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After the pain	By : Legilmyth Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 9758 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 22
- 23
- 24
Disclaimer:
I do not own the characters of Naruto. I am simply using them to tell a story.
Hello again
everyone. Again this chapter was giving me trouble, I
want to send a big thank you out to everyone who took the time to review.
You guys
really help me get my motivation going when I�m not feeling very creative.
So without
further ado here is number 23, sorry that it is a little short. Enjoy.

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Chapter
twenty three
As of the
beginning of this chapter it has been:
18 days
since Naruto found Temari
10 Since
they arrived back in Konoha
2 since
Naruto left on his mission.
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Unable to
sleep Kankuro stood atop the Kazekage tower, staring
off into the moon lit night. He had been restless all evening, and he couldn�t
pinpoint why. Something inside of him was telling him that something was wrong.
Any yet he didn�t know what it might be.
The feeling
was very different then what he had felt when his brother had died all those
years ago. So he was reasonably certain that both his siblings were alright.
But he couldn�t help but worry all the same, especially for Gaara as he had no
idea where his younger brother was. Temari he wasn�t too worried about, he knew
that she was safely within Konoha walls, and was receiving the best of care.
Looking up
at the full moon he prayed that whatever it was didn�t come to pass.
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Sand
slithered through the trees, between rocks and trickled amongst plant life. The sound of it moving barely audible in the night air.
�You should
be resting.� Shukaku informed his host. Having been disturbed from his own slumber by the red head�s
activity. �We have been at this all day and night. It is nearly sunrise
again.�
Gaara
growled low in his throat as he concentrated on what his sand feelers where
telling him. �I cannot, even if I wanted too.�
�What has
you so restless?� The tanuki inquired. He didn�t know
why Gaara kept searching, especially when he knew that their chakra hadn�t yet
completely recovered. Too much use would drain them again and they would have
to wait twice as long to find the killers they were after.
�Can you not
feel it Shukaku?� The red head asked as he stopped
walking and looked up at the large moon hanging over head.
�Feel what?�
The demon inquired, his voice curious. He hadn�t
detected anything.
�There is
something in the air.� Gaara continued to speak aloud as he knew there was no
one around to hear him. �Something ominous. I feel as
if my very soul is crying.�
�Why didn�t
you mention it before?� His tenant asked. Worry lacing his voice. �I don�t feel
anything at all, and I should.�
�I have been
trying to figure out what it is.� The young man informed him. �When you didn�t
comment on it, I assumed it just wasn�t bothering you.�
�Something
like that would definitely bother me.� The Tanuki
snapped. �I wonder why I�m not feeling it?�
Gaara
shrugged. �I don�t know, I have never felt anything
like it before. And I don�t like it.�
�If you are
unable to rest because of it, I assume it is something serious.�
�That was my
thought as well.� Gaara confirmed. �But since I cannot seem
to sense where it is coming from, or why. I do not know what I can do
about it.�
�And so you
have been continuing our search.� Shukaku nodded his
head as he finally understood what drove his host.
�Exactly.�
�Then I will
stay awake and keep you company.� The demon assured his host.
�It is
appreciated Shukaku.� Gaara murmured as he moved his
attention back to the wide swath of sand he was manipulating through the
forest.
He didn�t
know what the feeling he had meant. But that didn�t mean he was going to just
sit around while he figured it out.
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�With a start Temari jerked into a sitting
position, her eyes flying open, suddenly realizing that she had fallen asleep
in the bath tub.
A hoarse
scream issued from her throat as her eyes focused and she looked down. She was
lying in a pool of blood. Panic seized her, her throat closed and she found she
could barely breathe. Her first instinct was to flee, but as she raised her arms
to lift her out of the frigid liquid, every muscle in her arms and shoulders screamed
in protest.�
And it was
the pain of stiff muscles that brought the kunoichi back to herself.
Dragging in a deep draft of air, her training kicked in, and she managed to get
a hold of herself. Squeezing her eyes shut again, she forced herself to focus
on her breathing.
Although
drawing air into her lungs quickly became easier. She discovered that her
throat ached like she had been screaming for hours. Another shiver ran through
her body, causing her to open her eyes again.
Although she
did not panic this time, her breath did hitch when she saw the red liquid she
was submerged in. �Think Temari, think. There has to be a reason.�
Intent on
getting herself out of the tub she once again tried to brace her hands on the
sides. As soon as she started lifting, her joints and muscles adamantly
protested the action and she found that she didn�t have the strength to lift
herself.
It wasn�t
until she tried to bring her legs under her, and she experienced a sharp pain
in her right calf that realization dawned on her. Her injured leg had fallen in
the water and stained it red.
�Idiot
Temari, how could you panic over something like this?� She berated herself.
Her teeth
chose that moment to start chattering again and her whole body shook with cold
as the adrenaline left her system as quickly as it had come. But when she tried
again to pull her feet close enough to allow her to stand, her legs and belly
cramped.
�A pained groan echoed off the bathroom walls as
Temari fell back against the edge of the tub. Cold water splashed around her
body and she knew she had to get out and warmed up. But she couldn�t ever
remember her body being this sore before. Aches and pains yes, but this, this felt
like her whole body was stiff and any movement was highly protested.
�Come on
girl, you have to get yourself out of this water or you�re going to get sick.�
She chastened herself aloud. Taking several deep breaths, she managed to get
back into a sitting position, although this time even that movement was
strongly protested by her body.
Deciding
that getting out of the cold water was the first thing she needed to do. She
forced herself to lean forward enough that she could reach the drain and pull
out the stopper. She reasoned that at least that way she could get rid of the
water, even if it took her a little while to get all the way out of the
enormous tub.
The sound of
water draining filled the room as Temari made several more attempts to lift herself, with no luck. Her arms and legs simply did not want
to cooperate with her. She hung her head with a sigh as she tried to decide
what to do.
The water
was now only a few inches deep. She watched as the shallower it became, the
darker the water was. Mesmerized she watched as the final stream looked very
much like pure blood, thick and red. Absently she wondered just how long she
had been asleep, that her leg had bled that much.
