Chapter 4
Hello! I have had to do science fair and tests and tons and tons of work so it's hard for me to get on here sometimes so I apologize.
Hikaru and Kaoru: Or are you just being lazy
Me: No, I am busy! I have a life; I don't dress up in costumes every day, like you guys, because I don't have anything to do!
Hikaru: Oh well…
Kaoru: stop bickering…
Hikaru and Kaoru: and continue with the story!
Me: Fine fine!
Let's start with thankies to the people who wrote nice little reviews. I didn't get vary many at all (a couple for chapter 2 and only one for chapter 3) and before I post chapter 5 I would like at least 5 reviews so tell people to read my story please! .
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything else (including the song lyrics, those are Vienna Teng's) …even though I do wish wish wish I did.
Oh note: Hikaru and Kaoru are from Ouran High school Host Club, it's a good read/watch! I may soon write a fic of HikxHar so be on the lookout
SW
"What!?"
"Send her back to Kohana…I don't like to repeat myself."
"But Kazekage-sama! She is our best physician! She has only been here for 3 or so months and she may have a strange attitude, I do admit, but she takes remarkable care of her patients! She spends so much time here working it's as if she is inhuman to daily needs like sleep!"
Gaara glared at the physician, 'No sleep is inhuman', repeated in his mind as he said, "I don't really care, she is a disruption to Suna and makes many feel very uncomfortable and she must leave. Now."
"But she is such a help and I know that you Kazekage-sama"
"NOW!" he roared in fury slamming his hand down onto the desk in front of him, it split like a pencil being snapped in half, papers and pieces of wood went flying everywhere, one even lodged in Gaara's hand but his face showed no pain as he wrenched it out and flung it over his shoulder.
'Why didn't the shukaku protect him, this is very abnormal.' Taknu thought then spoke, "Is everything alright Kazekage-sama, you don't seem well."
"The only thing wrong with me is the fact that the head medic is a complete and utter moron who doesn't seem capable of following even one simple order and it makes me think that it might just make my life so much easier to break his little twig neck." Gaara said coldly then continued with "You will go tell than Haruno girl to leave this village now and return to Kohana where she will be of use there." And with that final note Gaara turned and walked out of the door leaving the medic with a room full of flying papers and splinters of wood lying on the floor.
Ignoring the pink haired girl's words about visiting his sister Gaara turned and walked towards the front doors to the hospital. 'Now I just need to get back to my office and finish that damn pile of paperwork waiting for me.' He thought as he stepped out of the hospital ridding his nose of the stench of that place, he had never really liked hospitals, the smell bothered him, the shukaku loved it, he said is smelled of death and pain but a small part of Gaara didn't enjoy the smell of pain that he didn't cause himself.
'Haruno Sakura, Haruno Sakura, please report to the head medics office, Haruno Sakura, please report to the head medics office.'
Sakura raised her head to look at the speaker blurting out her name and set down the chart she was holding into the slot on the desk in front of her and turned to the nurse sitting at the desk, "Can you please go remove the stitches in Mr.Aruki's arm? He is in room 126."
"Yes, doctor." The nurse said but glared at Sakura when she turned around to walk back down the hallway.
All of the nurses and other doctors felt somewhat intimidated by the blank expression of the cherry haired girl. They did what she said but hated her for it; they found it strange that she was the only person in this hospital with the demeanor of an ice cube. Then the one other problem that the all female staff had with Sakura was how much the handsome Taknu doted over her and she blatantly ignored him which infuriated the female staff because, they didn't as much affection from the most handsome man in the hospital and the girl he gave it too seemed to take it for granted and ignored him. Most of the staff would swoon when Taknu was even mentioned but this girl wouldn't even move let alone fall into his lap like everyone else.
Sakura wasn't stupid; she knew that the nurse had given her a fire filled glare when her back was turned. She knew that many of the staff, if not all, didn't like her. She didn't really know why, but she didn't really care much either. She had only cared about one person's opinion of her, Naruto. What anyone said about her didn't matter as long as he was proud of her. Just thinking of him made her eyes sting and she quickly blinked and stepped into Taknu's office.
For the first time Taknu seemed sad as Sakura stepped through the doorway. He usually doted all over her, spilling affection and charm but this time he was sitting at his desk looking directing into her eyes.
"Yes." Sakura said in more of a statement that she was there than a question of why.
Taknu took a deep breath and began, "It has been brought to my notice that you are making the staff of this hospital and some citizens of Suna very uncomfortable with your…demeanor. So I have been told to tell you that you must return to Kohana, now. I'm sorry but…I have to fire you. You must leave in the next hour. Sakura, this wasn't my choice and I regret everything I'm saying. I'm sorry."
Dead silence filled the room until a chuckle ripped through the heavy air like a knife.
"He couldn't take it could he?"
Taknu looked up in shock to hear a noise come from the 'expressionless void', which was becoming Sakura's new nickname when she wasn't around. He even saw a glint of pitiful laughter in her unpolished emerald eyes. Then she turned around, let out one more laugh, which surprised Taknu as much as the first one did, left the room, and was gone.
She didn't have anyone to say goodbye too, barely anything to collect, excepting her backpack and clothes, and nothing to remember or forget. There was Gaara, the sad, scared, and angry Kage. He was a man who put a bad name to people like Naruto. Everyone was scared of the demon inside of him but realized that he was the one who controlled it, but if they glanced at Gaara they would see the very opposite. He was the one being controlled by the beast, and he would do anything it told him to, she would remember him, but not very fondly.
