Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Curative Career of Kaori the Ninja Nurse ❯ Kaori's Courage ( Chapter 14 )

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

Kaori's Courage

Kaori spent the afternoon preparing paperwork for Tsunade's review at Shizune's request, including current personnel, staff openings, training, budget, and equipment requests. She had a suspicion that Shizune would be the one reviewing the stack of reports rather than her aunt who seemed more likely to sit in front of a slot machine all day than behind a desk. Why else would she wear a robe advertising gambling on the back?

Despite procrastinating as much as she could to avoid the inevitable, it was time for her afternoon rounds and to check out Kakashi. 'I will not be upset. He is just another patient. After this, things will go back to being like they were. Back to my boring so called life. But I was fine with that,' Kaori insisted to herself. She made him her last stop.

Kakashi was sitting up in bed reading the Icha Icha book. The newspapers were barely touched. He looked up lazily as she approached.

"Do you think you're ready to go home today? You really should stay overnight," Kaori suggested hopefully.

Instead of answering he asked, "You're the one who's been taking care of me all this time?"

"Well," she blushed, "there's several of us and we take shifts, but I'm the primary caretaker on record." Although there were two or three other nurses on duty during the time Kaori was off, they worked the night and graveyard shifts and were not required to check the status of comatose patients. Not that Kaori would allow them anyway.

He held up the book. "You read this to me?"

She turned several shades darker. "I...er...read both series to you. I heard they're your favorite and...um...they seem to be the only books that you respond to… based on your brainwave pattern. They say reading to comatose patients can help in their recovery. I...um... wouldn't normally read something like that...but I have to admit I can see why they're so popular..." Kaori rambled on, too embarrassed to look at him as she checked his blood pressure and temperature (using an ear thermometer because Kaori could not trust herself to use an oral or anal one, though they were more accurate). "I wish I could heal people like Tsunade-sama. Why would someone with such great power abandon her village? How can anyone be so irresponsible? If I had her power, I would use it to heal people 24/7, and for free if they couldn't pay. But I'm so pathetic, couldn't make genin after graduation, can barely mold or channel chakra. Just a nurse..."

"There're things just as important as medical jutsu. I'm sure your pleasant bedside manner had a healing effect." It seemed he smiled at her from under his mask.

That was it. There was no way she could let him walk out of her life. Kaori summoned all the courage she could muster and looked at him directly. "I know you'll be leaving now, but if you need anything, anything at all, you can count on me...I mean, that is, if you need someone to help you out...It'll be a while until you're fully recovered. I can run errands for you or help with chores...or if you just need someone to talk to...a friend, you know..." That was all she could say before her courage ran out.

Kakashi said nothing for a minute and looked at the pretty nurse appraisingly. He was no fool when it came to reading people. It was obvious she had developed feelings for him. Not uncommon among patients and medical professionals. And it was likely she had seen him without his mask. He sighed - that always happened. That's why he put in his medical records not to remove his mask - complications like this always came up.

"Thank you for the kind offer," he said evasively. Sometimes when a woman threw herself at him, he would go along. But it depended on the woman. He tried to avoid the serious ones. Kaori looked like the serious type. Not the type to just have a little fun, but the type who would be heartbroken when she realized he wasn't the type to commit.

As usual, real life was nothing like fantasy. The Kakashi in her dreams would be all over her by now. Instead, he barely registered any interest. But there was nothing more Kaori could say or do to stop him from leaving. "You're good to go. I've already checked out Sasuke-san. I don't know if you've heard but Rock Lee's condition is still serious. Even with an operation there's only a 50 percent that he'll recover." She left out the "or die" part since that was too distressing. Lee hadn't been in his room. It seemed he had gone out for a walk to think about his decision some more.

Kakashi just nodded thoughtfully at the news. He handed back her copy of "Ich Icha Violence Volume 3." His last words to her were, "Thank you for everything."

-...-...-...-...-

`I wonder if he'll be okay. I wonder if he can take care of himself. I wonder if he'll contact me…'

Kaori's musings were interrupted by the thorn in her side, Otoha. The vapid nurse had not been at her desk all day. Instead she had been running rapid with the rumor mill.

"So how did it go with your lover boy?" Otoha asked.

"I don't know whom you're talking about." Kaori's ears started burning.

"Did you declare your undying love to coma man?" Otoha teased.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The vein above Kaori's left eye started to pulsate.

"Did he reject you? Maybe you're not his type. Hmm, I think I'll look him up. You don't mind do you?" Otoha was actually serious about this.

"What you do is none of my concern." She slammed a stack of files onto Otoha's desk.

"Oh really? In that case I'll head over after I get off. Hmm, let's look up his address..."

"I'm afraid you've been recruited to involuntary overtime," Kaori ordered.

"What? You can't do that!"

"Sure I can. I'm the head nurse now, so if you want to keep your job..." Kaori pointed to the stack of files. Kaori had recently been promoted. Her dedication to her work finally paid off, over Otoha's friendliness with the hospital board of directors.

