Paths Unforseen

Naoki turned to Matsuri and started trying to convince the girl to take her to her home. After a little persuading the younger girl complied and started to make her way back through the streets. Naoki pushed her exhaustion away violently but she knew she would have to succumb to it eventually and the longer that she held it off the worse the repercussions would be. Pushing that thought away as well she kept up with Matsuri. When they arrived at the residence they both entered quietly and the closer they got to the back of the house the more Naoki was sure that Akari really had died. It hadn't been long but the lingering scent of sickness and disease was starting to be overcome by the smell of death. Making her way into the room where Akari had been staying she saw Fumio still kneeling by the corpse of his dead wife, his hand desperately clutching hers. Sitting beside him Naoki felt Matsuri sob and sit next to her. "Fumiosama", she ventured. "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to move back from Akarisama just a bit so I can check on her." "She's gone." He said quietly, tears streaming down his face. "I know I'm acting like an old fool but we've been together so long I don't remember what it's like to live without her." He sobbed and let Naoki softly pull him away. Helping him up Naoki had Matsuri take her grandfather out to the living room. Walking back in Naoki sighed and tried to close Akari's eyes. "Gomen." She whispered silently to the dead woman. "I didn't know you well but I can already tell that you're going to leave quite the hole in several people's lives. I'm sorry I can't do more for you except try to comfort them while you aren't here."

Naoki started the preparations required for the transportation of the deceased when finally the medic team arrived. Hearing the commotion they were causing Naoki left Akari and went to confront the team. "Gomen", the leader of the team said. "We got here as fast as we could fuktiacho." "It's alright, we just need to get her taken care of as soon as possible." Naoki said. She was careful to continue using terms that wouldn't set off the two family members that were within hearing range. She motioned to Fumio and Matsuri and said, "Be careful they're shaken up." "Of course." The man nodded and led the team into the house. He approached Fumio and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry for your loss. Would you mind if my team and I went to take care of Akarisama?" Fumio nodded and put his head in his hands as they walked past him. Knowing that the two needed her Naoki once again pushed away her fatigue and sat next to them; trying to comfort them as best she could.

After a little bit she made them hot tea and helped them settle in for the night with the medic team left with Akari to ensure the proper procedures were followed with the body and inevitable cremation. All deceased were cremated in Suna. The desert sands were too unreliable a soil to ever think seriously about burying anyone. Gravestones were erected as places for the spirits of the dead to house. Their ashes were released onto the Suna winds to wander as their ancestors had and when their anniversary of their death came each year they returned to their home to commune with their family once more. However when that day was over they once again wandered the Country of Wind, always watching over its people.

A little while later Kankuro showed up once more. "How are they doing?" He asked, his expression conveying the deep concern he felt for the mourning grandfather and granddaughter. "As well as can be expected." Naoki replied in a soft voice. She had gotten the two to move to the couch where they sat huddled close to each other and trying to comfort one another. I don't think they should be left alone though." She said turning back to the puppeteer. Kankuro nodded, "I thought that would be the case so I've asked the widow next door to stay with them. She was friends with Akari and she said she would be privileged to keep them company." Naoki watched as the older woman walked in and greeted her. "Thank you." Naoki said to her as she prepared to leave. "I think I should be saying that to you." She replied in a soft voice. "Akari would have been distraught if they had been left on their own so soon after she had passed on." Naoki nodded and left with Kankuro.

Looking up she saw Kankuro was sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "What?" She asked with her eyes narrowed. Sighing Kankuro stopped. "I know you've got to be exhausted but we've found Mai and she's in rough shape." He said, his expression darkening. "I'm leaving it up to you whether you want to take care of her yourself or have me get someone else from the hospital." "I'll do it." Naoki said without even hesitating. Kankuro looked surprised and then smiled. He was sure that Naoki probably wouldn't make it to the tower without collapsing from exhaustion but she still had insisted that she go and help the girl. Naoki looked at her watch and almost wilted. "I have to go get an autopsy report in a few hours but I should have enough time." They hadn't realized it but in the rush of events it was already past dinner time and the night was well on its way to starting.

