A Medic's Love
Hyuga Bento and Kuma Shizu sat in the smoking area, fighting the cold to get a quick smoke before returning to their posts as on-duty medics. It wasn't a difficult job, usually. All they had to do was sit in the medic station waiting for calls from the field. It gave them plenty of time to study their texts. Bento had set his sights on Jounin. Shizu vacillated between nursing and moving up in the medic ranks.
Sakura stepped out the back door of the hospital. She sat on one of the beat-up chairs left outside for their breaks. There was a break room inside, with comfortable chairs, a vending machine, and free hot coffee, but every once in a while they needed fresh air.
Shizu offered Sakura a cigarette. She shook her head. "I don't know how you two can smoke. You're medics. You know how bad it is for your health."
Shizu shrugged and put the cigarette back in the pack. Bento noticed that Sakura had sat upwind of them. "Sorry, Dr. Haruno," he said. He put his cigarette out. "It helps me relax. I've been thinking about quitting though." He hadn't been thinking about quitting.
She didn't respond, but stared off into the distance. Bento noticed how tired her face looked.
Shizu noticed as well. "Long shift?" she asked.
She nodded. "I don't want to talk about it. Don't take this personally, but I'd like some quiet before I have to go back in."
Shizu flicked her cigarette away and went inside, leaving Bento and Sakura sitting in the cold wind. Sakura turned so that she was facing away from him.
She wants some privacy, he thought. I should leave. He didn't leave though. He had never been with her alone before, and he tried to savor the moment, wishing he could stretch it out. He sat, watching the wind blow her pink hair about.
Sakura stood all too soon. "What's your name?" she asked.
"Hyuga Bento," he said.
"Bento?" she asked. She laughed.
"My mother had an odd sense of humor." Any sense of humor is rare in our clan. Why did she have to give me such a dumb name?
"Well, Bento, I'm sorry I was bitchy there."
She's talking to me! He thought. Say something smart, quick!
"It's ok, ma'am," was the best he could come up with.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
He met Shizu later for drinks at the Beer Barn. He didn't really like the place, but Shizu did, so that's where they usually met. He sat next to her, trying to ignore the country music coming through bad speakers.
"So how did it go with the Pink Princess?" she asked.
"I talked to her," he said. "We made actual, vocal contact."
"Whatever. She talked to you, didn't she?"
"Yeah, but she noticed me. She asked my name. It's something."
"Why don't you just ask her out already? I'm tired of hearing you whine about her."
He tried to imagine asking her out. Dr. Haruno, you look tired. Can I buy you some coffee? No, that was bad. They got free coffee. It would sound like a bad joke. Can I carry your things Sakura? No, she was known for her unbelievable strength. Like she'd need someone to carry something for her.
"I don't know how," he said.
"Just do it. Bring her takeout or something. Someone told me she never eats on shift."
"Rumors aren't going to help me. What chance do I have? Have you seen the people she hangs out with? I actually saw her hug the Copy-nin once! The man is a legend. And she's always with Uzumaki Naruto. He's one of the strongest ninjas we have."
"I'd hit Naruto," Shizu said. "That man is gorgeous."
"You're not making this any better."
"I'm just messing with you. You're too serious. Just do it. You're a Hyuga; that's something."
"I'm a fourth cousin removed from the main family. Like she's really going to want someone who's basically a servant."
"You're the best medic in Konoha. You'll be taking the Jounin test next year. Don't sell yourself short. Look in the mirror sometime, handsome. If you weren't so damn emo, I'd want you myself."
"Very funny," he grumbled.
She leaned closer. "Or maybe," she said with a lowered voice, full of sensuality, "you'll go on a mission with her and she'll be injured. You'll have to save her and she'll look up at you with those big blue eyes of hers and say, "Oh, Bento, you're my hero. Kiss me." Shizu laughed and made kissing noises.
"Her eyes are green," he said.
She rolled her eyes. "I don't know how you can hate country music. You're a walking Hank Williams song." She left and put Tear in my Beer on the jukebox.
There's a tear in my beer
'cause I'm cryin' for you, dear
you are on my lonely mind.
Into these last nine beers
I have shed a million tears.
You are on my lonely mind
I'm gonna keep drinkin'
until I'm petrified.
And then maybe these tears
will leave my eyes.
There's a tear in my beer
cause I'm crying' for you dear
You are on my lonely mind.
"That's not me," he said when she sat down. "I'll talk to her eventually."
"You'd better," she said. "You were a lot more fun before you became obsessed with her."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The next time he saw Sakura she was in a better mood. He was signing in at the front desk, and she was signing out.
"Can I borrow your pen?" she asked.
