*Disclaimer: It's my mind, Masashi Kishimoto's characters.*
Sakura was sitting on her bed looking over a few books that contained rare viruses that had similar syndromes to the flu. Nope, no tropical spiders here. Nah, moss doesn't grow in Suna. Avian flu wasn't out of the question but Suna laws were strict on animal and health control. She shut the book and rubbed her eyes. The clock read 11:41 p.m.
She wondered if Gaara had come home yet. Kankuro just told her to leave his fair share of her donburi on the burner on low and that he'd find it and if not Kankurou would have warm leftovers for breakfast. She lay back on her bed slipping under the covers. It didn't seem as if she even left Suna. Her friendship with Kankurou and Gaara picked up right where they left off. She was happy that they were doing so well during her absence.
Gaara was more open, more of his true personality coming through and Kankurou…. She punched a pillow into shape as she thought. Kankurou was still cocky and arrogant but he was more kind? He was more understanding? That didn't sound right. But something was different about him. She spoke to the empty room, letting her thoughts resound in her ears.
"He's changed."
Sakura growled at her alarm clock. Of course she didn't sleep well in a new place. She didn't fall asleep until 4 in the morning and now it was nearing 7:00 am. She was awake at 6, an hour before she had to leave. And she knew that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep and not wake up irritated. No one would like to have their hospital taken over by another medic especially one from another land. There was no reason for it to be an irritated medic on top of that.
She pulled herself from bed and pulled on her medic shirt and shorts. She walked downstairs and caught sight of Gaara's black vest as he shut the door. She followed him out and was surprised to see him nearly halfway down the street. And, she noticed, he was going in the wrong direction from Kazekage tower. She took a step to follow him but stopped short as Kankurou stood beside her.
"He's going to visit Elder Chiyo's grave."
Sakura made sure to keep her calm reserve. "Does he go often?"
He nodded as she stood watching where Gaara had just been walking. "Every morning."
She let her eyes linger on the quiet streets for a few moments before turning to Kankurou. "You're up early."
He shrugged, "Figured you wanted a head start."
She sighed. He knew she wouldn't be able to sleep in an unfamiliar home. Ninja had to be alert and last night she was more alert than ever. "Coffee."
"In the kitchen."
He followed her in the door as she followed the smell of her cure for lack of sleep.
The second Sakura walked into the Hospital doors and frowned Kankurou knew that today was going to be a very long day. She walked up to the nurse's desk after she swept her eyes over the crowded waiting room.
"Why are there so many patients in the waiting room?"
The nurse looked up from her paperwork and looked at Sakura bewildered by the sudden demand, then her eyes fell on Kankurou and the nurse immediately stood up. She grabbed a phone and pushed a button. "Haruno-san let me call the head of the hospital to let him know you've arrived."
Sakura reached over and hit the button in the cradle causing the static phone voice to go dead.
"Please answer my question, why are so there many people in the waiting room?"
The nurse put the phone on its cradle looking at Kankurou for some sort of sign or signal. Kankurou didn't blink. He was here to look out for Sakura, not to help some nurse. The nurse looked away sensing that she was on her own.
"Because all the doctors are busy?"
Sakura pointed down the hall at two men walking towards the elevators. "There are two doctors right there."
The nurse smiled at her, "They are medic-nins."
Kankurou saw Sakura's peeved face and he couldn't help but feel sorry for the nurse. "And?"
The nurse looked confused. "Only civilians doctors see civilians."
Sakura looked appalled. "Who the hell came up with that bullshit?"
The nurse turned as pale as her low cut uniform as a deep voice caused Sakura to turn to look where it had came from. "I did, Haruno-san."
She turned to the man and took a step towards him. "And you are?"
"Yun Yotaka, Chief of Medicine."
Sakura smiled at him and Kankurou tried not to smirk. He was glad that he wasn't on the end of that smile for once. It reminded him of a wildcat acting calm and docile before she struck at you with sharp claws. And Sakura didn't disappoint.
"Yun Yotaka, your displacement papers will be waiting for you at Kazekage tower before lunchtime."
He stepped toward Sakura in surprise. "What! You can't be serious!"
"I'm perfectly serious. You'll be lucky if I let you back into office here, even if you learn how to run a hospital properly."
