Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Curative Career of Kaori the Ninja Nurse ❯ The Sleeping Prince ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The Sleeping Prince

After a rather interesting lunch (she had to admit Gai was quite a storyteller, or rather a tall tale teller), Kaori returned to her desk. She thought little of the strange man in green but instead her thoughts dwelled on his eternal rival. `How irritating it must be to have someone like Gai in your face all the time. I wonder how Kakashi can stand it. He must have the patience of a saint.' She added that to the growing list of Kakashi's superior attributes.

Kaori settled down to her stack of reports to update before her afternoon rounds. She was actually in a good mood for once. Tomorrow was her day off. She had her usual errands to run such as going to the market and paying her bills, but she actually had something else to look forward to - her reading sessions. It was not exactly like having a man in her life, but it was something she could talk about to her family whom she would have to see for dinner tomorrow. But then Otoha came back from wherever she was loitering (probably the men's locker room) with a sinister smile on her too red lips.

“So I hear you've been hanging with Gai-sensei,” Otoha teased.

“What? Where did you hear that?” Kaori blushed furiously.

“Oh word gets around. I didn't think he was your type.”

`Damn, it must be the cafeteria workers.' “He's not,” Kaori stated coldly.

“He's not that bad. Nothing in the looks department but the body's solid and it's all done in the dark anyway. He looks like he could be fun.” The buxom brunette was trying hard not to laugh.

“You can have him.” With that Kaori abruptly stood up, grabbed her medical bag, and left for her afternoon rounds. She could hear giggles in the background.

`Damn! Now everyone's going to think Gai and I are involved. I'm going to kill her! Damn, wish I knew a lethal jutsu that can't be traced back to me.'

But then Kaori thought of how Lee and Gai were driven by their rivals. She decided that Otoha would not be her nemesis, her thorn in the side, but rather a rival. Not that she was much of one really. Otoha was not better in anything except attracting men. Why she could exceed her merely by getting breast implants.

With that thought Kaori decided to be each patient's favorite nurse and smiled extra brightly as she checked their monitors, took their temperature and blood pressure, and changed their bandages. She decided to furtively skip Lee for now and continued to Sasuke's room.

The pink haired girl was back and reading to her obsession. “Good afternoon Sakura-san,” Kaori greeted. She noticed that Sakura had brought a yellow and white daffodil to place in the little hospital provided vase, just as she did during Sasuke's last stay.

Sakura smiled up at her. She also seemed to be in a better mood. After all, the sleeping Sasuke was the nicest he'd ever been to her and he was all hers now (Ino had to pull double shifts at the flower shop). “Good afternoon Kaori-san. Has there been any change?” she asked hopefully as Kaori checked the monitors.

Kaori shook her head. “Not really but…see this blip on the brainwave monitor? It looks like he's responding to your reading.” Not exactly the truth but it couldn't hurt to make her feel better. Then Kaori had another thought.

“So I've been reading to your sensei. It's a romance book, the new one on the Konoha Times bestseller list, `Gone with the Wind.' Is that the type of book he likes?”

Sakura turned a bit red. `How could anyone in Konoha not know?' she wondered. “Er…not exactly. Umm…more like Icha Icha Violence.”

`So it's true,' Kaori thought in disappointment. “So what kind of person is your sensei? Is he really a pervert? I mean has he ever…made any inappropriate moves on you that…didn't seem like it was part of a jutsu?”

“Eeew!” Sakura exclaimed in horror at the thought. (Inner Sakura: “Bleach my brain!”) “He's not that kind of pervert. He's a …repressed pervert.”

“Repressed pervert? What does that mean?”

“Well…” Sakura pondered. She went into her analytical mode. “Kakashi sensei's propensity for porn appears to be an outlet for… not cultivating real relationships. I mean he's been our sensei for over a year and we know next to nothing about him. We've never even seen his face…” A light bulb went off in her head. “Hey, have you seen his face? Is that why you're asking about him? Did you fall for him? Is he really handsome? Please, please let me see his face! I'll owe you forever!”

`This girl is very astute, despite being a lovesick fool.' Kaori decided to lie. She did not need another person bugging her about seeing Kakashi's face. “No, I haven't seen his face and his file requested that the mask stay on except in emergencies. I was just wondering since I am responsible for him.”