"Yes ma'am," he said. He felt his cheeks burn when their hands brushed. He knew she noticed his blush because she smiled at him and chuckled.
"How are the studies going?" she asked.
She noticed! He thought. "I'll be taking the Jounin test next year, Dr. Haruno."
"Well, keep up the good work. You can call me Sakura, by the way."
"Yes, ma'am Dr. Ha…Sakura."
She laughed. "That's better. Dr. Haruno was my father, not me. Take care."
"Yes ma'am," he said.
The on-duty nurse snickered after Sakura left. "Way to go Romeo," she said.
"Does everyone know?" Bento said.
"Please, you can see how you feel all over your face. You're lucky you're a med-nin and not a field ninja. You can't hide your emotions for anything. I'm sure Dr. Ha…Sakura notices."
"Wonderful. I'm the joke of the hospital."
"Honey, we're all rooting for you. You're a good guy, Bento. You just need to be more aggressive."
XXXXXXXXXXXXx
Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura were almost finished with their mission. She was glad to get away from the hospital and have a mission with Team 7. She wished Sai had been available, but it was still a good mission. They were finishing up a fight with Sound Ninjas, and she reveled in the adrenaline rush. The Sound Ninjas were severely overmatched, but Team 7's orders had been specific. They were to root out the encroaching team from the Sound and leave no survivors. After Orochimaru's death rogue bands of Sound ninjas had set out to seek revenge against Konoha, but they were easily dealt with.
One lone ninja remained. He cowered against a rock face, fear and blood covering his face. "I won't tell you anything," he said.
Kakashi struck without answering. Sakura recognized the strategy. He sent a Chidori straight for the ninja's chest. Sakura knew he was practicing mercy in giving the man a quick death.
His Sensei had warned Kakashi about the weakness of the Chidori jutsu. It left him open for attack from the left. As he moved in for the kill, the other ninja moved quickly, slashing at Kakashi with a kunai. He made slight contact with Kakashi's arm.
The Chidori connected, leaving a hole through the ninja's chest. Kakashi looked at the small cut on his arm. "He fought till the end. It's too bad he hooked up with the wrong village. We can use more ninjas like that."
He searched the body for incriminating documents, but he found nothing. Sakura did a quick scan of the body, but mortuary science wasn't her specialty. Still, this was the only one of the three ninjas that was intact enough to scan at all. The other two were spread in bits over the battlefield.
"He's severely malnourished. I think he might even have scurvy," she said. "The Sound isn't taking good care of their people."
"I think this war is about over," Kakashi said. "They should surrender. They're losing a lot of lives pointlessly."
She put a bandage on Kakashi's cut and they headed back toward Konoha. It was a full three day's worth of running even if they didn't stop, and she enjoyed the sensation of the cold, clear air on her face as they raced through the trees. She loved both sides of her life, the doctor who saved lives as well as the ninja who took them. In Konoha there was no contradiction indicated. She served the village, and that was all that mattered.
She noticed Kakashi and Naruto falling behind. She slowed to their pace.
"Anything wrong?" she asked.
Naruto shook his head. "The old man's just slow today."
"I'm just feeling tired," Kakashi said. "It's nothing to worry about."
She decided she'd make her own judgment about that. Kakashi was notoriously lax concerning his own health. She kept pace with them, but Kakashi began moving slower, until she finally suggested they make camp early.
"I can make it," he growled.
"You're a stubborn old man, you know that?" she asked.
He didn't answer. Naruto watched the two of them, but didn't say anything.
Kakashi only ran a mile more before he stopped and leaned against a tree. Sakura noticed he was sweating. He sat and leaned back on the tree.
"I'm just dizzy," he said. "I might have used too much chakra back there."
"You've used more than that before and been fine," Naruto said.
Sakura helped him pull off his vest and placed her hands on his chest. She began a diagnosis jutsu. Oh shit, she thought.
She pulled the bandage off his arm and inspected the cut. The area around the wound had swollen, and pus oozed from it. Red lines radiated around it under the skin, and the edges had formed angry red welts.
Kakashi cursed.
"That kunai was poisoned," she said. She couldn't believe she'd taken the attack at face value. Look underneath the underneath, she thought. She hoped her oversight didn't cost Kakashi his life.
"Naruto, help me set up camp so we can get him out of the cold. I need you to go back to Konoha and tell them I need an antidote for a class-B poison, with an antibiotic. Tell them I need package 14F. They'll know what it means."
Naruto set up camp quickly and left. Sakura put her arm around Kakashi and pulled him to his feet. "Let's get you out of the cold at least," she said.
Kakashi put his hand over his stomach and groaned. He belched loudly and pulled down the mask, letting loose a wave of vomit. She moved him into the tent, mostly carrying him as he continued retching.
