Hey, guys. Now, I know that I pledged against romance stories countless times, I know how I said I despised them. But, somehow, I find myself writing this NaruHina fic. A drama/romance fic, at that! Jeez, J1, you're turning soft…
Alright, although this is a romance fic, it is absolutely not a lemon. No way. I may rate it M, just for intense violence and some adult themes, but no lemons. Subtle romance only. I plan on it being a multi-chapter fic.
I know I made the first chapter incredibly short, but I promise that after chapter 2, they'll be at least 1.5K or more.
Alright, dudes. That's the authors note. Enjoy the prologue, and hang loose.
The hospital lights flickered in and out of existence on the ceiling, casting dancing silhouettes on the dull walls. They cut out suddenly. Haruno Sakura made a mental note to file a complaint about them later.
Currently, however, she watched her peacefully sleeping patient with sad eyes, hands folded on her lap. For the second time in just as many minutes, her gaze flicked up to the man sitting across from her. "Tell me again how this happened to him," She demanded in a low voice, eyes flickering pointedly down to the boy on the bed.
The man was silent for a while, before letting out a weary sigh and running a hand through his hair. "A-ranked mission," He explained, obviously not enthusiastic. "He was hit with an abnormal style of Taijutsu. Fell and hit his head. Got back up. Fell and hit his head again, this time harder. Got back up again. Fell and…"
"Fell and cracked his head open," Sakura finished for him; just to say it made her weak to her stomach. The man was faring no better, judging by the way he nearly retched from behind his mask. He pulled himself together again, however, and admitted, "Our opponents were mere bandits. My opponent was kind enough to pause his onslaught when he was injured. Even helped knock his companion unconscious. I let him go."
They were silent for a while after that, just watching the boy's slow breaths as he slept. Just two hours ago, that boy had been screaming in pain, writhing in agony in a puddle of his own blood. Just two hours ago, Sakura had helplessly watched as the boy was shipped to the emergency room of the hospital. Just two hours ago, Uzumaki Naruto had almost died.
"What is the damage?" The man initiated conversation once again, this time with his own demand. "I merely assumed for myself, judging by the rate of bleeding. I'm not a certified medical shinobi."
Tears rose to Sakura's eyes, blurring her vision. Despite her wishes, the water slowly rolled down her face. "We don't know," She managed. "It could be anything between minor injury, to…" She didn't manage to finish, instead breaking into hysterical sobs. The man gazed at her, his visible eye displaying pity. He returned his gaze back down to his former student. Eventually, Sakura's sobs calmed down to whimpers.
"Kakashi-sensei?" She whispered, her voice barely audible. "Hn?" Kakashi grunted his acknowledgment.
"Do you think he'll live?"
Kakashi sighed, and wet his throat anxiously, trying to find a suitable answer for the wide-eyed girl. "Naruto Uzumaki is a fighter," He finally said, attempting to lighten the atmosphere. "I have no doubts he's going to recover."
For some reason, however, Kakashi needed to say that to himself plenty more times before he finally began to believe it.