. . .and Call Me in the Morning: Ch. 1
A/N: Naruto characters and themes are not my property, and I do not profit from any likenesses.
Plot: A time-skip setting for Konoha. The Rookie 9 are young adults in their early- to mid-20's. Pein has not attacked Konoha. Madara is not in the picture. Itachi has not slaughtered his family. Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha, Sasuke and Itachi's parents and the head family of the Uchiha clan, live a retired life at the Uchiha compound. Sasuke has an apartment like the other young shinobi, though he and Itachi both spend a lot of time at the Uchiha compound. Sasuke did turn out to be a little cold and callous, because he only lived in his brother's shadow and always seemed to be a step behind him. His mother supported him, though his relationship with his father is somewhat strained due to the opinion that he lagged behind Itachi's set standards. Itachi just happens to be the leader of the Konoha Police Force, but he is not trying to live up to his father's expectations. Itachi is indifferent of his father, but holds a great amount of love for his mother and little brother. Sai was added to Team 7 when he was younger, though he was added only as an addition and not as a replacement for Sasuke. After Sakura decided to spend most of her time at the hospital as Tsunade's apprentice and a highly acclaimed medic-nin, the men of Team 7 joined ANBU.
The four men of the team, along with Konoha genius Shikamaru Nara, were sent on a mission to collect information on a group of unknown origin, number or diplomacy. The instructions were to gather intel and return to Konoha quickly, but an ambush just happens to halt their progress.
"Sasuke, look out!" Naruto screamed at his teammate. The ground underneath his feet rumbled. The trees shook. The wind howled. Oh, no. That isn't the wind.
There was an explosion. Suddenly, all his surroundings were in a thickening, spinning haze, and Naruto was lost inside it. The forest was spinning. Then Sasuke's world went black.
Sasuke started coming to. He had tubes in his arms, and he was strapped to a machine. Maybe several machines. He couldn't really move yet. The lights were unbelievably bright and hurt his eyes. His head was already throbbing, the beeping and droning from the machines magnified and ringing in his ears. Everything hurt. It was getting worse, but the haziness wasn't letting up.
"Sasuke-kun."
He heard a faint voice call his name, or so he thought. It was a soft female voice. A celestial being, possibly? Was he dead?
"Sasuke-kun, go back to sleep."
He heard the voice as clear as a bell that time. He immediately knew who the voice belonged to. Sure enough, a very blurry pink-haired kunoichi came into view. He watched as she leaned over him and checked something sitting next to his bed, then raised her hand to brush sweat-soaked black bangs off his forehead. He was burning up. She knew he must be in pain.
"Sasuke-kun, just relax and rest. You'll feel much better after another long nap. We'll be waiting for you when you wake up. Just rest for now." Sakura then brought her hand back to his forehead. Sasuke could see a green glow in his peripheral vision. The throbbing instantly dulled, and his wounds, bruises and other pain went away. Sakura's fingers and gentle touch soothed him. With a calming sensation running through his veins, Sasuke drifted off to sleep.
Sasuke's eyes slowly opened. He could see clearly, thankfully. His throat was very dry. He immediately recognized a stench, and his stomach lurched at the thought. When he figured out the smell was himself, Sasuke vomited over the side of the hospital bed. 'Sponge baths or no, I smell. I can't be seen like this. I'd better not have any visitors.'
As if on cue, in strolled a nurse. She was carrying a pitcher of water in one hand and a file under her arm. "Well hello there, sleepy head! How are we feeling today?"
"Woman, I just woke up. I feel like shit, like I've just been through Hell. Dammit, it would be nice if-"
The nurse, whose name tag read "Kumiko," had decided to up Sasuke's pain meds. She adjusted something on the IV. Sasuke's eyes followed the tubes from the IV as they led to his right arm. A relaxing, numb feeling washed over him. He looked like he was enjoying it. She did, too.
"You should watch your mouth, young man."
"Yeah, yeah. How long was I out?" Sasuke wiggled and fidgeted in his bed, figuring out that hard way that he didn't have much of a choice in comfortable positions when his body felt like Jell-O.
"Just a couple of days."
"When can I leave?" Sasuke tried sitting up, but his current state didn't give him much energy. The drugs really worked. His chakra was depleted, though it shouldn't be with all this rest.
"I don't know. I'm not your doctor. You'll want to speak with her. I just bring the water and toggle the controls to my liking. Don't forget that last part, young man." Sasuke could tell she had no more patience with him. Kumiko opened the file that was under her arm and took out a few sheets of paper. She then walked over to the end of the bed and added those pieces of paper to a clipboard. "You're in luck. Lady Tsunade will check you over today, since your doctor is busy at the moment. It's likely you'll be out before the end of the week, but Lady Tsunade should evaluate you and then determine your release date."