She laid him on his side and set to work on his arm. She couldn't do much about his stomach until the medics returned, so she focused on healing his arm. Class-B poisons were designed to target a particular organ and give a slow death. They were nasty poisons with no advantage in battle, generally used for revenge. 14B had several anti-nausea shots with the antidote. She had pills in her med-kit, but he wouldn't be able to hold them down.
He was lucky there was a doctor with him. If left untreated he would have gangrene before the medics arrived. She manipulated chakra through the wound, feeling inside it with chakra extensions of her fingers. She could save his arm with some work.
He finally stopped vomiting and lay panting with his eyes closed. She turned him on his back and lifted him slightly. She put her canteen to his lips. "Rinse," she said.
He spit and wiped his face. She allowed him just a bit of water. When she pulled the canteen away he moved his hand toward it. "Not yet," she said. "Let's see if you can hold that down first."
He winced and Sakura put her hand over his stomach, pushing deep inside until she could feel the organ under the chakra ghost of her hand. His stomach twitched and cramped, and she put chakra into it. She felt the cramp relax for a second, but then it returned with more intensity. She needed him to keep the water down, or he'd have a serious dehydration problem.
She could feel the poison working. He vomited bile from an empty stomach, and she laid him on his side. She put her chakra inside him again, calming his stomach as much as possible. She allowed tendrils of chakra to drift to other organs. His heart was racing, but other than that his organs looked healthy. She slowed his heart rate, and she felt his breathing slow in response. She allowed her chakra to warm slightly, relaxing his body and acting as a sedative. He dozed lightly and she returned to working on his stomach.
As long as she massaged his stomach with chakra the cramps were manageable, but if she stopped he immediately began to dry-heave. She nodded off and woke when he began to retch again. She felt fuzzy-headed. It was dark, and she didn't know if it was the first day or the second since he'd been injured. She finally decided it was the first day, and she'd have to ration her chakra or she'd run out before the medics returned.
He was awake, but he didn't seem to be aware of much. "I'm going to get you some ice chips. We have to get you hydrated."
He grunted in response, probably reacting more to the sound of her voice than her words. She stepped out of the tent into the night, leaving the sounds of his sickness behind her. She stretched and looked for a clean source of ice. She finally settled on some ice-cicles hanging from a pine tree. She went inside and used just enough chakra to calm his stomach.
She fed him a bit of ice. "Don't swallow; just let it dissolve."
It seemed to help the dehydration if nothing else. She had to leave his stomach alone or she'd use too much chakra, and he almost continuously heaved. She fed him ice between bouts of nausea and checked him occasionally to make sure he was stable.
The next night she had to work on his arm again, low chakra or not. It was as bad as it had been the first time she worked on it, and she felt her last chakra reserves slip away. When she was finished she heard birds outside and saw with a shock that it was morning. She'd been working on Kakashi for at least four hours straight this time.
She did some quick calculations. She would have to treat him without chakra now, or she'd go into chakra exhaustion. She expected help that night.
"The medics should be here tonight," she said. Kakashi didn't respond verbally, but she saw his eye move toward her as she spoke.
She was exhausted, but she couldn't sleep yet. She fed him ice chips through the day, each minute moving by tortuously slowly. A few hours before dusk he put his arms over his stomach and groaned. He pulled his knees to his chest and shuddered.
"Kakashi?" she asked. She was suddenly fully awake.
He began to vomit bright red blood. He whimpered a bit, and she knew the pain must be extreme. He had a high tolerance to pain.
She pulled his hands away so she could reach his stomach. She hesitated. She'd seen Kakashi with chakra exhaustion, and she knew it was a dangerous, painful condition. She pushed those thoughts aside and committed herself to treating him.
She could feel the rip in his stomach. It was large, and the poison aggravated his condition. It couldn't wait for the med-nins. He needed treatment now.
She felt her body rebelling, but she ignored the signals it was sending her. Pain shot through her arms, and she felt numb.
She closed her eyes and pulled all of her focus into his body. His stomach became the center of her world, and she tried to heal the ulcer. The poison fought against her, but she managed to stop the bleeding.
Sakura lost track of time. It was as if this horrible moment would stretch on forever, with her tending her dying friend for eternity. Finally, she heard voices around her. They seemed to be coming from another room.
"Dr. Haruno, can you hear me?"
She recognized the voice of Hyuga Bento. After she realized he had a crush on her she'd asked Tsunade about him and learned he was the best medic in the service. She felt relieved. They'd sent the best for Kakashi.
Someone pulled her hands away from Kakashi. She opened her eyes to see a pair of serious violet eyes close to her own. It felt like she was floating above her own body.
