Ed's teeth chatter as he breaths in. Shikamaru hears a hiss of a fragment, a perfectly understandable phrase that in moments twists into something that sounds like a ramen recipe before the door swings utterly shut. Shika frowns and resists the urge to glance through the tiny glass window of the icebath room, knowing well he wouldn't see much of the feverish boy.
Hospitals are such a drag. Shikamaru finds the waiting is the worst drag of all.
There are simply too many bodies pressed in the tiny room. Seven med nins to be precise, and every one grips a squirming body part. His job is simple enough: make sure the boy does not completely squirm out of the room and by extention the hospital.
Again.
It's a complete drag of a guard duty assignment, and Shikamaru folds his arms across his chest.
"...Delirious at this time..." Shika hears, and slides his eyes towards the source down the hall. Baki strolls along beside an old man with white brows so long, they drape over his wrinkled cheeks like a set of bangs. "As such, it's not wise for me to have him questioned just yet."
"So it is confirmed that he has a bare minimum of chakra, but completely no chakra flow?" The old man replies.
"As far as the sensor nins can tell, that is correct."
"Unusual. And so sloppy of them not to notice such a thing until now." The old man remarks. "Will you explain what happened to those nasty infected wounds he had? Those resisted any kind of treatment like they were filled with some kind of poison."
"No. The chest is completely healed now. The fever remains a problem, however."
"It will come down soon enough."
The old man glances through the window with narrowed eyes and snorts. "I cannot say I agree with this primitive sort of treatment." The old man slides his shadowed eyes his way. "Where is the boy from?"
Shikamaru raises his brows. Was the old man's eyes so aged that he couldn't see his forehead protector in plain view?
"Pardon? Mr. Nara here is from Leaf, honored sib..."
"I can see that." He hears the old man snaps. The bald head shakes slowly as knobby hands tuck into long sleeves. "Leaf nins here in Sand? In my day the whole notion would be deplorable. The boy we are treating. What village is he from?"
"That.. Has yet to be determined."
"Thought so. Hmph. We have here a potential weapon from an unknown location, and no way to recover the costs of treatments. With these high of risks to the security of the village, Leaf nin should not be here."
"The original mission that brought us to this point was a joint mission performed for the goodwill between our villages. As such, Mr. Nara must stay."
What a drag, he thinks, Almost got to leave. Shikamaru slouches against the wall and looks for a passing cloud as he chews the inside of his cheek. He feels the old man's glare as surely as any cloud of killing intent he has ever sensed.
It takes a drag of an age for the shadowed eyes to slide back to the small window. Shika frowns and closes his eyes, shutting out the world to think through the options.
--oo--
It's inky dark when Shika quietly enters marketplace, seeking Ichiban's wagon at the far end just past a mess of shattered wood. He keeps his hands in his pockets as he steps near the rotund man strapping down a bundle.
"I see you're packed."
"Business. Sand's about all dried up. Reckon I'll be heading home for a spell by morning."
Shika nods and turns.
"I think an extra body to keep an eye out on your journey through the desert would be a real good idea. Never learned much of the slavers. - hear that they like attacking trade caravans in this part of Wind..."
A/N: this is a chapter that didn't want to be written. Tried several versions before settling for this. Not perfect, I know.
Sent via a stray supercharged nano particle of unobtainium....
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