DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Naruto"

Chapter 28: Healing

He couldn't stop thinking about her smile. He felt like the brain cells were seeping from his ears.

"I missed you," she had whispered as if she didn't quite want him to hear. But he had and it filled him with a sense of reassurance. So, he had stared at her in an attempt to understand her better.

"Sakura, I'm ready to go home," he had answered her unasked question. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she had been waiting a long time to hear those words come from his mouth. The jade orbs had been hesitant at first, as if unwilling to be too hopefulin case he was lying. And then, just seconds later, her eyes widened—sparkled—as her lips widened into a beaming smile. A genuinely happy smile. A smile that gave him a tickling sensation. A smile he couldn't forget about.

And he smirked because he knew that that smile was because of him and for him.

And then she had thrown her arms around his neck in a fiercely joyful embrace. He didn't return the gesture, but he didn't push her away either. That had been a few nights ago. The journey since then had been oddly silent. Sakura seemed unsure. Of what, he didn't know. She would watch him and fidget as if she wanted to say something…but she would hold her silence. Even if she didn't have the words, her face revealed so much. Sometimes her eyes would be downcast and distant, other times they would appear restless. And, more often than not, her eyes glittered and she would smile. And his mind would go blank.

Their silence continued in minutes that passed agonizingly slow. Though he preferred the silence, he was unaccustomed to it coming from Sakura. He knew she had something on her mind, but she had no idea how to breach the silence. She didn't know how to act around him…it was so long ago that they were companions. He knew all this, how uncomfortable she must feel. Things were very different, but he wanted something familiar, something that he could relate to their past relationship. He just wished that she would say something. Anything.

Sometimes she would talk, but it was usually a fleeting comment, nothing to start conversation. So that day, when she finally looked at him with determined eyes, he was almost relieved. It was over dinner. He had already finished and was watching over his laced fingers as Sakura ate. She looked up from her food and his studied gaze made her pause.

"Sasuke?"

"Sakura."

"You're staring."

"And?"

She gave him a funny look. "You know, you could give a girl the wrong impression staring at her."

He frowned.

There was silence again for a minute and Sakura bit her lip. Her eyes brightened with confidence and she smiled. "I'm just messing." She sighed then as she made up her mind. "I've been meaning to ask you about something."

Sasuke's brow relaxed, the crease in his forehead disappearing. Sakura took this to mean he was listening.

"When I was healing your side, I saw something…strange."

Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction and his hands tensed. He hadn't really given much thought to what had happened while he was unconscious. Knowing Sakura had been prodding at his body was an uncomfortable thought.

She plowed onward without a second thought to Sasuke's discomfort. "The skin covering your chest and part of your neck is slightly discolored. There is strange scarring surrounding the discoloration…as if you underwent skin grafting."

Sasuke's eyes closed as he sucked in a breath through his nose.

"Sasuke, what happened?"

"You were there, didn't you see?" His eyelids slowly opened and he gazed at her once again.

"This happened during your battle with the Hachibi?"

He nodded once. "He was going to destroy my team. I stopped him."

Sakura felt tears prickle the corners of her eyes. She remembered watching him jump in front of the Hachibi, but from her distance, she hadn't seen the damage Sasuke had received. She remembered the feeling of jealousy as he jumped to protect his team. Now…she felt so foolish. Knowing he had taken such a devastating hit made her jealous feelings look so petty. Sasuke and his team had been in a severely dangerous situation and she had been jealous that he was looking out for his team. They could have been killed. What terror would she have felt if Sasuke had let them die? It was evident he cared about them…so maybe there was still a chance he cared for her and Naruto.

"Juugo was able to save my life."

Sakura looked away and willed the tears to remain hidden. "You care about them," she said meekly. "They're probably very worried about you."

"I only chose them because they had skills I—"

"And what about them, Sasuke? Why did they go with you?"

"I used them, they used me," he replied dourly.

"I don't believe you." Sakura looked at him earnestly. "You risked your life to save them. I may not know everything there is to know about you, but I do know that just as you're an avenger, you are also a protector. You fight for those you care about. It's in your nature."

Sasuke turned away, choosing to stare at the trees around them instead of the girl in front of him. There was a point in his life—when he was thirteen—when he had believed that the life of an avenger was forced on him. But in the past year, he had come to realize that he had chosen the path. Two roads were presented to him and he chose the darker of the two. Because he had to protect his family's honor.

Because he was a protector.

"Whether you like it or not, I think your teammates have grown to care about you as well," Sakura said. "Maybe I'm wrong to take you from them, but—"

"Sakura, stop." Sasuke gazed at her fiercely. "I am no one's possession to be stolen. I'm going back to Konoha because I want to."

