Kusagakure Hospital Posts

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But of course - given my current situation that the medical staff had been notified not so long ago of, I'd chosen to swallow the pride that I'd amounted, to admit myself to the hospital frequently in order to guarantee that my child was healthy. Perhaps it was my own motherly tendencies which drove me forwards to make sure of this, but - I had to make sure that everything was alright. Although I hated laying down on the plastic sheet and slightly cushioned bed, it was necessary, and for that, I went through with it even with my distaste. However - because of this, as I walked through the halls now, I picked up the gaze of a few staff who were surely wondering whether or not I'd come back to do some work, or to merely attend an appointment. It was a fair question to ask, but as I soon turned in to one of the many wards, my intentions were made clear. Removing my gloves and placing them within the few pockets of my coat, I'd then go up to the sink near the door and wash my hands, cleaning them for what was to come. Now walking in, I soon caught the eye of a few medical shinobi who worked below me in the hospital - in fact - a few of whom I'd taught personally quite a few months ago now. And among them - a new nurse, the wide-eyed student of the flock who seemed to worry about each and every move she made. Granted, as I entered the room, I saw her flinch from the corner of my right eye. But I wasn't here to intimidate anyone - I wasn't even sure if I was capable of intimidating anyone in my current state. Out of everything - I was here to work, and that was exactly what I was prepared to do.

"L-Lady Kusakage!"

The younger student called my title, and in response, I gazed over at her apathetically, before cracking her a soft smile as a greeting. She couldn't have been much older than 15, and surely still working beneath the watchful eyes of the older medics who lingered around. It merely made me recall the first time that I'd served a shift within the hospital all those years ago - it was much more than a decade ago, I knew that well enough, but these halls - despite being destroyed during both wars, I'd rebuilt them to how I'd remembered them, and although it made me recall the brilliant tuition I recieved, it also reminded me of the wars themselves. With so few medical shinobi being in the village during the time of the first war, we were forced - pushed to our limits to make sure that our fighting men and women were in a decent condition to be put back on the field to protect the place. But I knew better than any how in vain these attempts were. The village hadn't been ready - none of us had been ready for what had come towards us, and I was sure that secretly, we all recognized this. But now - to try and prevent that from happening, the hospital was stock full of both budding students like the brunette before me, and older medics who knew the hospital as if it were the back of their hand. Henceforth; it was nice to see new students such as herself wandering in and getting an experience of what she'd be dealing with for surely the rest of her life. Of course - given my care towards the profession, although challenging sometimes, it was by no means an impossible job to do as it had been all those years ago. I made sure to stop that the moment I became leader of the village.

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Gazing over at her, both of my hands now rested on my hips after having been cleaned, I momentarily broke from this position and removed my coat, hanging it up on a nearby coat hanger so that it revealed the soft skin of my lower arms, the white chiffon-like dress that I wore, and most notably the rotund mass which had amounted upon my abdomen, which I couldn't help notice a few of the medics staring at momentarily before returning they eyes to my own. Crossing my arms, I gazed around the small staff-room portion of the building that was adjacent to the ward, listening in as one of the elder medics addressed me. A blonde, although a might lighter shade than my own due to age - she could have easily been in her sixties, if not bordering on seventy years old. "Lady Kusakage - with all due respect; ..but are you sure that you're ..well enough to work with us today?" he inquired, her tone and expression slightly concerned. Easing such words kindly with a gentle smile, I nodded my head softly as I positioned my left hand upon my stomach, and prepared to answer her question. "I appreciate your concern - but I promise you; I'm more than capable of doing so." I was more than aware of the fact that I was perhaps not as capable of healing for several days and nights as I'd been able to do previously, but it didn't stop me from doing a few hours of work within the place that I cared so much about. Shifting my hand across to the other side, I began to speak once more. "..I'll be overseeing and working alongside you today on the ward." With such words spoken, I could practically see the trainee medic trembling beneath what I'd said, but - I sought not to worry or fail her. Given the expansive knowledge that I had, I was sure that I could teach her a few things, as well.

It was quite quiet, of course - so if I was to go forwards with this plan, then I'd have plenty enough time to show her how to treat a patient in a certain way in order to help boost her knowledge of the medical field. Just as I had been taught, I'd been teaching people for quite a while now, and there were a rare few staff within the hospital who hadn't at least once been taught by my own hand. This girl was no exception, as she now prepared to dedicate her work to the good cause. I then smiled softly to her especially, locking my eyes with her own, a dark green hue, although - I did my best not to make myself more intimidating than I surely already made myself out to be. "Don't worry - I'm not here to fail you, I'm here to make sure that you're on the right track." I spoke comfortably as my words clung to the air like some kind of soothing mist. Despite how.. irritable I was made out to be (Which, in itself, wasn't exactly a lie) when in the hospital, I seemed to change, my personality becoming incredibly fluid. Or perhaps it was merely my condition which made me feel so motherly towards the new medics. I wasn't sure, but I reveled in such peace. Turning my gaze away from her, I then placed both of my hands to my sides, and focused my attention on the two elder medics.

"..Could I get a run-down on the patients who are currently in this ward?"

