People who are Important: Book One

 

Chapter 5

---

"Please stay with me…" a six year old girl cried to her dying mother. Her navy eyes flooded with tears for her parents. Father lay dead just a few feet away. The dead were all around her. She stared into her mother's distancing eyes. 'There's nothing I can do.'

"Mommy! Don't die mommy! Please!" she cried desperately, watching as her mother's breaths became shallower and shallower. 'What should I do?' she thought frantically.

"SOMEBODY HELP! PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP ME!" she screamed into the night. Nobody came. The tears were flowing rapidly down her face; her breath came in violent sobs. She felt a cool hand squeeze her wrist, and looked down to see her weakened mother staring lovingly up at her.

"Shia, get out of here. Run now, I don't want you to see anymore death. Please get out of here," her mother begged her. She shook her head vigorously.

"I won't leave you mommy. You're not going to die," she said through her tears. The little girl placed her small palms over her mother's chest, trying desperately to mimic what she'd seen her mother do a million times. She had to heal her, but the green chakra just flickered. She could not maintain a steady stream of chakra, she was too young. Her mother smiled at her then. It was a sad smile. A smile that scared the little girl. It was the smile of a woman who knew she was going to die. Mother's breaths were weaker, and further apart.

"I don't want you to see anymore death," her mother said as she died. The little girl shook her mother's limp body. Tears falling even faster as she did so.

"Mommy…mommy….Nooo!" she screamed into the night.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Shia sprung up out of her sleep in a cold sweat. Her breath was labored and harsh. She put a hand over her heart, as if doing so would calm the rapid beating. Glancing around her nice hotel room, she saw the sun peaking through her white lacy curtains. She glanced over to the digital clock on her nightstand. 8:30am. 'Not bad. Gotta take a shower, then breakfast, then hospital,' she thought. The nightmare was still fresh in her mind as she let the hot water cascade down her back. Rubbing some rose scented soap over her body, she thought about it. She had been unable to save her mother, and thus, had vowed to become the greatest medical ninja her clan had ever seen. She promised herself that she would never lose a patient, and so far it was working out well.

With a towel wrapped around her hair she sat down at the table to ponder her dream. It'd been a while since those memories had haunted her dreams. 'Why now?' she thought as she sipped her morning tea. She tried pushing it out of her mind as she pulled on her clothes. It was a short kimono, cut mid-thigh to allow better movement. Being a ninja that was always necessary. It was red and pretty, why she was wearing it to the hospital she didn't know, but it'd been such a long time since she'd worn anything but baggy hospital clothes. Knowing there'd be no blood made her more comfortable wearing it to work.

Sunagakure hospital

"Gaara! Good morning!" Temari's voice rang throughout the small hospital room. Gaara's black rimmed eyes opened and settled coolly on his happy looking sister. He'd thought all night on what his sister had said, and had made a decision. He was going to help his older siblings put their broken family back together. After all the years of fear, pain, and suffering, they would be a family.

"So, ya hungry?" she asked, pulling a chair up to the side of his bed, and revealing her surprise. His eyes widened slightly. It was a full breakfast. Eggs, sausage, pancakes, and more. It looked and smelled delicious. He found his mouth watering just looking at it. Temari's green eyes shifted from his face to the food, and he heard her giggle.

"I'll take that as a yes, well dig in. I brought it for you. I already ate, so eat it all if you want," his blond sister said. He attempted a small smile that ended up in more of an amused smirk, but it got the point across nonetheless. Grabbing utensils, he literally dug in to the delicious looking food, not being disappointed in the least. With no offense meant to Temari, it was quite obvious she hadn't prepared this food. Usually Temari's cooking lacked a certain aspect of cooking known as flavor.

"So I was thinking about it and that nurse is coming back today. It's kind of funny actually. It seems no matter what you do to her she won't give up. Seems to be a trait among Konoha ninja," she said. He looked at her, waiting for her point with a full mouth.

"Hn," he said, wanting her to go on.

