Casualties

"Captain, you need to lay still." Ani pressed his shoulder back against the hospital bed for the fifth time.

Kankuro growled. "We don't have time for me to waste around here! That little bastard is still at large!"

Three medics fussed around him, trying to remove his clothing and chart his injuries.

The puppet master swiped at them. "Enough! I'm warning you all. Let me be on my way."

"Captain!" Ani's sharp voice echoed through the hospital room.

Her dark eyes caught him in their wake, a fire blazing behind them. "Sir. You will sit still and you will let the medics help you and that's final!"

Kankuro sat stunned at her outburst.

Ani always held such quiet resolve, her expressions dimmed down over years of reinforcement and criticism. He didn't think he'd so much as heard her complain, let alone bark an order.

She looked to the medical professionals expectantly. "Well? What are you waiting for? Do your jobs."

They jumped out of their temporary stillness and set back to their work, pulling the patient's shirt over his head and trying not to react when he winced in pain.

Kankuro felt as if his head were five times bigger than its normal size, but he managed to breathe through the nausea. "Ani, I know Temari told you to bring me here and you had to check me in yourself, but I'm fine now. You don't have to babysit me."

"Don't I?" She snapped.

"You're seeming to forget that I'm your commanding officer, lieutenant. If I say I'm going, I'm going. You can't stop me."

Ani took a step closer and poked her finger in the fresh puncture wound on his side.

Kankuro let out a yelp and a few choice curse words.

The nurses scolded her. "That behavior isn't helping, lieutenant."

"My apologies, but I think it's necessary."

She moved aside, so that she wasn't blocking their work and sat herself in a waiting chair, in the far corner of the room.

Kankuro hissed in pain, when they poured antiseptic in his wound and started stitching him up. His eyes drifted to where the lieutenant was waiting, arms crossed, unfamiliar scowl plastered on her face.

For a moment, it was like seeing a younger form of his sister and the thought made him shiver.

It took a while, but the medics finally bandaged him up, tying off one arm into a splint and bandaging where he hit his head.

"All right, Captain. We've stopped the bleeding and set your arm. It's a very good possibility you've suffered a concussion as well. You're lucky to have been that close to an explosion and still moving. Now, it's up to you to rest and recover. I trust you won't give us any more trouble with that, tonight?"

Kankuro glanced over to where Ani was sitting, staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"No." He lied.

"Good."

The older doctor came over to where the kunoichi sat herself and placed a hand on her shoulder. "He's all yours, lieutenant. Guard him well."

"Mm hm."

Kankuro waited until the doctor left, before reaching for his shirt.

Ani was on her feet within seconds. "Just what do you think you're doing? You were told to rest here!"

"I heard."

"Then why are you getting out of bed?"

He struggled to throw his jacket over his bandaged arm. "Because I don't owe you an explanation. Look, I'm grateful for your help, but I don't have time to lay about in here. The village needs me. Gaara and Temari need me. I'm no good to them in here."

"And what good are you if you collapse again?"

Kankuro's mouth formed a hard line. "We're not going to tell Temari about that."

"What? That you fainted and I had to carry you here?"

"Men don't faint. We pass out. World of difference."

"Uh huh."

Ani closed the distance to the bed and took his coat out of his hands.

Kankuro stared at her, his expression incredulous. "Lieutenant. Give me my jacket."

"No sir."

He bared his teeth. "This is a direct order, from your commanding officer. Give me my jacket and get out of my way."

"I can't do that, sir."

Kankuro rose up from the bed, brushing her away, as he did.

A rush of dizziness overtook him and he stumbled, falling on her waiting shoulder. "Shit."

Ani lowered him back to the bed, her voice softening. "Captain, please."

He shook his head, trying to clear out the feeling of being light-headed that wanted to take him to his knees. "Why are you insisting on this, Ani? Just let me go."

She bit her lip. "Because you saved my life and I'm going to make sure you don't get hurt again."

Kankuro looked at her and saw an expression on her face, he hadn't before. "What are you going on about?"

Her eyes turned down to her lap. "You took the brunt of the explosion. Your favorite puppet is shattered into pieces and you still threw yourself over me, just in time. I should have sensed the trap. I wasn't careful and now, you're injured. Your arm is broken, you're concussed and it's all my fault."

