"One of the fundamental reasons why so many doctors become cynical and disillusioned is precisely because, when the abstract idealism has worn thin, they are uncertain about the value of the actual lives of the patients they are treating. This is not because they are callous or personally inhuman: it is because they live in and accept a society which is incapable of knowing what a human life is worth." ~John Berger
Chapter 17: The "M" in Medic
(Which, incidentally, has nothing to do with mature content or even this chapter...)
Hinata bypassed a line that had formed outside of Tsunade-sama's office, dragging Kabuto with her, throwing the door of the hokage's office wide open. "Tsunade-sama!"
Tsunade glanced up from a list of the catastrophic results of widespread power failures that had thrown Konoha hospital into absolute chaos. She massaged her temple, glancing longingly at her long-empty sake bottle. "Yes, Hinata? Is the line gone yet?"
Hinata ignored the question. "Cardiac arrest! Laryngospasms! WATER BOARDING!"
Tsunade blinked rapidly, wondering if maybe she should take matters into her own hands. "I didn't realize Konoha Hospital's situation was so dire!"
"FORGET THE HOSPITAL!" Hinata shrieked. "You allowed for the torture of a recovering surgery patient, and you didn't even bother to make sure Ibiki had a medical team standing by?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "I don't follow you. Do you have someone on your back?" she asked, trying to see who it was that Hinata was lugging around.
"Ibiki's methods are inhumane and deplorable! How could you let him do it?" Hinata demanded.
"Do what?" Tsunade asked, frowning.
"He was waterboarding Kabuto-senpai!" Hinata explained, her voice now a bit more on the hysterical side than the furious side.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, appearing slightly disgruntled. "Oh?"
Hinata nodded vigorously. "I had to restart his heart. He went into cardiac arrest."
Tsunade now appeared very disgruntled. "Oh?"
"Yes!" Hinata shouted.
"Where is he?" Tsunade asked, preparing to head out and check on the very valuable prisoner.
In response, Hinata turned around and allowed Kabuto to slide from her back, landing on the Hokage's desk. Papers scattered, and Kabuto found himself face-to-face with the Hokage… and he was clad in nothing but his boxers. The Hokage was instantly all business. "All right, Hinata, go on outside now," she told her, gesturing in the direction of the door.
Hinata scowled, shaking her head vigorously. "No! I'm staying!"
Tsunade blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"
"I'm staying!" Hinata repeated herself.
Tsunade shot her a look. "Go outside, cool off. Calm down. Breathe, Hinata-chan."
Hinata shook her head stubbornly. "Not until you promise to punish Ibiki!"
Kabuto nearly lost it at that. "For what?" he barked, before nearly hacking up a lung.
Tsunade turned Kabuto on his side and allowed a trickle of water to escape his mouth as he wheezed, wincing at the stabbing pain in his lungs. Then Tsunade returned her attention to Hinata. "Ibiki will be appropriately dealt with, Hinata, you can be sure of that."
Hinata didn't appear entirely convinced, but finally nodded slightly and left the room, saying: "I'll be outside whenever you're finished, Tsunade-sama."
Tsunade eyed Kabuto with detached interest. "So, two days and you've already driven Ibiki to physical torture? I'm surprised."
Kabuto decided to refrain from answering the question in her tone, concentrating on breathing instead, figuring she was probably waiting for Hinata to leave before sending him right back to Ibiki.
Meanwhile, Tsunade laid a glowing hand on his chest and ran a quick diagnostic… she didn't seem particularly pleased. Kabuto wondered if that was because Ibiki hadn't done enough, or if it was simply residual irritation over Hinata's impolite outburst. A moment later, however, Tsunade moved swiftly to the door. "Shizune!" she called, "Get in here! And bring me some sake, while you're at it!"
Shizune appeared in the doorway almost instantly. "Konoha Hospital is in an uproar and you want me to let you get drunk?" she shouted back.
Does no one in Konoha give their superiors the respect they deserve? Kabuto wondered absently. Good grief.
"Shut up!" Tsunade shot back at Shizune. "I need you to take Yakushi here and fix him up. I'm going to try and handle this Konoha Hospital business, and I wasn't planning on getting drunk, just something to take the edge off this headache!"
"Eeh?" Shizune exclaimed, entering the room, paying no mind to the fact that Kabuto was still sprawled on the Hokage's desk in his underwear. "I thought you said that Ibiki wouldn't use physical force…?"
"Yes, that's what I said, but apparently Ibiki had other ideas," Tsunade said dangerously. "It won't be a mistake he makes twice, I can assure you."
Kabuto blinked in surprise. They were going to heal him? Ibiki was in trouble? But they weren't angry with Kabuto for not succumbing to the torture? Kabuto felt as though his head were swimming; the sensation was only partially due to the oxygen returning to his brain. But as Shizune approached the table, his vision began to fade, and the last thing he saw before losing consciousness was Shizune's concerned face hovering somewhere above him…
When Kabuto awoke, he was lying on Shikamaru's bed, surrounded by pillows, buried in blankets, and half-wondering if the Chunin had intended to smother Kabuto upon his return. Turning his head slightly, Kabuto caught sight of a vase of daisies perched on the bedside table. He frowned slightly, wondering why Shikamaru would keep flowers in his room, before noticing the tag attached that read: Get well soon! ~Hinata
Groaning slightly, Kabuto managed to wriggle partially upright amidst the sea of pillows and blankets. He sighed, winded by the slight effort he'd made. Scowling, Kabuto realized that he was back to square one in the recovery process and would likely require the blasted wheelchair for another week or two. Kabuto sighed heavily, then winced, clutching at his chest as his lungs twinged slightly. It seemed that Shizune had paid greater attention to his heart than his lungs, as lungs were not as vital. It made sense, especially considering that she had probably been desperately needed at Konoha Hospital. In fact, Kabuto wasn't sure why they'd bothered to heal him at all, since he was just going back to Ibiki within the next week or so.