Sakura blinked with surprise. Hearing him say it thrilled her. Before, she had the suspicion that he was only agreeing to go because he didn't want to be forced to go.

In response to her bright eyes, he smirked. "If they care so much about me, maybe they'll do as you did and come looking for me."

Sakura smiled. He was acknowledging her feelings…admitting that her feelings meant something to him. "Maybe."

Silence fell over the two again. Sakura busied herself with cleaning up, while Sasuke watched from his sleeping bag. He was amused with how she muttered to herself as she worked. He felt very nostalgic watching her clear the campsite. It reminded him of the times he and the rest of Team Seven would be camping while on missions as genin. Sakura was always very responsible. After a few minutes, she had everything packed away. Her hands were placed firmly against her hips as she made one last check of the campsite. Satisfied, she turned toward her sleeping bag and plopped down on it. As she was pulling a notebook from her backpack, Sasuke spoke, startling her.

"Where's the loser?"

She looked at him and beamed.

Sasuke's eyebrow rose. Sakura was grinning like an idiot. "What?"

"Nothing," she replied as she relaxed her face. She was overjoyed at Sasuke's question…and hearing him call Naruto a loser made it feel like old times. "Kakashi and Naruto should be almost home by now."

"How did you and Naruto get separated?"

Averting her eyes, Sakura chewed on the chapped skin of her lower lip.

"You purposely left him behind," Sasuke said knowingly.

"I couldn't hide behind him anymore." She looked at her clenched fists. "There was so much I had to prove."

Sasuke nodded in understanding. He wasn't sure if he could admit just yet that he was proud of her, but he could at least give her something. "You…surprise me."

She looked up and smirked. "I promised I would."

"So you did."

Smiling, she leafed through the pages of her notebook a little. The pages were covered with quickly written medical jargon. Sakura liked to go over what she'd written every now and again to refresh her knowledge or rework theories. She stopped on a page about the workings of the human eye.

Tapping a pen against her chin, Sakura asked lazily, "Sasuke, how do your eyes feel?"

"Fine." If he were honest, they didn't feel quite right. They ached slightly, as if they were devoid of moisture, and his sight was a little fuzzy around the edges.

Sakura looked up from her book at him. "Who worked on them?"

"One of Madara's subordinates."

"Hmm." She frowned. "I think it'd be best if you let me take a look at them, just to make sure they're completely healed."

"Whatever."

"And…if you're okay with it, I may be able to get rid of the scarring on your chest."

Sasuke looked away. "Go to sleep."

~.~.~

"Where is he?" Suigetsu asked as he paced the hideout, dragging the Executioner's Blade which carved the ground as he walked.

Karin sat in a chair, her arms crossed. "Who cares?" she snapped.

"I thought you would of all people!" Suigetsu yelled at her.

"Well, I don't!" Her hands gripped her forearms as she tried to restrain herself. "Just forget about him. It's obvious he's done with us."

"Are you crazy?"

"Calm down, both of you," Juugo said evenly.

"We've gotta go look for him!" Suigetsu cried. "We already handed the Hachibi over to Madara. Nothing's holding us back. I say we go after him."

"He told us not to," Karin replied hotly. "He has forsaken us."

"Shut up, you tramp! Just because Sasuke rejected your advances, doesn't mean he's done with the team. He saved all of our lives!"

Juugo's gold eyes watched intently. "Suigetsu, I'll join you. Sasuke's all I have to remember Kimimaro."

"You two have fun," Karin remarked sarcastically.

"And what do you plan to do, Karin?" Juugo asked.

"Sasuke made it quite clear that I'm not important to him," Karin replied. She could feel the beginnings of a headache coming. "I think it's time I got on with my life."

"Coward," Suigetsu said through clenched teeth.

"What did you call me?" Karin stood abruptly, knocking over her chair.

"I called you a coward," Suigetsu smirked viciously. "There's no way of knowing whether Sasuke is in danger or not…but we won't know unless we go looking for him. Only a coward would give up so easily."

Karin's nostrils flared as she glared at the shark-toothed boy. He was always so nasty to her, degrading her and acting like he was better than her. She hated him. He made her crazy.

I hate you so much, Karin raged inwardly. I'll show you.

"I am no coward," she growled. "He left us. I'll prove that to you."

Suigetsu grinned sinisterly. "Then, if you're ready, let's go."

~.~.~

Sakura tossed him an apple. He caught it and rubbed the skin, his dark eyes scanning the glossy surface. A kunai whizzed past his head and, with a clunk, wedged itself into the tree behind him. He looked up to see Sakura's grin.

"Not expecting me to cut it are you?"