Sasuke groaned. He did not want to remain in the hospital any longer. He wanted to go home. And he didn't feel like being interviewed - or berated - by that blonde witch.
"Where's my doctor, then?" 'Who is my doctor?' Sasuke mulled over possibilities for his doctor's identity.
"She'll be right in. She has a couple of other patients to attend to, but I'm sure she'll find time to check in on you, of all the other patients. She's a high commodity. You're very lucky." Kumiko smiled, which meant she must be friends with his nurse.
Sasuke knew who his nurse could be. It had to be Sakura. His memory of the small sliver of consciousness earlier revealed pink hair. Who else could it be?
The nurse, Kumiko, walked over to the bedside table to Sasuke's right. While she was chatting away at how kind and caring his doctor (who just had to be Sakura) was, she picked up a full glass of water that Sasuke just noticed and walked to his hospital room's bathroom to pour the contents into the sink. Then she brought the glass back over to the bedside table and filled it with fresh water from the pitcher. Sasuke couldn't help but notice that Kumiko set the glass just a hair's length from his grasp, and he was no longer able to sit up and fetch it. But he wasn't about to ask for her help.
"You could ask politely for my help, you know." Kumiko seemed to be enjoying his distress a little too much.
"I'm not thirsty." He lied. His throat was very dry. He was out for a while, and he hadn't even been able to use his throat for anything. He was embarrassed that it was so hoarse. He wasn't able to give off his indifferent tone when he was struggling to form words.
"Hm. Suit yourself, young man. You nurse will be in shortly."
"Wait. Nurse?" Sasuke looked towards the door, where Kumiko was ready to walk out with the water pitcher.
"Yes?" She held a little teeny smirk, but little did he know that she expected him to ask about a certain someone.
"Could you tell me about Shikamaru Nara? I sent him back to the village just as my team was ambushed. Did he make it back?"
"I don't know. I'm not in that line of work. I'm in the hospital line of work, and I can tell you that he is not admitted to this hospital. We did receive notification that all your team members who were injured were sent here. It looks like a few were in critical condition. It must have been some battle."
'Shit. If I get another chance, I'll make those bastards pay.' "What about Naruto Uzumaki? He was in the same battle as I was. Is he alright?" Sasuke held a little bit of pleading in his eyes, since he was currently incapacitated and did want to know these bits of information.
Kumiko turned around and hovered close to the door, wrong about his person of inquiry. "Oh, him. He's fine. A few bumps and scratches, but he'll survive. But he won't shut up!"
Sasuke let a small smirk grace his lips, but it was one that represented amusement and relief. The nurse caught it.
"Is he a friend of yours? Would you like him to come visit?"
Sasuke was about to nod his head when he heard the second question from her mouth. "No! No, that won't be necessary. I'd rather have a bit of peace and quiet."
Kumiko turned around to leave, but had one more thing to say to Sasuke. "I wouldn't be counting on that if Lady Tsunade is coming." Then Kumiko turned down the hallway to continue her rounds.
Sasuke sighed a bit of relief and laid back into his pillows. He wished he could put his hands behind his head, but he lacked the energy and motor skills at the moment. So he settled for gaining a comfortable position on the pillows. As his eyes slowly drifted closed and sleep was about to claim him once again, his door slammed open. He was quite sure there was a door-shaped impression on the wall adjacent to the door frame.
"Uchiha! How fucking dare you!" In stomped one of his doctors. The blonde witch, of course.
"Ah, how nice to see you again. I'm doing quite alright now, though the almost unbearable pain and wounds underneath all these bandages are. . ."
"Don't get sarcastic with me, you little dipshit. You defied direct orders to NOT instigate battle under any circumstances. You were supposed to get in and get out before they had a chance to notice your breath on the back of their necks. What in the hell were you thinking? You are very lucky you didn't die back there. You risked the lives of other ANBU members. For what?"
Sasuke stared blankly at the Hokage in typical Uchiha fashion - indifferently. But at least she slipped in the clue he needed to know that there were no fatalities from his team. "We did not initiate any violence at all. We were ambushed."
"You're lucky Naruto was there to save your ass, or else you'd all likely be delivered back here in body bags. Or ziploc bags. Or in a mop bucket. Who the Hell knows?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes at her. Bad move.
Tsunade stared the little bastard down. She was here to get his report, and she would have whatever she came for. She wasn't above torture methods just to get a mission report.
"How many were there in the ambush?"
