Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Puppet in Pink
20. Dressed for Burning
But the thief had not come to steal; he stole
And roused the dragon, not from desire
But need. He was someone's slave...
Had run from all men's sight,
But with no place to hide; then he found the hidden...
-Beowulf
A pink-haired girl lay on the stainless steel bed in Konohagakure Public Hospital, Shinobi Ward, Room 106. Clusters of computer screens perched on reed-like stands, monitoring vital signs for patient A24J67. A lumpy, blood-speckled shoulder-bag rested on an aluminum folding chair nearby.
"The girl has not changed since you left her, sir. Pulse normal, brainwaves normal, chakra level at almost zero. So far as we know, she remains unconscious." A nurse spoke in a low, business-like monotone as a lean shoestring of a man walked into the room. His spotless white lab coat, the universal garb of doctors that prefer to keep their clothes and selves away from the operating table, hung on him like rags on a poorly-stuffed scarecrow.
The doctor let out a disappointed sigh. Another nurse hurried in after him.
"Visitors for A24J67, sir," she said, giving a curt little bow.
"Bring them in." The doctor glanced at the motionless figure on the hospital bed. Barely alive...yet still so...
This was a strange case...that was the only thing he knew for sure.
As soon as the door creaked open, a boy in a garishly orange outfit bounded inside. Skidding maniacally across the linoleum tile, he leaned over the rail of the hospital bed.
"Sakura-chaaan! How ya feelin'?" He stared into the girl's face. Blank, unseeing green eyes stared right back, looking through him at the bland whitewashed wall. Naruto blinked and forced himself to look away. His Sakura-chan looked so wide-awake, and at the same time, so...
Meanwhile, a tall silver-haired ninja had stepped into the room and was talking to the doctor.
"Any improvements?" he asked worriedly, eyes shifting around the room.
The doctor looked him up and down. Sizing him up, as it were. The man had the air of an anxious father, though the paperwork clearly stated that he was her instructor and no more. Hopefully, whoever he was, he could handle news...both good and bad.
"I don't know what to think about this..." The doctor decided to talk in a hushed voice, for the sake of doubt, and other things as well. "I've just got to tell you that this is one of the oddest cases I've ever seen in my entire experience here." Noting a subtle change in the man's expression, he began to talk more quickly.
"What I'm saying is, the girl is obviously alive—her heart is beating and she's breathing, and she isn't in a coma, either. However, we can't tell if she is conscious or not."
"And it's been like this for the two days she's been here? Don't you have machines you can use for judging that type of thing?"
"My point exactly!" The doctor's volume rose slightly, then retreated to its almost conspiratorial whisper. "That's what I'm trying to tell you—we've got some of the most high-level equipment available right in this hospital, and we've tried every possible method...but none of the tests, none of the screenings, none of the imaging we ran on her came up with more than a vague outline of her body. None of them! These are tests that should show the entire chakra-coil system! We've used them on thousands of patients in much worse shape without the slightest glitch!"
Kakashi's face rippled in uneasiness, before returning to a placid mask. "What of her physical examination?" he asked, quelling all emotion from his words. "Does she have any serious injuries?" He prayed that the doctor would say something. He prayed that the doctor would say nothing.
His prayer was answered.
"No...no serious injuries..." Kakashi winced at the painstaking inflection of that word. "She is, as a matter of fact, in perfect physical shape, except for a long cut down the middle of her back." Not wanting to wait for the teacher's reaction, the doctor talked faster. "It's not serious enough to be cause for alarm; the cut is only superficial. Barely any blood loss...probably would have caused intense pain, but that's about it." He paused once again.
"The weird thing is...our forensics expert took a look at the cut, just for kicks, and he says it seems to have been self-inflicted. You said her hands had been tied around her back, didn't you? Well, such a wound could only have been made by someone holding a kunai in their hands, behind their back."
The silver-haired instructor looked vaguely puzzled. Self-inflicted...? He shook away the thought. It was just the speculation of some rookie foren-something-or-other specialist. Probably of no importance.
"When will she be ready to return home?" he questioned, his voice empty of hidden implications.
The doctor looked at him. Poorly masked pity clouded his face; that 'you poor s-o-b' look that grown men will cast at one who appears to have a worse lot than they. Kakashi bristled slightly but remained silent.
"You can take her home today."
Yay! The 20th chapter is here! I'm sorry it's so short, but, as you know, I've been slightly 'out of it'. Remember to point out anything that looks or sounds glaringly awkward!
I'm glad that I made so many people 'think about' the last chapter! With school and all, I know how hard it is to make someone think willingly...(which is an oxymoron, now that I consider it)
To 'dobyuk princess'-sama: Thanks for the compliment! (bows)
To 'xx-Tsumi-chan-xx': You know...I was going to have the scene exactly as you said...but that would have been too cliché...and too probable. I mean, I probably would have had fun describing it, but it would have been rather predictable of me...
Again, I like how many reviewers are speculating about what happened. Some of you are not that far off!