Growing Pains

now

For Nanami, there was nothing better to spend her day with various animals, if ninja animals or the pets of civilians, she did not care. To have furry and not furry friends come in brought a smile to her face, especially when she was able to welcome her new patient and also solve the problem presented to her.

Her passion also got her thoughts away from the things she would rather not think about. Such as Minato .

So Nanami had decided, she would rather not think about her heart’s craving.

Working had proved to be a successful distraction from the sunshine blond and the heartache he left behind with his every melodic laugh. Drowning herself in her passion, filled her mind with all the medical knowledge she had acquired over the years of intense studying and learning. The facts she knew replaced the things she had learned about Minato’s rasengan and their many conversations when he had created his own jutsu. What she was doing could be considered a cleansing of her own mind, to keep her heart from breaking.

What was she to Minato ?

The question was bothering her, and she was itching for an answer. Getting one would not be as easy as Nanami would like for it to be. After all, she couldn’t just go up to him and ask him what it was that she was in his eyes, what they were. Either he would shut her out and not say a word, or he would simply ignore the question. No matter the result, her question would be left unanswered.

Admittedly, it felt good to be needed. Nanami craved the feeling that he needed her, specifically . It made her feel special and wanted.

At the same time, it burned to be nothing more than a friend. Every time a gentle touch of his got her hopes up, the same thing a soft-spoken compliment of his did. The euphoric high came and had her feeling giddy, her cheeks flushing at his affection until the low came, her spirits crashing down roughly time and time again.

Nanami was kind of sick of the constant rollercoaster of emotions. They allowed for bile to crawl up her throat and for her heart to drop into her stomach after each letdown.

Time and time again.

It had to stop .

Nanami sucked in a harsh breath as a knock came from the door to the room, interrupting her thoughts. Her hands were shaking as she invited the person in, her fingers wrapping around each surgical tool to disinfect it.

"Nanami-san," In the door, stood her assistant , Hyuga Hana. "A new patient has come in. Can I bring them in?"

The blonde nodded.

Quickly the room was filled with a large presence. A large dog trotted in through the door, his loud steps echoing in the room. Behind him followed his owner, a teen with unruly silver hair, and Hana, her own blue hair pulled into a low ponytail.

Nanami pulled her own ponytail tighter, making sure that no strands of her hair would get in her way of work. Then she fixed the knot of her mask, making sure to properly secure it before greeting the owner of her patient.

"Ahh, Kakashi-kun , long time no see," With a smirk, she welcomed the boy. "What brings your adorable ninken here today?"

Kakashi let out a huff, giving the woman a glare. "Ninken aren't 'adorable'."

Nanami kept herself from barking out a laugh. "I would beg to differ," She held her hand out to her assistant, who promptly handed her the information paper. "Thank you, Hana," Quickly, her lavender eyes raked over the information presented, keeping it in mind. "Mind telling me exactly what happened, Kakashi-kun?"

The advantage of a capable Shinobi as the owner of her patient was that the rundown he gave was not only well organized, but also not filled with unnecessary information. Kakashi spoke loud and clearly, in spite of the mask he wore on the lower half of his face.

"He swallowed something, hm ? Happens to the best of us," Nanami scratched the massive dog behind his ear, getting him to keen against her hand eagerly. "I'll help you, buddy. What do you say?"

Bull barked eagerly.

Nanami let out a playful sigh. "I wish you were as nice as your dog, Kakashi-kun."

" Ninken ." Kakashi corrected immediately.

Nanami gave him a teasing look before pulling up her surgical mask to cover her mouth. "Still a dog."

" No ."

"Keep telling yourself that," Nanami raised a brow at the silver-haired before beckoning over to Hana. "Hold his jaw. I need to get a better look."

Hana obeyed immediately, her gloved hands coming to cup the large dog's jaw in a gentle motion. Just as gently, she helped Nanami secure it open, the blue-haired calming down the dog every so often while the blonde worked.

With her flashlight, Nanami was able to get a better look at Bull's throat to see the red flesh looking inflamed, painted crimson in some spots. More than anything, it appeared wounded by something that was not dull, as it appeared to have cut into sensitive parts of the skin.

"What did he swallow again?" Nanami furrowed her brows as she continued to inspect the damage done.

"Something sharp. I couldn't see before Bull swallowed it." Kakashi replied immediately, his brows furrowing in worry while he stared at his ninken.

“I’m assuming he has been retching ever since he has swallowed it? Gagging too?”

“ Yes .”

“Have you noticed Bull having any trouble breathing?”

Kakashi raked his mind for a moment, searching for any memory of Bull being unable to breathe during the past few hours. “No.”

Nanami let out a sigh of relief. “That’s a good sign. That means whatever he swallowed cannot be too far down his esophagus, limiting the damage done,” She turned toward Kakashi for a moment. “What we now need to do is remove the foreign object. Luckily, I think I can see it,” Her focus was on Bull again, the flashlight giving her the perfect view of something glinting . “so the removal won’t be invasive.”

She was pretty sure she could also hear a sigh of relief come from Kakashi, not that the young silver-haired would ever admit to that.

“Hana, check in which position the foreign object is stuck and, if you can, what it is.” An assistant with a dōjutsu was something the blonde knew to use to her advantage. A sight close to an x-ray was more than just beneficial .

“ Byakugan ,” Hana’s dōjutsu allowed her to see the foreign object stuck in the throat of their patient. “It is lodged in the esophagus, but not further down. The object looks like the blade of a kunai, a splinter of the blade.”

Nanami furrowed her brows at the information, angling her flashlight to get a better look at the metal. “Not the handle?”

“No handle.” Hana confirmed.

