Unemployed Ninja

I giggled, and blushed with a happy smile. I was getting better at acting like a girl who was head-over-heels for this man. "You're right... I should have. I'm sorry..." I replied with that cute smirk. No, none of the feelings that we showed to others were real... but it sure seemed that way. I pushed away the crystal necklace that I had been gazing at not but seconds before, to act as a girl who was totally lost in the gaze of her 'lover'.

I picked her up and took her away from the stall, making people think we were newlyweds. At least it was working.

I giggled and squealed, wrapping my arms around his neck, blushing all the while. I became extremely good at faking blushes. I smiled big, and stated in a low, but happy tone, barely moving my lips. It didn't even look like I was speaking. "Don't you think we're overdoing it a bit?"

"Nah." I did in the same way, reading lips basically.

"Okay then... your call." I continued my 'sweet newly-wed cute little girl' routine. It nearly made me sick.

"I wash my mouth, excuse me." I said after putting her down on the futon. I couldn't believe any of those words came out of my mouth.

I wiped the happy expression from my face, and sighed. And there will be more to come... I thought dismally. I mean, Ijin was nice-looking and all... but there was no interest between us at all. There was absolutely nothing there! I got up from the futon, and grabbed my book, sitting in the very same place I had the night before.

I'd left somewhere after dinner to check out some things around a place I'd heard mentioned a day previously. Now, the idea was to go and spy, in that ninja fashion, maybe perch up in a tree at the dark of night, but as the sun was setting it was a bit harder. So I didn't dress up too tightly in ninja gear when I left. I could hear what they were saying but I wasn't in sight - at last I thought I wasn't. I was in someone else's sight instead...

It was almost dark now. I sighed, as I had planned on waiting for Ijin for a while. He wasn't back yet and I was sleepy. I had already changed into my sleep clothes, and I decided to sleep. He was a Shinobi after all... one of the best! He'd be fine. I laid down on the futon, and went to sleep.

I groaned as I struggled down the hall towards the room I was sharing with Aja. I could barely remember who attacked me or even where. My body was on fire and aching all over. As far as I knew I was bleeding and my chest hurt badly. I slid the screen door aside and stepped inside, falling to my knees beside Aja.

I shook her, but not roughly and sounded out her name between a breath.

I felt myself being shaken awake, and opened my eyes to see Ijin. My heart sank. "Ij- Hiroshi!!" I exclaimed, though not too loudly. "Wh-what happened to you?" I watched in horror as his blood hit the floor. So silent was the night, that I could even hear every drop.

I shouldn't have even been hit, ever. I felt like a failure to all shinobi. I collapsed and fought to keep my eyes open. How could I tell her what happened when it happened so fast that I didn't even remember it?

"I'm really sorry...I don't...hate you."

"Oh shut up." I said dismissively. "You're just delirious from blood loss. L-lets get you f-f-fixed up." I tried to sound happy and hopeful. The truth was; I was scared absolutely to death that I might lose him. "And if you die on me, I swear I will never forgive you so stay awake!" I grabbed the first piece of fabric that I could find. I later found out it was the new kimono that Kagome and Mizu had made me. I ripped it up, trying to stop the bleeding on his chest and his shoulder. I needed help, but I couldn't ask for any. If I did, it would be completely obvious that he was a Shinobi, and I would have been the one to cause his death. I had a hand on each wound, holding as much pressure as I could.

"No...I'm s-sorry." I shivered, dang it hurt. I felt her putting pressure on the wounds so I must have been awake enough to tell that much. I coughed just a little bit, but thankfully it wasn't a bad sign, at least I hoped.

"Stop apologizing! Be yourself..." The bleeding still hadn't stopped. But after awhile... it did stop! I was so happy! I tore up my other good tunic -I was wearing the torn one- and began to bandage him up. But first, I had to take his tunic off. Awkward... but this was not the time to be shy! I ripped his tunic off and got to work. I didn't bother cleaning him up too much. At that moment, my first priority was to get him better. To get those wounds bandaged up before they started bleeding again.

I felt slightly out of breath but I thought it was just from the shock of the whole event. But then I felt even worse, I felt slightly weak, but it continued to grow into unspeakable fatigue to the point where I felt like I was freezing and that my legs couldn't move.

I couldn't speak, I opened my mouth a slight but then it froze I couldn't breathe anymore. The feeling was scary but it came on so fast that I didn't have time to think or speak and before I knew what happened everything around me went dark and then light.

"Hi-hi-Hiroshi?" I called softly, shaking him a little. "Hiroshi?!" I shook him harder when no response came. "I told you not to die on me, darnit!!" I hit his chest with everything I had. Every bit of emotion I felt went into the force behind those punches and hits. I pounded his chest like a drum. "You never listen to me!!!"

I heard the sound of my tears drops as they hit the floor. They mingled with the pool of blood I was sitting in. I failed him. I've failed Ijin-Sama... I laid over his body, and wept. Over and over in the darkness, my words were barely heard... but they repeated for what seemed like forever. "Why him? Why did it have to be him?"

Suddenly the light went away. I felt something on my chest and the pain returned. What? I would have rather gone towards the light where no pain was! I groaned loudly when I felt the stabbing pain and the pressure from something heavy resting on me.

I gasped. Could it be? I looked up, and heard his groans. "H-H-H-Hiroshi.... Sama?" I gasped through through a river of tears.

I didn't answer very well, my eyes were fighting to stay open and I wasn't sure what happened. I looked at her through bleary eyes and wondered why she was asking.

"Hi-Hiroshi?"

"That's your name, idiot!" I replied in disbelief, wiping away my tears. "Don't you remember?"

"I-It's coming back..." I said, putting a hand on my bandaged chest. I felt sore and weird, like I'd just come back from death.

"Good, because I'd hate to have to tell you all about our mission here." I replied with a sad smile. He'd just cheated death! "And Hiroshi..."

I remembered what I'd said before the incident, I looked at her and took her hand, "I'm so sorry...I...didn't mean it."

I shrugged it off as if it hadn't hurt me at all. "Don't be. It's fine! We all say things we don't mean." I replied with a half chuckle. What had gotten into him? I mean yeah, he had just come back from death but... would that have been enough to change his view of me?