Diarmuid flicked her forehead, frowning down at her the way a father would while scolding his misbehaving daughter. "Drink your orange juice."
Sakura rubbed the spot on her forehead, munching on a piece of toast. "I really need to go. When did I appoint you as my personal nutritionist anyway?"
The handsome brunet scowled at her. "You didn't. I did so myself when I discovered your horrendous eating habits."
The woman rolled her eyes at her roommate. "I eat three times a day. Isn't that enough?"
"You only eat three times a day because I force you to, otherwise you would have sustained yourself on water and air."
"Don't exaggerate. After all, I have to work. My patients won't wait for me to eat." she answered back stubbornly.
Diarmuid crossed his arms across his chest. "For the sake of your patients, I really do hope that you take care of them better than you take care of yourself."
Sakura glared at him though she knew that he only said that as a means to ruffle her feathers and get his point across. "I'll have you know that both my bedside manner and the care I offer to my patients are exemplary!"
"Good. About time you extended that same care to yourself. Now, drink your juice." he said, pointing his fork at her.
"Yes dad." The pink-haired woman rolled her eyes but picked up her glass and started gulping down the fresh orange juice Diarmuid had hand-squeezed for her.
The spear-wielder grinned and reached from across the small kitchen table to ruffle her hair affectionately. "That's my good girl."
The woman stuck her tongue out at him but smiled cutely, her cheeks dusted red. She glanced at the clock on her fridge and jumped up from her seat. "Shit! I'm so going to be late!" She cursed under her breath. "If Tsunade-shishou demands my head for the delay, I'm blaming you."
"Yeah, yeah. Blame me, whatever." he answered back, rolling his golden-red eyes, and stood from his chair, preparing to put away his empty plate.
Sakura shook her head at her handsome roommate before securing her medical pouch on her hip and grabbing a list of the patients she had to attend to that she had created earlier that morning. She tightened the Konoha headband in her hair and made sure that the strings of her boots were laced. She put her plate in the sink knowing that it was Diarmuid's turn to take care of the dishes and made to exit the kitchen.
At the last moment, she turned around and ran up to the brunet, using his shoulders as leverage to pull herself up and place a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thanks for looking out for me." she whispered in his ear and sprinted out of the room, the sound of the front door closing reaching his ears a few seconds later.
Diarmuid remained rooted in his spot, eyes slightly wide and his mouth hanging open in surprise. Slowly, he reached up to touch his cheek where she had kissed him, a wide grin spreading across his face.
He gathered the plates from the table and placed them in the sink, pouring washing soap on a sponge and starting to scrub the ceramics, all the while whistling a traditional Irish tune.
XxxOxOxOxxX
She was running late.
Night had fallen and even though her shift had long since ended, Sakura was nowhere to be seen. Diarmuid drummed his fingers on the back of the couch as he sat, staring out the window overlooking the yard and the small path leading up to the front porch of the house.
Their dinner had already grown cold and the house was dark apart from what little moonlight managed to slip through the thick foliage of the woods. While it was normal for Sakura to run a little late, she had never been this late. She should have been back three hours ago. Even though he was almost sure that no harm would come to her inside the village, he couldn't help the worry welling up inside him as the minutes passed with no sight of the pink-haired woman.
Another half an hour later, Diarmuid felt the last remnants of his patience abandon him and he shot up from his seat on the couch. Pulling on his combat boots, he walked out of the house, grabbing Gae Dearg along the way and making sure to lock the door behind him.
The night was a bit chilly and he shivered slightly when a cool breeze brushed his bare arms but he focused on his path, unfazed by the cold. He followed the road to the village center, not worrying about getting lost. The layout of Konoha was fairly simple with all important buildings gathered right at the heart of the village. The Hokage Tower and the Hospital were the biggest structures, they were hard to miss. He had always had a good sense of direction, anyway.
Fortunately, there were only a few people walking the streets at this time of night and most of them were civilian merchants closing up their stands until the next morning. His roaming of the streets wouldn't be questioned. He ceased walking a few feet from the Hospital's entrance, briefly hesitating before his concern for the pink-haired medic took over and he swiftly entered the building, walking up to the front desk.
"Excuse me, miss?" he called, hoping to catch the attention of the black-haired clerk who seemed busy manicuring her nails.
The woman looked up, appearing annoyed at the interruption, but it quickly vanished upon glancing at the remarkably handsome stranger patiently waiting for her services. She straightened up immediately, offering the brunet a wide smile. "Hello, my name is Chiyoko. How may I help you, sir?"