"Certainly, Lady Kusakage - if you give me a few moments --"

And just like that, she rushed off else where for only a few minutes, leaving me to converse briefly with the other medics, before she returned with a clipboard in hand detailing the information on each person. Taking it in my hands, I gazed over it, taking in everything that it said, and peeking my eyes towards the ward momentarily in order to match up each bed to its patient. With that rough guide given, I then spoke a "Thank you." and extended my arm forwards to return to her the clipboard which I'd momentarily borrowed. With this information now given, I could begin treating some of the patients who required to be tended to.

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And with the information now given to me, I moved across the ward and towards the patients that were waiting to be healed. As the group of us then split, moving to different patients, I went to choose my own; a patient suffering from burns after an unfortunate house fire which had happened recently. Whilst the wounds had been mostly healed, due to the severity they required constant care to negate the pain as gently as possible. The scarring, too, was a problem. Perhaps not for the function of the body, but for the confidence of the patient herself, which was something that I wanted to take care of to make sure that she was still comfortable in her own skin - and the new skin which had been healed and rejuvenated, of course. Moving across to her bed, the curtain draped around it to allow privacy, I softly pushed myself between the folds of fabric, and allowed me to enter the domain that had been created for her. With such beautiful, blonde hair flowing down my body and such angelic features, my person was easily recognizable, and ready to heal, I moved across to her side, yet again flicking her a soft, reassuring smile as I greeted her. "My name is Blanche - although I'm sure that you know that already. I'll be healing you for this session." I chimed, introducing myself. It wasn't that I was being big-headed, I simply didn't want her to think that I was patronizing her if she thought that I thought she didn't know me. My name had spread through the village like wildfire since I'd ascended to the title of leader; so if she truly didn't know who I was, then that would be a surprise.

But then again, it was none of my concern. My job was to heal and make sure that patients received the best level of care that I could possibly give them, and henceforth, although knowing my name was a nice thing to know as a patient, as long as I held the drive to make people feel better and to help them escape from the prisons that had been created for them through injury. "..Y-You're.. the Kusakage, aren't you?.." I listened to her speak, her tone slightly trying from the pressure on her throat and the trauma that her body was placed through recently due to the burns delivered to her. As my hands began to charge with a bright light, I nodded softly at her question, answering it quietly as I rested my palms atop the site of her injury. "That's correct - and I assure you - you're in safe hands." I spoke with the same smile upon my face as I continued to heal away at the burns that plagued her, slowly getting rid of the blistering red that covered a lot of her flesh. Of course - I wasn't sure of her take on me, my leadership or the recent news that had been spilled to the public about my condition, but she was a patient, and I treated her with the high standard of respect as I would any other within the hospital. Keeping my hands level, I continue to work diligently. I watched as she smiled softly in return, the skin of her face straining slighlty. "..I know." it was in no way sarcastic - and I was content to know that people truly did trust in my abilities.

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The strong white light kept shining from my hands as I hovered them atop her body in an attempt to heal her. Having finished the hand that I was working on, the skin being as pure and healthy as it had been before the incident had occurred at her home. "Could you please close your eyes as I heal your face? It's to merely prevent your eyes from becoming sore from the light." I requested, waiting for her to adhere to my words. Before I could even blink, her own eyes were shut, and in response I moved my hands up above her features in order to heal the damage that had been left there. The more and more that I peeled back at the burnt layers and revealed fresh skin, her identity seemed to come forth much, much clearer. She had to have been in her late forties. Due to the fact that it was mostly her jaw area that was scarred, her hair remained fine, a short pixie-cut in a black hue. Of course; I didn't know her myself, but it was always nice to come to know new people through my work - and it meant that if I saw her on the street, then she was another face to recognize. I'd always believed in there being a bond between patient and medic - and although it was hard at times when dealing with things like death if someone became particularly attached, it was all worth it in the end - I figured, at least.

Of course, if I was on my last dying breath on the wards, I'd like to be made comfortable by having people around that I could talk to and approach. I'd viewed other methods in other villages during my study and I hadn't liked the frigid nature of hospitals that some carried. Whilst my own personality was sometimes viewed as frigid, when it came to my work it was much different to how it was rumored to be, and for that reason, I was glad. But where my own mortality was concerned - it was an issue that I had to face, especially seeing as within a few months I'd have to go through a life-altering change. It only made me look back to the last time that such a thing had happened; and I'd barely escaped with my life back then given my own ignorance. I still had concerns for not only my own, but the livelihood of the child - but I did my best to ignore such concepts. The last thing I wanted was for my fears to become a self fulfilling prophecy, naturally. However, taking my mind of such things and returning to the patient, I resumed my work, continuing to clear the damage from her face, the softness of her features coming through and the aged lines that she bore. It was really quite tragic what had happened, but luckily no-one had gotten killed - she had been the only one in the house at the time from what I'd read, so she'd escaped with burns after a gang of shinobi from the village specializing in water release and fire control had rescued her.

I merely hoped that the damage done to her home wasn't too drastic.

