A Little Empty-Headed
Heeled, slender feet padded down the street in Konoha's rosy dusk. The town was falling asleep and few people were out on the road. It wasn't lonely, but cozily isolated, comforting to the closed black eyes and tired hands clutching the paper bags filled with groceries. She raised her lids, delicate brows knotted in slight pain and general weariness. Tsk. Tsunade-sama always warned you about doing this. Too much chakra. And you didn't even have breakfast.
The isolation shattered when a figure, striding hurriedly, came into view a few yards down the road. As he neared she recognized him.
Neji's sensei? Oh yes, he must be going to see if he's-
"Hello there!!! Hey! You're a medic-nin, right? You wouldn't h- Are you okay? Hey!"
I was afraid this would happen...
She felt her muscles stop responding to her will to stand up, her knees buckled, her head was spinning with obscure thoughts.
I have to get home to Tsunade-sama. I have to. Right now. She needs these. She… Tonton's still outside. She needs food. She-
"Aah," she wilted into a heap, falling to her knees and then forward, groceries scattering around her. But she never hit the ground.
"Mmm." She stirred. What happened? Where was she? She looked around.
The hospital? I thought I left here an hour ago. Why am I in a bed?
"Oh. Glad to see you're awake, Shizune."
"Genma? What's going on? Why am I here again? What happened? Wh-"
"You don't remember?"
"Remember wha-"
"You fainted," he shot her a slightly reprimanding look. You over-exerted yourself in the healing, again."
"I-"
"And I bet you didn't have breakfast either."
She looked a way from the now full on scolding glare of his tawny eyes. Yes, of course, she remembered now. She'd been walking home and then-
"You nearly gave us all a heart attack when Maito Gai came in carrying you. I thought you'd been mugged or something."
"Maito Gai? Is that his name?"
"Yeah. Green spandex. Orange leg warmers. Wears his headband as a belt. Bowl cut. Has a little mini-clone who's his student. Strange guy, but he's decent enough. Little empty-headed though. You were two blocks from your house and twenty from the hospital but he brought you back here instead. Go figure."
Shizune looked at the white, boring ceiling and glared at it, partly in thought and partly because she now fully understood why patients always wanted out.
"Maito Gai, " she said slowly.
"Yeah, that's right. Guess I'll yet you rest a bit and walk you home later." Genma left, turning off the light.
"Maito Gai, " she whispered to the dark. "Maito Gai."