7 - Desert Bloom
As Konoha's massive gates swung open, a golden spear of afternoon sun slowly expanded out onto the road until it encompassed Sakura's feet. She wiggled her toes in the warm light. This was just a taste of what was to come in the Sand village.
The anbu beside her adjusted his pack without discussion, pausing to fidget with the straps for a moment. It was almost like he was…nervous. Sakura peeked at the eye holes of his milk-white mask, trying to see if she knew him. She didn't. But the lack of wrinkles at his eyes meant he was young, perhaps younger than she was. If so, this might be his first solo mission. That would account for his jitters then—
"See you in a few weeks Haruno-san." The guard at the gate gave her a chipper wave. She couldn't remember his name but she gave waved cheerily back, even as she sighed to herself.
This was all the farewell she was going to get.
The anbu passed through the gates without a backwards glance. Nibbling her lip, Sakura lagged behind then stopped completely at the broad stone pavers where the gates came together for a last look back at her sun-washed village.
She wasn't sure if Naruto was in the village or not. She'd spent the last few weeks trying not to think about him…and here she was, failing miserably again.
It was the first time she was going out on a mission without him in…well, she couldn't remember when….
Sakura's self-pity turned to anger, at herself and at him. He'd certainly been out on plenty of missions without her, hadn't he?
Galvanized against the painful recollections, Sakura resolved for the thousandth time to put it all behind her. Give it some time, like Tsunade said. Move on.
She was sick of repeating it to herself. Now it was time to put action behind those empty words.
Sakura turned on her heel and quick-stepped to meet the waiting anbu agent. They rounded the trail into the forest as the slow groan of closing gates rumbled through the trees around them. They connected with a resounding thud. And then it was silent.
The anbu agent didn't say a word. Instead he let the rhythm of his walk slip into time with hers, just as he was trained. She knew he'd spend the rest of the trip like that, moving like a shadow beside her and letting the sounds of her footfalls cover his.
Sai was originally supposed to accompany her, but he wasn't available. However now that she was on the road, she was grateful. Sai would have peppered her with painful observations and nagging questions, keeping at it until she either answered or slipped up and revealed something she didn't want to.
The silence, the scenery and the promise of new experiences beyond the horizon was a balm to her raw emotions. And the next three days of walking saw her feel steadily better than she had in months.
Sakura didn't know she was tied up in so many knots inside. But past each mile-marker, each landmark, each country border, she felt the tension she'd carried easing and slipping away. And by the time they were standing at the edge of the Wind Country, looking out over the rocky terrain to the sliver of yellow on the horizon that was desert sand, she felt like she could breathe again.
Sakura stretched out her arms to catch the warmth of the sun and tipped her face up to the vast bowl of blue sky above them, and let the air fill her lungs. Up until then, doubt had flickered in the back of her mind about taking this mission. But now, standing in the sun, she knew she'd made the right choice.
The young anbu, antsy about standing in the open for so long, cleared his throat for her to stop dallying. Eyes still closed, Sakura smiled up at the sky then folded her arms and started behaving like a respectable shinobi again.
Hours later they entered the last leg of their journey by venturing down the last steep-walled ravine before the terrain opened up onto the endless waves of sand. And somewhere out there in that vast sea of yellow was the Sand village.
She had no idea where the village was, and Kankuro was suppose to guide them, but he had not met them at their appointed spot. So they continued, traveling until they hit the stone floor of the ravine. She and the anbu had not discussed it, but Sakura knew they would simply go until they could go no further. Kankuro would find them.
But she needn't have worried. Because one of Kankuro's "emissaries" had been trailing them for a while, patiently waiting. And now they were almost in place….
Sakura had the benefit of knowing the sound of Kankuro's puppets from their battle with Sasori. But to the anbu beside her, the incoming rush of clacking hollow bones from the cliff tops above must have sounded like weapons. Which was probably just what Kankuro wanted.
The anbu ducked into his fighting stance and launched at the wild-haired, wild-eyed, multi-armed creature as soon as it landed. Seeing no cause for alarm, Sakura stepped back to watch, a faint smile curving up her lips. The puppet danced around, displaying some new weaponry since Sakura had seen it last, and led the young anbu on a bit of wild goose chase. The agent couldn't lay a finger on the puppet.