He smirked and sunk his teeth into the apple. Tart juice lined his mouth and tickled his taste buds. He ate in silence as Sakura continued to look over her medical notebook. After Sasuke was finished, he sat leaning against a tree, waiting for her to finish loitering. She'd woken him just as the sun was rising, and now, she was just sitting around reading. How inconsiderate. He closed his eyes.

"Are you napping?" Sakura asked the instant he relaxed.

"No."

"Uh-huh." She smiled.

Sasuke cracked open one eye. "Aren't you finished yet?"

"Well…I was hoping to take a look at your eyes before we set out."

He opened both eyes and sighed. "Fine."

Slowly, Sakura stood and approached him and he sat up. She kneeled beside him. He clenched his jaw and hesitantly turned his head toward her. How much did she know about his clan's Kekkei Genkai? What would she find out by examining his eyes? He didn't know if he could trust her with those secrets…but he wanted to. So, he gazed into her eyes and watched carefully.

She lifted her hands and reached forward. As she combed the hair away from his face for better access, Sasuke's nose crinkled as he winced. Since Orochimaru, he didn't let people touch him…but he was letting Sakura touch him. Her brow furrowed slightly as she gazed up at him and he saw the hesitation in her eyes. Unease tangled his stomach into knots. She was so close, but he still had his guard up. She wouldn't continue without his full permission. Doing so would open a door he was afraid of—one that would be hard to close again. He swallowed and, reaching up, placed his hands against hers and guided them to his skin. Slender fingers padded with calluses pressed into his temples and he removed his hands from hers. Her touch was warm, welcoming. He was reassured by the life in her touch.

Surprise lingered on Sakura's face for a moment, before it was wiped clean. A strange detachment filled her green eyes and Sasuke frowned. The girl he had known would be bright red and giggling from nerves to be so close to him. This woman stared at him as if he were a puzzle to figure out, an equation to solve. He couldn't decide if he was disappointed or impressed by her objectiveness. As she focused on channeling chakra through her fingers, a dimple appeared in her cheek and he couldn't deny that it was cute.

"Don't look away," Sakura instructed softly, her breath sweet against his face.

A slight heat rose in his cheeks as his eyes locked once again with hers. She was torturously close. It was a conscious effort for him to keep a blank façade and he wondered if it was such a struggle for her.

Then the presence of a foreign chakra distracted him from his thoughts. It felt very strange. Being conscious this time, he was very aware of Sakura's chakra in his body and it was unlike any power he had ever felt. The chakra flowing through his head ebbed and flowed like a river, pulsing as with his heart…or maybe it pulsed with the beat of Sakura's heart. The warmth tingled as it merged with his bloodstream. It felt as though his heart was racing and he vaguely wondered if it was a reaction to Sakura's chakra…or her proximity. He felt as though his emotions were betraying his brain. He couldn't let himself get distracted—he had a goal.

The ache in his eyes was soothed away. Slowly, small details presented themselves to his clearing eyes. Beneath delicately arched eyebrows, he noticed the intricate collage of hues that made up Sakura's jade-colored eyes. The deep blue around the edge melted into the intense green that dominated her irises and, surrounding the pupil, was a star of gold. What he once thought were simply black lashes, revealed themselves to be deep brown and he could see every single one. The pink hair framing her face…was more than just pink. He could see every strand, and was amazed to see varying shades of blonde and red. The length of her hair accentuated her jaw perfectly. There were freckles on her cheekbones just below her eyes. There were freckles on her lip line.

She was beautiful.

His mouth went dry.

After a few moments, the pulsing chakra slowly receded. He could feel the tingling in his blood traveling, leaving through the points of contact between his skin and Sakura's fingertips. The absence of her chakra left a strange chill in his blood, slowing it down and making him feel tired. He longed for the warmth to return. It seemed as if he hadn't truly known what warmth was before she had shown him. Sasuke watched as the focused detachment left Sakura's eyes. She gazed at him strangely. Her eyes were bright, intense, yet soft. She looked scared, but also daring. She seemed so lost in whatever was the focus of her attention. And he remembered, as if coming out of a daze, that he was the center of her attention…

"Sakura," he whispered, finding his voice.

She blinked as if startled.

"You're still holding my head."

Her eyes widened and she snatched her hands away. "Sorry," she mumbled. She backed away from him and her mouth cracked in a strained grin. "How do your eyes feel?"

"Better," he watched her carefully. "Did you find out anything?"

"Eye transplantation is a delicate procedure." Her brow furrowed as she thought. "I'm no expert in the field, but it seems like whoever performed the surgery didn't do a thorough job. Also, strangely, it seems as though the healing is inconsistent."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…it's difficult to explain. It looks like certain parts of your eyes are at a much more advanced stage of healing than other parts. It's as if the healing was rushed and by someone not quite skilled enough to perform medical ninjutsu. Did Juugo attempt to heal your vision?"

