A/N: I know, I know... I'm sorry. I shouldn't be starting new fics left and right... But I just really couldn't resist this time. D: There's a severe shortage of decent KabuShizu fics out there (or KabuShizu fics PERIOD), and...the inspiration wouldn't leave. Still, I hope someone can enjoy this anyway... It's my first time writing with Shizune, and so far I'm loving her. xD So far this fic has been awesome to write...and I actually have, like, a sort-of-kind-of plotline! D: Le gasp le gasp! But we'll see how it goes.

Please review, if you have the time! I need some good feedback; I know my writing is rusty, but I need some suggestions as to where to improve. C: Thanks!

EDIT (05/28/09): Updated the first chapter to suit the new direction of this story~ Not much changed, pretty much just the descriptions of Kabuto's wounds. (I've decided to include the "Kabuchimaru" issue, haha.) Please enjoy. C:

"Man…I hate hospitals." Shizune reached up to tuck a strand of dark hair behind her ear, then flipped open the folder for the patient she was about to examine. The pretty young woman was dressed in an ankle-length, kimono-like dress that was a deep shade of blue, with cream trim around the edges. The outfit was plain and unremarkable, but even so it could not completely mask the beauty of her lithe, dangerous body. Currently, she also wore a stiff white doctor's coat, her name typed out uniformly on the nametag riding over her heart.

As she stalked down the cold and, to her eyes, miserable halls of Konoha General Hospital, the talented kunoichi glanced up from the manila folder in her slim, deadly hands and narrowed her midnight eyes scornfully. She was a medical specialist, trained in the art of healing (and killing) and herbs (and poisons) and the human body (and how to turn it against its owner). She was not, however, fond of hospitals. Shizune was a compassionate person - she longed to help people in pain, and she was talented enough that more often than not she could act on that impulse. So the sheer amount of sick and hurting people was not the root of her distaste for such establishments. Or…perhaps it was. Surrounded by people who needed her, perhaps she felt smothered by the desire to help, when she simply couldn't heal at everyone at once.

She always had thought hospitals felt oppressive.

Whatever the reason, the fact remained that she was less than happy to be treading Konoha General's slick tile floor that fine Sunday evening. She already logged more hours in the hospital than was required. The medic was just trying to do her part in the recovery of the village, setting aside her scorn of hospitals and picking up this doctor's uniform in its place. After the recent attack that Konohagakure had undergone from the combined powers of Suna and Oto, shinobi and civilians alike were left injured and ill; even now, months afterwards, the effects could still be seen. However, this particular day was supposed to be the reliable kunoichi's first day free from work in several weeks. (An outbreak of pneumonia had left the hospital staff busier than ever.) Just when it seemed she might get some time to herself, to relax and enjoy a day outdoors, or indoors, or wherever-the-heck-she-wanted, she'd been rudely interrupted by the knocking of a Chuunin messenger at her door.

Her services were urgently required at the hospital.

The details had been scanty at best, but apparently an enemy ninja had been captured, injured - probably fairly critically, if she was being summoned at a time like this. Tsunade-sama had been more than supportive (some might say insistent) of her apprentice's request for a day off, so it must be truly important if the Godaime Hokage would interrupt her friend and student's precious downtime for it.

Or it had better darn well be, anyway.

Upon arriving at the hospital, she'd picked up her prisoner-turned-patient's folder and skimmed over it. There was no name attached to it, but that wasn't too unusual. Information about prisoners was often closely guarded. The prisoner was a young male, estimated early- to mid-twenties. Height 175.2 centimeters, weight 65 kg. Pretty average statistics. She turned a page as she turned a corner, and skipped down to the description of his wounds. That's where things got messy. Some sort of lightning-based jutsu had caused severe damage to his right leg, and there was some barely-healed damage in his abdomen that would need attention. He was apparently recovering from the removal of some foreign tissue from the left side of his body (mostly his arm and up his neck to his face), but the really worrying thing was that his body seemed to be fighting off some sort of unidentifiable poison. The shinobi team that captured him hadn't reported any use of poison in their attacks, so it would take time to identify the substance and create an antidote - which was, undoubtedly, why she'd been summoned. She specialized in poisons, and probably stood a better chance of recognizing the poison by the symptoms than any other available medic, except perhaps Tsunade-sama.