But Sakura was pleased to see he was starting to catch on…. A precisely thrown shuriken sliced through the chakra thread attached to an arm, causing the appendage to flail limply at the puppet's side. Finally understanding his opponent, the anbu regrouped and was moving in for the kill when the creature shot straight up into the air, rising like a spirit, and disappeared into the glare of blue sky.
Deep laughter filled the canyon, and Sakura couldn't help but laugh back. Gaze swiveling everywhere at once, the anbu backed towards Sakura and the shelter of the rock wall. His kunai flashed in one hand, but with the other he grabbed Sakura's elbow to drag her to safety. "Sakura-san, it's not safe—"
Sakura didn't move. "Having fun, Kankuro?" Her voice echoed off the canyon walls.
"Immensely," he hooted back, a smile in his voice.
The black silhouette of a body hopped down the rocky cliff. The outline of the puppet pitched and jerked above his back.
Kankuro landed with the solid presence of a human, not the empty-boned nimbleness of the puppet, in the middle of the foot path. He stood and dusted off his shoulders, grinning unashamedly at his prank.
Sakura slipped her arm from the grasp of the protective anbu agent and strode out into the open to greet him. The anbu agent stuck close to her, still wary.
"Kankuro," she called as she walked. "I saw some new additions to Crow, am I right?"
The puppet master, face clear of his characteristic battle makeup, beamed at the praise.
"That you did! Always perceptive, Sakura-san! No wonder Sasori was no match for you!"
It was Sakura's turn to smile with pride.
"But who is this with you? And where is that loud mouth Naruto?"
Sakura's smile dimmed. Just the shock of hearing his name when she wasn't expecting it robbed her of coherent words. But she had to cobble together some kind of answer….
"Naruto couldn't make it this time," she said, blatantly lying. "He had some uh…missions and things."
Kankuro bought it, but when she turned to introduce the anbu agent, she found his eyes had narrowed behind the mask.
Maybe he had sensory skills and had picked up on the spike in temperature that always came when someone lied. Or maybe there was too much hesitation in her voice. Or maybe, her traitorous mind whispered, he knew Naruto better than she did now, and knew he was at home and not out on any mission at all—
"And this," she said overly loud, both to silence the doubts and squelch his suspicions, "is my escort for the journey. An anbu guard who would see me safely to the gates of Suna." His eyes cut between the two shinobi, still wary. "He's here to protect me," Sakura said, exhaling and forcing her tension level down, "and he's doing an excellent job." The anbu jerked his chin at Kankuro, but still did not relax.
Sakura breathed in again, clearing her thoughts. If he sensed her tension, then it wouldn't do any good to tighten up while lying. She just had to come up with a better excuse for Naruto's absence, that was all, and believe in it while she was saying it. After all, she was sure to be asked again.
Sakura refocused. "And this," she threw back her arm with a flourish, "is Kankuro. Puppet master of the Suna and heir to the legacy of Lady Chiyo and Sasori of the Red Sand. He will be leading us to the Sand village."
Kankuro bowed deeply. "At your service."
This placated the anbu agent. Sakura saw his eyes soften, and he bowed in respect. He re-holstered his weapon, but Sakura noticed he left his hand on the grip. He may have caught on to her, but she didn't begrudge that. He's trained well. He'll make a fine anbu.
Sakura saved Kankuro's life several years ago, as well as Gaara's, and even though she had not been back to the Sand since that time, she knew they had not forgotten that kindness.
Kankuro spoke effusively of his home and relished the opportunity to act as tour guide. Sakura smiled and took it all in, the rolling sand, the location of battles on far-flung horizons, even the shapes and contours of the wind-blown dunes that Kankuro swore guided him home. Sakura just laughed. It all looked the same to her, but then she supposed their leafy forest must be confounding to a desert dweller.
They zig-zagged through the baked sand for hours more, until they crested a dune and skidded down the backside into its shady valley.
Kankuro grinned as they dusted themselves off. "Short-cut. Figured you wouldn't mind a little extra sand."
Sakura grinned back. He was right.
The followed the cool blue gutter of sand as it wound down into the valleys behind other immense dunes, and before Sakura knew it, the dunes were rising up like mountains behind them. Beneath their feet, the gutter was turning solid and expanding into a footpath. Sakura's mouth fell open. She realized they were descending into the Village Hidden into the Sand, and she had no idea. It was completely hidden in the folds of the desert. She was impressed.
