Big thanks to nerazenn, RavineMichelle, and lxke for beta-ing!
To say that Sakura was having a bad day was an understatement. It wasn't even 9 am when she received the call from her aunt saying that her dance partner had been wheeled in on a gurney with a broken ankle and bruises galore.
"Sakura, you don't understand!" Sasuke was whisper-yelling into the phone, which meant he had already been fished out of the stupid ocean and transported to the hospital. She could hear the strict orders of his doctor in the background, along with painfully familiar raucous laughter.
She rolled her eyes, knowing Tsunade probably got a kick out of their situation. Sakura couldn't believe her luck. It was a month before nationals, and her partner had decided to go cliff diving with their idiot best friend. This injury took several months to heal, deeming both of them unable to compete in the ballroom competition they had prepped for all year.
"You're fucking right, Sasuke, I don't understand! We're ballroom dancers, what are we without our LEGS? How could you jeopardize this for us?!" She was practically shrieking into the phone as she ducked into her car, intent on giving him a verbal beating face to face. After stopping for flowers, because he was still her friend. Maybe she would hit him with them. She would figure it out when she got there.
"No, Naruto called me pussy-shit, saying ballroom was gay, and I had to defend our profession!"
"You're an idiot, and you still haven't fully convinced me that you aren't gay. I'm going to kill you when I get there. You better not be sleeping. And Naruto better be there too, I have words for him." She slammed her finger on the end call button before throwing her phone on the passenger's side. It bounced twice before hitting the floor before sliding under the seat.
"Are you fucking kidding me…" She muttered under her breath. When she stopped at a red light, Sakura leaned over to dig for her phone, ignoring the honks from the cars behind her when the light turned green. She finally grasped it and sat back up after a few seconds, giving her just enough time to accelerate before the light changed again.
Fifteen minutes later, she had swung by the supermarket, grabbed a stupid bouquet for her stupid friend, driven to the hospital, signed in, and stomped her way over to emergency. Someone must've warned them she was coming, because Tsunade emerged from behind a curtain, squaring her shoulders and crossing her arms.
"Sakura." She raised an eyebrow, a silent threat. Behave yourself or I will kick you out of this establishment.
"Tsunade. If you'll excuse me." Sakura tried to step around the imposing woman, but Tsunade leaned into Sakura's path.
"Sakura. Let the boy rest." She put a hand on her niece's shoulder, willing her to calm down. "Come to my office. You're his emergency contact, so he gave me permission to share the details of his case file with you. Since this affects you as well, you might as well know what you're in for."
With a sigh of defeat, Sakura hitched her purse higher on her shoulder. "Hold on a second. It's this one right?" She pointed to the curtain the doctor had just come from. Tsunade nodded and Sakura ducked in, met with Naruto's frightened eyes and Sasuke's blank stare, their conversation halted. She glared at them for a moment before calmly walking to Sasuke's bedside. She paused for a moment to stare back at Sasuke before taking the bouquet and whacking him swiftly on the head.
"Put these in water. I'll be back in a little bit." She used two fingers to point to her own eyes, then at Naruto. "You. Stay." She swept out of the division and walked back to where Tsunade was waiting in the middle of the room, reading a few charts. She turned on her heels towards the elevators with Sakura following closely behind, tapping away at her phone.
"Ugh, Anko is gonna be so pissed when she finds out…" She pocketed her phone in the elevator and turned towards her aunt. "I can't believe he did this. It's gonna wreck his career. It's going to wreck our career."
The pair had been training together for three years, leaving their previous partners after they competed against each other in junior latin championships. At sixteen, strong leads were hard to come by. The gangly boys that usually "graced" the competition were nothing compared to Sasuke, who swept away the competition with every beautifully executed step. She and her partner, Lee, took second that day by a wide margin, but while she was packing up to go home with her puny silver trophy cup, Sasuke had approached her, demanding that she partner with him.
"We could go far together." Sakura was skeptical, to say the least. "I saw you out there, practically back-leading the entire time. He's holding you back." He nodded over to Lee, who was chittering animatedly with their coach, Guy.
Sakura rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the suave boy in front of her. "Aren't you the charming one," she deadpanned. "What's wrong with your current partner?" From what she saw of the ponytailed blonde, she wasn't half-bad, certainly not someone to trade away for a match they didn't even know was going to work out.
"She's alright, but her extensions are weak, she never shows up to rehearsal on time, and she talks too much."
Ugh, this guy was irritating her, no matter how talented he was. "How do you know I don't talk too much?"
Sasuke just smirked at her. "Between those two, can you ever even get a word in?"
"Okay, I'll give you that one." So he could make jokes. Alright. "Why me? You're good, you don't need me."
"You came in second—"
"Yeah, like five points behind you—"
" —because of your lead. You won't make it to nationals with him. If, by some miracle you do, you won't win. I'm your best bet, and if you keep dancing the way you did today, I'm yours as well." Sakura narrowed her eyes. Lee wasn't her first choice in partners, but he was a good person, and didn't deserve the ridicule this stranger was giving him. "I've been to a couple of your competitions. You're the partner I want."