With a groan
she realized that she had been watching the very reason she was so weak, she
had lost too much blood. Shifting her right leg a bit she was able to get a
partial view of her injury. She grimaced when she saw the angry looking wound.
She wasn�t sure if it was because it had been in the water, but to her it
looked larger then she remembered it to be.
Her body
shuddered as the air caressed her damp skin, raising goose bumps all over her
body. Her teeth had chattered so much that her jaw was beginning to ache. She
leaned against the side of the tub, finding that she was too weak to stay
upright with just her arms supporting her.
Her eyes
drifted around the room, trying to come up with something that could help her get
out. For some stupid reason she had left her towels out of reach, and she
couldn�t lift herself out far enough to change that fact.
Finally her
eyes landed on the shower head above her and she was struck with an idea.
Although she knew most of her weakness could be attributed to loss of blood and
over worked muscles. She was pretty sure that the cold that seemed to have
seeped into her very bones was also contributing to her problem.
Slowly and
painfully she inched closer to the faucet. Once there she turned on the hot
water, its spray was both painful and welcome as it touched her chilled skin.
Carefully adding cold water so she didn�t scald herself she waited a moment to
be sure the temperature wouldn�t burn. Then she turned the lever that would
send the water up to the shower head.
It only took
a moment before the spray to shoot out its first cold streams of water causing
her to gasp. But it quickly turned warm, then hot. Bathing
her whole body in its liquid heat. Scooting backwards
slightly so that she was directly under the strongest part of the spray.
Temari let out a relieved sigh, although her teeth were still chattering a bit,
she could already feel her body beginning to warm.
Closing her
eyes, the Sand-nin focused on her muscles as they once again started responding
to the heat and became less stiff. She didn�t know how long it took, but
finally she felt warm clear through.
Slowly, and
still a little painfully she managed to get her legs underneath her body,
putting herself in a kneeling position. Her right calf protested the most, the
cut making itself known as she moved.
She stayed
in that position for a while, kneeling on the bottom of the tub, letting the
hot water caress her back. She didn�t bother pushing her hair out of her eyes
as the long strands that had escaped the thick braid, clung to her face and
neck.
Knowing that
the hot water couldn�t last forever, the Wind Summoner
finally forced herself to try once again to get out of
the tub. Her legs protested, as did her arms, but she gritted her teeth and
forced herself up and onto the edge of the tub. First on her side, and then
further until she was sitting on it.
She was
breathing hard by the time she righted herself completely. She had to wait a
few moments for her limbs to stop shaking before she was able to reach down and
turn off the running water.
That done
she carefully, and painfully maneuvered first one leg, then the other over the
edge of the tub so that she could turn and her feet rested on the floor. Temari
again cursed herself for not putting her towel within reach. Her whole body
still ached, and the act of lifting her legs out of the tub had made the
muscles in her stomach and lower back throb painfully.
After
another brief rest she slid herself over until she could reach the towel with
her foot and drug it close enough for her to lean down and grab. After wrapping
the material around her body a rest was again required.
The thick
plush material made her feel better. Even though she knew that she was only
half way through her ordeal. She still needed to dry off and get out of the
bathroom.
Because it
required the least amount of effort she first pulled her long braid over her
shoulder enough that she could squeeze the excess water out of it. She
contemplated removing the band and undoing the pleated golden strands. But it
quickly became apparent that her fingers were not interested in cooperating
with that plan.
�Abandoning that idea she instead did her best
to dry herself with her single towel, as she didn�t feel up to attempting to
retrieve another one from the cabinet. Finally she decided that she was as dry
as the situation would allow. It took her a few moments to decide what her next
action would be.
The cut on
her leg didn�t really seem to be bleeding any more, even if it didn�t look very
good. She seemed to remember seeing some salve in the small mirror cabinet that
Naruto had used on his hands that morning he had come back from training to
bandage his knuckles.�
Gauging the distance to the sink, and thus the mirror hanging above it. Temari tried to judge if she had the
strength required to stand and cross the short distance. Sitting there on the
edge of the tub she realized that the towel that she once again had wrapped
around her body was rather damp. And that she was starting to feel a bit of a
chill again. Spotting her discarded kimono on the floor she decided that it
would be a more appropriate covering since it was dry. She would worry about
getting something clean on after she got out of the bathroom.
Amid a number of resting periods. Temari was able to trade the towel for the kimono,
wrap the terry cloth hazardously around her head in an effort to keep her hair
from soaking her clothing. Then she forced herself to stand and limp to the
sink to retrieve the salve and apply it to her leg.
Once all that was accomplished. The Sand kunoichi realized that she had very nearly
exhausted her energy reserves. Yet she knew that she needed a better place to
rest then the bathroom. So with one final effort, she once again forced herself
to her feet, and using the wall for support she slowly moved towards the door.
Intent on getting to the bedroom where she could wrap herself in warm blankets
and get some rest, and gain the strength she needed to be able to get to the
hospital.
She made it
to the door way and was judging the distance to the bedroom door when a flash
of pain tore through her body. It only lasted an instant, yet it took her
breath away. Clutching tightly to the doorjamb as she fought
to stay standing. The pain was too intense and wide spread for her to
figure out where it originated from. So Temari forced herself to take a deep
breath, releasing it slowly through her nose.
�Everything
is going to be fine, I just need some rest.� She assured herself.
Resolutely
she pushed away from her support and took the first two unsupported steps
towards the bedroom door. She felt a little unbalanced, but determinedly she
kept her feet moving.
The
kunoichi�s hand had just touched the wall of her goal when she felt a wave of
dizziness wash over her. She had the vague sense that she was falling as her
body went numb and her vision blurred.
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Naruto woke
with a start. Sitting upright in bed, every one of his senses
instantly alert for trouble. He frowned when a quick scan of his
surroundings revealed nothing that would have disturbed his rest.
He noticed
that it was just starting to get light outside of his hotel room window. And a
quick glance at the curtsy clock told him that it was five am. With a groan he
scrubbed his hands over his face and through his hair. It was entirely too
early to be up after only a few hours sleep.