"Gaara," she said, pausing until she saw his eyes turn on her, "Are you going to cooperate with her?" she asked. His eyes widened slightly, and the room was silent. Then he nodded. He felt Temari relax substantially. When he picked up his chopsticks again, he was upset to realize he'd already eaten all of the scrumptious breakfast. He heard Temari laugh again.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," she said, putting the empty containers into the trash bin.

"Arigato," he said quietly, glancing up at his older sister. She looked shocked, but quickly wiped the look off her face in favor of hugging her little brother. This time he didn't struggle, he just allowed himself to enjoy something he'd never had as a young child. Temari seemed more than willing to make up for all of his lost hugs. Why should he put a damper on her fun? The door opened and they broke away. Shia walked in with a clipboard in one hand and a small muffin in the other. Her hair was tied back with red chopsticks and she wore a pretty red, thigh length kimono. Her navy eyes scanned over the chart on the board as she took a little nibble out of the muffin.

"Shia-chan! You look pretty today. Is there any special occasion?" Temari said, glancing over the nicely put together outfit.

"Oh no!" Shia giggled waving her hand dismissively, "I'm just sick of looking like a man all the time. Just because I'm a doctor doesn't mean I can't look nice sometimes." Temari smiled her agreement. Shia smiled brightly, but she seemed a little off today. Something seemed to be bothering her.

"I think all female ninja should make it a point to look decent. I mean, just because we work in a butch job, doesn't mean we have to be butch," Temari said. Shia just smiled as she began scribbling Gaara's vitals down on the chart. She lifted her long feminine fingers to the pulse point on his neck, looking satisfied with the result.

"Well, I'd better get started here," she said, looking down at her patient. Gaara just stared blankly back up at her. Temari stood up to leave.

"Oh, yea, I've got to get going anyway. I've got a mission escorting some guy around town today," she said, walking towards the door.

"Maybe we should hang out for lunch today," Shia said, Temari smiled and nodded.

"Yea, maybe we can do some shopping too. I should be done with the mission by 1:30. I'll meet you at the hospital," Temari said. Shia shook her head, removing the I.V in Gaara's arm, and forcing him to down some more gross medication.

"No, I'll be discharging your brother today after I check his injuries, which should have healed. I'll probably get him settled in bed by 11:00, and stay with him until Kankurou comes by for lunch. So meet me at your house I guess," Shia said.

"Alright, well see you later Shia-chan. Bye little brother," Temari called closing the door behind her. Then there were two. The nurse turned back to him after a few seconds, and smiled nervously. Something was on her mind. It was quite obvious something was eating at her.

"I need you to sit up and swing your legs over the side of the bed," she said in a professional tone.

He did as he was told, and watched as the nurse began to undo the wrappings on his leg. She took the splint off and began feel the bones in his leg. He saw her nod and smile, guessing it meant it had healed well. She then laid her warm palm over his shin, filtering green healing chakra into his bones until she was satisfied. Gaara could feel the bones moving back into place. She quickly felt the bones in his wrist looking happy with her findings again.. She wrote it down on her clipboard and dropped it softly on the bed in order to discard the leg bindings. He took a glance at the board.

(Medical Chart)

'Patient's body seems to heal quickly due to the entity sealed inside of him. The dark chakra has both good and bad effects on his body, seeming to hurt him when angered, but heal him when injured. The poison has been flushed from his system by the medication which has thankfully been taken everyday as recommended. All internal damage seems to have healed, both lungs and heart sound normal.

The wrist seems to have completely healed on its own, and will be able to function as it did before injury, as expected.

Patient's shin fractures have healed naturally for the most part. Minimal chakra healing was necessary to heal the bones into their original positions. Patient will have to endure some physical therapy to get his stiff joints used to movement once again. One to two weeks is recommended.'

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

He finished reading the medical report, a little shocked that there was actually observations on it. Most doctors just doodled on the clipboard when it came to him, just to make it look like they were doing something. Shia walked back over and placed the clipboard on the counter. She placed a small hand between his shoulder blades and applied some pressure.

