Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Hey everybody, i hope you lyk this chapter! a little neji/saku fluff for ya!
Chapter Nine: An Embarrassing Encounter
"You know how to…heal them?" Gaara's usually intense eyes were completely emotionless with shock, "Are you sure? You've only been studying the samples for a day." The sand-master pointed out. Sakura looked exhausted, she hadn't had any sleep and she had practically collapsed into the chair across from Gaara's desk as she told him her findings on the disease.
"I'm as sure as I'll ever be Gaara," she hid a yawn behind her hand and looked him square in the eye, "I already told you, when I studied the first sample, the bacteria had completely corrupted the tissues and was multiplying at a surprisingly rapid rate. I'm assuming that's what triggered the incredibly high fever. But when I examined the newer, fresher flesh from Hinata, all traces of dangerous microorganisms were gone. Once again, I'm assuming the high fever is the cause of the bacteria being wiped out." She took a breath and stifled another yawn, "The only thing that appears to remain is the damage done by the disease, which is enough to kill anyone. That seems to be the bacteria's main purpose as a forbidden Justu: to infect the victim with a short-lived microorganism that causes an immense amount of internal damage, enough that healing all of the damage in time to save the victim's life is almost inconceivable.
" With the way Kiba and the others are, I'll have to rebuild their lungs, completely rejuvenate their epidermis, and make sure their brain took no damage from the high fever." Sakura looked down at her hands, which were shaking from exhaustion, "I have a lot of work to do, and the fact that I have to complete the procedure three times doesn't help matters." She finished her report and looked up at Gaara again, not making eye contact. A long silence dawned on the room as the two were buried deep in their own thoughts.
"Sakura, you're sure you're able?" the redhead asked tentatively, "From what you're telling me, it's going to take a vast amount of chakra and an even bigger supply of willpower." He didn't want to insult the Cherry Blossom, but he was fairly sure she didn't have enough chakra to complete all three healings at once.
Sakura paused before answering and reached one of her shaking hands up slowly, feeling the Cherry Blossom necklace that Naruto and Neji had given her, reaching out and touching the power of their chakra that radiated off of it like sunshine. She smiled softly and knew that as long as she had the will to finish her task, she could do it.
"I'm sure Gaara," she nodded her head in determination, "I know I can do it." She gave him one of her warmest smiles, filled with confidence.
"Alright," Gaara nodded as well, "If you say you can do it, then I believe you can. But I am not letting you even think of healing them until you have a square meal and some rest, you're shaking for Kami's sake!" he pointed at her hands and at her bloodshot eyes, "I'll go make sure your breakfast is prepared and then you can go lie down for a few hours; if you're going to complete this mission, you going to need sleep."
He gave her a small smirk before leading her back through the hall from the office to the hospital and ushering her into an unused room only a hallway away from the biohazard chamber. Sakura noted that her pack was already in the room, and the hospital bed was already turned down for her, the pillows plumped and cushy-looking. Sakura turned to say something to the Kazekage, but he was gone in an instant, leaving the Cherry Blossom all alone in the white room.
She walked into the adjoining bathroom, taking a quick shower and getting all of the previous day's sand out of her hair and the desert sweat off of her skin. She realized the last time she had taken a shower was back in Konoha and grimaced at the thought of being so dirty.
Drying herself off as she stepped out of the bathroom, her skin flushed and pink from the hot water and her long, wet rose hair plastered to her back, she opened up the door to her room, the short white towel barely covering her chest and hardly reaching to the tops of her thighs. She clutched the coarse fabric a little closer in an effort to protect herself from the cold sterilized air that greeted her as she walked into her room, leaving small wet footprints on the ground behind her. The warm steamy air of the bathroom followed Sakura in cloud form as she made a beeline for her pack on the edge of her bed, clothes and underwear hidden inside. But a feeling of being watched made slight shivers run up her back as she turned from her bag and glanced at the shadow in the doorway, her own green eyes colliding with a pair of pearl ones. The Hyuga prodigy stood there in her doorway, a tray of breakfast delights in his hands.
"Neji!" she cried, "EEK!" she gave a sound of alarm as she grabbed the towel around her slender form even tighter, to shocked to do much else. Her face colored a deep red as she scrambled to get to the bathroom, pack in tow.
