RECAP: This is a long chapter, lots of dialogue.

Number 3 had just bumped into what seemed like a patient. But she was in the staff's cafeteria. She turned to see who'd she'd bumped into.

"Hi X."

"Mr. Gaara? This is the staff cafeteria, where's your wheelchair?"

"It's at a table, I can't very well go through this line with it can I?"

"Who let you in here?"

"Who do you think?"

"...Oh."

"So she let you have a break?"

"Mhm, there's a troublesome patient she said I need my energy for. It's physical therapy so I'm not sure how bad this guy could possibly be."

"Name?"

"Kamako, I think."

"Did you maybe mean Kankuro?"

"Oh yeah! That's it."

"HA! Have fun with that."

"You know him?"

"He's my older brother."

"But you're pretty nice. I imagine you're brother is the same."

"Underneath it all yeah. And I'm not nice all the time. I try to be but I do have a bad side."

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you wondered why I've healed so fast."

"...Now that you mention it...why?"

"Oh, I won't tell you. It'll ruin your image of me. Anyway Kankuro likes to push people to their limit, be prepared for lot's of nasty comments. Not to mention the fact that Sakura could be egging him on."

Gaara got his food, got back in his wheelchair and started wheelin back toward his room. Number 3 sat down with some other interns. Gaara got back in his room and finished his food and had a nurse take his tray back. Sakura came in to check on him.

"Hey."

"Hey, where's 3?"

"She'll be meeting me soon. We're working on Kankuro today."

"That'll be interesting."

"She deserves it."

"Why?"

"Oh I forgot to tell you. Sasuke's breathing on his own! He's still unresponsive but that means he's definitely alive. So I go in there and there are all these interns in there and he's choking on his breathing tube and I have to get it out. Interns should be able to do that. Anyway so I start going off about how no one could do it and she says they don't know how to do it on a dead guy. How arrogant!"

"...Maybe she was just scared. Ya know hiding behind arrogance."

"Are you defending her?"

"No but I mean people make mistakes."

"And those mistakes have consequences."

"Alright, alright. Don't let Kankuro be too obnoxious."

"I'll try."

She left Gaara and went down to the physical therapy area with Number 3. She met her outside the door, she didn't know who Kankuro was.

"OK, Kankuro's the one on the treadmill. Don't let his obnoxiousness fool you, he's a really skilled ninja."

"Yes ma'am."

"And he has a nasty scar all down his leg which you and I will be watching so be prepared for innuendo."

"Yes..ma'am?"

Sakura walked her in and met up with Kankuro who was currently trying to use a very slow moving tread mill. His scar went all down his leg so bending it might prove difficult even for Kankuro, hence the physical therapy.

"Hey Sakura. Who's your cute friend?"

"This is Number 3, today she's my bitch."

"Can she be my bitch too?"

"She certainly can, there's a reason she's my bitch so feel free. She's already met Gaara."

Kankuro whispered over to Sakura-

"Has she? I bet she's judging him in her head."

Sakura watched Kankuro's knee as he walked. Number three was looking at his face, trying to find a resemblance. She didn't realize she was staring but Kankuro did.

"Like what you see?"

"I'm sorry sir, just looking for resemblance."

"Resemblance? To what."

"Aren't you Gaara's brother?"

"Sure am. But I'm the hot one."

"...Right..."

"So bitch, what would you like me to call you?"

Sakura chimed in before she could.

"Call her Number 3 or Bitch."

"Well, since there's some younger people in here I'll call you Number 3."

Sakura raised the incline some and Kankuro winced a little. Number 3 had gone from staring at Kankuro to staring at the floor. Kankuro laughed.

"Wanna see my scar?"

"That's OK sir."

"So Number 3, how old are you?"

"Um...eighteen..."

"Oh so you're not a minor."

Her face went bright red and she froze. Sakura looked up at her and giggled.

"Kankuro, you really shouldn't tease her like that."

"Who says I'm teasing?"

"Whatever, start lifting your legs more when you step."

Number 3 turned her attention back to the floor. Kankuro kept talking to her.

"So have you had a serious boyfriend?"

"..."

"So you have huh?"

"..."

"So what all did you two do? Nothing past occasionally letting him feel you up? Further than that?"

"..."

"You've been doing things that make gentleman like me blush. You slut."

"..."

"So you're just gonna take this? I guess you took everything else huh?"

"..."

"So how many of these serious boyfriends would you say you've had? Hm?"

"..."

"Mm, sounds like a lot. I bet you've caught something by now-"

Number 3 was on the verge of tears as she stared at the ground. She had a few tears escape. Sakura stood up and helped Kankuro off his machine and stopped it. She said under her breath-

"She can only take so much Kankuro."

"As I recall your other interns took quite a bit more."

"People are different."

"You're nurses don't seem to mind."

"Ugh...you're frustrating."

Kankuro grinned at Sakura. Number 3 was still in shock staring at the floor. Sakura manually bent his knee a few time then started his machine back up again and Kankuro walked to the best of his ability. Number three was crying, doing her best to stop it but crying. Her hair was short so it didn't cover he face very well. Sakura wasn't watching her and neither was Kankuro. He looked over at her and saw she was still staring at the floor but now she was crying. Sakura revved it up higher and he was doing pretty well. A few minutes in Sakura asked Number 3 to go and get Kankuro a leg brace. She left as fast as she could.

MEANWHILE

Naruto had cleaned up the apartment and had come back to the hospital. He said hi to Gaara who told him about Sasuke's lack of breathing tube. Naruto didn't believe it and went to see for himself. He did and then went back to Gaara.

"I can't believe it!"

"I know right."

"Do you think he'll come back?"

"Not sure...I don't want to get Sakura's hopes up..."

"Oh, man. I'm gonna go splash some water on my face. I'm pretty tired."

"OK. I'll be here."

Naruto left and went into the bathroom. He was about to fall asleep so he really needed to splash some water on his face.

MEANWHILE

Number 3 was crying pretty hard so ran into the nearest bathroom and splashed some water in her face to calm herself down.

"Um...hi..."

She hadn't noticed but there was someone else at the sinks.

"Oh...hi..."

"What's wrong?"

"Just some patient said some stuff to me."

"Strong enough to make you cry? This person sounds like an ass."

"...I thought he'd be like his brother..."

"Um...if you don't mind me asking...what are you doing in the men's room?"

"What? Oh crap."

She started to walk out but he stopped her.

"I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Naruto."

"Hi..."

"So what did this guy say to you?"

"...I don't want to repeat it..."

"That bad, eh. Well it'll only make it worse if you let it get to you. Come here, your eyes are all puffy."

Naruto got a hand towel with cold water on it and dabbed her eyes. Her breathing calmed and her eyes started looking better.

"There."

"Thank you Naruto."

"No problem. So are you new here?"

"Kind of, I'm an intern."

"Intern? My friend that works here is in charge of her own interns. Is she in charge of you?"

"Who is she?"

"Sakura Haruno."

"...Yes, that's my attending."

"Sorry she's so hard on you guys. It's been rough lately with Sasuke, I heard she punched one today and another is her chew toy for today...you wouldn't by any chance be one of the interns who couldn't get his breathing tube out were you?"

"...Yes..."

"Aw, Sakura's just gonna have a field day with you huh?"

"Mhm..."

"Well good luck."

"Thanks."

"Your welcome."

Number 3 walked out of the bathroom and Naruto left too. Naruto went back with Gaara and Number 3 got the leg brace and went back down with Kankuro.