I haven't started any new fics in years. I wrote this one years ago but I never thought to post it for some reason. Its better then leaving it on my computer forever at least.
And i noticed there weren't any fic's with Kabuto being an actual doctor and Shizune being a nurse even though I see pictures of them portrayed as such everywhere. Well hopefully my interpretation will fix that. Hope you all enjoy!
No one knew what the pattern came to be; whether it went from bright lightning than the rolling thunder, or the roaring thunder to frightening lightning. No one knew. But the pattern didn't matter much. Soon the lights and roars became one and happened all at once, both blinding the truckers and waiters inside diner with green and peach tiles.
A single clerk flinched at the thunder bolt that roared along with the thunder. Glaring her brown eyes up at the one flickering lamp above her head, she made a mental note to tell her lazy husband to fix it later. To her right and left were the long counters, stools, and sofa seats lining up the inside of her little diner called, "Kohona Diner" and the "Leafy Inn". It served the best tea all year around and had its own motel in the back for truckers and passing all-nighter families. To her, the diner was her life.
Wind suddenly burst through the door, blowing napkins and hats of truckers off. The blonde blinked when she looked to see a single man, dressed in a soaked coat standing at the doorway, lightning blazing behind him bringing out more suspicion in his appearance. She must have not heard the bell ding when he entered.
The man stood there for a moment with hunched shoulders heaving up and down on his back while the rain curtained his background in a grey and white lined waterfall.
Not waiting for any welcome from the passing waitresses or waiters, the man slugged in with tired, hard stomps to his heavy muddy boots. He didn't seem to notice the trails of brown wet spots he left behind in his path, but by the way he looked he could have been leaving money behind and he wouldn't care.
Grabbing onto the diner counter, the man heaved his body onto the stool with a groan. He then let out a long sigh of relief to be off his feet at last.
Finally blinking out of her surprise, the clerk waved to a waitress to the man, who nodded and promptly walked over before him.
"Welcome to the Kohona Diner! How may I help you sir?" the waitress said in a polite tone.
The man lifted his hooded head up to her, his face completely in shadow. "Just some hot cocoa if you have any." the man said in a voice that was young, but also rich with a sort of intelligence. Even during a storm raging on nearly deafening anything in the diner, you can hear clearly in his voice he is well educated.
The woman nodded, and tried to ignore the warm bubbling feeling growing in her abdomen at the man's lovely voice. Once the waitress was gone, the man under the hood sighed tiredly once more, reaching to his head to pull off his hood to reveal wet long silver locks of an old man tied in a low ponytail. The clerk at the front desk was at first confused (seeing and hearing the whole scene) then blinked to see the man was a much younger man than she anticipated. He looked to be in his early twenties even!
Despite the hood covering his head, the cranium of white silk still dripped water, drenched to the bone. On the bridge of his nose was a pair of thin, circular rimmed glasses, big enough to hide his eyes. His ink colored eyes glared in and out behind his specs with the flashing lightning outside. The shine that would flash across his glasses would tease to block his features with the lightning. Even with the few seconds of his eyes the clerk saw, she could very well tell he was a handsome man.
"Here's your drink sir." the waitress said, setting the drink in front of the man who had been staring unblinking at his hands for the past two minutes. He gasped in surprise at the voice and drink, and weakly offered a smile at the waitress. She nodded to him and skipped away with a silent giggle. Looking back to him, the woman at the desk saw him never moving his hand from the handle of the drink.
His eyes stayed hidden behind the bright glare of his round glasses, hiding his emotions like a mask. This continued for a while until she began to question if he was even breathing anymore.
Yet, seeing his earlier eyes, she could probably tell his story already without asking. But being the clever person who she was, she knew better than to just leave him be like this. She stood up and waved for another waitress to take her place.
"You a stranger to these parts?"
The man jerked from his little world to look up at the blond woman in pigtails standing a little ways off of him. His eyes looked surprised for a split second, like a child shocked from being caught playing with pots and pans on the kitchen floor. He then hardened his stare into an emotionless mask. But the woman knew…
"Had a rough day?"
