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Chapter Twenty-eight


Their walk was fast as he spoke what little details he found allowable to share. His steps were even larger than her own, an act that told her how serious the current situation was, and she even caught herself pulling Gaara hard to keep up with her pace. The small boy protested none and instead took in a little interest to what Baki was telling Sakura along the way. For the rosette, in a way, Baki was throwing her into déjà vu once more with his words.

A special team had been sent out weeks ago, searching for a man Baki only referred to as, "someone of interest." Apparently this someone had been spotted within their country, and the team was sent to gather intel and report back immediately if they found him. A mission that was constructed to remain combat-free. However, as Sakura knew best, missions could easily change in the blink of an eye, and this intelligence gathering had turned deadly. Only one man had been brought back from the small group, unconscious, fighting for his life from poison the medical team failed over and over to overcome. Their last hope was also on the brink of giving up, doing all she could so far. Yet, Baki raced now with what he hoped was another solution.

He briefed her quickly.

"Needles laced with poison," he told her.

'Acute toxicity,' her mind told her instead.

Her eyes narrowed, she had treated something similar here in Suna years ago.

"Even the expert we brought in is stumped," Baki continued. "The patient shows no signs of responding to the antidote given by our expert."

'It is something they've never seen before,' her mind said.

"We believe the person of interest we were searching for did this to him. Our...intel tells us he is someone intelligent in the field of poison," Baki said.

'Sasori...'

"He doesn't have much longer."

"Leave it to me," Sakura said without a pause in her voice.

She even gripped Gaara's hand tighter before picking up their pace and towards the hospital Baki led them to. They raced together inside the bright room of the hospital and stopped as Baki called for the head doctor. Sakura stood back, watching and waiting as Baki explained on her behalf who she was. The rosette was even going to take a step forward to introduce herself to the doctor, to explain that she could be of help, but stopped when she heard Gaara murmur towards her.

"They're looking at me, Sakura," he whispered to the rosette.

To his words, Sakura looked down at Gaara before her eyes whipped in the direction he was looking. Sure enough, the nurses and secretaries who stood idly by stared back in shock and awe at the little boy in their presence. Those that were able, visitors and patients, capable of leaving were hurrying out the door from the sight of him. Not long after, Sakura could feel Gaara's fingers fidget lightly, and a small whimper of despair echoed in her ears from him. It was the second time, in a long time, Sakura had brought Gaara in a place surrounded by many in close proximity. She learned back then that the small boy did not do well with judging eyes and frightened scowls.

"Ignore them," she whispered back with a squeeze of his hand. "Don't look at them, look at me instead."

As his head picked up to her words, she offered him a smile, and he returned the gesture with a small one of his own.

"This is a hospital," she told him, using words to distract him lest his anxiety return.

He nodded to her, glancing around the waiting room again. She wasn't sure if he was familiar of the place or not, but she was sure he focused on her words more than the eyes of others.

"I was born here," he quietly told Sakura, eyes still scouring around.

Sakura smiled.

"That's right," she told him. "In one of these rooms."

"Mother died here," he continued.

Sakura pursed her lip, unsure what territory the boy was venturing to with the mention of death.

"Gaara..." Sakura murmured, her tone warning.

There was an emergency happening, and the last thing she wanted was Gaara to act out now given the environment he was thrown into. No doubt anxiety built in him still from those surrounding him. Yet, he caught on with Sakura's tone, his intelligence shining once again with his next words.

"What?" he asked her. "I'm fine. Just saying..."

"It's a bold thing to say," Sakura countered, but could admit the boy seemed mentally stable right now.

"Well..." he began, eyes still scouring. "You brought me here too. Long ago."

Sakura paused for a moment, recollecting that time in her mind.

"Yeah," she murmured. "I did."

She was about to make a comment about how much time had passed before she realized what a joke that term to her was now. Time mocked her.

"Sakura," Gaara called to her again, suddenly squeezing her hand tightly.

His eyes went up to her fast and she looked down at him, taking in his contemplating look.

"I-I don't think I should be in here much longer," he suddenly told her.

She opened her mouth, about to tell him not to focus on others, but was cut off as he continued.

"I can smell blood," he commented. "It's...It's making it wake up."