Kankuro sensed the complete enervation radiating off of Naoki. Smirking he nervously suggested, "Look why don't you crash at the tower for a few hours after you're done? There's a guest room you can stay in and I'm sure the hospital can wait a few hours for you to come in. You won't be any good to them exhausted like you are." Naoki was about to protest when Kankuro got a good idea, "Plus, if Mai has any issues you'll already be close enough to help her out." Kankuro knew that he had hit a soft spot. It was obvious that Naoki actively took care of those she considered her patients much better than herself and if concern for them was what it took to get her to finally rest Kankuro would use it to his advantage. Naoki nodded; aware of how she was being manipulated but too tired to care. They then started down the road. After a while Kankuro got impatient and picked Naoki up with a huff. She was too tired to even walk at a normal pace but instead of asking for help she had just kept trudging along silently.

Started Naoki looked up at the puppeteer. "What are you doing?" She asked her expression completely readable. Unlike the others she never truly tried to hide her emotions unless it was completely necessary. She never like the idea of hiding her feelings and she didn't like it when others did. She'd had enough of that in the T.I corps. How were people supposed to interact if they couldn't express their basic emotions? She understood the principles of stoicism as a shinobi but as a medic and a human being she shied away from the idea. When she was treating a patient she didn't want their false statements that they were fine. She wanted them to be honest and clear, that could only go so far if they refused to show emotion.

Kankuro raised an eyebrow and smirked, "I'm carrying you since you're obviously too tired to even walk properly." Naoki crossed her arms and grumped but she didn't insist on being put down. Grudgingly she allowed herself to relax in Kankuro's hold and before long she was lightly dozing while he jumped from roof to roof to quickly reach the tower. When they arrived Naoki struggled out of Kankuro's grasp and made her way to the Kazekage's room. Walking in she realized that Mai was already sleeping while Gaara, looking slightly out of place, was simply allowing her to rest on him. He looked up and Naoki liked to think he smiled with his eyes… a little. Moving quietly she set her bag down next to the bed and got everything out. Next she replaced all the bandages she could easily reach and then with Gaara's help shifted Mai until all the wraps were new and clean. Mai had reopened a few wounds but most were just aggravated by the movement they were put through. When Naoki finished Gaara tried to shift out of Mai's grasp but the unconscious girl pulled him closer. Naoki almost laughed out loud when the young Kazekage looked at her helplessly. Frankly there wasn't anything she could do short of waking Mai and that wasn't in anybody's best interest. When Gaara looked back down at Mai Kankuro and Naoki slipped out. Steadying herself against the wall Naoki tried to force herself to stay awake. Suddenly she was picked up again and she promptly passed out.

Kankuro looked down at the girl, no, woman in his arms. Her exhaustion had finally gotten the better of her. Gently shifting her weight he started carrying her to the guest bedroom when he almost ran into Temari. "Hey, watch it!" He whispered loudly. "Baka!" Temari whisper yelled and almost head slapped her younger brother when she realized he was carrying someone. "Wha?" Temari started when Kankuro shh'ed her and continued carrying Naoki to the guest room. After getting the medic onto the bed he left the room and shut the door behind him to face his sister. She grinned evilly and grabbed his shoulder to pull him down the hallway and out of the suite to the kitchen where they could talk… (yell) without the fear of waking anyone up. When they got there Kankuro wrestled himself out of Temari's grip and roughly sat in a chair. "What happened!?" Temari all but yelled. "I leave for one shift of border patrol and all Hell breaks loose!" Kankuro sighed and settled into his chair, this was going to take a while. "Look, there wasn't a lot I could do to stop this so quit acting like this is my fault." Looking up he started talking, "When you left Mai ended up coming and getting Gaara and I so we could all eat lunch together. We ran into Naoki on the way after she had finished her shift at the hospital so she came along. Once we were finished I could tell Naoki was dead tired so I walked her home while Mai and Gaara headed elsewhere. Next thing I know Matsuri runs into Naoki and I and she tells us Akarisama is dead and Mai has run off." Taking a breath Kankuro continued, " So I went to get Gaara so we could look for Mai and Naoki went to check on Matsuri and Fumio. Gaara finally found Mai but… it wasn't pretty. She looked real roughed up and she was out of it. So Gaara took her back here and I got Naoki to come and look at her before she settled in for the night. As it turns out Naoki really was exhausted and passed out once she finished with Mai so I put her in your old room."

When Kankuro finished he looked up at his sister and waited for her reaction. Her eyes were wide and she quickly face palmed. "Jeeze, what the heck am I going to do with you guys? Did you even think to grab stuff for those two girls for in the morning?... Don't tell me you undressed her for bed?" After looking at Kankuro's horrified expression Temari rolled her eyes and pulled her brother up. "I'm going to make Naoki a little more comfortable and then we're going to get some essentials for both of them so they don't look ridiculous tomorrow." "Wait, why do I have to go?" Kankuro protested. "You have to go because I don't know where Naoki's house is and I really don't feel like looking for it in the records room."