"I'm not sure, since some used clones. There were too many for me to pinpoint their signatures. At least five, but no more than eight or ten. They had nothing that indicated loyalty to a particular village. But there were enough back at the campsite to create about three more teams like the one we encountered."
"Did anyone drop clues as to what they were looking for?" Lady Tsunade walked around the side if his hospital bed, but noticed his vomit next to the floor and walked back to the other side. She'd send in a couple of lower staff members to clean that up. It held such a foul, unusual odor - something she immediately noted.
Sasuke paused while Lady Tsunade walked back and forth. Sasuke thought back to his one-on-one fight with a brawny opponent with a solid black jumpsuit. He remembered a heavy, deep voice tell him they were going to take her. Her.
"The enemy who immediately engaged me in one-on-one combat mentioned taking someone."
"Who?"
"I don't know. He just said he was going to take someone, a female, and insinuated that we were not going to stop them. We were not given any clue as to whom they are, unfortunately, or who their target is. I suggest a curfew for the village and heavier perimeter patrol. We could be in serious danger. These guys were on a mission."
"So were you." Tsunade's frustration and anger with the young Uchiha didn't falter, but she did notice his change in attitude. Something new. Worry. He was worried about this enemy.
"No, you don't understand." Sasuke looked down at his feet, then brought his head back up to face Lady Tsunade. His once-calm and indifferent eyes betrayed him by showing a good amount of the worry he just let slip through his report. "We weren't detected while spying on our little visitors when we traveled to their camp. My team was not technically ambushed, either. We were just as surprised as they were. We accidentally intercepted them as they were on their way to their target. Konoha."
Lady Tsunade turned to face the wall, not letting her own worry show through. "Well, I suppose this is rather interesting. I'll take your suggestions into consideration." Lady Tsunade walked around to the foot of his hospital bed and grabbed his charts to give them a look. "You're healing quite nicely. Sakura did a wonderful job."
"Hn. " 'Ha! I knew it!'
"What was that look about?" Lady Tsunade held an amused gleam in her eye. "Are you really that eager for Sakura to come check in on you?" She chuckled darkly. "Well, then. It's time for your physical evaluation, anyway. I'll send her in as soon as she's finished with the other rounds." Lady Tsunade then turned and left, holding the same gleam in her eyes. It looked a bit dangerous.
Sasuke's head hit the pillow hard, wishing he knew what Lady Tsunade was thinking. But he didn't think too much about it, because his relaxed body helped him drift back off to sleep.
Sasuke felt something warm and gentle on his cheek. He couldn't help but press into the touch, enjoying it immensely. It was so soft and comforting.
He heard a sigh, followed by a tiny giggle. Then he heard her voice again.
"Sasuke. Sasuke. Wake up for me. I need to check you over."
He didn't want to open his eyes. It all felt too good - her touch and her voice. He felt the fingers of her other hand gently brush his sweaty bangs back, grazing his forehead lightly. She was so soothing.
"Sasuke. I need to check your wounds. Open your eyes."
A little bit of alertness hit Sasuke, and he peeked through one eye to see a white lab coat. The lone eye roamed up a little more and discovered a black blouse and red pencil skirt. His eye drifted upwards until he saw her pink hair that reached just a few inches below her shoulders. He stared right into two bright jade green orbs. They looked happy to see him, and even a bit chipper. Not that he wanted to see her chipper eyes or anything. Well, he'd never admit it, at least.
"Hn."
"Oh, really? Are you arguing with me?" Sakura brought her hand down from his forehead and pinched the bridge of Sasuke's broken nose, sending huger jolts of pain shooting through his face.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Sakura, what the Hell? Dammit, that hurt like a son of a bitch!"
"Tsk, tsk. Language, mister. You wouldn't wake up, so I simply began the evaluation without you. Yep, your nose is definitely broken." Sakura scribbled notes down on her clipboard, but couldn't hide a small smirk of amusement on her face. Sasuke was able to see the resemblance between student and master with their matching deceitful, slightly malicious smirks.
"Are you being sarcastic? Really?" Sasuke grunted in annoyance and plopped his head back down on his pillow, his nose's newfound pain making his voice quite nasally.
Sakura giggled at Sasuke's new voice. "We weren't sure earlier, so we decided to let it be and see what happens with it. Your internal injuries were the first to need treatment, so that just had to wait."
Besides the new nasally voice, Sakura also took note of something not at all uncommon with many other patients, but was peculiar with an ANBU - much less with an Uchiha. Sasuke didn't bother hiding his obvious pain. No, that wasn't something monumental. But for an Uchiha to show weakness and current frailty? Sakura knew he would not show his pain in front of anyone else except for his teammates.
