Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
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Sakura could already feel the effects of the antidote Tsunade had given her before leaving the village. It was a good thing she had brought it with her. If not for the medicine…
She shuddered inwardly. She didn't want to think about what would have happened to them. She looked up at Naruto and Sasuke.
"We need to get Idate out of the rain."
The boys nodded and then the three of them turned their attention to the unconscious Idate. Sasuke and Sakura heaved him up and managed to position him on Naruto's back. Naruto then hoisted him up and they began their search for shelter.
The mood was grim and bitter in the aftermath of their defeat at the hands of Aoi, and no one, not even Naruto, broke the silence until Sakura caught sight of a cave through the rain.
"There," she called over the noise of the downpour. They made their way to the entrance and Sasuke activated his Sharingan to scan the dark interior.
"It's clear," he muttered. "I'll go get some firewood."
While they waited for Sasuke to get back, Naruto and Sakura set about laying Idate down and trying to make him comfortable. Once he was settled, Sakura pulled some bandages and ointment out of her pack and began to treat the bruises and needle punctures that peppered Idate's body, evidence of Aoi's malice and cruelty.
Naruto stood and watched over her shoulder for awhile, expression solemn and fists clenched. Then he abruptly turned and made his way to the cave entrance where the rain had only slightly started to dissipate. Sakura looked up from her work, his sudden movement catching her attention.
"Naruto?" she questioned.
"I'll be back in a little while," he answered. And with that he leaped from the cave into the nearby trees just as Sasuke reappeared with an armload of firewood. He threw a puzzled look after the blonde boy before turning his quizzical gaze on Sakura. She sighed as she turned her attention back to Idate.
"I think he's upset at how easily that Aoi guy got the best of us. He probably just needs a little time to cool down."
Sasuke pursed his lips, and Sakura got the idea he wasn't too happy about their defeat either. To be honest, neither was she. Then Sasuke jerked his chin towards the unconscious boy on the ground in front of her.
"How's he?"
Sakura finished cleaning the last of his puncture wounds and dropped her supplies back into her pack.
"He'll be alright. The poison was the worst of it, but Tsunade-sama's antidote took care of that. Most of his other injuries were minor, although I can't get a good look at his hand. He won't let go of that knife."
She looked up and nodded at the bundle of wood in Sasuke's arms.
"For now, we just need to get him dry and warm. And us too, for that matter."
Sasuke nodded and began to arrange the wood for a fire. When he was finished, he stepped back and lit the pile with a low-grade Katon. As it roared to life, Sakura stretched her hands out toward the flames to warm them, but flinched at the sudden pain in her upper left arm. With all the adrenaline pumping through her from their brush with Aoi, she had forgotten about the gash on her arm from their fight with the Rain genin. Now that things had settled down, her wound made its presence known once more in the form of a sharp, stinging pain that became more intense every second. She brought her right hand up and tentatively felt along the gash. Her fingers came away stained with a bit of red.
Her flinch had drawn Sasuke's attention and he shuffled over to observe as she assessed her injury. Sakura gingerly rolled up the sleeve of her dress and craned her neck to get a good look at the wound, trying to keep her arm as still as possible. She could just barely see it end to end. It was a couple inches long, but she couldn't see how deep it was. Judging by the acute pain, however, she reasoned it was probably more than a shallow graze.
She looked to her stoic teammate, hoping he could give her a better perspective.
"Sasuke-kun? Can you tell how deep it is? I can't really see it all that well."
For his part, Sasuke was pretty surprised at how well she was holding herself together. It was a pretty big gash, and it looked painful. The old Sakura would be balling her eyes out right now. But this wasn't the old Sakura. Sometime over the course of Team 7's adventures, she had gotten stronger.
He squatted down next to her to take a look at the wound. The fire was casting shadows, making it difficult for him to see it clearly. He grasped her wrist and gently turned her arm to catch the flickering firelight. With a frown, he noted how deep the gash actually was and the dirt that had made its way down into it. Meanwhile, Sakura was fighting the furious blush that threatened to overtake her cheeks at Sasuke's touch. After a few more moments, Sasuke dropped her arm and straightened back up.
"It probably needs a couple stitches. First it needs to be cleaned, though. There's quite a bit of dirt in it."
To his surprise, Sakura simply sighed.
"I thought as much," she mumbled. She turned and began rummaging through her pack once more. In addition to the bandages and ointment, she also pulled out a small case that contained some needles and thread and a small bottle of antiseptic. Sasuke watched as she poured the antiseptic onto a small bandage and began trying to dab at the wound.
Sakura was having trouble cleaning the gash, partly due to the awkward angle from which she was attempting to reach it and partly because of Sasuke. His scrutiny made her nervous, but she didn't dare ask him for more assistance. She was afraid he would think it was a ploy to get close to him. So she continued to reach, wincing when she failed to keep her injured arm still.
Sasuke saw her wince once more and inwardly sighed. Annoying girl. There was no way she would be able to adequately disinfect a wound that she couldn't really see with only one hand, let alone stitch it up or wrap it properly. He felt a curl of guilt in his stomach as he realized she probably figured he wouldn't want to help her. He hadn't been the nicest person in the world to her, after all. Making his decision, he stepped toward her.
