For once, I realized something so simple, so obscenely obvious.
Rehabilitation sucked.
First, it was walking with the aid of painkillers. It was easy, numb feet my only drawback. I had forgone the railings on the side, and gone for just walking across the room. Turns out, I twisted my ankle without me knowing.
Then, without pain killers; I wondered why the hell they didn't just leave me to die. The light hurt my eyes, and people refused to dim the lights so I could see. My ears were ringing nonstop, too, not that it dealt with painkillers. My wrists were on fire along with my fingers as I grasped the railings. Yes, I had to use it. My legs had needles, proverbial needles, shoved in every little place. With every step, I had to either yelp or wince, the former being more common. Had I broken them? Turning my neck was even torture! Blinking was agony even!
"Easy," Naruto whispered, gently helping me off the bed. We were going to test out my senses. Touch was pretty good, so they said, and taste was. If I was ever to become involved in the ninja ranks, I had to test out the others. Pretty dumb rule, since I really didn't even want to be a ninja. Even after being told this, my dobe still made me go through these little tests.
Sakura had resisted the urge to slap me when I was brought in. Something told me that she was kept far from my food, too. She examined my eyes slowly, burning them with that dreaded light. "Mangekyo?" She asked.
"Eternal," I sighed. When both needed an explanation, I hesitantly gave it. "These are…Itachi's eyes. Mine were failing." I blinked when she was finished blinding me.
She moved onto my hearing test, placing those earphones on my head. With every pitch, every dull noise passing through my head, I pointed and acknowledged each accurately. Apparently, my hearing shouldn't have been as well as it was considering all I had been through. "…did you steal his ears, too?" She muttered quietly. With the smell test, I was oddly confused by it. Well, more or less, I was astounded. Some of these scents were familiar, and I could name each aspect of each. For instance, Naruto smelled of ramen, sweat, and something I had to call determination: this pungent odor that was almost tangy and palpable. It needed to be smelled. Sakura smelled of lilacs, cherry blossoms, latex gloves, and whatever brand of shampoo she used. When she drew closer, I could smell herbs and the drying water from her morning shower.
"No deodorant?" I asked, snorting almost. Apparently, that had been a secret because she gasped.
Put me by a window and I could tell you exactly what Konoha was like. Blindfold me, stop my ears, and scent was all I needed. That is exactly what I had Naruto do each night: put me in front of an open window and cover my ears. I could smell Ichiraku's from here, and slight paper from the books. The Yamanaka flower shop was gorgeous with its daises and tulips and tiny marigolds. I could smell the produce below; ripe tomatoes and vegetables called to me.
What I loved most, though, was how Naruto slept in my room. No not in a chair, but in the bed with me is where he would lie. He wrapped his arms around me when he thought I was sleeping. His breathing was nice and even, his warmth refreshing me, and his smell intoxicating me like a perfume. His hair would intertwine with my own locks, and I never would want to complain. When he slept, his breathing was heavy like a bear hibernating. By how he acted, I could almost picture his mouth slightly ajar and eyes relaxed to no end. His arms would grip my waist if he was distressing, and I would fall asleep so easily.
"Sasuke?" He had whispered when I would usually feign sleep. This night, I wasn't tired. I wanted more practice.
I didn't tense, or show that I was awake. My eyes remained closed and I calm.
His hand brushed his way through my silky onyx locks, calloused fingertips almost invisible to me. The gesture was so soothing and caring and – Kami kill me – loving that I almost turned around to embrace the man fully. But I just had to stay there, in a forged sleep trance while he traced my hair over and over. His warm hand caressed my temple, causing me to melt as secretive as I could. Assuming that a little leaning in could be recognized as sleep, I did so: scooting back into his warmth and letting my head fall into a shoulder. Miniscule sighs left me on their own accord. Drowsiness took over me then and I agreed that now sleeping was best.
When I woke up, I was facing him. His arms were around me protectively and subconsciously. His chin was on my head as if I cuddled into him. Had I? His breathing was slightly uneven, showing he was awake. A tremble shook through him silently.
"Please be asleep, please be asleep…"