Still
feeling uneasy, he got to his feet and padded over to the window and look out
at the slowly brightening village. The blond ninja wasn�t sure what it was that
woke him. He hadn�t been dreaming, unlike the other night. But again he had the
distinct feeling that something was wrong.
After a few
moments of contemplation he realized that he might as well get himself
presentable for the day. He couldn�t seem to shake the feeling that had woke
him, so he knew he would never get back to sleep.
With a sigh
he looked down at his dirty, slept in cloths. And decided
that a shower would be the best thing to start with.
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Kyuubi
tapped a single claw thoughtfully as he watched his host go through the motions
of getting ready for the day. Unlike the night before, the kitsune had not
attempted to convey that his host�s female was in need of him.
This time it
had been an entirely different entity that had disturbed the blonde�s rest. The
demon was sure that the sensation that had woke both of them, had the same
feeling as the strange power he had felt from the golden female.
It was
bothering Kyuubi, that power. He was sure that he had encountered something
like it before, but couldn�t put a paw on where. Or exactly what kind it was.
Shaking his
head the fox gained his feet and slowly paced his small confined area. He could
worry about the power his host�s chosen mate possessed later. Right then he was
more concerned with why they had been disturbed.
Kyuubi was
fairly sure that it had something to do with the female, and he wasn�t very
happy with what the feeling implied. Something was wrong with the female. Just
as he had been afraid of, and tried to warn Naruto would happen.
And yet what
was almost bothering the demon more then that, was
the fact that the bond between the two of them was already much stronger then it should be. In all his centuries of living before he
was bound, he had never heard of demons who could bond
so closely that one knew if the other was injured without the two mating first.
And as far
as he knew, humans had no such connection with each other, mated or no.
The whole
situation would normally have thrilled the kitsune, it was a puzzle. And there
was nothing he liked better then a puzzle to pass the time. However this puzzle
concerned his host and his host�s destined mate. And the powerful creature was
afraid of what the outcome might be if something were to happen to the golden
female.
Naruto had
barely survived the loss of the first female he had been attached too, not to
mention his kit. Kyuubi wasn�t sure he could survive such a loss a second time.
Heaving a
sigh, the fox flopped down on his side. He really hated being locked up so
tightly, unlike in the past, he now was no use to his container at all.
�I hate not
having any control.� He grumbled before deciding to focus on figuring out what
kind of power the golden female possessed.
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23
Naruto was
quickly showered, dressed in fresh clothing and heading out the door of his
room. He first headed for the hotel�s dining room. Hoping
that they were open this early so he could get a quick bite to eat before he
went in search of the village elder.
Half way
through his meal he still couldn�t shake the uneasy feeling that had woken him.
His immediate reaction was that it had something to do with Temari, but he
tried to push that away. Attributing it to the nightmare he had had about her
the night before last.
He had left
the girl in the best possible hands, there was no way anything could have
happened to her in the short time he had been gone.
And yet the
feeling persisted. Every fiber of his being was telling him to return to Konoha
as fast as his feet could carry him. Yet he knew that if he abandoned his
mission Tsunade would put him in the hospital.
Keeping that
in mind he quickly finished his meal, grabbed his jacket from the seat beside
him and went to pay his bill. The waitress was very helpful and provided him
with directions to the head man�s house.
By the time
he reached his destination, the sun had fully risen above the horizon, although
it was still very early. Naruto made a point of taking a close look at the
village as he traveled through it. And as far as he could
tell things looked like the people were doing quite well for themselves.
He knocked
on the head elders door, intent on informing whomever
opened it where he could be reached when the elder was ready to see him. But to
his surprise he was ushered right into the man�s office.
�Uzumaki-Sama!� The tall old man exclaimed, a huge
smile upon his face. �I cannot tell you how grateful I am that your Hokage
could spare you. We are in desperate need of your help.�
Naruto tried
his best to keep from rolling his eyes as his hand was shook much too
enthusiastically. From the looks of the man�s house and his well tailored
clothing. He certainly wasn�t hurting financially. Unless of
course he was just really good at putting up a front for visitors.
Seats were
taken, tea was served. And Naruto tried his best to pay attention to his host
as the old man regaled him with all of the problems he had been having with the
negotiations. But the blond, more often then not
found his thoughts returning to Konoha and Temari.
He wondered
if she had picked up her fan, and if she was training with it yet. Finally the
old man invited him on a tour of the town before meeting with the negotiators
from the other village. Being tired of being inside Naruto quickly accepted the
invitation.
Once
outside, he stood for a moment looking South, to Konoha. Then giving himself a shake he turned away and followed his host.
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�And to
think I thought he had gotten smarter over the years.� Kyuubi growled to
himself.
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Tsunade had
barely flipped open the first report of the morning when the door to her office
burst open with such force that it nearly ripped the barrier off of its hinges.
�Hokage-sama!�
Even with
the woman�s ANBU mask on, Tsunade could tell that something was wrong.
�You and
Shizune-san are needed at the hospital immediately!� The cloaked special ops
informed her with a rushed bow.
Tsunade
bolted from her chair. �What�s wrong?�
�There was a
fight in training ground 12.� The ANBU seemed slightly out of breath.
�How bad is
the injury?� Tsunade snapped as she strode for the door. Calling for Shizune
before the ANBU could even answer.
�I don�t
know Hokage, there are too many of them.�
Tsunade spun
to face the black ops ninja who was now behind her. �What do you mean too
many?� The Sannin felt a small trickle of fear in her heart.
Had they
been attacked?
�There are
dozens Hokage. My patrol came upon them a short time ago. Mostly genin, but I believe that there are also a number of chunin
as well.� The masked woman replied.
�We were
attacked? By who?!� The Hokage demanded. No one hurt
her people without retribution.
�I�m not
sure Hokage-sama. When we got there, they appeared to
be fighting each other.�
�What!�
Shizune was
suddenly at Tsunade�s side. �What has happened?�
�Have they
gone mad!� Tsunade growled as she spun on her heel and
headed of the door at a fast clip.
