A/N: You know what's awesome? It's February 15, the day after I post chapter three, and I had Chinese food for supper that night. I cracked open a fortune cookie, and it was the creepiest, most awesome thing, (and I'm not making this up). The fortune read: 'You will receive unexpected support over the next week. Accept it graciously.' And it came true! You guys have been so supportive of my story, and thank you very much!
Also, thank you everyone for answering my questions—as a result the following has been noted:
-Chapters have been said to be "just the right length", and and a few people saying make them longer. As a result, they will be lengthened to about twelve pages instead of ten, but that will only happen around chapter nine or so, seeing as everything in between now and chapter nine is kinda written in stone. So, longer chapters coming eventually!
-For those of you who asked me to inform you when I found out: girls wear kimonos and guys wear yukatas (hakamas are different than what I was looking for.)
-Sorry for not being more specific, but I got a question about the ages. I always figured the Sasuke left the village roughly a year after becoming a genin, so in this story, they are all around sixteen. And since it's set in springtime, that would be after Sakura's birthday, so she just turned seventeen.
-Thank you for the explanations on dattebayo! It clears it up considerably on my part—and it also explains why in the English version of the anime, Naruto is always saying: "Believe it!" (Which got really annoying after a while.)
Thank you again, and I will no longer deprive you of this chapter.
Chapter Four: The Unforgotten Memory
"You did well, Sakura," Tsunade said comfortingly as she patted her distraught pupil on the back, "He didn't know it was you, though, did he?"
Sakura inhaled with a shudder; her sobs had made her breathing pattern irregular, "N-no, he didn't realize a-at all. I-I feel terrible."
"If it makes you feel any better, I told you to not reveal your identity, so you didn't have any choice," Tsunade reminded her gently, "Sasuke understands the importance of obeying orders."
Sakura nodded dumbly and sniffed a couple times. Shizune approached her and handed her a handkerchief.
"Don't worry, Sakura-san," she said comfortingly, "We are going to do everything we can for Sasuke."
Sakura took a deep breath and calmed herself; Inner Sakura was screeching 'Damn right we'll do everything we can!' within her mind. Clutching the kerchief in her hand tightly, Sakura stood up slowly.
"We're going back to see him now, right?" she asked, trying to get control over herself again, "I think I'm ready to go now."
Tsunade nodded slowly, "Alright then, we're going now. Shizune, please clean up the papers here for me and go and grab my medical books on the human eye and bring them back here."
"Hai, Tsunade-sama," Shizune gave a curt nod.
"Come, Sakura," Tsunade said as she left the room, her back straight, her face serious.
Quickly Sakura scampered after her, and wiped her eyes with the handkerchief as they waited for the elevator. It hurt to see Sasuke in such reduced circumstances, and she knew it must be difficult for him; being an Uchiha, whose bloodline ability was the Sharingan, he relied heavily on this vision. She felt her heart go out to him, wanting to help him any way she could.
They stepped off the elevator and Sakura tucked away Shizune's handkerchief, filling herself with calm. If she was going to help with Sasuke's rehab, she needed to be strong for him—she couldn't waste time crying.
Tsunade led the way to the room and Sakura followed quietly behind, keeping her head held high, and her shoulders back. Tsunade paused at the door when they arrived in front of Sasuke's room and looked at Sakura, who nodded in return. Tsunade opened the door and entered, her pupil only a step behind.
Sasuke had not moved at all since Sakura had last seen him; his head was turned away from them, facing a window that he could not see and probably didn't even know the existence of. He looked so helpless lying in the bed, his clothes in tatters and his hair still stiff with blood; a clean white bandage was wrapped around his head, covering his eyes. Sakura looked grimly at him and clenched her fists determinedly.
"My apprentice tells me that you have agreed to the terms which we have offered to you," Tsunade said, her hands on her hips.
"I have," came his straightforward reply, turning his head towards the sound of Tsunade's voice, "But you should know, there may be some things I can not tell you. Before I was tortured and left to die, Orochimaru had parts of my memory erased in case I survived."
"I see," Tsunade replied, but Sakura could tell that she didn't believe him—after all, why erase the memory of someone who was expected to die? "We shall see how much memory remains, but that will have to wait until you've regained your strength."
"Hn."