Sakura's eyes widened then. It was the first Gaara had ever fessed up to his doubts and faults like this. Before, he would keep quiet about what plagued his mind. His admittance once again showed off the boy's intelligence, and it as well sparked a thought in Sakura's mind.

'Is he learning how to control it?' she wondered.

Sakura lifted her nose, trying to smell that iron smell she had become familiar with, but instead found only those familiar chemical smells that came with hospitals. It made her wonder if the Ichibi inside Gaara heightened Gaara's senses for it's advantage. She didn't dwell on the idea, instead focusing on what the little boy had told her. If he trusted her enough to reveal to her that this place may not be a good haven for him now, she was going to do all she could to protect the little boy from his erratic mind. She eyed Baki once more.

"I need to stay here for a bit," she began telling Gaara. "Will you behave if I have Baki-san take you out for some Kakigori?"

An upside and downside in Gaara's mind, and he pouted.

"No," he whined. "I want you to come."

At this point, there was no other option.

"I can't," she told him.

Her eyes went back down to his, showing off a small smile.

"Please?" she asked him. "For me? Just this once."

She saw Gaara tear his eyes away from her, narrowing them in the process as he looked up at Baki's back. He was quiet for some time, but eventually Sakura got the answer she was looking for.

"Alright," he told her. "But...you have to come with me next time."

Sakura grinned, squeezing Gaara's hand.

"I promise," she said before adding. "Thank you, Gaara."

It would be this moment Sakura would walk up to introduce herself, and Gaara, to the doctor. The man eyed Sakura, skeptically, and Gaara, nervously.

"It's uh… as I'm sure you know, not an environment for children," the doctor began, but was cut off by Sakura.

"Don't worry," Sakura told him. "If you let me, I'd just like to assess the patient. Baki-san here has offered to take Gaara out for some Kakigori while I study the man."

"Did I?" Baki asked, baffled.

Sakura shot him a glance, causing the man to sigh and shrug.

"I believe I did," he murmured.

The doctor nodded, turning on his heel after.

"Follow me," he instructed.

Sakura did that, but was caught by the muscle of her arm. She looked at the culprit, his stern eyes never blinked as he spoke to her.

"Don't make this a mistake on my part, Sakura," Baki began to warn her. "Kazekage-sama would have my head if he knew I brought you here. His trust in you hasn't grown since you first arrived."

Sakura narrowed her eyes in return, lips pursing. Why bring me then, she had wanted to ask. Yet, the damage had already been done when Baki informed her someone's life was on the line and she had the capability of saving them. She knew deep down she could not turn the other direction and walk away knowing she could save a life. This dying man, he probably had a family. A mother, a father, siblings, maybe even a lover, maybe even children. Surely someone was sitting and anxiously waiting, praying, begging, searching for a higher power and asking them to save their loved one.

Sakura was certain Baki had only brought her here because he was considering what his higher ups wanted. The council, Rasa; for them the search, and capture, of Sasori would be a tremendous breakthrough for the country, and especially for Suna. It would make their great leader look all the more promising. For the time, people would forget their worries and celebrate especially when it would be discovered that Sasori was the culprit in Sandaime Kazekage's disappearance and murder. A distraction to them as Rasa continued to search for a solution to their crumbling country. Of course, she could understand the hesitance Rasa still had on her. Still too new, too mysterious...and someone who challenged him. Though, he kept her in hopes she would be used exactly as Baki was using her now. After all, the old man had seen some of her skills, but he had wanted to break her in like a wild horse before using her for his benefit.

Lucky for him, and Baki, Sakura's sole purpose now was wholesome. She was a medic doing a medics job.

"Don't worry," she replied. "I've worked in this situation many times."

Baki studied her eyes some more, silently. With a grip on her arm still, he gave her muscle one last squeeze.

"He's in your hands now, Sakura. We're counting on you," Baki said before finishing. "I trust you."

Sakura smirked, nodding at him to show him her appreciation with him believing in her. He let her arm slide out of his hold, and she only took a few steps more in front of her before turning sharply back upon hearing Gaara's next words.

"Don't grab her like that," Gaara spoke loud and clear. "If you do that again, I'll kill you."