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Minute after minute the burns disappeared, and her face was soon left pristine - undoubtedly still sore from what she'd been through, but for the most case, healthy-looking and much clearer than it had been previously. Still red from the tenderness of the flesh that had been healed, that was merely a temporary problem that could easily be eased with some cream. Moving my hands, the dimness of the light that flooded through her eyelids now signalled that I'd moved to shift my attention elsewhere, allowing her eyes to open and display her contracted green eyes to gaze around at the room around her, the strained feeling in her face having been removed. The process of healing was so simple when you came to grasp with its system and what was needed to fulfill its requirements - but it could do so much to help people that truly needed the aid. Working my way across the injuries she'd sustained, I soon heard her voice chime once more, this time slightly less strained than it had previously, although now it seemed more tainted by tiredness than anything else. Undoubtedly a patient to stay overnight for further inspection, I'd be sure to place that note down once I was done with healing her. It was simply to make sure that she was better and that her condition wouldn't merely deteriorate after allowing her to be discharged. Whilst my hands continue to heal her skin, my eyes however turned to her own, carefully listening to what she had to say.

"..How much longer do you have?"

It took me a little to grasp exactly what she was referring to, but as I caught her gaze and followed it down to my midriff, my own gaze hung there for a few moments as well, before looking back over to answer her.

A brief pause of hesitation.



"..Just a few more months."

I answered, my expression gentle, but at the same time, even I couldn't hide the slight surprise upon my face in reaction to her question. Of course - I had, only but a day or so ago revealed to the entire village the true parenthood of the child itself and my intentions - and I was surprised that she'd even asked such a question without any hint of poison within her voice. She seemed.. genuinely interested - but given her age, perhaps motherhood was merely something that everybody who having been through it could relate to easily. Turning my gaze away and again repositioning my eyes on where I was healing, and the work that needed to be done to negate the effects of the injuries from her body. "..Are you excited..?" she inquired. Of course; she still did seem quite tired, and I would have asked her to try to relax, but from the way that she spoke she seemed to be enjoying being able to talk to someone and not having been forced to be cooped up in the curtained "room" by herself. I was sure that it was a breath of fresh air to someone in her position, and who was I to turn down a conversation? Communication was key, and although I felt.. strange answering such questions, I spoke to her nonetheless. She was only being friendly, after all - it was simply I who wasn't used to being treated this way. "..I remember.. when I had my first." she went on, as I listened to her whilst working, picking up on each little word that she said. Of course, her own children were surely all grown up now - but it only made me remember the child who everybody had forgotten about - within good reason. Even after all of these years I mourned his painfully short life, and the wounds of anguish that I suffered were still raw - but I had to continue on. There was no need to reveal my secret to the public - there was no need to bring attention to his name when he was already so peacefully sleeping beneath the earth. And frankly, despite the guilt, I didn't want to remember that day. It only sought to play hell with my emotions.

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"Yes."

My tone was orderly, and contained as I responded with the simple one-word answer. Of course - as I simply thought about this child - my child, I could only gush in emotion when speaking about it - but that wasn't what I did. I was the Kusakage, and I had to keep a professional aura to every aspect of my life. Allowing my emotions to run free with a simple response was easily done, and harder restrained, henceforth, even I couldn't shy away the small, partly prevented smile that slipped from my lips for a mere moment, before returning to the apathetic look that it had been previously. Although, it seemed that my attempt had failed and the patient had noticed, responding with an entertained grin. Sure enough she was seeing another side of me that many didn't see each day, and because of that I didn't doubt that it was interesting for her to see me act so.. normal, alike any other expectant mother, and although I was almost embarrassed to admit such a mindframe, even I couldn't ignore it at times. I found myself unconsciously doting, but in moments of privacy I embraced such innate actions away from the prying eyes of others. I'd long since drawn away from my attempt at distancing myself from the child in fear that it would perish before it could take its first breath, as had my precious little boy all those years ago, but - I couldn't help myself.

The light on my hands continued to stem from my chakra, feeding away at it as it continued to alleviate the wounds from the woman's body. I trusted in my abilities, naturally, and I didn't doubt that she'd be fine within the next hour. Using much less of my chakra in an attempt to ration it just in case I turn as I had that night where I'd unintentionally siphoned chakra from one of the village chuunin, Esei, it was also for the sake of my own body - although I wanted to work, and I wanted to feel useful at this current time by doing some work as a medical shinobi in the hospital, I didn't want to push myself for obvious reasons. But the woman - her injuries were disappearing quickly as I held my hands above them and channeled my healing chakra in to her flesh, and so from this bout of health, I watched her smile from the corner of my eyes, causing the rest of my gaze to travel towards her countenance. It was a kind smile; not a sarcastic one by any means. Pairing with this, she soon began to speak, and her words managed to break me out of the more concrete facade which I'd brought upon myself, making my own face mimic hers with the soft smile that she currently displayed. "..I'm sure you'll be a great mother." and with that, for perhaps the first time in this entire small meeting of ours, I allowed my guard to drop as my eyes retained a somewhat more human feel to them, as I continued to smile, my eyes moving elsewhere, distracting me to prevent myself from bawling out with such feeble, fragile emotions.

"..Thank you."