"Why are you smirking? Is this funny to you?" Sasuke's deep eyes bore into Sakura's gentle, sophisticated facial features. He couldn't help but look into her viridian eyes, sparkling with her usual cheerful kindness. 'How does she do it? There's no way she can be happy all the time. Well. . .I guess we know when she isn't.' The member s of Team 7 - and all the residents of Konoha - knew when Sakura tugged on her black gloves, that fist were going to fly. . .and so would anyone who stood in her way. But Sasuke didn't stop himself from comparing Sakura to his mother.
"Aw, is poor Sasuke-kun upset? Well, good news. After I regenerate some scar tissue and the nurses monitor your vitals overnight, you'll be in good health standing and can get out of here by tomorrow."
"Well, that is good news. And don't call me that." Sasuke looked away and redirected his line of sight to the window. The Konoha springtime gave the village ample sunlight, but also brought heavy rainstorms. Today, the sun shone brightly, illuminating the tile floor with an exceptionally bright shape that the window reflected onto the tile. Sasuke stared at it, wishing he could just lie in it and sunbathe. He sighed.
"What's wrong?" Sakura had to pause and look up from her scribbling to make sure her patient was doing fine.
Sasuke turned back to his pink-haired teammate and doctor. "I just. . .what are you doing tomorrow?"
"Huh?" 'Is he asking me out? This. . .this is so unexpected! I-'
"I think the team should take a trip to the lake. I'm sure the dobe's fine enough now. I can feel the foundation shaking in this place, so his energy must be right back to his normal insane level. We need to relax. I need to relax."
"Oh! Ha ha! Yeah, sure! Let me go ask him!" Sakura turned on her heel and rushed out the door. About ten feet down the hallway, she threw her back against the cold cement wall, the back of her head hit with a 'thunk.' 'What the Hell was I thinking? You're not a little girl anymore, Sakura! You're twenty-four! Get over it!'
Sakura sighed, composing herself and shaking off her personal embarrassment before continuing down the hallway. In her moment of flustered near-embarrassment, she didn't stop to realize Sasuke wanted to initiate a social outing. That in itself was extremely bizarre - for him.
Less than a minute later, Sakura turned to Naruto's room to find the door locked. 'What the Hell?'
"Dr. Haruno! We're sorry! We couldn't think of anything else! We barricaded the windows, like Lady Tsunade requested, but we just didn't trust him. We had to lock the door."
"Oh, I believe you. Even with his chakra drained, this blond is quite unpredictable." Sakura stood back as a young nurse moved to unlock the door. But as she stuck the key in the lock, a crash boomed on the other side.
"Oh, Lord. That was his lunch tray." The nurse slapped herself in the face, utterly exhausted from having to deal with the imbecile known as Naruto Uzumaki for the past two days.
"Don't worry, Tracy. I'll take care of him. If you could just help clean up the mess?"
"Sure." Tracy moved in again to unlock the door, this time without interruption. She braced herself and let the door crack open.
"If that witch comes back in here again, I'll be throwing a Hell of a lot more than that fucking potatoes and-"
Tracy sheepishly entered Naruto's hospital room, moving not an inch closer to the crazed blond ANBU ninja. Naruto had only met a couple of older nurses during his stay, so he was actually pretty pleased to see a very pretty young intern in a short dress.
"Well, hello, Miss. . ."
Tracy looked cautiously at Naruto. She almost giggled at his bedhead hair and disheveled clothing. He, of course, refused to wear the hospital gown. So we was wearing his own pajama bottoms and plain white t-shirt.
"I'm Miss - Nurse - Tracy."
Naruto moved closer, noticing Tracy's newer ease in his presence. He moved closer and extended his hand for a friendly handshake. "My name is - OOF!" Naruto went flying to the other side of the room and ricocheted off the wall. In the doorway stood Sakura, her arm still outstretched from her recent blow to the side of Naruto's skull.
"Dobe! What the Hell are you doing? You've ruined your lunch and made a huge mess! Now our extremely busy staff members have to stop what they're doing to clean up after you!"
Naruto was unable to answer Sakura or explain himself. Instead, he just groaned before face-planting on the cold tile.
"Thank you for the distraction, Tracy. We have a couple of hours until he comes to. Eddie!" Sakura leaned back out into the hallway. "Lucas! Can you come in here and help me return this patient to his bed?" Sakura was already pulling Naruto back to his bed, dragging his upper body by looping her arms under his armpits and backwards-slinking his disheveled ass across the floor. 'What an idiot. . .'