Sakura could see Baki take a step back from the child, but did not falter his bravery. He simply stared down at the child in thought, and Gaara's eyes went to Sakura's instead as she pointed at him angrily.

"Behave," she mouthed at him before pointing a finger in the direction for him to leave.

He lightly scoffed, but followed Sakura's direction and led the way for a sweet treat with Baki following closely behind.

Sakura shook her head at the sight. While she believed no trouble would come from the pair, she was unsure how the other would perceive the other for the time.

"Teacher and student," Sakura mouthed, remembering their relationship in the future.

With that final thought she turned and headed towards the unit she knew the man would be in. It would be a few hallways later that she would catch a glimpse of the doctor from before, waiting for her by a room.

"In here?" she asked him as she drew closer.

He nodded, and Sakura stared into the room. Surrounded by nurses, the rosette saw a glimpse of the man on the bed. Tubes down his mouth and on his nose helped him to breath, and Sakura even caught glimpse of an old, small machine they use to rely in the past to draw in blood from the patient, clean, and then return. Obviously the technique wasn't good enough to clear away what was killing him, but no doubt it had helped the man to survive to this point.

"His face sheet, Sakura-san," the doctor said, drawing in her attention before handing off a few papers on a clipboard.

Sakura glimpsed down at the paper.

"Ken'ichi," she whispered his name.

The paper for the most part was basic. He was young, younger than Sakura, male and a chunin. A typical, healthy young man who just got spotted by a stronger enemy. In the back of her mind, Sakura wondered if he had been hit with the poison and tried to flee beforehand, since Sasori had feverishly let her know how he enjoyed collecting bodies for his puppets; or perhaps Sasori had taken the other three and left this man behind. She would never know, and trying to analyze Sasori's work now was pointless. In fact, it made Sakura's thoughts pause for a moment once in a while remembering a man she had killed, in her world, was alive in this one.

"You induced coma? He's actually managed to stay awake some?" Sakura stated, reading more of the sheet.

"Yes, once we were able to clean some toxins out of his blood, but he began having frequent seizures throughout the day and night," the doctor gave her an explanation.

"Has he had any since?" Sakura asked.

The doctor shook his head, and Sakura looked back down at the paper and analyzed what medicine and antidotes were, and had, been administered.

"Frequent seizures, hypertensive, low heart rate, and..." as Sakura read her words paused, and her eyes slowly traveled up towards the doctors. "No more kidney function?"

"It's too early for me to say whether it's acute or chronic. At the moment, we've all just been focusing on working and finding an antidote for him. If he survives, I can figure what damage his body has undergone and work from there."

Another sour taste in Sakura's mouth came then. The idea that this man had been laying in his bed for days just waiting to die while Sakura sat around in a room with a means to save him bothered her greatly. She did not know this man, but that was no reason for her not to care. The machines he was hooked up to were basically the only things keeping him alive at this point, and Sakura worried now what irreversible damage had already been done to his body. Hopefully, it was not too late to save the man from going back and living a normal, as normal as it came being a ninja, life.

"Well," Sakura began, handing the clipboard back to the doctor and tying her hair back. "I'll be quick. Hopefully we can fix this before any of the other organs start to go."

The man's eyes went round to Sakura's words. The young girl carried so much confidence in her that she could fix this that he stood there frozen for some time before realizing Sakura had waltzed into the room without him. He was able to shake off his awe, and walk by her side by the time Sakura had finished washing her hands. At this point the nurses had all turned to stare at the new girl, who walked in like she was familiar with this scenario.

"This is Sakura-san," the doctor introduced. "She is here to assess Ken'ichi per Baki's request. Please assist her in any way she asks."

To his little introduction Sakura had put on a mask as well as latex gloves. She turned to everyone, bowing her head.

"Thank you for having me," she told them. "I won't be in your way for long."

Yet, the only reply that came was one behind Sakura.

"Che, what is this? Bringing in some outsider because you all can't do the jobs yourself?"

Sakura's eyes widened to that familiar voice, and she spun on her heels to stare at the familiar old woman standing at the doorway.

"Chiyo-baasama..." Sakura whispered in shock.

The old lady locked eyes with Sakura, her demeaning look still as strong as Sakura remembered it to be.

