• Chapter 6
    My Apologizes


    When squad three came back from their mission in the Snow Village, Koji was immediately taken to the hospital and Kaori and her dad took a trip to Sunagakure so she could train with Kankuro and his son, (Kankuro’s son), so Toshiro had no one to play with. When Toshiro awoke, the next morning, he decided to see how Koji was doing. He hopped out of bed, got dressed, and ate a bowl of ramen for breakfast.

    “Where’re you going, Toshiro?” Kari asked as Toshiro was about to leave.

    “I’m goin’ to see Koji, in the hospital,” he replied.

    “Ok, bye.”

    “Good-bye, Mrs. Ammei,” he said as he walked out the door.

    As he walked down the crowded streets of the Leaf Village he saw two ninjas around his age he didn’t recognize from the academy. One had black hair, he wore his headband to the left side of his head, and he had three swords. He was talking to a kid who (Other description). Toshiro heard them say something about the mission to the Snow Village and how the team had failed, but he decided to just keep walking. When he got to the hospital he saw Koji’s mother walk out the door.

    “You’re Toshiro, right?” she asked when she saw him.

    “Yes ma’am,” he said with a smile.

    Toshiro then felt a hand hit his face, then a stinging sensation. “Ow,” he said looking confused, “what was that for?”

    “It’s your fault my son’s in the hospital,” she said with tears in her eyes. “It’s all your fault ”

    “No it’s not,” he said slowly, looking at the ground. “I didn’t tell him to come save us.”

    “But you’re his teammate so he did, and he ended up hurt. The doctor said he has cracked ribs, and internal bleeding.”

    “I’m sorry.”

    “‘I’m sorry’, that’s all you have to say?”, she paused for a minute. “He has less than a forty percent chance of surviving the week . . . it’s your fault my only son is gonna die ”

    Toshiro then looked up at her. “ . . . He’s not gonna die . . . I swear. If he does,” He paused for a moment, “then I’ll let you take my life,” he finished.

    He then walked to the hospital and opened the doors. He heard a voice behind him, “What was all that about?” it questioned. He turned around to see Katsumi Katsutoshi standing behind him.

    Dammit . . . she’s gonna kill me Toshiro thought to himself. “Nothing,” he said. “You seen Koji yet?”

    “No. That’s why I’m here now,” she replied with a smile as the walked in the building.

    “Good morning, may I help you?”, the woman at the front desk asked the two ninja.

    “We’re here to see Koji Hyuga,” they said in unison. They looked at each for a moment. Then Toshiro said, “That was weird.”

    “Yea,” Katsumi replied.

    “Koji Hyuga, he’s on the third floor,” the woman said, “room 3B.”

    Toshiro followed Katsumi up the stairs to the third floor. “Hey, Katsumi?” Toshiro asked as they walked up the stairs.

    “Yes?”

    “Do you consider me as a friend?”

    “Yes,” she replied as she stopped and looked back at him a little confused, “why do you ask?”

    He didn’t answer her question yet. “Do you believe in,” he paused for a moment and then looked up at her, “. . . getting revenge?”

    “Yes I do,” she said as they continued up the stairs.

    “Even against . . . friends?”

    “W-what is this . . . about?”

    “ . . . You’ll see.” Toshiro said quietly.

    They arrived on the third floor, and began to look for Koji’s room.

    “3B . . . 3B . . . ,” Toshiro said looking for the room. “Where the hell is it?”

    “I found it,” Katsumi called over to him, “over her, Toshi.”

    Toshiro walked over to where Katsumi was. “What did you call me?” he asked her.

    “Toshi.” She replied with a smile.

    “And I need a nickname why?”

    “I don’t know, you just looked like you needed a nickname,” she then looked at him with a sad expression. “You don’t like you nickname, do you?”

    “Of course I do . . . it’s just . . . ,” he then ran out of words. “How ‘bout we just go in?”

    “Ok then,” she said opening the door. Toshiro braced himself for what they were about to see, and for what Katsumi might do. When they entered the room they saw Koji lying on the floor in the middle of a glowing green circle. There were four ninjas sitting around him holding the snake hand seal, and in front of each one there was a Japanese that was glowing blue. Koji’s body was pretty cut up. He had a hole that went straight through his left bicep, from the spear, he had a huge gash on the right side of his chest. Also he had multiple cuts all over his arms stomach and sides, which were slowly closing up and healing.

