The Lady of Konoha
By Leanne Ashley
Chapter 3
"...Looks like things have been reversing for the better... I think I'll try a more invasive approach to get that immune system of his up and running..."
At least, that's what Sakura thought she was managing to articulate whilst holding two hair pins between her teeth.
Sasuke's ridiculing eyebrow told her she hadn't enunciated as well as she'd thought. He sat on their suite's bed, elbows resting against his knees as he stared out the window, anywhere else but the pink haired girl through the mirror's reflection.
She was preparing for another day of being at the Prince of Oni's bedside. As much as it should have only been about strategy, it was also about Sakura playing her part. She sat at the vanity mirror absently braiding a strand of hair whilst mumbling her thoughts to her teammate. He was surprisingly patient for the most part; nodding every so often to indicate his attention.
Her flowing gown this time was a dusty pale rose, exposing her shoulders once more, but with fitted sleeves that flared out below the elbow in soft gauzy waves. Sasuke had managed a straight face as Sakura asked him jokingly, it's a bit too much, huh? It was, but not in the way she thought. She was too goddamn beautiful and the way he merely shrugged at her appearance seemed almost blasphemous. Of course, tearing off the offending fabric and pinning Sakura across the vanity dresser was no better.
Frowning, the confused Uchiha immediately chastised himself for thinking like some unhinged adolescent teenager, running a hand tiredly through the spikes of his ebony hair.
Sakura didn't miss the gesture, instantly wondering how her teammate so effortlessly exuded his good looks with a simple ruffling of his own locks. She stared in awe once again, green eyes shifting magnetically from her own reflection to her so-called knight in shining armour.
It could never be helped, and she reminded herself for the umpteenth time that Sasuke would only ever be her friend, and even that title seemed fragile and newly formed given how their friendship throughout their adolescence was painfully questionable.
Sakura bit her lip sadly, catching Sasuke's attention as his piercing obsidian eyes met hers in the mirror.
"What?" he asked, dark velvety voice hinging suspicion.
She quickly diverted her stare.
"Nothing. Sorry," Sakura managed to mumble, burning a hole into her reflection while her peripheral kept him in sight. Sasuke continued to watch her momentarily, and if she hadn't been too cowardly to chance another look she would've known for sure that he was smirking.
She cleared her throat, willing the warmth at the back of her neck to dissipate. Her hands busied themselves with the task of her appearance.
After braiding two strands of hair at the frame of her face, Sakura pulled them back and pinned the pieces together behind her head. "...It'll be another long day," she continued, pushing past their awkward exchange. "You'll have to just stand around and watch again."
She had meant to offer her teammate the chance to explore had he not been so adamant on his insistence to keep watch over her. When Sasuke put his foot down she knew there was no swaying him otherwise.
"How 'invasive'?" he questioned, referring to her earlier statement.
Sakura bravely turning to face the man behind her, "Well, there's a tremendous amount of chakra needed here. His whole body was shutting down. I've got it on the mend, but a jump-start from me would get him on the right track and past the worst of it."
His features darkened, and for a moment she wondered if he was about to argue with her plan, but on what grounds she had no idea.
"So..." Sakura continued hesitantly, "we should be able to return to Konoha in the next few days."
"Right," Sasuke said flatly. "...After you recover from giving up all your chakra."
Ah, there it was.
"Yes," the pink haired girl nodded resolutely, rolling her eyes in dismissal. She figured Sasuke hated the idea of having a weakened, useless teammate to babysit... not that she would ever classify herself as such, but she was pretty sure she knew how his egotistical mind worked.
Sasuke's mind, however, was working itself up in a different direction: even though Sakura had almost perfect chakra control, she didn't have as much in terms of reserve, not compared to him. If he knew how to apply his chakra the way she could in medical ninjutsu he could spare her the trouble of exhausting herself needlessly. The idea of Sakura sacrificing her health for a child that wouldn't be grateful, in a village he couldn't stand, was steadily striking a nerve.
"Annoying..." Sasuke murmured.
Sakura instantly glared, sensitive to the remark. He'd skinned her with it far too many times in the past. "We're doing this my way, Sasuke-kun. Unless you have a better plan?"
"Obviously not," he scoffed.
The young prince of Oni coughed lightly in his sleep; the sound filling the room's silence while his healer from Konoha poured soothing chakra throughout his system. The town's only healer, one of limited chakra capabilities, stood watching from the other side of the room. The old man was in dubious awe at the pink haired woman across from him, at the incredible amount of the power she displayed.
Sakura was not oblivious to the annoyingly amazed stare from the other healer. He had always kept his gaze on her for one reason or another. Never again though, thanks to Sakura's bodyguard, in a manner that suggested he could care less about her healing abilities. All it took was a snarled warning from Sasuke when the old man's gaze sank too low. After the Uchiha had pulled him aside, the old man knew now to keep his priorities in check. Though having him gawk at her abilities only reminded Sakura of the discouraging fact that women using chakra was seen as an unbelievable feat. If only she could tell the old geezer she was a kunoichi – his brain would probably explode.