"Ah! Chiyo-sama!" the doctor exclaimed, racing to the old woman. "What a surprise to see you here again. We thought that you had given up on young Ken'ichi here."

It seemed the old woman paid no mind to the doctor, instead strolling into the room quietly with eyes moving from Sakura down to the patient as she stopped next to his bedside. She remained quiet as she stared down at the young man.

"He's getting worse," Chiyo mumbled under her breath. "I wouldn't be surprised if his mind is already gone."

Words probably she had no intention of letting others hear, yet Chiyo's voice was clear to everyone, and no one uttered a breath of difference. In their eyes was already defeat, and they looked away from the young man upon hearing Chiyo's voice. It would be the doctor first, coming to the old woman's side, asking for aid still.

"Is there nothing more we can do?" he asked Chiyo. "Kazekage-sama is really pushing for his survival."

The old lady only twisted her lips upon hearing that, and shook her head.

"He was a fool to send this group out so unprepared…I just want to see my cute, grandson's face again," she murmured.

To Chiyo's words, even presence, Sakura was more than certain now who the culprit was. Person of interest, Baki had told her, yet she knew Chiyo's old self would refuse to be here if there wasn't even a sliver of a chance that it would lead to Sasori.

"Another antidote, perhaps?" the doctor offered the old woman. "Please, Chiyo-sama."

"What would be the use?" the old woman answered him. "It's too long of a process. If by chance I could come up with one, it will be too late."

Sakura narrowed her eyes to the old lady's answer. The rosette had more than respect for the old woman, she had love for her. She loved her like she was another part of her family, even if this Chiyo did not know, the woman had sacrificed so much for her own sake, as well as others. Yet, the answer Chiyo had given irked Sakura to speak up.

"And?" Sakura asked. "He's still alive."

Heads turned towards Sakura then.

"He is hanging on, depending on us. We should push forward for his sake, his family's sake. For his loved ones. You can give up once he's dead, but right now we should all be working ourselves hard to help him."

Nobody said anything as Sakura strolled closer towards Ken'ichi. Yet, the rosette continued to speak as she began assessing the young man. She checked his numbers, did her vital signs, pulled at his mouth, eyes, nose, everything all while speaking.

"He is a part of Suna, we should consider him like family. Ken'ichi now is our father, our son, our brother..."

The rosette turned her eyes then back to Chiyo.

"Our grandson," she finished before turning to the nurses in the room. "Would you give up on him now, while his heart still beats, knowing he is family?"

Yet the room remained quiet, and eyes fell still towards the cold floor. Sakura turned to Chiyo then.

"If this was your grandson on the bed, hooked up to these machines and fighting to stay alive, would you walk in here still and do nothing more?"

Sakura could see the old woman's eyes widen to her words, yet said nothing as Sakura eyed each individual differently.

"If this was your father," she asked. "Your brother, your son…You'd just give up like this?"

Still nothing said.

"Let's treat Ken'ichi like a family member. That is what he is to us anyway. We are family here in Suna, and we should be working hard to save one another."

She turned to Chiyo once more.

"After all, we never give up on those we love, do we? We fight hard for them."

Sakura returned to Ken'ichi before she could interpret Chiyo's expression and assessed him further, determining what obvious similarities were in this poison to the one she dealt with years ago on Kankuro. A few different components, she could see and would have to later figure out what exactly, but it was generally the same. A poison, calculated to Sasori's liking but one he would continue to work on to perfect, and it would be years later that he would come up with something stronger. Yet, that did not mean that Ken'ichi would be an easy save. The antidote she had worked on for Kankuro would need to be tweaked some to work with differences she found in Ken'ichi, and she would admit, time was not on their side.

Time mocked her again.

'No,' she told herself to that thought. 'I am medic. I look at a patient, not a clock. I will give Ken'ichi more time, and not let it end now.'

Sakura backed away from Ken'ichi then, removing her gloves and mask she marched back towards the doctor.

"May I borrow that clipboard and a pen?" she asked him.

The man was startled for a moment, still processing Sakura's words, that he nodded only towards her after a moments of silence.

"S-Sure," he told her.

Sakura scribbled what she would need. If she wanted the time to mix the antidote without haste, she would have to extract what poison she would be able to let the young man hang on to life for a little longer. A process she had done with Kankuro, as well as many others in her time.

