After a long absence I've finally decided to put something on again ^^
enjoy and be gentle with me please :3
Working as a medic nin wasn't an easy job, dealing with stubborn patients handling difficult tasks and operations every day or being at the receiving end of the head doctors wrath every time something happens is shitty, and tiring.
But Sakura wasn't just any medic nin, she was the apprentice of the current Hokage, the best doctor in the world and she was aiming to surpass that title. She wanted to be the head doctor and be responsible of the medical department of entire Konoha.
However to attain such a huge goal, she had to train more than any other medic, she had to take all the jobs she got even the ones no one other wanted to do, like making autopsies on already rotten bodies, or taking care of the most stubborn and sometimes dangerous patients, she often thought in some comical way that her life was in the hand of her merciless Shishu…
Just like now, she had once again thought it'd be time to make her beloved little pupil suffer trough the things she thought to be a good experience…
"You want me to do what?"
Tsunade smiled smugly, she sometimes enjoyed the reactions of her cute pupil. However this time it was bit different, contrary to Sakura's belief, Tsunade didn't have much choice in the matter.
"You heard me, I want you to help out in the military basis for a certain time. The General himself has asked me for a qualified medic nin to help out with the training and the medical charges there. And you will be his personal medic nin, you will be in charge of healing and looking after his eyes, he's straining them to much."
Sakura couldn't believe what she was saying; she was training to become the best medic ever, and not to be some personal slave of that apathetic and cold man! Anyhow the entire military was full of perverts and the last thing she wanted was to have to stay there for a long period of time!
"I-"
"Don't tell that this is not going to help you! Do you realize what a big chance that is? You will be the General of the army's personal medic and you will be like one of the head medics there, it's not exactly head doctor but it gives you a small glimpse into the life of a head doctor, the experience you'll gain there will be enormous."
"But you know how it is there! I will be like the only female on that goddamn basis, and you know what that means? It means I'll be like the cute shiny gold fish in a pool full of sharks, sharks that aren't out to eat you but to-"
"I get it, I get it! Really I thought you'd be up to the task, but if you really don't think you are good enough for it…."
Sakura twitched, oh no she wasn't going there!
"I'll do it! But if I'll come back as a mind screwed girl just because I had to live with a bunch of horny bastards I'll guarantee you that I will haunt you!"
And with those last words she slapped her fist down on the Hokage's desk breaking it almost in two. Glaring at her satisfied Shishu she hoped that she didn't get herself into any unforeseen mess…
"Papers!"
Sakura fixed a point behind the man standing in front of her, she handed him her papers without looking at him. He on the contrary was eyeing her from head to toe, which didn't help her mood to get any better. She had tried to prepare herself mentally however nothing had really helped.
"Well I hope you'll have a nice stay…Haruno-san."
Sakura grimaced inwardly at the purring in his voice but just ignored him and passed through the huge gate, which opened just for her.
With a heavy heart, she made one step after the other, bracing herself for the next seven hours, in which she would be presented to her new environment. When she was finally inside, the gate closed with a loud noise, the soldiers at the entrance shouted things through the air announcing her arrival, it was very lively at the basis many troops passed her and the air was filled with shouts from the troop leaders, or from the soldiers who were doing some craft training.
Sakura tried to be as invisible as she could, but with so many pairs of eyes staring at her from every direction it was rather hard, so she at least held her head high and fixed a neutral spot.
"Haruno-san?"
A bit startled Sakura turned to her right where a young soldier was smiling at her, he was rather petit and his green eyes showed a friendly nature.
"Yes?"
"My name is Hiroshi the General sent me to pick you up!"
He beamed at her and she was relieved that he didn't seem like the most military people; in fact he seemed just the contrary. Suddenly he took a step forward and brought his face very near to hers, his eyes studying her face closely before he smiled dazzlingly. Sakura looked at him perplexed wanting to know just what he was thinking.
"You look even prettier than Sempai told me!"
Sakura blinked and blushed not sure how to react.
"What?"
"Hiroshi pull back!"
The young boy was unexpectedly thrown back to the ground. Sakura already wanted to help him, looking if he had hurt himself, pure medic instinct. However she was stopped when another person stood now in front of her taking her view of everything.
"You've grown again Sakura."
The voice was so familiar that she promptly forgot about the poor Hiroshi.
Looking up she was surprised to find her former teammate standing right in front of her only inches away.
"Sasuke? You eh you grew up too! You're so tall!"
Sasuke had been her former teammate, together with Naruto they had formed team seven, and they had been a good team that was until Sakura had been taken under the wings of Tsunade. It had been a very long time since she had last seen him.