"I told you to call me Sakura," she said. She looked toward Kakashi. "His stomach is bleeding."
"We gave him the shots. He'll be fine with some rest and medical attention. I'm concerned about you right now."
She drew in a sharp hiss of breath as pain shot through her body. Bento moved her away from Kakashi and stretched her out on the ground. She wanted to sit up so she could see Kakashi and make sure he was stable, but her body wouldn't respond to her wishes. Pain faded to numbness.
"I can't move," she said.
Bento placed his hands over her collarbone, and she felt his chakra inside her. She felt a comforting, warm sensation flow through her and her eyes closed. She was almost asleep when she woke with a jolt.
"Don't sedate me," she said. She looked toward Kakashi, but all she could see was the other medic working on him. She couldn't remember the medic's name – just that she was a smoker.
"You're done," Bento said. "You know the rules. Let us take care of you."
The shy man she'd talked with at the hospital was gone, replaced by a confident medic. She reluctantly gave up control. It was difficult to leave Kakashi in someone else's hands, but she knew Bento would treat him as diligently as she would. There was something more too. She'd seen that look in other ninjas' eyes – intensity and dedication. She was safe with him.
Warmth went through her that had nothing to do with his comforting chakra. Safe wasn't a feeling she allowed herself to indulge often. She knew he wouldn't let anything happen to her. She gave in to the sedative. The last thing she saw was violet eyes.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
She almost died from chakra exhaustion and she still wants to help her comrade, he thought with admiration. After he was satisfied that he'd stabilized her he placed a chakra-warmed blanket over her and checked on Shizu's work.
"Report," he said.
"The antidote is working. There's damage to his stomach, but nothing that can't be fixed. We should be able to save the arm, thanks to her. Is she going to make it?"
"She's stable," Bento said. "She has severe chakra depletion though. Much longer and she would have died. I sedated her. We should let them rest until morning. We can head back then."
"She let you sedate her?" Shizu asked.
"It took some convincing, but she finally let me treat her."
"I had to treat her once. She doesn't let anyone take over."
He looked at Sakura sleep, with her face drawn in pain. "I won't let her down," he said.
Shizu lifted Kakashi's blanket and lay down next to him.
"What are you doing?" Bento asked.
"It's cold out. We should keep them warm," she said.
He wondered if his horny friend was just using this as an excuse to cuddle with the Copy-nin.
Then again, this might be the only chance I ever have to get that close to Sakura. It was a legitimate treatment, too. He crawled under the blanket with Sakura, and after working up his courage he put his arm around her waist.
She woke at the contact. "What's going on?" she drawled her voice full of exhaustion.
"It's about 20 degrees outside," he said. "We're moving out in the morning. I didn't want you to get hypothermia."
"Mmmm, okay," she said. She rolled onto her side and pressed against him. She was asleep almost immediately.
Bento's brain short-circuited. The woman of his dreams was sleeping against him. She's so out of it though. She probably doesn't even know who she's cuddling with.
He tried to remain professional about the situation, but he was distracted. He felt her breath rise and fall under his arm, and her neck was so kissably close to his lips. He had to move his hips away from her so his erection wouldn't press against her. Injured or not, she'd beat the shit out of him for that.
She snored lightly. Adorable, he thought. He fought sleep; he didn't want to lose a moment of his time with her. He finally drifted off and woke when he heard Kakashi speaking.
"Well, this is a nice way to wake up. Mind if I ask your name?" Kakashi asked.
"Kuma Shizu. It's nice to meet you."
"I'm Hatake Kakashi, although under the circumstances I don't think formal introductions are necessary."
She laughed. "We met last night."
"We'll have to meet again under better circumstances, or at least when I might remember" he said. "You like Italian? I know a nice, cozy place with good food."
"Sounds nice. Call me when you could hold down Italian food."
Amazing, Bento thought. The guy is covered in vomit and blood and he can still get a date.
Kakashi and Shizu chuckled. "How did I get here anyway?" he asked. "The last few days are kind of blurry."
"Someone poisoned you. It was a class-B poison. You're lucky Dr. Haruno was with you. I don't know if you would have made it otherwise."
"Where is Sakura?" he asked.
"She's sleeping now. She has chakra exhaustion."
Kakashi tried to sit up, but Shizu gently restrained him. "Whoa there partner. You're not ready to get up yet. You don't want to jiggle that stomach around."
"Is Sakura ok?" he asked.
"She'll be fine," Shizu said. "She needs rest though. We plan on heading out in about four hours or so, depending on her condition. Get some sleep. You'll need it."