"To get right to the point, your eyes have not completely healed yet," Tsunade stated bluntly, "You will have to go through a daily healing process with a skilled medical ninja, during that time you will also be working on rehabilitation. We have an offer of three choices of which type of rehabilitation you will work with. The medical ninja who will heal you will also help you become accustomed to that choice and eventually will leave when you become more independent."
"What are the choices?" Sasuke asked passively, his facial expression unreadable.
"First choice is to get the Inuzuka clan to select a reliable animal that will be your seeing-eye dog," Tsunade told him patiently.
"I don't like animals," Sasuke said brusquely.
"The second choice would be to train you with a cane."
"Out of the question," Sasuke turned his head so that he was facing the ceiling. Sakura knew the concept of using a cane was unthinkable for Sasuke, and it would harm his pride immensely.
"Then you have chosen the third and final choice," Tsunade said, closing her eyes, "Once you have finished with the healing of your eyes, the medic who set aside time for you will also be taking up residence with you, teaching you how to rely on sound, smell and touch in order to get by. When you are comfortable with this on your own, the medic will leave, and you will be left by yourself."
The was a long pause from Sasuke, "Very well."
"I have already assigned our most skilled medic to be your caretaker. Until your are able to live on your own, she will assist you, guide you, and teach you," Tsunade's voice was gravely serious, "Only under certain circumstances will you be allowed to leave her side—she will also be serving as a kind of supervisor, monitoring your behavior. Consider it a sort of probation, if you will."
Another pause, "Who have you assigned?"
Tsunade turned to Sakura and gave her a proud smile, "My apprentice, and this hospital's most talented medic, Haruno Sakura."
Sasuke visibly stiffened at Tsunade's words; he turned his head away from them again, facing the window that he could not see. Sakura frowned uncertainly; bringing a finger to her lip she bit it nervously. Sasuke would most likely reject the prospect of her overseeing his rehabilitation.
"I refuse," Sasuke muttered, and Tsunade frowned at his words.
"Sakura is the one most capable for the job; aside from myself, there is no one better than her," she spoke severely, "You have already chosen the third option, and I will hold you to it. Sakura is to help you recover, whether you like it or not."
At that moment, Sakura was thankful for her sensei's stubborn will. She knew that if she had told Sasuke herself, she would have been unable to cope with his refusal. Taking a deep breath, Sakura stepped forward, her fist clenched in determination.
"Sasuke, I will not accept your refusal," she said fiercely, "I have been assigned to this task and I will stay with it. You are my patient, and as of right now, I am responsible for you."
Another long pause blanketed the room, lasting longer than any of the others had—if Sasuke had not known of her presence before then, he did not show it. He was thinking it over, Sakura knew, but no matter what he felt about the situation, she refused to give up. She would see him through this.
"Even after so much time has passed," Sasuke said finally, "you're just as annoying, Sakura."
Her fist slackened a little, and her body relaxed, Tsunade looked over at her to see how she would react to her response, but she merely closed her eyes and smiled to herself—she knew that it was his way of saying yes.
"If I have to, I will remind you of how annoying I actually am," she retorted haughtily, but a playful grin was on her lips.
It was because Sasuke's face was turned away from them that they did not see the change in his facial expression—they did not see the corner of his mouth curl slightly upwards into a small, amused smile.
When Sakura and Tsunade returned to the office on the fifth floor, Shizune had dutifully fulfilled the Hokage's request. All the papers that she had been working on were cleared and a stack of about five medical textbooks was sitting on the coffee table. Shizune was sitting patiently on a couch, holding Ton Ton in her lap; she looked up at the both of them when they entered.
"How did it go?" she asked, standing up abruptly, causing Ton Ton to tumble to the ground with some indignant squeals, but Shizune didn't notice.
"It went better than I expected to—though his response isn't exactly what I was expecting," Tsunade replied, bending down and patting an irritated Ton Ton who had run up to her, "I'm also surprised that he was so willing to consent."
"I assure you, Tsunade-sama," Sakura emphasized once again, "his words were that of agreement."
Tsunade straightened up again and looked at Sakura doubtfully, "Well, it wouldn't be how I would have said it."
Sakura shrugged lightly, a cheerful grin on her face, "That's the way Sasuke is."
"Well, alright," Tsunade responded, still sounding dubious.
"As for willing cooperation…I told him that his punishment for betraying the village was death," Sakura stated quietly, "He has a certain goal he wants to achieve, and I know that he will refuse to die before he meets that goal. I thought telling him that death was his punishment was the best way to convince him to accept the deal."