Slowly softening up into a sad little frown, his expression grew more strained from an unknown pain. Never taking her eyes off him, she took the last steps to stand before him, fully in his view and rested against the wall behind her.
"Are you by chance from the village from the radio this morning…Sounderic was it?"
The man's gaze lost the last of hardness and fell completely weak under her knowing look. Sadness took over his face and he looked at his cup mournfully.
"Yes….I am," the man said in a horse voice.
He blinked when a hand came up from the corner of his glass covered eyes. He looked up to see the young in sight, but elderly in spirit woman holding out her hand to him. "Name's Tsunade. Consider me a friend if you want." Tsunade said, offering a friendly smirk.
The man smiled as well, still weakly but more friendly than anything else, and took her hand in his. "Kabuto Yakushi. Nice to meet you." he said politely.
Tsunade nodded and leaned back against the wall. "I heard it was a big fire…" she said. Her eyes reverted to the floor. "My husband and I had a friend living there…" she started, hoping to make some connection with the man. "Or, what we call a friend anyway. Man's a lunatic, but we love him like a brother nonetheless." she added with a strained smile.
He stood still for a moment, thinking over his words before speaking. "Was his name Orochimaru by any chance?" Kabuto said his tone icy and full of loathing.
Tsunade was surprised at such a harsh tone, but nodded. She was even more surprised he managed to guess her friend. Kabuto returned his eyes to his drink with the shine of the lightning back to his glasses and hiding his expression, save the deep frown on his face. She didn't fail to notice the tightening of his hands on his mug.
"I hate him…" Kabuto growled out, shocking Tsunade further. "He…he was the one who started the fires."
It was then Tsunade grew remorse. So…her friend finally lost his mind had he? Perhaps the pass-up chance to send him to the asylum so long ago had been a mistake all along. She raised a hand to her forehead to squash any sorrow that would show.
"He started next to the hospital…where I was working…" Kabuto said through gritted teeth. "He went after the weakest…the sick of all things…and burnt them all." A sob escaped the man's throat, and it was then Tsunade realized he was crying. He grabbed his face with his free hand, weeping into his palm. "So many people I knew…so many I treated…I could still hear their cries and screams as the fire grew…"
The woman raised her hand to his shoulder, giving him a comforting squeeze. Kabuto shook his head, hand still in his face. "I just….I couldn't do anything! I swear! So many people were screaming at the time…and I…the flames spread incredibly fast…too fast for me to even see. Next thing I knew, they were all over the city and I was in the outskirts…"
Kabuto took his hand away from his face to reveal tears streaming down to his chin where it dripped onto the counter. "I couldn't save anyone I knew. They all ran away, so I ran from the village…"
Tsunade could only nod in understanding. The moment was pure chaos, as it said on the broadcast. The firemen themselves were burnt alive. It was said the people in the hospital were one of the first to go. What's more fires were spreading throughout the city, as though someone set them off and nearly trapped the people inside.
Orochimaru really outdid himself this time.
"And…it's not the fact that I lived that scares me…or the feeling I'm having that the whole thing was my fault…" Kabuto continued while he looked at nothing at his right hand. "Its…it's the fact that I knew this madman from the very beginning, before any of these fires started. I didn't even think he was crazy. Sure a little off but never... I saw him as he was burning down a street... and he had a knife ready to stab me yet he didn't try to kill me. He let me live…Sure I treated the man when he was injured one time…but did he really-"
"I think it's because he considered you his friend."
Kabuto blinked his watery eyes and turned back to the blonde woman. She stared at the metallic mug in his hand where her reflection glared back at her. It was then Kabuto saw just how old the woman was by the aging sadness in her eyes. "He did something like that to me and my husband, Jiraiya. He nearly killed a woman trying to threaten us…but we luckily cut him to it. We knew he was only trying to protect the ones he card dearly but it was a insane way to go about it. We were stupid back then, thinking his ways of murder would change." She gave a frustrated noise covering her face again to rub at her temples. "We were so stupid…"
The young man said nothing, watching her mourn quietly to herself before she looked up to Kabuto with a thoughtful expression. "Did…you say anything to him? Anything that could sound you were upset over?"
