DISCLAIMER: Sasuke and Sakura are creations of Masashi Kishimoto not me!
A.N I'm just getting back into the swing of things after my recovery from surgery, so I will start working on Deceit (Kenshin/Kaoru fic) soon. But some reviews for Salvation spurred this little thing on, so think of it as a companion piece to that. ~KH
Savior
His body was here, but, Sakura noted, his mind was often elsewhere. It wasn't that he didn't focus well on missions; he completed them with as much efficiency as he always had. When he was training or on missions, Sakura could see the determination in his eyes, as he focused and tirelessly worked towards the little goals. At those times, she felt relieved, because it was then that he seemed the most himself.
He'd always been aloof, cold at times and distant, but, now it seemed he had withdrawn even further into himself, something Sakura wouldn't have thought possible if she wasn't seeing it with her own eyes. When not on missions, Sakura saw a person she didn't recognize. He'd always been so sure, of whom he was and what he wanted, but with nothing to occupy him physically, Sasuke seemed to be lost.
At first she hadn't worried too much, after all it had taken him time to warm up to them all when they were younger. No doubt, it would take time for him to do so again. There was so much to adjust to, he'd changed they'd changed, the village itself was nothing like it used to be, even now things were still being rebuilt. It had to be rather disorientating she imagined. She and Naruto had thought something familiar would help, although, if anything their outings to Ichiraku seemed to make the situation worse. Instead of making him feel a part of them again, the regular get togethers only seemed to further ostracize him from Naruto and herself.
She found it ironic, that he was now back home and yet he seemed to be slipping further and further away from them, away from her. She'd begun to realize he had started to give up when he'd started to need medical treatment more frequently following missions.
It had been rather innocuous at first. A bruise here a shallow cut there but it had rapidly begun to escalate with each mission. Minute cuts became deep, savage, lacerations, where once he would have just come back with minor bruising; now she was healing punctured lungs or broken bones. Missions were still completed, but he was becoming careless when it came to his own safety.
Even though he was a changed man, in some ways he was still that hurt little boy she'd fallen in love with so many years ago and when Naruto hadn't been able to find him all day she had known exactly where he'd be. Despite the bitter rain, he stood before the wide lake on the Uchiha grounds, staring out at the vast expanse of water, the broken surface mirroring the broken look in his eyes.
She didn't know what to do anymore, how long before he came back with something she couldn't heal, how long before he came back dead? Sakura had sworn to herself not to fall back into old ways, not to throw herself at him, pester him and she hadn't. He didn't need a sycophantic fawn, he needed a friend and since his return, she'd tried her best to be that for him.
Not only for him, but also for herself, she'd grown so much in his absence, straining to be someone both he and Naruto could rely on instead of the hindrance she had been in her youth. Staring at him, looking so alone she began to wonder was keeping the part of her that loved him inside of her actually hurting him. Would that make the difference? Did he need that familiarity?
Standing there trying to figure out a way to make him feel something, she decided she could love him, she could show him her feelings without losing who she was now. Striding purposefully towards him until she was right in front of him, she reached for his hands.
He continued staring onwards as if he hadn't acknowledged her presence and she began to feel the stirrings of uncertainty. Softly she called his name and while he still hadn't looked at her, she noticed how he gently tightened his grip on her hands.
Feeling encouraged she took one of her hands back, reaching up to gently cup his face. Reacting to her touch, he brought his head down to stare at her finally and she gave him a soft smile stretching up on the tip of her toes and planting a soft kiss upon his lips.
At first, there was nothing and then Sakura felt an increased pressure on her own lips and suddenly she a felt a wet softness gently probing her lips in return. Her heart was soaring at the fact he was reacting, feeling some emotion other than desolation and so she let him continue to lead. Let him take what he needed to until he stopped and rested his forehead against her own, panting as heavily as she was.
After what seemed like forever, he finally pulled away, just far enough to be able to look at her and she smiled, not only at the softly uttered thank you, but also at the look of life in his eyes. Laughing when his lips found hers in another kiss, she mused that if she'd known a simple kiss would be his savior, she'd have done it a lot sooner.
Owari