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Shogi Anyone?	By : Shortcake Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 13933 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything Naruto related. I make no profit from this story.

Chapter List
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So, this is what it feels like to go insane. The pink haired kunoichi fidgeted as she sat on her bed with an IV still feeding into her left arm. A stack of books, medical journals, and her own notebook were strewn about the night stand and comforter as she went from one to another in frustrated succession. Naruto slept soundly in the comfy chair at her bedside, his long body contorted in a foxlike curl with his head dangling over the chair’s arm, light snoring the only sound in the room. Sakura tried to meditate.
The first day of her confinement had been easy. Relieved at the news of Gaara’s good condition, she allowed herself to sleep and eat, knowing on multiple levels that she needed it. Today was a different matter altogether. She’d read through the three novels Temari brought her by noon, ironically cursing the fact she’d mastered speed reading. After a short nap and lunch, she’d been through all the medical journals she’d been meaning to catch up on as well.
Now it was 4:00 in the afternoon. She wasn’t tired, she hated being leashed to the IV stand, she was bored senseless, and no one had bothered to update her on Gaara all day. She wanted to spar, go for a run, heck, even Tai Chi in the garden would help. But none of those were allowed. In a couple of days, the Tai Chi and maybe a short run could be added back. But another eight months without sparring? How would she make it?
As for today, she had only one card left to play. “Naruto… Naruto are you awake?”
The orange clad ninja shifted in the chair slightly at the sound of his name, then resumed snoring.
Sakura sighed. How he could sleep like that was beyond her. She threw a novel at his head. “Naruto! Wake up!”
The orange clad ninja jumped out of the chair. “What!? … Where?! …Sakura! What’s wrong?” His senses were now fully alert and ready to defend his compromised teammate.
“Naruto, I’m going crazy with boredom.” She explained from the confines of her bed.
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, “Oh! That’s all. Well, do you want to talk? Or I could get you a snack! Some ramen for my nephews?” The enthusiastic shinobi made a clone, not waiting for a response. “Sakura-chan needs a snack. See what you can find, you know.” The clone nodded and sped out the door as Naruto sat back down.
Sakura sighed, leaning her face into the palm of her hand, frustration oozing from her pores. Naruto was doing his best. Being short with him wouldn’t help anything, so she managed to restrain herself. “ummm… Thanks Naruto. I’m not really hungry or anything. I’m just… I want to see Gaara. And I can’t. He’s in the hospital. I’m stuck here. And no one – not Tsunade, not Ino, not even Temari – no one has been by today to give me an update on his condition. I’m worried.”
Naruto squirmed in his seat. He knew that if Gaara’s memory hadn’t improved by now they’d have used Ino’s back up material. Why no one had told her that and why nothing had come from the hospital in an update was problematic. “It’s probably just that they are all busy over there, you know.” He tried to reassure her.
Sakura caught the kyuubi’s squirming. They’d known each other forever. “What are all of you hiding from me Naruto?” She glared at him as beads of sweat formed on his whiskered face. “Tell me everything or I swear, I will get up out of this bed and pound it out of you.” She showed him a clenched fist for emphasis.
Naruto gulped, “I don’t know what you’re talking about Sakura-chan.” He stalled, “I’m not hiding anything from you. And, I mean, you know, you are his doctor, so … no one is hiding anything. Nothing hiding at all.”
“Naruto!!” Sakura’s face turned red with anger as she yelled through clenched teeth, “Spill it!”
Just then, the clone returned with a plate of sliced fresh fruit and a glass of milk. “It’s snack time!” The exuberant copy proclaimed. Handing the tray to the original Naruto, he poofed away.
The hokage wannabe smiled. “Tell you what, Sakura-chan. You enjoy this tasty snack and I’ll go over to the hospital for an update, you know?”
Sakura seethed. This was a stall tactic if she’d ever seen one. Still, it would be good to get current information. And the fruit smelled fabulous. “Well… alright. But I swear if you’re not back in an hour with news I will go to the hospital myself. Understand?!?”
Naruto handed her the tray and made for the door hastily, “Sure thing, Sakura. I’ll be right back. Don’t you worry about a thing!”
…
(Earlier that morning)
Tsunade popped into Gaara’s room on her morning rounds. She found him sitting up, chatting with Kankuro and Temari, the remains of his breakfast pushed to the side. “Good morning, Lord Kazekage. How are you feeling today?” Her assessment was already well under way, but she’d need more from him directly to get a sense of his brain function.
Gaara’s usual stoic expression framed his simple reply, “Better than yesterday, Lady Tsunade. My headache is gone.”
“Good… good…” Tsunade nodded as she flashed a pocket light at his pupils. “How’s your memory coming along?”