They argued a bit, but Kakashi gave in and let her sedate him. He's as bad as Sakura, Bento thought. Freaking field ninjas are such prima donnas.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx
Sakura woke up in pain. That didn't alarm her nearly as much as the fact that a man's arm was wrapped around her waist. Then she remembered Bento crawling under the blanket with her, and she relaxed. She'd never woken up with a man holding her. She just wished she wasn't in the middle of chakra depletion so she could enjoy it. She had been amused by his shyness in the hospital, but last night he was confident, almost arrogant. Sakura had a thing for arrogant men.
She fell asleep again and didn't wake up until she felt him running a diagnostic on her. He was scowling as he focused on his work. His eyes were closed, and it gave her the opportunity to look at him more closely than she had before. Even discounting the purple eyes he had the Hyuga look, something she couldn't quite identify. It was there though – a certain width around the cheekbones, something subtle about the chin. Spiky black hair poked out over his hitai-ate, and she noticed small wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. She thought he might be around 29 or 30 years old.
He opened his eyes and smiled at her. She was beginning to like violet eyes. "Can you lift your arms?" he asked.
She tried, and he saw them move a few inches upwards. Her arms fell back to the blankets.
"How about the legs?" he asked.
She had the same problem. Bento pinched her finger slightly. "Can you feel that?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "I just can't move much."
"You're ok other than the chakra exhaustion. It doesn't seem to have caused any permanent damage. It will be a while before you can move around though."
"Wonderful," she said.
"Now you know how I felt when you guys were off running around with Tenzo. Welcome to my world," Kakashi said.
"Sensei, hush," she said.
"I'll make some food, and then we're going to head home," Bento said. As he lit a fire outside the tent he could hear Kakashi and Sakura banter, pushing back and forth at each other verbally. He was glad to hear Sakura laugh, but he was jealous of Kakashi for being the one to bring her laughter out.
Shizu had left to find a clean water source to fill their canteens from. Bento served Kakashi first, handing him the mild broth he'd prepared. "Go easy on that," he said. "Anti-nausea meds can only do so much."
"Hai," Kakashi said and sipped at the broth. He drank a small amount and lay down again.
Bento sat next to Sakura. He lifted her and let her rest against his shoulder. He raised the cup to her lips.
"It's not very warm," he said. "You won't burn yourself."
She drank. "You've done this before," she said.
"Field ninjas have a bad habit of getting injured. We're used to them being too messed up to eat."
"And here I was hoping I was the first," she said. "I'll bet you do this for all the injured girls."
Just you. Only the beautiful ones. I wish it were in better circumstances. His mind raced through responses, but all he could say was, "yes ma'am".
Fuck! He thought. I'm an idiot! He was blowing his chance.
Sakura chuckled. "I've always heard breakfast in bed was nice. I guess it's true."
She was finished drinking the broth, but he held her for a few minutes more. When Shizu came back, he reluctantly gave up the pretense that he was "treating" her and went to pack the camp. Shizu followed.
After he was sure they were alone, Kakashi whispered so they wouldn't hear him, "that wasn't nice."
"What?"
"You're going to break that poor medic-nin's heart."
"I was only teasing him. I'm not used to men like him. It's kind of a nice change of pace."
When they returned from putting out the fire Bento loaded Kakashi on his back, and Shizu pulled Sakura onto hers. The look Bento and Shizu shared said both would have liked to exchange burdens, but that wouldn't be realistic. Sakura was lighter than Kakashi, and Bento could carry more weight than Shizu.
They went to the river so everyone could bathe before they left for Konoha. Sakura couldn't move enough to bathe herself, so Shizu pulled her behind a large boulder in the water for privacy and helped her out of her dress. She cleaned Sakura and washed her clothes as well as possible and laid them out to dry.
Up river, Kakashi tried to get the vomit out of his hair and keep the bandage on his arm dry at the same time. "You seem to like Sakura," he said.
"I…um…," Bento didn't know what to say. The Copy-nin could snap him in half if he wanted to, injured or not. He hoped this wasn't going to be one of those "hurt her and I'll kill you," kind of talks.
"Yes sir," he said.
"Don't call me sir," Kakashi said. "It makes me feel old."
"Yes sir. I mean, sorry sir."
Kakashi shook his head and laughed. "This is better than a movie."
Bento relaxed. He probably wouldn't die right now.
"By the way, you hurt her and I'll kill you," Kakashi said.
"Yes sir."
XXXXXXXXXXX
They left for Konoha, stopping once during the day to give Kakashi another shot and have a quick lunch. Kakashi was already feeling better, but Bento was worried about Sakura. She slept heavily on Shizu's back, the rigors of travel not even waking her slightly.
A warm front moved through, and Bento was disappointed that he wouldn't have the excuse to sleep next to her later. They stopped to make camp near a lake. When Shizu put Sakura on the ground she lay limply where she'd been placed.
