Awakening Hope

Chapter 1: Comrades

"Love is a ray of indirect light;
a drop of peace, a faith that awakens."

-Yolandita Monge

It's been a little over a week since they were told Sakura would survive, that Kabuto's poison was out of her system for good. Sasuke had finally relaxed then, glad that she was alright. Everyone seemed to realize that they almost lost her and now they barely gave her time to be alone. Her room in the hospital was always crowded with visitors and the vase in her room would always have flowers.

Most days he would spend them on her room along with Naruto and the occasional visit from Kakashi. Ino would come every day for a few hours and Sasuke would see her cheer up as she talked with her best friend. Sai would also come along with Ino, he spent most of his times asking unusual questions and watching them. Sasuke couldn't help but feel that he was being studied sometimes, but he tried to pay no mind to it. Fools like that were better ignored, Sasuke reasoned with himself.

But there were sometimes where his comments would be too much for Sasuke to handle and that would result in Sasuke telling him to get the hell out, or he would just settle with glaring at him.

Everyday either Sasuke or Naruto would go and buy ramen for the three of them at Ichiraku and they would all eat at Sakura's room.

Today was Naruto's turn and that was the reason he sat in the corner of the room waiting for the blonde idiot to get there already. He was glaring at the annoying fool dressed in green who didn't seem to want to leave Sakura alone. He'd been there over an hour asking her how she felt, if she needed anything and so on. He didn't seem to get a clue that she didn't want him near her.

"Oh, my youthful blossom! Even when sick you look absolutely radiant!" He exclaimed as he smiled that creepy smile of his. Sasuke wanted to hit him, he couldn't stand his voice and he couldn't help but wonder how Sakura even put up with him.

"Uhh…thanks I guess." Sakura replied awkwardly and Sasuke couldn't help the smirk that took over his lips

"Would you do me the honor of going on a date with me?" Lee asked, but it was more as if he was yelling. Sakura looked like she wanted to say no, but stayed quiet probably for some stupid reason as to not hurt his feelings. Sasuke scoffed in response which caused both Lee's and Sakura's eyes to turn to him.

"She can't go on a date with you idiot, she's in the hospital." Sasuke told Lee as he gave him a cold look. Lee's eyes widened, if that was even possible, as if he had just realized that.

"My eternal rival, how right you are!" Lee exclaimed and turned back to Sakura. "My beautiful blossom do not worry, we'll go on a date when you're feeling well!" He exclaimed seeming to miss the terrified look on Sakura's face about the prospect of going on a date with him.

Just then the door opened and a nurse stepped into the room she looked around spotting two visitors, less than usual. "The visiting hours are over. You two can come back tomorrow." Her voice was laced with nervousness, whether it was caused by the green beast of Konoha or himself he wasn't sure.

"Until tomorrow my lovely blossom!" He exclaimed and in a swift motion blew a kiss her way, Sakura was quick to hide under the covers of her bed so the kiss wouldn't get to her and Sasuke was just amused. Lee was out of the room then and sadly didn't see her terrified expression that caused his kiss.

It made him remember back when they were all genin. When Rock Lee once blew kisses her way and she dodged them as if they were deadly shurikens, somehow he was glad to know that some things about her hadn't changed.

"Uchiha-san?" The nurse more than asked him, it was practically a plea to leave. Both he and Naruto had been breaking the no visitors after a certain hour rule, but neither of them cared. The nurse was always afraid of getting into problems for it even though Tsunade seemed to turn a blind eye to it because it was Sakura.

Sasuke turned his head away from the nurse, a sign that he wasn't moving from the place where he sat and the nurse sighed in defeat.

"Don't worry about it." Sakura told the nurse as she emerged from under the sheets and shooed away the nurse how quickly left the room closing the door behind her.

When the door closed the room turned silent, it was the first time he'd been alone with Sakura since he rushed with her in his arms from Orochimaru's old lair to the village, and even before that since that night…

"Umm, thanks." She spoke softly and Sasuke's eyes turned to her, his expression turned into one of confusion not knowing why she was thanking him.

Sakura seemed to understand his confusion because she slightly smiled before saying. "For saving me from Lee, sometimes I don't know how to say no." She shook her head.

"Well it seems he took your silence as a yes." Sasuke replied surprising even himself.

It seemed to surprise her too that he actually talked to her. "Yeah, I might have to go on a date with him when I get out of here…" She sighed, probably already thinking of excuses she could use that day.

After that the room turned silent once again, neither knowing what to say. Unlike for most of his life when Sasuke took comfort in silence he somehow found this silence uncomfortable. Since she woke up in a hospital bed it seemed she was avoiding some topics of conversation at all cost, and he knew most of those topics had to do with him.

She tried taking a sitting position in the bed with great difficulty. "Shit." She murmured as she took hold of her abdomen and groaned in pain. Sasuke immediately stood up and rushed to her side. Both he and Naruto were told they had to watch her because although the poison was supposed to be out of her system they couldn't be a hundred percent sure.