Down they went, beneath the waves of sand to the bedrock. They treaded through narrow ravines that left a sliver of blue sky high above them. Sakura was so caught up in tracing the path of a lone bird soaring above — almost certainly a Suna guardian hawk — and marveling at how a whole village could be hidden in plain sight, that she did not see the small squad waiting for them at the end of the ravine.
The anbu cleared his throat and Sakura looked up just as Kankuro hailed them.
"Sister! Come see who I found wandering the desert floor!"
Human forms peeled away from the rock wall. They were Sand shinobi guarding the entrance to their village. On a boulder beside them stepped out Temari the Fan Master. She flashed her weapon, an overly large metal fan that was half as big as she was, then fell into a deceptively casual stance by snapping the fan closed and leaning on it like a walking stick.
That was Temari. Deceptive. Where Kankuro was boisterous, Temari was restrained. Kankuro operated with a four-man army. But Temari had to harness the wind. The element of surprise was a powerful weapon in her arsenal.
She smirked and shook her head by way of a welcome, shivering the spikes of blonde hair that framed the back of her head like the spokes of her fan.
But her mouth dropped into a frown when she saw Sakura's companion.
The anbu registered Temari's interest. His hand drifted toward his kunai.
"Well…. Where's the loud mouth?"
Sakura had forgotten. The Sand people had a direct manner that was like a blast of sand-tinged desert air. Always warm, but mildly abrasive.
Sakura smiled back, glad she'd some time to prepare an answer. "He had missions that conflicted with this one. He sends his apologies and warmest greetings." Sakura bowed, repeating to herself that it was what he would have said…if he were actually speaking to her.
As Sakura straightened, she stole a glance at the anbu. She thought she saw a look of skepticism around his eyes, but in the next glance it was gone and he was focusing on the Sand nins again.
Temari bowed her head back, accepting the Sakura's explanation. And that was the end of it.
Temari bounced off the rock and landed in the path to greet them. The Sand shinobi formed two lines on either side. Sakura was just about to comment that there was no need for such formality, when Temari nodded at Kankuro, and a grin peeked out that betrayed some secret communication between the two. Sakura decided it would be rude to ask about the private messages of foreign shinobi and siblings. And Temari fell back without a word to flank the other side of the anbu agent while they made their way toward the bend in the ravine.
Blue light glowed from the base of the road to the top of the ravine, gilding the edge of the rocks. Sakura guessed the entrance to the village was just ahead.
But she could never have been prepared for the sight that greeted her eyes when the rounded the jagged cliff.
The line of nins led directly into a crowd of people, forming a pathway through smiling, waving Sand citizens. Sakura's hand flew to her mouth when she caught sight of a banner closest to her.
"Welcome Sakura-san!"
She gasped. Tears sprung to her eyes. This was…. This was for her?
Temari smiled over at Sakura. Kankuro laughed deeply. "Surprised?!"
"Yes," Sakura breathed, laughing as tears pooled at the corners of her eyes.
They moved slowly down the corridor of shinobi and into the waving crowd. Overwhelmed, the anbu agent moved closer to her, but Sakura kept walking, taking it all in. People waved, old men patted her hand and children shouted her name.
"But…I…. I don't understand…."
Temari laughed over the cheers. "What's to understand? You saved our Kage! Did you think you would just sneak in here and no one would notice? You and Naruto both are heroes here!"
An old woman brushed her knotted fingers down Sakura's forearm, murmuring "thank you" over and over.
They kept moving, and Kankuro laughed at her shoulder. "You'll have to tell Naruto what he missed!"
Sakura cringed at his name, even as shook an outstretched hand. The anbu's eyes darted to her for a moment, but she didn't have time to think about it. The steady waving of arms and shouting of her name drowned everything else.
They continued down the village lanes, weaving through the bulbous shapes of wind-hewn sand buildings. After the first crush, the crowds thinned significantly, but people came out to greet her at every intersection. A few of the shinobi, at Temari's command, stayed with them for crowd control. The anbu agent even relaxed a bit and looked up wide-eyed at the organic architecture so different from Konoha's.
They stopped outside an imposing, round-walled building that Sakura guessed was their Kage's tower.
Temari smiled. "Obviously, Gaara decided to wait for you here."
Sakura fumbled for something to say in astonished gratitude, but Temari wouldn't hear any of it. Instead, she ushered them into the tower and up the curving stairs to the double doors carved out of the sand wall that could only be fit for a Kage.
Without a word, the door slid open on the sand walls, all on their own.
