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As promised the next chapter, hope you enjoy it. Please let me know by leaving a review.

Thank you to my AMAZING Beta cheekylips for being supportive and wonderful as usual.

Chapter 11 Latent Potential

Maiha spent many days and long hours at the hospital observing. Any free moment she had, Maiha would dive into Ai's journals and books. Her internship was going well and was getting more involved with cases when she could.

"Okay Maiha, how shall we proceed with this patient?" Sakura asked one day.

The small child, seated on the examining table, was rather intimidated by the two women donned in medial scrubs with a serious look on their faces. "Let's see." Maiha began examining him by checking for broken bones in his arms, looked in his mouth at this throat, listened to his heart and then finally came up with a treatment based on what the information obtained. "I think what we have here is a bad case of 'I triple dog dare you'." Both Maiha and Sakura smiled.

"And the treatment?"

"Clean the abrasions with soap and water apply an antibiotic ointment and keep covered for seven days or until fully healed."

"Very good Maiha, would you like to do the honors?

"Yes I would thank you Sakura."

Maiha cleaned and treated the boys wounds and then led him back out into the gathering area where his mother was waiting for him. "Everything looks fine ma'am; there are no broken bones just some scrapes and bruises."

"Well do you know how it happened?" The woman asked.

Maiha just shrugged and said with a smirk "Boys will be boys."

She knelt down to his level and cupped his hand in front of his ear. Just before she spoke Maiha noticed Kakashi come from around a corner and focused in on him as she whispered into the boy's ear. "I hope you think twice before jumping off a swing at its highest point." She looked back over at the boy as he quickly turned in amazement that she knew what had caused him his injuries. Maiha smiled and gave him a wink.

"Thank you Maiha-san," the little boy smiled and gave her a small hug.

Maiha handed the mother some medical supplies that would treat his injuries.

"Yes thank you Maiha-san. Have a good day."

"You too. Thank you," Maiha said as she waved goodbye.

Maiha sent Kakashi a bright smile as he walked over to her. "Hi Kakashi." When he reached her she leaned in and gave him a small hug. Not expecting it, his body stiffened and he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her. They parted and he took in her brilliant smile. There was something different about her happiness; it almost seemed to radiate from her body.

"Hello Maiha. Lady Hokage told me that you were here but I had to come see it for myself. How long have you been interning?"

"Uh, since you left on your mission, let's see how long has that been now?" She thought hard as she rested her chin on her thumb and index finger.

He chuckled, "Three months. It was a long one."

"Oh wow I guess the days seem to blend together when you keep yourself busy." She placed her hand on his upper arm and spoke softly with a smile, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to sound so insensitive." She delicately moved her hand down his arm down to his grasping it, "I'm happy you're back and in good health."

The rigidity that his body held from her unexpected hug faded and was replaced by a warm comforting feeling brought on by her touch. "It's okay Maiha; Lady Hokage told me that you have been working as diligent as ever. Do… you… want to come out to lunch with me? I'd like to hear what you've been up to."

"Oh I'm sorry but I can't," and she pouted a bit. "There a lot of patients here and they are short staffed today so I am helping out where I can. But make it dinner and we can go out to the lake, it's a full moon after all."

"Oh, okay sure."

"I am off shift at six so maybe seven."

"Sounds good, eight o'clock."

Maiha smiled and gently pushed her index finger into his chest as she raised her eyebrow "Seven, and if you're on time I'll treat."

"Seven it is then," he nodded.

Maiha looked down and shook her head and then glanced back up at him with a grin, "I'll see you later Kakashi."

"Yeah see ya," he responded pleasantly and then watched her walk away until she disappeared around the corner of the hallway leading to the treatment rooms. He put his hands in his pockets smiled to himself and then turned to leave.

He carried the warmth of their contact with him until he arrived at her door, thirty minutes late.

He knocked and there was a small pause before Maiha answered.

"You're late," she said with a teasing smile.

"You said seven; I said eight so I thought it would be best to meet in the middle."

She let out a giggle, "Let's get going I want spend some time at the lake before the sun comes up."

He stepped aside so that she could exit her apartment and closed the door behind her.

Their time spent at the lake allowed her to fill Kakashi in on her life while he was out of the village. There was a silence for a few moments as Maiha looked up at the clear night sky. Since he had seen her earlier that day it seemed that a smile had never left her face. He enjoyed seeing her this way. Until Maiha, nothing in his life made him feel the way he did when he was in her presence and as she got older that feeling only strengthened as she matured.

