Gaara stared at the motionless body in front of him. It had been 3 days since the attack, and Naoko was in the Suna hospital. The Kazekage had seen to it that Naoko had the best doctors in the Land of Wind, but as things stood, no one knew if it would make much of a difference.
He held her limp, cold hand tightly and stroked some of the stray strands of black hair away from her face. Her skin was deathly pale. Medical machines beeped mechanically, indicating Naoko's faint heartbeat. The sounds were warped and distorted in Gaara's grief-drowned mind. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her. True, when he first met her he thought she was obnoxious and outspoken, but now, he couldn't bear the idea of living life without her. She was stormy, impetuous and disagreeable…and he wouldn't have her any other way.
She was the only person who could give him attitude and get away with it. She never hesitated to speak her mind and because of this he knew he could trust her. She provided him with the conflict he thrived on. She kept him guessing. He knew that life with Naoko would never be boring. And no matter how fiercely she challenged him, he knew that when they went to bed together she would lovingly submit to him, lowering her defenses, letting him experience her soft, vulnerable side that no one else ever saw. It was a part of herself that she reserved for Gaara, and Gaara alone. He treasured it.
She'd always been so ready to accept him for who he was, when others would have turned away. More than anything, she made him laugh. She was impulsive and ridiculous, and not only did her scatty antics make his life more bearable, but they made it FUN. She was the strangest storm he'd ever found himself in. One minute she was turbulent and exciting, the next she was gentle. She was the missing piece of Gaara's puzzle, calming him when he was angry, reassuring him when he was doubtful, and entertaining him when he was miserable. Naoko was in her own captivating world, and now she was Gaara's world too. But now that world was crumbling.
He looked at her poor, broken body lying in the hospital bed. It was difficult to believe that someone who had once seemed so alive could now look so fragile.
He leaned forward in his chair, still clasping her hand tightly. His eyes scanned her ashen face, desperately searching for any signs of consciousness. Nothing. It didn't even look like she was breathing- only the emotionless beeping of the machines reassured him that she was.
The door jolted open and a medical consultant paced into the room, clipboard in hand. He bowed to the Kazekage before waiting for acknowledgement.
"Well…?" Gaara pressed anxiously. There was no time for polite, trivial formalities right now.
The consultant took a deep breath and his brow furrowed a little.
"She suffered massive damage from the attack. There are a number of broken bones and torn muscles, but that's not the problem…" he paused, gathering himself.
"…The stab wounds caused some of her internal organs to rupture, and she suffered severe blood loss. We've managed to stop most of the internal bleeding… but… I'm afraid she may never wake, Kazekage-sama" he finished quietly.
Gaara remained completely still. His face showed no signs of the devastation taking place within him. He was drained by a sorrow far too deep for tears. The Kazekage's silence confused the medical consultant.
"Kazekage-sama? Did y…"
"I heard" Gaara growled.
The medical consultant twitched at the Kazekage's abrupt reply. He gave a quick bow and left quietly.
Gaara lowered his head against Naoko's arm, silently begging her to wake up. Still holding her hand tightly, he brought his free hand up to his hair, roughly twisting his fingers through the red strands.
The door opened. Gaara didn't even bother to look up at the new visitor. The footsteps halted briefly, unsure, before making a decision and approaching Gaara. A firm hand rested on Gaara's shoulder. He turned his head slightly and gave a sideways glance at the visitor. It was Kakashi. Gaara turned his head back to lean on Naoko's arm again.
"I failed her" he murmured.
"… No. You did something I couldn't do. And for that I respect you… It was ME who failed her." He closed his eyes and sighed heavily before returning his gaze to his beloved niece.
Gaara remained motionless. Kakashi continued.
"There's still hope. Afterall, this is the girl who tamed the Kazekage. She's a tough one. Don't write her off yet" he smiled sadly.