Gaara scratched his head, thinking. “Well, Kankuro and Temari have updated me on certain things, but I must confess, other than a handful of brief snippets, my memories from the last five months are still missing.”
The godaime nodded. “Hmmm… I will send Ino in shortly. I don’t know what you did or didn’t include in your back up procedure, but it seems that was a prudent precaution.” She turned to Temari and Kankuro, “Have you discussed Sakura with him yet?”
Gaara answered for them, “I’m told that our wedding is in a week. Something about a treaty with you.”
Tsunade frowned. They had an agreement, yes. But was it wise to enforce the terms in these circumstances? But with Sakura pregnant, delay wasn’t exactly a choice. “Yes. However, I was referring to yesterday’s events.”
Kankuro stepped in, “We weren’t sure if we should say anything, what with him so soon from the surgery and still not remembering… things.”
Gaara raised an eyebrow, “What have you not told me, brother?”
The hokage cut in, “Please stay calm, Gaara. I’m sure Kankuro simply wanted you to focus on your own recovery. To answer your question, though, Sakura collapsed in her room in the wee hours yesterday morning after she left the hospital. Temari and Ino found her. Now she’s on three days of bedrest in her room with the cover story of a flu bug putting her under quarantine.”
Kankuro shifted nervously in his seat, “I’m sorry, Lady Tsunade. I knew she was overdoing it. I should have made her leave sooner. But… You know how stubborn she is.
Gaara reflected. “I remember… you called her ‘doc’… that was Sakura? You spar with her?”
Kankuro’s eyes widened with surprise. He thought Gaara had been sound asleep. He glanced over to the sannin who simply motioned for him to speak. “Yes… and yes. We thought you were still asleep. By the way, you spar with her too. I guess you don’t remember that she broke three of your ribs.”
Gaara harrumphed, “That’s impossible. My sand would protect me. Why do you lie, Kankuro?” His eyes narrowed at the thought.
Temari jumped in. “He’s telling the truth, Gaara. I invited Sakura to train with us shortly after she arrived. That week, we were practicing Tai Jutsu. Sakura beat me in a spar on Tuesday, you beat Kankuro, so you and Sakura sparred on Thursday. Anyway, she was seriously giving you a tough time. So, you let her land a kick to your side instead of blocking, in order to throw her off. It worked. She had expected you to block. You took advantage of the surprise and pinned her, so you won the fight. And while the sand protected you, you still ended up with three cracked ribs.”
Gaara scratched his chin thoughtfully, “hmmm…. That does sound like a tactic I’d use. It’s just… well, Sakura doesn’t look that strong. She actually bested you, Temari?”
Kankuro jumped in this time, “Yes, she’s beaten me too a couple of times. Basically, with Sakura, if she lands a punch, you are done and grateful she can heal you back afterwards. Your only real hope with her is to stay at range, and she’s got a few tricks up her sleeve there too.”
Tsunade just smiled. “That’s my girl.” She beamed with pride. The hokage cleared her throat, returning to a very professional tone, “I’ll send Ino in shortly to talk with you about memory recovery. At least it is only your short-term memory that’s been affected. Your brain seems to be fully functional, so we should be able to discharge you tomorrow. You’ll undoubtedly need some time to resume your normal schedule, and of course, your wedding is in a week. Congratulations… By the way, Gaara, since you don’t recall the meeting we had last week, I should remind you. Sakura is like a daughter to me, so be good to her. Understand?”
Gaara held his poker face while his insides were a chaotic mess. “Of course, Lady Tsunade.” Who was this Sakura he supposedly loved? He certainly did not want to make an enemy of the Godaime Hokage. If indeed he had impregnated the girl, surely he was on thin ice there already. It all seemed so surreal to him. The last thing Gaara of the Sand was prone to was careless relationships. How could any of this… this… nonsense… be true?
Tsunade held her smile as she headed to the door. “Excellent, Lord Kazekage. Ino will be with you in just a bit.”
…
“Yamanaka Ino, what the hell do you mean there’s no back up?!?” Tsunade’s temper was on full display. “That’s why you are here! Why didn’t you say anything sooner?!?” She glared at the younger medic, violent rage barely suppressed.
Ino braced herself for the wrath to come. It was shooting the messenger for certain, but there was no one else available, so the shit was going to land on her. “Lady Tsunade, it was a voluntary procedure. The Kazekage would not give consent. I explained the risks several times. I offered him hypnosis, anti-anxiety meds, complete control over what was and wasn’t recorded… but he wouldn’t change his mind. He said it was too much like what he went through with Shikaku and he just couldn’t tolerate having someone else in his mind. He also invoked the confidentiality clause and forbade me to discuss it with anyone else, including the medical team, unless the applicable conditions were met as they are now.” She sighed, lowering her head in anticipation of a serious ass chewing.