"Could you stand for a minute? I just want to see how stiff you are," she said. He slid off the bed slowly to stand on stiff legs. The nurse's hand served as a comfortable balance while he got used to being upright after over a week of laying down.

"Alright, try and walk over to the door," she said, smiling reassuringly at him. The young doctor to be walked just a foot from his side to make sure that if he fell, she could catch him. Gaara's legs were stiff, and it was slightly uncomfortable, almost painful, for him to move them. He didn't like that at all. How could he train if he could barely move his legs?

"Tell me what you feel," the girl said, not missing his discomfort. Gaara's pale eyes moved to her concerned face. He wasn't much of a talker. He most certainly didn't talk to people he really didn't know. It was important to his recovery he knew, but he'd just taken a major step out of his comfort zone when he'd decided to trust her with his well being.

"Alright, I see you're not very talkative. I want to make this as comfortable for you as possible. It's very important for a patient to have a comfortable healing environment. I'm going to ask you some questions, and all you have to do is nod, or shake your head. Is that okay?" the young nurse said, smiling nicely at him. He appreciated the thought, and nodded.

"Okay, do you feel any numbness in your muscles?" she asked, he shook his head. She jotted a few notes down.

"Do your bones feel stiff or brittle?" she asked. He nodded, and decided to distinguish which of the two out of thanks for her thoughtfulness.

"Stiff," he said in his usual monotone. His voice seemed to startle her a little. Her dark blue eyes widened, and one of her small hands moved to her heart. 'Is she afraid?' he asked himself. He looked at the ground, shame emanating from him. He didn't want to be feared. Maybe he should have stayed quiet. 'Why do I have to be a monster?' he thought. Ever since his fight with Naruto, and his attempts to make new bonds, the question that had plagued his childhood came to his mind more and more.

Shia was a little shocked when her patient spoke. The sudden deep sound just startled her slightly. She'd never really heard him speak much, and certainly didn't expect him to do so now. Looking over at him, she did not miss the shame that was etched in his posture. It through her off a little. Why was he ashamed?

"Um…are you okay?" she asked, he glanced up at her through pale eyes. Should he even say anything? Maybe he should just shut her off, like he would anyone else. Or maybe he should ask her before he jumped to any conclusions. He went for the first one, straightening his posture and icing over his eyes. The nurse stared at him, confused with his sudden mood change.

"Okay, well lets get on with the analysis," she said, but he just turned sharply around, causing his stiff legs to scream pain at him. Ignoring it, he tried to walk briskly over to the hospital bed; where he planned to lay down, and be uncooperative for the rest of the checkup.

She'd feared him, and all he'd done was be nice, or his own version of nice, to her all morning. He knew no one could do anything but fear him. Even this girl who didn't know him thought he was a monster. No matter how civil he was towards her. He tried to walk over to the bed. He failed miserably, however, and felt his stiff knees buckle under the swift, unexpected movement. Gaara braced himself for impact, which never came. Instead he felt a pair of slender, yet strong arms wrap around his back; his head fell into something soft and warm. Looking up, he saw the nurse staring down at him through dark worried eyes. He nearly ripped himself away, seeing as he'd fallen straight into her chest.

"What's wrong? You've been so cooperative until now, I don't understand," she said, sounding a little disappointed. She tried to help him back to the hospital bed, but he pushed her away, struggling to walk on his own. He felt her temper boil.

"Stop it! You're going to strain yourself, and end up more injured than you were when you got here! Let me help you!" she ordered sternly, to which he just glared her down fiercely.

"I told you I don't need your help woman!" he snarled at her. Her dark eyes widened in surprise, seeming kind of crestfallen, but blazed with angry fire in an instant.

"I told you! I'm your doctor now, and I'm going to heal you whether you like it or not! Now stop pushing yourself! Your muscles and joints aren't ready for so much after being stagnant for over a week!" she yelled in both anger and worry. He sneered at her, throwing her off once again, happy when he heard her hit the wall with a thud.