"I appreciate your words."

"..I can only hope the rest of the village agree with you."

I spoke such words in light of the news that had been bestowed upon the village of Kouketsu and his involvement.

It was.. quite a sensitive subject to some at the current time.


"..I'm sure they'll come to accept it."
"Don't worry, child."

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And with that, I kept the soft white glow constant around my hands, continuing to feed chakra in to the technique. With so much of the damage now disappeared and with the woman being steadily alleviated from the pain that had plagued her, as I continued she seemed to become more and more comfortable, which was only expected of her given the state she'd been rendered to. Smiling once more at her words, I then nodded my head in response. It was good to know that despite the negative words that had been spoken about me over the past few days that there were still some people, strangers, granted, who still believed in me. Gazing over the amount of damage that she'd sustained, it seemed as if I'd cleared most of it, the only remaining part being the arm that I was currently repairing. She'd have to stay an additional night in order to mark her progress, but - she seemed well on the way to good health from how I saw the situation at the moment. Whilst she looked comfortable sitting on the bed and being treated, hospitals could be quite a lonely place, so I could only assume that her family was waiting for her. With a vase of fresh flowers decorating the table close to her, a selection of lilies and carnations, my guesses could only be assumed to be true. And the colors - it was either a child who had chosen such bright colors for the woman, or it was she herself who favored that color palette. Of course, it didn't matter - it was a nice sentiment, but, it only made me think back to the last time that I'd received flowers. It was quite a long time ago, now that I remember - but, I wasn't really complaining. Living in Kusagakure, they were quite common things to see in the village.

"..I'm almost done.
You'll be back to full health in no time, I'm sure."

I whispered as I looked at the scarred, broken skin which seemed red to the touch, blistering evident and red overwhelming the entire milky palette that the rest of her skin was composed from. However, this disastrous look was soon eased as chakra kept feeding in to her skin, changing the appearance of her arm within minutes. As if all of the damage was being sucked up by some invisible force, it was then replaced with fresh skin, brought along by the power of shousen. A few moments of peaceful silence soon fell upon the small room that had been created from the curtain, and soon the woman seemed back to her old self. Her skin was still slightly red from the pressure, but it would soon pass. Removing my hands from her side and then diminishing the glow of chakra that had been flooding my fingers, I softly smiled to her to mark the finishing of the procedure. "Remember to get plenty of rest - I've removed the damage, although your skin may still feel sore. Try to get some sleep." I spoke to her and gave a gentle bow of my head. Such a smile being returned, I was soon greeted with a "..Thank you for your services, Lady Kusakage.". Once this brief exchange of words was done, I then made my way back out of the enclosed space, and allowed the woman to catch up on the sleep that she required. From the dim, cosy light the curtained room had given, my eyes soon readjusted to the bright light of the ward, as I gazed around to find my next patient, blonde hair flowing beautifully behind me as I walked across the room.

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HOSPITAL CRISIS!
RANK: B
DESCRIPTION: As a medic it's your duty to help out the village when it's in need- and it just so happens that the hospital needs your help to take care of the patients that are suddenly flowing in to the place! Heal as many people as you can whilst also keeping up the excellent medical service that Kusagakure strives to uphold. Failure is not an option and any botch job medical treatments will make the user face strict penalties!
OBJECTIVE: Heal as many patients as you can in the hospital!
PAY: 5,000 Ryo and 300 EXP.

With one patient having been taken care of, I'd soon shift my attention towards the other patients who were currently within the ward. Watching as other medics weaved in and out of the curtained divisions, I instead moved towards one of the less populated beds - a male, nineteen years of age, who was more than casually sitting atop of the bed - from the way that he positioned himself, it was clear that he hadn't been there for a long- less than an hour, surely. From what I'd read of him, he'd managed to get himself injured during a mission that he'd taken early in the morning, and with no medical abilities himself or any within his immediate family, he'd obviously been admitted for treatment. Of course - given that it was a mission I didn't think that it would be too severe, but it was best to consider everything seriously in order to prevent doing a bad job. Of course - that's not to say that I would do a bad job. Although I had made myself the head medic of the hospital, I found immense pride in such a title, and even as a lowly medic before the first shinobi war I'd always done my best when working within the hospital. It wasn't simply a matter of fixing things - these were people, and they deserved as much care and respect as anyone else. Even if the patient was only suffering from a few scrapes on their knees. Although one could prioritize people by severity, in no way this mean that less of an effort would need to be taken to secure the health of that person. And within this hospital that I called home, I made sure of that.

I approached him and the bed he was sat upon.

