I inhaled a shaky breath and pushed open the wooden door in front of me. The first thing I noticed was the beeping – a rhythmic, digital sound that came every few seconds.
The next thing I noticed were all the tubes and cords. Various machines standing at different heights were set around the head of the bed, tubes and wires stretching from them to the body laying atop the bed itself.
Aiko's lips slowly pulled up into a small smile as she saw me come in. The motion seemed to be difficult for her.
The tube wrapped around her face to deliver oxygen directly into her nostrils added to the wrinkles on her face where it was cinched just above her cheeks. "Hey, Kagen. Nice of you to come." Her voice sounded weak.
I should have put it together. If I wasn't so focused on training, I could have put it together.
I didn't remember a woman named Aiko from the anime, and the only relatives Shikamaru had that I remembered were his mother and father.
That was enough for me to know that something happened to Aiko between my birth and the start of the canon story. Her constant back pain should have been my second clue.
Aiko had collapsed earlier in the day. Luckily she'd been with Yoshino, Shikamaru's mother, at the time, so she was quickly rushed to the hospital. The iryõ nin had looked her over and delivered their diagnosis.
Spinal cancer. Aika had spinal cancer. From what the iryõ nin were able to determine, she'd had it for a long time now.
It was too widespread for them to do anything about it other than make her comfortable now. Had they caught it early they may have been able to help her, but it was a moot point due to how long it went undiagnosed. By the estimates of the iryõ nin, she would pass sometime in the next month. I'd be in Iwa when she died.
Konoha was in a strange technological bubble. The village was advanced enough in matters of biology to recognize the disease and determine its effects, but nearly every treatment method available to them relied on chakra.
They didn't have any form of chemo. I didn't know if it would be of much use to Aiko at this stage, but it would have been better than the certainty of no treatment.
Shikaku had been sitting on a chair in the corner when I entered. He stood and walked up to me. "I'll give you two a minute." He stepped outside, softly closing the door behind him.
"Come here, kid." Aiko said, lifting up her hand.
I walked to the side of the bed and took her hand. "How… How are you feeling?" I said dumbly. That felt like a really stupid question, but it was all I could say right now.
I was still partly in shock at the sudden news, but mostly I was sad. Aiko had been good to me. She'd helped me for years, and even when they were still alive, Aika had been around more than my parents were. This…it sucked.
Aiko chuckled softly. "About how you'd expect, but that's not such a bad thing. I hear you're off to the Chunin Exams soon."
I swallowed heavily. "Aiko-san, we don't need to talk about me."
She shot me an unimpressed look. "Would you rather we talk about cancer? This is how life is. I have lived a good and a long life. Something that can't be said for many folks in our field. I am happy so humor me, Kagen. Tell me how your team is doing."
"We… We're all training hard. We've improved a lot, and Ren-sensei says he feels confident we'll be able to make it through." I said, forcing the words past a lump in my throat. I was blinking rapidly, trying to clear the moisture from my vision.
"Mmm, that's good." Aiko said, laying back into her bed of pillows. "I'm sorry I won't be there to watch you in the finals."
I shook my head. "You don't need to apologize. I…" I turned away, squeezing my eyes shut tight to fight back the stinging in them.
"It's gonna be alright, Kagen." Aiko said warmly, reaching over to pat the top of my hand with her free one. "You're a bright kid, and I know you're gonna do great things. You are already a menace as a shinobi. But I need you to make me a promise, okay?"
I turned to look at her and nodded, ignoring the moisture on my cheeks. "Anything, Aiko-san."
"Don't let this life consume you. I've seen it happen to too many people I love, and I don't want it to happen to you. Achieve your dreams, then find something else to fight towards. I don't care what it is or where you have to go. Just don't run yourself dry until you drop. Okay?"
I nodded, squeezing her hand tight. "I won't."
She reached up and ruffled my hair. "Good boy. I'm gonna get some sleep now. You should head on back to your team and get ready for the Exams. I know you're going to do great."
I released her hand and took a step back. I was half-way to the door when I was overcome with a sudden urge.
I turned around and kissed Aiko on the forehead. "Thank you for everything. I love you, obaa-san." I turned around and left the room.
Shikaku was standing outside the door leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.
As I moved to walk past him, he said, "She really enjoyed living with you, Kagen. Thank you for making her last years happy."
I couldn't say anything, so I just nodded and hurried past. I needed to be alone for the night.
---------Author Notes--------
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