But even the great Tsunade didn't know everything.

Shizune sighed, skimming through the rest of the folder's contents as she approached her destination.

Sometimes being the best was more of a pain than it was worth.

--

Some time later – Shizune stopped keeping track after the two hour mark – the medic-nin emerged from the room, her posture weary and a tired sigh escaping her lips. Her chakra was dangerously low; she certainly wouldn't be healing anyone else for at least a couple of days. Rubbing at her temple, she closed her eyes and leaned against the wall next to the door. She had a massive headache, and she was bloody irritated to boot.

Him… Why did it have to be him? Why did she have to save his pathetic life, of all people…?

"Shizune…how is he?"

Shizune glanced up at the familiar voice, squinting as she tried to focus on the figure of her sensei. Chakra depletion symptoms were such a pain…

Tsunade frowned and revised her statement. "Rather, how are you?"

"Ngh." Shizune shook her head slowly, eyes closed. Tsunade nodded sympathetically. She recognized the symptoms from experience. The Sannin placed a gentle hand on her student's shoulder as she passed. "Go rest for now. I'll keep an eye on things, and call you when you're needed." Tsunade gave a tired smile, her own face displaying weariness and fatigue, leading Shizune to believe that her mentor had been well-occupied with her own problems while she'd been healing that monster.

The powerful kunoichi slipped into the room behind her student, leaving Shizune to her own thoughts and worries. She trekked a little down the brightly-lit hall, then collapsed onto a conveniently-placed bench with a heavy release of breath.

She hated jobs like this – healing prisoners and enemy shinobi. She recognized the need for it, of course. A live, captured enemy was much more useful than a dead one, for several reasons. They could be tortured for information, traded for prisoners the enemy had taken, or even executed as an object lesson of sorts. (Although it was rare for merciful Konoha to pursue this last course, it was not unheard of; there were certain ruthlessly patriotic elements in the Council of Elders that would most likely insist upon it.) Indeed, it was a brilliant stroke of luck that the Leaf team that had fought him had managed to take this particular prisoner alive.

Still, Shizune hated having the duty of pouring effort and chakra into an enemy soldier who was responsible – directly or not – for the deaths of so many of her Leaf comrades. It felt morally wrong, no matter what her sense of logic told her to the contrary.

And of course it had nothing to do with her own personal desire for vengeance on this man.

Nothing at all.

After all, why should she resent the ninja who took her out of a battle without so much as batting an eyelash and proceeded to coldly and quite literally kick her mentor and hero while she was down?

Nope. Nothing personal at all, Yakushi-san.

--

Tsunade stood beside the unconscious figure that rested on the bed, her fingers hovering over his chest and her chakra probing into his body. Shizune had done an excellent job. The poison that no one had seemed to recognize had been successfully identified and counteracted, and the damage to his leg was largely healed. Despite the bandages covering his left side, the operation to remove Orochimaru's invasive flesh had been a success. Although not without a certain level of discomfort, Yakushi-san would live to see another day – which would certainly not please him once he found out. Not only would he be faced with certain interrogation, probable torture, and possible death – unless he surprised everyone and proved cooperative – but he would also face the painful challenge of recovering from his injuries.

Yes, Shizune had done an excellent job. Tsunade herself likely couldn't have done better.

But there were some wounds that just couldn't be healed instantly.

The Sannin's eyes wandered to the enemy nin's heavily-bandaged leg.

Yakushi Kabuto would not be running home - wherever home was for the missing-nin - in a hurry.