These Dreams of Mine
"Sakura? Are you in here? Saku-…Sakura?! What happened?! Sakura?! Answer me! Are you ok? Sakura?!"
Dreams, she decided, were an escape to a better reality. It was no secret she preferred fantasy. After all, in fantasy there was no pain, no heartbreak, only in nightmares was there even fear.
She smiled, gazing happily at the one by her side, his fingers entwined with hers in a way he never would let them do outside this world.
She gazed unfocusedly at their hands. Her tanned, scarred knuckles seemed common and ugly next to his smooth, translucent skin. But through her imperfections, he still held her closer than anyone else was ever allowed. She alone was allowed to feel that little flicker of warmth in his icy heart.
Their gazes met for a split second, she noticed the soft sparkle in his bottomless, coal-colored eyes before each turned back to stare upwards at the full moon casting its ivory glow over the world.
She felt his fingers caress her hands before a whispering, airy kiss drifted over her cheek. She could tell he was teasing her, she giggled and turned her head back to introduce her lips to his velvety cheek.
Only in dreams was there the affectionate peace between them. Never would he consent to lying in the dew-covered grass with her to stare pensively at the twinkling stars and glowing moon as though they were the most captivating things in the universe. But…this brought her happiness in a way life never could. Even awake…nothing could compare.
"Naruto, I'm sorry, but…there's nothing we can do for her. The depression's too much...if she wants to sleep, she'll stay asleep…She's searching for an escape. There's nothing that'll make her want to stay awake again except…"
He would take her anywhere in the world if she had thought to ask. The two could spirit away to wherever their heart desired, if only to be alone together.
She lay in his arms, feeling her hair float around her face as whirlpools of color surrounded the two. One moment flower petals were raining down on them, the next they had turned to snowflakes.
Colors with light shining behind them faded in and out of existence, glowing like fragments of a stained-glass window. Sometimes flickering lights appeared, dancing like fireflies but turning out to be candles floating in nothingness.
"Where are we, Sasuke…?"
Her voice seemed to come from several directions at one as their environment continued to warp, melting and rearranging itself never in the same pattern twice.
"Where would you like to go?"
She blinked slowly, a thought floating to the surface of her mind.
"Home…I want to go home…"
The swirling colors and splashes of light slowed quickly to a stop, fading away to reveal the familiar buildings of her home. Their home.
"Sasuke…I want you to stay here with me…" she whispered, voicing the first thoughts in her mind without fear of his reaction.
Bliss washed over her when he smiled one of his rare smiles for her.
"If you wish, I'll stay."
"Oh, thank you…"
Suddenly she was crying and didn't know how she had started. His few words brought her so much joy, simply promising to stay with her. She smiled wide to assure him they weren't tears of sadness as his snow-colored sleeve wiped at her eyes.
She could tell he was about to speak by his intake of breath. Knowing what he would say, she reached up and placed a single finger to his lips, shaking her head. He didn't need to say anything.
She felt him smile under her touch, catching her fingertip in his mouth as she giggled, withdrawing her finger and using her free hand as leverage to pull herself up high enough to place her lips against his.
"Sakura…can you hear me? It's Naruto…I miss you, Sakura…you've been asleep for a long time…why did you collapse back then…? Grandma says…you're in a coma and never waking up…but I know you will. You have to…because I'm leaving. I'm going to bring back Sasuke for you. I promised I would, didn't I? He's coming back, just for you…then you'll wake up…"
Feeling the fluffy coolness in the soles of her feet, she wandered forward, as if sensing which direction was right. The deep, indigo-colored sky above her held no sun, moon or stars and yet it was both pleasantly warm and light enough to see.
Her weight sank down into the clouds beneath her feet like she was walking on a mountain of pillow stuffing. Even when the white fuzz parted, she floated over the gaps with a weightless bob, the tiny white wings on her back spreading as if to keep her afloat.
Her target was the huge pillar of cloud she approached slowly but with determination. That was where she had to go, that massive column reaching up into the violet atmosphere and down to the earth below as well.
She could only hear her own breathing as she reached the pillar, everything else held a muffled silence. Almost immediately, she reached out and swept her hands across the cloud, clearing away puffs of white that floated off into space.
After a second wave, she smiled as his sleeping face appeared, the rest of him still held captive in the cloud's encircling grip.
As most of the cloud's mass disappeared, swept away by her fingers, she floated forward to catch him as he fell without the support of the downy fluff.
She smiled, knowing he was safe with her now. After planting a loving kiss on his thin lips, the droopy little wings adorning his shoulders fluttered for a moment as she felt him stir in his awakening.
He gazed drowsily up at her face, after a moment his eyes widening in the realization that she had freed him from his prison.
She felt that same blissful warmth seep into her as he embraced her, kissing her skin where his face was buried against her neck. Her arms remained draped around his shoulders as their lips met, a pleasing blooming sensation unfolding inside her at his display of affection.
After drawing back, her eyes opened to see him floating away, his hand gripping her wrist pulling her along with him. She drifted after him, eager to follow wherever he would lead her with a trusting heart.
"Hey, Sakura…Naruto's been gone for some time…but we all believe in him. We know he'll bring back Uchiha. Just…wake up to see him when he comes back…please…we miss you too, Sakura…"
She loved to see his face whenever her eyes opened. It was the first thing to enter her vision as she blinked away the sluggishness in her body.
"Hello, Sasuke …" she whispered, smiling cheerily as he knelt beside her. "What are you doing here?"
He turned away from her, fixing his penetrating gaze on the wall beside them instead.
"I…should ask you the same question," she heard his soft voice murmur.
She smiled again when his eyes rested on her again.
"I missed you…"
He suddenly seemed nervous, she noticed him gulp before he spoke.
"…I'm back…to see you."
"Really?"
"Yeah…I was told you had fallen asleep and never woke up…"
Her smile only held a misty sadness.
"That's right…I did…"
"But…you're awake now…why?"
She gazed into his eyes, realizing one of his hands was resting over hers.
"Because you're home, of course."
"You missed me so much…you fell asleep until I came back?"
She nodded. "But you're home now…"
"I came home for you, Sakura…are you…going to be ok now?" he asked. She could see the genuine worry for her in is dark eyes.
"Yes, Sasuke…" she whispered reaching up from where she lay to brush her hand against his cheek. "As long as you're here…"
Only a few second later, her wavering focus told her he had leaned closer to her, enough to nervously press his lips against hers.
He smiled into the kiss a few seconds after she did, her eyes opening slowly as he pulled back from her face.
She blinked slowly, hazy confusion floating through her mind. Everything was still the same, she was lying down on something, and Sasuke was kneeling beside her, but…the colors were darker. And in the background was the incessant beep-beep of…
It hit her. That sound was her pulse on a hospital life-support machine.
"Sasuke…?" she whispered. "What…where…"
She glanced up as Naruto's head appeared behind Sasuke.
"S-Sakura…you're…you're really…"
Her gaze wandered back to the Uchiha's face.
"Sasuke…?"
She felt a tiny trace of long-gone heat return to her face when he came close, almost close enough to kiss her again. His lips just touched hers as he spoke again in a hushed whisper.
"Sakura…this time, it's not a dream."
Happy Birthday, Sakura-chan :)