As the three
women made their way to the hospital, Tsunade brought her assistant up to
speed. Then the ANBU informed them that she had been sent to get them as soon
as she and her team had arrived with the first casualties at the hospital.
The female
Hokage burst through the doors of the emergency room to find complete and utter
chaos. People carrying stretcher�s baring wounded were still entering the
building from a side entrance. While the supervising
medic-nin was trying to evaluate each one and send them to an appropriate room.
Tsunade
quickly made her way to the stressed man as he was taking a closer look at a
girl that had a large wind shuriken embedded in her back. The Hokage gasped at
the horrendous wound. She also recognized that girl as being one of the newly
promoted chunin from the last exam.
�What is
going on here?� Tsunade demanded.
The head
medic quickly gave orders to take the chunin to an operating room before
turning harried eyes at his superior. �We are not entirely certain yet Hokage.
Many of the injured have been in no condition to talk. The field team has been
sending the worst ones to us first.�
Another
stretcher arrived holding yet another severely bloodied youth. The bandage
wrapped around his head and covering his left eye was already soaked with
blood. More coated his left shoulder and chest.
Not one to
stand idly by, Tsunade sent Shizune to report to the operating staff. Before
helping evaluate the genin. It only took her a moment
to realize that they would be very lucky to save this boys eye, let alone his
life.
�Take him to
an operating room and tell the staff that I will be right there to work on
him.� She told the men holding the stretcher.
�I�m still
waiting for my explanation doctor.� She informed the head medic.
�As I said
before Hokage, we are not completely certain yet. But there seems to be a
possibility that it might have been a fight between genin
and chunin that got out of hand.� The medic replied as he rubbed the back of
his hand across his forehead.
�You mean
our own, attacking each other?� Tsunade could barely believe what she was
hearing.
�It isn�t
certain yet Hokage-sama. But that is what I�ve hear
whispers of. Truthfully I have not had time to worry about the why.� He
admitted as yet another stretcher came in. �I am simply trying to save them.�
Tsunade
nodded. �I will be in surgery. Send for as many off duty personnel as you
need.�
�Yes ma�m.��
Turning
briskly Tsunade went in search of her first patient. �What a time for Naruto to
be out of town.� She grumbled silently to herself. �It was for precisely for
this kind of situation that I had the boy begin his medical training.�
A nurse saw
her coming and pointed her to the room that held the boy with the head injury.
Then as she entered and was handed her gown and gloves she had no more time to
worry about her prot�g�e.
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23
Entering the streets of Konoha. Kakashi did his best to appear as engrossed in his ever
present book as he normally was. But he was too much on edge to actually
concentrate on the printed page in front of him.
Beside him Iruka was whistling a cheerful tone. The very same one the
Copy-nin was sure that the scar faced man had started whistling when they had
left the village they had spent the weekend at. The teacher was too damn happy
after such a long walk he decided darkly.
After having
barely any sleep the night before because of the outburst of white chakra that
he had felt coming from Konoha. Iruka had woke him up at the crack of dawn and drug him into every
single shop that the duo had missed the day before.
The
Scarecrow had decided after watching his companion all weekend that the Teacher
had to have been a woman in a past life. Iruka
enjoyed shopping just a little too much in his opinion. And after the dark
haired chunin had finally found what he was looking for, he had been so damn
cheerful that Kakashi had been tempted several times to knock him out and dump
him in a hole somewhere.
�You know
Kakashi, you can stop being so grumpy. We are home and you can go do your
brooding all alone if you want too.� Iruka�s voice
brought the jonin out of his dark thoughts.
�Whatever.�
The silver haired nin grunted as he put his book into
his pouch so that he could keep a closer eye on his surroundings.
�You have
been really jumpy lately Kakashi, is there something bothering you that I
should know about?� The teacher questioned. Once again
breaking the Copy-nin�s concentration.
�It�s none
of your business.� The sharingan user snapped. Which earned
him a raised eyebrow from his companion.
Not wanting
to put up with any more of Iruka�s prying Kakashi
decided to try to get the teacher out of his sight for a while.
�Didn�t you
tell Naruto that you would look in on his house guest while he was gone?�
Iruka
snapped his fingers. �Damn, I almost forgot about that. I better go see if
she�s even still in town.�
Kakashi
watched his companion leave and for a moment he felt a little guilty for taking
out his mood on his closest friend. But he knew it was for the best that he distance himself from those that he usually associated with.
It was for
the same reason that he hadn�t told anyone about the white chakra user that was
in town, and more then
likely after his life. They would try to help, and that would get them killed.
The power that was a curse his family had brought on themselves was capable of
untold destruction if it was prohibited from getting at its target.
Namely him.
And he
wanted to at least die knowing that he hadn�t put any of those close to him in
danger. Sighing heavily he teleported to the closest tall
building. He had to keep his eyes open if he wanted to see his
executioner coming.
His life
might be nearly over. But that didn�t mean he was going to walk to his own
death with his eyes closed. He wanted to at least meet it head on.
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Someone was
pounding on her head. Or at least on something very close to
her head, since it didn�t really hurt all that much.
Slowly
Temari opened her eyes. She focused on the ceiling above her with a confused
frown on her face. Why was she on the floor? Did she fall out of bed?
Carefully
turning her head, as for some reason it seemed a little sore. She realized that
she was on the floor in the hall, between the bathroom and bedroom. She rolled
over on her side, the movement was protested by her
body, as sore muscles made themselves known.
Still
frowning she propped her herself up on her elbow and
looked around. For the life of her she couldn�t remember why she was on the
floor. The towel that had been wrapped around her head fell to the hard wood
and she suddenly remembered waking up in the bathtub. Although the whole
incident seemed a little fuzzy, she remembered being cold.
The pounding
sounded again, only this time she realized that someone was actually knocking
on the door. She made to push herself more upright, but found that her arms
didn�t seem to want to listen to her commands.
The knock
sounded a third time. �Yes?� She called, not wanting whoever it was at the door
to think she was ignoring them. Her voice came out with as a croak, although
the volume wasn�t bad.
�Temari-san?� She heard the muffled male voice through the door.
�Yes.� This
time her voice seemed weaker, and her throat started to ache.