Gaara looked up from reading a scroll. Sakura was pleased to see he looked every part the kage. He was tall and lithe, a testament to his shinobi skills, and his robes swirled around him as he moved in a way his fatigues never did. He looked stately. Like he was comfortable. Like he belonged.
A smile broke across his smooth face. It was as creamy and unblemished as any Sand citizen — a testament to the great paradox that Leaf nins were often more tan than their Sand compatriots because those in the Sand grew up protecting themselves from the harsh desert sun — but his cheeks were no longer gaunt, his eyes no longer haunted by the ghosts of sleeplessness.
His red hair stuck out at all ends, reminding her so forcefully of Naruto's that she wondered if unruly hair was a trait of all jinchurikis. Even the tattooed kanji of "Love" at his forehead had mellowed. It was no longer a bloody curse carved into his skin, but a promise, healed to a soft pink and there to last the test of time.
"Sakura-san," Gaara said warmly as he approached. He took both her hands in greeting, and Sakura bowed over their joined hands.
He let go, and Sakura looked up to find Gaara frowning slightly at the anbu agent.
"But, Naruto did not accompany you?"
Sakura smiled. The lie came much easier this time. "He sends his greetings and his apologies. He had overlapping mission and could not be spared from them. He says he will journey to the Sand the first opportunity he gets."
Gaara nodded. The anbu never shifted his eyes. Sakura felt like she'd passed a hurdle.
From his desk, Gaara picked up a paper-wrapped parcel that sat on the corner and handed it to Sakura.
"With our compliments, Sakura-san. We are honored by your return."
Sakura accepted the soft package automatically, but flushed at Gaara's words. "There is no need for this…. For everything…."
Gaara motioned for her to open it. She gingerly tore back the paper, and her fingers slipped beneath to touch cool silk. Tugging off the string, the slippery fabric unfurled in front of her, and the paper slipped to the floor.
Sakura gasped. It was a remarkable silk robe, in the Sand style, of a dusty rose color that was a few shades darker than her hair.
"See…I told you it would suit her," Kankuro said proudly. Sakura turned in surprise, which Kankuro seemed to expect. "I dress puppets, I know what colors work best—"
Laughter burbled up before she could stop it, but it was echoed by his siblings, until Kankuro could do nothing but shrug and laugh at himself and the notion that dressing puppets was even remotely similar to guessing the preferences of a live woman.
Gaara refocused first. "We hope you enjoy your time here, Sakura-san, and learn the Sand's ancient medical techniques. I feel this alliance will greatly benefit both our villages."
Clutching the robe to her chest, Sakura dipped her head into a respectful bow. "I am honored by the reception and the gift. None of it was necessary. It is my pleasure to be here, and I believe we are forging an unprecedented alliance between our two nations. One I hope will last for generations to come. Thank you, Gaara-sama."
She rose to find him smiling, and thought again about how pleased she was to see the change in him. And how glad she was that she came here.
"Temari and Kankuro will show you to your apartment and introduce you to the medic corps."
Outside the Kage tower, the young anbu took his leave as well. Without a word, he produced his escort scroll for her to sign. Sakura dashed off her name, thinking that if the anbu had detected her white lies, then he was smart enough to let it slide. Yep, trained very well. He'll do just fine in anbu. And then, in a blur of hand signs, he was gone.
Sakura's apartment during her stay was a satisfactory set of rooms in a building adjacent to the hospital. She was surprised to discover that the white inner walls dipped and swelled with round shape of the exterior ones, giving the whole place the feeling that it hadn't been built by human hands but instead had simply grown there. The organic shape wasn't for show as it helped buffet it from the building from the ever present desert winds. Round portholes made each room feel light and airy.
Temari pointed to her bedroom and said "You may want to go ahead and slip on your robe now, since we may not be back for a while," and Sakura readily agreed. Kankuro took that as his opportunity to leave.
In her room, Sakura slipped on the robe and admired it in the mirror, allowing herself a moment to girlishly swish the silk around her ankles. Kankuro had good taste, she'd give him that.
The robe was several shades darker than her hair but the color harmonized perfectly. Usually a startling pop of color against her dark Leaf fatigues, Sakura's pink hair was softened by the brownish rose hue of the robe. And once she'd wrapped the shell-pink cowl around her neck, Sakura felt she'd been painted, head to toe, in the colors of a desert sunset.