Temari marched back up the stairs to her old room and shut the door behind her. Quietly she walked up to the woman and started pulling off her shoes and outer layers of clothing. Naoki had long brown open toed boots that kept her legs and feet from being ravaged by sand when she went on missions. She wore one outer dress like piece that opened in the front and was sleeveless. The outer dress was tanish brown and was meant for blending into Suna's sandy background. A green bandanna with the Sand's emblem was tied around her waist and Temari identified it as extra cloth in case of emergencies while in the field. Naoki's headband was tied around her neck and when Temari pulled it off she saw a large scar. Temari had looked up the girl's record after she had realized who was treating her brother and knew that Naoki had trained and excelled in the torture and interrogation squad before she was trained as a medic. What she didn't know was why Naoki had moved from a promising career as Suna's most elite interrogator to a more mundane medic. Not to say being the lieutenant to Suna's head medic was lowly but it was certainly less impressive. Temari looked at the girl's eyebrows and ears and was surprised to realize she hadn't noticed the medic had several piercings that Temari decided to leave alone. There were 3 in her right eyebrow that we're partially covered by her green bangs and another in her left. She also had three in each ear and all looked like the curved suture needles medics used in surgery. Once Temari had her outer dress off she pulled off the armor Naoki was wearing underneath. She had chain mail netting on her legs to about her mid thighs and it completely covered her chest as a type of shirt. The medic tattoo on her arm was always visible and although it made her a target in certain circumstances it also identified her as an important resource when needed. Finally pulling Naoki's hair down Temari looked at her work. The medic was still sound asleep and in her more comfortable undergarments. From what skin she could see in the moonlight Temari could tell the girl had scars covering her. Temari knew her body looked about the same but it was unsettling seeing it on someone who seemed so kind. Remembering Naoki's dark past Temari shook her head and left the girl to sleep peacefully.

Temari and Kankuro walked quietly along the roads. It was night and after such a hectic day Kankuro felt tired but he knew Temari was probably more worn out than he was considering she had been on patrol. Unlike other villages that they knew of Suna had shinobi that patrolled the country of wind without specified missions. They were sent to troubled areas and took a few missions without payment. This service was paid for by the taxes that the Wind Diamyo collected and delegated to the village hidden in the sand. Temari had been sent on such a patrol that day and even though it was relatively easy the amount of traveling it required was always exhausting. Coming up on Naoki's house they quietly climbed the stairs and unlocked Naoki's door via lock pick. "Why did we come here first?" Kankuro asked softly. "Because, Baka, when we get to my apartment to get Mai's things I'm going to stay and finally get sleep while you head back to the tower. I seriously do not want to double back to my apartment." Kankuro rolled his eyes and looked around. "So what am I looking for?" "Nothing." Temari growled back, "you are not pawing through a woman's clothing drawers. Just sit and wait while I grab her a few things." Kankuro rolled his eyes and groaned again. Couldn't he have just told Temari where the house was instead of coming with her? Instead of arguing though he went and sat down. After a few seconds of sitting he realized that he was about to fall asleep so he got up and started looking around.

Naoki's apartment was neat if not a little empty. She didn't have much furniture and what she did have looked relatively lived in. Concluding that she must have bought it used Kankuro went and looked at the few pictures that were placed on her walls and end table. One of them showed a small family with a familiar green haired little girl and a baby boy with two adults. The mother had a soft smile that Kankuro saw on Naoki when she was treating a patient and the father had the same green hair that Naoki had. Everyone looked relatively happy if not a little stressed. The mother who was holding the child had a fragile look in her eyes while her husband looked at the camera coolly. In fact after looking carefully Kankuro could tell Naoki was the only one truly smiling. The next picture held only Naoki and her father and neither of them looked happy at all. Naoki was still smiling but it was bitter and held a type of pain only a few would recognize. Her father looked past the camera as if he no longer cared for anything. Naoki's picture of her graduation day and her acceptance into the hospital were only of her and in both she looked very alone. Then there was a picture of Naoki and a whole host of people, one of which was surprisingly the frowning and very grouchy looking Diachisama. Upon looking closer Kankuro could see Diachi's head was turned toward Naoki and although it was hard to spot he did have a small smile on his face. Looking up Kankuro saw Temari was finished and had a bag in her hand but now she too was looking at the pictures. "Hey you ready?" He asked. Temari rolled her eyes and marched out of the room. "I was waiting on you ya moron." Kankuro snickered under his breath and followed his older sister out of the apartment.