Eyes clamped shut, Sakura sat kneeling by the Prince's bed, dress pooling around her in an elegant mess of silk and lace. She kept one arm atop the covers, clasping the young boy's hand in hers, the bridge in which to transfer her chakra. A pale green glow emitted where their hands met.
Several hours had passed and Sakura was finally starting to feel the effects of severe depletion. She winced. Her head throbbed, her thoughts hazed. The sweat from her brow began to sting her eyes.
"Almost done," she whispered, more so to herself.
And loyal to his post, Sasuke kept watch on his teammate from against the wall. He hadn't gotten bored, or restless, or impatient... but seeing her head drop slightly, as if struggling to stay awake, had him uneasy with a feeling he didn't initially understand.
But it didn't take him long.
When Sakura rose a delicate hand to her temple and kept it there, features grimaced with pain, he knew. He knew because it hit him like a wrecking ball. Like a sudden drop down a bottomless pit. Worry. Sasuke was worried about her. He hardly ever worried about anything... Sure, when he was cornered, when he was outsmarted, when he was about to die... all circumstantial. All his own. Never someone else's.
Yet there he was: angry in his sudden anxiety to snatch Sakura's hand and end her increasingly moronic plan. Whatever stopped the coiling tightness within his chest.
Protecting Sakura was an instinct, something Sasuke did automatically. Looking out for one's teammate required no hesitation and with very little to dread upon. But standing by, having to watch and do nothing but feel the tension rise was a feeling the Uchiha was not accustomed to.
Of course it would've been selfish to stop her – the Prince needed her help, and an exorbitant amount Sakura would argue. This small blip of common sense kept Sasuke at bay, albeit with great reluctance.
The glow of Sakura's chakra began to flicker and fade like a struggling candlelight before winking out completely. The room was dark when she slowly opened her eyes, much darker than when the procedure began. The Prince sniffed softly in his sleep, turning his back to Sakura as if she had done nothing.
"Why is she still here...? Make her go..." he murmured before drifting away once again.
Sakura smiled tiredly, forgiving his ignorance, still hoping he'd feel significantly better in the morning.
She stood from her kneeling position, but wobbled from the dizzying weight of her efforts. Sasuke was behind her in an instant, placing a supportive hand at the small of her back. She was actually grateful all colour had probably drained from her face; it would've joined the rest of her body in its fierce blush from the innocent contact.
"I'm fine," Sakura assured him softly, but didn't complain when he stayed firm in his stance.
Sasuke's frown slid to the other physician in the room. "Is she?"
The elderly man nodded nervously. "She's fine, Uchiha-san. She'll be needing rest though."
Sakura shot her teammate a questioning glare; unsure as to why he sought a second opinion.
After giving the old man strict monitoring instructions, Sakura and Sasuke promptly left the manor. Sakura was eager to collapse on her bed, and Sasuke, keeping close proximity at her side, was impatient to get her there.
As usual, the locals loitering by the front gates gathered tactlessly when the untouchable lady of Konoha approached.
"Don't they have anything better to do?" Sakura murmured with disinterest.
Sasuke walked ahead of her to open the gate, his presence sending the civilians each back several steps, though not enough to be a respectable distance.
"The lady's looking a bit worn out," a shabby bearded man remarked. "Give her to me. I'll give her something to be tired about."
Chuckles followed, but Sakura didn't seem to register that anyone was speaking.
The Uchiha watched as his teammate strained to maintain a stable foothold, hand pushed to her temple as she surveyed the sneering citizens with bored contempt. Without thinking, he wrapped a protective arm around Sakura's waist and her weight sagged against him.
She was in absolutely no mood.
Which meant, neither was he.
In one fluid motion, Sasuke's other arm swept under Sakura's legs as he bundled her to his chest. She didn't even protest to being carried; a clear sign her chakra deprivation was taking its toll.
He cut through the crowd, glaring daggers at anyone stupid enough to make eye-contact.
The sea of onlookers parted for the menacing knight, save for the one daring individual who stood bravely in Sasuke's path. He recognized him as one of the shinobi who had escorted them at their initial arrival. Hardly a professional ninja, the man's bravery was clearly being fuelled by the dripping canteen in his hand.
"You're in my way," Sasuke stated darkly, tone at odds with the palpable warning emanating from his eyes.
Sakura mumbled an insult in solidarity but dozed off; the Oni shinobi watching with interest as she nuzzled her face against the Uchiha's chest.
"Want her all for yourself, huh? Bet you've been fucking her this whole time," the man winked knowingly as he took a sip from his drink.