"Sakura?" Shizu asked.
When she didn't respond, Bento ran a diagnostic on her. "Her vitals are fine. She's not sleeping though. She's unconscious."
Kakashi watched them both intently, but he didn't say anything. He knew better than to interfere with medical matters.
They moved the ninjas into the tent, and Shizu set about making dinner, another batch of broth. It was easy and nourishing, and Bento had added his own special blend of strengthening herbs. When Shizu left to take first watch, Bento sat by Sakura and placed his hand over her collarbone. He could keep an eye on her vitals while expending a minimal amount of energy.
He sat for a while with his chakra searching for problems. He'd never seen such a severe case of chakra depletion before. It was normal for such patients to lose consciousness for a time, but he still worried. He felt an irregularity in her breathing and put more chakra into her to check for complications, but he didn't find anything out of the ordinary.
He looked up and noticed Kakashi watching him. He had already seen that lazy blue eye shift to a searching intensity while they were talking at the river, but what he saw now made him shudder. He was reminded of a nin dog he'd seen once in battle. Angry wasn't how he'd describe that look so much as terribly alert. He wondered if the man knew how intimidating he was.
"You look worried," Kakashi said. "What's wrong with her?"
"Nothing, as far as I can tell."
"Your face says different," Kakashi said.
"I failed emotion control in school. Don't read too much into what my face says."
Kakashi watched Sakura with that same intense look. Bento didn't want him getting too anxious. Family and friends were absolute nuisances sometimes, and he didn't want him vomiting again.
"I was one of the medics who treated you last time you used too much chakra," Bento said, hoping to distract him a bit with conversation.
Kakashi didn't take his eyes off Sakura. "I don't remember."
"I'm not surprised. You weren't conscious at the time. You had a hole through your shoulder too."
"I remember the shoulder," Kakashi said.
"I almost had to have Uzumaki Naruto removed from the area. He was so worried about you he got in our way."
"That sounds about right," Kakashi said. His look softened, and Bento realized he was seeing something rare. Anger was something ninjas might show for strategic purposes, but worry or fear weren't emotions they liked to share. Bento saw both on Kakashi's face.
"Kakashi, I'm the best medic Konoha has. You're both in the best hands possible. Try to rest. She's not in any pain while she's asleep. Two more days of travel and she'll be home. A month or so of rest and she'll be just like before."
"She's special to me," Kakashi said. "It's hard to be objective right now."
Why is he telling me this? Bento wondered. Sick people were sentimental at times, but he didn't see Kakashi as that type. He probably just needs someone to confide in right now.
"It's easier to be the one wounded than to watch it happen to a friend," Kakashi said.
Ahh, so that's it. "I know," Bento said, "but you need to quit worrying. She'll feel much better if she wakes up and you're healing than if you're puking your guts out."
Kakashi belched and held his stomach. "Speaking of which…"
"Time for another shot?" Bento asked.
Kakashi nodded, and Bento saw him gulp back bile. Bento gave him the shot quickly, and he was glad when the ninja relaxed. Bento really didn't want to sleep in a vomitous tent again. He began to sedate Kakashi.
"I don't want a sedative," Kakashi said as the warm chakra spread through him.
I need to remind him I'm in charge here. Taking charge wasn't something Bento was naturally good at, but he'd learned so he could be a Jounin.
"I'm the medic-nin here, Kakashi. You have rank out there, but in medical situations I call the shots. You know that."
"It's not necessary," Kakashi grumbled, but he let Bento sedate him.
Bento sat checking Sakura's vitals until it was time for his watch. "Keep an eye on her vitals," he told Shizu. "And watch Kakashi. Make sure he stays sedated. I had some trouble with him earlier. I don't want him worrying himself into getting sick again."
He stood his watch impatiently, wanting to get the ninjas back to Konoha where they could receive proper care. He didn't like Sakura laying there unconscious, with nothing he could do for her. Tsunade would know what to do; she always did.
He was finding himself liking Kakashi, even if the man did intimidate him. He'd probably have to win Kakashi over to date Sakura, if he ever got the chance. Uzumaki Naruto and that other guy on her team might be obstacles as well. He'd dealt with Naruto before, but that quiet dark-haired guy gave him the creeps.
XXXXXXXXXXx
By the time they reached Konoha Kakashi was moving under his own power, but Sakura was still unconscious. It was difficult for Bento to turn her over to the doctors at the hospital, but he knew his part in her recovery was over. He got her some flowers and went to fill out his mission report.
His next shift was two days away. He returned to the hospital and went to Sakura's room. He was nervous, but he finally entered to put the flowers on the table by the bed.
