Chapter One

xXx

Shisui's breath came out in quick bursts. In their eagerness to return home early from their mission, Anbu Team 1 ran at a quick pace with minimal breaks. Despite him pushing his body hard and with a lack of sleep and his chakra only at half capacity, his muscles felt alive. There was nothing like flying through the trees in the cool evening air, with a vibrant sunset at his side. When they finally reached the village gates, each member of the team stopped for final orders before being released. Shishui instructed Itachi to report to Hokage tower with their mission status, and sent Genma to the hospital to receive treatment for his wounds.

Not that he didn't see the hypocritical look he received from Genma, when he denied that he himself didn't need to go to the hospital to get his arm looked at.

"It looks worse than it is, I'll be fine." Was his pathetic excuse. And probably not his wisest as team captain; it didn't look great when you insist on your team taking care of their health, and you denying your own.

He knew he probably should get it looked at; it was a fairly deep cut he received when his opponent got in a lucky shot with a well timed shuriken. He never heard the end of it on their way back home. Itachi and Genma found it highly amusing that the renowned Shisui of the Body Flicker got nabbed by an enemy shuriken, because he moved too slowly while his mind processed an off-handed joke Gemna made about how Shisui had been too stressed lately and needed to get laid.

But he couldn't go to the hospital without being haunted by the memory of his parents, and their untimely death. It had been a handful of years since they'd passed. But walking into the fluorescent light of the hospital, with the stinging scent of antiseptic, it sent him right back to the night his parents died. He was so young then, and he still remembered what it felt like to have his hands covered in his parents blood, from when he desperately tried to wake them from their eternal slumber. Tonight was not a night that he had the energy to battle those inner demons. So he turned away from the direction of the hospital.

Instead, he found his feet moving towards the civilian district. He knew they had their own civilian run medical clinics for medical needs, the kind that didn't necessarily warrant a trip to the main hospital. And all he needed was a few stitches. While walking through a street lined with shops and food vendors, their delicious scents wafting in the air, he saw a sign with the universal medical cross on it. It was later in the evening, and the local nightlife was coming to life. But the clinic's light was still on, so he made his way to the door.

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The jingle of the bell on their clinic door brought Sakura back to reality, after spending her downtime engrossed in a medical text. Even though she didn't have the ability to use medical ninjutsu, it was fascinating for her to read about it; even if it did leave her feeling jealous of it. She put her worn bookmark in to save her place, and walked to the front room to greet the newcomer.

It wasn't exactly rare that they would get the occasional shinobi in their humble clinic, but it was a first to have one walk in with body armor and a white mask with red markings. She'd seen these uniforms around the village before, and was aware that they were the village elite. Which made her wonder why one would find his way here, rather than the hospital where medics could treat his wounds quickly and with chakra.

Either way, she welcomed him in the way she would anyone in need of medical attention.

"Good evening Shinobi-san, it looks like you got quite the wound on your arm. I'd be happy to take a look at it for you." Sakura gestured towards an open door behind her, which held a prepped examination room. The anbu gave her a nod, and followed her direction to the exam table.

Sakura was a professional, and took pride in her work. But she couldn't help thinking that it wasn't often that she had such a…well-built male sitting on her exam table. That thought made her blush, as she turned to reach for a sterilized kit to perform stitches, as well as other gauze, bandage and disinfectant.

"I know the obvious area of concern is your arm. I will need to clean the wound, and it looks like you'll need some stitches. Are there any other injuries I should be aware of before I start?" Sakura asked him as she pulled on her exam gloves, and wet a clean cloth in a basin with water.

"No, just my arm." His voice sounded kind, albeit tired. Sakura knew that the Shinobi in the village that wore masks, wore them for obvious reasons, one being that they needed to keep identities protected, and missions discrete. She didn't want to pry more than medically necessary, and he sounded tired, so she fell into a comfortable silence as she worked to clean and inspect his wound.

Minutes ticked by, and as she was administering local numbing to perform the actual stitching, she was drawn from her thoughts by the sound of his voice.

"Thank you for your assistance. I know it's getting late, I hope I'm not keeping you here later than you intended."

She smiled at him, and reached for the needle sitting on a tray next to her. "It's my pleasure Shinobi-san. And you aren't keeping me late, I'm here often in the evenings."

After a few minutes, she pulled through her final stitch and cut the thread. She reached for a small container with antibiotic ointment and bandages, setting out to get him bandaged up and on his way.

"I don't know if you have an impending mission, but these stitches will need to be removed in one week. I'm more than happy to remove them, or you could refer to another medic if you're away from the village. And you'll want to try to take it easy, so you aren't pulling on the skin…the cut was pretty deep. I've put some ointment on it, and will send some home with you; it will help keep away infection and accelerate healing. Try to change the bandages once a day." She turned to gather supplies to send with him for his after appointment care, and put them into a small brown paper bag.

