Day off- her one day off. It was used to sleep and think of nothing.
Hospital, training, hospital, mission, hospital, training, day off.
'Relax' Sakura said to the roof, back flat on the bed.
When's the last time she had cleaned her house?
She turned to her side, dangled her arm over the bed. Filthy house stared back, disgusting mess.
No one came up here so it didn't matter. Justification I. When's the last time she had contacted anybody except Tsunade herself? Justification II. When had Ino even- had she handed in those papers to Tsunade? Had she? No- there they were. On the table, next to some empty glasses, medic books, a deodorant can.
Diagnostics for the latest 'special' patient to make the hospital his temporary home- Tsunade had wanted those on her desk last night.
'Day off!' Inner Sakura struggled for control of the situation- she was winning. Sakura hadn't even shifted from her position on the bed, 'Just give them to her tomorrow…'
Her teacher's masked face flashed into her thoughts, 'To think too long about doing a mission often becomes its undoing Sakura'. Kakashi nipped her procrastination at the bud. She stretched while she looked at the clock beside her once again, kicked the remaining blankets off- how could she have forgotten? She was exhausted, six days at the hospital in a row- it was a wonder she could even remember how to return home last night.
A shower and a couple of run-ins with her wardrobe, the medic kunoichi was out the door, toast in hand. It was hot. Bright. She turned into a cool alleyway and walked slowly, enjoyed the breeze inside the shadows of the narrow pathway. It was really a beautiful day- she should have gotten out of bed earlier and enjoyed it. The last of the toast made its way into her mouth as a random pebble lodged itself into her sandal. As she shook her foot around to help the gravel on its way Sakura's team mate approached her from the other end of the alleyway:
− 'Good afternoon Sakura-chan!'
− 'Oh, good afternoon Naruto. How was the mission?'
Pebble out, she could straighten her posture- her companion still towered over her.
− 'No problems, nothing. Boring. It was a disappointment actually' the ninja grinned.
− 'Only you Naruto- where are you going?'
− 'Kakashi- need to pass on a little something interesting I learnt during the last mission'
− 'Really?' Sakura rested her weight on one of the houses moulding the alleyway- it seemed like the conversation was going to take awhile.
− 'He'll be able to tell you himself soon enough. Take a day off Sakura-chan! Looks like you need it' With that said he saluted her casually and was off.
She felt annoyed at the encounter. By the time she had reached Tsunade's office however, Naruto's need to keep her out of the loop was the last of her worries. Sakura knocked lightly twice to no reply. She knocked harder- once. It didn't seem like there was anybody there- she knocked sharply and strongly three times.
− 'WHAT?!' Tsunade's tone attacked Sakura through the thick wooden doors
− 'It's me, Sakura'
− 'Oh- get in here,' Sakura was bombarded, interrogated, as soon as she walked into the Hokage's office, 'You know you don't have to knock! What's wrong with you? You forgot those papers yesterday Sakura!'
− 'I've got them with me. I'm sorry, I was just completely exhausted yesterday'
− 'You know he's already here,' Tsunade snatched the papers from Sakura's hand, 'He still hasn't woken up. You're very lucky these weren't needed- we would have had a lot of explaining to do'
− 'I'm sorry sensei'
− 'Would of started a war' Tsunade was flicking the papers sharply back and forth now.
− 'Please accept my apologies' Sakura bowed deeply, knew she would have to apologize till her voice turned hoarse. The Hokage however grew silent and then changed the topic all together.
− 'You're going to have to help me with this one Sakura'
− 'I understand. You'll do fine' Sakura reassured her teacher with a smile as she straightened up. Tsunade flicked the papers to the side of her desk and smiled back at her.
− 'It's your day off so I only have this to ask of you- go copy these and drop them off to one off the Kazekage's advisors will you?'
− 'Sure thing. My apologies again Tsunade-sempai'
Sakura grabbed the papers that had caused her so much grief and walked out quietly, clump of paper under her arm. At the hospital she copied the files by hand in her office. Her office- she wasn't supposed to be in its innards today of all days.
'It's your day off dammit!' Sakura's inner fury protested. Slowly however the diagnostic, copied verbatim, crept its way into the kunoichi's consciousness. The Kazekage's health had deteriorated recently, a muscle condition, and Sunagakure medical ninja had no treatment. Their options: ask their neighbours for help or let their Kazekage's muscles rot. His peripheral pulses were clearly absent when he arrived, his cramps acute from the very onset. He would be in Konoha for two months enduring major surgery- thin but powerful channels of chakra were to be pumped into the Kazekage's body re-wiring all his deep tendon reflexes in all his limbs. Hopefully, he'll be able to walk again, if not- well, Sakura didn't really care. She was excited to practise such complex and dangerous medical jutsu- the fact that she had no attachment to the man was an added bonus.