Though he had many comrades in the village, not one held the amount of compassion that she had in her heart and for him that was her most alluring quality. Maiha had this amazing ability of making him feel human and real. Instead of holding the almost mythical identity of the Copy Ninja master of over one thousand jutsu, he was simply Kakashi.

"She would be happy for you, you know."

Maiha looked over to him quickly and focused on the words that he spoke.

"She would be happy and proud."

The smile that lit up her face seemed to illuminate the night. "I still really miss her but I think working in the same place where she spent so much time makes me feel close to her again, just like coming out here to the lake." She fidgeted with her necklace. "Hmph, I bet that sounds silly."

"Not at all Maiha, you and Ai were very close. Her passing was sudden and though as shinobi we are taught to push things aside initially to do our duty we still have to come to terms with what has happened in order to move forward from that moment. Time," he exhaled "it doesn't wait for us and nothing in life is scripted. Only by accepting what has been can we gain strength, gather wisdom and awareness of how we can use the lessons learned to not only help ourselves but those in the world around us."

She smiled as she listened to him. Maiha came to love this side of Kakashi, his explanation of life through philosophy. In her eyes it's what made him so charismatic. It gave him presence, though to anyone other than her that was usually overshadowed by his chronic lateness, preference of reading material, and the reputation that he had with the ladies.

Maiha found herself drifting out of the conversation. She had become intoxicated with his words, mesmerized by the movements of his lips under the material of his mask as the hum of his voice sent vibrations to her soul. She smacked her lips and let out a light sigh, Kami when did he get so damn sexy?

"Maiha!"

Her thoughts were suddenly disrupted by him calling her name.

"Huh?" her body jerked as she snapped out of her reverie.

"You totally lost focus there; maybe you should get some rest. You've been working hard lately. Don't you have rounds with Sakura in the morning?"

She slightly blushed "Uh yeah I do, maybe you're right. I have been pulling some long shifts lately."

"C'mon I'll walk you home," he said sweetly.

After they reached her door she unlocked it, pushed it open and then turned to him, "I really enjoyed our time together tonight Kakashi."

"Me too. I'll see you later okay."

She leaned in and gave him a longer more affectionate hug before looking up to him with one of her beautiful smiles.

This time he welcomed their embrace and found himself lost in her enchanting eyes holding on a bit longer before letting go.

"Goodnight."

The room was dark and his mismatched eyes were the only part of him that could be seen as the light from the street lamps crept in through an opening in the curtains. It highlighted only the section of his face that was already known. The rest was still hidden by the intangible mask of darkness; she liked it this way, though wanting to see him, simply knowing there was no mask only fed her anticipation. She hovered over him and allowed her fingers to softly peruse the landscape of his body. Each muscle so defined it felt like she was running her hands over chiseled stone. She leaned forward and inhaled taking in his scent, kissing and playfully biting at his chest then pleasing her taste buds with the salty flavor of his skin as she scripted her name tagging him like property with a pointed tongue. She inched her face back from his chest before blowing a light breath over the moist skin drawing out a shiver and a delightful hum.

His hands roamed about her body, they were rough but a delicate touch made the sensation far more enjoyable than another smooth surface against her silky skin. His hands were large and as he touched her body it teased her senses as the warmth from their contact dissipated into a cooling trail once moving to a new area. He gripped her bottom and cupped her breasts moving between the two with soft sensual sweeping motions of his hands, leaving her lusting for more.

She fed her own arousal by the control she exhibited over him and how she could make him react with any movement she made, they were slow but diligent, a tease but yet a pleasure until finally she could feel him tense underneath her. He was close, she could tell by the way he panted between each pleasurable moan. Perfectly in tune with his approaching release she readied herself to enjoy the same response just... a ... little... more…

BEEP...BEEP...BEEP...BEEP...

Maiha sprung to a seated position in bed gasped for air and then looked over to her side at the blaring wake up call from her alarm clock. "Ugh, it was all just a dream," she raised her voice in disgust and fell back down on her bed. She muffled a scream by her pillow before throwing it across the room. That was the first of many mornings that she would find herself twisted up in her sheets and in need of a cold shower before the start of her shift.

The next three months Kakashi was in and out of the village on missions and Maiha continued on with her internship at the hospital. He would drop in on her when he could and she would seek him out if she was off that day and he was in the village. Coffee breaks, lunch dates and moonlight meetings seemed to bring them closer but he still remained behind that line he had drawn so long ago. Though now it seemed to be composed of dashes instead of a think bolded one allowing Maiha to permeate through the barrier.