The man took another step towards Sakura and all Kankurou needed was the glimmer of harmful intent in the way he moved toward her. He took two steps in her direction but his worry was wasted. He watched in awe as the man was held by the neck of his coat in front of her. She pulled him close, that cheshirish grin in place. Kankurou ignored the pairs of eyes watching from the waiting room and the gasp from the nurse.
"Now Yun-san you weren't planning on hitting me were you?"
He shook his head no eagerly, fear rushing over his face.
"Good, now I expect you to vacate your office and the premises in an hour or I will help you vacate it. Understand?"
She only intensified her point by gripping his shirt tighter and lifting him off the ground. Yotaka got out a strangled yes Haruno-san before Sakura dropped him. She looked at Kankurou just long enough to roll her eyes at his offensive stance, hand already on scroll, before she turned to the nurse.
"Now I'd like you to arrange that all the department heads meet in Yotaka's office in two hours. For now I'll do what I can here and then I'll be taking over the 10 patients with that new flu strain."
The nurse was only able to nod as Sakura tore off down the hall catching the two medic-nins that had stopped to watch the spectacle. Kankurou didn't follow but kept her in his line of sight. The nurse looked at him still stunned. He remembered her. He'd had gone out with her once. He gave her a crooked grin.
"I think you'd better hop to it. Sakura doesn't like to repeat herself."
The nurse jumped out of her shock and into action, by the time Sakura came back with the two medic-nins in tow the nurse, Reina, had pulled up the ten patient's files and had two interns coming up to help take the routine questions and procedures before the doctors saw them.
She smiled at the nurse and it seemed to calm her nerves. "Thank you Reina. I'm sorry if I frightened you before."
The nurse smiled back, "It was just a shock that's all."
Sakura smiled, motioning for the medic-nins to take a patient. They did as they were bid enthusiastically. They were skilled enough from what Kankurou could tell from their chakra signatures. They had told Sakura that they didn't get much action around the hospital because ninja only come in when they have to, which like in Konoha, meant that they were on the verge of dying or passing out from blood loss and nasty wounds. And that meant only the most experienced medics could touch them. He watched the two boys chat with their patients as they lead them behind the nurse's station and into quaint exam rooms. Sakura took the thick files from Reina and handed them to Kankurou.
He quirked an eyebrow, "This wasn't in the job description."
Sakura walked away to find her own patients motioning for him to follow. "Think of it as a perk."
He rolled his eyes, but followed. Oh yes, this was going to be a very, very long day.
Sakura stood before two teenagers. She saw them both look her up and down and if they weren't almost as green as the wall behind them they'd have probably hit on her. Sakura couldn't help the knowing smirk that crept across her face.
"How many soldier pills did you take?"
The boys looked worriedly from one another and finally at Kankurou. Sakura waved a hand in front of Kankurou's face breaking their terrified stare.
"He's not the doctor. I am. So how many?"
The taller boy on the right answered weakly. "Two each."
The other boy offered up some more information. "We got them from his brother."
The taller boy smacked him it the ribs and Sakura tried not to laugh. "I don't care where you got it. Just don't take them again. They were made for ninja and even we use them sparingly."
The boys looked peeved. "What makes you think we're not ninja?"
Kankurou and Sakura both tapped their Hitai-ates. The boys both slumped in their chairs.
"All I can tell you is to go home and get some sleep. And drink plenty of water to help flush it out of your system."
They moved to leave but Sakura gripped their shoulders, exerting just a little of her super strength to get her point across. "If you come in here again for using soldier pills I might forgive you but Kankurou on the other hand…"
And as if they pulled the good cop bad cop routine a hundred times before Kankurou began to roll a shuriken across the back of his knuckles with practiced ease. His demon face scowling down at them, making the green boys turn pale. Sakura gave them beaming smiles. "Feel better boys."
She walked away and Kankurou did the same after giving them one more menacing scowl. When he turned back to Sakura he was surprised to see her on her knees, eye level with a little red haired girl.
"Hello Sabuki. I'm Sakura and this is Kankurou."
Kankurou just stared at the girl as Sabuki smiled up to him. "I know who you are Kurou-kun, your Kazekage –sama's brother."
He nodded as the girl turned to Sakura. "And you're the doctor from Konoha. They say that you killed Sasori."
He saw Sakura stiffen for a fraction of a second. But she hid it with ease and gave the girl a happy smile. The kid might fall for it but Kankurou made up his mind to ask her about it later. But for now he returned his attention to Sakura.
