The original Kahako gave Hikari a small, exasperated smile. Shinobi. So quick to throw themselves into their work with little to no regard to what it does to their bodies. “I’m sorry Hikari-chan, I already reinforced the wounds as best I could. Sadly, no matter how many miracles we accomplish, even medical ninja are limited to what we can do. You can go as far as sparring and paperwork, but as your residing doctor, I’m ordering you to say out of direct battle for at least a week and a half.” Her smiled softened to one of humor, “Then you can beat people until your heart’s content.”
In the meantime, the clone Kahako frowned even further when Shashu explained what injuries she sustained. “I’m not sure,” she said softly in regards to a rib being broken. This time, she tried a stronger healing technique to see if that would heal the abnormality she felt. If it failed, then the next step would have to be taken, and it wasn’t pleasant.
Because she was so focused, the clone didn’t hear the soft apology that Hikari gave the original Kahako. The original was silent for a second as true sadness slipped into her eyes. She wouldn’t cry… not right now, but no amount of stubbornness could keep her from looking to the ground as she tried to find her words again. “It… it’s okay Hikari-chan,” she looked up at her friend, feinting a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, “we are all in this field of work knowing that we are going to lose each other one day. Especially in these halls, death is too common to be skirted around delicately.” She looked down again, unable to keep her friend’s gaze. “My condolences for the loss of your uncle,” She said quietly. They both lost family it seemed.
“Dammit,” came a call from across the room. Kahako’s clone immediately stood, pushing the stool away from her in the process. “Shashu-chan, I’m going to need you to slowly, and I do mean slowly, lay down.” She placed a hand each on Shashu’s head and opposite side of her torso to guide her onto the bed gently. “I’ve got two broken ribs on the upper quadrant. It’s really close to her lung. Not punctured, but it’s dangerously close.”
That snapped Kahako out of her depressed state and into action. Immediately leaving Hikari’s side, the original summoned a second clone, giving commands as if she were a completely different person. “I want one of you on anesthetics and the other on fortification.” Once she reached the curtain that separated them, she turned to Hikari, catch the question. Offering a final, somber smile Kahako dismissed her old friend. “Yeah, I’ll finish any paperwork needed to release you. I’m serious about taking it easy though.”
With that, she pulled the curtain back to its original position, giving her full attention to Shashu. By now, the new Kahako clone was gliding her hands along the girl’s injured side. Slowly, the pain would start to disappear, allowing the ANBU to breathe easier. “Shashu-chan,” began the currently working Kahako, “I know you will want to take a deep breath in relief, but I’m going to have to ask you to refrain from doing so. The place where your bones fractured is dangerously close to your lungs.” The original Kahako made it to Shashu’s head, performing complex hand signs before chakra started to flow through her own fingers.
“I’m going to put you under a sort of trance.” She started, placing both of her hands on either side of the girl, looking into her eyes while overhead with a smile on her face if only to keep her patient from panicking at the news and moving suddenly. Slowly, Shashu would feel like she was getting sleepy. “What is going to happen is that I will be resetting and mending the bone.” She said calmly and softly, as if in a mother would to a child she was putting to bed. “I’m putting you in this state, because you will feel the bones moving. It won’t hurt, I promise, but it will feel unnatural.” She moved her hand across Shashu’s forehead, gently pushing her bangs out of the way. It would seem like a petting gesture, but it was how just how the brain accepted chakra. “Just follow the feeling, Shashu-chan, try not to resist or move. If you do, my clones won’t be able to repair the bone properly.” She purposefully failed to mention the true reason why she was putting Shashu in this state for her own safety. “It will be over before you know it, and then you’ll be back on the field in no time.” She said, offering a final smile to the girl.
After a while, Shashu would feel herself finally reach a state of consciousness and awareness. It was as if she was trapped between the state of being awake and still dreaming. She would be able to feel her body, see the original Kahako above, and, if she tried hard enough, speak. However, beyond that, Kahako had forced the girl’s muscles to relax so much that she wouldn’t have even been able to twitch her pinky.
“Begin the procedure.” Kahako said above her. Quickly, the first clone made her hand seals before once again pressing lightly against Shashu’s side. Only a small pressure could be felt. Then, very slowly, a small shift would be felt under her skin… another shift… then a wiggle. Slowly, Shashu would feel the bones under her flesh moving to realign themselves, slowly reattaching and mending. The process was slow and would take quite a few minutes. While it was happening, Kahako would talk to Shashu: Mentioning her day, commenting on the weather… anything that kept Shashu’s mind off the weird feelings that were happening under her torso.
“You know… once I was eaten by a Nian cat when I was still an academy student.” Kahako said with a laugh. “Fascinatingly terrifying creatures, they are. Completely made of sugar, trust me; stomachs acids are nothing more than warm, liquid chocolate.” This was another random topic the original Kahako trailed upon. “Hikari-chan and some others helped me find a way out of it. Needless to say, I don’t really enjoy sweets anymore, but I gained the trust of the people there. Including Hikari-chan. I guess I should visit her more often than I have.”
Finally, the clone that was repairing Shashu’s bone gave a sigh. “It’s done.” She said before poofing in a puff of smoke. The clone had expended all of its chakra, no longer able to maintain its form. The second clone’s hands slowly lost their glow, also running out of chakra. “Get better, Shashu-chan,” it said tiredly before disappearing as well. This left only Kahako and Shashu in the room alone. “Okay, time to give you back your control over your body.”
Slowly, as if rising off the ground, weightless, Shashu would be pulled from her trance, it would take another ten minutes before Kahako moved away from her head, allowing her charka infused hands to disappear as well. “Well, that should be all of it. I want to keep you here overnight, just in case.” She said tiredly. Before Shashu could argue, Kahako raised a finger. “One night, I promise. Then you will be free to go. I’ll even allow you to return to the field in a limited sense if everything checks out well in the morning. But just like I told Hikari, you’ll need to take it easy, doctor’s orders. I’ll even be the one who checks up on you in the morning.”
When all was finished and answered, Kahako left the room to make sure Shashu was transferred to a more accommodating room for the night and a list of the nurses that would be on the following shifts until her release. Eventually Hii-san would return with a wheelchair to escort her up to the next floor. “This is where we separate ways Shashu-chan,” Kahako said, following the tall mednin in. “I am glad that I got a chance to meet you.” With this, she bowed slowly. “and I look forward to working with you in the future. Please, take care of me,” lifting her head with a smile. Once Shashu said her own goodbye, Kahako would turn away and leave the room. Though she was able to keep herself together during Shashu’s treatment, she needed to be left alone. Now was her time to mourn.
[TL unless stopped; MFT: +1400; will request for council approval when Shashu finishes post (please remember to make sure you have reached the word count required for a medical thread of this rank.); will edit later for grammar.]