From what I could see, he didn't seem all that bad off. Or at least, unlike the last patient who had been scalded, her skin burnt and charred from the fire that she'd been victim to, he seemed.. quite robust for someone in hospital - but then again, he was a boy, and perhaps he was merely acting out this tough facade to both make himself feel better and more confident, and to not show weakness in front of someone like me. Gazing at him, I quickly took in his appearance; a short, dark-green crop of hair sprouted from his head, brown eyes following that. As I scanned his appeared for any sign of injury, the only inkling that I could find were some daubs of dried blood which seemed to be flecked on his shoulder - but the most obvious sign? The wrapped bandage around his left bicep, which had some become slightly blood-stained from wear since its application to his wound. Now standing to his side, I listened to him as he began to speak, my hands carefully beginning to remove the bandage from his arm. "I cut it during a mission outside the village - a bandit managed to lodge his kunai in my shoulder --" words spilled from his mouth, an I could only shake my head softly at what he had to say - perhaps taking it out hadn't exactly been the best option, as it surely only amounted to the bloodloss that he'd have mildly suffered - depending on how he chose to treat it initially and how much time he took before he admitted himself to the hospital. "..I can tell you now that you did yourself no favors by taking it out - but - I assume that depending on your situation at the time, that may be easier said than done." I spoke understandingly as I started to peel away the bandage. "But it shouldn't effected you too much if you came here straight away - let's see how bad this is then, shall we?" I'd ask, my hands feeling the texture of the dried blood against my soft skin. Of course; gore and blood was nothing that I wasn't used to - so I had no problem with treating it. I knew that a few new medics were somewhat iffy with treating such gory wounds but, after years of seeing it one became numb to the sight.

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Keeping my hands steadily as I took back the bandage upon his arm, it wouldn't be long until the youth's injury would become aired, and completely visible, having once been shrouded. It seemed quite painful from what I could see - a clear puncture mark, but from what I gazed at now, it seemed as if he'd managed to clean it and perhaps even put some antiseptic on it before dressing it, which was always a positive thing to do to prevent infection. Nodding my head softly, my eyes which had once been focused on the injury directed back to his eyes, and I grinned. "You'll be alright in a few minutes - it looks like you did a good job cleaning the wound before coming here." I'd tell him, a small daub of praise to try and make him feel better. Of course, like most boys his age he seemed apathetic towards it, as if he could feel no pain at all, when I, with my heightened ability to read body language, could tell that he was wincing at every private second he had where my eyes were directed elsewhere. But - it was only expected. He was young, and there was no need for him to put up such a front. "..Oh, uh - yeah - ..it was my mom who did that." he admitted sheepishly, raising his free arm and rubbing the side of his neck, almost as if he was regretting having told me such information. Of course, I didn't care if it was his little sister or anyone - he needed to know that in the future, if he was by himself and something like this happened again, then cleaning it was the first thing to do. It was something incredibly basic, but it was worthwhile when you considered what it did.

"She sounds like a smart woman."

And just like that, shousen again activated within my hands, cover my fingers in a soft white hue, and I moved my hands up to hover above his bicep, right near the injury which he'd stained. Given the state of it, it wouldn't take much longer to heal. With my healing abilities cleaning the area of any grime that may have collected in it between the time that his mother had dressed it and now, luckily it seemed that there hadn't been that much to clear - and henceforth, it was an easier job for me, if only to spare me a few seconds. I was lucky, of course, that the hospital wasn't too busy today, and it allowed me to do things at my own pace. Where such a pace had previously been quite quick and fast-paced, I'd since calmed down slightly with the addition of the child to my nimble body, and for its own sake and mine, I made sure not to overwork myself. Luckily for myself and the work that I was hoping to continue, the past work I'd done with the lady who had been quite badly burnt hadn't taken all too much from me; and I was still good to go for quite a while longer before I'd need to take a breath, I was sure - perhaps after treating the patient after this boy - it seemed like enough. Pressing on with the work, the same quiet silence had enveloped us, although I could see questions lurking behind his brown eyes. But then again - it wasn't every day that most people were healed by their leader in such a spontaneous mannner - but, all in all I doubted that most villages had the same perk as ours by having the person who led them rule other facilities as well. Hokage Hyuuga, Kohana's infulence in Konoha was the only other one that I could think of - but, although I didn't doubt her talent - I was sure I outmatched her in that sense.

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"So - bandits, was it?"

I asked, the silence having become slightly.. awkward. Of course, I was the woman who could stay silent for days upon end if I wanted to; but given that he was young, and he was surely slightly concerned about having his injuries being seen to by someone like me (Especially so given the recent news and new popular belief that I was a monster to some) I chose to spark a conversation that he could easily relate to, in order to have something to speak about. His injury wasn't all that severe despite its appearance, so it was a breeze for me to heal. Holding my hands still above his bicep, I turned my attention to him, watching as he began to speak. "It was my fault - I was with my friend, and I didn't see the bandit coming towards me -" a pause. "..We got them in the end though, Lady Kusakage, don't worry about that." he clarified, his tone, despite sounding slightly defeated from being injured, seemed quite.. proud, at the same time. I didn't recognize him, and because of this I could only assume that he was one of the late genin who were still yet to take their chuunin exam. Given that there was one coming up soon, I'd be sure to recognize his face during debriefing before allowing the genin to be sent off to wherever they would be hosted next. He said that he'd been with his friend - so surely, it had either been a C, or a B-Ranked mission - if his friend had already attained the title of chuunin before him, of course. It was plausible, as I'd received the title of chuunin late, merely because of the complications during the war and the various occurrences that happened soon thereafter. But -I'd gotten there, and now held my head high as not only a kage - but a jounin, too. Nodding my head to him, I focused back on the wound, it soon almost becoming sealed up from the damage that he'd suffered. Seeing as his injury wasn't too drastic, he'd be able to leave today.