"I'm a medic-nin."
The small read head gave Sakura a bright smile. "I'm a ninja too."
Sakura smiled at her. "That explains why you're here by yourself."
He watched as Sabuki frowned and turned her eyes to the ground. "Sensei made me come. I passed out."
"And why did you pass out Sabuki?" Sakura stood taking her hand and lead her gently to an exam room. The girl watched her feet as she walked. She still hadn't answered as Sakura lifted her to sit on the exam table. Sakura lifted her chin and gave her a smile. "I'm not going to be mad at you Sabuki. I'm your friend."
The ninja gave her a sad smile before looking away. "I passed out because we were practicing with senbon today."
Kankurou who had hung back to lean against the wall to give them as much doctor patient privacy as possible scanned the little girl for puncture wounds. He was sure Sakura was on the same brain length as he caught her scanning her arms and legs as she encouraged her to continue. Sabuki said nothing more as the two elder Jounin concluded that she wasn't struck by anything poison tipped or not. Sakura picked up her chart.
"It seems that you missed a few inoculations Sabuki, why's that?"
The little girl shifted in her seat. Kankurou knew why she passed out and Sakura did too.
"Sabuki why don't you like needles?"
The little girl looked up at the taller green eyed ninja, eyes pleading. "I didn't mean to do it. Honest."
Sakura tried to calm her by rubbing her arms. "You didn't mean to do what?'
The small girl whipped her tears on her sleeve. "I didn't listen and I threw them and I and I… I hurt my sensei!"
She started crying now and Sakura wrapped her arms around the small child. Kankurou felt out of place. So he kept quiet and let Sakura handled the sobs.
"I… I threw them and they….they… hit him…. And sniff sniff and I d-don't like needles. I'm a a-fraid."
Sakura stroked her hair until she was calm and her breathing was even. "Sabuki everyone makes mistakes… I set my teacher on fire once."
Both Sabuki's and Kankurou's eyes widened.
"I was afraid of using the Goukakyuu no Jutsu for the longest time."
Sabuki looked up at the medic in awe. "Are you still afraid of it?"
Sakura smiled at her as Kankurou stared on. "Ninja do not show fear."
"Then how did you get over being afraid?"
"My sensei made me practice it until I was no longer afraid of using it."
"So you're not afraid."
Sakura ruffled her hair, "No."
"Not at all."
She shook her head. "Not even a little bit."
"Can you show me?"
Kankurou saw her stop looking through the genin's chart for a split second. "We're in a hospital."
"Oh."
The girl looked defeated.
"You know Sabuki you're at least two shots behind on your records. How did you manage to skip them?"
Now the little girl looked back down at her feet. When she didn't offer anything more than a sniffle Sakura asked again.
"Well Sabuki?"
The girl twiddled her thumbs. "I used a Genjutsu and made the doctor think he gave them to me."
Sakura caught Kankurou's eye. For an eleven year old to use such an advanced technique, Gaara would want to know about her. "Sabuki I'm afraid that before I let you go you'll have to let me give you your shots."
The red head's eyes widen in horror.
"No Fear Sabuki."
The little ninja took a deep breath. "No fear."
Sakura went to the cupboard and pulled out two needles and two clear vials. Kankurou noticed that Sabuki was now looking directly at him as Sakura filled the needles and walked over to her and wiped her arm with antiseptic. "Ready?"
The small ninja nodded solemnly, still watching him. Her face might have showed no fear but her eyes told a different story. So just as Sakura stuck her Kankurou hooked his fingers in his lips and pulled them apart and crossed his eyes in a goofy face. Sabuki giggled and the first shot was over. Sakura looked back in time to find Kankurou looking at the ceiling arms crossed. The second needle went in easily and Sabuki didn't look as scared. Sakura smoothed a bandage over her little pricks and helped her down.
"See, it wasn't that bad was it."
She smiled up to her and then to Kankurou. "No, it wasn't."
"And you'll make sure that your sensei will train you to use senbon."
Sabuki looked hesitant but nodded. "I'll practiced hard, you'll see Dr.-chan."
Sakura smiled as she walked her to the exam room door. "And no more Genjutsu on the doctors."
She nodded meekly before vanishing beyond the nurses' station. Reina called out to Sakura.
"I forgot to tell you that your patients are on the 6th floor Sakura-sama."
"Thank you."