"Please," she handed off to the doctor. "Can you have the nurses bring me these?"

"For?" the doctor asked.

Instead of answering right away, Sakura walked over to the small machine that drew in the boy's blood. It was only when Sakura began pressing the machine's controls, returning all of the blood, did the doctor call out.

"W-What are you doing? You don't have authority to be making these decisions! Baki only asked me to let you assess the boy, nothing more."

Yet his voice did not shake Sakura, instead she turned to face him.

"Please," she told him. "I've worked with poisons like this before. I'm confident I can save him."

The nurses murmured then to one another, whispers that still hit ears with ease.

"She can save him?" they asked.

"Should we let her?"

"We have nothing more to go on anyway."

"It would take a miracle at this point..."

Despite the voices, the doctor and Sakura's eyes narrowed at one another.

"You are not a professional here," he told her. "You can't make these calls when you don't even work here. I don't even know you! My license-"

"I'll take responsibility!" Sakura cut him off. "At this point I don't care if you tell Rasa that I'm here now! Whatever happens at this point forward, I'll take responsibility for it. If punishment follows then fine, but I can't stand around here knowing I have the expertise to save him when the rest of you want to call it before he is even dead!

The murmurs hushed to Sakura's loud voice, and nothing was said until the doctor hissed at her.

"I'm calling security."

He turned on his heel, but only one step was made before Chiyo threw her arm out in front of him to stop him. To this action, the man stepped back in surprise.

"Ch-Chiyo-sama?" he asked, confused.

Though the doctor's eyes were on the old woman, Chiyo instead held her gaze on Sakura's own. She studied her for another moment in silence before speaking.

"Don't you know," she murmured. "When a woman speaks, a man should quietly listen and do what is asked."

The doctor took a step back from Chiyo, jaw dropping as he tried to interpret the old woman's words.

"W-What are you saying?" he finally managed out.

This time Chiyo turned to face him, lowering her arm back down in the process.

"We have nothing more to lose from her help, right?" she asked the man.

"T-There's still a chance!" the doctor argued. "Ken'ichi may pull through on his own and-"

"Don't try to lie to this old lady," Chiyo cut him off. "I could see it in your eyes, we were all ready to give up."

Whatever words the doctor prepared, he swallowed then, glancing from Sakura to Chiyo.

"I'll take responsibility of her," Chiyo muttered, making the doctor once again take a step back in shock.

"If Kazekage-sama knew we brought someone in without his approval first he would-"

"That ol' humbug doesn't scare me. Though I understand he was trying to keep this matter, and fix it, within his own people, he should have known better than to hide someone like her. Someone willing to try to the end."

Again, the room grew quiet as Chiyo finished her words. Everyone was unsure what to do, what to ask, who to address, but Chiyo still was not finished.

"All I want is to see my grandson again. I'm no spring chicken, and who knows when my time will come. So, if a chance to see him again lies with her, than I say let her."

Chiyo's eyes went to Sakura's again, where the rosette held an appreciative smirk for the old woman. Yet, from her eyes, did Chiyo's gaze suddenly look somewhere through her.

"Besides," she began whispering. "You can tell she's had the best train her."

Sakura kept her eyes steady to that claim, but inside fretted that the older woman would remark now about Tsunade or ask Sakura of their connection. Luckily, Chiyo remained quiet before turning towards the doctor and nurses.

"You heard her. She gave you list. Get to it, we got a life to save!"

The nurses finally moved, a few of them glancing at Sakura's list before fetching the equipment as the others prepped Ken'ichi for Sakura's extraction. It would be the doctor taking one last glance at Sakura before his frown returned to Chiyo.

"Your responsibility, Chiyo-sama," he reminded her before the two began making their exit.

"Yea, yea..." the old woman mumbled. "Don't go giving me attitude now. You were going to hand a dead body over to the Kazekage, now I'm going to give him someone who he can speak with."

"Ah, Chiyo-baasama!" Sakura called for her attention, but stepped back once she realized the two never had a proper introduction.

Yet, to Sakura's call the woman did halt her steps before looking behind her towards the rosette skeptically. Instead of asking how Sakura knew her name, she instead asked what it was she wanted.