"Hm, well I did tell you to manipulate him in any way to get him to reveal information," Tsunade mused at Sakura's explanation, "It's a good story, and we'll keep that up. His punishment for betraying Konoha is 'death'. It should work as a good story for a while at least. –Anyways, thank you, Shizune, for bringing the textbooks here. Sakura, you recall our studies on the properties of the human eye?"
Sakura nodded, "We didn't spend that much time on it though, I can't remember much."
"Right now I'm having Sasuke cleaned up, which might take a while, all things considered," Tsunade told her pupil, heading over the coffee table and picking up the textbook on the top of the stack, "While you wait, I want you to review the human eye and try to regain your understanding of it. Sasuke's treatment is basic healing, but it works better if you know where to focus the chakra."
Sakura wandered over to the stack of books and picked up the second one on the stack, which was titled The Basic Principles and Anatomy of the Human Eye.
"You had better get started," Tsunade responded, putting back the textbook she had, "I have other matters to attend to—I'll be in my office if you need me. I've made arrangements for you to be notified when Sasuke is ready to begin treatment."
"Alright," she replied, sitting down on the couch across from Shizune, "Thank you for letting me do this, Tsunade-sama."
"Don't thank me," was her reply, "Could I have convinced you otherwise?"
Sakura smiled, "No."
"I thought not," Tsunade grinned, "Come Shizune, let's see how many hours of paperwork you have found for me to work on."
Lost in thought, Sakura hardly notice the two women and pig leave the room as thought of her situation. Apprehension was coursing through her; it was understandable that she was nervous. Sasuke had never particularly liked her—well, he didn't seem to particularly like anyone—and she was not sure how well he'd warm up to the state of affairs, if at all. She knew his stubborn pride and independent nature would conflict terribly with the treatment, and he would most likely refuse all help. Of course that would be impossible to work with—she needed to make him understand that he was not longer independent, no matter how much it would hurt him. The question was how to make him understand?
She cracked open the textbook, looking at the table of contents for indications of what chapter would be most useful to review. She turned to a page somewhere near the middle of the book—her mind became split in two, both parts still aware of what the other was doing. Outer Sakura was reading the book rested in her lap and feeding the information to Inner Sakura, committing it to memory. Inner Sakura, meanwhile, was coming up with a plan in order to get Sasuke to cooperate, and giving the details to outer Sakura. It was in this unique way that she could multi-task and be able to remember things better than other people could, which is why she probably graduated at the top of her class when they became genin.
With a plan being formed in her mind and information being branded into it, Sakura prepared herself for Sasuke's rehabilitation.
Sasuke stood in the shower stall, letting the cool water rush over him, his one hand braced against the wall. The wetness ran through his hair, causing the dried blood to become soaked and wash out. More water was running over his face, and he kept his eyes squinted shut tightly—they were already stinging from being injured, and he did not want any droplets to increase that pain.
The two medical ninja, who had come to his room shortly after the Fifth Hokage and Sakura had departed, helped him get undressed and into the shower, and were now waiting outside the bathroom for him to let them know when he was finished washing up. It had been a strange experience walking around blind as they helped him out of his bed—the whole world seemed to have lost its ups and downs and he became dizzy and lightheaded. He had his hand resting against the wall of the shower in order to give him a reference point in which to relate his senses. It would only probably be that way for a little while and he would get used to using his feet as a reference point to the world. He would be okay.
That last thought drew his mind to Sakura. Haruno Sakura… It hadn't been until her passionate statement that his suspicions were confirmed of someone else being in the room. That hadn't really surprised him—what had surprised him was that he finally recognized the voice from earlier that morning; it had been Sakura's. She had acted completely different from the Sakura he knew, and he was also surprised that she hadn't been sitting by his bedside already when he woke. She hadn't once put a 'kun' suffix after his name when she had spoken it. Perhaps she no longer cared for him in that way—it would definitely make rehabilitation more bearable if she didn't. The last thing he needed was Sakura fangirling during the whole thing.
He bent down and felt around on the floor for the shampoo he had been given before beginning to wash out the rest of the matted blood from his hair. He decided then that he would get well as quickly as he could, so that he did not have to put up with old acquaintances—he would give the Hokage any information he could and then leave Konoha once the procedure was over. He needed no business with Konoha or Orochimaru; they both would not be able to assist him in his revenge because he was the only one who cared about avenging the Uchiha clan.
