Aneko: Chapter 4!!!Yayyy!!!
Disclaimer: Once again…I don't own Naruto…
4. Sick Day
As soon as the door closed, Sakura turned back to her sick charge. She watched as Kuroi jumped up on the bed next to Sasuke, then looked at her imploringly. Sakura nodded, though not really sure why, and walked into Sasuke's kitchen.
One thing her mother made her when she was sick was chicken noodle soup. It always helped her feel at least a little better, so Sakura sought out either a microwavable can or ingredients. She found a can, and poured the contents into a pan over the stove. Once it was hot, she filled a bowl and carried it out on a tray to Sasuke.
"Sasuke?" She said quietly, in case he was asleep. Sasuke's eyes flickered, and Sakura knew he had heard her.
"Do you want to try some soup?"
Sasuke stirred a bit, and Sakura hurried over and propped some pillows up behind him.
"I can eat." He stated, so she set the tray in his lap. He ate some, but not all of the soup. Taking the bowl back, she smiled at him. "You should rest. If you need anything, I'll be over there." She gestured to the couch and walked out, taking the tray with her. After she had put away the food, she grabbed a book and settled down on the soft couch.
Sasuke settled down and was quickly asleep. Sakura stole glances at him over the top of the book that she wasn't reading.
In sleep, he looked utterly peaceful, his brow relaxed and his breathing even. Almost like a completely different person than the Sasuke who always seemed to always either be frowning or smirking.
Sakura smiled, giggling happily, and finally tried to read the book she had picked up.
Sasuke's dreams had been peaceful; he had been training with Kakashi. Naruto and Sakura were there even; but then, he looked in a mirror. As he looked at himself, Sasuke saw a horribly familiar eye looking back at him. The mangekyou sharingan, possessed by his brother, looked coldly back at him; but where his brother's face should have been, it was his own.
Trying to escape the image, Sasuke whirled around, only to be greeted by a worse sight: the lifeless body of Naruto lay on the ground, and Sakura sat, tears rolling down her face ,next to him.
These hands…have I…?
Behind him, the mirror cracked, and the shattered pieces began to fall. Sasuke felt himself falling as well, but could do nothing to stop it. He was falling endlessly into darkness, and there was no way out.
Sakura dropped her book, running over to Sasuke. He was crying out, and tossing and turning.
"Sasuke?!" Sakura said, afraid. She held on to his hand, hoping he would hear her.
"Augh!" Sakura winced as Sasuke gripped her hand. Hard.
"Sasuke! It's okay!" Sakura said, hoping he would calm down. She knew this didn't have anything to do with the flu. He was having a nightmare. "It's just a dream!"
She wasn't sure why, but she kind of felt like crying. "Com on, Sasuke. You've got to wake up!"
Sasuke was still falling, when he heard the voice.
"Sasuke?!" Somewhere, he was dimly aware of someone holding his hand, but the feeling was very far away.
"Sasuke! It's okay!" That voice…Sakura? But it's not "Okay"… "It's just a dream!"
Wait…he thought…it is just a dream…just a nightmare…He began struggling, weakly at first, but then trying as hard as he could to wake up. I won't become like that! I won't be like him!
"Come on, Sasuke. You've got to wake up!" And with Sakura's final attempt ringing in his ears, he did.
Sakura blinked. Sasuke had stopped moving, and was lying still and quietly again. Slowly, his eyes opened, and he looked at her.
Oh great…Sakura thought. Now I have to explain why I'm holding his hand, and He'll call me annoying again.
"Sakura…"Sasuke said. Sakura smiled, preparing for the verbal abuse she was about to receive."…thank you."
Sakura blinked. Wait…did he just say…thank you…?
"Y-you're welcome." She said, then smiled for real. "I'll be over there." She got up quietly and went back to the couch, hiding behind her book.
To thank me like that…it must have been a horrible nightmare for him.
Her expression became sad. She knew why she had gotten so worked up. It reminded her of the time in the Forest of Death when Sasuke was in pain from Orochimaru's mark. He had been weak then, too.
Sliding the book down a bit, Sakura peeked over the top to see that Sasuke was still awake, looking out the window. Maybe he doesn't want to sleep awhile because of the dream…She thought. It was likely. Many times, when she had a nightmare, she stayed awake for a while because she was afraid the dream would come back. Hesitating for a moment, Sakura decided, and put her book down.
Sasuke looked up as she walked back over. "I figure I should check on you while you're awake." She said, smiling. Sasuke looked away as she placed her hand on his forehead, looking for signs of a fever.
"Well," She said, moving her hand, "you're still pretty warm, but I think it's gone down some." Sasuke made no reply, so Sakura stood up. "Are you hungry now?"
Sasuke nodded, so Sakura brought him more soup. Sakura gave him the tray and sat down to read, waiting for him to finish. She knew he wouldn't like it if she watched him.
When he was done, she came in and removed the tray, and Sasuke fell asleep again. As he slept, Sakura tiptoed out to the kitchen, got a cool rag and came back and laid it across his forehead. Satisfied that he was as comfortable as she could make him, she sat down again.
The couch was invitingly soft, and Sakura was soon asleep herself. When Kakashi came to check on the two late in the evening, he found them both asleep in their respective spots. He woke Sakura to ask about Sasuke.
"He's much better. I think he might even be able to come on a mission tomorrow."
"Good." Kakashi's eye curved up in a smile. "You can go home now. I told your parents where you were, so they'll know why you're getting home late."
"Okay. Thank you Sensei." Kuroi, who had come over when Kakashi came in, watched them, silent as always. Sakura turned to the cat.
"Thank you Kuroi." She wasn't quite sure why she was thanking the cat, but it seemed to be the right thing to do.
"Tomorrow morning, would you stop by again? If he's well enough, you can walk to the bridge with him. If not, you can come tell me."
"Okay." Sakura left, and Kakashi turned to Sasuke.
"I'm sure you heard that, Sasuke, so remember what I told her."
"…Okay." Sasuke, who had woken up when Kakashi had entered, but had not moved, so Sakura had not noticed he was awake.
"Well, get a lot of rest and maybe we'll see you tomorrow."
Sasuke watched as his sensei made his way out the door, then lay back on his pillows with a sigh.
Aneko: Whoo, Sasuke slept a lot in this chapter, didn't he? XD. Sorry bout that.
