Moving On (Book 2 of Don't Call Me Kitten) *COMPLETE*

Hospital Visits

                       I wake up to find myself definitely not in the base and Hidan nowhere in sight. I glance down at myself and figure out that I'm in a bed, a hospital bed to be more specific, complete with a gown and several tubes and such sticking into my arms. There's another one that is stuck in my nostrils that wraps around my ears. I guess it's supposed to be to help me breathe. My chest hurts but past that I feel alright. My chest suddenly tightens and I let out a loud series of coughs that make my head spin. Once it dies away, I notice a glass of water being held out to me. Before accepting the cup, I follow the arm up to see who it is.
"I thought you said you never wanted to see me again?" I say, attempting to smirk as I cough again.
"Your father wanted me to keep watch over you while he couldn't. I fear I'll never be rid of you at this point." Shikamaru mutters.
"Where am I?" I ask as I take the cup and drink the contents.
"The hospital in Konoha."
"How did I get here?"
I definitely do not remember coming here and I know Hidan wouldn't risk trying to take me himself.
"Whoever you're staying with sent a letter using two rogues that told Kakashi you were sick and that they needed him to come and take you to get help and left a meeting place. Kakashi and I went and found you laying in the clearing and we took you back."
I nod my head as I process the situation and realize that it was probably all Hidan could think to do. At least he tried.
"So, who are you staying with?"
"That's classified, Dear. How long have I been here?"
"A week." My eyes widen slightly at that.
"And when can I leave?"
"Doctor says that if your cough improves, another week until you can leave the hospital."
"Can I see my father?"
"Whenever he's done with his work."
I nod and fall into silence. I wonder how Hidan is doing?

                 My father came to visit me a few hours after I asked Shikamaru about him, and he asked basically the same question Shikamaru did. I refused to tell them who I'm around, because well, no one needs to know that Hidan is pieced back together. I know they won't excuse his crimes. We'd fallen into a somewhat awkward silence and as I stare down at the hospital sheet, I come up with something to possibly talk about. I ask what happened to my old 'team'. A look clouds his exposed eye and I can tell he's unhappy with the thought. Apparently a few months after I had disappeared, Sasuke was cursed by Orochimaru and went off on a power trip and joined him. They tried to get him back and he didn't, leaving Sakura all heartbroken. Naruto went travelling with one of the Sannin and that's about it. He's back in the village trying to become Hokage, Sasuke is out somewhere and Sakura is helping in the hospital. I haven't seen her yet, my nurse is some cranky old lady.
"So basically after I left, everything went to shit?"
"Basically."
"How's the village in general? I know things got rough with the war."
"Things are good. Lots of rebuilding and trying to recover lost ranks. Being the Hokage is terrible." He mutters the last part and I start to chuckle but it's cut off by a cough.

                  "Mind telling me what led to you being dropped off in a clearing?"
"Well, I'd gotten into a disagreement of sorts with the one I'm staying with and wanted to get out for a few. I ended up stuck in the stupid storm and got sick. They're not the best with taking care of people but they tried and I ended up getting worse. I slept through the whole drop off thing so until I woke up earlier today I had no idea what happened."
He nods and seems to be lost in thought.
"I assume that when you're released you are going back to wherever you've been staying?"
"Yeah, it's my home. I don't belong in Konoha and I'm not abandoning who I'm staying with."
There's no way I'd just leave Hidan behind.
"Konoha was your home first."
"Konoha was never truly my home. Everyone hated or ignored me. I had no one to depend on. I was only permitted to join your genin squad because you were the only one that wanted me." I pause to cough and take a sip of water. "I heard the jonin talking that day. I was the odd student out because they pushed Naruto through the system for being the Nine-Tails. They were going to send me back into the Academy and you took me at the last second. I was never truly even a teammate for that squad."
"They weren't going to send you back to the Academy, they were going to consider an apprenticeship of sorts for you because of your strength. We all knew you were past the genin and probably Chunin ranks at the time. The Hokage had faith in you but decided against it in hopes you'd make friends and enjoy the people your own age, so I took you onto my team to keep an eye on you." He explains, glancing over at me.
That story seems a bit hard to believe, but considering what's gone on in the past several years, I suppose anything is possible. It does make me feel a bit better, possibly knowing that I wasn't put on a team as a pity tag along and the Hokage may have had faith in me. I'm sure if he could see me now he'd be very disappointed in what I'd become.
"You could always stay and become a jonin. We need more to help with the new academy graduates."
"I'm an Akatsuki member. Despite you pardoning me, I'm sure they wouldn't let me in charge of a bunch of children. And I'm not leaving my partner behind. And I hate children, they're terrible. I'll still come visit from time to time, hopefully not when I'm sick and almost dying."

                 Despite my father's attempts at getting me to stay and find work in Konoha, I refuse all of them because I want to stay with Hidan. He had tried to figure out who Hidan was as well, but I wouldn't give him any clues about his identity. I reassured him that I'm completely safe where I am and I'm well taken care of. He left a few hours later when the cranky bitch nurse came in and kicked him out, leaving me alone with my thoughts. If I hadn't have dated Deidara, what would my life have been like? I doubt I would've learned that Kakashi was my father. I may have become a jonin or joined the ANBU or something. Maybe I would've gotten my old dream job of being in the interrogation unit. Seeing how Ibiki is, especially toward me since I made him mad, I'm sure I would've had fun with prisoners. Ibiki would've probably killed me though, since I don't think our personalities quite mesh together. I'm surprised that fucker hasn't come bursting my door down to kill me yet.