Warning! Mention and description of asphyxia ahead.
When she dozes off in front of her desk, and her head suddenly shoots up, she doesn't know what to make of it.
Nightmares plague her mind more and more each day, and she tries to think of a solution. (Sleeping pills, maybe, but the ones currently developed are too risky for her to take, and as a doctor, she can't afford messing up on an operation because of the side effects.
So she guesses this is her life, then.)
Her eyes trail to the clock.
It's already three in the morning. Great. (She thinks that this would have been a normal time to be awake if she was on duty, but she'd been given a day to rest because she was so obviously overworked and stressed, with the dark circles under her eyes, pale skin, and the way she carried herself tiredly.)
Without thinking, she stands up from her seat, exits the room, and goes up the stairs. (The hospital is almost her second home. She knows every turn and every corner, she's tried every snack in the canteen, she—)
—arrives in front of Sasuke's room.
Sakura slowly opens the door, careful not to wake him up. She's surprised, though, to see his gaze on hers.
"I'm—I don't know why I'm here," she says nervously, letting out a fake laugh as her hand is behind her head. "I'm so sorry to interrupt your sleep."
She almost turns her back, but she notices him pat the chair near his bed. Sakura reluctantly enters the room.
Silence ensues.
"…So," Sakura starts. Sasuke raises a brow. She purses her lips.
He sighs. "Why are you so awake late at night?" His voice is almost dripping with annoyance, but she notices it's more or less actually concern. (This is Sasuke, this is really him; always trying to be cool, always trying to look uncaring.)
"Shouldn't I be asking you that? You're a patient," she replies.
"I am," Sasuke says, with a tone that screams it's obvious, "but hearing the door suddenly open is enough to wake me up. I'm not foreign to ambushes at night."
(He's lying, though. He just can't sleep.
He's killed so many. He sees them staring right at him when he closes his eyes, and when he opens them, he can feel their hands on his throat. Their grip on his throat becomes tighter and tighter, his lungs struggling, his mouth trying to catch his breath.
But it's not real, and he knows this, but that doesn't make the experience any less haunting.)
A sheepish grin appears on her face. (She remembers sleeping in the forest with them during missions when they were still twelve. She remembers how they almost always end up bundled up together, even when before they were deep into sleep, they were far away from each other.) "Sorry about that, Sasuke-kun. And, well, rest assured, you're safe here." This isn't your first time being hospitalized and surrounded by ANBU guards, I've been told.
"Why are you here, anyway?" he asks.
"I'm here to take your soul."
"You've always been bad at lying."
"You've always been bad at taking jokes."
"You call that a joke?"
"The ultimate joke is my life, I know."
It's quiet for a few minutes.
(She knows she shouldn't have said that; it just creates so much awkwardness for her to have such humor in front of people. She should have learned after saying that in front of Ino. She really should have learned.)
"I should get going. You still need rest, you know? I'll just…bring you breakfast tomorrow," she tells him, a smile on her face.
Before she manages to leave, his hand catches hers. (It's been so long since he felt her warmth, and it's been so long since she felt needed by him.)
"Stay."
A/N:
Hello! This is a multichapter story with elements of friendship, comfort, and love. The development between Sakura and Sasuke will be pretty slow, and the next few chapters will probably focus on Sasuke.
Additionally, Naruto will be in the next chapter!
I'd like to answer a review here! To CharlieSlayer, thank you for leaving a review! I'm not really sure how this story will go because I don't have a clear plan of events yet, but I'm excited to continue it!
This story was inspired by my unending love for Sakura. She's always been very dear to me for the past 9 years I've known her.
Don't really know what else to write here because it's more or less my first time writing an Author's Note like this. Hope you enjoyed reading! There will be more chapters to come!