"Why are you doing this!" she cried out, causing him to look back at her. She looked confused and upset. He glared at her furiously until he saw her flinch. He allowed Shukaku to show through his eyes. When he saw the fear enter her eyes, he smirked. 'You are scared,' he thought.

"I am a monster, I was born a monster, and I will always be a monster. You fear me do you not?" he asked in a quiet, but menacing tone. She started to tremble, there was that look again. Shia tried to pull herself together. 'He likes it when I'm scared,' she told herself. Her body continued to tremble, her mind going into a frenzy. 'Calm down. The demon feeds on fear,' she thought. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and sent a level stare into his eyes. Fire flashed in his aqua eyes. (Kill her now! That wench is challenging you!) Shukaku roared in his mind. Shia felt the familiar coarseness of the sand going up her leg.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked again, not allowing the fear inside to show

on the surface. The fear is what fueled that entity inside him. 'If I don't show him any fear, maybe he'll be able to fight the beast,' she thought.

"Didn't I tell you before. I was born a monster…a monster who thirsts for blood, and the blood I've chosen is yours," he said in a slow, calculated, and almost lustful tone. Shukaku flooded his senses with blood lust, making it almost impossible for him to keep control. This is not what he wanted. He didn't want to kill the nurse. Ignore her yes. Agitate her with uncooperativeness yes. Frighten her just a little...maybe. Kill her..no. Gaara wanted no more innocent blood on his hands. Her deep blue eyes stared unflinchingly up at him.

"No one is born a monster. Monsters are made, over time, with hatred," she said, calmly and levelly. He felt himself gasp, and like a bucket of ice water was thrown on him, he felt himself come back to the surface. His sand retreated into the gourd, and he just stood there, staring down at the woman against the wall. Shia wondered what was going on in his mind. Did he win control, or were they still battling now?

"Are you alright..um...?" she asked. He just continued to stare at her for a minute. 'Monsters are made, over time, with hatred…'

"Gaara," he said, looking away. Shia let out a breath, and shot him a confused glance. Obviously he'd won the battle against the demon inside of him.

"Wha.."

"My name is Gaara," he said blankly.

Knowing he couldn't make it to the bed with his stiff joints, he opted to let himself fall into the chair next to the door. Her dark eyes followed him intently; she still hadn't moved off the floor. It was silent for a long time. Gaara just pondered on his nurse's statement. 'No one is born a monster. Monsters are made, over time, with hatred.' Did that mean she didn't think he was a monster? Did it mean she's admitting to thinking he's a monster? What did it mean? 'Monsters are made…' She was right. When he was younger, he could remember wanting to have friends. He could remember wanting to care for other people. He used to be upset when Shukaku hurt them. It was their hatred of him, that had turned him into what he'd become. Yashamaru's betrayal had merely sped up the process.

"Gaara-san," he heard the nurses voice call. He turned his pale eyes on her worried expression.

"Are you alright?" she asked again. He just stared at her again.

"You were afraid," he said bluntly. She blinked, taken aback. Her dark eyes became serious.

"I..I was," she said honestly, "I thought you were going to kill me. You told me you were going to kill me. Of course I was scared," she answered. 'Not what I'm talking about,' he thought.

"No, not then, before that. During the analysis, you got scared when I spoke to you. I hadn't done anything yet, but you feared me," he said, an almost undetectable hint of bitterness in his monotonous voice. She thought back, running over the moment in her mind. 'He thought I was scared. It must be tiring having people judge you before they know you.'

"No…no. I wasn't afraid, I was just startled at your voice. Temari-san told me you didn't talk much, and I tried to make it so you wouldn't have to. I didn't expect you to say anything," she explained, making him feel like a little bit of an idiot for jumping to conclusions. He heard a nervous giggle, and directed his gaze in the direction of its issuer. She still looked a bit shaken up, but instead of fear there was now guilt in her eyes.

"Is that why you were mad? Gomen Gaara-san…I wasn't afraid of you before the sand started going up my leg," she said, giving him a weak smile. He could see she was still getting over their violent argument. Shia's dark eyes flicked over to the clock on the nightstand, and widened.