With her hair and clothes in a seamless palette, Sakura's green eyes fairly glowed back at her in the mirror. Sakura smiled at the irony. She may be dressed like a desert princess in this luxurious garb, but her bright green eyes would always mark her as a child of the Leaf. And this outfit seemed to only make them brighter.
When she finished dressing and was well-acquainted with her living quarters, Sakura and Temari left to visit the hospital classrooms.
"It's late," Temari said as they entered the main doors of the hospital. "They may have already gone home for the day, but at least you'll get a look around."
The interest Sakura had generated upon her arrival had thankfully died down. As the passed through the main corridor and checked in at the front desk, she only received a few polite nods from those who knew who she was. Everyone else went about their business, which was a relief. She didn't like the prospect of sticking out all the time. She wanted to spend her time her learning, not fending off thank-yous and well-wishers.
The woman behind the desk left to get a permanent badge for Sakura, so she took the opportunity to observe her new working environment.
The hospital was remarkably like the one back home. Watching the staff and patients and visitors move by in an endless swarm of activity, Sakura noted that the operational model seemed to be the same as well.
Sakura quickly diagnosed the patients waiting to be seen, then watched them being lead off to different directions of the hospital. She ticked off the classifications in her mind: non-emergency, chronic pain, acute pain, emergency. Sakura also noted the staff wore different colored scrubs that corresponded with their department. All earth tones, just in different shades. She tapped her chin thoughtfully, surprised. Konoha did not require their scrubs to differ or coordinate, but it would definitely be helpful in the event of a village emergency, like when Pein attacked. Maybe they should look into it—
The woman returned and handed over a very official-looking badge with the kanji for her name printed in bold letters stamped beside it with the red seal of the Kage's office. Beneath her name were the words "Guest Instructor."
Sakura took the badge and pinned it to her robe, thinking this was another thing Konoha's hospital did not require. But maybe they should.
She smiled down at it, adjusting it against the material. She didn't think of herself as an instructor at all. More like a Guest Learner. Finished fidgeting with the badge, Sakura followed Temari and the woman from the front desk on the tour.
Sakura was surprised to find that the Sand's hospital was nearly identical to Konoha's, in layout and function as well. On her journey there, she indulged in some wild imaginings that she might witness strange injuries and unique Sand therapies for healing…but so far, the diagnoses and treatments were exactly the same they used at home.
She expected the classroom environment to be no different either, and scaled back her expectations to the memory of her first med-nin days, where she put in long hours in windowless rooms, listening to lectures and memorizing what felt like every text book Konoha had ever produced.
They wound up and up through the building, visiting every unit on every floor, until they came to the top of the stairs and chronic care wing. Sakura understood this was for non-emergency patients with long term illnesses and coma patients. In Konoha, this wing was marked only by the whispering of visitors and the squeak of an occasional nurses shoe on the glossy floor. Sakura felt tired just walking down that hall, and she never there if she could help it. Suna's chronic care wing was no different.
At the end of the corridor, an old door, dented and rusting, stood out among the sterilized ones. It caught Sakura's eye immediately. And sure enough, that was where they were headed. It opened on to a set of stairs, and Sakura wondered if they'd put their med-nin corp in the attic to train, but when her foot landed on the first step, her nose was immediately hit with a familiar smell.
It smelled like…home….
Sakura felt like she'd walked into a dream. She breathed in the sweet, moist smell of earth, summer grass and, impossibly, trees. At the top of the stairwell was a door gilded with light, and she drifted toward it breathing in and wondering what trick this was, to smell the pungent tang of the deep woods in the middle of a barren desert.
Their tour guide opened the door and passed through. Momentarily blinded by the glare, Sakura followed the woman and Temari and relied on her other senses. She sniffed again — it was warm and heady and almost musky with growth — and when she crested the last step and stood blinking in the brightness of what must have been a greenhouse, she heard a few gasps. "Is that her?" "She's here!" "Come line up, quickly!"
Sakura blinked and turned in a slow circle, taking it all in. Glass and copper soared up around her to form the dome of a desert greenhouse on the roof of the hospital building. Tables of raised beds nourished plants that Sakura recognized from all over the world. In a enormous terra cotta pot in the center, one of Konoha's own hardwoods stretched valiantly toward the glass ceiling, reaching out its branches to soak up the sun while providing shade for the woodland plants sprouting around its base.
Folded and hanging by rigging from the lowest rim of the dome was an elaborate system of curtains ready to shield the tender plants from too much sun. Ringing the outer edge of the greenhouse were a series of tables scattered with tools any good herbalist might need: jars and labels, scissors and burners, and mortar and pestles of every size.