Confused she
looked around as she heard Umino Iruka
identify himself. Determined to get herself off the floor she gritted her teeth
and forced her legs up under her belly.
Pain shot
through her right leg, and just like that she remembered not being able to get
out of the tub. And why.
Blood loss.
The
realization caused fear to fill her chest, but it also gave her a flash of
energy. She knew she needed to get to the hospital, and there was someone at
the door who could help her.
23 23 23 23
23
At first Iruka wasn�t sure he had heard the voice from inside. So he
called out again. Listening more carefully that time he was sure he heard a
muffled answer. So he stepped back from the door and waited. But as several
minutes passed he started to get a little concerned.
�A quick glance at his watch told him that it
was after one o�clock in the afternoon. Not many ninja stayed in bed that late
unless they had just gotten back from a mission. Naruto had told him a little
bit about how he had found his house guest. And how she had come to be staying
with him, so the teacher was a little worried for her health.
He heard the
sound of something hard hitting the floor and reached for the door knob, only
to find it locked.
�Temari-san,
are you all right?� He called through the door.
Again, he
couldn�t be sure if he had been answered. But another sound of something
falling reached his ears. The chunin was thinking about breaking down the door
when he heard something land against it. Not hard, but there was a definite
thump.
Several more
moments ticked by, then he heard the lock click. When no movement came from the
knob, he once again grasped it and carefully turned. There seemed to be a
weight against the door, so he very gently nudged it open. Almost instantly he
saw a hand wrap around the edge of the barricade. A moment later he saw Temari
poke her head around the door as well.
�Temari-san!� Her skin was deathly pale. There were black rings under her eyes.
As carefully and quickly as was possible with her leaning against the
door. Iruka edged his way into the apartment and picked up the
unresisting kunoichi. She whimpered as he lifted her into his arms.
�What
happened to you?� He felt her body shivering and quickly carried her over to
the couch where he gently laid her down.
�Training��.�
Her voice was a weak whisper. �Blood��..loss.�
A quick
touch to her forehead found her skin unnaturally cool. �Hold on, I want to get
a blanket then I�ll get you to the hospital.� He assured her.
Iruka was
glad that he knew Naruto�s apartment so well. And therefore he didn�t have to
waste time figuring out where to find what he was looking for. On the way to
the bedroom he saw a smear of blood on the floor. It didn�t look like a lot but
it was spread out quite a bit.
The teacher
didn�t have time to inspect it very closely. Instead he stepped into the
bedroom and went straight to the closet and pulled an extra blanket from the topmost
shelf. He retraced his steps as quickly as he could.
When he got
back to the couch Temari had her eyes closed. Her right arm was hanging limply
off the edge. She looked like she was at deaths door. And not having anything
but the most basic medical training, he was afraid that he may have arrived too
late to get her help.
As he
started wrapping the comforter around her he noted the dark stain on the lower
half of her kimono. It appeared dry so he decided not to check the source, but
just get her to the hospital as quickly as possible. In no time at all he had
her wrapped up and once again in his arms.
�Naru�..to� Iruka couldn�t help
but grimes at that one word.
Heading out the door at a fast clip, as he wished that his adopted son
was there. Iruka had never managed to master teleporting with a
passenger. For whatever reason he never had the time to
practice that particular talent.
But even as
he wished it, he also wasn�t looking forward to telling Naruto what had
happened to Temari. Granted from what she had said it wasn�t like she had been
attacked. But he had promised to keep an eye on her. And from
what Kakashi had told him over the weekend. Naruto was uncommonly
attached to the Sand Kunoichi already.
She lay
limply in his arms the whole way to the hospital. And if it wasn�t for the
continued trembling of her body he would have been worried that she wasn�t
still with him. He had never seen someone as pale as she was.
Iruka
breathed a sigh of relief when the hospital finally came into view.
However,
when he pushed through the emergency doors his mouth dropped open. It was
absolutely packed full of people. There was barely an isle to the admissions
desk. As the teacher started making his way through the crowd he absently noted
that he recognized several of the faces. They were parents of some of his
former students.
Half way to
the desk the receptionist spotted them and before Iruka
even got there. A medic met him.
��What�s the problem?� The tall man asked. As he moved the blanket aside to take Temari�s
pulse.
�I�m not
sure exactly. I just found her like this, she said
something about training and blood loss.� Iruka
replied. Shifting her in his arms slightly so that the medic
could lift the girl�s lids and check her eyes.
�And here I
thought we had all the casualties taken care of.� The man muttered. �Alright
bring her this way. I think I can find an empty bed.� With that he turned and
started clearing a path through the throng of people.
Iruka
frowned as he followed the white clad medic. �I wonder what happened here.�
The Teacher
really started wondering when he noticed a sign that said they were entering
the maternity ward. �Doctor where are we going?�
�Emergency,
trauma, and intensive care units are all packed to overflowing. We have had to
put the less injured in other units in order to make room for them all.� Came
the reply as the Doctor stopped at a nursing station to inquire after an empty
room, and gave orders for another to doctor to oversee Temari.
After
grabbing a clip board the Doctor once again waved at Iruka
to follow him. Within minutes they entered a room and the Teacher carefully
settled his burden on the bed, then stepped back out
of the way.
As the medic
started unwrapping the seemingly unconscious girl,
another medic walked in. Iruka recognized the young
woman as a former student. And he was rather surprised to see her, she couldn�t be more then a
few years out of the academy.
The older
doctor seemed to be thinking along the same lines. �Have you found me a medic
to oversee this case?� He snapped as he removed a stethoscope to listen the Temari�s chest.
�I was
ordered to come down Sir. I�m afraid all the senior staff of this unit are still helping in emergency.� The young lady replied.
��Fine. Start filling
out her chart.� Then he addressed Iruka. �Do you know
this young ladies name?�
�Yes, she is
Sabaku no Temari.� Iruka
replied.
�From Sana,
well then it is highly unlikely that we have any files on her.� The Doctor
muttered as he went in search of the source of the blood staining her kimono.