"I'd like to see Sakura, please." he requested politely, glancing around in the corner of his eye in case the pink-haired woman made a sudden appearance.
The clerk batted her lashes at him. "I'm sorry but Haruno-san left a while ago."
Diarmuid frowned. "Are you sure about that?" he insisted. 'Where is she?'
"Oh, I am. Her shift ended about four hours ago."
The man sighed before nodding. "Thank you for your help. Have a good night." he thanked the woman, swiftly turning around and walking out of the building in a hurry, eager to continue his search for the missing medic.
Chiyoko slummed back into her chair, twirling a lock of dark hair around her fingers and feeling disappointed at having missed the chance to learn more about the handsome stranger.
"My, why does Sakura-chan always get the good-looking ones?"
XxxOxOxOxxX
Diarmuid ran his hand through his hair in frustration. 'Where the hell is she?'
An hour into his search and he was as close to finding the pink-haired medic as he had been sixty minutes ago. She had left the Hospital four to five hours ago but no one had any idea about where she could have gone other than back home. He had no idea where any of her teammates lived in case she had dropped by for a late visit and he hadn't managed to catch a glimpse of her anywhere in the village center.
'Damn it!' he cursed inwardly, reprimanding himself for not going out to seek her out earlier. He glanced around and realized that he was almost on the other side of Konoha with the faces of the previous Hokages watching over the sleeping village from their places on the Mountain, the intimidating mass of rock making him feel insignificant in comparison. He sighed deeply in dejection, ready to turn around and head back home in case Sakura had returned while he was out looking for her when suddenly, the sound of a small rock rolling down the Hokage Monument caught his attention.
He tried to make out if there was somebody up there but it was almost impossible even for his superior eyesight to make out any particular shape from that angle. His curiosity getting the better of him and with a small spark of hope flaring in his gut, he took a turn and finding the narrow and steep path that Sakura had showed him during the tour she had given him a couple of weeks back, he started the brief but tiring hike to the top of the Hokage Mountain
The view was magnificent with the whole of Konoha spread beneath his feet in all its glory. Shadows moved on walls and rooftops, dancing with the silver light cast by the moon. The wind was colder up there as it brushed his arms and blew through his hair. He took a moment to breath in the crisp air that seemed to be a permanent fixture in Konoha, unlike the air of Fuyuki that smelled of exhaust gas and decay. Diarmuid took a look around.
He found her sitting on the very edge of the cliff with her feet drawn to her chest and her face buried in her bent knees. The only thing protecting her against the chill was her thin doctor's coat. Her shoulders were shaking though he wasn't so sure it was from the cold. He approached her carefully and frowned when she gave no indication that she had noticed his presence.
"Sakura?" he called softly, kneeling down beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"
Slowly, she turned to look at him and Diarmuid sucked in a breath at her tear-stricken face. Instantly alarmed, he gently grabbed her shoulders and turned her so her body was facing his. "What's wrong, Sakura? Talk to me, please….."
For a few seconds she just stared at him as if she couldn't recognize him, her green eyes moist and depressed and defeated. A new wave of tears began to flow from her emerald orbs and she started sobbing, clutching the fabric of his shirt as if her life depended on it.
Diarmuid was at a loss. He had no idea what the hell had happened to reduce the usually fiery medic to such a mess and he felt his worry increase as the minutes passed and Sakura showed no sign of calming down. The only thing he could do was wrap his arms around her and pull her in his embrace, hoping to offer whatever comfort he could.
"I tried, Diarmuid…..I tried…." said the young medic brokenly and buried her face in his chest as he rubbed soothing circles on her back, whispering calming words in her ear. About half an hour later, when her sobs finally subsided, Sakura was able to look up at the brunet watching her with concern written all over his face.
She tried to smile but it came out more like a grimace than a smile, making Diarmuid's frown deepen. "What happened, Sakura?"
"I swear, Diarmuid! I swear I tried!" she whispered desperately. "But I couldn't save them. By the time they brought them to me, it was already too late." she said brokenly. "They were so young, Diarmuid! So young….."
Sakura couldn't help the new wave of tears that streamed down her cheeks as she recalled the events of the night. A Genin team, barely out of the Academy, had fallen into an enemy trap, ambushed by high-ranking rogues that had hoped to extract information and sell it to anyone who would be willing to pay. Konoha had no shortage of enemies.