He placed his hand on her shoulder attempting to help her into a sitting position in a way where she wouldn't hurt herself. But as soon as his hand made contact with her shoulder she flinched in response her wide eyes turning to him and slapped his hand away with one of her arms.

Sasuke was taken aback but it didn't show on his face. "Need anything?" He asked her as he took a step backwards, it was obvious she didn't want him touching her.

She started at him and Sasuke wanted nothing more than to know what was going through her mind. Was she seeing the Sasuke that once tried to kill her? Or was she seeing the Sasuke that had brought her comfort on a dark night? He could see doubt in her emerald eyes as she gazed up at him and when she opened her mouth to speak the door was open and she quickly turned her attention to the intruder.

Sasuke closed his eyes in annoyance before turning to the door himself to see none other than Naruto with their dinner. He could hear Sakura's sigh of relief and he went back to the chair he had been sitting in a while ago.

"Naruto could you hand me the pills?" She asked the blonde as she pointed to the bottle of pills in front of the table Sasuke was currently sitting at. Sasuke gave her a look of disbelief that she pretended not to notice.

"Sure, Sakura-chan!" He told her happily. He placed their dinner in the table and grabbed the bottle of pills handing it over to Sakura.

"Thanks." She smiled as she opened the bottle to take two pills.

Naruto gave Sasuke his ramen and his pair of chopsticks and took Sakura's over to her bed. "Want me to feed you?" He asked in a joking manner.

"No, but thanks anyway Naruto." She stuck out her tongue at him as she took her ramen.

Naruto came back to sit in the chair across from Sasuke taking hold of his ramen, Sasuke wondered how many had he eaten before bringing over their dinner but decided not to ask him.

"Itadakimasu." Sakura murmured softly as she started eating her ramen.

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto murmured with his mouth full to both of his team mates.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted as he too started eating his ramen.

Sasuke particularly didn't love ramen but he had gotten used to it since he came back to the village, it was almost all he ate thanks to a ceirtan blonde knucklehead sitting across from him. Naruto was already halfway through his ramen.

"You have to get better soon, Sakura-chan." Naruto spoke with his mouth full and then after swallowing he added. "I wanna go on missions, I'm sick of doing nothing!" He exclaimed as he once again turned his attention to the ramen.

Sakura paused her eating to smile over at Naruto. "Don't worry, I should be out of here soon. If you're sick of doing nothing then imagine how I feel, I've done nothing but sit in a hospital bed all day." She complained as she put the ramen in the nightstand beside her.

Sasuke didn't join their conversation and felt slightly out of place. Both his teammates were practically ignoring the fact that she had almost died not too long ago.

"Yeah, if you don't get some excersice soon you'll get fat." Naruto laughed as he finished his ramen.

"What did you say?!" Sakura asked dangerously, Sasuke looked over at both Naruto and Sakura with interest as he continued eating.

"That you'll get fat!" Naruto exclaimed loudly.

"Idiot." Sasuke muttered. Sasuke had always known Naruto to be an idiot, but not to have a death wish. Even he knew you shouldn't call woman fat unless you wanted to die. But he knew where Naruto got his new found courage. He thought that just because Sakura was hospitalized she couldn't fight back.

He saw Sakura's glare and smirked. She grabbed the ramen she had placed on her nightstand and threw it at Naruto who yelled in a not too manly way in response. "That'll teach you to call me fat!" She screamed and Sasuke was sure that if any other patient was sleeping they had been woken up by her yelling.

"How could you do this Sakura?!" Naruto asked as he looked down at himself covered in ramen.

Both Sasuke and Sakura turned to him with confused looks not getting his dramatic tone.

"Ramen shouldn't be wasted like this!" He threw his arms up in the air as he stood up from the seat.

"Then eat it off yourself, dobe." Sasuke sarcastically told the blonde covered in ramen.

"That's unsanitary teme!" He yelled back not getting Sasuke's sarcasm and Sasuke sighed in frustration.

"You're an idiot Naruto." Sakura said as she laughed. Sasuke turned to her as she did; he didn't remember the last time he had seen her laugh like that. So carelessly, so free; as if there was nothing wrong with her world. Her laughter filled the room making Naruto grin in response and there was a ghost of a smile gracing Sasuke's features.

She had always been the life of the team, without her there was no happiness in the team, no hope. It was now that he finally felt he was back in Team 7. With Sakura laughing and Naruto grinning like an idiot as he stood there covered in ramen.

It is then as Sakura's laughter dies out and she looks over at him with a small smile on her face that Sasuke thinks that maybe they can become a team again. Maybe Team 7 isn't as lost as he once thought.

A/N:

Here's the long awaited sequel as promised. I know I took too long, sorry. Thanks to all of those who read the first part and are now here reading the second part and also to those who just started reading. :)

I hope you like how the story started, it took me a while until I decided it was right how I wanted it. But whether it's good or not you'll be the judge. :P

I'm not sure how long it'll take me to post every chapter but I'll try my best. :)

Reviews as always are greatly appreciated. Any comments, question, ideas, write in the box below.

Remember, you review and I update.
Deal? ;)