The Hyuga prodigy just stood there, the tray of food in his hands, his own pale complexion was a deep red, but he couldn't help the very slight feeling of satisfaction at seeing Sakura almost naked. He smirked despite his mortified inner self.
'She…was …almost…naked…' his own thoughts made him embarrassed, but he couldn't deny how beautiful the Cherry Blossom was. The thin coarse towel had only shown the contours of her curvy body even more as it clung to her wet skin, and the way her dripping hair hung down her back and shoulders made him want to run his fingers through it; her skin was deliciously pink from the hot water and the very thought of her in the shower was enough to make Neji feel……he… didn't want to think about it.
"So, did you give her the food yet?" the brusque voice of the Kazekage came from the shadows behind the handsome Hyuga, "Or did you just stare at her like that?" a slight chuckled came from the form of Gaara, and Neji realized the redhead had seen the whole scene play out with Sakura. The pearl-eyed man turned an even deeper shade of red, before walking into Sakura's room and shutting the door on Gaara's unrestrained laughter. He gave a stifled yawn, the arrogant Kazekage had woken him up at four o'clock in the morning to give Sakura breakfast, and for a short moment, the Hyuga had resented speaking to Gaara about the Cherry Blossom before.
'I'll get him back…' the prodigy thought maliciously, envisioning a thousand ways to give Gaara a most painful death, but was stopped as the sound of a bathroom door opening shook him from his thoughts.
Sakura stood in the doorway, long pink hair damp and loose around her shoulders and a pair of flannel red pajamas covering up her body. She looked exhausted, dark rings making their presence known under her eyes, and her legs were shaking with the effort of keeping her up in a standing position. Her eyes betrayed her embarrassment at seeing Neji still in her room, but she steeled herself and approached him with her back straight.
"I see you made it alright," she observed, trying and failing to keep a smile off of her lips as she approached Neji shakily, "You must have made Naruto sprint the whole way to get here this fast!" she came a little closer as she lay down on the bed and pulled the covers over her cold feet, Neji setting the tray of toast, orange juice, bacon and eggs on her lap all the while giving her a smile to match her own.
"The poor teme's been sleeping since we got here," he said with a small laugh, "I had to carry him to his room." Sakura snorted into her orange juice at the thought of Neji carrying Naruto to his room. But for the next few moments, silence reigned over the room as Sakura wolfed her breakfast down and set her tray aside on her night table. Stretching her arms out and licking her lips, she scooted down deeper into the covers and lay her pink head on the cushy pillows. Irresistibly, Neji was drawn to her like a moth to the flame and came down to sit at her side on the bed. He looked down at the drowsy Cherry Blossom, watching her long-lashed eyes fight to stay open.
"How are the healings coming along?" he asked, noting how adorable Sakura looked as she yawned, "Any luck yet?"
The Cherry Blossom gazed sleepily up at him and smiled inwardly at his handsome profile. She wanted to reach out and touch his face, trace the lines with her own fingers. But her exhaustion held her back as her eyesight blurred. She really needed to get some sleep!
"I've made some progress," she gave a half-hearted answer, "When I wake up, I'm to begin the healing procedure on one of them…it's a lot…of work…but…" she didn't finish her sentence, but closed her green eyes and yielded to sleep, her head tilting peacefully off to the side.
Indulgently, Neji smiled down at her and waited a few moments. When he was sure she was deep in her own dreams, his long-fingered calloused hands slowly reached up to her face and gently traced over her skin along the hairline. He softly twined a few of his fingers among the pink strands of her hair and stroked her scalp, rewarded with a soft sigh from the sleeping Cherry Blossom, who unconsciously tilted her head towards the source of the good feeling.
He sat there for well over two hours, gently massaging Sakura's scalp, or stroking her arms and hands; anything that would bring her comfort. But when a concerned Kazekage opened the door, the abashed pearl-eyed man quickly removed his hands from their work of caressing Sakura's leanly muscled arm.
"Are you done staring at her yet?" the redhead asked wryly, "She needs her rest you know; there's a lot of work before her." he shook his head as he turned on his heel and left, but kept the door open, and unspoken invitation for Neji to leave.
Sighing heavily, the Hyuga glanced once more down at the sleeping Cherry Blossom, and before he could stop himself, placed a soft kiss in between her pink brows, right on the red diamond in the middle of her forehead.
"Sleep well Sakura"
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, review please!
