Konoha's Chef (Gaara Love Story)

40: Parting ways

Author's POV

Everyone that was sent on the Sasuke Retrieval missions came back, all either critically injured or close to death, except for a few Genin. After the first three days, their conditions had been stabilized, enabling the doctors to give a report that the patients were doing fine. 

"Here you go, drink this," Akimi said, handing a cup to Choji. "Get better soon!"

"Wait, what about the medicine?" The boy asked confused.

"Well, that sure isn't normal water," she said. "I decided to make soldier pills-infused medicated water, going by the medicines we usually give you. Drink it all, and I'll be back soon."

"Great, we have Hinata next," Akimi said to Gaara who was pushing the medicine cart behind her. Since Temari was with the Hokage and Kankuro was already back in Suna, Gaara (quietly) offered to help Akimi with her work, which was basically passing out the new medicine water.

"Hi, Shy-High Hinata," Akimi greeted, waltzing in with a cup as well. "Here's your medicated water, and I'll be back!"

Minutes passed, and all the medicine was gone from the cart. "Great! Let's go back, Gaara. I'll make you some thing sweet for helping me."

Although the boy said nothing, his entire stance straightened slightly in eagerness. He followed Akimi downstairs to the kitchen again, where Akimi made some Aiyu Jelly for him. "Here you go! Enjoy."

Gaara tasted the jelly soup with a blank face, so Akimi couldn't really tell whether or not he liked this dessert.

"So? Is it good?"

".....good." Akimi brightened up considerably. As she did the dishes, she felt two arms wrap around her carefully, and a chin rested on her shoulder. ".....warm."

"Thank you, Gaara," Akimi said gently.

That evening, when Gaara and Temari were about to leave Konoha, Akimi came running out to greet them. "Here you go, guys. Some matcha and chocolate cookies!"

"Thanks, you're the best!" Temari cheered, hugging Akimi. When she was released, Akimi gave Gaara a hug as well, letting the boy touch her red-brown hair. When they parted, Akimi brought her hand up, her middle and ring finger touching her palm, and the rest of her fingers open. Temari giggled, but Gaara didn't seem to understand. Akimi sighed and leaned forward to kiss his forehead. Gaara's eyes slightly widened, but other than that, did nothing else.

"Bye!" Akimi called to them, waving her arms excitedly. The two siblings disappeared over the hills, and Akimi turned around--

Only to see Lady Tsunade coming towards her.

"Lady Tsunade," Akimi acknowledged. "Is there something wrong?"

"I heard you were giving out medicated water you made yourself," she said. "Show me how you did it."

Confused, Akimi showed all the necessary steps she took to make the water. "This way, patients who have a hard time swallowing large pills, won't need to worry about that any more. The water doesn't taste like medicine, and is created in such a way, it looks and tastes like normal water."

"Interesting," Lady Tsunade said, nodding. "Akimi, come with me." She led the girl to the medicine lab. "Let me see here.....found it." She took a booklet of several pages that were stapled together and plopped them in front of Akimi. " I want to know exactly how well you know your poison and medicine. I'm going to time you, understand?"

"Hai! Uh, so this is a test or something?" Akimi asked.

"Yes. Ready?"

"Hai."

"Go!"

Akimi's pencil scribbled furiously on the pages, and one by one, each page was filled. Thirty minutes later, Akimi was nursing her abused wrist, while the Hokage was looking through her papers.

"Good. You pass."

"Hurray!"

"Akimi."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade?"

"How would you like to go to Totsuki Academy?"

".....I beg your pardon?"

When Gaara and Temari reached home, Temari pulled him into one of the libraries to talk with him. "Hey, Gaara, you do know what Akimi just told you, right?"

Gaara looked confused and shook his head.

"You saw her doing this, right?" Temari tried again, holding her hands up the same way Akimi did when the siblings departed from Konoha. (As shown in the photo above.) "Do you know what this means?"

"No."

"Gaara! She just told you 'I love you'!" Temari waltzed away, leaving Gaara in the room with two very red cheeks adorning his pale face.