Just found this going through all my files. It's been sitting on my computer for who knows how long so I figured I may as well post it. Prompt again is one of those from the defunct, ages old kakasakudrabble community on lj.

Under My Skin
Theme #20: Blood
Word count: 368

Blood is nothing new to Sakura; she has been stepped in it for years, covered and saturated and blinded until she's sure she has traces of others soaked into her skin.

Kakashi is different but the same. He doesn't work with the wounded day in and day out, isn't expected to look at blood unfeelingly and stick his hands through the clotting warmth of it to reach the injured area, but he feels it just the same. He's been responsible for it spilling more times than he can count and far more than he cares to remember. It's scent, the feel of it running over his fingers, is burned into his psyche and most nights his dreams are only black, white, and red.

When Sakura saw Kakashi's blood on her hands she didn't even register it, focused as she was on healing the wound beneath it. She never gave in, never thought about the possible consequences, but kept stubbornly working on him until he was breathing again, until she could see his eyes opening, and he gave her that 'everything is perfectly fine' smile that she knew was bull. Still, she'd never been happier to see it.

Kakashi had seen her blood before, had even helped her with the occasional wound that was hard for her to reach. They were teammates, it was nothing unusual, but this time was different. Her blood wasn't just on his hands, he was utterly steeped in it, with it gushing from her with each pump of her heart, spilling past his hands that weren't enough to stem the flow. Yet he didn't hesitate, his mind didn't wander to past recriminations or self-deprecations – he couldn't allow it to, the here and now with her was entirely too important.

It was then her hand shakily covered his; he'd been so focused on treating her injuries he hadn't even noticed her return to consciousness. It was only then he realized the irregularity of what had just occurred, realized that all thoughts of her had pushed any inklings of self-doubt and self-pity from his mind.

It was then he came to the conclusion, as she offered up a tremulous smile, that he was in serious trouble.