"..Don't worry."

I spoke forgivingly; he'd returned the bandits to the village for interrogation and he'd completed the mission, as it seemed - so despite the fact that he'd been injured, there wasn't really all that much wrong with the situation. Of course, there was a lingering feeling that if his friend hadn't been there, perhaps he would have been the one captured, instead of the bandits themselves, but that was something to take in to accordance before going on to the next mission that he'd go on to do perhaps a short while after being discharged from the hospital. With shousen soon clearing up on my fingers, the soft white disappearing, it would soon become apparent to the boy that his injury had also disappeared with the light, his skin slightly red from the pressure that the wound had caused, but except for that he was fine, and in much better condition than he had been mere minutes ago before I'd activated the technique. Had it not been for the soft redness of his skin, then one could easily doubt that his arm had remained untouched. "It may feel a little bit sore for a few hours; but it'll pass. Take it easy." I spoke, drawing my hands away and crossing them beneath my chest, my head tilting to the side a little as I looked over at him. My caring tone was delivered to him, and in reply he'd shift his position on the bed slightly, moving himself so that his legs hung over the side of the bed. Carefully he rose, giving a cheeky grin in my direction, he being obviously quite content from being healed back to health. "Thanks! I'll be sure to do that." and heeding my words, he'd the leave, allowing me to pick up the discarded bandage on the bed. As I turned, I noticed that he'd already left, surely eager to get back to his friends and family. Disposing of the bloody bandage, I then moved over to the sink once more, rinsing my hands beneath the tap just in case anything carry over from the bandage I'd held. Perhaps it was merely me being slightly too paranoid, but - it was better to be safe than sorry.

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With he having been taken care of, I then turned around from the sink that I had previously been positioned at, in order to muse over what to do next. Turning my attention back towards the ward and the various curtains that had been pulled across a few of the used beds, I watched as the nurses kept going back and forth, before disappearing between the fabric in order to tend of their patient. Currently stationed on this ward, it did seem quiet, but there was little that I could do about that - and to be honest, I didn't really want it to change. Taking neat strides across towards the beds, I approached those who were conscious bearing bandages around the soft, tender skin that had been healed who were doing various things to busy themselves - reading a book or a magazine, writing or toying with various items. Approaching them one by one and asking how they were doing, I exchanged brief word with those who were currently staying here, asking how they felt and if they needed any assistance with anything. I felt almost.. humbled to be able to embrace my position within the hospital, as away from the anger and the rage - and the hunger that taunted my soul, it allowed me to relax and sway away elsewhere if but for only a few hours, and to dedicate my time towards something different other than general office work. Due to my hectic schedule I couldn't spend many hours a day within the hospital, but I tried to do my bit to keep up my title and to give some extra help to those who needed it. Even simply making sure that these people felt comfortable was important as a medic - as they were the people that you were looking out for. Although I could find so many things with my techniques, it was them who knew better about themselves than anyone else, even if we as medics tried to match up to such a level of understanding. We'd never be able to get closer than they could as patients to themselves.

Because of this crucial fact, communication was important to allow medics to speak efficiently to their patients and to figure out exactly what was the root of the problem - where they felt the most pain, when they'd begun feeling such symptoms. Although some could view communicating as a way of cheaply finding out information without there being a true link between medic and patient, I prided myself on the friendly nature of the hospital that I served in. Of course - where it came to the personal lives of the people that I taught, I wasn't sure whether or not their work and the personality they adopted for that reflected on their day-to-day lives, but - given that it changed mine so drastically, I wouldn't be surprised, nor disappointed if they acted completely different on the job. Moving away from beds and approaching the next few, I kept greeting, soon circling the entire room, having made my presence known to those who were currently staying there. With little else to do, the patients of whom I'd been designated to having been taken care of and the rest appearing to be quite content lying down and going ahead with business, I moved back in to the small staff area that was on the floor, approaching the kitchenette and grabbing a nearby glass, then pouring myself a glass of water. Over the last few minutes my throat had become somewhat dry, and as the clear liquid slid down my throat, I could only feel relieved. Washing it back out and drying it, I placed it back down where I'd found it, escaping out to the wards once more once I was done, a hand gently positioned on the side of my stomach as I approached the younger medic, who seemed to be standing outside one of the curtained beds - interested in what she was doing just standing around, I approached her, the look of surprise on her face clear as she noticed my form drawing close.

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"How are you doing?"

