So here's chapter two! I'm glad so many people liked Chapter one, but I wish more people reviewed it. This chapter is really where it starts to kick off. Also, I'm a little annoyed because I didn't realize how short the first few chapters were since I started to make them longer after a while. I hope you guys don't mind =(.
Disclaimer! Naruto still isn't mine, but if I had my way, Gaara would be... Or maybe Itachi... It's probably unhealthy that the two guys who started off as insane and evil are my first choices, eh?
"No, Temari. Don't put that in there." I grunted, grabbing the shaker of crushed red peppers from her hand before she could put it on the pot of noodles.
"But it's no good without it!" Temari exclaimed in protest.
"So then put it on your plate once you've served it. Don't make everyone else suffer through it." I teased, sticking my tongue out at her. Temari rolled her eyes, grumbling 'bossy' under her breath as she stuffed some noodles onto her plate and then roughly snatched the shaker from my hands. I laughed as she piled the crushed red peppers on top of her food like it was sauce. "Jesus, Tem… How does your tongue not have holes burned through it?" I asked in disbelief.
"I love spicy food." Temari growled defensively and I shook my head, laughing at her.
"Spicy food, or foody spice?" I countered with a pointed look at her plate, but she ignored me.
"Remember, Sakura. Don't speak or even look at him directly." Temari whispered to me seriously before walking into the dining room. I narrowed my eyes worriedly, wondering how the hell I was going to pull it off when his own sister couldn't talk to him without getting a death threat. I followed her into the dining room and faltered when I immediately met the cold and hateful eyes of Gaara. Quickly redirecting my gaze to my plate, I carried it to the table and sat down, then experienced the most uncomfortable meal of my entire life.
"Saki-sama?" Miyuki asked and I looked sideways to see the girl standing there with a hesitant look on her face.
"Yes, Miyuki?" I asked gently, and her expression turned hopeful.
"Will you show me how you heal people?" She asked and I smiled at her.
"Well, Miyuki… Learning to heal is really difficult. It takes a lot of time and skill." I explained hesitantly.
"But I want to help people." Miyuki murmured dejectedly, guessing that I was saying no.
"Miyuki…" I sighed, and she didn't look at me, instead staring down at her feet. "Miyuki, look at me." I commanded gently and she slowly raised her eyes to meet mine. I eyed her carefully and critically, realizing that she was determined. She was young, only four or five, but she seemed to really want it. But then again, she is a kid. She'll probably change her mind in a week or so… "Miyuki, I don't know how long I'm going to be here… If you decide you don't want this, we'll stop… But I suppose for the time being I can teach you." I finished after a moment and Miyuki grinned at me brightly.
"Yay!"
Something was off, I realized a few days later when I was showing Miyuki how to wrap, change, and clean bandages. "See, Miyuki? You need to be slow when you get to the parts of the wrap that touch skin." I explained as I was changing a dirty bandage from one of the workers who got hurt. "Now watch what I do…" I instructed and the girl leaned forward, intently watching as I very slowly peeled the cloth from the man's hand. About halfway uncovered, I felt his skin stick to the bandage slightly, and immediately stopped.
"Now, Miyuki. I felt a slight tug there, so I know that his injury bleed and the bandages are stuck to the scab. This is tricky, because you can rarely remove the bandage without cause pain. First, I'm going to get some nice lukewarm water, like what we have here." I took a small cloth off the table beside the hospital bed the man sat on and dabbed it into the water. "You'll do this, and then very lightly dab the cloth with it." I demonstrated as I dabbed his hand with the cloth, just enough for the water to soak into it without really touching him enough to feel.
Then, when I was done, I set the cloth in the bowl of water and returned to unwrapping the bandage. The bandage came off clean, the scabs sticking to his wound. "Wow!" Miyuki gasped in awe, and I smiled at her. She's so much like Ino… I thought, smiling sadly at the thought of my old teammate. I briefly wondered how she and Sai were doing, but shook the thought away.
"Well, doc? How is it?" The man asked and I focused on my job once more.
"The burns are minor. It will be several weeks before you fully heal, and a couple of months for all the scarring to face. I don't see any signs of permanent damage, which surprises me. You're lucky the fires didn't singe any nerve bundles, or else you'd probably be crippled by pain for the rest of your life." I explained as I tested the feeling in his fingers. Satisfied, I set the pen down. "All right. You need to keep it dry, so you can't wash your hand. I would suggest using a sanitized wipe to wash your fingers free of germs, though."
After explaining all the instructions to him, he left. "All right, Miyuki. Put everything away while I clean these up." I said as I stood up and took the bowl of water, the rag and the bandages that sat in it, and headed out of the room. I made my way towards the bathroom and set the bowl on the side of the sink, plugging it up and filling it with water. As it filled, I stared in the direction of the southwest, uneasy. I didn't know why, but I felt like something was wrong.