"Oh Kami! We've got to get going. I have to fill out your discharge papers. You have to get settled at home, and we still have to finish up this analysis," she said, looking frantic. The nurse pulled herself up swiftly, stabilizing herself on the nightstand before walking over to her clipboard. He watched her write some things down and walk back over to him.

"Just stay there for a minute," she said, opening the door so she could poke her head out, "One of you idiots get in here with a wheelchair pronto!" she yelled into the hall. She looked down at him, and sighed dramatically. He actually kind of liked the lack of respect she showed to the medical staff of the hospital. It was entertaining...and well deserved.

"Alright, um…after the wheelchair gets here I'm just going to have you walk over and sit down. I'll ask you some questions about how it felt and we'll get moving," she said, as a nurse rushed in with a chair. He glared at it.

"I don't want that, it'll make me look weak," he said, and she just laughed.

"Boys…...your body can't handle so much action as stiff as it is right now. This will be the easiest way," she said. He knew the nurse was right, but he didn't want to show the villagers any more weakness than he already had.

"I don't need it," he said stubbornly. She glared.

"Let's not start this again. Just trust me will you. I'm you doctor, would I hurt you?" she asked, staring at him through pleading navy eyes. He growled, earning another glare. He glared back at her full force. Finally she let out an exasperated cry throwing her arms up in the air dramatically.

"Okay, I'm not going to be able to heal you properly if we keep fighting like this. Let's just start over…hi, my name is Akito Shia, and I am going to be your doctor/physical therapist for the next few weeks," she said, holding out her hand to him. Gaara eyed her tiny hand, letting the wheels turn in his mind.

"Sabaku no Gaara," he said flatly, giving her small hand a little shake. If she was willing to wipe the slate clean, it would give him an undeserved third chance to change her outlook on him. Not that he actually knew her outlook on him; he just assumed it was the same as everyone else's. She smiled before walking over to a drawer and pulling out a stack of papers.

"Okay Gaara-san, walk over to the chair. Take your time, and focus on how your muscles and joints feel. I'm just going to get these discharge papers out of the way," she said, clicking open a pen and running the point swiftly over specific points on the clean white paper.

Gaara pushed himself up into a standing position. He fought a grimace as his joints cried out in pain. He felt so stiff, but fought it in order to walk slowly, and uncomfortably over to the wheelchair. With every step he felt his muscles ache, and his joints groan under his weight. 'Amazing how hard it is to walk when you've laid down so long,' he thought, glad to see he finally made it to the chair. He blew out a long breath as he eased himself into the seat. Finally he looked at his occupied nurse. She was on the last sheet in the packet, somewhere in the middle.

"Nurse," he said, and navy eyes looked up at him, the concentration fading from their blue depths.

"I told you, my name is Shia, Akito Shia," she said, returning her gaze to the papers. He was a little shocked, but decided he didn't want to argue any more.

"Akito-san," he said. She looked back up at him, and smiled.

"Better," she admitted. Her navy eyes became professional once again as she went into doctor mode.

"Now, did you feel any pain, nod once for a little, twice for a lot, and shake your head for no," she said. He nodded once, and he saw her move the papers aside to scribble on her clipboard. After about ten minutes both the analysis and the discharge papers were done.

"We're making good time," she said, adjusting her Konoha forehead protector. Shia grasped the handles of his wheelchair and started pushing. She stopped when she heard his irritated growl.

"I know you don't like the chair Gaara-san, but I can't have you aggravating your muscles just yet. I'll need to work out the kinks before you'll be able to walk properly," she said. He 'Hn'd'. She sighed.

"Alright, um, what if you disguise yourself to look like someone else," she said, smiling at her ingenious idea.

"You can do it right? You are a ninja," she said, he nodded, making a hand sign and muttering "Transform" before a puff of smoke surrounded him. When it cleared, an old man with white hair sat in the wheelchair. Shia smiled and patted his shoulder with her hand.

"Good job," she said, he 'Hn'd' and she wheeled him out of the room. 'Interesting day,' she thought to herself.