My question seemed quite.. different to what she was expecting, from what I could tell by gauging her expression as I asked her. Perhaps she figured that I was going to ask exactly why she was slacking on the job after having been allowed the privelidge of getting some hands-on hospital experience. Whilst I was interested in why exactly she was standing outside of the curtain rather than helping the nurses within, my friendly approach would surely spill out some information from her lips in regards to that. One thing usually led to another, and given how nervous she seemed to be at this very moment, I didn't doubt that she'd let some things slip. Of course, I wasn't looking to take advantage of this trait of hers to figure out a few answers - but it was convenient. "..I'm fine, it's just-" she seemed hesitant to reveal what she had to say, but she continued nonetheless. "..The patient is bleeding quite heavily - I-I haven't seen anything like it before--!" she whispered, as to not stir those behind the curtain. To this, I replied with a smile, and a gentle nod of my head to show that I understood exactly how she was feeling. Being tough as a child, blood had never fazed me. It had made me feel lightheaded a few times, but given that I was the one running about and getting cuts on my knees from trying to beat up my elder brother, Ue's bullies, I'd surely gotten used to it better than anyone else. "It's fine - a lot of people such as yourself who come here for experience aren't usually used to seeing these sights." It was true - where household cuts were things that everybody had seen, blood gushing out from open wounds wasn't exactly something that happened daily. I couldn't punish her for that.

"Have you gotten some water?" I then inquired, as she responded by shaking her head. Placing my free hand daintily on her shoulder, I then motioned for her to come over to the kitchenette in the staff area where she could get something to help ease the foreign haze that had surely come over her. Minutes passed and we traversed over, the girl doing as I'd suggested and drinking some water. It wasn't long until we returned back to the ward, as I began to speak to her again. "So - are you looking to work here after you've passed the necessary requirements?" I asked - in order to work at the hospital full-time, medics needed to be tested for their skill in a similar enviroment to today, just at a busier time to see how they'd fare under pressure. Many youths chose to help the staff, as the girl was doing today, in order to gain experience and familiarize herself with the place. The question had an obvious answer, but I was merely trying to make her feel more comfortable. I could only briefly recall my first day working in the hospital, but even then I felt out of place - as if I hadn't belonged due to both my age, and the fact that I hadn't exactly worked there before. But now, I trawled its hallways freely, having become used to each turn and twist in the building.

"I am - I'm hoping to take the test next month.
It's just.."

"..I hope I'm good enough to pass."

I hadn't seen her perform yet - and so, it seemed like a better time than ever to whisk her away elsewhere in order to see how much talent the girl bore.

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Carefully making my way past the folds of fabric that the curtains were compromised of, I addressed the nurse within quietly; "The girl will assist me in taking care of another patient - As long as you two are fine working together." I spoke, the acceptance of the message given by a simple nod of the black-haired medic's head and a polite "Hai, Lady Kusakage." Gazing momentarily at the patient, of whom had been placed under general anaesthesia in order to help them cope with the pain that was hitting them from whatever injury was dealt, the scene looked quite bloody, and I could empathize with the girl for the queaziness that had overcome her. There had been hours in my life where I could barely move without feeling as if I was going to spill my guts on to the floor, but - those days had passed months ago, and now I was free. Despite being a medic and being able to handle many things without wincing only one, I detested throwing up above all. It was a natural response from the body which I had no control over - unlike my common sense and agility which drew me away from dangerous situations. But, it was something that rarely hit me these days, and henceforth I was able to gaze at such gory sights with no repercussions. With such clearance having been given, I then slid out of the confined space, and released myself back to the rest of the ward, where the young girl was still waiting for my response - or anything from me, really.

"..I want to see you practice your skills on a patient here, in this ward."

"..As long as you're willing, that is."

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"..O-Of course! Of course, Lady Kusakage, I'll be happy to show you."

I'd hoped that her shyness wouldn't deter her from displaying to me the ability that she had, and it seemed as if I what I'd hoped had come true, after all. Despite seeming nervous about showing me, of all people, she seemed to be truly happy to be able to display her talents, and if she did prove good enough - then when the time came for her to take her desk, perhaps she'd become better from the experience she'd gained in the hospital. I wasn't too sure, but I hoped so, for her sake. Although she portrayed herself to be a quiet soul, she seemed passionate about the medical arts just as I was - and if her ability matched the size of her enthusiasm, then I figured that she'd have no problem passing the test. "Here, follow me - I'll find you someone to work with." I spoke, my hand having since left my stomach and now finding its position on my hip instead, as I began to trawl through the ward to see if there was someone who we could begin healing. Most were alright, although I could remember one who would soon require the aid of a medic to help heal her injuries - and so, gazing back at the girl, I'd then push open the curtains that led to the woman's room, allowing enough room for both myself and the trainee to enter. The victim of a household accident, she seemed responsnive enough from the way that she was gazing at things, her eyes sharply noticing the arrival of both myself and the student, but luckily for us, she was friendly. Too many times in the past had I healed a few more.. demanding patients, but I was sure that the woman before us would prove as a good start to her practical work where medical work was involved. I wasn't sure if in the past the girl had practiced on injured animals or merely scraped knees and papercuts - but, despite being thrown in to the deep end with this current patient (Although, granted, not as deep as the blood-soaked one that she'd past had to watch be treated) I had faith that she'd be able to do the job.