Sakura took a small step back in shock. "You've been stalking me?"
"Not quite. He told me about you and I got curious." Sasuke pointed across the room at the blond boy hunched over on a folding chair, thoroughly engrossed in a video game she could hear beeping across the gymnasium. Green eyes widened as she recognized him.
"How do YOU know Naruto?" They didn't seem like the type to hang out at all. The boy shrugged in response.
"Our parents are friends. He's not that bad, I guess." The small smile on his face said otherwise, and Sakura couldn't help the devious grin that stretched across her face. Sasuke turned back to her, scowling. "Umm, no. It's not like that. I'm not gay."
"Oh, uhh—"
"So, here's my number. Come dance with me."
"If that came from anyone else, I would assume you were hitting on me."
"Not gay, Sakura. See you around."
Dancing with Sasuke turned out to be a transformative process. The way he held her to him and the confidence of his footwork made her feel like she had never danced a day in her life before. None of it was sexual in the slightest, despite the innate sensuality of the Latin dances they both specialized in. They exited junior leagues as champions and were on the road to winning seniors this coming spring. That is, until Sasuke decided to go bust up his award winning limbs right before the big day.
Tsunade ushered Sakura into her office, who closed the door behind her and dropped herself into one of the two chairs. Tsunade rounded the desk to stick a couple slides into the backlight before switching it on. She pointed to the cracks that splintered through the tiny bones in the ankle area.
"He's fucked up pretty badly, Sakura, I'm not going to lie to you." Sakura groaned in response, running a hand through her hair before nodding at the doctor to continue. "He won't need surgery, but these fractures need time to set and heal. He won't be walking regularly, forget dancing, for at least eight months."
"Eight months?!" Unbelievable. He destroyed their career at its pinnacle. This would have opened so many doors for them, but thanks to his carelessness, Sakura watched her dreams fly out the window. "So even once he's healed, he won't be the same?"
"I don't know when he's going to gain back full mobility. These injuries take longer than most to heal, especially since it's weight-bearing." Tsunade confessed. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I know how much this upcoming competition means to you." She came around the desk, leaning against it and crossing her ankles.
"You're not the one who should be apologizing to me." Sakura ground her teeth together, feeling her ire grow steadily the more the information set in. "What does the process look like then? How can we track his healing?"
"He'll have to be in crutches for a couple months before we can start him on physical therapy. From there, it's a matter of his cooperation with both the training and the rest. If he pushes beyond what his body is capable of, he's just going to end up setting himself back."
"He's nineteen years old, you really think he's not going to push it?"
"You need to stress this to him, Sakura. It's imperative to both of your careers." They've all heard the horror stories, of dancers who injured themselves and were never the same again.
Her head fell into her hands, trying to come up with some coherent thought. "I just… Fucking dumbasses. I can't believe they did this to me."
Tsunade sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Dancers. You all come in here, with your strained this, your broken that. Yelling at each other, blaming each other. Well, honey, it's about time you got your head out of your ass and realize that—yes, he was being unbelievably stupid—but this shit happens. How do you think Sasuke is feeling right now? He's taken himself out of the game, and on top of that, he's taking you down with him. He's guilty enough. So stop your moaning and go check on your partner." Her gaze hardened as she gestured towards the door.
Still grumbling under her breath, Sakura rose and headed towards the door, giving Tsunade a half-hearted wave as she shut the door behind her. On her way back to the elevators, her cell gave a resounding Ding! that earned her a few annoyed stares from the nurses that rushed through the quiet halls. She didn't pull it out of her back pocket until she was tucked safely away in the elevator, descending back to the ER level.
'He told me earlier. I still expect you in the studio today. We have a lot to discuss.' Well, at least that saved her the trouble of telling Anko herself. Sakura huffed. What was she going to do, dance alone? Another message bubble popped up just as she was about to close the screen. 'Punch both of those idiots for me.'
Sakura smiled to herself. While she sometimes missed Coach Guy's unnerving optimism, it never pushed her to be the best she could be. Any placement was a win with Guy. Anko's slave-driver methods, though exhausting and sometimes infuriating, were much more motivational for Sakura, who found her strength under pressure.
Back in the ER, Sakura steeled her gaze in a mirror she passed before reaching Sasuke's "room," the curtains surrounding him fluttering slightly. She tore back the curtain and stared daggers at them both. It only took one menacing step forward and Naruto's hands were flying upwards in a feeble attempt to protect himself.
"Sakura, Sakura! Wait!" Naruto pled, rushing forward to kneel at her feet. "...It was Sasuke's fault." Sakura heard herself growl. She grabbed Naruto's shirt and wrenched him upwards. He towered over her, but the fear never left his eyes as he stared down at her.
"How could you?! You know how he gets!" The boys' competitive streak was bordering on psychotic, neither of them ever able to turn down a challenge from the other. "Insulting our career path, Naruto? What did you think would happen? And CLIFF DIVING?" She let go of Naruto and rounded on her dance partner, the pitch of her voice rising higher and higher with each exasperated sentence. "What the ACTUAL FUCK, Sasuke?! Your legs are EVERYTHING! Not just to your success, but mine as well! You selfish, idiotic, reckless imbecile!"