�Medic, take her blood pressure.�
Iruka wasn�t
sure what exactly he was supposed to do now that Temari had the help she
needed. He knew that he needed to report this to the Hokage, but at that
particular moment he didn�t have much to report.
He winced
when he saw the ugly gash on the Sand-nin�s leg. �No wonder she lost too much
blood.� He mused.
After
ordering the young medic to get the patient on IV and to find out her blood
type for a transfusion the doctor ushered Iruka out
of the room.
�They need
to get her cleaned up and the cut looked after. Once that is done you can see
her again if you wish.�
�Thank you.
But I better quickly go tell the Hokage about this. Temari-san is currently
under her protection.� Iruka replied.
�Last I
heard the Hokage was still in surgery.� The Doctor informed him.
�Surgery?�
�Yes,
because of the massive amount of injured, we were forced to call in every medic
in the village. The Hokage herself is handling the worst cases.�
Iruka
frowned. �So what happened?�
�We aren�t
completely sure just yet. But last I checked we had two dead and dozens of
wounded. If Temari is a guest of Konoha I can make sure that the Hokage learns
of her condition once she is out of surgery.� The Doctor replied as he pinched
the bridge of his nose.
�That would
be good, thank you.� Iruka didn�t know what else to
say given the circumstances.
�Fine, if
you wish to wait around. One of the nurses or the medic in charge will tell you
when you can go back into the room.�
�Thank you
Doctor.�
With a nod
the man was gone.
23 23 23 23
23 23 23
23
Temari felt
like her body was buried in sand. She couldn�t move her limbs at all. Even her
eyes didn�t want to open. She heard someone walking around the room and she
wondered where she was.
She vaguely
remembered Iruka picking her up after wrapping her in
something. But everything after that was blank. Before she could even attempt
to figure out where she was or what was going on. Darkness once again claimed
her.
23 23 23 23
23 23 23
Glancing up at the clock as she threw the last of her bloody scrubs into
the hamper.
Tsunade groaned when she saw that it was after midnight. Reaching a hand up to
massage the sore muscles of her neck, the Godaime headed for the nearest
nursing station.
It had been
a long time since she had been in surgery for such a long time. It brought back
ugly memories of the last great ninja war. Not to mention the last clashes with
Sound and Akatsuki. The blond silently prayed that
this wasn�t the beginning of another war.
Konoha had
been gifted with nearly six years of relative peace. The last thing she wanted
to see was another round of major conflict.
Arriving at
the nursing station she asked for an update from the night shift director. She
sighed heavily when she was informed that they had already lost two of the
injured that were brought in. And there were at least another half a dozen that
would be lucky if they made it through the night.
�Is Shizune
still here?� She asked, trying to stifle a yawn. She was exhausted.
�She is ma�m She said she was going to try to get some sleep in the
staff lounge. Would you like me to get her for you?�
�Tsunade shook her head. �No let her get what
rest she can. I�m going home to try to get some sleep as well. I�ll be back in
six hours. Send for me immediately if any problems come up.�
�Of course Hokage-sama.� The medic nodded.
With that the blond teleported home. And without even taking her clothes off, she wrapped
herself in an extra blanket. Then after making sure her alarm was set she
flopped down on her bed and closed her eyes.
Any business
at the office would just have to wait until after she rechecked all the
casualties in the morning. She certainly wasn�t looking forward to that amount
of paperwork the investigation was going to take.
23 23 23 23
23 23 23
23
Rock Lee
trotted up to the gates of Kohana. Carrying
his exhausted companion on his back. With a cheerful wave to the guards
the tai-jutsu specialist headed straight for the Hokage tower.
He was
rather proud that he and the chunin had made such good time back from Suna. The poor messenger had given out a few hours ago. But
Lee was quite impressed with how long he had lasted.
Once at the
tower he made his way to the Hokage�s office. He thought it was highly unlikely
that the Godaime would be in at this late hour. But he knew one of her
attendants would be there to receive the documents he carried.
�You�re back
in good time Lee.� Kotetsu commented when the
ponytailed shinobi entered the outer office.
�Yes, this
chunin did quite well keeping up with me.� Lee grinned.
�So dare I
hope he is only exhausted and not injured?� the spiky haired jonin inquired.
�No he�s not
injured.� Lee assured him.
The voices
of the two high ranked shinobi woke the chunin who had dozed off on Lee�s back.
With a mumbled apology the young man slid off the jonin�s back.
�Well that�s
good.� Kotetsu sighed. �The hospital is packed full
at the moment.�
�Really,
what happened?� Lee inquired as he pulled the two scrolls out of his inner vest
pocket and handing them to the jonin sitting behind the desk.
�Not sure,
all I know is that a bunch of genin and chunin were
injured and the Hokage is at the hospital helping treat them all.�
Stroking his
chin thoughtfully Lee frowned. �Well I�m sure if I�m needed I will be sent
for.� He paused for a moment. �I suppose the Hokage won�t be in the office
first thing in the morning if she is at the hospital?�
Kotetsu
shook his head. �I doubt it. I don�t know how long she�s going to be there.�
�Well I have
nothing significant to report that isn�t in the letter to the Hokage. But I�ll
bring in my written report tomorrow. Feel free to send for me sooner if there
is anything I can do.�
The
attendant nodded as he wrote a note to attach to the two scrolls. �Will do. Good night.�
With a wave
Lee ushered the silent chunin out of the tower. Once out on the streets he
turned to the tired young man. �Once you�ve had a chance to rest, look me up
and I�ll buy you that drink.�
Not really
waiting for an answer the tai-jutsu master headed for home at a fast jog. He
couldn�t wait to see his family. He wondered if Sakura had been called into the
hospital to help the Hokage. His wife after all was one of the best medic-nin�s
in the village.
Once at his
door he pulled out a key and quietly opened the barrier. Only a small light
drifted out of the kitchen. The rest of the house was dark and silent so he slipped
out of his foot wear and padded across towards the back of the house, making
sure to miss the creaking spots in the floor.