A gentle knock sounded on the door, and Hinata peeked in slowly. "Kabuto-senpai?" she whispered softly. "Are you- oh, you are awake," she murmured, opening the door the rest of the way. "Would you like something to eat or drink? Some broth, or tea, or maybe some rice?"
"Yes please," Kabuto rasped, deciding to keep his answer as concise as possible.
"Tea?" Hinata asked.
Kabuto nodded.
"Broth?"
Again, Kabuto nodded.
"Rice?"
Kabuto shook his head. His throat hurt, and he didn't feel like trying to swallow non-liquids.
Hinata nodded, acknowledging his request before carefully closing the door. Kabuto reclined back on the pillows, breathing slowly. Hinata was still here? He'd figured that she'd headed home not long after leaving the Hokage's office, but apparently she hadn't. He wondered if she'd been the one to convince Shikamaru to relinquish his bed. A moment later, Hinata re-entered with a tray, carrying a cup of green tea and a small bowl of steaming broth.
"Would you like some help eating?" she asked Kabuto.
The thought of being so helpless that he needed her to feed him the broth was detestable. "I'm fine," he whispered, his voice scratchy and higher pitched. Ugh. Even speaking, he sounded completely helpless and useless. It was so infuriating, to be helpless again!
Hinata nodded swiftly, recognizing the former missing-nin's need for at least a small semblance of autonomy. "Here," she murmured, handing him the tea first. "Start with this."
Kabuto nodded slowly, accepting the tea. "Thank you," he murmured hoarsely.
"Don't try and talk," she urged. "It's all right."
Kabuto nodded, and slowly sipped the tea.
The door opened once more. "So, I heard that Ibiki was given a severe talking-to," Shikamaru said, entering the bedroom. "Oh good, you're awake. How do you feel?"
"Don't make him talk," Hinata told Shikamaru, glancing at Kabuto protectively.
It turned Kabuto's stomach to be "protected" from something as simple as speaking.
Shikamaru made a gesture of surrender. "Okay, okay, don't send the ANBU after me, it was just a question…"
Hinata shrugged, sinking down onto the end of the bed, while Shikamaru reclined against the doorframe. "Sorry, I'm still a little tense. It really scared me, seeing Kabuto-senpai like that."
Oh, great. Kabuto thought irritably. I'm never going to live this down. She's going to see me as "the guy who almost died within the first fifteen minutes of water boarding" for the rest of my life now… Not that I have much of my life left anyway, but still…
Shikamaru frowned. "I should have been there."
"I sent you shopping, it wasn't your fault," Hinata assured him.
"Yeah, but maybe I could have…"
"What, freaked out? It's not like you're a medic, Shika-kun."
Shikamaru shrugged in answer. "He was my responsibility, Hinata. And this is the second time he's gotten hurt on my watch."
"It won't be the last," Kabuto rasped. "Duh."
"You shouldn't talk right now," Hinata chided him gently. "Just rest."
Kabuto blinked once, manifesting a look of pure disgust at the thought of being restricted to the bed.
"Oh, he looks thrilled to hear that," Shikamaru commented. "Look, kabuto, I'll make you a deal. You stay here and get rest, and when you get better, I'll take you out to that sushi bar again. And you can eat all the expensive rolls you want. I won't count them… until the check comes…"
Hinata frowned. "Why not take him to a sushi restaurant?"
"Do I look like I'm made of money?" Shikamaru demanded.
"How about if I chip in some and join you?" Hinata asked.
"In other words, you'll treat?" Shikamaru reworded her offer. "At least, that's what it sounds like you're saying."
Hinata nodded rapidly, tapping her forefingers together. "If that's all right with you…"
Shikamaru shrugged, glancing at Kabuto. "We have a deal?"
Kabuto rolled his eyes, then nodded.
A/N: I am a failure when it comes to updating! Gyaaaah!
I never intended for this to happen! I always get so angry at Fanfic authors who put stories on hiatus without warning people, and then suddenly I turned into one of those people! *bows repeatedly* I BEG FORGIVENESS! I could blame college, I could blame life, I could blame other extenuating circumstances, but mostly it's just me. I have had this stuff written forever and I just haven't remembered to update. I've written more in the story but haven't updated. I don't know what I was thinking! I really have no excuse whatsoever. I apologize profusely for making people wait so long for me to get my act together.
Then again, you weren't reading this just to hear me mope around and bash myself. Sooo, just know that there are more chapters to follow. I'll just have to blame college and my severe thoughtlessness for not posting this sooner. Hopefully I still have readers who even care about what happens- rest assured, much more is written and there will be more to follow! Sorry it took so long, and I'll try to prevent this from happening again...
A/A/N (Additional Author Note):
Ahahahahaha, you guys crack me up too much. Today's chapter title made me laugh, and I actually fell in love with this quote when I found it. I think it speaks towards how Kabuto's become so deadened to the value of human life that he no longer finds any reason for anyone to value any life, especially the life of an enemy. Again I say: I love this quote. Also, kudos to ylfrettub for helping me figure out the title for this chapter, and I hope it got a laugh from someone besides me. So help me out here folks. If the title doesn't really have anything to do with the chapter and "M" doesn't stand for mature content, then what DOES the "M" stand for? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
If you still feel like reviewing after waiting so long for this chapter, feel free to share your thoughts on the matter...