Smirking down at her, Sakura noticed that he was even more handsome than before, his face had lost all boyish futures and he was slowly transforming into a real adult. Her eyes wandered down a bit and she noticed with a blush that he was also filling out very nicely.
"The General is waiting!"
Hiroshi had gotten back up and was trying to get Sakura's attention back. Sasuke gave him a heavy glare before he turned away from Sakura and jumped on the large jeep behind him. Taking the place of the driver, he signaled her to take the place next to him.
After hesitating a bit she got on and put her bag on her lap grabbing it and smiling cautiously. Hiroshi saved himself onto the jeep just before Sasuke took off.
"Ugh finally…"
Sasuke seemed amused at her distress, the entire drive he had driven at such a speed Sakura feared she would have been hurled out the jeep.
A bit shaky, she got off the jeep with Hiroshi's help. Sasuke was in front of them leading them the last steps to the huge tent, where they were already been expected. With a heavy heart, she entered the tent and immediately her eyes, began to hurt when she entered a complete dark room. Her eyes needed some time to adjust but when they did, she noticed the figure five steps away from her.
"You're finally here…"
Sakura glared at the arrogant sound, it was one of the reasons she didn't like working for the General, he may be feared and respected among Konoha but he was an arrogant and cold man, a fighting machine with no human traits, and it didn't help that he was going to be her new boss.
"We picked her up like you told us do-"
"She will stay here, you're dismissed."
Sasuke gave her one last look, and the smile she got from Hiroshi was probably meant to wish her good luck but it didn't really help.
She looked around the tent an awkward silence in the air; her fingers were playing with the handles of her bag. The General however didn't seem to care that his new medic was feeling out of place and took his sweet time to get up to greet her officially.
"The Hokage has probably told you everything already, but I'd like to remind you again."
He came towards her, she could see his beautiful eyes shining in the weak light, he was very tall, she felt little and a bit intimidated with his stare fixing her.
"You will be the second head medic, we have more than twenty nurses working at the hospital, we have one head medic you will be the second, and I trust you to know what your responsibilities will be?"
She nodded not looking away from his eyes; he was standing only inches away from her now.
"Also you will two times a week come with me to the training grounds, check on my soldiers and supervise their training, to see if there are any problems. I will decide when that will be, first you will concentrate on your work at the hospital."
She nodded again. His eyes looked deep into hers as if he was searching for something. After a minute, which seemed like an eternity to her, he stepped back with a satisfied look, as if she had just passed a test, it made her heart jump a bit.
He took his black coat from the stand and put it on. Sakura looked away and let her eyes search the entire tent, it was really dark, she couldn't see many things.
It must be because of his eyes…suddenly she remembered what Tsunade had said.
"Shishu told me that I'd be in charge of healing your eyes."
She bit her lip when his eyes turned back to her; his gaze was suddenly distant and strange.
"Yes… we will discuss that later."
Without giving her time to say something, he turned to the exit of the tent and opened it. Sakura squinted her eyes startled by the bright light coming in. Itachi didn't move and she noticed that he was waiting, holding the tent open for her. Blushing at her lack of attention, she hurried forward, he was right behind her.
"Here is the hospital, there will be someone to pick you up every morning at seven so you'll have to get up before sunrise."
Sakura nodded and hurried after him. With his long legs, he was three times faster than her, and she was glad that she wasn't wearing her usual high heels. They had made their way to the hospital across the entire basis and she was glad that she didn't need to walk that route every day. However she didn't like the way the General was behaving towards her, of course he was always like that, cold, demanding, and merciless, but she was here because he had asked for help, so he could at least be a bit more nice!
"You will get an uniform tomorrow when you'll start, we will meet with the first head doctor."
Sakura looked around the hospital and was a bit it shocked. This wasn't a real hospital; there was hardly anything that looked like a hospital. It was one of the only buildings in the military basis, at least better than a tent, but the beds consisted of stretcher like things which didn't look comfortable at all, they were placed one next to the other to save some place, after all this was a military base, there were always soldiers who needed medical attention.
She was led through some halls with more of these stretchers and then upstairs. Now they where on a different storey, the bed looked different, it looked more like a hospital should, this was probably for the use of everyday when there weren't so many injured people and in the war times it was for the more important people, like the colonels or even the General himself.
They walked to a room with the letters 'STAFF ONLY'. Once they entered Sakura was greeted, by a strange man, he was even taller than the General and Sakura was still debating if he was scarier, his skin was dark brown almost black and his shoulder length black hair looked soft, his yellow yes however didn't, and was were that strings stitched into his skin? Okay she had seen already many strange things like a blue man and such but this man even had strange aura.