“Are you going to read the Icha Icha series to him?” Sakura asked curiously.

It was Kaori's turn to turn red. “No, of course not.” `What's the point if he's read all of them?' “What I'm reading is perfectly appropriate.”

`Yeah right. Something like that would put a porn reader to sleep. She won't get a blip out of him with that,' Sakura thought but said, “Yes, of course it is.”

“By the way, I noticed that Kurenai-sensei placed herself down as Kakashi sensei's contact. Are they involved?” Kaori asked as casually as she could.

“Not that I know of. I heard from Ino that she's been making moves on Asuma-sensei but he seems oblivious. Sigh, why is it that the more a girl likes a guy the more he ignores her?” Sakura sadly thought how obviously she liked Sasuke, but he always gave her the cold shoulder while Naruto was the one who followed her around.

“I can't answer that, even at my age,” Kaori said gently. “But usually they come around to see what's good for them,” she added positively, giving the girl a reassuring smile.

“I hope so,” Sakura smiled back. “Thank you for taking care of Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei. You know, the other nurse isn't as nice as you. She just gave me the look-over when she came by.”

“Some of us just aren't as professional. Well, it's been my pleasure despite the circumstances,” Kaori said in satisfaction, thinking how much better she was than Otoha. “So, uh, have you been by to visit Lee-san?” the senior nurse asked, wondering how far the shinobi gossip had traveled.

“I dropped by to visit Kakashi-sensei and Lee-kun earlier, but I haven't seen them this afternoon.”

“That's g… I mean, he seems in better spirits and I'm sure your visits help. He and his sensei invited me for lunch to thank me,” Kaori clearly explained, hoping to use Sakura to stem any further spreading of shinobi gossip. “Lee-san is such a nice, polite boy.”

Sakura nodded, “Yes, I didn't like him at first, but then I found he's someone you can rely on, a good friend.” Sakura emphasized the last part in case Kaori had any matchmaking ideas.

“Right, we can all use a friend,” Kaori agreed thoughtfully. She then left Sakura to her reading and went off to visit her last patient on this wing.

Kaori surprisingly found Lee not exercising. Instead she found the genin scribbling in a little notepad, which he quickly hid when he saw her approach.

`How cute - he must be writing little love notes to Sakura. I should try to push her toward Lee, but it's really none of my business,' Kaori thought then said, “I'd like to thank you and Gai-sensei again for a…very interesting lunch.”

“It was our pleasure Kaori-sama. We both enjoyed your company very much,” Lee said while bowing.

`My company? All I did was sit, eat, listen to them talk, and watch them eat voraciously. Then again, I wonder how many people are willing to do just that.'

“I hope we can all get together again real soon,” Lee continued.

“Well…I'm pretty busy but we'll see,” Kaori responded evasively.

“Will you be here tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow's my day off, but I might drop by for a little while… to check my mail.” Actually, Kaori wanted to spend more time with Kakashi.

“Oh…what will you be doing on your day off?”

“Umm, just relaxing, running errands stuff like that. I have no food in my fridge,” she laughed. “Then I have to see my family for dinner.”

“Your family? Do you have parents and siblings?” Lee asked with interest.

“Yes, my parents are both still alive and I have a younger brother and a younger sister. I know it's tough being a shinobi, so many of you are orphans. I'm sorry,” Kaori added sympathetically and a bit guiltily. Civilians were being protected by people like Gai and Kakashi, and even Lee. After so many wars, many of the shinobi clans had dwindled down to nothing. “I really have to thank you Lee, and the other shinobi, for protecting us civilians and this village,” she added positively while pumping up the blood pressure monitor.

“No, we should thank you for helping us when we are injured,” Lee said graciously.

“I guess we all have our role in life and we can only do our best,” Kaori said as she checked his temperature with the ear thermometer.

“That's what Gai sensei says too!”

“Well, he must be very wise,” Kaori smiled “Anyway, I glad to see you're getting some rest. It's just as important as training. Your vitals look good,” she said while writing down the numbers from the blood pressure machine and ear thermometer. There really wasn't anything wrong with Lee that they could do anything about, but it was just standard procedure to continue taking his temperature, pulse, and blood pressure.