She gave her a smile and turned next to her bodyguard/escort/friend. Kankurou stood next to her his hands in his pockets.
"So did you really set Kakashi on fire?" He pictured the copy-nin running around, his silver hair ablaze and smiled.
"Did you really make that horrible face in there to calm Sabuki down?"
He shrugged and walked down the hall. Sakura followed. "I didn't set him on fire. I put him out."
He saw the soft smile on her face. She really was a pretty girl. "Sasuke hit him with it. He was aiming for Naruto."
He watched as her smile grew as she talked.
"Kakashi told him that if he was going to use that technique then he had better lean to use it right. He made him practice it three days in a row, dusk till dawn until he had it down."
He noticed how quickly her smile fell and he felt like a jackass to bring up a painful memory from her past. "He's probably perfected it by now."
The stepped into the elevator and as it binged closed he had an idea. "Hey Sakura."
She turned to him and busted out laughing. He let go of his lips and smiled normally at her. "You look like a messed up clown when you do that."
He shrugged happily that he'd made up for her little sad trip down memory lane. But that smile was short lived as she stepped through the elevator doors. She went through the floor levels quickly in her head knowing that they rarely differed from hospital to hospital.
Basement was the morgue.
1st floor the ER and clinic; not to mention the cafeteria and pharmacy.
2nd floor was radiology and hematology,
3rd floor was maternity and the NICU.
4th floor was surgery and recovery.
5th floor was ICU and burn ward, were her office was.
6th floor was quarantine and contagious illnesses.
And usually the 7th floor was mental health wing.
Heaven knows why they put it on the top floor but they always did. Sakura would much rather deal with ranting ninja than raving lunatics that said their kunai talked to them. Sakura talked to her kunai sometimes, willing them to hit their mark b?:
'[\=ut if the day ever came when they answered her back she would turn in her Jounin vest and buy some finger paint on the way home. Now she stood on the 6th floor and frowned.
She walked off down the hall and Kankurou followed not liking the dark frown that demolished his hard work. He watched as she charged into one of the tightly sealed and, from what he could see, immaculately drab quarantine rooms. The nurses and doctors rushed toward her yelling at her to put on a mask. He smiled when Sakura reached out and tugged a nurse's mask off. "If it isn't airborne in 48 hours, it isn't going to be airborne at all!"
She looked around the grim room and sighed. The nurses exchanged startled looks, undoubtedly the news got around that Sakura was head of hospital now and that she had a temper.
"Get these people out of these god awful rooms. I want them transferred to the ICU as soon as possible and for god sake give them some rooms with some light!"
No one argued as the rushed to do what they were told. Sakura turned on her heel and walked to the elevator mashing the button down hard. She stepped in and leaned against the back of the cold metal as the doors binged closed. "Does everyone in this hospital lack common sense?"
She pinched the bridge of her nose and Kankurou chose not to answer. "You think Yun is out yet?"
Kankurou pushed number 5. "One way to find out."
The office was completely cleaned out in less than 15 minutes. Sakura couldn't help but give a triumphant grin. She sat down at her new desk and looked through the drawers. "Why do they always take the stapler?"
Kankurou shrugged as he took a seat in front of her desk and put his feet up.
"Where are my files?"
Kankurou reached into his pocket and pulled at a small scroll. She caught it and laid it on the table.
"I like to keep my hands free."
She laughed as she pulled out three similar scrolls from her back pocket. "Me too."
She unraveled all four and released them. Kankurou watched as the empty desk was filled and packed with books and medical scrolls and an apothecary chest as well as her files. "Grab those and start putting them on the shelves."
He didn't move, he just frowned at the mountain of books. "You know this is just over kill."
She frowned already putting scrolls on the shelf behind her new desk. "I only brought what I needed."
He studied the back of her head. "You practically have a whole library here."
She didn't turn around as she arranged more scrolls on the high shelves. "Or do you want me to send these back to Konoha and every time I need a book I can just send you to the library."
She waited until she heard his defeated sigh and the scrape of his chair as he stood.
"Put the Medical Encyclopedias on the bottom."
Kankurou muttered, "This definitely wasn't in the job description."
Sakura hummed gently as she continued to take scrolls and place them in little triangular piles. "Just think of it-"
"As a perk, I know!"
She turned to him now and smiled. "I was going to say think of it as helping out a friend, but your words, not mine."
Kankurou sagged against the book case. Why was he so surprised?