She stood at the gates to the village of Suna and stepped out into the desert dunes, leaving all of its inhabitants behind without saying a word, it was like she was never really there and truthfully in Sakura's mind she wasn't. Ever since that day she had been nowhere, wandering in her own little empty world.
The sand dunes were very large and took up a great amount of the trip back to Kohana. Sakura walked trying not to notice how hot the sun was on the back of her neck. It was so quiet and then little words sprang into her head, forming into a song, a song she heard before, but one she couldn't place. Then she heard herself singing, quietly.
"And the taste of dried-up hopes in my mouth
And the landscape of merry and desperate drought
How much longer dear angels
Let winter light come
And spread your white sheets over my empty house…"
The rest of the song wouldn't come to her but she felt happy knowing she still had a voice inside of her, even if it was just a tiny one.
"Tsunade-sama?" Sakura inquired as she stepped through the Hokage's doorway in Kohana.
"Sakura? What are you doing back here?! You should be in Suna!" Tsunade stood up as she heard Sakura's voice, the reasons because she wanted to find out her story and because she really couldn't see Sakura because of the large untidy piles of papers and books on the table in front of her.
"They requested I come back."
"WHAT? You are the best medic in history, other than me, why would they do that? There is no reason!"
Sakura's mind flashed, remembering the Kage's brutal treatment of her and unconsciously she rubbed her neck where a large bruise was harboring, it felt fine, but the discoloration was there and that was the only thing Sakura needed to do to get Tsunade's bat eyes trained on it. Tsunade launched herself across the room to Sakura and pulled her head up; she eyed the purple, now turning yellow, bruise.
In a dangerously low voice that petrified most, if not all, Kohana inhabitance Tsunade asked, "What happened."
"Nothing, it's fine. On the way back to Kohana I hit my neck on a branch." Sakura replied. She didn't know why she wasn't spilling out what the leader of the sand village did to her.
"Don't lie. What really happened, if you don't tell me I will find out. You know it too Sakura. This bruise wraps around your neck, a branch wouldn't do that. It is like you were strung up or something."
Sakura lowered her head and looked at Tsunade, "It's fine, it's over, I'm back, don't worry." She said.
Tsunade's eyes flashed. "Don't make me call in Lee. I will you know." And without waiting for an answer Tsunade called in Shizune and said, "Will you get Lee? Tell him Sakura's back." Shizune grinned the same evil grin as Tsunade and disappeared. In just a few seconds Lee was at the door, in the room, and in front of Sakura talking as fast as he could, without allowing himself to breath.
"SAKURA! How are you? We missed you! Why are you back? Are you feeling okay? What happened in Suna? We missed you! Everyone will be excited to know that you are back! Are you back for good? Did you just get here? SAKURA WE MISSED YOU!"
"LEE!!!" Tsunade shouted. Lee stopped his constant stream of questions and turned to Tsunade.
"Hai?"
Tsunade looked at Sakura, she was surprised that Sakura had just stood there with no facial expression against Lee's wave of emotion but she could swear that Sakura's eyes narrowed just the slightest bit as she looked at her protégé. "Lee, you should leave, Sakura was injured." Tsunade casually mentioned.
Lee's eyes went directly to Sakura's neck and he threw a fit, asking every single question in the world, even ones that made no sense. "What time was it? Where were you? What day? How?" It was as is the questions were pouring from his mouth.
"LEE!" and once again Lee turned to the now tipsy Tsunade. She had been drinking the whole time Lee had been talking, which was a considerable amount of time and her eyes were a little dimmer. "You may go now," She said with a wave of her hand, "but first I have an assignment, go to Suna and request that the Kage come to Kohana now. Tell him that I need to discuss some matters with him."
"Yosh!" Lee saluted. "Bye Sakura! I will run as swift as the wind or even faster so I can come back to you!" and with that, he was gone.
After a minute of silence Sakura's soft voice was heard, "How did you know?"
"Please. You're talking to me for god's sake! Anyway, those bruises are visibly bigger than a human hand span or a 'tree branch'. Also, even though you tried to hide it, you tensed a little at the mention of Gaara's name, so I easily came," she took a swig of sake and then continued, "to the conclusion that, that bastard was the one that had harmed you and the only," she drained the bottle and grabbed another one from off the floor, "reason that I am not there now and kicking his sorry little ass is because we cant afford a war with Suna right now so, that is why he is coming back here for 'a chat'. Now go home and get some rest, come back to see me tomorrow when you are ready."
Sakura nodded and left the room. The streets were alive with bustle but Sakura weaved through alleys and secret places to get home fast and not have to explain anything to anyone. Once she arrived at home she quickly shut the door behind her and without changing, slipped into her bed. Immediately she relaxed a little and turned over to stare at the empty place besides her, but it wasn't empty.
Naruto sat staring at the limp form of his wife, he said slowly, "What are you doing? You are letting him do that? You changed, and it is disappointing."
Then he was gone leaving a wet faced Sakura to continue to stare at the wall, wishing that her tormented mind would stop, hoping that her head would realize that the mirages were tormenting her more and more. 'I'm not trying hard enough? What does he want from me?!' One sob escaped her lips as she buried her head underneath her pillow. Disappointing, a word she hoped she had outgrown but now here it was coming from the man that she loved so dear that only he mattered. She didn't want that, she would prove him wrong if it was the only ting she could do, she wanted him to smile down on her and be proud. She turned over and stared at the picture of her wedding day, she wanted to be that happy again, she wanted to be strong.
Yosh! Now Sakura has some life! .
R&R! Remember, next chapter doesn't go up until you guys review!
-SW