White.
He woke up to an expanse of white and bright light.
Sasuke tried to sit up, immediately regretting his decision as a wave of nausea hit him. With a groan, he proceeded to lie back down. Opening one eye languidly, he half-heartedly scrutinized his surroundings. A hospital? Ah, he's probably in Konoha, he muses to himself.
Sighing in recognition, he remembers. He thinks back to Naruto, the Valley of the End, blood, and… Sakura. She was crying. No doubt because of him again. Sasuke glowered, lost in his thoughts when the sound of a door opening caught his attention. Peering towards the source of the sound he finds the center of his thoughts gazing back at him in surprise.
"Sakura." He says her name out loud without realizing it.
She smiles softly, footsteps even as she approached him and came to stand by his bedside. "You're awake, Sasuke-kun." He averts his eyes, looking up at the ceiling. "Ah."
After a moment, Sasuke senses her shift beside him and feels the side of the bed sink. He looks back at her and finds her sitting down on the bed next to him. "How are you feeling?" she inquires, voice overflowing with concern. Sasuke fixes his gaze above again. "Sore."
Sakura laughs lightly. A sound Sasuke recalls from a distant memory. It's been a while since he's heard that.
"I'm here to do a check up, if that's alright with you." She's waiting for his approval, he realizes. "That's fine." Sasuke replies, motioning to sit up. "Oh! Let me help you Sasuke-kun." she insists seeing him grimace at the action. Sasuke says nothing, but allows her to assist him with one hand on his back gently pushing him upwards and the other propping his pillow behind him. In no time he's sitting upright with her help.
Pleased that he's now in a better position, Sakura moves closer to him to look over his injuries. "I'm going to start with your head. You're probably feeling a bit queasy, right?" Sasuke nods at her. She beams and gets to work. "Okay, hold still please." Sasuke watches as her hands glow, with a muted green color. She's a medic-nin now, he reminds himself. Soon, he discovers that he feels lighter, the dull pain in his head no longer there. "That should do it. I'll work on the next thing now." she informs him as she moves her attention to his arm—or where his arm should be.
Ah. Right. It blew off during that fight with Naruto.
Deciding to think about that incident again at a later time, he turns his attention back to Sakura. She's deep in concentration, intent on healing him. He uses this moment to study her. Her hair is longer, he notices. It's grown a bit past her shoulders. Yet, it's still the soft pink that he remembers. The green glow emanating from her hands matches the color of her eyes. Vibrant and determined. She carries herself more confidently. Something she gained from training with the Godaime, he surmises. His eyes flicker to the diamond on her forehead. Surely, another result of her diligence.
This Sakura, he recognizes parts of her but she's no longer the same. At least, that's what he assumes. She has grown and she's...changed. Sasuke wonders then, if that also has changed. Unconsciously, he grimaces at the thought.
He notices then, Sakura's brow furrowed from concentration begins to tremble slightly. He pays close attention to her, his eyes seeking her own, only to find them shut tight. Her arms shake and her chakra continues to glow, although less brightly. He shifts uncomfortably, wondering what's going on when she utters a sound he knows all too well.
Tears stream from her eyes, and fall down her face.
Sasuke stills. The guilt he expertly tried to diminish for years washing over him all over again. He debates on what to say at this moment. But it is Sakura who speaks first. A quiet sob, heartbroken and full of sorrow. "S-Sasuke-kun." She chokes out. Sasuke regards her intently. She didn't need to say more. He understood.
"Sakura" he says her name.
He says it the way he's always said it in his head. Carefully, afraid that he'll tarnish the one thing in his life that stayed constant. Despite his fear of blemishing a memory so pure, it leaves his mouth with practiced ease. The same way it always did whenever he caught a glimpse of her during his residence in darkness.
Upon hearing her name, Sakura sobs harder but finds the courage to look at him. Without hesitation, Sasuke holds her gaze.
Obsidian and viridian greet one another, after being apart for so long. Sasuke's mouth opens and Sakura holds her breath, eyes widening.
"Thank you."
He feels it then. Her arms wrap around him, bringing them closer. Her face burrows in his neck, drowning her sobs. His hospital gown damp with her tears.
Ah. That's right.
He thinks to himself as she murmurs his name over and over again. Her tears washing away his lingering fear. This Sakura, is still the same.
That, also remains unchanged.
He allows himself this moment. He thinks she's waited so patiently—so selflessly, and knows she's allowed the same.
.
.
.
.
.
Naruto strolls through the hospital. A hop evident in his step as he makes his way to the room his stubborn best friend currently occupies. Sakura informed him that Sasuke was still there recovering. With a snicker, Naruto decides to push his own fast recovery in his friend's face. With renewed vigor and a goal in mind, Naruto quickens his steps.
Upon reaching the room, Naruto halts.
Huh? He thinks to himself, staring at the entryway. The door is ajar. Sakura's always mindful about closing the doors properly. She's a perfectionist, he muses. Quietly, he peeks through the opening, with narrowed eyes, and not a moment later he's rendered motionless.
At first, he saw white.
Then he was momentarily blinded by the sunlight peeking in from the windows of the hospital room. But the sight that had him awestruck was in the center of it all.
Sasuke, sitting upright in his hospital bed. Sakura, sitting on a stool beside him.
In her lap, a bowl of apple slices. They sat there in comfortable silence, Sakura's hands meticulously peeling and slicing another. He watched as Sakura shyly offers Sasuke the bowl of fruit. Only to find his jaw drop once more when, instead of picking up a slice, Sasuke kept a steady eye on her and opened his mouth.
Naruto watched Sakura fumble slightly, seemingly just as stunned. A moment passed before Sakura picked up a slice and fed it to him. Sasuke chewed slowly, not once removing his gaze from hers.
Sakura with a blush coating her cheeks, smiled brightly up at Sasuke who in return gave her a small, lopsided smirk.
Naruto silently moved and looked away, giving them the moment to have for themselves. His eyes lingered a little longer on the door before his vision blurred and tears filled his eyes.
He remembers it then. Sakura, peeling apples and Sasuke knocking them down in anger. He wipes at his eyes and smiles as the memory of what was once a sorrowful past, fades away.
Beaming brightly, with grateful tears in his eyes he resolutely made his way out of the hospital.
"That bastard definitely owes me."
A/N: First off, thanks for reading! I wandered on this site for years and was apprehensive about posting my own fics. So a toast to my first post after pondering for a little over 10 years. I'm not sure if there will be more posted after this. I made this a short one-shot because I craved a bit of fluff. But who knows, maybe I'll add more. After all, Sasuke has a lot to appreciate after all those years haha. Leave a review and let me know what you think!