Mirage

It was a hot, humid day, and the desert sun was incredible. Kurotsuchi was well prepared for the heat, well covered in light clothes. Her sandals went smoothly through the sand, and she rested her hands behind her head, basking in the summer sunlight. It was at the very least going to be a wonderful day for a walk, until she heard the weak groaning. Normally, she wasn't in among the desert plains, but there was never anything wrong with a nice walk among beautiful scenery. Even so, she turned on her heel, mind ripping away from her relaxing day and instead leading her towards a formation of rocks. Twisted among the rocks, in the shade, was the form of a man in black.

It was difficult to get into the rocks and get beside him. By his feet and out the other side of the rocks the sand was stained red. He'd dragged himself a short distance into the shade before  passing out. A quick check, fingers to his neck. His pulse was strong enough, he wasn't going to die. Gently, she rolled him over, off his front. What little colour was on his shirt was stained as the sand was, and a thin trickle of blood ran from his mouth. She kept him on his side so he wouldn't start choking. There was smudged make-up over his face, once resembling a Kabuki-style pattern. He was breathing steadily, a slight rasping sound coming from his throat. He'd probably been out here a few hours now, and he looked quite badly beaten.

Kurotsuchi tapped his shoulder uncertainly. "If you can hear me, open your eyes." She told him, loud, clear and firm. To her relief, his face gave a twitch before a somewhat swollen eye managed to open. She couldn't help but smile slightly. He wasn't as bad as she'd first thought. "Can you sit up?" She asked him, gently offering her hands for support should he need it. He let her help him up, then curled over into foetal position, kneading his forehead with his knuckles. It took him a while to lower his legs and hands, to try and relax.
"Who are you?" Kurotsuchi asked, frowning in concern. "What happened?"
He opened his mouth as though to respond, but all that came out was a fit of coughs, a little spittle and the remains of his breakfast. He was quick to wipe his mouth on his sleeve, tears forming in his eyes. He must have been in a fair amount of pain. That dry rasp from his throat was getting more pronounced, so she offered him her water canteen. The man managed to open it with fumbling fingers and drank greedily. At least that would be one problem dealt with. "Think you can talk okay now?" She asked after he handed the canteen back. His hood held his forehead guard. He was from Sunagakure, so at least he wasn't too far from home.
"I don't remember..." He managed to mutter, head hanging forward.
"You don't remember what happened?"
"Who was there...how I got here..."
"What's your name?" She asked him firmly, pulling one of his arms over her shoulders so she could help him up.
"Kankurou..." He leant heavily against her, his own legs barely able to support him. He seemed pretty weak, so she would have to get him into the village soon and find him a doctor. His hand was resting over his belly, where most of the bleeding was. He would probably be rather hungry after all this as well, she thought as she half-lifted him. She couldn't carry him, but he couldn't walk. It seemed like a broken leg now she was looking properly. He simply couldn't walk on that, but if he'd been beaten, she couldn't leave him and go ahead for help.

In the end, he passed out again, blood loss getting the better of him. Kurotsuchi stumbled into Sunagokare with the unconscious Shinobi on her back, calling for help the moment she was within range. It was dark out, the temperature just short of freezing, when she went back up to the hospital to check how he was. The make-up was washed off his face and his clothes had been replaced with a simple clinical gown. He appeared to be asleep, and just as she thought, his broken leg was bound tight and propped up on some pillows. He looked a lot better without purple smudged unceremoniously over his once bloodied features. She ran her fingers over his cheek on instinct, still concerned for his wellbeing. One of his hands came up shakily to meet hers, and his eyes flickered open once more. He gave a slight smile.
"Hey..." His voice was strained, he still seemed rather weak.
"Hey...don't you have any friends here or family?"
"Sister's out of town, brother's being sick elsewhere...I'd rather he didn't come in..."
"Well...I hope he gets better soon...and you..."
"I never caught your name." He pointed out. She found the change of subject sudden.
"Kurotsuchi..." She answered with a slight smile.
"Thanks for the help out there. I swear, I saw her framed by the sun and she looked like an angel..."
She frowned then. It was clear he hadn't meant to say that out loud. "I think you need to get some rest. You remember what happened yet?"
"Not too clearly...I think I hit my head quite hard at some point...Guess I must've pissed off the wrong guys." He offered a weak laugh, and she couldn't help but laugh along. It was infectious.
"Well, lucky you had your guardian angel watching over you." She teased, trying hard not to laugh at his horrified expression. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Maybe you can return the favour some day, though I doubt I'd get my butt kicked that easily."
"Hey, they outnumbered me!" He tried to sit up, but ended up clutching his stomach and falling back. A strange instinct took over and she pushed him down by his shoulder, tucking him in and trying to get him comfy, relaxed.
"Don't exert yourself, Kankurou. Be a good boy, get some rest. I might come round again tomorrow with something sweet for you." She leant in to plant a kiss on his cheek before turning to leave. She offered a quick wave, and he uncertainly returned it. "See you tomorrow!"
"See you..."