They had brought in the Genin in critical condition and their sensei barely standing on his feet, having carried all three of his students all the way to the village. Sakura had been on duty when all hell broke loose. During the pandemonium that followed the arrival of the wounded team, the pink-haired medic had managed to extract the names of the unlucky youngsters and it was with horror that she had realized that one of them, the girl, was the daughter of a friend of hers.
The first boy's death came almost immediately. He died painlessly, still clutching his bloodied kunai. The second boy had been harder. Whatever poison they had injected him with had already destroyed his lungs and damaged his kidneys beyond repair. Half of the bones in his body had been broken and there had been burn marks all over his skin.
Extracting the poison had been too dangerous in his condition and all Sakura could do was fight it with her chakra inside his body. The boy passed away two hours after being admitted to the ICU.
And then it was little Sayuri with her blonde curls and her once big blue eyes alive with mirth and love and life.
Sakura couldn't hold back the broken sob that rose to her throat at the thought of the little girl, lying in a hospital bed with her chest torn open and her flesh charred and shredded and bloodied to the point that she had a hard time recognizing the once lively child.
Diarmuid pulled the broken female tightly against him. Even though he wasn't aware of the details, it was obvious that Sakura was tormenting herself with guilt over these unfortunate deaths. He gently grabbed her chin between his fingers and lifted her head so she was facing him.
"It wasn't your fault, Sakura. There's nothing more you could have done."
"I should have tried harder…..I should have…." she argued, averting her gaze in shame.
"And what good would it have done? You are only human, Sakura. You can't save everyone." he insisted, hoping that she would see reason even in her disoriented state. "There are some things you can never control. Death is one of them."
"But…..But…."
The man sighed. "Stop tormenting yourself, Sakura. As sad and unfair as it is to see young lives cut short, that's the way the world works. You should know that better than anyone. For a moment stop thinking about the people you've lost and think about all the lives you've saved, all the people that are alive and happy because of your healing touch."
Sakura tightened her grip on him, as if he was her only link to sanity. "I always thought that it'd get easier with time. That I'd eventually get used to the fact that I just can't save everyone." It was one thing watching shinobi die in the line of duty. That was how their world worked. Every shinobi was prepared to die; every new mission could be their last.
But to see these children, so young and so eager to live and grow…..To see them so battered and broken and lifeless…It was a blow she hadn't braced herself for. It had reminded her of all her failures. It hurt.
Diarmuid wiped her tears with his thumbs and tucked a lock of her pink hair behind her ear. "Loss is a part of life, Sakura. All we can do is accept it and move on. That's the only way to truly honor those who are gone."
She knew he was right. Because grieving would neither bring the dead back nor make the pain easier to deal with for the living. One was truly dead only when they were forgotten. These unlucky children who had been denied the wonders of life so early and in such a violent way would always be remembered as shinobi who did their duty and fell like heroes. The young woman stared up at him in wonder before hesitantly nodding. "O-Okay…."
Diarmuid smiled at her affectionately. "Now, I think it's about time we went home. It's freezing out here and you need to rest." he said, helping to her feet. He threw his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him to keep her warm, hoping that his body would shelter her from the wind until they reached their home.
The walk was silent. Fortunately, nobody was out at this hour to see them. The brunet was aware of how proud a person Sakura was and he was sure that she wouldn't appreciate being seen in her vulnerable state.
They had covered a bit more than half the distance when Diarmuid felt the woman stagger on her feet and he glanced worriedly at her. She was dragging her feet and she could barely keep her eyes open, exhausted both mentally and physically as she was.
Shaking his head at her stubbornness, Diarmuid stopped in his step and startled her by picking her up bridal-style. For a moment, the young medic wanted to protest and argue that she could walk perfectly well on her own but that thought was easily eradicated after a few seconds. His embrace was warm and comfortable and oh-so-inviting that she couldn't find it in herself to disagree. She leaned her head against his chest as he carried her, breathing in his scent.
"Come on, let's get you home." he whispered in her ear and he felt her nod.
"Diarmuid?" she said softly and half-asleep, lulled by his heartbeat.
"Yes?"
"I'm happy to have you in my life…."
The man smiled. "I'm happy too, Sakura. I'm happy too…"
TBC
Hey there guys! How are you?
So, this chapter was a bit more emotional for dear Sakura-chan. I really do believe that Sakura is the kind of person that would be pretty shaken up by a situation like the one described above. The purpose of the chapter was to allow Diarmuid to see another side of Sakura, a much more vulnerable side to show her humanity and bare some of the scars shinobi life has left on her. I hope you liked it!
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Until next time!
Lots of love!