"Thank you," Sakura told her. "Thank you for trusting me. I'm confident I can save Ken'ichi-san. You have nothing to worry about."

Chiyo stared once again at Sakura for some time before replying back.

"What is your name?"

Sakura blushed when she realized she had forgotten to mention who she was to Chiyo,

"Sakura," she told Chiyo.

"Sakura…?" the woman pressed on, trying to get the rosette to reveal more.

"J-Just Sakura," the rosette murmured, hiding still her surname.

She knew then how suspicious she must sound just from hiding that factor, and even the doctor had turned back to eye her skeptically. Luckily for her, Chiyo again retained Sakura's respect.

"I see," she murmured. "Sakura, I'm aware I have nothing to worry about. You walk holding hands with a monster after all."

Sakura swallowed hard then, trying to be rid of the sour taste that had returned, and she watched as Chiyo turned to the doctor then.

"I'll be in the greenhouse," she told him. "Bring her there afterward."

"Y-Yes, m'am," the doctor replied. "I'll be sure to-"

"Gaara isn't a monster."

The room hushed to Sakura's declaration. Even the nurses had stopped short of their work, and Chiyo once again met eyes with Sakura. It would be the first time, ever, Sakura glowered towards the older woman.

"Please, don't claim him as something he clearly is not," Sakura continued.

Murmurs began once again in the room. Questions of the rosette arose, her knowledge of Gaara and village came into play once again, or what her ties to the boy were. Her mindset was so different of each of their own. Different, and hard to accept, something that frightened each and every one of them. Different was bad, not understanding was scary, contradicting thoughts angered them. All words that described the little boy, and the mutual feelings people shared towards him.

"Then, what is he?" Chiyo's voice spoke clearly, never faltering.

"Gaara is Gaara," Sakura replied. "He is a little boy. He is a child, like we all once were."

Chiyo opened her mouth to speak, but fell short when her eyes traveled over towards Ken'ichi. Instead, she sighed before nodding towards Sakura.

"Sakura, good luck."

With that, the old woman turned once more, escorted by the doctor. At this moment then did the group of nurses sent out to fetch Sakura's equipment returned. Buckets, towels, purified water, all of it came piling up next to Ken'ichi as Sakura waltzed over to wash her hand once more.

'Don't think about it,' she thought.

Her mind rattled at Chiyo's words of Gaara, the older woman's label of the boy angering her mind still.

'Gaara is not a monster.'

She had a life to save now.

'He will be good. He is good.'

She swallowed again.

'Chiyo-baasama, you'll sacrifice yourself for his sake...'

At that memory, as Sakura continued to scrub her nails, the rosette smiled. Even if that time in her own past made her heart ache at Chiyo's sacrifice, the idea the woman gave up her own life for Gaara had Sakura feel all the more grateful to her now.

'At this point,' Sakura thought, 'if I had to, I'd do the same for Gaara.'

"Sakura-san, we're ready when you are," one of the nurses came forward.

Sakura turned to meet the woman's eyes. She expected to see uncertainty, nervousness, maybe even distaste in the woman's gaze from the mention Gaara beforehand. What she didn't expect was a smile.

"Before we begin though," the woman began again. "We just wanted to let you know what an honor it is to be working with someone like you."

Words Sakura had heard many times before, but never in a sense where these nurses had know idea who Sakura was, and nonetheless, spouted to someone high respected how Gaara was just as equal to them as a person. The comment had Sakura glancing back at the other smiling nurses before returning her gaze to the one in front of her.

"Me?" Sakura asked.

"Yes," the nurse said, walking with Sakura back towards Ken'ichi. "What you said earlier, how we should be treating Ken'ichi-san here as if he was a blood-relative really spoke to each of us."

"Just let us know how we can help," another nurse spoke up.

"With your confidence, I know we can save him," another voice came.

"We won't give up on Ken'ichi-san just yet," came another.

"We trust you, Sakura-san," and another.

"It's an honor to be working with someone such as yourself, Sakura-san," and another.

To the last of the comments Sakura nodded to each woman and man in the room, silently thanking them for the praise and confidence.

"Saving Ken'ichi's life," Sakura began to say, lifting her hands in the process and channeling her chakra to her entire palm before placing it into the bucket of water, "let us begin."