Tsunade fumed and steamed, her red face contorted as she nearly spoke twice. Then she simply grunted in frustration and broke the table next to her into splinters. “Damn that stubborn, pig-headed man!” She grunted again, a semblance of order finally returning to her features. “The conditions… of course. It is now medically necessary to discuss this and Gaara can’t speak to it since he doesn’t fucking remember!”
Relieved that her ass was still in one piece, Ino asked cautiously, “Lady Tsunade, what are your orders ma’am? How do you wish for me to proceed?”
The hokage took a deep breath, weighing the conditions at hand to the best of her abilities. “Ino, go in and tell them everything you told me. After the shitstorm settles, offer him what you can as far as hypnosis and whatnot. And for goodness sake, do NOT breath a word of this to Sakura. Not yet. Understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Ino bowed and headed into the gauntlet that was Gaara’s hospital room.
…
“Sir, are you certain you want them in the room with us? You have the prerogative of privacy if you wish.” The buxom blonde used her most professional tone. The war and its aftermath had thrust her into adulthood and she stepped into her position gracefully. She could only hope that Temari and Kankuro didn’t feel awkward around her after their encounters. She certainly didn’t feel that way. Ino viewed sex as a fun activity you pursued in your spare time. They were all single, consenting adults, after all.
“Yes, medic. I want my brother and sister in the room. Please proceed.” Gaara’s reply was nearly curt, subtle signs of frustration showing through his practiced, stoic façade.
“Very well, then. It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that I do not have any back ups of your memory. You declined the procedure for your own personal reasons.” She pulled a form from her clipboard showing him his signature and the checked box DECLINE.
Gaara took the form from her, read through it quickly along with his own signature, and handed it to Kankuro. Temari looked over Kankuro’s shoulder as they both read the bad news.
Kankuro spoke first, “What is he supposed to do now, Ino?” His authoritative voice rang with annoyance.
Ino maintained her composed and professional tone. Truly, it was a wonder these three siblings were so close with all of them being so alpha. She’d love to pursue that juicy psychological thread, but she needed to stay focused on the problem at hand. “Before the procedure, Gaara assured me that he keeps very detailed journals that would help him with any memory gaps.”
Gaara nodded, “I do. I’ve done that since before I became Kazekage. That will be helpful.”
“Beyond that, I can offer you two services, which you can choose if you want anything, both, or nothing. First, I can share my memories of the past few days that include you. You would be seeing your own words and actions, along with the other people who were present, from my point of view. It’s a bit like seeing a video. Second, I can use hypnotherapy to help you reestablish neural connections with the memories in your brain.”
Gaara frowned thoughtfully. Neither of those choices was inherently appealing. Seeing her memories, the least so. “So, to show me your memories, you’d be inside my thoughts but only to give me access to your memory?”
“That’s correct.” She replied simply.
Gaara went on, “And this… hypnotherapy… How would that work exactly?”
Ino took a seat. “That’s a question Sakura is better equipped to answer. However, since she’s on bedrest, I’ll do my best. Basically, your memories are still there in your brain, but the neural pathways you normally use to access them are broken. It’s kind of like trying to cross a river when the bridge is out. The land on the other side is still there, but you can’t reach it. We can use hypnotherapy to help you rebuild the neural pathways. It often takes several sessions and the results are difficult to predict.”
Gaara considered her words, “I see… How is Sakura better equipped to answer the question?”
Ino was deeply concerned. She knew her best friend was madly in love with this man and pregnant by him too. He knew almost nothing about her. “My knowledge of the human mind and abilities to manipulate the mind are primarily based on my clan’s jutsu. However, Sakura has read just about everything available on the topic of neuroscience. Lady Tsunade had her learn speed reading, and Sakura was already an excellent student, so you’d be hard pressed to find anyone with a more thorough understanding of your condition than her. Well, that is, once we tell her your condition, of course.”
Kankuro cut in, “You mean, no one has told her about his memory loss?!? Temari, I thought you had that covered.”
Temari shrugged, “I went to tell her, but then Ino and I found her… in poor condition. Anyway, Tsunade took it upon herself to let Sakura know that Gaara was awake and speaking and all… But she left out the part about him not remembering anything about the last 5 months.”
Ino chimed in, “And my orders from the hokage an hour ago were to keep this quiet from Sakura as long as possible.”
Kankuro chortled, “Do you two realize what will happen when she does find out?”
Ino played with her pony tail idly as she responded softly, “Personally, I’m hoping to not be in the building when that conversation takes place.”