"Here, let me."
Sakura looked up in surprise as Sasuke sat down next to her. She stared first at his outstretched hand and then glanced up to his face in question.
"You're just going to make it worse," was his explanation.
"Oh. A-alright."
Sakura wasn't sure whether to feel grateful or insulted, so she just handed over all the supplies with a bemused look on her face. Sasuke worked in silence for awhile, making sure he cleaned all the dirt from the wound. It could get badly infected if there was any left when he stitched her up.
Sakura stared straight ahead at the fire as he dabbed at her arm, trying to come to terms with the fact that Sasuke was playing doctor. For her. Her cheeks reddened once more, and she hoped that the shadows cast by the fire would keep them hidden. So absorbed was she in her thoughts that she jumped when he suddenly began to speak.
"Where'd that dobe go? He's gonna be soaked to the bone. That idiot."
Sakura looked at him like he had two heads, but he kept his gaze fixed on her arm. Sasuke was almost never the one to start a conversation, and he never engaged in small talk. Especially not with her. Then she saw the needle in his hand and it dawned on her. He was trying to keep her distracted while he stitched her up. They didn't have anything to numb the area, so she was going to feel everything. She swallowed nervously and turned back to the fire so she didn't have to look at the needle.
"Aa," she managed to get out around the lump in her throat. "He'll get sick if he stays out too long."
She took a deep breath as she felt the point of the needle prod against the tender skin around her wound. Then it was pushing through and she bit her lip to stifle a whimper.
"Knowing him, he's probably gotten himself into some sort of trouble. It's almost like he goes looking for it."
She nodded, trying to focus on the sound of Sasuke's voice instead of the feeling of the suture sliding through her skin as it pulled her gash closed. There was a bit more tugging as Sasuke tied off the first stitch, and then the needle was pushing through her skin once more.
"I wonder what the deal is with Idate and Ibiki," Sasuke continued. "Why isn't Idate in Konoha anymore? What could have happened that caused him to leave? And why did he think Ibiki was dead? This whole situation is strange."
More sliding. More tugging.
"Aa," she agreed while trying to keep her voice from wavering. "Lots of unknowns."
Sasuke was just finishing up the third stitch, when her eyes began to water from the pain. She gripped the hem of her dress as the needle bit into her skin again.
"He also seemed to know that Aoi guy from earlier. Maybe they've had run-ins before."
Sakura only let out a hum of acknowledgement. As Sasuke tugged on the fourth suture, she clenched her eyes shut and a lone tear squeezed out from the corner of her lids. She quickly wiped it away with her right hand, and Sasuke glanced up at her before returning to his task.
"Gomen," he uttered lowly as he began the next suture. "One or two more should do it."
She nodded again, cursing herself for letting him see her cry. As far as injuries went, hers was relatively minor. Yet here she was, crying like a baby. Sasuke was probably annoyed at how weak she was.
"Good work protecting Idate."
Sakura's eyes flew open. He was…praising her?
"If you hadn't stepped in, he could have been injured or killed."
She turned her head to stare at him. His dark eyes, smoldering in the firelight, narrowed as they remained fixed on his task.
"Though if he had just cooperated to begin with, this wouldn't have happened. Things could have been a lot worse because of him."
He pulled on the stitch a little harder than necessary in his aggravation. Doing her best not to wince, Sakura sought to sooth his irritation to avoid any more of the harsh tugging.
"But they weren't," she replied quickly. "We're all safe now, so…"
Sasuke seemed to sense her discomfort and finished off the stitch with a bit more caution. He began the final suture with a bit of a frown on his face.
"You still got hurt," he said quietly.
Flushing, she turned back to watch the dancing flames lick at the wood. Her eyes had stopped watering during their exchange, she noted with relief. She hated crying in front of him.
"Yeah, well… It's an occupational hazard, right?"
Sasuke didn't answer. The two sat in silence as he tied off the last stitch, then uncapped the ointment and applied it generously to the wound. After he finished that, he grabbed one of the longer bandages and began to carefully wrap her arm. When he got to the end, he tied it off and inspected his work before standing and gathering up the supplies to return them to Sakura's pack. Sakura observed him silently, gazing at the red and white uchiwa on the back of his shirt. It was a symbol of his pride. Pride he had just laid aside for her sake. A soft smile stole across her face as she watched him walk towards the front of the cave and lean against the wall to watch as the rain tapered off.
"Sasuke-kun."
He looked over his shoulder to meet her gaze, one eyebrow quirked.
Sakura gave him a quick smile.
"Thanks for fixing me up."
He gave her a nod and turned back to the cave opening. As they waited for Naruto to return, the two of them simply listened to the rain and the crackling of the fire, content to let it fill the silence between them.
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A/N- Hello! Here's a little one-shot I've been wanting to do FOREVER based off of some of the Naruto filler episodes about Idate. A bit of Sasusaku fluff in honor of being canon and of Naruto Gaiden! I can't wait for the next chapter! Enjoy lovelies!