The two men looked towards the door as a plump looking woman shuffled into the room. She looked at the Kazekage's impassive face before quickly averting her gaze to the unconscious girl in the bed. The woman's eyes filled with sadness and her lip trembled a little. She looked down at the floor, as if she was ashamed.
In a soft, quiet voice, she introduced herself as Tokugawa's wife. Gaara's eyes instantly filled with a quiet, deadly hatred. The woman continued.
"I wish to apologise deeply for everything my husband has done. For years he obsessed over revenge, and it warped him. As the leader of the Saito clan, no one was in a position to challenge him. But now…with his death…" she paused, taking a shaky breath.
"…With his death, the past can finally be laid to rest. I am here to express the condolences of my clan. We no longer intend to kill the girl. This vendetta is no more. I can only give my most sincere apologies, Kazekage-sama…" she looked directly over to him. His face remained set in an expression of ice-cold hatred. The woman physically flinched. She bowed her head.
"In light of recent events, the Kumogakure Council has decided to sanction the Saito clan. If you wish to take things further, Lord Kazekage, I understand…" she paused and looked at the bed-ridden girl again.
"I am truly sorry about what happened to the Imamura girl" she added solemnly.
"Naoko" Gaara growled.
"Excuse me, Lord Kazekage?" said the woman, confused.
"Her name is Naoko" he snapped.
"Oh… of course… Naoko"
The room was locked in an uncomfortable silence for a while, until the woman decided that there was nothing left to say. She gave a low bow to Gaara, and then to Kakashi, before quietly exiting the room.
"They only apologise in order to avoid conflict between Kumo and Suna" Gaara sneered venomously.
"Hmm" replied Kakashi.
The two men remained silent for a while, but soon Kakashi left, and Gaara was alone again. He was empty and exhausted, his mind hazy. Laying his head against Naoko's arm again, he closed his eyes and drifted in and out of consciousness. Somewhere in the back of his mind he could hear a noise, but he hardly noticed it. It seemed so distant. But the noise continued, drilling through the silent fog of his sleepy mind until he listened. It sounds like coughing, he mused inwardly. That's strange, I don't remember coughing just now, he thought. He returned to his state of half-slumber. After a few seconds, he heard the noise again. Louder this time. His mind snapped awake.
"…Arm…dead…" came a hoarse whisper.
Gaara slowly opened his eyes.
"Huh?" he muttered to himself.
"My… My arm's gone dead, you moron… move your head"
Gaara shot up, now wide awake, and stared at Naoko. Sure enough, her eyes were slightly open and her lips formed a weak smile.
"Naoko?!" he gasped with wide eyes.
He held her face in his hands and kissed her forehead over and over.
"Ughn… my stomach hurts" she whimpered, tears welling in her eyes.
Gaara raced to the door like a madman. "DOCTOR!!" he roared down the corridor.
After a few seconds, a doctor marched into the room. He began scanning the machines and examining Naoko. He checked her wounds and her heart rate before stepping back, a little bemused.
He shook his head sharply, as if responding to his own thoughts.
"But how…?" he muttered.
He picked up a folder and urgently flicked through the notes within it, before screwing up his face in confusion. He massaged his temples before stepping towards a very alive Naoko. He rechecked her blood pressure and heart rate, and shone a bright light into her eyes. He stepped back. Finally he seemed to surrender to the unlikely, but undeniably real, conclusion.
'Well… I can't believe it, but… your heart rate and blood pressure are stable. Your wounds will take considerable time to heal, but it looks like you're out of the danger zone, Naoko. I have no idea how it's happened, but lets just be glad it has. For now, you just need to rest" he said, sounding satisfied although still evidently surprised.
Gaara thanked him. The doctor bowed and left the room. Gaara returned to the seat at Naoko's side. He pulled her hand to his face and brushed his lips over her knuckles.
"I thought I was going to lose you…" he whispered.
She met his eyes with hers.
"Death wouldn't dare to keep me from you, Gaara."
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