Beautiful Silence

Chapter 14: Warmth

"His condition is hopeless... I don't think he can continue being a ninja."

Riko stared in disbelief at Lee, who was lying on a hospital bed. She was hearing her colleagues talk about Lee's condition after his match against Gaara. Even she couldn't do anything for him. His wounds were too serious. His bones were completely smashed into pieces. His left leg and arm were practically unusable by this point. If she wasn't on the job, Riko would've probably started sobbing. She saw how much Lee worked hard to be a ninja. She didn't know it, but she saw it in his eyes. He worked harder than anyone to get to where he was, only to have all that hard work obliterated in one battle. His dream was taken away from him. She really didn't look forward to letting him know. She knew she wasn't the one who'd break the news to him, but she also knew how destroyed he'd be to hear them.

They had been trying to keep him in a stable condition. The medical team, including Riko, had taken care of his wounds as much as they could. They firmly bandaged his arm and leg, applying different medicines to help him recover as much as possible. He hadn't woken up for the whole day. Riko was put in charge of him for his stay at the hospital.

Everyday she'd go and take care of his basic needs. She'd infuse him with the nutrients he needed through needles. She'd also regulate his intake of oxygen using the oxygen mask. When she was done with all the daily tests, she would then kneel next to his bed and hold put her hands on his arm and leg, hoping he would get better. After every session, she would find her face stained with tears. She really wanted to help him. She didn't even know if what she was doing was helping him at all. Even then, she would still do it whenever she could, hoping and praying that it would someday work.

One day, while Riko was doing her daily routine with Lee, she heard someone open the door behind her. She turned around and saw Sakura coming in.

"Ah, Riko. You're the one in charge of Lee?"

Riko nodded. Sakura gave her a sad smile. Riko then noticed the flower that Sakura was holding. Tears started threatening to come out. Sakura then went and put the flower in a vase at the window.

"You know, without Lee, I might've not been able to make it."

Riko looked at Sakura, who was now looking at Lee's motionless body.

"He saved my life in the Forest of Death..."

Sakura's voice was getting choked up. Riko put her hand on her comrade's shoulder to comfort her.

After a bit, Sakura said her goodbyes to Riko and went on her way, leaving the latter alone again with her patient. Having finished all the daily checking and tasks, Riko kneeled down next to Lee's bed, put her hands on his leg and arm, and closed her eyes. She started vehemently, almost feverishly wishing for him to heal. She was so concentrated on that, that she didn't notice at first the newcomer in the room.

For a moment, he was staring at her, in disbelief to how much emotion she was showing. Tears were uncontrollably streaming down her cheeks. She was also whimpering sometimes and her whole body was shaking. He had come here to finish off Lee who survived against him. He didn't know he'd find her there. Seeing her so concerned about Lee made him wonder why, at first. Why was she so caring towards that guy? Why was he the only one not being cared for? His anger started to rise.

Riko then noticed that someone was in the room. She opened her eyes and looked towards the door. She found Gaara standing on the other side of Lee's bed. She felt his fury. He was angry, and he wanted to kill. She then realized that he was probably here to kill Lee. She wouldn't let that happen. She stood in between him and Lee's bed and put her arms up in a protective manner. She faced Gaara while looking at him straight in the eyes. Riko saw a lot of anger and confusion in his eyes. His face, however, remained expressionless. It frightened her, but she was determined to protect Lee.

If she got in his way, he would also kill her. Gaara was thinking that as he commanded his sand to wrap around her. As the sand was getting closer to her, it stopped. Gaara's eyes became wide in shock. He wasn't the one who had stopped the sand. In fact, he was using a lot of force to make it reach Riko, but it just wouldn't go any further. Was it her doing?

Riko knew it was her doing. She knew that her desire to protect Lee manifested in her power. It was because of that that she was able to stop the sand from getting any closer to either her or Lee. She noticed that Gaara was starting to get frustrated. He reached out his hand, in an attempt to push her out of the way, but, just like the sand, he couldn't any get closer. Riko was starting to feel a bit sorry for him. She didn't pity him per say, but she wanted to get him out of all these negative emotions.

Gaara was really getting annoyed and angry at how powerless he was. He used all his strength to try to reach Riko with both his hand and his sand. Then, suddenly, and against all his expectations, Riko did something that he could've never imagined. She reached out for his outstretched hand and took it in her own. Too shocked to even think about what was happening, Gaara froze in place. He then felt a wave of warmth run through his body. Riko had her eyes closed and her touch was soft. He detected no aggression from her actions.

Riko was doing to him what she used to do to her mother. She wanted Gaara to feel that warmth. She wanted him to know that she didn't mean him any harm; on the contrary, she wanted him to know that she only wanted to take care of him, and to heal him both physically and emotionally.

They stayed there for a while, Gaara not knowing how to react, but not wanting that mysterious power of hers to end, and Riko just wishing from the bottom of her heart for him to be happy.