Yohei was walking down the street of Konoha. He just got off his shift at the hospital; it was a smooth shift. Not many people getting fatality injured these days, but people still get sick, even get hurt, despite the peace since the third great ninja war ended. Injuries and illness will always be around.
Yohei stopped and looked in a store when he thought he saw a flash of a familiar purple hair. Jordan walked out shortly afterward, carrying four bags. Two were filled with ingredients, the other two filled with scrolls. The immortal fuinjutsu master was always buying scrolls, saying she needs them for practice and new seal designs.
“Hey, Jords,” Yohei called out to her, waving and smiling.
“Oh, hey Yohei, how are you today?” she asked, walking over, looking tired.
“I’m okay, did you pull another all-nighter?” He asked, noting the bags under her eyes.
“No, I just. Nightmares. Every time I’d try to fall asleep, I would hear their screams, so I ended up not sleeping.” She answered, sagging her shoulders, and somehow showing her 219 years of life. “you know?”
Yeah, Yohei knew. They talked late one night, Jordan was drunk and ended up crying, and when he asked her what's wrong, she admitted that she had gotten drunk to forget the night her clan died, the night still haunting her. She also confessed that she used to be a huge mass murderer and experimented on humans. He understands moments haunting you, having nightmares of when his team died, him being the sole survivor of his team.
“Yeah, I know.” He answers, he points at the bags full of ingredients, “You making a new pill or something?”
“No, I was actually going to make old comfort food from my childhood. Hoping to calm my frayed nerves from the nightmares.” She explains, looking a little more alive.
“Hey, you okay? Its 5 in the afternoon, and you're barely shopping.” He asks gently, they both know the secret meaning behind his words, ‘You're not in danger of relapsing into a murderous rage are you?’ is what he's really asking.
“I am. This morning was rough, so I stayed home, but I couldn’t stand to be there anymore.” She answers softly. ‘Not at this moment, I was this morning, so I stayed away from people I could hurt, but I had couldn’t stand being alone with my thoughts.’ The meaning behind her words.
He puts a hand on her shoulder, offering little comfort, and also checking for shaking, a sign that shes teetering the edge of relapse. They both have hard lives, and they try to help each other when they can.
When he confirmed she wasn’t shaking from fighting herself, he let go of her shoulder.
“If you don’t want to be alone, why don’t you come back to my place?” he offers, knowing she prefers company and cooking for others when shes having a hard time.
She hesitates, of course, she does, she is scared of herself, “I guess that'd be nice.” She answers slowly. Looking him in the eyes, so he can see her worry.
“It’ll be okay. We can invite Bakashi if you’d like.” He suggests noting her hesitation; he’s a healer, not a fighter.
She seems to think this over for a moment before answering, “As long he doesn’t stay reading the entire time.” She smiles, looking better than she did when he first saw her, “But I’ll need to buy more ingredients; I have only enough for one person.”
He nods, “I can hold your bags while you get them? It also gives me a chance to call Bakashi, see if he’s available to come over.”
“If you would hold my bags for me, that’d be great.” She hands him her bags before running back into the store.
He sighs, pulling out his phone and calling his brother. After a moment, Kakashi answered.
“What do you want, Yohei?” came Kakashi's voice through the phone.
“Hi, Bakashi I’m doing well thank you for asking how are you?” Yohei responded.
“I'm okay now, what do you want?”
“Well, I was wondering if you’re available for dinner with me and Jordan tonight?”
“I should be, but I’m out of the village at the moment. I don’t know when exactly I will be back in.”
“Okay, it'll be at my place as soon as you're available to come over.” As he finished saying that, Jordan walked back out of the store, looking overly innocent. He raised an eyebrow at her, that look never means any good. She just smiled and shrugged, “Anyway, Kakashi, Jordan got back from getting what she needed, so I’ll let you go.”
“Okay, later, Yohei.” Kakashi hung up the phone after saying that. Yohei just closed his phone and sighed at his brother. He looks over at Jordan.
“You got everything you needed?” he asked her.
“Yep! Also, someone's wallet.” She answered, holding up a wallet.
“I’m not even gonna ask.” He shakes his head slightly, smiling.
“So is Kakashi joining us?” she asked while poking him.
“Yeah, but later. Not right away.” He answered, moving away from her poking hands. Something feels off about her poking him.
Something feels off about her in general.
“So shall we head to your house?” She said while working towards the direction of his house, already knowing the answer. He just chuckled and followed after her.
After they got to his house, he let her in.
“You remember where everything is?” Already knowing she does, she comes over often to cook for him.
“Yeah, it’ll be done in about an hour.” She states as she walks into the kitchen, humming some random song.
Yohei sat down on the couch and started to watch tv, keeping an ear out on the happenings in the kitchen.
After about 20 minutes, he hears Jordan cuss and a pot drop. He stood up and walked over to the kitchen.
“Hey, you okay, Jords?” he asked.
She didn’t respond, staring at her shaking hands.
‘Shit.’ Was all that went through Yohei head.
“Hey, Jordan, focus on me, on my voice. You’re okay, it's okay.” He spoke softly, careful to not make sudden moves.
She takes a shaky breath and closes her eyes.
“Remember your breathing exercises?” He asks, still speaking softly, looking around subtly trying to see about the closest thing she can use as a weapon, before looking back at her, to see her nod her head slowly, “okay inhale for 4 seconds,” he watches she shakily follows along as he says despite remembering how to do; sometimes it helps to have guide, “hold for 7 seconds,” he slowly walked to her, “and exhale for 8” she exhales, but the shaking in her hands is steadily getting worse.
“Yohei, get out.” She whispers, sounding small.
“I’m not going to leave you.” He tells her gently, but still back away slowly, “I’m your friend, I’m not leaving you when you're so close to relapsing.”