    Toshiro glanced at Katsumi, she had tears in her eyes. “K-koji . . . ,” she whispered.

    I did think he cared that much about us Toshiro thought.

    “Is . . . is . . . he ok?” She asked the doctor.

    “Um . . . sorry to say . . . no,” he said. “He has lost a lot of blood, he has a punctured lung, cracked ribs, and internal bleeding.”

    “Will he wake up?”

    “He will either wake up before the end of the week,” he paused for a moment, “or . . . die.”

    “What? If Koji doesn’t wake up in two days . . . he’ll die?” Toshiro yelled.

    “Unfortunately.”

    “Dammit ” He stared at the ground for a minute, then at Koji. He then looked at Katsumi, she was silently crying. “I . . . I’m so sorry . . .” He then turned and walked out the door. Katsumi looked at Koji, dried her tears, and then followed Toshiro out the door.

    Dammit . . . dammit . . . dammit Toshiro thought as he walked the streets of Konoha. “I wonder if Katsumi’s ok.” He then felt someone grab his wrist. He turned around and saw Katsumi, who was still crying.

    “Are . . . you ok?” He slowly asked with caution. She didn’t answer. Katsumi then grabbed his arm with her other hand and threw him. Toshiro crashed into a stand where an old man was cooking and selling fish. A pot of boiling water splashed in Toshiro’s as the fish stand came crashing down on him.

    “AUGH ********, MY EYES! ” Toshiro yelled in pain from beneath the debris. Katsumi slowly walked over to the destroyed fish stand and reached into the broken bits of wood, and pulled Toshiro up by the collar of his shirt, lifting him off the ground.

    “I-I’m . . . sorry,” Toshiro said holding his hand over his eye from the pain. She released Toshiro, and he hit the ground with a thud. Katsumi was still silent, she then grabbed him by his wrist and drug him out of the streets of Konoha and into the forest.

    “K-katsumi. Where are we goin’, Katsumi?” Toshiro asked as he stumbled to his feet. She still said nothing. Once they where in the forest Katsumi Tossed Toshiro in front of her like a rag doll.

    “Why’d you bring me into the forest?” He questioned once more as he stood.

    Katsumi finally spoke, “I’m gonna make you feel pain,” she paused wiping her tears,”just like you made Koji feel.”

    “I’m sorry,” Toshiro stated once more.

    Katsumi went back to her state of silence and threw a punch at Toshiro. He stood his ground and caught her fist. It was a bad idea, the force of the punch knocked him off his feet. Toshiro soared twenty feet through the air and hit an enormous tree, ripping its ten foot roots from the ground. The hit the ground, nearly missing Toshiro, with an earth shaking boom. The same kid Toshiro had seen talking to the guy with three swords rolled out from under the tree.

    He lazily stood up, “What da hell happened to my tree?” He asked when he spotted Toshiro.

    “S-she . . . punched me through it,” He replied as he slowly stood up and pointed at Katsumi, who was walking over.

    “Hey hey hey . . . what do we have here,” the kid said as he walked over to Katsumi, “nice melons, babe,” he said with a pervy grin.

    Without looking up from the ground, Katsumi hit him in the side of the face with the back of her hand. He spun through the air and hit a giant tree branch and then fell onto another one.

    “Ouch,” he said from the tree.

    “Well . . . back to beatin’ up Toshiro, I guess,” Toshiro said unenthusiastically.

    “I’m sorry,” Katsumi said. “Please forgive me.” She held out her arms awaiting a hug from Toshiro. Toshiro, the forgiving kid he is, walked over to her, “Ok, I forgi- . . . ” Once again his sentence was cut short. Katsumi punched Toshiro in his stomach. There was a cracking sound and a sharp pain in his stomach as he flew backwards and hit the ground.

    “K-katsumi . . . I’m . . . sorry,” Toshiro said before he blacked out.

    * * *

    Toshiro woke up, in the middle of the night, in the hospital. He tried to sit up but felt pain in his stomach that made him lay back.

    How the hell’d I get here? He wondered