Kankuro followed Temari to her apartment and once he had grabbed Mai's bag he left his older sister to sleep. When Kankuro got back to the tower he quietly put Mai's bag on Gaara's dresser and left Naoki's just inside her room. Yawning he walked back into his room and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. A few hours later he heard a type of whimpering. Getting up he rubbed his face and got out of bed. Before he had fallen asleep he had simply ripped of his clothes and got in bed. Now clad only in his boxers he followed the whimpering sound to Naoki's room. "What the…" Kankuro started and was cut off by Naoki sitting up violently in bed. "He's here." She whispered quietly, "I have nowhere to run!" Waking up a little more Kankuro walked cautiously over to Naoki. "Who's here?" He asked. "Him!" Naoki whimpered again. "I have nowhere to go!" Kankuro eyed Naoki warily, "Are you awake?" He asked. "You've got to run! He's here!" She was getting more anxious by the minute and Kankuro could finally tell she was having a nightmare. He cautiously touched her shoulder and she grabbed his hand, her eyes lost in the nightmare she was caught up in. "I have to leave, I can't stay. He'll find me." Kankuro dropped his head and closed his eyes. It was clear he wasn't going to be able to calm her in this state. "Okay, let's go somewhere else then." "Somewhere else?" She repeated, "Yeah, Kankuro smiled gently and picked her up, "So he won't find you." Naoki nodded and her eyes started slipping closed. Walking quietly Kankruo placed her on his bed and was about to go sleep in the guest room when her eyes shot open once more with panic. "What if he comes back? Don't leave please, don't leave like they did." Sighing Kankruo grimaced at the sleeping girl and lay down on the floor. "Fine, I'll stay right here, okay?" Naoki's eyes rolled back as she quickly fell asleep once more and she snored softly. Grabbing a pillow from the other side of his bed and a spare blanket he settled on the floor for a long night.

When Naoki woke up she smelled wood shavings and oil. Sitting up she looked around dazed. Rubbing her head she startled as she heard a loud snore. Naoki swung her legs over the bed and was about to look around when her feet landed on something soft and she heard a muffled "oof". Naoki gasped and pulled her feet back up, "Are you okay?" She asked. Kankuro groaned in response. "Wait what am I doing here, isn't there a guest bedroom?" Yawing sleepily Kankuro nodded. "Yeah, once you passed out that's where I put you but half way through the night you umm were worried so I brought you to my room." Naoki's eyes widened, "I didn't have a night terror did I?" "You don't remember?" "No." She confirmed quietly. Seeing her worry Kankruo shrugged. "Don't worry you were just a little panicked so I brought you in here. I didn't even know what it was about." Kankuro sensed that Naoki was embarrassed and worried about what private matters she may have leaked. Sighing in bitter relief Naoki avoided Kankuro's stomach and got up. "I guess I should go." She said. "Well Temari grabbed a few things for ya and they're in the guest bedroom if ya want to shower and change clothes. Surprised Naoki raised her eyebrows, "Thank you." She knew if she left the tower in the same clothes she had worn yesterday and all the night before she would not only look awful but it would raise some questions that needn't be raised. Kankuro coughed and looked down solemnly, "Also Matsuri and Fumio start Rakmah today. I think Mai, Gaara, Temari, and I are probably going to visiting them if you would like to join us. Naoki nodded and thought for a second, "Today is my day off I should have time but I do have to go in to get that autopsy report." Frowning Naoki reprimanded herself. It really should have been done earlier but she simply hadn't had the energy. "Okay", Kankuro nodded, "There's a shower in the guest bedroom for you and like I said you're bag is in there." Naoki nodded and smiled, "Thank you for your hospitality." "No problem." Kankuro said sheepishly. In all honesty this wasn't just out of the goodness of his heart. Naoki was a very attractive woman and although he didn't consider himself a pervert by any means he did appreciate beautiful women. Kankuro got up and stretched. Well if Naoki was going to shower he may as well do the same. Looking down he turned bright red and face palmed. He had just realized that he was still only wearing his boxers…