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Now within the confines of the small makeshift room, I moved forwards towards the patient, the same soft smile on my face that I'd displayed for the majority of my shift. Despite the way that it was commonly used in situations such as these, it wasn't fake. I liked to think that it was merely the depths of my subconscious reaching out for something in some way. I simply digressed that I couldn't act the same whilst outside of certain situations. But then again - I was the Kusakage, after all. And although my own reputation had been tarnished somewhat by the news of Kouketsu and his involvement with the child and the village, I couldn't smile to each and every person that passed me by. Whilst it was kind of me to do so, it wouldn't get me where I wanted to be, as harsh as it sounded. I had to be firm - or my own people would run me over with my own words and then expect me to pick up the pieces once more for them and shape another desirable community. I didn't like to say that I'd lost faith in my own village - but a few people - probably half of the village itself didn't trust me nor what I was doing, and it pained me to know that Akatome was part of that proportion. Where had I gone wrong? I'd been practically raised alongside him - I'd always been part of his life, as I had with Ue's. But now- he was turning against me, and it merely reminded me of Kouketsu's words all those months ago about how Ue had begun to resent me as a sister - was the same change destined for Akatome? Or had it already begun? It seemed as if I had already allowed hatred to overcome me more than once in the past - but now - I had a chance for change. A chance to allow myself to breathe and relax, and I grasped at it with all that I had. I recognized the bitter loneliness that I'd previously felt.

Just.. I hadn't recognized it at the time.

But returning my thoughts back to the patient and the ever present brunette who was awaiting my instruction, I then spoke to the woman upon the bed the following words in a soft, reassuring tone; "Good morning; My colleague will be taking care of you today." and after that, I shifted my gaze back to the girl, as I stepped back and began to watch her begin to approach the situation level-headedly. Crossing my arms, I moved to the corner of the small room, standing behind the patient so that she wouldn't feel as if I was staring at her in any way - or at least, in any way that she was facing. Hidden from view, I watched as the girl approached the woman, exchanging gentle words before moving to look at the small flip-pad located at the end of the bed which detailed the injuries which she'd sustained. Upon recognizing this, I kept watching as she then moved over to the areas of her body which needed healed; her ribs, most notably, which she seemed to begin on. It being the best choice, seeing as anything that could happen to them could perhaps run in and effect her internal organs, I nodded to that, watching as shousen's glow emitted from her palms as the bone within the woman's flesh began to be fixed, destroying any of the impurities that had since gathered after its break. She'd fallen outside her home, from what I knew, but they'd found her in an awkward position, having fallen on a garden ornament which caused her skeleton to bend and snap out of place. It seemed like an unlikely thing to happen, but there were many different kinds of unlucky people in this world - I could only guess that she was one of them.

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But, in this situation, there was little that I could do except for stand back and watch her, but in some way, this was somewhat humbling. Perhaps it was merely because of the fact that I had once been in her position too, but now I'd risen to such a high status since my days working day-to-day in the hospital, several years ago. Perhaps I was now watching the girl who would become the next head medical director of the Kusagakure hospital. Fate had no way of uncovering itself, and as I simply mused about fate and its possibilities, it reminded me of the child that would be with me - with us at the end of the next few months we had left. How its fate had been decided by Soratsu in his few minutes of pure rage, how its fate had been decided by some degree of the village's population, who believed it merely to be the spawn of the devil itself - a destroyer of worlds. I had previously believed in fate. But since this - since one pure, innocent child could gain so much notoriety, I couldn't believe in it much longer lest such a prophecy become self-fulfilled. The child would be perfect - nothing alike its father nor I. I'd make sure of it, if it was the last thing that I do - I couldn't have time repeating itself in its precious little life. I couldn't have the curse of my own blood passed down to him as it had me, only to provoke him when he was at its weakness and overcome his beautiful mind as it did with my own. I could still feel it - but having been fed a concoction of pure chakra hours previously, I made sure that I wouldn't gain its adverse effects. I couldn't afford to be in such a mind frame when around vulnerable people in the hospital - it was common sense, really.

Bit by bit, I kept watch of the young medic as she continue to heal, my thoughts becoming swamped over by outside ideals that I thought irrelevant to the matter at hand. Because of this, I cleared whatever dust had amounted there, forcing me to think back to the present - back to now. She seemed to know what she was doing, and the focused looking expression on her face merely bolstered this. But I kept quiet, continuing to watch silently as she kept doing her work, her eyes not once moving from where she was healing, although once or twice I'd noticed her giving the patient herself a reassuring smile to let her know that everything was alright. From what I could see myself, everything did actually seem to be going well, fortunately for the anxious medic before me. There was no need for her to have been all nervous - but it was surely simply within her character. However, I assumed that if she continued her work in the hospital, in due time she'd be able to work past that and blossom in to a confident kunoichi. As for me, I'd never been quiet. I'd been sympathetic in my youth, of course - but quiet, never. I was the loud one - the one who's mouth usually got her in trouble and the one who probably broke the noses of half of the boys in academy by the time that she'd finished. Of course, in reply I myself had gotten several things broken, but most of them were due to my own recklessness. I had no-one to blame, but at the same time, I didn't particularity care. Times had changed and as I stood here now, watching her, I could only remember myself as I'd begun to work for the hospital - walking in each day in my new uniform, proudly hanging it up each night. It had been my life - but in the end, had it truly been all that worth it? Worth the life that had due to be my own to cherish?

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