Uzumaki Naruto sat in the room, watching her. I bet he's got a thing for her, Bento thought.
Bento put the flowers on the table and left quickly. He wanted to spend some time with her when it could just be the two of them, even if she was unconscious.
He came back a few hours later, but he heard Kakashi's voice from inside the room.
"So you need to wake up. Naruto's driving me nuts, and you're the only one that can calm him down. We can all go get lunch somewhere. I'll even let you pick the place. No ramen; I know you're tired of it."
Bento heard a belch. "Ugh. I'm going to have a sour stomach for weeks," Kakashi said. The medic-nin heard water running in the bathroom, and the sound of drinking followed by a spit and a curse.
"That little bastard sure did me a turn," Kakashi said. "But enough about work. I have some good gossip. I was in the bookshop earlier, and I saw Jiraiya there. He was acting embarrassed, and he tried to hide the book he'd just bought behind his back. He wasn't fast enough though. I saw the title. He bought "Chicken Soup for the Soul". Can you believe it?" He laughed, but to Bento the laugh sounded forced.
Silence followed. "Please wake up Sakura," Kakashi said. "I'm supposed to be the one in bed injured, not you."
Bento suddenly felt guilty for eavesdropping. He left the hospital and walked around Konoha. He needed to think of something to say to her. He'd held her in his arms and fed her. That should be enough of an ice breaker, but he didn't know what to do next.
He returned to her room, but he heard another voice in there. He didn't recognize it. "Here's a good quote: "Love means each person is free to follow his or her own heart." I like that one. Here's another: "The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." I just bought this book because I thought you might like it, but it's not bad."
He stopped talking. "Whoever is outside the room might as well come in," he said.
Bento stepped into the room, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sorry. I was hoping to catch her alone."
He recognized Jiraiya, the Sanin. Jiraiya was holding Chicken Soup for the Soul. "What's your name, boy?" Jiraiya asked.
"Hyuga Bento," he said.
"Well, Hyuga Bento, if you tell anyone you saw me with this book I'll tear you up so bad your mother will have to bury you in a soup can. Understood?"
"Yes sir," Bento said.
"Dismissed," Jiraiya said.
Bento practically fled the hospital. What am I thinking? She associates with legends and Sanins. There's no way she'd ever be with me.
He came back later, making sure to clear his throat outside the room so he wouldn't get caught eavesdropping again. Finally, the room was empty. Well, it was empty of people. Flowers, get well cards, and stuffed animals made the place look more like a gift shop than a hospital room.
He sat by the bed. "So I thought I'd come by and visit. There are things I wanted to tell you, but I'm really bad with words. Holding you was one of the best things I've ever done. I would give every good experience in my life just to hold you again. I know I sound like a bad country song, but I mean it. I'll probably never get the nerve to tell you this when you're awake."
He talked to her for awhile. He'd always heard it was good to talk to unconscious patients. He told her about his family and his work. He told her how much he admired her and that she was a little scary to him, but that was ok.
Bento talked until a nurse came by and told him visiting hours were over. "I'll come back tomorrow," he said. He bent and kissed Sakura's forehead.
Shizu found him at the Beer Barn, working on his fourth or fifth beer. He'd lost count.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I was hoping you'd show up," he said.
She tossed a peanut in the air and caught it in her mouth.
"Eww. Don't eat bar peanuts," he said. "Drunk people go to the bathroom and put their hands in the peanut bowls."
"You worry too much; that's your problem," she said. She ate a few more peanuts.
"No, my problem is that I can only tell Sakura how I feel about her when she's unconscious."
"That is a problem. It's one I don't have, fortunately," she said.
"I've noticed. You tell everyone what you're thinking. I wish I could do that."
"Nah, honey. Then you wouldn't be you. Did it ever occur to you that she's surrounded by aggressive, ambitious people every day? You're different. Use that."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx
The next day he visited again. Sakura was alone and awake. She was heavily medicated though. Probably pain meds, he thought. He hated the idea of the pain she must be in, but he knew she had heroically sacrificed herself to save her comrade.
"Hi Sakura. I just came by to visit," he said. He stopped, unsure what to say next.
"Bento," she said. "I remember you." Her words were slurred. She sounded drunk.
"You do?" he asked.
"My mom used to make bento boxes for me when I was in school," she said. "Sasuke always laughed at me for having them, but they made me happy."
Her eyes closed. He waited quietly, just glad to be near her.
"I used to think he was so great, but he was a jerk. You're much nicer," she said.
"Thank you," he said. He knew it was the medication talking, but he hoped it was how she really felt. "You're nice too."
"No, I'm not," she said. He waited, but she didn't say anything else.
He heard movement at the door and turned to see Kakashi standing in the doorway. "How's she doing?" he asked.
