Nara Shikamaru was the unsuspecting victim, that fall morning, of a real pain in the backside. It had been cold lately; so much so that there were frosts each night and even a few light snowfalls. Although he complained about the cold, he had to admit, at least to himself, that it was nice to wake up to everything all crystal and glittering. Who knew that frozen water could be so pretty?
Unfortunately, Shikamaru had been bid to enjoy the frost a little earlier than he would have liked, due to patrol duties. Troublesome. Troublesome, troublesome patrol duties.
Sighing his displeasure, Shikamaru shrugged into his leather coat with sheepskin lining and headed out. It was nice, in a way, because he could taste the morning air and hear the crunch of snow under his feet. How pleasant it would be to just fall asleep in the snow, he used to think, when he was a little child.
Shikamaru touched the frost on a tree and tried to keep his mind focused. The cold air helped a lot, clearing his senses. He circled the wood around the village, off the path, waiting for the detection of unfriendly chakra. There was nothing within a mile of him, he soon determined, but the quiet rocks and trees, and a few hibernating animals.
Moving onward, Shikamaru relaxed slightly. There was nothing near him save for nature, and nature was hardly a threat without influence. He was just beginning to think that his rounds were pointless when something caught his attention, upping his heart rate.
There was someone nearby. Shikamaru almost panicked, because his guard had been only half up, when he realized that whatever it was, it was weak. A big animal, maybe, he though for half a second, but no, he could tell that it was human. The Nara genius doesn't make those kinds of mistakes.
He could tell that there was only one, and it was injured. He thought he recognized the chakra, and began to run towards the thing. What if it was an injured nin from Konohagakure? Tsunade would not stand for that. Shikamaru could just see the work awaiting him. Of course he would be the detective behind the case. She might even hold him accountable…the thought made him shudder.
Finally, he pushed through the last bush. What he saw made him stop and stare with shock. He did recognize the ninja. However, it was no Konoha nin. It was Temari of Sunagakure, curled up on the frosty ground, fetal-like, with her eyes closed as though she were dead.
Shikamaru broke into a cold sweat. He though his heart skipped a beat. But she was not dead, only injured. She was also half frozen, by the looks of it. Quickly, he stripped off his jacket and bent down beside her. Her arms were cold and her lips were blue. Her face was deathly pale. Shikamaru lifted her and wrapped the jacket around her. He had to get her back to the village.
As he ran back with the kunoichi in his arms, Shikamaru wondered at how the sand princess had gotten into such a predicament. The only thing more dangerous than an enemy nin was the wrath of the elements; any good shinobi knew that. The elements, especially, that one cannot control.
Shikamaru crashed into the Konoha hospital, and practically bashed through the front desk.
"This girl needs to see a doctor, immediately!" Shikamaru said, urgently.
The woman at the desk covered her mouth in shock. "I…I'm terribly sorry, but there's been an epidemic lately…we have no rooms, and all of the doctors and nurses are busy. Why, even Tsunade…" Shikamaru cut her off.
"Tell Haruno Sakura that Temari of Suna needs her help! NOW!" He yelled.
"Oh…I didn't realize…" the woman began.
"NOW!" Shikamaru was panicking. Who knew how long someone who'd fallen asleep in the frost could last?
The woman ran off and returned less than a minute later, an extremely concerned Sakura at her side.
"Nara, what happened?" she asked, her tone almost a shriek.
"I don't know!" Shikamaru said. "I found her unconscious in the woods!"
"I'll operate immediately," Sakura said, keeping her cool. As all of the orderlies were busy, she pulled up a gurney herself and helped Shikamaru place Temari on it. There were no spare rooms to be had, so Sakura took temari to the maternity ward, and rushed a new mother and her husband who were preparing to leave that day into the hall, the woman still in her wheelchair.
"I need you to leave, Nara," Sakura said, apologetically.
"I want to stay!" he countered.
"This is no time to argue, Nara, just get out!" Shikamaru, knowing Sakura's wrath, quickly complied. He was sullen, however, as he stalked up and down the busy halls. He could hear infants crying somewhere in the distance, and feel the drab chakra of flu stricken nin. He could also feel Temari's fading chakra, and Sakura's as she worked.
In the maternity room, Sakura checked Temari's vital signs and began treating her for mild frostbite and hypothermia. Luckily, she hadn't been lying in the snow for as long as Shikamaru and she had feared. However, some of her ribs were broken. When Sakura removed Temari's clothing, she found multiple bruises all over her body. Nowhere had the skin been broken, but she had taken a pretty serious beating.
Sakura checked to make sure that none of her vital organs had been punctured by the broken ribs, and discovered that Temari was also suffering from bronchitis. Alarmed at the amount of fluid in her lungs, Sakura quickly began draining them. Finally, after a couple of hours, Sakura emerged from the room.
"How is she?" Shikamaru immediately asked.
"Relax. She's fine, now. She wasn't lying on the ground for very long, it seems, but it looks like someone beat her up pretty good, and she also has bronchitis. She hasn't woken up yet, and I've got her on meds, because I don't think she'd much want to, in this condition."
"When can I see her?" Shikamaru asked. Sakura looked at her watch.
"In about twenty minutes. Shikamaru, can she stay at your place? There's really no room in the hospital; we have another mother coming in soon." Shikamaru looked concerned and awkward.
"Well…I suppose…that'd be ok…" he began.
"Good." Sakura cut in. "Have her out in…" she glanced at her watch. "Sixteen minutes. Oh, and here, these are for the bronchitis and these are for the pain," she said, handing him two bottles filled with capsules. "The instructions are on the bottle. Bye now, and take good care of her." Shikamaru, at a loss for words, looked toward Sakura for support, but she was already gone.
Shikamaru was panicking. He had never had a girl living in his apartment with him. He had never taken care of anyone ill. What if he messed up? What if something went wrong? He was jerked out of his thoughts by the screams of a woman in labor being rushed down the halls. Quickly, he gathered up Temari, wrapped his jacket around her, and hurried out.
"I'm sorry…" he thought again and again, as the movement of his body jostled her. Sakura said she was on medicine, but he was still afraid to hurt her. He could feel a thin brace around her midsection, underneath her clothes, which Sakura had managed to get washed in the time that they had been at the hospital.
Finally shikamaru made it to his house. Carefully adjusting Temari in his arms, he fished out a key and unlocked the door, kicking it shut behind him as he entered. He placed Temari on the soft brown leather couch, a pillow under her head, and draped his coat over her like a blanket. He dug some more blankets out of a closet and draped those over her as well.
"What have I gotten myself into," he muttered, looking at her piteous form stretched out on his sofa.
"Troublesome..." he said, his words laced with concern.