"Fine! But just so you know, you're not the one who healed him. He's much more likely to fall for that Shizune. She's his equal," Otoha said maliciously. She'd rather see Kakashi with anyone but her annoying, controlling, holier-than-thou boss.

Kaori did not deign to answer. That thought had crossed her mind and she already had a plan to prevent it.

-...-...-...-

Kaori didn't need to look up Kakashi's home address - she already had it memorized. After learning of Otoha's intentions, she decided to drop by after work and luckily she got off a couple of hours earlier than Otoha, foiling her rival's plans. She stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few staples (bread, milk, eggs, and oranges) and then the ramen stand where she bought two bowls of vegetarian ramen to take out. Vegetables were more easily digestible and more nutritious than the meat items, she reasoned. Then she made her way to Kakashi's abode with her heart beating faster with each step.

'What am I doing? Am I stalking Kakashi? Here I am bringing him food, just dropping in on him. Just like what Gai did to me...What the hell?! I'm turning into Gai!" But she decided it was too late to change her mind as she had already bought the ramen and groceries.

Kakashi lived in one of the jounin dorms - small efficiencies meant for those who were rarely home. She thought how he could afford a much nicer and bigger place and wondered why he still lived there. She made her way up the stairs and found his door on the top floor. After taking a deep breath, she rang the doorbell three times. A few seconds later, she heard him call out, "Who is it?"

"It's Kuchiki Kaori, the nurse from the hospital," she responded calmly, though her knees were shaking.

Another minute passed before she heard footsteps coming toward the door. When he opened it, she saw he was dressed in a sleeveless dark blue shirt with a mask that extended to cover the lower half of his face and a pair of dark blue lounging pants, both similar to his usual attire.

He said nothing but just looked down at her.

'He's seems so tall, but maybe because I'm so short,' thought Kaori who was barely 5' 2" while Kakashi was 5' 11" according to his medical records, 'or maybe it's the hair...'

"I...uh... bought you some groceries and some ramen for dinner. I was afraid you didn't get a chance to go shopping and anything in your refrigerator probably went bad after all this time."

"Hmm, I just cleaned out my fridge, pretty disgusting. I was just about to hunt for some canned food and there're always shinobi rations - they last practically forever. But Ichiraku ramen does sound better." He reached out and took the bags she was holding out. "Thank you for the consideration. Do you treat all your patients like this?" he asked with a teasing tone.

Kaori couldn't help but blush again. "I…uh… I can't help but feel responsible for you after all this time," she said with dignity.

"Well then, thanks... mom," Kakashi said with a laugh.

'This is not what I wanted! I don't want to be seen as a mother figure!' Kaori turned red, in contrast to her starched white uniform, and frowned in response which made him chuckle even more.

Kaori never liked to be teased. Her family said she lacked a sense of humor about herself. So rather than subject herself to further embarrassment, she went into her professional mode. "You should get some more rest and not worry about cleaning your apartment for now. I can arrange for someone to come over tomorrow and..."

"Yes, mother," he said in a falsely serious tone, which embarrassed her even more.

"Of course you can take care of yourself. I guess I'm just being silly. You've been doing it for years. You don't need me to tell you what to do. Sorry, I should get going. Goodnight," Kaori said, trying to save face.

"Good-night and thank you again." This time he sounded genuinely serious and appreciative. Kaori simply nodded and made her way home, feeling very confused.

Kakashi secretly did want someone to take care of him. Being rather lazy, the thought of cleaning his apartment was not a welcomed one. And after living independently for over two decades, it would have been nice to have the little nurse cater to him. How cute she was, blushing when he called her his mother. He had never actually known his mother, who died before he could form memories. He no longer had any family pictures. Their ancestral home was destroyed in Kyuubi's attack. All he had was his father's ninja registration photo, and nothing of his mother at all.

"You should have asked her to stay," said the Obito voice that spoke to him at times.

"Then one thing would lead to another and..."

"When was the last time you got any?"

"Yeah, well, it's been a while. I've been busy with my team."

"So what's stopping you now? You know she wants you!"

"You know how complicated things get with serious girls like her."

"So what? Worry about that later. Have some fun now."

"It's not going to work out in the long run."

"You don't know that. You're just saying that because you're afraid."

"Me, afraid? I've never been afraid of anything in my life."

"Ha! Say that to Orochimaru and Itachi."

"You're very annoying."

"You'd be dead without my eye. You owe me. So listen up!"

"Sigh, if she persists...and gets the nerve to ask me out...well then maybe. After all, who am I to turn down a pretty lady?"

"You're too lazy to ask her out yourself!"

"Lazy? You're calling me lazy..."

If anyone had known Konoha's top jounin had these conversations with himself, Kakashi would have gotten a one-way ticket to the shinobi asylum.

-…-…-…-