In walked a new male nurse named Lucas. He was tall, dark and handsome. But that didn't begin to describe him. Lucas was around Sakura's age, maybe a little older. His sun-kissed skin could glow in complete darkness. Lucas took care of himself and was in good physical condition, as many ninja in the village did. But it was not too common among civilians. His hospital scrubs didn't do him much justice, but his killer body still miraculously shone through. Whoa, mama. Lucas was approximately 6 feet tall, maybe a couple of inches over. His deep sapphire eyes sparkled in any amount of light, just like true jewels. They were an extremely good fit for Sakura's pure emerald eyes. Quite a pair. . .erm. . .pairs.
"No, Lady Sakura! Don't trouble yourself! Here, let me." Another characteristic of Lucas was his utter politeness. He killed with kindness. He just killed, regardless, because such a handsome, charismatic and polite young stud had to be a natural-born ladykiller.
Sakura stood back and watched as Lucas picked Naruto up effortlessly and slung him over his back like a sack of potatoes. Sakura huffed in amazement. Tracy didn't miss it. She walked over to Sakura and nudged her with her elbow. She spoke to Sakura in a low tone, so as not to be overheard in the small hospital room.
"So, what do you think of the new guy? Hot, right?"
"Hmph, you said it. I'd like to chisel me off a piece of those chiseled-"
"Anything else, Lady Sakura?" Just one other thing: Lucas had this incredible, dream-like smile. It was so dazzling that it felt like he put you into a trance. When his attention was fixated on you and he smiled with his dark blue eyes sparkling and aiming at you, you were pretty much sent into la-la land. And who wouldn't want to take a little vacation over there? Especially if it was with hottie Nurse Lucas.
"No, Lucas. Thank you so much. I didn't know if I had the energy left in me to deal with that idiot."
Lucas nodded his head in understanding. "Well, if we're all done here. . ." He turned to walk out the door, but Tracy spoke up.
"Wait!" Tracy froze, trying to think off the top of her head. Sakura looked on in shock, knowing when a bad plan is about to take flight. "Drinks!"
"Drinks?" Lucas looked at Tracy, obviously puzzled at the sentence fragments. Tracy wasn't making too much sense. Lucas was used to making girls so flustered, though, so he waited patiently for her to finish what she was trying to ask him.
"Yes. A few of us are going out for drinks after our shifts end today. We're heading out of here at five, and we're meeting at the bar across from old man Jiraiya's new pervert bookstore."
"That sounds nice." Lucas smiled again. Tracy almost fainted on the spot.
"What she's trying to say is that she'd like for you to join us. It is your first week, after all, and since you're not from the area. . .perhaps you'd like to get a little bit of a feel for the village and the nightlife?" 'And maybe a little bit of a feel of me?'
"Yes, of course. With you two lovely ladies, I'd go anywhere. What time?" He let another smile slip. After that flattering comment, Tracy did faint a bit. She slouched over onto Sakura's shoulder, barely able to stand up on her own.
"Oh, we'll meet each other there around 7:00. We'll probably want to get out of these uniforms. It's not really becoming to smell like medical fumes."
Lucas stepped a little bit closer. "But I like your uniform." He cleared his throat, a little surprised at his own confession. "I mean, what you're wearing looks just fine to me. I mean, you'd look great in anythin-. . .I mean, you don't way to go out of your way or anything." The tiniest hint of a blush appeared on his honey-caramel skin.
"Well, thank you, Lucas. But I always go straight home after work, anyway. I have a few things to do before I go out."
"Oh. Well, 7:00, it is. At the bar across from an adult literature store."
"On the same road as the ramen bar. You can't miss the bookstore - he's installed repulsive and vulgar neon signs that you can see from outer space. It's atrocious." Sakura shook her head in shame and disgust, but she still chuckled a little under her breath. Like anyone would expect any more from Jiraiya? Besides, Kakashi sure enjoys the new place. Maybe he enjoys it a little too much.
Lucas nodded politely and walked out to continue his duties for the day. Sakura snapped her fingers in front of Tracy's face a few times to get her to come back down to earth.
"Tracy. Tracy. Tracy!"
"Tracy. Nurse Tracy. Mm, Nurse Tracy." Naruto muttered under his breath from his own dream-like state. Sakura slapped her own forehead and sighed.
Sasuke stood in front of his window, looking down onto the street below. He looked at several couple, holding hands and chattering lovingly. He saw an older couple kissing. He saw a younger, teenage couple full-on making out in an alleyway they thought would be inconspicuous. But not to a nosy, curious patient on the fourth floor of the Konoha Hospital. Sasuke grimaced in annoyance and disgust.
'What would drive people to lose control of their impulses? Are they animals? Have they no self-control? That must be what love feels like. It turns you into a barbaric imbecile with no regard for decency or self-control. Love must be a weakness, then. I am not weak.'