Reaching out he turned off the tap and the water came to a halt, a quiet dripping splashing onto the ground. Fumbling for the handle of the door to the stall he cursed his current state, but knew that he had had no other acceptable alternative. He stepped out of the shower and placed his hand on a stack of towels that had been put out for him; grabbing one, he wrapped it around his waist.
"Uchiha," one of the medical ninja's knocked on the door from outside, "Are you finished?"
"Aa," Sasuke replied, rubbing his hair dry with another towel from the pile.
He heard faintly, on the other side of the door, one medic say to the other: "Go tell Haruna Sakura that Uchiha Sasuke will be ready shortly for treatment."
He lowered the towel from his head and held the thick fabric in his hands; no matter what, he would get well, whether Sakura was the one who treated him or not.
Sakura placed her hand on the handle of the door to Sasuke's room, a small nervousness plaguing her. Having read up on the human eye and reviewing the what she already knew had helped a great deal, but she was still anxious—she did not want to make a mistake.
This was the first time that she would have taken care of someone with out her sensei's supervision. When Tsunade had praised her, and called her the best medical ninja next to herself, Sakura was immensely shocked and flattered. She had realized that she was coming along better than most people on staff, but she had always thought that there were many beyond her. Apparently not. Perhaps this is why Tsunade let her deal with Sasuke, because maybe there was something she could do to help that the Hokage herself couldn't. After all, two days ago she had said the way that Sakura controlled her chakra was very effective for healing wounds. Sakura gripped the handle a little tighter before opening the entrance to the room.
Sasuke was back in the hospital bed, some new bandages wrapped over his eyes. His hair was damp and hung down away from his face due to the extra weight of the water, revealing a very incomprehensible expression. He was also no longer wearing the torn and tattered clothes that he had been garbed in that morning and was now wearing a simple cloth hospital gown.
"Good afternoon Sasuke," she said cheerfully, "I'm glad that they got you cleaned up."
"Hn," was the noise he made in reply.
"I trust you didn't have too much difficulty," Sakura continued, coming forward, putting her medical bag on the nightstand next to his bed.
"Can we save the pleasantries and get on with this?" he asked, his voice sounding irritated.
'I must have hit a sensitive spot by asking if he had trouble,' she thought nervously, biting her lip. Inner Sakura was beating her head against a wall.
"Very well," Sakura replied, changing her tone to a more serious one, "But it you won't get better overnight, Sasuke. This treatment demands a great amount of patience; I won't have you pushing yourself—it would most likely result in a longer rehab period."
"Hn."
Inwardly, Sakura sighed. She was hoping that Sasuke would be a little more—she couldn't find the word to describe it. Open, friendly, accepting? All those things were ridiculous to expect of Sasuke, but she was hoping that he would be a little cooperative to say the least. Depending on how this went, the plan that Inner Sakura had come up with would or wouldn't be implemented. Worst-case scenario: she would resort to plan B.
"Sit up for me, please," Sakura ordered, pulling out a medical book and skimming a dog-eared page for some last-minute information that could help her.
He complied without complaint and sat in a cross-legged position on the mattress, his back straight and his shoulders back. Sakura was glad to see that he was no longer handcuffed to the bed as he rested his hands patiently on his lap. His posture spoke to Sakura, revealing his proud nature once again—this was a great blow to his ego, she thought to herself.
Reaching out she undid the bandage from the back of his head, slowly unwinding it until it fell away from his face. She wrapped it in a neat coil and set it down next to the book she had spread out on the table. She then walked over and sat down on the side of his bed, looking at his face.
To someone who did not understand the situation, it would appear that Sasuke was completely fine, and was just sitting with his eyes closed, but Sakura knew better. Tsunade had indeed done a good job on his face, as there were no marks or indications that suggested he had ever been slashed by a kunai, but she knew that behind his closed lids, his damaged eyes were concealed.
"Open your eyes, Sasuke," Sakura spoke firmly, but gently, trying not to hurt the prideful Uchiha.
Slowly he opened his eyes and Sakura noted the damage with grimness. There was severe damage to the cornea, and even though Tsunade had managed to partially seal the wound, the deep gash had crusted slightly shut and appeared extremely painful.