Sasuke stalked forward, forcing the shinobi out of his way with a push of his shoulder. The man laughed behind him, knowing he had touched upon a sensitive subject.
The idiot had no idea how he lucky he was the remark was ignored.
Reaching the cabin in record timing was easy given Sakura's surprising weightlessness. And with a gentleness that surprised him, Sasuke managed to manoeuvre the sleeping girl into the cabin whilst kicking the door shut with the only aggression he allowed himself. He hoped the worst was over and as soon as his teammate was well enough they could leave this place to rot.
As if trudging through mud, Sakura's mind struggled to life. She was awake before her eyelids could summon the strength to open. She was expectantly groggy, and a little delirious as her instincts told her to rise while the rest of her demanded she continue to sleep.
Her eyes opened, the weight of such an effort incredible.
The room was dark, but she could make out the muddled silhouette of her teammate as he stood by the window of their cabin.
She was in bed, nestled in blankets, registering with a small giddy smile that Sasuke's thick black cloak was on the top.
Her eyes moved back to Sasuke, eager for the rare chance to observe him unaware.
Through bleary exhaustion, Sakura's defence mechanisms were unhinged, allowing herself to marvel at just how heartbreakingly beautiful Sasuke Uchiha was without trying. Under the cloak he wore a black sleeveless shirt, collar upturned, the proud symbol of his clan displayed on the back. The muscles of his arms bulged from being crossed over his chest as he remained vigiliant.
She couldn't stop staring as she shifted to her side, the movement finally catching Sasuke's attention.
He was magnetic.
And she felt herself losing grip.
The Uchiha stared back into curious green eyes, which, even half-lidded were huge and expressive with a mystery that frustrated him.
He had caught her staring, yet she did nothing to break away. Had it been years ago this would be nothing new. Sakura had done nothing but ogle him throughout their entire adolescent Team 7 days. If he was being honest, he sometimes missed the constant reassurance that she fervently adored him, whether it had crawled under his skin or not.
Now the proud Uchiha wondered, daring himself to be hopeful, if she really had been staring at him earlier that day. He thought he had imagined the way her gorgeous reflection drifted to him, but internally reprimanded such a foolish notion, berating the demons of irony playing games in his head.
But if she still stared... if she still looked at him like that...
"Thanks for tucking me in," Sakura spoke first, voice hoarse from sleep. She looked down briefly to point out the extra weight keeping her warm.
"You felt cold," Sasuke answered casually.
She sniffed, freeing a hand from the covers to rest under her cheek. "And you're not?"
"No," he scoffed, drawing the window curtain closed. He casually moved to the bed, laying down on the opposite side above the covers. Most nights he shared the space, but never crossed his self-imposed boundaries. With an arm under his neck, he kept his gaze on the ceiling.
Sakura continued to marvel, examining the contours of her teammate's sharp features. Her exhausted state left her so defenceless, so hopelessly vulnerable.
If only he knew how much she loved him, and how much she tried to cover it all up so he'd feel comfortable in her presence. Their relaxed silence was something she had fought hard to earn.
"And thank you..." Sakura managed bravely, "...I mean, I don't remember much, but I know you carried me back. So thank you for... worrying about me."
Black eyes continued to burn the ceiling. They seemed to narrow with annoyance.
"I'll always be worried about you," he murmured.
She blinked in confusion, a startled half-smile frozen on her face. She knew she was being childish, pathetic even, to take such an innocent remark out of context, to feel the gravity of it as it both lifted and dropped her heart at the same time.
"Oh..." she said with uncertainty.
Don't do it, Sakura's mind warned. Don't over think. Don't be hopeful. Don't be fucking foolish.
As her heavy eyes lowered, she wrapped herself in the comforting solution that she was only letting emotions run rampant because fatigue lowered her defences. A good night's sleep would refresh her common sense. She was sure of it.
"Sleep already," Sasuke growled softly. The muscular arm that rested between them turned upwards.
She stared blankly at his open palm.
"I'll lend you chakra," he ground out, as if the gesture were obvious.
Internally Sasuke knew that she'd recover fine on her own, but something nagging deep down demanded reassurance. And something greater, something stemming from a selfish, primal need, demanded contact.
A small, delicate hand rested over his as he finally held her gaze. Sakura's incredulous smile that followed enveloped his chest in a warmth that stunned him. So achingly beautiful she was in that moment, and yet so frustratingly close and far away. It took all of his strength to concentrate his chakra through the innocent touch of their palms, almost wavering at the start.
Electric blue rivets encased their hands, flowing his energy into the woman laying beside him as her eyes finally closed, soothed by the comforting sensation.
Black eyes scanned her face; how her features glowed under the emulating blue light.
And as Sakura drifted, as she descended into the healing abyss, she registered the tightening of Sasuke's hand as their fingers interlaced.
Author's note: SO not finished with this story yet