A quick
check in the nursery, which was slightly illuminated by a nightlight
showed him that his daughter was not in her crib. So he moved on to the bedroom
he shared with his wife. Stepping up to the side of the bed he couldn�t help
but smile at the sight of Sakura sleeping on her side. Curled
around the sleeping form of their daughter.
He had
missed them so much.
He caught
himself before he leaned down to pick up the sleeping infant. He was covered in
dust and sweat from his mission. So instead he quietly made his way to the
bathroom for a quick shower.
Ten minutes
later he emerged from the bathroom, turning the light off behind him. Clad only
in a towel wrapped around his waist as he dried his hair with another to find
Sakura standing in the door to their bedroom. Her hair was slightly mused and
she still wore a sleepy smile and one of his muscle shirts.
�Welcome
home Lee.� Her voice was soft so as not to wake the baby.
�Its great to be back.� He murmured
as he hung the towel in his hands around his neck and pulled her close for a
kiss.
�How was
everything while I was gone?� He asked as she wrapped her arms around his waist
and snuggled against his chest.
�Fine. Ayame really missed you.� Sakura replied.
Lee smiled
and kissed the top of her head. �I missed both of you too.�
�How was the
mission?� The kunoichi asked, not moving an inch form her current position.
�Uneventful for the most part. But I�ll tell you about it in the morning. You look tired.�
Lee smoothed back her hair and tipped her chin up so he could look at her face
again.
�Mmmmm, I got called into the hospital for a few hours
today.�
�I heard
something happened.� Lee murmured before leaning down to kiss her again. �Shall
we leave all that talk for morning?�
Sakura
nodded and grasped his hand to lead him towards the bed. She climbed in first, retaking the position she had been in when he had
first come home, curled around their still sleeping daughter. After discarding
both towels he slid in behind her, spooning up to her body. Reaching around her
he carefully ran his finger tips against Ayame�s
cheek before placing his arm protectively around her as well.
�I love
you.� He murmured into Sakura�s hair as he closed his eyes.
�I love you
too Lee.� Came her soft reply as she placed her arm over his and snuggled back
against his frame.
23 23 23 23
23 23
Inside Temari�s hospital room Iruka was
jerked awake yet again by the sound of distressed whimpers coming from the girl
in the bed.
The teacher
had opted to stay with her over night once he found out how bad the emergency
had been. The unit they were in was down to the bare minimum of staff and he
was worried that Temari might wake up and need something right away.
So he
stayed. Catching what sleep he could in a large chair. The young medic that was
put in charge of Temari�s case had apologized that
there were no extra cot�s for him. But with the amount of genin
and young chunin that had been injured. There were also a lot of parents
staying overnight with their injured children.
Getting to
his feet Iruka once again moved to the bed side. Watching the blond Sand-nin closely for any sign that she was going
to wake up. But after a few minutes of sporadic movement and a few more
whimpers. Temari once again seemed to relax back into a peaceful slumber.
It disturbed
the Teacher to see the Sand jonin in such a state. Although he knew as well as
anyone what kind of toll the life of a ninja took on the human mind and body.
He never thought that he would be a witness to the effects it had obviously had
on one of the strongest kunoichi in the lands of both Fire and Wind.
Part of him
felt a little guilty for being the one to be privy her venerability without her
consent. But on the other hand, he couldn�t just leave her alone either. No one
should be alone when they went through something like this.
With a heavy
sigh the chunin moved back to his chair and once again made himself
as comfortable as possible. There was still at least another couple hours until
sunrise. He could only hope that with the morning light the young lady would
wake up as well.
He really
wanted to know the whole story behind how she ended up in this condition.
23 23 23 23
23 23 23
Naruto was
seriously considering slaughtering everyone in the room, just so he could have
some peace. He had been up since the crack of dawn. Having
been disturbed from a sound sleep once again by an indescribable feeling that
he had yet to shake.
The elder that
had requested his presence, had then drug him into meeting over breakfast. And
now that the lunch dishes were being cleared away the old man didn�t seem to be
showing any signs of letting up on his arguments.
�He kept harping over the same things. �This is
too expensive.� �That is not enough for our products.� The blond shinobi had
been zoning him out for hours. Ever since it had become very clear that the man
had only requested Naruto�s presence so that he could be used as an
intimidation tool.
Inwardly the
fox vessel sighed, he really just wanted to get out of
there and back home.
With that in
mind he shook himself out of his semi sleeping state and turned his attention
to the visiting dignitaries. He was about to open his mouth to tell them to be
reasonable and come to an agreement already. But as soon as his eyes fell on
the two men and one woman he snapped his jaw shut.
The woman
looked suspiciously close to tears. While the man that was arguing with the
elder looked down right livid. But it was the second man�s expression that
really caught Naruto�s attention. He looked completely defeated, like someone
had just taken everything he had and then beat the shit out of him for kicks.
Sitting a
bit straighter in his seat, for the first time Naruto took a moment to listen
closely to what exactly was being said between the two arguing men. While he
did so he also took a closer look at the visiting negotiators.
Although
they were clean and well presented their clothing was obviously old and well worn.
Nothing like the gaudy outfit their host was wearing. Naruto suddenly had the
feeling that this mission was not all it had been presented to be. Something
just wasn�t right.
When he
heard the phrase �You are just trying to take advantage of my people.� Nearly shouted across the room. He was sure of it.
Cursing
himself for letting himself be distracted and not picking up on the signs
earlier, the blond shinobi took a moment to try to come up with a plan. He
wished he had taken the time to remember the names of the visiting inhabitants
of Mist. But he hadn�t so he would just have to improvise.
Getting to
his feet he was pleased to see that he had gotten every ones attention without
even saying a word. Although he was less then pleased by the slightly frightened
look he was receiving from the Mist delegation.
�I think
that is enough for today gentlemen.� He did his best to keep his voice calm.
�Why don�t we adjourn and start again tomorrow after we have all had time to
reevaluate the situation?�
The elder
readily agreed and moved to usher Naruto out of the meeting room and into his
office. But the big blond ignored him. Instead he approached the three visitors.
�I don�t
believe I asked how far your village is from here.� He remarked as he did his best
not to seem threatening.