Gaara considered these things and the events of the day carefully. There was something about Sakura’s condition they were keeping from him too. He just flat needed more information. “Very well, then. Miss Yamanaka, I think we should begin with you sharing your memories with me. We can go forward with the hypnotherapy later if that seems viable. I’d like to think about it some more.”
Ino bowed, “Of course, Lord Kazekage. This is a simple jutsu and should only take a half hour or so to complete.” She made the signs and took his hand in hers. She showed him the meeting in his office, dinner that evening, and the impromptu dance with him kissing Sakura in front of the group.
When she released him from the jutsu, Gaara simply sank back in his bed processing. “Oh my!” was all he could say. All his doubts were erased. While he still did not understand how they’d gone from her breaking his ribs to being engaged and expecting, that single snapshot from the day before the surgery told him a lot. The fact that they were keeping information from him about her and from her about him didn’t sit well with the Kazekage. He took a deep breath and was about to speak when a bright orange flash flew through the door.
“Gaara! How ya doing, my friend?” Naruto effervesced.
Ino punched him kind of hard on the shoulder, “Ever hear of knocking, Naruto?”
Naruto was panting from the run to the hospital, ‘You don’t understand, Ino… If I’m not back in time, she’ll come here herself… She’s worried… and mad… a bad combination, you know?”
Ino narrowed her eyes, “Naruto! What did you tell her?”
Naruto waved his hands in innocence, “Nothing! I swear, I didn’t say a peep. But she ran out of reading material and started looking at the clock and thinking and stuff… Anyway, the best I could do was tell her I’d come over for a report because all of you were probably just too busy to come by. But if I’m not back in…” he looked up at the clock, “forty-five minutes, she swore she’d rip out her IV and come here herself. So please, for the love of Kami, please give me something to tell her.”
Gaara sat up, throwing his feet off the edge of the bed. “Naruto, I’d appreciate it if you’d leave one of your clones here to walk with me. You may go and tell her I’m on my way to see my bride.”
Ino’s eyes widened at the prospect, “But, Lord Kazekage, you haven’t been properly discharged from the hospital! You can’t just… leave! Lady Tsunade has not released you! There’s paperwork that has to be completed!”
Gaara sighed, turning to the curvaceous medic, “Miss Yamanaka, I am the Kazekage. I do not need permission to do anything in my own village. Temari will finish the paperwork. Kankuro, give me my clothes. Naruto, make a clone and go back to Sakura’s room.”
They jumped to follow Gaara’s orders as a stunned Yamanaka Ino stood with her mouth wide open, “But… But… This just isn’t how things are done in a hospital… I’ll be right back!” She stepped out of the room, followed directly by Temari, who went to the nurses’ station.
Ino returned five minutes later with the Hokage in tow. “I’m telling you, he’s determined to leave now, and you are the only one capable of talking sense into him.”
They stepped into the room just in time to see Gaara pulling on his shirt. “Ah, Lady Tsunade, how are you doing?” He continued, running a comb through his hair as the perturbed medic took in the room. Naruto’s clone leaned against the wall as Kankuro gathered up Gaara’s personal effects.
“I’m fine, thank you… Gaara, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” The godaime spoke frankly.
“I’m going home now, Lady Tsunade. Thank you for your excellent care, but I have business to attend to at my house.” The stoic sand shinobi replied.
Tsunade crossed her arms across her ample bosom, “Sir, you are not scheduled for discharge until this time tomorrow. I’m afraid going home now is not an option.”
Gaara crossed his arms across his chest, matching her body language, “Really Tsunade? Please explain the medical reason I should stay here another day.”
Damn him calling her bluff! Yet she persisted because she didn’t want Sakura upset yet. “It’s simply standard procedure following a surgery of this type. You need round the clock medical supervision to be sure there are no complications from the procedure.”
Gaara scoffed, “You don’t want her to see me yet. And there’s something about her you are keeping from me. I don’t care for such secrets, madam hokage. I’m going to see my bride and that’s all there is to it.”
Tsunade could see she’d been beaten. “Fine.” She scowled, “But you need to be gentle with my apprentice. I won’t have her hurt.”
So, this was mother bear Tsunade trying to protect her own. He took a breath. “Lady Tsunade, I love Sakura. I don’t remember falling in love with her. I still don’t remember much of anything from the last five months. I can only tell you that I feel it deep in my soul. I love her, and I know she needs me. Therefore, I must go to her. Anything else is irrelevant.”
The sannin medic was genuinely surprised. “All right, Gaara.” She relented. “I’ll sign off on your paperwork. You truly do need extra rest. I don’t want to see you back here because of complications, understand.”
Grateful for her change of heart, Gaara compromised too. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll be sure to follow the discharge instructions carefully. Temari and Kankuro will be certain to remind me.”
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