"Hayama-san...Hayama-san?"
"Is she awake yet?"
"She's not responding."
Kiku could hear voices all around her, but she had no idea what was going on. She tried to open her eyes but they were so heavy. Instead, she decided to stop fighting it and slipped back into the darkness of her own mind.
"Kiku-chan?"
Gaara stood before her...the little Gaara. He was leaning against the side of his house looking up at the sky.
'What is this? A memory?' she wondered.
"Kiku-chan? Do you think I'm a monster?"
She watched tears fall down his face. She remembered this...the first time she really saw Gaara cry.
"Everyone thinks I'm a monster. They all hate me...and I don't understand why." He sank to the ground, sitting on the sand. He burried his face in his hands.
It was suddenly quiet.
Yes, Kiku remembered this.
"I don't think you're a monster, Gaara-kun..." her quiet voice spoke out and Gaara looked at her. "...even if you were...I'd still be your friend. Forever and ever...no matter what. I'd never hate you."
'Forever and ever no matter what...'
Then Gaara seemed to change before her eyes. Now before her stood Gaara...as he was when he attacked her...no tears...just eyes full of hate.
'You'd promised...'
"Hayama-San!"
Kiku's eyes flew open and she gasped, breathing fast.
She looked around...casting a curious look at the three strangers standing around her.
"W-where am I?" she asked.
"Oh thank goodness..." the blonde girl to her left let out a sigh of relief. She turned to the other two.
"Good job you guys...you can go on your break now if you want."
The other two smiled and left, saying they'd be back so the blonde could take her break next.
"W-what's going on?" Kiku started to sit up, wincing slightly in pain at the movement. Her side was throbbing, but she sat up to get a better look at her surroundings.
"Be careful." The blonde ordered. "we just spent 3 hours fixing you up, don't move around just yet."
She saw Kiku's puzzled expression and sighed.
"You're lucky you're alive, you know...I haven't been able to save a single person who's been attacked by Gaara...none of the medics have." A small smile graced her face. "Maybe I'll get a bonus for this."
"You're a medic?" Kiku looked the girl over. She only looked about 4...maybe 5 years older than herself.
The blonde nodded.
"Been doing this for 2 years. I started off with my genin team, but eventually Kazekage-sama placed me in the Village's hospital for emergencies. We've been running low on staff recently." She sighed. "Everyone wants to work on the field instead of here...it pays better cuz it's 'harder'"
"So...you can be a ninja and not leave the village?"
Kiku was suddenly intrigued. She shifted a little to face the medic, ignoring the pain it caused.
"Be careful!" the girl yelled at Kiku's movement before nodding. "It's easy for medics. Harder to find any decent payed missions inside the village without medic skills though."
The blonde smiled. "Are you thinking of becoming a medic?"
Kiku nodded and the other girl giggled excitedly.
"But I don't think my mom would let me take ninja classes...she's totally against it. " Kiku mumbled.
The medic looked the younger child over and thought for a moment.
"Do you know the basics? Chakra control, hand signs, things like that?"
Kiku nodded. "I practice on my own."
The blonde smiled again.
"Then all you really NEED to do is speak to the council and request they test you for work at the hospital. We're really understaffed right now. So long as you pass the test they'll assign you a medic to teach you the job. If you're at least 12 you don't need your parents to sign you up for anything. Most ninjas start young anyway. I was 10 when I became an official genin, personally." She smiled proudly.
The door knocked and a black haired man stepped in, one of the two who'd left the room earlier.
"Aya-San you can get something to eat now. I'll watch the patient."
"Oh goodie! I'm starving!"
Aya clapped her hands together and walked towards the door, turning once more to look at Kiku.
"I'll talk to my superiors for you, Hayama-San. Once your better I'll try and help you out...no worries." She winked and left the room.
Kiku slowly lay back down. Maybe ending up in the hospital was a good thing.
Chapter End notes:
I just want to thank everyone who's been reviewing! :) I really appreciate it. ^^ It keeps me motivated to keep writing chapters...and I've got quite a bit planned for this story. :D Sorry if the chapters seemed a little rushed...I'll try and work on that as soon as my schedule evens out and I can think more. lol.
Oh...and Noel Ardnek gets a cookie for figuring out my thought process on the whole Gaara save/attacking Kiku scene. ^^