She punched him hard on the shoulder, ignoring his reaction, before turning back to Naruto, beckoning him with a finger. He whimpered as he approached her slowly, and when he was within arm's length, she slugged him too, a little harder. He wasn't the one in a hospital bed, after all. "Those are from Anko, by the way!"
"Sakura, we're in a hospital. Please keep your voice down." Sasuke's voice was deceptively calm, completely different from when he had called her earlier. "I'm sorry for the stupid decisions I made, but what's done is done and we have to figure out what your next step is."
He glared at his broken appendage, wrapped in a cast and elevated to alleviate the pain. It was as if he believed he could will his ankle to heal itself if he tried hard enough. Sakura felt a stab of pity shoot through her chest. Tsunade had just reminded her of this. Sasuke had lost in this situation as well, and she wasn't helping at all by reaming him for his actions. The consequences he was facing were much larger than her own. She sighed and motioned for Sasuke to scoot over. He did the best he could, only able to give her a couple more inches as she sat on the bed next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I don't have a next step, baka," Sakura replied. "You're my lead. I can't go anywhere without you." She felt his cheek rest against the top of her head, warm and comforting.
"If I may offer a solution?" Naruto piped up.
"No, you may not." Sasuke grumbled above her. She could tell his eyes were closed and he was on the verge of sleep.
"Sasuke. Put aside your pride and help our best friend out."
"Anyone but him, Naruto."
"She won't win with anyone else but him!"
That shut Sasuke up real quick. Sakura didn't want to move for fear of disturbing him, but she squeezed his hand in concern. "What's he talking about, Sasuke?"
"He's not talking about anything. Leave it alone."
"But—"
"Leave it alone. Please."
Her brows furrowed in concern, but she pressed no further. Her forehead rested in the crook of his neck, his skin growing hot beneath her touch. The neck of his hospital gown had slipped down to reveal mottled black and yellow bruises on his chest.
"Shit, Sasuke." Sakura winced, tugging down his collar a little further to examine the damage. "Did you even make it to the water?"
The boy squirmed away from her, uncomfortable with her scrutiny. Naruto chimed in with, "He didn't push off far enough from the cliff, so he landed in shallow water and fucked himself up on the rocks."
Sakura tried to give Sasuke a comforting pat, but it just served to further irritate him, and he hissed through his teeth and pulled away. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry!"
"Why you acting so shy all of a sudden, Teme. It's not like you two haven't had your hands all over each other anyways." He pointedly ignored the annoyed look they shot at him. Naruto had returned to his place in the chair next to the bed, legs outstretched and hands clasped behind his head. "Speaking of, is this happening yet?"
He pointed in between the two, who had gone from leaning on each other to Sakura fighting Sasuke for his hand, running her fingers soothingly up and down his arm. They looked to their friend in unison, matching deadpan stares gracing their features. Sakura was the first to break.
"I don't know, I was so sure this whole time that he was into you—"
"Not gay, Sakura," Sasuke interjected.
"—so I've never considered it. Besides, I don't mix business and pleasure, you know this."
Naruto just shrugged and pulled out his phone, glancing at the screen before swiping his thumb across it, a grin spreading across his features. "Hey, babe!" He rose from his chair and stepped out of the division, waving at Sasuke and Sakura as he vanished from sight.
"Wait, Naruto!" Sakura called after him. "Ugh, I need to get to the studio soon. Anko is still expecting me."
"Go ahead, Sakura. I'll be fine." Sasuke fiddled with the I.V. in his arm as Sakura stood and gathered her things.
"Are you sure? I can wait until he comes back…" She reached for his hand, which he took in his own and squeezed lightly.
"I'll catch up with you later, okay? Go face the dragon lady." He smirked at their nickname for their beloved instructor, but stopped as dread filled Sakura's eyes.
"I don't even know what I'm gonna say to her! We were her only team going to championships, we've spent eight months prepping, you're definitely not going to be okay in time, I haven't danced with anyone else in years, no one else knows our choreo, hell, I don't know anyone else's choreo…" Sakura's anxiety skyrocketed almost immediately.
"Hey! You're gonna be fine. Just put all the blame on me, I can handle it." Sakura rolled her eyes, but accepted his excuse nonetheless.
Sakura stuck her tongue out at him as she waved, closing the curtain behind her. She grabbed her phone from her back pocket, checking Snapchat stories as she walked to her car. There was Ino at the beach with Sai. Temari, last night, at a dimly lit restaurant with a smirking Shikamaru and—a ring? Sakura grinned, making a mental note to ask her about that later. She tapped it away and up popped Naruto's video from that morning. He had Sasuke snap his dive and luckily, there was no evidence of the stupidity that followed. Sakura rolled her eyes as she unlocked her car, ducking inside and turning the music on full blast. She cruised out of the hospital parking lot, thoughts still filled with worry and dread.
I thought "Maybe if I post the first chapter, I'll be motivated to keep it going!" I've got a couple ideas running around my brain :) Thanks for reading!