Kabuto thought hard, and then came up with a conclusion that made him smack his forehead. "I said that the hospital was going to be closed down! My job was on the line and people I knew were going to be moved."
Tsunade nodded. "I thought so. He must have thought, 'if there's no hospital for my friend, then they'll be no city for the hospital'."
"But it was when I first heard the notice when I finished his treatments! I was just so mad that I blurted out to him! I never thought-" Kabuto trailed off with a smack on the counter. "Dammit! It was all my fault!"
"Now hold it right there!" Tsunade snapped, gaining the hysterical man's attention. "This is not your fault! How could anyone blame you? You had no idea that man was any crazier than a raging dog in a mad hatter's suit."
Kabuto blinked at the woman's dry humor, forcing himself to give a very weak smile. "I appreciate your concern ma'me, but I know when someone's at fault. Especially when I'm the cause of it. And…" he seemed to think over something and by the way his eyes flickered sadly, she knew the answer already. "I think I troubled you far enough as it is." he paused to see his pathetic reflection in his cold drink. "I think I'll have to wander around until I find a new home…or maybe I'll just lay by the road."
Tsunade saw this look before in many customers before hearing them in the morning news, "Men found dead".
He stood up, digging into his soaked pockets and managed to pull out a $100 bill. He lazily left it next to his unfinished drink and headed for the door. "Thank you for your kindness." he mumbled before opening the door with a ding and lighting shot through the sky, soon followed by thunder.
"HOLD IT!" Tsunade shouted, as a hand grabbed him by the back of the neck and suddenly with immense strength, yanked him back from the door to his rear, crashing into his tailbone. As he groaned Kabuto felt himself being dragged him away to the side of the diner. He struggled against the grip on his coat for freedom but he continued to be dragged away like a sack of potatoes, ignoring his protests. The truckers and waitresses looked over curiosity, but dare not object to the woman's actions. He could tell from the look in all their faces that they were frightened of the woman to some degree and let her be to do whatever she wished.
"Ma'me! Please!" Kabuto cried out, finally managing to get on his feet, only to be pulled to his knees and pulled out the door into the walkway outside, covered by cement overhead keeping both dry. He noted they were going towards other buildings but tried to concentrate on freeing himself.
"The name is Mrs. Hermit to you doc!" Tsunade said, obviously grinning mischievously. "And you just paid for a nights stay at this wonderful Inn!" she said holding up the bill he left earlier.
"Don't I have a say in this?" Kabuto said glumly, ignoring the confusion of her name.
"No."
"I thought as much." Kabuto sighed and let his body go limp at her pull. "Take me away then." he added with a hopeless wave to the dark skies. "I have nothing else to loose…." he added to himself sullenly.
Tsunade was not deaf, and heard the last bit of his plea with sympathy. Biting down any comforting words, she kicked open a doorway to a darkened room. "Here's your room!" she cried out happily, switching the lights on.
Kabuto pushed himself up brushing off dust and dirt from his clothes, and slowly peered inside the room. The word that came to mind was one simple vocabulary a child would relate to.
"Dusty…" Kabuto grimaced. He could handle organs, blood, maybe even mud, but he hated dust. He wasn't allergic or anything, it's just he hated the thought of breathing in dust mites into his lungs. Already he could picture the creepy crawlies in his throat and floating up his nose to ignite-
"ACHOO!" he sneezed.
"Bless you." the diner lady said walking in. "Well…" she was with a wave of her arms around the room. "What do you think?"
Kabuto took in the room, and couldn't help, despite the thick layer of dust covering everything, that the bedroom with a kitchen connected to the left felt…homey.
"Very nice, Lady Tsunade." Kabuto said with respect to the old woman.
"Aw ain't you a sweet one." she giggled gently petting his head. "But don't call me lady." she growled bonking his noggin. "I'm not that old."
"Y…Yes Ma'am..." Kabuto mumbled. He rubbed his head, trying to ignore the throbbing pain.
"Well good. I'll leave you to yourself then. Good night." Tsunade said. In an instant, she was out the door, slamming it behind her, trapping the doctor inside.
The silver head blinked several times. He turned back to the room rubbing his head and finding himself suddenly very sleepy. "What just happened…" he yawned.