"General! What a surprise to see you here Uchiha…"
"Kakuzu, this is Haruno Sakura, she'll be the second head medic."
The man's yellow eyes fell on her and she fought the urge to shudder. He seemed to check her from head to toe before he smiled at her, it seemed creepy at first but it was better than the General's calculating gaze.
"My name is Yakuto Kakuzu, I'll be helping you in the first week, that is if you need any help."
Sakura's eyes narrowed, she knew he was challenging her, and to be honest she was dying to show what she could, after all she wasn't training so hard for nothing.
"I'll be sure to tell you if I need something, but I doubt that." She gave him a sweet smile, playing innocent. Kakuzu's smile widened and there was a certain creepy edgy to it now.
"I will show her the rest of the base now."
"Yes do that, I'll see you tomorrow, Sakura-san."
"I can't wait Kakuzu-san."
Kakuzu smirked at her attitude; this was going to be interesting.
"I hope that you will e able to see yourself around now."
Sakura nodded, they were currently walking through the street of the base, he had showed, her the tent where the soldiers would receive their food, she would be eating there to from tomorrow on, then he had showed her to the main building where the General, the colonels and the captains would meet to discuss everything concerning the battles trainings and strategies. He had told her that she would probably always find him there if she needed something.
"Yeah I will, but I eh would like to know where I'll be staying?"
She had hoped for like a tent for herself or such, but up till now he hadn't said anything about where she would be living while her stay here.
She looked at him expecting and answer but he was silent and looked ahead of them. Suddenly he stopped and Sakura noticed that they were once again at his tent, the biggest tent in the base she had noted.
"You will be staying here."
He entered the tent not waiting for her, or any reaction. Sakura frowned not understanding what he wanted to say. Hesitating, she hurried after him, entering the tent. He had changed out of his coat and shirt, making her blush again; thankfully it was dark in here.
"What did you mean with I will stay here? I mean this isn't-"
"You will be living with me in this tent, behind this curtain is everything you'll need."
A cold feeling washed over her, this was a joke right? He couldn't really mean this! Not only was she living in the military basis but also living in on tent with him?
"What? No, that wasn't what I've been told! I am here to help in the medical field, I was asked to come so I don't see why I-"
She was suddenly pushed backwards, butt crashing against the desk behind her, she was pressed up against him looking up into his eyes while he was glaring fiercely. Her heart was racing and she could feel his hard chest calm against hers.
"I asked the Hokage for a qualified medic and she gave me you but you have to know that this isn't like your beloved little hospital back at home."
He pressed harder against her making her wring for air again. The way he was looking at her was making her nervous.
"This is the military the place where men train to be strong and to be able to defend their country in battle."
His dark black hair was tickling her cheek, he was too near for her taste, and the look in his eyes was strange, he was a calculating and intimidating man, but his proximity was doing funny things to her stomach.
"So I'm sorry to tell you but you will have to life with what you've got."
Silence followed and Sakura couldn't look away from his mesmerizing eyes, they were so beautiful.
She was startled however when he pulled back all of a sudden.
"I have a meeting now."
Taking his coat and shirt, he disappeared without even looking back. Sakura was standing still not moving one muscle and trying to catch her breath.
What had just happened?
"You're not bad, Kitten."
Sakura glared at the first head medic. Not even one day and that creep had given her already a nickname, however why he called her 'Kitten' was a mystery to her.
Kakuzu smiled at her reaction, when he had met her yesterday he had already assumed that she wasn't going down without a fight in whatsoever, and it amused him greatly, she handled every patient professionally and yet she was always nice but not too much, and with the idiots that tried to flirt with her (almost everyone but a strange young kid that smiled creepily at her but she seemed to know him) were handled with a certain hard edge.
The nurses liked her, because she stood up for the staff and even mauled some soldiers for flirting with a younger nurse.
But most of all she was a wonderful medic, her knowledge was enormous just like her chakra, she had been healing one soldier after the other and yet she was still going on like she had just started her shift.
"Ah a good cup of coffee will do some good now."
Kakuzu leaned back and sipped happily his black coffee; Sakura did the same only her coffee was light brown and with sugar. She was starting to think that Tsunade was right, there were many patients and she was all the time busy with something, it felt like a real challenge to be here, unlike in the hospital of Konoha, the patients here had real wounds some needed more than fifteen stitches, a complicated healing Jutsu and she even operated today, it felt really good to be in charge.
"So how do you like it so far Kitten?"
