When Sakura again opened her eyes there on a lacquered maroon tray sitting on her coffee table was a steaming bowl of okayu, a hot mug mostly filled with what Sakura assumed was shogayu a warm blend of steeped ginger and sugar, and to the side of all of that sat two dainty colored dango. It was a meal so similar to what her mother would make her when she was unwell that her heart ached for her parents unbearably in that moment. Her stomach began making panged cries of hunger as she longed for more than the things her mouth could consume.

"Its not poisoned." Whipping her head she saw Sasuke lounging comfortably on the loveseat adjacent to her, eyeing her with slow dark pools of onyx. A flush crept up her cheeks as she fiddled with the frayed ends of the fabric on her thighs. And it hit her so suddenly that she felt nauseous again, her outfit, the one only her parents and Naruto had seen her in, now Sasuke. She looked like crap, she could feel the over puffed up skin under her eyes, the crust at the edge of her eyes that she rubbed at furiously with the fabric from her sleeve. She was so trapped in her state of mortification that she hadn't realized Sasuke moved from his position on the loveseat until she felt the dip of the couch cushion next to her

"Sakura?" She looked at him, shoulders grazing, eyes locked both searching and questioning the other for answers but too hesitant to ask. Looking down again at her hands Sakura felt the old timid girl resurface and she hated how weak she felt at that moment, so concerned about how she looked, what he saw, and lacking all confidence that it would appeal to him in anyway. She felt utterly defeated, I mean come on how many times had she confessed and been shot down like a rabid dog, far too many times. Yet there was a hope in her heart small and frail that would inevitably spark a fire in her soul longing for the man next to her and no matter what she couldn't shake it. He was damaged, lost, and bitter but all of those things she would willingly take on for him if he'd let her. As time passed a part of her, the logical side began to resent the feelings she had for him, deeming them a weakness that would not only get her killed but make her once again that useless little girl. Because wasn't that in the end what he turned her into with the slightest look, the years would melt away and she was again that girl that only saw him.

"Sakura." Blinking at the annoyance in his voice she took in the sight of him his noble features, the straight and proud nose, the lips she'd dreamt of touching with her own, the perfect brows, and chiseled chin. She'd been drinking him in never breaking contact when she felt the heat of his chin on her palm, when had her hand moved. He'd flinched beneath her palm slightly his eyes both hard and soft holding a quiet determination behind them. He was hot she realized, hotter than she'd ever thought possible under her skin, where Naruto was warm like the sun Sasuke was hot like an inferno, sweltering heat dripped off of him like pools of molasses. Her hands roved the planes of his face, pushing back the soft hairs at his temples, her eyes fell to his lips and she felt him hitch in a breath. The slight blush creeping its way towards his cheeks was her only clue that he was as aware of her as she was of him right then. If there was a time to be bold it was now, whatever happened she'd just blame it on the disorienting fever. She leaned in her nose gently gliding over his as her mouth stopped a mere centimeter from his, their breath intermingling at their proximity. Sakura's hands were placed on either side of Sasuke's face, her thumbs gently stroking his alarmingly smooth skin there, eyes locked with his, one leg between his thighs almost straddling him. Whatever was going to happen, this was his out all he had to do was turn his head, push her away and they'd pretend she'd never pushed the boundaries of their friendship. But he didn't look away, in fact it was almost as if he was daring her to continue, like he wanted to see just how far she would take it. The realization that he could be doing nothing more than testing her gave Sakura pause, her eyes closed and the distance between their faces went from centimeters to inches as her brain caught up with her. What was she doing, it was stupid she thought. He didn't want her she knew that yet here she was again throwing herself at his mercy. She sighed deeply and untangled her limbs from his, sitting back on the sofa she eyed her soup once more. She felt the shift of weight on the couch as Sasuke stood. She couldn't read his expression and if she didn't know better the way his shoulders slightly slumped and his hand raked through his hair she would have thought he was disappointed. They didn't say anything for a while he just stood there watching her as she watched her soup and the steam dance above the bowl, watched as she took the first sip of shogayu that warmed the center of her constricted chest. It was only when the contents of her cup were empty that Sasuke moved towards her front door, she wasn't surprised that he was going, it was how things were with them, he always left and that would be something that never changed.

"Don't just drink the tea, have some of the okayu as well. You look as though you haven't eaten in a while, and your fever is starting to break but I'd still take it easy. I know you can take care of yourself but not when you put yourself at the bottom of your priority list Sakura." She sat in silence clutching the mug to her chest, he was giving her an out. Telling her to blame her actions on lack of nutrition and the fever.

"Thank you, Sasuke." She'd left off the suffix which caused him to arch a brow but nothing more. She slowly curled in on herself, half way out of the door Sasuke turned towards her.

"I'll be back tomorrow with medication just in case the fever doesn't break tonight." She nodded and waved him off. When the door shut she realized with it the electrifying tension had left the air as well. For what felt like the millionth time she'd worn her heart on a sleeve that he'd taken it and tossed it aside. Maybe it was time to let him go, he knew where home was, he wasn't at risk of going insane, wasn't that what she wanted for him. Could that be enough for her, as the tears escaped her eyes she fell into a fit full sleep of birds chirping and a mind numbing pain in her chest.

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An apology chapter for being behind

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