"Dammit…damn rain…damn thunder…"
At those last words, her wish came true and thunder roared above, pouring even more water onto the small convertible.
"DAMMIT!" the woman inside screamed. Lighting flashed across the sky, striking a tree just above her head blinded her sight. The next minute she knew, she was skidding across the road with no control.
"Ah! No, no, no!" she cried out trying to take power into her hands by reversing her tires and hoping to slow down, slamming on the breaks. Eventually she did, but not soon enough as the girl drove over the road, nearly getting hit by a few cars that were honking madly at her, and crashed over the sidewalk. She heard a sickening screech under her car and felt the bottom of her feet jerk with something smashing under it.
"Damn foot high sidewalks…" she cursed under her breathe. Blinking at the neon lights shining through the drenched window, she let out a tired sigh. "Well…at least I'm here." she grumbled.
Checking her watch, she saw that it was near 5 am and any traces of sun were well hidden behind the dark clouds. Sunrise by her guess wouldn't be up and visible for another hour or so. Blindingly searching her guest seat next to her, the pale skinned woman grabbed her boots and purse.
"Man…What a shitty day…" she mumbled slouching through the rain to the front door. Normally this woman wouldn't be one to curse so lightly, but so far her day…it gave her new reason to.
To start off, that morning she got a call from the head district to let them know she got fired from her job. Why? Because there were rumor's of her having a ROMANTIC affair with one of the doctors. Which led her to cleaning out her locker, which led to running into a doctor, which led to her slapping him for him asking if she would have "fun" with him if he paid her, which led to him calling her a slut in front of everyone, which led her to be forced to leave her apartment out of pure embarrassment because most of the women in the building were the same nurses she worked with everyday that saw that scene. She could still remember the disgusted looks her "friends" shot at her as she walked out.
As she was moving out, the doctor that she was rumored to be with came by to apologize for her lost job. She quickly tried to explain, but somehow it led to him getting the wrong idea and then saying,
"I'm sorry…I'm not into little girls like you."
Little. He called her "little". Just what was that suppose to mean anyway? Was she small in stature? Too young? Not so developed at the other nurses? Or was it the fact that she's the few who wouldn't prance around the hallways of a respectable hospital like some whore with her skirt pulled too high or her blouse un-buttoned too low?
As bad as it was, it came to nothing when she went on the road…
A motorcycle gang drove past her, purposely scratching her car doors when they drove by at high speed. Being in the foul mood she was in, she stuck her head out to scream at them.
Big. Mistake.
The reared back and surrounded her, and forced her off the road into a ditch. Luckily she didn't hurt anything, but her small relief was short lived as she saw the gang stand up from their bikes and head to her crash landing sight.
Terror filled her body as she saw one pull out a knife and another bringing out a chain from his pack. As they neared, she saw evil grins were plastered on their faces with dirty smudges all over their bodies. The smell off their bodies was retched and the faces were banged up in very ugly ways. Every other sensible woman would have been petrified at this!
But not Shizune.
She thanked to the heavens seeing the box packed with her laptop and gun were in the seat next to her. Quickly grabbing it, she took it out and hopped out of the car like a crazed maniac, holding it out with an expression of a madman.
Thank goodness her aunt made her take acting lessons as a child. And also knew a real crazy uncle as a kid. For some reason though, her aunt never spoke of where he disappeared to after some years.
She acted like her uncle (albeit, a little overdramatically), laughing at nothing particular and screaming at them in incoherent words while waving her gun at them as though it was a baton. Her act was bought like brand new play stations and the gang members ran from her screaming about a crazy bitch on the loose.
The black haired female smirked to herself in victory. That is…until she heard the sirens blowing in her ears.
Next thing she knew, she was questioned, thrown in jail for a night, questioned again that left her with her dignity WAY below average. She called in her old home of her aunt and told her the whole story. She was met with motherly sympathy and a place to stay for as long as she wanted. It was the best news she heard all week.
"Isn't it bad enough that I actually liked the guy?" she mumbled pathetically to herself. "I wasn't doing anything to him! I swear." she muttered bonking her head onto the wooden table she sat at.
"I bet you would make things a little more difficult honey."