�It is but a
three hour walk from here Uzumaki-sama.� The woman
replied. She kept her head bowed and her voice low.
�I see, so
the three of you are staying here during the negotiations then are you?� He could tell by the way the two men glanced at
each other that they were too nervous of his presence for him to question them as
he had first intended.
So after all
three simply nodded in response to his question he bid them good day and
followed the elder out of the room. He would have to get his information the
ninja way.
It only took
him a few minutes to escape the elders house, after
telling the man that he just wanted to spend the evening relaxing in his room.
Of course he had no intention of doing that, although he did return to his
hotel room to retrieve his pack.
After
putting several seals on the door from the inside he slipped out the window and
climbed onto the roof. In under ten minutes he had
made it out of the village and into the surrounding forest.
After that
it was a simple thing to find the road leading to the Mist village. Keeping to
the trees out of sight of any travelers that might be passing by he set a fast
pace. It wouldn�t take him anywhere near three hours to get there.
And he
wanted to know both sides of this story before he got any more involved.
23 23 23 23
23 23 23
23
�Would you
like to go get some lunch Tsunade?� Shizune asked softly.
The Hokage
shook her head as she pinched the bridge of her nose in an effort to stave off
the headache she was getting. �No, I just was to get some more sleep.�
The blond
medic was doing her best to keep her emotions in check. Another one of the genin had died over night. Her young body just hadn�t been
strong enough to withstand the injuries she had sustained. Tsunade had just
come out of her room after trying to explain that to her distraught Father.
�How are the
others doing?� She asked, in an attempt to distract herself.
�We have eight
that are still in very critical condition. And another twelve that are not quite as bad but could deteriorate without
warning.� Shizune replied.
Tsunade
glanced at her friend and assistant and realized that the brunet looked just as
tired as she felt. �And of the eight, what do you think?�
Shizune
sighed. �I would like to say 50/50 but I�m afraid that might be too
optimistic.�
Tsunade
nodded. And the two headed down the hall towards the main nursing station. Once
there she spoke to the head nurse on duty. �How is the staff doing?�
The nurse
offered a smile, although it too looked tired. �It will be a little difficult
for the next ten hours Hokage. But after that most of the staff will have
gotten a chance to catch up on sleep and it should be much better.�
�And did you
recall all those who are on leave?�
�Yes ma�m, Sakura was even in yesterday
and she is due in again this afternoon to take at least half a shift.� The
white clad woman replied.
Tsunade
nodded. �Well I�m heading to my office. Send for me if I�m needed.�
With that
the two women headed for the door. They were nearly there when a male voice
called out to Tsunade. With a very quiet groan the Hokage turned to see what
the medic wanted.
�Forgive me
for bothering you Hokage.� She immediately recognized him as the medic in
charge from the day before. �I just wanted to make sure that you got the
message about Sabaku-no-Temari.�
The blonde�s
whole body went on alert at his words. �What message?�
�She was
admitted yesterday in rather bad shape. Umino Iruka brought her in, I promised
to make sure that you knew about it.� He replied.
�What
happened to her?� Tsunade demanded. While internally she was cringing.
��I sure hope Gaara doesn�t show up all of a
sudden�
�I believe
that Umino-sensie said something about a training
accident, but I am not sure. She was unconscious when I admitted her.� He took
a hasty step back when Tsunade started marching back into the hospital.
�Where is
she?� The blond snapped.
�She was
placed in the maternity ward Hokage-sama. It was the
only place we had room.�
�Fine, you
can go.� Tsunade snapped. Waving the medic off.
With Shizune
hot on her heels she quickly made her way to the maternity wing. The two women
were very quickly pointed in the direction of the Sand Kunoichi�s room. The
Hokage walked in without even knocking. Only to come to a near stumbling halt
once she caught sight of the pale woman lying in the bed.
�Hokage��.sama.� Temari�s
voice was hoarse but she offered a small smile in greeting.
Tsunade was
instantly by her bed and checking her pulse. �What on earth
happened to you child?� Quickly taking in the IV in
the young woman�s arm and the monitors attached to her. The Godaime was
not sure what could have happened to the jonin.
�Training��.
Got careless.� Temari weakly lifted a hand to point at
her right leg. �I sliced my calf open��.. and now
they tell me that it doesn�t��want to heal.�
Moving
around the bed Tsunade lifted the sheet. She couldn�t help the sharp intake of
breath at the rather ugly wound adorning the kunoichi�s calf. Without even
asking Shizune what was on the charts that her helper was already perusing, the
Godaime channeled chakra into her hands and set to work on Temari�s
injured leg.
A few
minutes later the Hokage was stumped. The cut just didn�t want to heal. She had
never seen anything like it. It was almost as if Temari�s
body was rejecting her chakra. �What does her chart say Shizune?�
The brunet
frowned and handed the clipboard over as she took Tsunade�s place and also
tried to heal the cut. But again, there was no change in the injury.
The Hokage
quickly scanned the chart in her hands. Her brows went up when she saw that
Temari had required two units of blood. After telling Shizune to go find the
medic in charge of their guest she turned to Temari, who appeared to be very
close to sleep.
�Other then your leg how do you feel Temari?�
It took a
moment before she got an answer. �Tired��.. but��. I�m
fine.�
Almost
immediately after speaking the Sand-nin�s eyes drifted closed and Tsunade could
tell that she had fallen asleep.
The Hokage
spent the next half an hour going over the chart with the young medic in
charge. After finding no fault with the young woman�s work she gave orders to
simply keep the wound clean and wrapped. That seemed to be all they could do at
that point. And to inform her if there were any problems.
Not able to
come up with any reason why Temari�s leg wouldn�t
respond to healing with chakra Tsunade and Shizune both agreed that it was a
problem that they would have to leave until they could get some more rest.
So once
again the pair headed for the doors of the hospital. And this time they made
it.
23 23 23 23
23
Well I am
going to leave this chapter here. Since it has been such a hard one for me to
write I think it would be better to just start another one in an effort to
break the writing block chain.
Anyway, as
always your input is always both welcome and inspiring.
Hopefully I
will have more soon.
Legilmyth

�
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After the pain