Sakura went and rummaged around inside her bag, procuring an ophthalmoscope. Sitting back down on the edge of the bed, she shone the light from it in each eye, comparing the injuries. There was damage to the lens and iris in both eyes, but his inner eyes, from what she could tell, seemed to have sustained no damage at all. She put the ophthalmoscope aside, her renewed knowledge on the human eye allowing her to recognize what she must do.
Sakura stretched out with her hands and brushed some stray strands of hair out of the way before laying her fingertips on either side of his head. Sasuke's hands snapped up, seizing her wrists and tearing her hands away from his face.
"What are you doing?" he demanded, his voice angry.
Sakura glared at him, even though he could not see it. "I am trying to begin the healing procedure," she replied irritably, "If you don't mind, could you let go of my wrists?"
Slowly Sasuke's grip on her wrists loosened and he dropped his hands in his lap again. There was a trace of a scowl on his face; Sakura could tell he was distrustful of her, but there was nothing she could do about it. Again she raised her hands to his face and placed her fingertips on the different chakra points in his head, where the book had said they would be.
Focusing the chakra in her hands, she exerted it through her fingertips and onto Sasuke's skull, keeping close watch on the flow of chakra. She closed her eyes in concentration, moving the chakra over his eyes to the infected areas, using her powers as medical ninja to repair the torn tissues.
For half an hour she and Sasuke sat perfectly still, neither of them moving, the only movement that could be seen was the slow rise and fall of their chests as they breathed, and the wispy chakra that was glowing at Sakura's fingertips. After a few more minutes Sakura dropped her hands to her side, feeling drained. Healing something as delicate as the eye was very difficult and she now knew why Tsuande hadn't healed him completely the previous night—she had run out of expendable chakra.
"I'm finished," she said to Sasuke needlessly, "You may be feeling drowsy as a result of the process, so you should try and get some sleep."
"Hn," he replied as Sakura stood up from the bed and went and grabbed some fresh bandages.
She sat down behind him this time and wrapped the white bandages around his head, being careful around his eyes, not wanting to jar them. Sasuke waited patiently as she tied the bandage at the back, and didn't say anything as she stood up, packing away the book and the ophthalmoscope she had used.
"I'll come back in an hour and we'll begin the rehab," she told him as she slung the bag over her shoulder, feeling extremely tired herself, "If you need anything, call the nurse by using the red button on the right side of you, she should be able to tend to your needs until I come back."
She began to cross the room, ready to head up the lounge and take a needed nap—her chakra was still low from healing him the previous night, and she had not had a chance to replenish it completely. The process she had just completed had drained it even further, and she longed for some sleep.
"Sakura," Sasuke called out to her as she reached for the door handle.
Pausing, she turned back to look at him; he had lain back on the bed again and was facing the ceiling, "Yes Sasuke?"
"Why are you doing this for me?" he asked her, and she could hear an undertone of confusion in his demand, "Why are you helping me, when not that long ago it was you who pointed out that I was a criminal against this village?"
Sakura gave a sad smile, even though he could not see it. She tried to speak gently in a way that would paint a picture of her facial expression, "You seem to have forgotten, Sasuke, the words I said to you on that day three years ago."
"I haven't forgotten," Sasuke said after a moment.
His words tugged at her heartstrings, touching her, "Then you should know why I'm doing this for you."
With that final word she exited the room, closing the door gently behind her.
A/N: Some of you might have noticed a lack in other characters, but don't worry, they'll come into the story in a bit—once word gets out that Sasuke's returned, and especially after he gets released from the hospital and Sakura takes up residence with him.
Just want to take the time to apologize for any grammatical errors. Sometimes they're so subtle, and I don't notice them x.x As far as spelling mistakes go, I am Canadian, so I do use Canadian spelling most of the time, and unless spellcheck autocorrects it, it'll most likely be floating around. (e.g. colour, favourite, behaviour, honour, neighbourhood, harbour, etc.)
Quick question: Can anyone tell me the age difference between Sasuke and Itachi? I always thought he was around twenty when he killed the clan, but I don't know, because that would make an age difference of 13 years. If anyone knows, please tell me! (It's somewhat vital for the story...don't want to get time twisted and mixed up.)
Drieldwin
P.S. Reviews are appreciated. -hint, hint, nudge, nudge- ;)