"Well it's not that bad, however that nickname is awful."
"It suits you."
She glared at him but before she could retort the door suddenly opened and a nervous nurse hurried in.
"Doctor! We have an emergency! A team 14 came in and we have three poisoned soldiers and one life threatening injury!"
Without saying anything both head doctors got up and rushed out the door. The nurse was right behind them trying to keep up with them.
"The three poisoned soldiers are in station three while the one with the life threatening injury was placed in OP 5!"
"Do you know what poison it is?"
"Unfortunately we don't, it's a very unusual poison, it seems to eat at the muscle structure."
Sakura frowned and took the papers with the information of the three patients, the nurse was right, the poison didn't seem to affect the blood the organs or the senses just the muscle showed signs of weakening.
"It must be a poison which eats proteins, it's eating away the muscle."
Kakuzu raised an eyebrow at her.
"You've seen this before?"
"I've red about it, but to be sure I need to check the patients."
"I'll go to OP 5 and check on him if you need help tell me."
Sakura gave him a short arrogant look, with a small smirk.
"Tell me if you need help."
Kakuzu grinned creepily and they separated, he went through the door to the operation section while she took the left and headed down to corridor to station three. The nurse followed her keeping that nervous look.
They finally arrived at the door leading to her next patients, entering she was greeted with chaos, the nurses were hurrying around not knowing what to do, and the patients were screaming in agony.
Sakura was struck for a moment before she took a deep breath.
"Stop this now, I only need four five nurses, three to help me with one patient and two to look after the other two in the meantime! Someone also bring me three bolls of sterile water bandages, antibiotics and clean towels! NOW!"
The staff grew quiet and suddenly the chaos was gone, five nurses stayed behind saluting before her ready to get their next tasks, three other nurses hurried to get her material and the rest rushed out the room to get out of the way.
"Good, the three strongest amongst you will help me keep the patient down, I will use a medical Jutsu to suck the poison out of them. It will give us time to analyze the poison and find an antidote. Where is my water?"
"Here it is Haruno-sama!"
Sakura took the bowl from the young nurse and put it on the table next to the first patient.
"Ok hold him down!"
The three manly nurses, who had taken the task to help her retract the poison, positioned themselves around the injured soldier, who was still screaming and wriggling. However the three seemed to be strong, Sakura knew that the most problems came with the patient trying to shake of the healer, the Jutsu was rather painful.
"Ok he will try everything to push us off, so be prepared to use everything you've got!"
Making the hand seals too fast too see, her hands were already pressing down the patient, the screaming doubled and the nurses were almost thrown back, but they withstood everything with much difficulties.
"We almost have it!"
And finally even the last bit was out. Sakura put the collected poison into the sterile water.
"Take this and bring it to the laboratory, they have to analyze this immediately! I will come after I have finished with these two!"
The young nurse nodded hastily and took the bowl carefully into her hands.
Sakura took another deep breath bracing herself for the next extraction.
"Ok we have the last ingredient too now. That's very good."
Sakura fixed the list of the poison's ingredients, it was a very strange and complex poison, and she couldn't remember everything she had red about it, but she still remembered that the main ingredients was eating proteins so she needed more peptides but also something that helped them to develop… yes that was it!
"We need the oxygen! Put mask on the patients they need the triple of the usual oxygen and then give them pure peptide!"
The nurses nodded glad to have finally found the antidote. Sakura breathed relieved. She didn't want to show it but she had been nervous, this was like a test if she would be good enough to handle military patients, at least it was for her.
"Ah Kitten I see you've finished! And you didn't need any help!"
Sakura smirked at her colleague, he was still in his operation gown and full of blood but that didn't seem to bother him.
"Nor did you, I'm proud."
Her smirk widened at his raspy laugh. She had to admit that the tall creepy man was growing on her and it was only the first day.
"How about we go eat something, you must be starving, at least I am."
"Yeah I'll come later I just need to check on the patients one last time."
"I'll see you there."
Sakura smiled at him before he left to get changed. Sakura slowly got up and sighed, it had been a tiring first day, but she was satisfied with her work. She turned off the lights and grabbed her white coat again, making her way down the hallway; only the clicking of her high heels was heard. She arrived at her patients' new room and opened the door quietly. She smiled at their peaceful faces, after the extraction they had been tired and had fallen unconscious it was nice to see them peaceful now.
She checked the stats and everything making sure the oxygen was neither to high nor to low before she left the room her stomach grumbling slightly.
"…And that idiot still thinks he's the best!"