Shizune snapped her head up from the wood to stare up at the old blonde woman. "Bad day sweetie?" Tsunade asked with a wide smile.
Shizune said nothing and merely grabbed the woman into a hug, burying her face in her shirt and letting her tears of all that has happened out. Tsunade wordlessly wrapped her arms back around the girl and held her tight.
"I…I really…loved my…job!" Shizune cried into the woman's shirt. Her tears soaked the fabric, but the wearer hardly noticed. "I worked…in-in the kid's…de-department!" she sobbed.
Tsunade said nothing and rubbed her back soothingly. "Shh…there, there."
"I can't believe I was-was forced to l-leave! I loved those kids!" Suddenly Shizune pulled back. "Who's going to make Amber take her medicine?" she gasped. She looked up at the blonde with wide eyes. "She listened to nobody but me to take her medicine!"
"I'm sure they'll find someone else." Tsunade spoke up.
"No they won't! Oh how could I've been so selfish? I didn't even stop by to see them or say good-bye…" her voice trailed off at the memories brewing up from her past in the hospital; caring over the little ones and seeing their happy faces whenever she'd enter the room. It was the best feeling in the world to see their bright smiles.
Fresh tears came to her eyes and she went back to sobbing into the woman's shirt. "It's not fair!" she cried out. "Why does this always have to happen to me?"
Tsunade said nothing and tightened her hold on the poor girl, hugging her with as much comfort as she could give. "I know Shizune…I know." she said slowly.
"Hey…how's my little niece?" came a third voice.
Shizune lifted her head to see a tall man with wild white, long hair grinning down at them. The grin disappeared as soon as Shizune faced her tear stained cheeks to him. "Oh…are you alright Shizune?"
Shizune forced a smile for the old man, a painfully strained grin. "Hello uncle." she said in a horsed voice.
"Hey…" he said leaning in to give the girl a kiss on the forehead. "Say, you're not hurt are you?" he asked gently.
The girl shook her head and stood up along with Tsunade. "Thank you for letting me stay here for a while guys…" she said to her God-parents. "I promise to find a new job in the next town soon…"
"It's no problem at all sweetie. You know you're always welcomed here with open arms." Tsunade said giving the girl another hug. "Take all the time you need. But not over a year, or else your paying rent like a real customer."
"Thank you…" Shizune said slowly returning the gesture. "You know…I had a long day…so I think I'll just hit the sack alright?" She paused in her stroll down the tiled floors to turn back to her guardians. "You kept your promise not to turn Too-Too into bacon, right?" she asked tentatively.
"Of course we did!" the blond replied smiling ear to ear. "Why would we eat that pig? He's like family!"
Shizune didn't fail to hear the grumblings of her uncle as he complained over his lousy Christmas meal. They could have had roasted pig! Shizune sighed in relief and decided to see her beloved pet in the morning. "Ok, good night." she said walking out the door, finding the storm had finally stopped.
Tsunade nodded and waved her off. "You know where your room is."
Shizune yelled back a yes and shuffled towards her private room. She expected it to be extra dusty since she hasn't been in it for quite a while.
"Hm…" Tsunade hummed tapping her chin.
"Something wrong?" her husband asked.
"Nothing…it's just…I feel like I'm forgetting something."
Shizune entered the room as quietly as she could. Her moves were like a ninja's as she ran about with agility without ever making a single peep. Old habits die hard as they say. When she was younger she had a bad conscious of waking customers next door to her room or her aunt's in the other. She made it an art to be the silent walker and sleeper that no one would hear.
Her mind was still running on the memories that happened to her, and she wished nothing more than to sleep it all off and dream away her misery. She'll deal with the stress of "no work", "no love life" and "no hope" tomorrow.
Shizune walked past the closed window and pulled the curtains gently open. She was always the early riser. Liked to be the first one up to greet the morning.
She walked to her bed, pulling the sheets as carefully as she could to her head and fell instantly asleep. However, the woman failed to notice the second body in the bed that slumbered at her side.
LONG chapter I know, but I didn't want to leave off on a lousy start with a cliff hanger and them never meeting. I hope you enjoyed thier story up to this point! Next Chapter coming soon!