Concerning her internship Maiha was advancing by leaps and bounds. Though there was still much to learn she did show promise to practice the trade. It had nearly been a year since her internship began and she felt had made the most of it thus far. She often referred to Ai's journals and brought them to the hospital on occasion for reading material during her breaks. She would sit out at one of the tables on the hospital grounds to eat her lunch, read her journal and enjoy the warmth the sun provided.

One afternoon, just before heading in from her lunch routine, she was spotted by Kakashi while he was on his way back from Tsunade's office after receiving his latest mission. He thought he would drop in to say hello and inform her of his mission departure since he hadn't seen her in while. She had completely immersed herself in her studies and anything having to do with the medical building.

Maiha checked her watch and noticed that it was time to head back inside. She stood up and stretched reaching her arms over her head and then brought her arms down. She exhaled picked the journal up off the table and turned to go back into the building running right into Kakashi. "Oh I'm sorry, excuse me I didn't mean to…" and then she noticed who it was. A smile spread across her face, "Hello Kakashi."

"I'm surprised you even remember my name, "I haven't seen you in quite a while."

"Oh sorry I have been working long shifts at the hospital. The more I work the more I learn and the better I can help out," she smiled.

"And the sooner you'll burn out," he mentioned. "Still haven't learned that have you," he shook his head. "There is such a thing as being to ambitious, if I didn't know any better I would have thought you invented the concept."

"I can't help it Kakashi, some of us have to learn by doing and not just watching," she poked at him in a flirtatious tone.

He chuckled, "I lost that on a technicality."

She smiled "I wish I could stay and chat a bit but I really have to go back in, I'll see you later though okay."

"Oh, well I have a mission, another long one, so take care of yourself, I'll see you when I get back."

Once she heard the word mission she focused all her attention back on him. She grasped his hand lightly and rubbed her thumb gently over the back of it, "Okay, I hope everything goes well and that you return safely." She spoke in a caring tone.

"I'll try my best," he said as he pushed a section of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear with his other hand.

Her heart felt as if it burst wide open. How could one simple touch of a finger have her walking on air. She slowly let go of his hand and they parted ways both with an endearing smile.

A year had passed since the beginning of Maiha's internship and she was talking to Sakura about how much of a whirlwind it had been for her.

"Maiha, I am so impressed with your skill level and how well you are advancing. Sakura said.

"I spend a lot of hours here absorbing everything that I can. When I go home I pour over Ai's medical books and journals and I think that has been helping tremendously. Ai wrote everything down, she even did problem solving strategy on condition care in her journal, and it's all very interesting."

"Ai was very meticulous about everything she did. She wrote everything down and worked on advancing treatments and improving patient care. It's part of what made her one of the best medics in the village," one of the nurses butted in.

Maiha smiled, "On more than one occasion I helped her lug those note books back and forth. I still have all of them at home, whenever I get the chance I look through them."

"Sounds like you had a great model to learn from. That must be where you get your work ethic from," Sakura chuckled.

"Not you too Sakura, I hear enough of that from Kakashi," she laughed.

"Really though, you had so much potential and at the time great guidance why did you not decide to become a medic?" Sakura asked.

"I think at the time this place reminded me to much of Ai that I avoided it if I could."

"Well I am enjoying the help. It's always good to have another capable set of hands," Sakura said with a smile.

"Thanks," Maiha said as she smiled back.

Their conversation was quickly interrupted by one of the nurses. "Miss Haruno, Miss Haruno, three shinobi were just brought in, they are in pretty bad shape."

"Sorry Maiha gotta go."

"Understood," she followed, however, to see if there was anything that she could help with.

Sakura analyzed all three shinobi. "All three are critical, I hate to do this but I have to make a choice. I think that this one isn't going to make it so I will have to concentrate on the other two," she said sadly. "Please contact the on call medic."

"Sakura let me help. If he is critical I can't make him any worse. She didn't want to experiment on the young shinobi but if she could help in any way she would. If I can just keep him alive until the next medic gets here.

"Ok Maiha, but please be careful," she said, "I won't be able to assist you if you stretch yourself to thin."

"Ok, I will," Maiha replied.