He didn't know what to say, he'd never experienced this kind of consideration from someone outside his family before. "It wasn't your fault. I was too eager to catch him. Don't blame yourself."

The lieutenant bit back her emotions, but refused to look him in the eye. "So, please, follow Captain Temari's orders. Follow the medic's orders. Lay back and let me take care of you. It's the least I can do."

They didn't say anything for a long time, neither certain of how to break the silence.

Kankuro studied Ani, memorizing the way she looked in that moment; her lovely dark skin, the braids which she always kept in pristine lines, her big, doe-brown eyes turned downward and worried for his wellbeing.

He took a deep breath and laid back against the pillow. "All right, lieutenant. All right."

Her gaze finally left her clenched fists and settled on him. "Can I get you anything, sir?"

"No. Just stay close, okay?"

He closed his eyes, the exhaustion of fighting against his body, finally taking him.

Despite herself, Ani felt her mouth, that was tight with holding back her guilt, soften into a gentle smile.

She scooched the chair closer to the white bed and gingerly took his hand in hers. "Yes, sir."

~

Temari made her way back to the village.

She didn't bring Yashida back with her. It was best for his family not to see him in that state. She'd make up some story about how he died fighting off the Sound terrorist and was lost in the chaos. No matter what, she'd keep her promise to a dying man and lie for him.

It wouldn't be the first time.

Memories of grieving families flooded her mind. No matter how capable her army or how many times she drilled them, causalities were unavoidable.

Her father told her that once, before he passed.

"Temari. You're going to have to oversee operations one day. You may have your mother's face, but your spirit takes after me and we both know that. You'll lose people. Men, women, young soldiers who have no business in the field. Be the kind of leader who makes decisions with your mind, not your emotions. The mind will never mislead you. It's the heart, daughter, the heart will kill you."

She remembered how he'd looked at the sole picture left of their mother, when he said that. A rare moment of vulnerability, from the stoic man, she respected and feared.

If she'd known that was the last conversation they'd have, she would have said something in return.

Instead, she simply bowed and left for the Chunin exams at the Leaf, never knowing that her father would soon be killed and an imposter would wear his skin.

Temari tried to live her life by his advice, always putting her heart on the back-burner and lead with her mind above all things.

However, there were two boys, that always made that difficult for her.

Three... if she counted a lazy, cloud-envious fool in the Leaf.

But she wasn't counting him.

"Certainly, no time for that kind of thing in my life." She said to herself as she passed through the gate into her village, rubbing away at blood that dried on her hands.

The streets were quiet, the citizens secured in the underground shelter.

Temari was sure she'd snapped all the traps Yashida left, but took a quick scan, just in case.

Evidence of explosions scarred the ground. Shadows of a panicked man and hastily laid plans, littered the streets with disturbed Earth and damaged houses.

It was going to be a challenge explaining this kind of chaos, but she'd find a way.

She always did.

Her steps followed the path up to the site of the only properly set explosion, that started her hunt, in the first place.

Yashida's house was brought to rubble, a pile of rocks serving as a makeshift tombstone.

"Foolish man." She murmured to herself.

The Captain was about to turn away, when she suddenly heard something; a pain-filled groan coming from the wreckage.

She whistled to some passing guards. "Help me! Someone's trapped inside the remains of the house!"

They set to work, digging through stone and wood.

Yashida's house held a second, lower area, a cellar, by the looks of it. Temari didn't know why she was surprised. Of course, the master of traps would have secret rooms.

The cellar's integrity remained, despite the mess around it, but the wooden floors had buckled beneath the weight of the fallen ceiling.

The voice groaned again. It sounded feminine, older.

"Don't worry, ma'am! We'll get you out of there."

When the shinobi threw away the last of the floorboards, they found something unexpected.

An older woman sat in a ring of candles, all burnt away, save one, that kept her grounded. Her lips moved in rapid succession, sweat pouring from her face with an unforeseen effort.

Temari climbed down through the hole in the floor and landed in front of the casting woman. Her hand reached out to touch her, until she heard the words that froze her in place.

"You're going to die here, Rin. It's over."