Summary: Regardless of time, place, and circumstance, I will always love you.
Notes:This collection of one-shots is my contribution to SasuSaku Month 2013. Thanks to my darling face, tessaiga, for pointing out all of my mistakes. And thanks to anyone who reads this.
Holding Hands
On a small table dimly glowed an orange lamp, causing long shadowy tendrils to flee from the light and stretch across the walls. With their dark and fleeting fingers, the shadows danced over the wide expanse, falling on a mess of dark hair framing a face relaxed with sleep. The sound of the man's slow, even breaths coupled with the ticking of the clock filled the room.
With a slam of the front door, Sasuke abruptly jolted up from his nap on the couch, grasping at air in search for his kusanagi. He twisted his head in time to see a flurry of pink hair whip around the corner. Hearing Sakura begin to haphazardly toss her belongings so that they banged against the walls and slammed into the dining room table, Sasuke relaxed from his stance, deciding that he should see what was wrong. With a sigh, he removed himself from the sofa to get up and stop the girl in the next room from breaking anything valuable.
"Sakura," Sasuke began, seeing the girl flop down in a chair, "What's wrong?"
"I really don't want to talk about it," the kunoichi curtly replied, burying her face in her hands.
Sasuke settled down in the chair next to her and stared at her hidden face, eyes narrowed in confusion.
After a number of tics from the clock on the wall, Sakura spread her fingers to sneak a look at the man before her and was met with an intense stare. Underneath the scrutiny of those dark eyes, the young medic's walls shattered and her frustrations poured out.
"I'm so sorry, Sasuke! I know we were supposed to go out to eat tonight and you probably had something planned, but the hospital was so chaotic! So many things went wrong and there was so much paperwork that had to be done. I couldn't even get it all finished there, so I had to bring all this home, and now I have another sleepless night ahead of me. I'm just so tired and all I want to do is sleep, but I can't because so many people rely on me and—"
Sasuke stopped her rant with a gentle stroke of her hair.
"Sakura, I don't care that we couldn't go out to eat," Sasuke said, running his fingers through her pink locks. "I understand that you're busy. The hospital has been particularly hectic these past couple of weeks, what with the chuunin exams about to take place. Just take the night off and I'll make something here."
"But Sasuke, I can't just ignore these things! If I don't finish everything, then the hospital won't be running as efficiently and then patients won't be getting their proper care. And if everything is disorganized and the patients don't receive the correct medicine, then their conditions will worsen which could result in death! I'll probably be fired from working at the hospital and then Shishou will be so disappointed in me. I'll be known as the medic who failed!" Sakura exclaimed in one breath.
Staring at the woman in disbelief, Sasuke replied, "Sakura, you're being ridiculous. I doubt one night of not finishing your paperwork will cause all that. Do you honestly believe that a few unsigned papers will kill someone?"
"It's not absurd! That could actually happen, especially if the person is in critical condition! My ineptitude could easily result in someone's death, and I just can't have any more blood on my hands!" Sakura choked out, hiding her face in her arms.
Realization dawning on him, Sasuke softly grabbed Sakura's chin and guided her head so that she was looking at him.
"Was there another death today?"
And with those words, the exhausted medic completely broke down and began sobbing uncontrollably.
"Yes! And it was all my fault, Sasuke! I'm not strong enough! Even after all these years dedicated to training, I'm still not strong enough!"
Sasuke gently pulled Sakura's shaking form away from the table and onto his lap so that her face was pressed into the crook of his neck. He placed his hand on the small of her back and rubbed soothing circles into her skin.
"Sakura, no matter how strong you are, you can't stop death. It's not your fault; you did the best that you could."
He pressed his lips to the crown of her head, waiting for her body-wrenching sobs to cease. When only her soft sniffles broke through the thick silence, Sasuke eased Sakura up and guided her down the hallway.
Opening the door to her bedroom, Sasuke helped Sakura through the threshold and towards her bed. After Sakura had lain down, Sasuke sat on the edge of her bed and brushed strands of hair from her face.
"Try to get some sleep."
Feeling his weight on the bed disappearing, Sakura shot her hand out to grasp his wrist.
"Can you stay in here for a bit?" Sakura asked timidly, eyes drooping with sleepiness.
Without a word in response, Sasuke walked around the bed to lie down next to the medic. He firmly took hold of her hand and wrapped his other arm protectively around her. Grasping Sakura's clenched fist, he began to rub her knuckles soothingly, coaxing her into sleep. Closing his eyes, he was lulled into unconsciousness by the sound of Sakura's even breathing.
Creeping into the room through a sliver in the curtains, the wan light from the moon softly illuminated the sleeping figures' intertwined hands. With each fall of their chests, the steady breathing of the young shinobi filled the room, accompanied by the staccato ticking of the clock.