Eyes wide with amazement at this hidden gem, Sakura swung her gaze back to the clutch of medics assembled in front of the tree. The young men and women were hastily wiping dirt from their hands, straightening their tunics and grinning nervously. They all looked Sakura's age or younger, and were the picture of Sand youth — brown hair, round pale faces and grey eyes.
Sakura learned enough from her her tour to know that their rust-colored robes marked them medics in training. It wasn't a hard system to decipher: the lighter the robe, the lower the rank. Sakura guessed these fresh-faced medics must be close to graduating to the brown robes of the traditional Sand healers. Like the ones she remembered Lady Chiyo wearing years before.
Temari stepped forward. "Sakura Haruno, may I present to you—" She looked down the line again and frowned. "Wait. One's missing. There's only eleven of you—"
Just then a door slammed on the other side of the tree and a rush of footsteps echoed through the now quiet space. Clutching a cactus under one arm, the missing medic hurried into the room with a gust of warm desert air that rippled the fringe of Sakura's hair.
Sakura thought if she were ever a child of the Leaf, then this surely was a child of the Sand.
Tall and striking in the chocolate-brown robes of a full-fledge healer, the medic's auburn hair stood in thick wind-blown tufts. It was close to Sasori or even Gaara's color…only better. Less ominous.
He deftly plunked the cactus onto the table and turned to assist someone shuffling softly in behind him, when he saw the newcomers in the room and stopped completely, eyes locked on Sakura's.
Instead of the stone grey of most Sand native's eyes, his were paler and softer, like the sunset-bleached sky that was at that moment drifting beyond the glass ceiling.
Another set of eyes floated in her memory. Without effort, she decided the color was not even near the blue-green of Naruto's eyes, but then, nothing ever was. He was persistently one-of-a-kind in all things.
Angry at her wayward mind, Sakura quickly banished the thought.
In front of her, the medic was such a perfect mixture of desert colors, she wondered idly if Kankuro had been shopping for him too.
The soft giggle of the other medics and the quiet noise behind him snapped the medic back to the present.
He swirled to take the arm of an old man who was making his way slowly around the tree. Though he was more stooped with age than she remembered, Sakura recognized Lady Chiyo's brother immediately.
She bowed deeply. "Ebizo-sama, I am honored to see you again."
Leaning hard on his cane, he broke into a rusty laugh. "I wondered what had caught Akira's attention. Now I am not surprised." Ebizo dropped down into the lab stool Akira slid out for him and looked Sakura up and down. "You have grown since I last saw you, child. How old are you now?"
"18, Ebizo-sama."
"Ah, same age as our Akira, here." Ebizo patted his arm while Akira flashed a quick, awkward smile. "He is following in my footsteps. Or I should say, we are all following in my sister Chiyo's footsteps."
Sakura bobbed her head. "She leaves a legacy that has touched many people, myself included."
Ebizo nodded deeply, remembering. Temari and Sakura echoed the movement. Chiyo had died giving her life's force so that Gaara may live.
He cleared his throat and his rough voice restarted. "I was not a medic by trade, but when we realized that her methods were being lost, the Kazekage charged me with finding young ones like yourself to carry on her legacy. And that's where Akira came in."
Sakura quirked an eyebrow. "And should I be concerned you are teaching him all of Chiyo's methods?"
The medics openly gaped at Sakura's friendly challenge of their elder. Even Akira looked concerned.
But beneath his bushy white eyebrow, Ebizo's eyes glittered with delight. "You always were a sharp one, Sakura-san. Your Slug Princess has taught you well. Now you know things that many have forgotten."
He addressed the room. "Chiyo-sama's specialty was poison." His voice lowered. "Making it…and using it!"
The young medics tittered. Ebizo watched the reactions spread through the room, obviously pleased with himself. With his flair for the dramatic, Sakura decided he was very much like Chiyo and smiled fondly at her memory.
But when she realized Akira's grey eyes were watching her she reined in her smile.
"But killing and healing are merely different sides of the same coin. And Chiyo's knowledge of plants and remedies is unsurpassed. So in our time of peace, we need to sharpen her work for healing our citizens, instead of killing our enemies. And our alliances, especially with the esteemed Leaf, help us do that."
Sakura nodded in agreement.
"Chiyo would be glad to see you here. Sakura-san."
