it. A loud howl came suddenly and Mori jumped in surprise. The howl shook the whips of clouds and made them dance and sway. Mori stood up and looked around, wary of what made the howl.

A figure stepped in front of her, and a shocked gasp tore out of her throat. Her wolf form stood in front of her, red eyes piercing into her own red orbs. It stood still, an unknown breeze blowing the white fur.

"What do you want?" Mori murmured to her other form.

Her wolf whined slightly and paced around, as if it wanted to reach her. After a couple minutes of pacing, it growled and raised it's muzzle to the blackness. A howl crawled out and vibrated against Mori's eardrums, forcing her to her knees as her hands were plastered to her ears. She gritted her teeth against the pain in her ears. The howl made her very bones shake and she let out a scream. The howl seemed to go on forever, and Mori was sure she would break apart if it continued. The howling suddenly stopped, and she gasped as warmth flowed through her body. She stood up shakily and blinked in surprise when all her wounds were healed. She felt for her chest wound, and gasped softly when the large wound wasn't there anymore. A wind began to tug at her clothes again, and Mori blinked when she saw a large tornado barreling towards her. The wind picked her up like a toy and whipped her around like a used toy. Mori yelped as the wind threw her into the blackness, and it swallowed her up.

Mori woke with a start, and blinked when she saw she was in Iruka's bed. She sat up, wincing as her muscles protested the movement. She put a shaking hand to her forehead, blinking away the sleep that clung to her eyes.

How long had she been asleep for?

She shifted in the bed, and the sound of the door opening caught her attention. Mori blinked when Iruka walked in, his face looking worried. He blinked in surprise when he looked to see Mori sitting up, and rushed to her side.

"Mori! What are you doing sitting up? You could open your wounds again" he said as he sat down on the edge of the bed, and Mori gave him a small smile.

"I'm doing okay now, Iruka. How long have I been asleep for?" she said, voice hoarse from the large amount of sleep.

"Two days. I was getting worried you wouldn't wake" he said.

"I guess my body just needed more time" Mori mused, and Iruka nodded.

"Kakashi told me this had happened before...when the Nine-Tails attacked" Iruka said in a serious voice.

Mori sighed and shifted on the bed. Of course Kakashi would bring it up. She was just a young pup then, and barely knew how to fight. Kakashi had brought her to the hospital after, and thankfully they had managed to heal the young girl. After that, her mother and father never let her out of their sight.

"Yes, I was there. I was foolish back then, and wanted to show my mother and father that I wasn't a pup anymore" she said, smiling at the memory.

She had snuck out of the den while her mother, father and pack were out hunting. Her brother was out patrolling by himself, and Mori thought it was the perfect time. She had bolted in a flash of white and headed in the direction of the village. She wanted to see her friend Kakashi, but didn't realize that the Nine-Tails would show up. Sometime later, she heard crying and snuck away. Following her ears, she found a young Iruka sitting by himself.

The memory made her smile; that was when she had first met Iruka.