Damn… Why can't I shake this feeling? I wondered in irritation. I lifted the dirty bandages and dropped them into the sink filled with water, then turned off the water. Wincing at the hot water, I shoved my hands wrist deep into it and massaged the bandages carefully, cleaning them as best I could. Suddenly, my discomfort increased, and I frowned. Stilling my hands, I closed my eyes and concentrated on a spark in my mind. I continued to focus on it when suddenly, the spark grew in scale.
Shit… He's fighting… Damn. I always get twitchy when he fights. I thought worriedly, chewing the inside of my cheek slightly as I watched the spark. I didn't know how much time passed as I watched the spark increase then slowly start to decrease, but I didn't open my eyes until the spark suddenly dropped in size, becoming nothing more than a faint glow. Panicked, my eyes flew open and I dashed out of the bathroom, leaving the sink of dirty bandages behind me.
"Saki-sama?" People questioned in worry as I bolted out of the hospital and down the streets, headed to the southwest.
"Oh god." I gasped when I landed several yards away from the gates of Sunagakure to find the gates covered in blood and corpses. Lying in front of me was an unconscious Kankurou, who I stared at fearfully for a few moments. He's alone… Which means he was careless… Which happens only when those close to him are involved. I thought quickly, dread setting in when I realized that my assumption was correct. Which means Gaara is gone, and Kankurou tried to go after him.
Kankurou let out a pained groan in his unconscious state, and I quickly knelt down and put my hands on his chest. I felt around for a moment before I found what I was looking for, and Kankurou groaned again. Narrowing my eyes, I shoved chakra into his blood, forcing it to ensnare the poison in his system. It's still gathered together… He's lucky I got here when I did, or else this wouldn't completely work. I noted as I slowly pushed the poison out through his wound, where I gathered it in my palm.
I reached into my medical pouch and pulled out a vial, using my chakra to push the poison into it, then quickly capped it. "Sorry, Kankurou, but I can't stay here to hold your hand through your recovery." I mumbled an apology to the shinobi, who's broken puppets laid around him.
"Sakura…?" Kankurou groaned quietly as I stood, and I frowned at him. He had opened his eyes and was staring blearily at me, looking confused. He probably still can't see straight… It'll be several hours before he can move right, too…
"Kankurou… Whoever they send after him, tell them to follow this." I told him emotionlessly, untying the red tie that held my white obi shut. Luckily, I had two of them, so when I untied it, the obi still stayed in place, holding my red dress shut. I knelt down and tied the string around the finger of one of his puppets before I quickly leapt away. I knew that with Kankurou coming back to consciousness, he wouldn't hesitate to attack me. Feeling a blade just barely avoid me confirmed my beliefs.
I ran quickly, not looking back despite him nearly having just cut my head off. Following the soft, almost non-existent glow in my mind was more than a little difficult, but I would find a way. I swore that I would be there when you needed me, Gaara. I thought, and then smiled bitterly. Probably not the way we had intended, but you need me now. So I'm coming.
I was walking down a hallway for several moments before finally coming to a stop in front of a door. "Sakura-san. He isn't here at the moment." Matsuri interrupted me, and I looked at the apprentice with a frown.
"How long until he returns?" I asked her curiously.
"Not long. Only a few minutes." She said and I nodded.
"Is it alright if I go in and wait for him?" I asked and she nodded with a small smile. "Thanks!" I chirped before walking into the office. It was only a week since Gaara became Kazekage, so I wasn't even remotely surprised by how messy the place was. Giving the room a once over, I decided it was definite that Gaara would be stressing out. Deciding to be kind, I walked over and started to boil some water for tea.
"Why the hell does a Kazekage have a stove in his office, anyways?" I wondered with a frown. "Probably for the exact purpose I'm using it for… Or maybe they always do what Gaara does and work all night and day and they need food. Assuming that they are, in fact, human." I added the last part with a mischievous smile. "And judging by my few encounters with Gaara's father, one would have to assume that they are not."
I pulled the kettle off the stove and poured the hot water into a cup. I reached to get one of Gaara's favorite tea leaves when I paused. "Should I…?" I whispered to myself, narrowing my eyes. Slowly, I grabbed the leaf and set it in the water, allowing the water to soak it up. Hesitating for a brief moment, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a pinch of some herb that looked like a few grains of sand.
I stared at the cup for several seconds of hesitation before dropping the herb into the water. I set the tea on his desk and sat down, waiting for him to return. After a few minutes, he did. With a grateful look that sent my heart soaring, Gaara put the tea to his lips and drank. Guilt filled me as he drank, but it disappeared when I saw the herb do its job. There, in the corner of my mind, was a glow, leading me straight to him.
Here you go! Sorry again about the length... But anyways, the herb she used is totally made up (no, really?) and it will be further explained later on. Please review! Oh, and I hate having 'Chapter #' for my chapter names, but I'm totally uncreative when it comes to naming chapters. Any ideas would be hugely appreciated! :D