Sakura raised her head quickly to see Ebizo's earnest look. Tears pricked her eyes. "Chiyo-sama and Tsunade-sama are my mentors. It is I who am honored," she said bowing again, this time to hide her sudden emotion.
Ebizo's laughed deeply at their seriousness. "Well, enough of that! Sakura, what do you think of our greenhouse? Were you surprised? Many of our samples should be familiar to you—"
Temari interrupted. "Ebizo-sama, I'm afraid we must be on our way. I will leave Sakura in your capable hands."
"Yes of course," and he swatted Akira's arm for him to bring Sakura over. It was a cue for the rest of the medics to relax as well, and they gathered around the old man to show him what they were working on.
Akira stepped around the raised beds to stand in front of her. He was half-a-head taller, and when he stood this close Sakura had to tip her chin up a little to look at him. She discovered his pale cheeks were tinged pink with embarrassment.
"Hi…uh, I'm Akira," he said, bowing quickly, but half-way down he second guessed what he thought might be the Leaf's customs and stuck his hand out instead.
Unable to respond fast enough to either, Sakura instead pressed her fingers to her lips to smother a giggle. It didn't work.
He stood and flashed an apologetic smile and ran his hand through his hair as if that's what he meant to do.
This only elicited more laughter from her, but Sakura took pity on him. She bowed first, saying "And I'm Sakura." Then when she stood she shook his hand, saying, "But I think we've already been introduced by Ebizo-sama."
Beyond Akira's shoulder Sakura could see the old man keeping an eye on them, a corner of his mouth hitched up in sly laughter.
She smiled, thinking she'd have to watch out for him, when she realized her hand was still in Akira's. He didn't seem to mind. In fact, he was gazing down at her with a sly smirk of his own.
"Is it Ebizo-sama?" Sakura nodded. He laughed and let go of Sakura's hand. She immediately tucked her hair behind her ears while he shoved his hands in the pockets of his robes, but he didn't step away from her. "Watch out for him, he's always up to something. Such a prankster. Was Chiyo-sama that way as well? I didn't know her."
"Yes. Incorrigible," Sakura said with a laugh. "And ferocious. A deadly combination!"
"We're so happy to have you here. It's a real honor."
Sakura colored at the the praise. "I thought I would be working with a shinobi corp, a med-nin unit—"
"You're looking at it," Akira said, throwing his arms out.
"Are you the only one?!"
He smiled warmly. "For right now. They're all take they're final exam next week. I took mine six months ago," he said in a subdued tone.
Sakura raised her eyebrows, not sure if he was bragging.
He shrugged, discomfort clouding his eyes. "I've always wanted to be a medic. All my friends went off to be shinobis, but this is what I love. I eat, live and breathe it. The head doctor wanted me to get my medic certifications a year earlier but Ebizo," he nodded at the laughing old man, "told me to wait. Said that there was more to learn than what was on tests. That's when he brought me up here. He had been thinking forming a med-nin unit for a while, but no one would listen to him. Except Gaara, of course…. So here I am…." His voice trailed off when he realized he might have been rambling.
But a matching enthusiasm bloomed on Sakura's face. "I understand perfectly. I feel the same way. I love being a medic too. In fact, the thought of learning some new techniques was what brought me here early. Though I had no idea about this! It's amazing," she raised her hands and he followed her eyeline around the room only to fix his grey gaze on her face again. "I hope we can learn a lot from one another," she smiled. "Here and in Konoha."
"I hope so too," he said softly. "Come'on. Let me introduce you to everyone."
Author's Notes
Thanks for the reviews, faves and alerts! Not quite a Friday post...it's 12:30 a.m. Saturday morning here. But it's up! Sometimes keeping the Friday update is hard to do!
Had wanted to get some of the Naruto scenes into this chapter, but it just didn't work. Left too many unanswered questions. So I reworked it to save until next time. So the thought I've toyed with in this chapter is that Sakura in the manga never meets up with someone (a guy) who's her equal in the medical field. Someone who shares her enthusiasm and appreciates her. Again, working on the "what if" premise, what if she did? What if she met someone who appreciated her and shared her interests and was a rising star in the medical field. How would that impact her feelings on Naruto (who supports her, but come on, let's face it, really doesn't get her medical side).
(Also, just to save confusion, the anbu is not Naruto in disguise...or even Katsuro! lol ;) Although it would be a cool twist. He'll pop up later though.)