Sakura laughed while trying not to swallow on her meal. She was sitting next to Kakuzu and she was really glad that she knew him, when she had entered the cafeteria she was lost, it was full and not even a minute later she was suddenly rounded by a horde of soldiers wanted to get some information on her, flirting openly with her. She had tried to get away and when she had seen Kakuzu she had ran to him, it seemed that his presence scared the little soldiers away since they left her alone afterwards.
Also he was kind of funny, he had a certain vulgar way, but that wasn't so bad.
"Sometimes the idiocy of people still surprises me."
"Your just such a dark person!"
Sakura looked behind the tall head medic and was surprised to see a certain red head standing there. Kakuzu however wasn't surprised at all and greeted him with a dismissing wave of his hand.
"Yeah, yeah as if you're any better Sasori."
The red head smirked before sitting down next to Sakura, smiling softly at her.
"And how you've been?"
"Good, I survived my first day."
He smiled proudly and Sakura felt as if this entire military things wasn't so bad anymore, not when he was at least there.
Kakuzu however was a bit confused.
"What the hell is going on? You two know each other?"
Sakura snickered.
"I forgot, Aniki doesn't like to speak about his family, it almost hurts you know?"
Sasori rolled his eyes and bit into his sandwich.
Kakuzu just stared at them for a moment or two before he finally understood what she had wanted to tell him with those words.
"You're siblings?!"
Sakura laughed at his perplexed expression, Sasori didn't seem to be less amused and smirked secretly.
Kakuzu continued to ask questions and Sakura was amused that he found it to impossible for them to be family, after all she was nice and such and he was cold and such, it didn't match.
Looking at her Aniki she had to give Kakuzu a bit right, they were very different yet their goals were both very high and they had fought hard in life, with only themselves as family and support. Sasori had now the status of Colonel, a direct advisor of the General, she was often proud of him.
"DANNAAA!"
Sakura almost fell backwards at the sudden scream, and when something blond and blue flew straight at her Aniki, she thought she would have a heart attack. What the hell was going on?
"Don't worry Kitten, that happens all the time…"
Kakuzu quietly continued to eat his meal without paying much attention to the newcomer.
"Get off me! Moron!"
With much difficulty she watched how her Aniki got back up, but with a grinning young man sitting in his lap. He had long blond hair, and one visible blue eye; his blond hair covered the other one.
"You ran off all of a sudden! I was talking to you!"
"You always talk to me…"
"And you never listen… Who's that?"
Sakura blinked at the sudden hostility in his voice when he saw her. Sasori however rolled his eyes, but Sakura noted that he wasn't doing anything to get the man from his lap.
"This is my sister, she's the medic nin the Uchiha had asked for."
The man's eye lit up and he grinned at her brightly.
"Oh she looks cute! Hi I'm Yamanaka Deidara!"
Sakura smiled hesitantly.
"Haruno Sakura, nice to meet you."
It seemed that the blond man was contrary to most of the persons she had met up till now a very hyper and bright person, he had a sunny personality and Sakura found that he was rather cute and clumsy, plus she noted how her Aniki was caressing the blonde's hand secretly. She had to talk about this with him later.
Suddenly Kakuzu got up and stretched. Sakura noticed that it had become dark outside.
"I better get on my way, I don't want to get lost in the dark."
She wished them good night before leaving the cafeteria.
Getting lost was easy here.
Unfortunately.
Sakura sighed and massaged her temples; she just wanted to get back to her tent and sleep. But Lady Luck wasn't on her side it seemed.
"You're lost?"
With a loud gasp she turned around in a swift movement facing the intruder. She was again startled, when she came face to face with another red head, he was of course taller but only a head taller than her, he was handsome but his jade eyes were cold and over his left eye was the kanji for love inked into his skin.
"Uhm yeah… "
She took a step back and bit her lip not really trusting the stranger.
"I'll show you the way, where are you headed to?"
Looking up at him with hope in her eyes she noticed that he didn't seem like a molester or a dangerous crazy person.
"To the General's tent actually…"
He nodded and started to go on, she hurried after him falling into step with him.
"I'm Sakura by the way."
"Gaara."
Moody aren't we? She raised her eyebrow briefly and looked away, and awkward silence fell over them and she bit her lip, she wasn't a friend of silences. However she was soon relieved when she saw the huge tent of the General.
"Good night."
He hurried away before she could say anything but Sakura smiled.
"Good night and thank you Gaara!"
She could see how he nodded briefly before disappearing entirely. What a strange feller.
She entered the tent and sighed tired. This was going to be a looong and exhausting stay here.
there is more to come so don't worry ^^' hopefully you like it :3