Maiha could tell that he was fighting the decent into death. She whispered softly into his ear, "I know you are strong young shinobi but we can only fight so hard for so long before we have nothing left to sustain our life force." He is going into shock I need to work quickly. Ok focus, balance, and precision. Control the flow. Oh Ai, I need your help... please. Her hands began to glow green and she moved them over his body searching for the cause of his condition. Damaged lungs, most likely from a crushing blow let's fix that first so you can breathe a little easier. His breathing seemed to not be as labored after a short time, but he still wasn't stabilizing. What am I missing? Maybe the heart. She ran her hands over his heart and found that it was weak most likely from the damage his body had sustained. We have to fix this right away and that should stabilize you. Maiha concentrated on his heart, requiring her to use a large amount of chakra. Damn it, I'm getting tired; I hope the medic gets here soon. The young shinobi was fading and the nurse was trying to comfort Maiha as it seemed that her effort to save him just wouldn't be enough given the condition he arrived in as well as her lack of experience.

"Come back, now is the time to fight," Maiha pleaded trying everything she could just to keep him alive. "Walk away from the darkness and come back to me. Follow my voice. I know you are strong, fight," she said continuing to coax him back.

The on call medic rushed in to assist Sakura with the injured shinobi. "Is everything ok Sakura, what can I do to help?"

"Check on the shinobi with Maiha first, I am doing okay over here," Sakura said.

"Maiha?" He said and he turned to face where she was standing. He rushed over, "What's going on?"

"Just trying to keep him alive until you got here," she was sweating and she was breathing heavy from the chakra she had expended.

"Here let me help you," the medic moved to the other side of the shinobi and placed his hands over Maiha's. She could feel the chakra pass through her hands and into the young shinobi's body.

After a time the nurse shouted excitedly, "He's stabilizing!"

"Just a little more Maiha, it looks like he is going to make it." Maiha looked over to him as a tear streamed down her cheek. The male medic worked closely with Ai before she had passed. "Ai would be so proud of you right now," he said. Maiha smiled back.

Maiha made it a point every day to stop by the young shinobi's room to see how he was doing. She looked at his charts and his vital recordings. "Everything looks on the up and up, she said." Maiha placed her hand on his forehead and stroked his hair softly. She felt a small connection to him. This is why Ai loved being a medic, she smiled.

The young Shinobi began to wake. He opened his eyes and tried to focus. "It's okay, please, take your time."

"Your voice, I remember it. Did... Did you save me?" he asked.

"I had a part in your care but I wouldn't consider it saving, you saved yourself," she answered.

"I came back to you," he smiled weakly. The young shinobi tried to focus on her face. "You're and angel, I've never seen eyes so blue."

"Oh, I'm no angel," she replied as she blushed.

"No, you saved me you are my blue eyed angel, he continued."

"What kind of pain meds do they have you on? I think you're delirious," she chuckled. "Okay that's enough now it's time to rest, I can't imagine that you would want to stay in a place like this for too long."

"If you are here I don't mind," he began again trying to extend their conversation.

She attempted to change the subject. "I think that you will be here for a few more days to recover so concentrate on getting better. Behave yourself, okay?"

"I will," he replied and he exhaled as she took the wind out of his sales and he watched her leave the room.

Maiha had the following day off so she had hoped the shinobi's fondness of her would fade. However, when she returned she had found that the shinobi had only become more inquisitive about her.

"I hear you have quite the admirer, Maiha," Sakura teased. "Blue eyed angel huh? As soon as he asked I knew he was talking about you," she laughed. "It's happened to me before too, men seem to be captivated by eyes. He will be discharged soon so don't worry."

"I'm glad that he feels good enough to joke around," Maiha said as she exhaled.

"Hey before I forget, a group of us are planning to go out this Friday night to one of our favorite bars. Would you like to join us? We are both off the schedule Friday and Saturday, one night to enjoy and one day to recover." she said excitedly.

Maiha thought for a moment. "You know, I don't think I have ever been out on the town. I usually just keep to myself."

"Then it sounds like it's time then!" Sakura said.

"Okay. I look forward to it," Maiha smiled with a nod. "Oh but wait, I don't have anything to wear."

"Don't worry. I'll get Ino on that she loves this kind of thing. Oh wait till I tell the girls they are gonna be so thrilled!" Sakura was practically dancing with excitement. "We all meet at Ino's at seven o' clock. I'll come over to your apartment a little early and we can go together."

"Sounds good."

"Ok well let's get started on rounds we have a lot of patients to see today," Sakura said as she took a breath to calm herself.

"Let's get to it!" Maiha agreed.