Sasuke turned around to face the door when he heard soft footsteps. He heard a small knock on his door.
"Come in."
In walked a small, frail young nurse. She looked like she couldn't be more than fifteen. "Mr. Uchiha, sir?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, not enjoying hearing himself be addressed by the same name his father receives.
"Hn." He looked on curiously at this small nurse. She was almost unnaturally short, standing no taller that 5'2" in height. She was almost sickly thin. She couldn't weigh more than 80 pounds soaking wet. Her skin was very pale, like she didn't get out much. Her hair was a very natural-looking sandy blond, sitting maybe half an inch above her shoulders. Her ears poked out through the stringy yellow strands. She was a lot like a terrified little mouse who was staring up at a fierce lion.
"I-I. . .well, it's around 12:30 now, and. . .I was sent t-to-"
"What?" Sasuke was getting very impatient.
"L-lunch?"
Sasuke now took notice of the small piece of paper, no doubt recently printed off at a receptionist's desk. The young nurse timidly handed it over to him, and Sasuke gently took if from her loose grasp so as not to frighten her even more than she already was. Sasuke peered it over read a small, limited menu for disgusting hospital food. He placed the paper down on a nearby surface.
"No, thanks. I'm not hungry."
"B-but. . .Lady Sakura and Lady Tsunade gave s-specific orders that you sh-should eat. It will help replenish y-your chakra." The little nurse wanted to avoid eye contact if at all possible, so she instead looked on at the piece of paper on the table surface close to the hospital room's bathroom door.
"I will. Just not that garbage. I'll order out."
"O-okay. Would you like m-me to call?"
Sasuke shook his head. At least she was trying to be helpful. He felt a little sorry for her. But only a little. "No. I'll order myself when my appetite returns."
"O-okay, then." The nurse pivoted and practically stumbled out his doorway. Sasuke knew she probably dreaded helping ninja patients, especially ANBU. He could see the fear in her eyes. It had nothing to do with his family's name or the fact that he was a powerful shinobi. He saw her look in horror at the tattoo on his upper arm, peeking out from under his shirt sleeve.
The first thing Sasuke noticed when he arose from his hospital bed was that he was wearing hospital scrubs. It was most likely a luxury Sakura afforded him to keep his dignity intact. A hospital gown just wouldn't do. He will have to thank her later, since he noticed she picked out a dark blue that she must have known he would have immediately taken preference to.
'She could have tortured me and dressed me in pink bunny- wait. Did Sakura undress me herself? No way. No friggin' way. She wouldn't. . .would she?'
Sasuke shuddered. But then he had an idea. He looked to the side of his bed. He had his sandals, but no sign of his clothes. No matter, though, because Sakura made the mistake of letting him wear scrubs instead of something which would have not only outed him as an escaped patient, but would have been too humiliating and revealing to even leave the safety of his hospital room. Sasuke could pass for a doctor or nurse.
'Hell, if someone calls me a nurse. . .' Sasuke obviously still had a bit of pent-up rage in him from the ambush. And too much damnable pride.
After dipping into his hospital room's bathroom for several minutes, Sasuke decided he looked presentable enough to the outside world. He felt that his chakra was still incredibly low. He knew he'd need to ask Sakura about that later. He figured she must have somehow bound it to try to subdue him.
'Tough luck, Pinky.'
Sasuke slipped on his shoes and slid over to his window. He looked down more than 30 feet below.
'It's risky, considering my nearly depleted chakra. But I have enough to help me travel swiftly and discreetly.'
Sasuke pulled the window open entirely, getting ready to make one Hell of a jump. Luckily, Sasuke was staring down at a pretty sturdy tree that provided a bit of shade to the sidewalk down below. The hard cement sidewalk. He was not usually too concerned about such a jump, but he didn't know how well he was going to be operating in his shape. His nose was obviously still battered and bruised, though Sakura did set it back astonishingly well without him even realizing it. But some bandages still remained, possibly having something to do with more serious injuries. Sasuke took notice of the slight pain (it was pretty damn painful, but he won't even admit that to himself if he doesn't have to) in and around his chest. It was likely that was where he experienced the internal bleeding that Sakura mentioned earlier. Did one of his organs rupture? And he's already conscious and mobile in just a couple of days? Is Sakura a kick-ass doctor or some kind of a voodoo witch? Shaking unnecessary and frightening thoughts out of his head, Sasuke carefully planned his path to the street below. Everything was going to go smoothly; he just knew it. He took aim and leaped.