“Yohei, I’m not going to be able to fight it much longer, please I don’t want to hurt you.” She pleads, shaking the worse he's ever seen her. Yohei noticed the tears streaming down her face.
“Is there anything I can do? Anything at all?” He concernedly asks, getting further away.
“Get away! so I can't hurt you!” She sobs out, collapsing to her knees, “I am fighting my hardest, but I won't win, I’m losing. Yohei, please go!” He turns around slowly, to not startle her, leaving the kitchen.
Just as he went close the door, she slammed it open, tackling him. His eyes open, ‘NO!’ flew in his mind, he forgets how fast she can be, being as fast the Fourth Hokage with his teleportation jutsu, without it. She sits on his stomach, looking down at him with cold and empty eyes.
“Jordan, you're okay, it's okay. It's me, Yohei.” He pleads with her, despite knowing it's not going when she's this far gone.
A glint catches his eye, he looks over and notices she holding a knife. He swallows his fear; he can survive this. He might be able to convince on waiting, long enough for Kakashi to get there, ‘But when will that be?’ his mind supplied, ‘We aren’t sure.’
“Hey, Jordan, do you really want to do this?” he asks weakly. All she does is slowly raise the knife, aiming at his chest, a sick grin splitting her face. ‘Nonononononononono’ his only thought. As the blade goes down, he gathers his courage and speaks, “I forgive you.” He says. He sees the blade enter his chest, feeling the sting from that. He closes his eyes, ignoring the wetness on his face, assuming it's his own tears.
Yohei slowly opens his eyes and sits up, ‘I thought I was going die?’ he thinks, and realizes he's at the hospital.
“What happened?” he asks to the room, the door opens, and Kakashi walks in, relief filling his face, well his one eye.
“You’re awake.” He says, sounding relieved.
“What happened? How long was I out?” Yohei asks him.
“When I showed at your house, Jordan was furiously trying to heal you, but she was crying and shaking too hard to properly do it. You were out for a few days, the wound was terrible; the doctors were surprised you lasted as long as you did before they got involved.” Kakashi explained to him, walking over.
“What about Jordan?” Yohei asks slowly, even though she stabbed him, she is his friend, and he's concerned.
“Last I saw she was at her house baking up a storm. She told me to call me if there were any changes with you.” He explains, “But I won't call her without your say.”
“Is she okay?”
“She feels guilty for relapsing; she didn’t want to visit you because she thinks like you'll hate her. She is really beating herself over it.”
“I see. I’ll call Jordan in a little.” He tells Kakashi, “Are you mad at her?” he asks his brother.
“No, I don’t. I know about how Jordan used to cling to her anger and spite and how she used to take it out, and I know sometimes she struggles to feel happy, and struggles even harder to not fall back into it.” Kakashi explains, “But I do blame myself for taking so long after turning my mission report.” Kakashi looks down.
“Hey, I didn’t warn you, its no one's fault.” Yohei smiles at Kakashi. “I should call Jords.”
“Maybe. Want me here if while you do it?” Kakashi asks him.
“Have you been home since I've been here?” Kakashi’s avoidance of his eyes tells him what he needs to know, “Go home, shower and take a nap.”
Kakashi sighs, “Okay, but call me if you need me.”
“I will.” Kakashi walked, waving behind him. Yohei looks around, realizing he doesn’t have his cell phone, he grabs the hospital phone on his nightstand, pressing nine and dialing Jordan's number.
It rings twice, “Hello Jordan speaking.” He hears as she picks up.
“Hey Jords, I heard you were concerned about me?” he lamely responds. He hears something drop through the phone.
“Yohei? You're okay?” she shakily asks, fighting the urge to cry.
“Yeah, its gonna take more than that to take me out, how are you?”
“How am I? Who cares? How are you?!”
“…Firstly I care that’s who cares. Secondly, I’m okay, woke up a few minutes ago. Thirdly, you’re crying out of relief, aren’t you?” He can’t help but tease her.
“You know me too well.” She chuckles.
“I heard you’ve been baking up a storm?” he jokingly asks.
“I'll bring you some cookies.” She answers, “I’ll be there in like 10 minutes.” She says.
“I'll see you then. Be safe and careful, okay?”
“Me? Safe? Never.”
“Dork. I’ll see you when you get here.” He tells her as she hangs up.
Nine minutes later, she climbs in through the window, holding a tray of cookies.
“I was joking.” He tells Jordan. She just shakes her head and puts the plate on the stand next to his bed.
“Hey, you okay?”
“Yes. Are you okay?”
“I've been better, but also worse. How’s the chest?” Jordan asks Yohei gently, sitting next to him on the bed.
“If I didn’t know of the injury I got, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.” He tells her.
“God, I’m so sorry.” she apologizes, grabbing his hand.
“It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean to, and besides, Kakashi told me you tried healing me. I'm guessing you snapped back, what caused it?”
“You said you forgave me. That, for whatever reason, snapped me back, I wasn’t able to stop stab, but I was able to change where it landed, non-fatally, but it was still dangerous. I was unsteady after the snapback and tried, but I was upset thinking I killed the one I love, and as I stated, unsteady, so it wasn’t working properly. Kakashi showed up and brought you here.” She explains.
He smiles softly, grabbing her hand, “I still forgive you.”
She smiles back, weakly.
“I don’t understand how you can. But thank you.” She sighs, relieved, before muttering, “damn emotions.”
“Oh?”
“Is it….” She hesitates, “Is it okay that I want to kiss you?” she looks away, softly blushing.
He blushes hard, “is… is it okay I want the same?” he stutters out, blushing harder. He notices Jordan’s back tense, then barely sees her move, and then her lips were on him, kissing him. It takes him a second before a moment before he kisses her back.