"She was awake just a minute ago. They've got her medicated though."
Bento stood to leave. "My mom used to make me bento boxes too," Kakashi said.
Bento felt his cheeks redden. Kakashi continued. "She used to make little kitty and puppy shapes with the rice and nori. I was in ANBU at the time. You have no idea what it's like to open your lunch on the field after killing a spy and find puppies staring at you. All the other ninjas were at least 15 years older than me. They laughed at me for weeks."
Bento wondered how he could get out of this situation. Kakashi was blocking the doorway. He moved so Bento could leave. "My point being, don't worry too much if people think you're different. It's not so bad." He nodded toward Sakura. "She doesn't seem to mind."
"Thanks," Bento said, and again he left as quickly as possible. Sakura's friends were too intense.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXx
He came by and visited every day. If he saw a friend of hers in the room he would come back later. One day he stuck his head into the room and saw Naruto.
"You don't have to leave," Naruto said. Why do you always leave if I'm here?"
"I don't want to interrupt. You have more of a right to be here than I do."
Naruto frowned. It made the whiskers more noticeable. Bento remembered why those marks were there. He remembered the Kyuubi attack. Again, another one of Sakura's friends was an imposing legend.
"Why?" Naruto asked. "It's good for her to have visitors."
"I'm not really anyone to her," Bento said.
"But you want to be, don't you?" Naruto asked.
Bento looked at Sakura sleeping peacefully. "More than anything," he said.
"Be good to her. She's like a sister to me," Naruto said.
Bento was glad to hear that. He didn't think he could outdo Naruto as a rival for her love.
The next time he came back she was off the medication. Her eyes were clear, and her voice was steady. She blushed when she saw him.
"Bento, I'm glad you came," she said.
"It's good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"
"Better," she said. "I remember you coming by. I hope I didn't say anything too silly on the medication."
"Pain meds do that," he said. "It's not a big deal."
"I still can't move much. Getting fed through a tube isn't nearly as fun."
Her meaning wasn't lost on him. I should say something, he thought. He remembered Kakashi and Shizu in the tent. She'd been direct, and it had worked.
"When you get well we could go get something real to eat," he said.
"I thought you'd never ask," Sakura said.
It was easier to talk to her after that. He finally grew confident enough to stay in the same room with her and her friends. He got along well with Naruto, but he never really knew what to make of Kakashi. Kakashi alternately confided in him and teased him. Bento decided it must be his way of making friends.
He gave Jiraiya a wide berth. Once he heard the old man reading to Sakura from the Chicken Soup book. He carefully backed away from the room, being as quiet as possible.
It was a month before she could leave the hospital, and even then she had to use crutches and couldn't stay upright long.
They finally got to go on a date. After all of the staff gave him advice he felt intimidated all over again. He'd ceased to think of Sakura as an unobtainable goddess, but now he was so full of other people's words he was nervous.
He met Shizu at the bar. "What if I ruin this?" he asked.
"How are you going to ruin anything? You two know each other fairly well already."
"I don't know. She just means so much to me."
"Honey, one date isn't going to ruin something that's already going well."
That made him feel better. "So did you and Kakashi ever go out?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said.
"And?" he asked.
She shrugged. "I've had better."
He fought the urge to laugh, out of loyalty to his new friend. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"We had a good time, it's just…" she leaned over to him and lowered her voice, "we went back to his place, and he's really small."
This time Bento did laugh loudly, causing several bar patrons to glare at him. "I hang out with the guy now, Shizu. Don't tell me any more, please."
"Whatever. Have fun on your date, and don't worry too much. It's just dinner."
XXXXXXXXXXx
Shizu was right. Dinner went well. Sakura didn't even need the crutches anymore. They had reached the point where they could talk to each other easily, like friends. They laughed, and just to be funny he insisted on feeding her desert. The look she gave him promised more later.
He walked her home. She lived in one of the nicer apartment complexes in Konoha. He kissed her for the first time, and it was everything he'd imagined it would be.
"Do you want to come in?" Sakura asked.
His mouth went dry. "Yes ma'am," he said.
Sakura laughed and pulled him into the apartment. She pushed him against the wall and kissed him again. He'd never made love with anyone so passionate.
The next day he was off work, but he went to the hospital to visit Sakura. They sat through her break in the employee lounge. She had to go back to work too soon for his taste, but she walked him out of the building.
As they were walking by an exam room, he heard Kakashi's voice. "So, you want to get some food later? I know a good Italian place."
"I'd like that, Kakashi-san," a nurse answered.
Bento laughed.
"What's so funny?" Sakura asked.
"Nothing. She's just going to be in for a surprise," Bento said.