Sasuke knew his landing should have been much smoother than what he just experienced. He wasn't used to operating with so little chakra. It was really beginning to bug him. But without much more difficulty, Sasuke landed on the next branch down until he reached. . .a squirrel?
"Oh! Hello, you furry little bastard. If you tell Sakura I escaped, I'll throw all your acorns down in the sewer."
The frightened squirrel couldn't move once he saw Sasuke plop down on his branch. He was frozen in terror, until he possibly understood the tone of Sasuke's voice and scurried into the base of the tree.
"What the fuck kind of drugs did Sakura put me on? I'm talking to squirrels, for God's sake! I think I'd rather be talking to myself than. . .oh, wait, I am. Shit. Something's really wrong."
A little shaken up and extremely concerned for his overall well-being, mental health included, Sasuke hopped off the last branch before his feet finally met the sidewalk. He looked around for any signs of shinobi or medical personnel. There were a few, but as he strolled by, no one thought to question a guy in scrubs who happened to be walking past the hospital entrance.
Sasuke let out a little triumphant smirk, but it was barely visible only to those who knew what to look for. Sasuke trudged on to stop by his apartment and then to get himself some real food.
Approximately 2 and a half hours later. . .
"Sakura! Sakura! They're trying to kill me! Sakura, help!"
"Naruto, please! You just need a shot!"
"Like Hell I do! I know you've got a pill for that! You're just being cruel and unnecessary! Sakura! Saku-"
At that very second, the door slammed open. In walked a very furious young blonde woman.
"Where. Is. He. Tell new now, or so help me. . ."
Naruto looked incredulously at Ino. "Wha?"
Ino stomped over to him, pushing a nurse out of her way and grabbing him by the collar.
"Nurse Tracy! Are you okay?" Naruto looked past Ino to see Tracy picking herself off the floor.
"I-I'm fine, Naruto. Thank you." Tracy stood back , not wanting to be further involved. Naruto turned his attention back to the demon who was partially choking him with his own shirt collar.
"Naruto! Where is my Shika, you son of a bitch!"
Naruto's eyes widened. "What? You mean he isn't back yet?"
Ino let go of his shirt collar. Naruto slumped back into his pillows, grateful for the fresh air rushing into his lungs.
Ino's tone changed. She was still furious, but also extremely saddened and worried.
"No one has heard from him, and he isn't here in the hospital. No one was found dead, but he hasn't been found. Where is he?"
Naruto looked up to see tears brimming, her eyelashes batting them away.
"He wasn't with us. We sent him back alone right as we were ambushed. He got out clean. Old Lady must know where he is. Or your old man, if you catch my drift. Shikamaru had a lot of pretty important infor. . .mation." Naruto trailed off as he watched Ino fly out of his hospital room. She was most likely heading towards the Hokage's Tower.
"She didn't even offer an apology to us, Nurse Tracy. How rude." Naruto grinned a little, hoping to elicit a pleasant reaction from Tracy. She politely nodded and walked closer to Naruto. She patted his hand with her left hand. She then reached with her right hand to move for his pillows, pretending to fluff them for him.
"Are you comfortable enough, Naruto?"
"Yes, Nurse Tracy. If only you would-" Naruto's eyes flew wide open. "Ahhhhhhhh! Nurse Tracy! How could you?" Fake tears loomed on Naruto's face as he wailed in pretend-pain. Tracy was one smart nurse. In her free hand she held the needle with Naruto's antibiotics. Tracy chuckled sweetly, but held a devious smirk firmly.
Sakura walked down the hallway on the fourth floor, once huffed, dreading checking in on Sasuke again. He would fuss and fight, and tell her how much he hates being here. He would undoubtedly call her weak and conclude that there must be a more capable doctor to care for him than a weak and useless twit. Then he would demand that he be allowed to leave at once. He'd be certain he has better things to do than heal.
The recently rebuilt Konoha Hospital was a beautiful white building with state-of-the-art equipment to fit any medical needs. The top floors held mostly offices and a couple of conference rooms, and lower and lower sees seemingly endless aisles of clinic rooms and specialized sections. Sakura help raise funding from other villages, but the kicker was plenty of funding came from other countries. It seems that the expert medical knowledge of Konoha's top medical shinobi is coveted in more than one village. News and tales of Lady Tsunade's expertise and knowledge was obvious, but reports of an incredibly talented - and beautiful - young kunoichi had begun to surface, reaching just as far as the other reports had traveled. Her medical talents, incredible healing capabilities and unbelievable strength - a beauty who can move mountains with iron fists - are only matched by her immense beauty. She is slender but curvy, a well-built fighter with the killer body to prove her strenuous activities. She has a smile that could make any enemy stop in his tracks. Her facial features are radiant. Her ivory skin glows like a firefly's light. And her rosette locks give way to many believing that the name Sakura is merely a nickname given to the tall tale. She must be a myth. No one so beautiful, strong and talented could ever exist. But above all, no tale left out how caring and kind the kunoichi is to her patients, never thinking to heal herself before her comrades are well cared for. She ensures everyone's well-being and considers it her first priority, and works tirelessly for no benefit to herself, except maybe to her karma.