The anbu gave her a polite bow, after taking the bag she handed him.

"Thank you again. I will be sure to follow your recommendations." She gave a small wave as he walked out to return from the evening in which he came.

Sakura couldn't help but hope that he would return to her in one week, as opposed to being seen by a shinobi medic.

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Shisui walked home at a leisurely pace. He was a social person (and flirt) by nature, and when he saw that petite green eyed medic look his way when he walked in the clinic door, he was stopped in his tracks. Normally, he would have taken full advantage of that meeting, to try to get to know her better. But the long mission, and the thoughts of his parents on the way there had put him in a weird headspace. And her presence was comfortable, and he didn't feel like he had the expectations of being an Anbu Captain and Unchiha to live up to while in her presence. He was able to just relax and decompress from his mission.

But don't get me wrong…I fully intend on getting to know her better.

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"Sakura, there's someone here to see you." Maki said, as she peaked her head into Sakura's office. "I don't know what you did to get someone like him knocking on your door, but I have to say, I'm a little jealous!" Maki joked and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Sakura laughed while putting her pen down, and stood up to follow Maki to the front of the clinic.

"Maki you're shameless." She laughed looking over at the clinic receptionist. But when she got to the front end of the clinic, she could see what she meant.

It was the mystery shinobi; the one who came in quietly last week, and left just as quietly. He certainly looked more refreshed today than when she first saw him. He was wearing a clean uniform, with fresh armor and a sword strapped to his back. She noticed his lean, defined figure, and his jet black wavy hair. He was wearing his mask again, so Sakura still couldn't see his face. But she appreciated everything else she was able to see. I need to stop listening to Maki, she's turning me into a damn pervert. This is a patient, not eye candy!

Sakura smiled at him, "Good morning Shinobi-san, follow me, and we'll get you taken care of". She said as she led him to an empty exam room.

"How does your arm feel? Do you mind if I take a look?" She asked as she gestured towards the fresh bandage.

"It feels amazing, I've been taking care of it like you recommended." He told her as he offered his arm to her to inspect. She couldn't see his face, but she felt like she could hear a smile in his voice.

She finished putting on her gloves and slowly peeled back the bandage, careful not to disturb the surrounding skin. She looked at the wound and was pleased to see how well it was healing.

"It's looking good!" She turned towards the tray holding a variety of medical instruments. "It's ready for the stitches to come out." She reached for the scissors, and pulled her chair over so she could sit down close to him so she could see what she was doing better.

"I take it you're heading out again." It was more of a statement than a question; she figured he didn't just walk around the village dressed as he was for fun. She snipped through the thread with her thin scissors.

"I am. But this will be more of a….non-confrontational mission, so I shouldn't be in a position to undo all of this fine work you've done for me." She smiled at him, hearing the playfulness in his voice.

"I don't know Shinobi-san, it's people like you who keep us medics in business. So maybe you could trip over a rock or something on your way home." She winked at him and giggled when she heard him laugh.

"You're all done" She said, as she gently put his bandage back in place. "It's still healing, so don't go too crazy tripping over rocks." She smiled at him as she turned to gather a couple more bandages and a small container of a healing salve. She paused momentarily.

"Give me just a moment, I need to go get one more thing for you." She told him as she made her way to the door, returning quickly with what must have been her own personal bag. She pulled out a small leather pouch and emptied its contents into the larger bag, save for a small ziplock bag with capsules in it. She added in the bandages and the salve, filling it so full it nearly couldn't clasp all the way.

"Here's a few more bandages. Try to keep it covered for at least 2 more days. I put a salve in there that is meant to help with promoting the skin to heal and help it regain its elasticity." She handed him the small leather pouch. "There's also some capsules in there…it's my own creation. You put them in your water canteen to dissolve. They're loaded with vitamins and herbs that are meant to help with energy and recovery. I'm sure it will help on long days." She tucked a pink lock of hair behind her ear, almost looking shy for giving him something from her own bag.

Shisui took the pouch from her, and stood up, sliding it into the pocket of his thigh pouch.

"Thank you, I'm sure it will come in handy. And I'll do my best to watch where I step, but I make no promises…. I kind of like knowing that there's a pretty medic around in the event I trip over a rock." Sakura couldn't help the blush she felt gracing her cheeks. She couldn't see his face, but she could hear the smirk and tease in his voice. She watched him bring his hand up in front of his chest, and saw him make a sign she wasn't familiar with. Next thing she knew, she was standing alone in the exam room, with a swirl of leaves.

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A/N: This story is purely for fun. It was a thought that came to me, and I figured what better way to work on my writing and creative thinking, than to write it out. I do not own Naruto or any of its' characters. I am taking creative liberty to play around with the characters and a storyline. This is a non-mass story, and Sakura is a civilian medic. I hope you enjoy it!