“Yes! Gai sensei is the wisest man I have ever known.”

`Poor boy, doesn't get out much does he?' “Er, I'm sure he is. Well, I'll see you next time,” Kaori said as she readied to go. She noticed that Sakura had brought a fresh daffodil for Lee as well.

“Yes, good-bye for now,” Lee replied. He watched the nurse leave, then mysteriously took out his little notepad and started scribbling again.

After the rest of her afternoon rounds, Kaori practically skipped to Kakashi's room with her book discretely hidden in her bag of medical supplies and equipment.

“Good afternoon Kakashi-san,” she said cheerfully. She noticed that despite his immobility, that shock of gray hair was again covering his forehead. She gently brushed it aside and caressed his brow until that troublesome crease between his eyes disappeared again. “I hope you don't mind, but I've been doing some research on you. I'm sorry for all that you've been through. I know it's all for the village. I can understand why you read that sort of…escapist fantasy. We all need an outlet for stress, right? I haven't been able to find someone else who has the time to read to you, so I guess you'll just have to bear with me. Everyone's so busy nowadays with the Hokage gone.” Kaori sighed as remembered Sandaime's inspirational speeches at the Academy. She walked over and adjusted the shades for the night.

“I had lunch will your eternal rival today,” she laughed. “He's quite a character. I wonder how you put up with him. He claims he's beaten you more times than you've beaten him, but I'm sure he's just boasting. You must let him win, right? If he were really better than you, he'd stop competing with you,” Kaori astutely evaluated. “He and his genin Lee are really, really close. A bit too close, maybe unhealthily close if you ask me. He's supposed to be his sensei. He shouldn't play favorites, right? There should be some distance between sensei and their students, like I have with my patients." Kaori fluffed up Kakashi's pillow and carefully replaced it. "Sakura claims your genin don't know anything about you. That's not really true is it? You and Sasuke must have been close. That poor boy really needs a father figure to guide him and knock some respect into him. Lee is almost too respectful. Funny how they're so different. Of course, Sakura goes for the cool kid on the block. Maybe she'll wise up one day.”

She took his pulse by hand, just so she could touch his wrist, then his temperature and blood pressure. She checked the monitors and wrote everything down on his chart. There was also a fresh yellow and white daffodil in a little vase on the stand next to the bed. Evidence that Sakura had visited her sensei.

Kaori then settled down with her book. “I know this isn't the usual romance genre you like, but I think it's pretty good and we should be finished pretty soon. I don't think I can read the Icha Icha books to you…but maybe if you were to give me sign…” She laughed to herself. `Right, someone in a coma is going to suddenly move around because he wants me to read porn…'

Kaori dropped her book in shock when she saw Kakashi's body suddenly shift from its prone position to its right side to face her. `No way! It must just be a muscle contraction or something. Coma patients do not move like that…'

She picked up her book and walked over to observe her patient more closely. His eyes were still closed. She looked over at the brain wave monitor. There was a definite spike exactly at the time when she mentioned the Icha Icha books.

“You really do want me to read an Icha Icha book to you, don't you?”

A lovely arched eyebrow twitched in response and another, albeit smaller, blip appeared on the monitor. Kaori couldn't help but laugh in embarrassment. “All right,” she said slowly, “I'll try to get a copy. But today let's get through this. Maybe the…er…relationship will heat up towards the end.”

Kaori read for a long time, forgetting that her official work hours were over. The plot and romance sped up toward the end and she forgot that she was reading to an audience. Tears rimmed her red eyes and she had to stop several times to blow her nose. Finally she closed the back cover of the book. `Such exquisite tragedy, no wonder it was on the bestseller list. Sigh, so much more emotional depth than that explicit material.'

She looked over at the sleeping form, which had mysteriously shifted back to its original position. “Wasn't that a good book?” She looked over at the monitor but there were no other blips.

“You're not really a pervert are you? Didn't you like that twist at the end? Where the girl finds out the boy was actually a prince in disguise? But then it was too late…and that last line was really something...”

Kaori packed up her things and then leaned over to whisper the last line in Kakashi's ear, “Goodnight Sweet Prince, and may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”

-…-…-…-

Author's Notes: Last line is from “Hamlet”