Sakura was only two hospital rooms down from Sasuke's when she saw Tracy turn the corner to face her.
"Tracy! There you are! Did Naruto get his antibiotics?"
Tracy beamed instantly. "Yep! He sure did! Just don't ask how." Tracy's eyes held a little bit of mischief.
"Not a problem."
"The only reason why he's okay with it now is because I felt sorry for him and 'kissed it to make it all better,' as he pleaded to me. Heh, what the hey? I indulged him."
Sakura shook her head a little. "I'm not surprised. But if it keeps him happy. . .then go for it."
Tracy nodded her head in agreement.
"But you will all be happy to know that both Naruto and Sasuke will be released tomorrow morning."
Tracy raised her hand in triumph, begging for a high-five. Sakura indulged her.
"I've just got to go brief them. I have some test results to read to them, too. Can you. . ."
"Help? I'll take Naruto."
Sakura's face drooped. "Why? Aren't you tired of the crazy blond?"
"Eh, he's better than Callous Cal in there." She pointed to Sasuke's hospital room door. "I can handle Naruto. I just pop open a button on my uniform, and BAM! He's like putty in my hands."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Well, whatever works, I guess. It's all in the line of duty, huh?"
"Yeah, whatever gets me through the day a lot more smoothly. Just a couple more hours or so and we get to bolt out of here! You have a date!"
"Huh?" 'What is this crazy girl talking about?'
"Lucas." Tracy held a sinister smirk.
"What? It isn't a date. You invited him, remember? And there will be a few more than just me and him. Duh."
"Yeah, but it will definitely give you a chance to get to know him better. You know it!" Tracy grabbed the packet of test results that held Naruto's name on the front, then walked away before Sakura could give a retort.
Sakura sighed. 'I guess I have to face the music sometime. God, how I dread talking to him. I'm sure he's back to normal and waiting to pounce like a rabid wolf, ready to bite down on the jugular of a poor, defenseless little pink kitten.'
Sakura pushed the door open, but didn't see Sasuke lying in his hospital bed. Puzzled, her eyes darted around the room. But there was no sign of Sasuke. She gasped when she noticed first that his shoes were gone. Then the open window let her see the rest of the picture. Sasuke Uchiha had escaped under her watch. Oh, damn. Tsunade's going to kill her.
Sakura ran to the open window. She stuck her head outside and scanned the streets. The sidewalk was pretty clear. Sakura's heart sank. She was very disappointed.
"Mmmmh. . ."
Sakura's head shot up and took a hard hit on the window.
"Ow!"
Holding her head like it was barely connected anymore, Sakura turned around and gazed at a frightening and pitiful sight. There lay Sasuke Uchiha, fully naked and barely conscious. He looked pretty strung out. Upon closer inspection - to his face, that is - Sakura noticed his eyes were extremely dilated, his skin was abnormally pale, and he wasn't reacting to her panicked screams. Sakura knew well enough to keep hush. Sasuke wouldn't want all the nurses barging in to find him on the floor, as naked as the day he was born, crazed and out of his mind.
Sakura jumped up and grabbed the thin white blanket off his bed. She hastily covered him up, blushing wildly. It wasn't so much that he was very, very naked. It was more startling that he had a very impressive. . .erection. What. The. Hell.
Sakura checked him over a little better while trying not to notice the extra-large tent a few feet down south. His eyes weren't just dilated; they were discolored. Interestingly enough, Sakura thought she saw flickers of purple shooting through them. Sakura fumbled in one of her white lab coat pockets before she fished out her little flashlight. She shined the light in his eyes and was completely amazed at what she saw.
In Sasuke's eyes were flickering, curving lines of violet. They looked like teeny bolts of electricity flowing through them. Does it have something to do with his Chidori? Or is this something else entirely? Whatever it is, Sakura knew Sasuke's life could be in danger.
"Oh, my gosh. I've never seen anything like this. I'm sorry, Sasuke, but I have to tell Tsunade."
First chapter! We find a little bit of humor and discover a serious health condition, but no romance yet! Reviews welcome! I'm not too sure about this story. Let me know what you think about the plot in the description to see if this is something you'd read all the way through without giving up halfway into it . I'm ADD unless it's interesting enough, you know?