“Is the blade sharp?”

“No, dull .”

“Good,” Nanami’s lavender eyes picked up on something reflecting the light of the flashlight, metal glinting near inflamed skin. “I can almost see it fully. Hana, I need my tongs. The second smallest one.”

“Of course,” Hana rushed over to the table of neatly disinfected tools, making sure to put on a pair of new gloves before picking up the sterile instrument. Then she handed it over to her superior. “ here .”

“Thank you, Hana. Just keep Bull still for me,” Nanami’s one hand went to grasp the tool handed to her, and the other hand began to glow in a soft green. Carefully, it moved down the body of the ninken to rest outside the spot where the kunai blade was stuck. “Is this the spot?”

“Just a little higher, a centimeter.”

Nanami followed the instruction and moved her hand higher.

“Right there.”

Medical ninjutsu had many uses, especially when it came to removing foreign objects. The blonde was able to use her chakra to dislodge the object upward and cover it in a layer of her own chakra. The combination of both helped her grab it with her tongs as soon as it moved higher, which meant that she did not have to invade the poor ninken’s body with the surgical instrument. Invasive techniques were something to avoid if possible, it was something she had learned when beginning to work as a veterinarian.

“There it is,” Nanami held the split blade up with her tongs. Some crimson dots painted it and transferred onto the cloth when she placed it down on her side table. “I will heal up the injured spots, but to make sure there won’t be any lasting damage, I will prescribe antibiotics. Bacteria often settles in on blades, and a bacterial infection can be avoided this way.” She placed her hands on the wound again, the soft green glow highlighting her concentrated features.

“Thank you.” It was weird to have Kakashi speak those words without grumbling at her.

Underneath her surgical mask, Nanami smirked. “Anything for adorable dogs .”

The last thing she had heard from him before he left the room was a grumble of his, but she ignored it and instead let out a sigh, pulling the surgical mask down to take a deep breath.

*****

While Nanami enjoyed her profession as a veterinarian, she had to admit that it was an exhausting one. During every minute of the day, she had to stay alert in order to avoid making any mistakes. Her patients were beings with feelings, who would suffer under her lack of attention. No matter how much exhaustion or melancholy weighed on her, a mistake on her part was not something she could afford. Not at all .

It was also why she looked forward to her date with Renji in the evening. Thinking about the fact that later in the day, she would sit in a restaurant with the tension in her muscles leaving her body and a comforting aura surrounding her, Nanami could only smile . The date was the distraction she needed, the one she yearned for after a long day of work. She could already feel her mouth watering at the thought of wolving down whatever food she would order to calm her stomach.

The mere thought of being able to relax for a while before work was due again relaxed Nanami, her shoulders not feeling as tense anymore as she stood in the operating room, filling out the report. Her back felt like hell, and so did her legs and feet, all throbbing horribly as a result of the long day at work.

There was never a day she regretted her profession. In the beginning, she had many doubts, such as when for the first time an animal had thrown up on her or when another came close to biting her. Over time, she had lost her doubts and allowed them to flourish into adoration for what she was doing.

The same could be said for Renji. With his messy chestnut hair and mesmerizing green eyes, he had lulled her into his heart, his confident smirk blending into each kiss, sealing the deal. The gentle caresses he left on her skin and the self-assured touches left her gasping, wanting more.

To say the least, she was conflicted , stuck between two men who were somewhat opposites but also had their similarities.

By Renji’s side, Nanami knew, she was going to get over the sunshine blond and his alluring smile. The softness of his voice would be replaced by a deep soprano ringing in her ears, and the tender touches by a more bold grip holding her close. No longer would the hair of the rising sun show in her dreams, but instead the chestnut hair, the sun’s only purpose to give it a divine glow.

That was her plan, at least.

A knock on the door interrupted her thought process. In the doorway stood Hana with several strands of her blue hair now hanging out of her previously neat ponytail. Just as it was on the blonde, the exhaustion was also obvious on Hana. The difference between them was that Hana stood with a frown in the doorway, looking apologetic.

Nanami let out a sigh. “What can I do for you, Hana?”

In the doorway, Hana looked beyond uncomfortable. “ Ehh , Renji-san was just here. And he told me to pass a message on.”

“He couldn’t have come in himself?” Nanami meant it as a joke, but more than anything, the quip came out sad. Eagerly, she stood up from her seat, a small smile on her features.

Hana shuffled awkwardly, unable to meet the other’s intense gaze. “He told me to tell you that he would cancel dinner today. He can’t make it, he said.”

The blonde quickly sat down again, the words weighing on her. “ Oh .”

“I’m sorry, Nanami-”

Nanami held up a hand. “I don’t want your pity, Hana,” She allowed for her tone to soften, not wanting to take out her building-up anger on the blue-haired. “Thank you for passing the message on.”

He couldn’t even come in for a moment to pass along the message himself. Nanami let out a harsh scoff.

For a moment, Hana lingered in the doorway, allowing for her pale eyes to travel to inspect the features of the blonde. She looked defeated, heartbroken . Her gaze was trained on the floor, unmoving, and her lips twisted into a frown.

“Of course and, … I’m sorry .”

As Hana closed the door behind her, no reply came from Nanami. Silently, she sat on her chair, not finding it in herself to continue writing her report.

Her instinct told the blonde to go visit her sunshine best friend and to walk right into his arms, to allow herself to be comforted by him. Following said instinct would only lead to more heartbreak, and so Nanami knew. Walking into his arms would bring her into a high of emotions until, again, the next day she would crash down and would be rendered unable to deal with her incoming wave of emotions.

Nanami could heal the wounds of animals, but her own, she could only hold together in the hope that she would not fall apart.