Diagnostic finished, Sakura walked to the Kazekage's room. She was met by two guards outside the door with hourglasses inscribed into their forehead protectors.
− 'Excuse me, this is the diagnostic report for the Kazekage. Who-' Sakura was cut off by the youngest of the two guards.
− 'You have it? Thank you very much. I will hand this personally to Temari-san herself'
The young man walked up to her, stretched out his arm, wrist exposed. How naive- Sakura thought. She smiled at the boy and passed him the papers. The boy somehow caught her attention-
− 'Your name?' Sakura inquired.
− 'Ah,' the boy looked back at his comrade, 'I'm sorry but I can't give out that information' The guard bowed deeply then returned to his post. He looked straight ahead as Sakura made her way out- confused. Nothing more was said.
She would arrive back at her home thirty minutes later, have her house cleaned three hours after that, and study till the early hours of the morning. Skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, sleep. Deep sleep.
Sakura found herself back in her office- the day after her day off, the longest day away from the next one. Caffeinated, nevertheless. It wasn't long before she had someone through her office. Young girl, thirteen or fourteen, by herself- clearly anxious.
− 'Ah good morning' girl bowed.
− 'What can I help you with?' The girl reluctantly came closer to Sakura and sat on a chair in front of the medic's desk. The girl was blushing furiously, looking down at the ground.
− 'My team came back from a mission, it was, ah, awhile before we reached Konoha so I went on a toilet break and I was bitten,' The girl's cheeks flushed, her ears bright red, 'On my thigh, I mean, I was bitten, bitten on my thigh- sensei told me to come, oh how embarrassing' The girl was practically bowing seated, the floor stared back up at her.
− 'Don't be embarrassed, it's happened to the best of us,' Sakura smiled at the top of the girl's head, 'The only time the boys win one over us huh?' Sakura had to make the girl relax- there was no way she would be able to look at the bite at this rate.
− 'Now, did you see what bit you?'
− 'No'
− 'No idea?'
− 'I don't know' the girl tensed up more.
− 'How does it feel? You in pain?'
− 'Not really'
− 'You're not in pain? That's good, that's- how does it look? Bad?'
− 'I still haven't shown my sensei'
− 'Oh,' Sakura sat up from her chair, walked around her desk, and put both her hands on the girl's shoulders, 'Do you want to go behind that curtain over there and lie down? I need to have a look at this bite'
The girl got up, her hands sweaty, eyes bloodshot. Sakura knew she couldn't make a fuss or the girl would more than likely run out the door. Slowly, the medic led her patient to the corner of the room, closed the curtain after her, and waited as the young girl took off her lower garments in privacy.
− 'Everything fine?' Sakura asked as she heard the girl lift herself onto the examination table.
− 'Ah yes'
Sakura slowly opened the curtain and the colour of the bruise struck her instantly. The innermost part of the wound was black, turning to dark and light blues as it spread its way up the girls leg. Poison. She was poisoned. Sakura couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it- she had dismissed the girl's behaviour as just- just, dismissed it altogether. The kunoichi placed both her hands on top of the deep black pit of the infection and started pumping chakra into the young girl's body. The infection instantly reacted- light blues turned lighter, dark blues and blacks swirled into pale paste- the initial infection became a vacuum sucking the rest of the poison back into itself.
− 'Is, ah, is it bad?' the girl asked face still down. Sakura realized she hadn't said a word to comfort the girl
− 'No not that bad, only big, ha' Awful.
Sakura began to perspire, her hands began to feel like they were on fire. As soon as she lost concentration a new gangrene of blue started to spread under the girl's skin, up her thigh. Sakura broke contact with the patient and performed two jutsus- one to cancel some unneeded release points, the other to divert this potent chakra to her hands. Once completed she placed both her hands on top of the girl's leg and began once again. Complete concentration. The poison and the infection had no chance- within ten seconds the wound was healed and undetectable on the young girl's leg.
− 'Right,' Sakura needed to sit down, 'We're done. I'll close the curtain for you'
Setting: Check
Confrontation: Next time round
Fanfic convention: I don't own Naruto
I've given myself a lot of creative freedom with the grammar. If it bothers you and you like the story, please treat it as an interesting conversationalist momentarily picking his nose.
Have a really good day.