"No…" Sasuke grimaced at the memory. "Karin did."

"I see." Sakura frowned. "The surgery wasn't so long ago—your eyes are still healing. I'll need to have a few more sessions with you to help compensate for Karin's oversight."

Sasuke looked away, a red tinge creeping up his neck. "Perhaps the healing sessions should wait till sundown."

Sakura looked at him incredulously. "If you're concerned about my chakra, don't be. I have perfect chakra control, remember? That little session was a piece of cake."

"I'm not worried about that." He looked at her oddly. "Your healing session left me feeling tired."

"Oh," she said with a smile. "Well, since you're so tired, you shouldn't give me any trouble when I examine your chest."

A single eyebrow arched on Sasuke's face.

"The skin, you pervert," Sakura clarified with a growl.

"Do I have to lie down?"

Sakura looked around. The campsite was already packed up along with both sleeping bags. She looked back at him. "Only if you want to."

"I'll pass." He didn't quite like the idea of being observed like an experiment, so he thought sitting up would help him retain some of his dignity.

He pulled his shirt off and set it beside him. He plastered an indifferent expression on his face despite the strange fear creeping over him that made his muscles—once again—tense. He looked down at his chest and felt many mixed emotions wash over him.

He was disgusted by the strange scar—it represented physical weakness.

He was proud of the strange scar—it represented spiritual strength.

He was grateful for the strange scar—it represented devotion—his own and his team's.

After a moment, he looked up at Sakura. She, too, was staring at his chest. Her eyes were filled with fascination and sorrow. Her sight met his and she hesitated to smile. Once again, the detached focus changed her face and she inched forward, her hands outstretched. Her fingertips brushed over his skin and goose bumps rose. He inwardly cursed at being so ticklish. It wasn't common knowledge and he would prefer to keep it that way. Sakura didn't seem to notice. Her hands reached out until her palms were flat against him—one hand on his upper abdomen, the other against the middle of his chest. This time, Sakura's eyes fluttered shut as she poured her chakra into him. Perhaps this situation was awkward for her, too. If it was, she didn't show it.

Unlike before, though the warmth flowing through his body was pleasant, he felt uncomfortable. The pulsing chakra wasn't enough to distract him from the fact that Sakura was touching him. In fact, it was an unwelcome reminder that she was not only touching him, but also studying his body. He had no reason to be self-conscious, but given the circumstances—her feelings—he felt rather awkward. It didn't help that he thought she was attractive. He'd always thought of her as pretty, but as a young woman, she'd become very striking. And now, with his perfectly sharp vision, he could see every detail of her face.

And he was staring.

He blinked. Her hands twitched slightly and he shivered. He realized just how tense she was. Her shoulders were hunched and her hands rigid and strained. It was as if she was trying not to touch him. He was certain that she was struggling with her own emotions. But that thudding in his chest really was his racing heart. This was Sakura. His once-upon-a-time annoying teammate. He'd cared about her, just not in the way she desired. But she was different now from the genin kunoichi he remembered. Silently, he cursed his teenage hormones. He had to clear his head. So he steadied his gaze over the top of the girl's head to the trees beyond as he began to recite the Shinobi Rules. Moments later, he was startled when Sakura's fingers left his chest, again tickling him in the process. He'd been so intent on keeping a level head, he hadn't noticed when her chakra began to pull out of him. He looked at her and she smiled weakly.

"It's unlike anything I've ever seen," she said just above a whisper. "It's incredible."

He pulled his shirt on and felt fatigue taking hold.

"The reason you have the scar is because your cells are having trouble accepting Juugo's cells. They are mutating to match your natural cells. With time, the scar and discoloration should disappear. The skin on your chest is already a shade or two lighter than when I first saw it. I should be able to help speed up the process."

Sasuke frowned. He wasn't sure he wanted the scar to disappear, it was a heavy reminder. However, he had little choice in the matter. He leaned back against the tree and felt his eyelids getting heavy.

"You look exhausted. Maybe you're right about waiting till nightfall."

"Of course I'm right." Sasuke smirked arrogantly. "I'm always right."

Sakura laughed and rolled her eyes. "Sure, Sasuke. Always," she remarked sarcastically.


A/N: Sorry for the wait. I took a week off from writing to set some goals. Just so you are aware, I'll probably only be updating every two weeks instead of weekly. I have other projects that I'm working on and have such limited time during the day. Currently, I am planning a book series and have started on the first of five. If I can find time between work, my writing, reading, and band practices, I may even take more classes. Yeah... So as soon as this stupid error 2 is fixed, I'll change the story description to say updated biweekly. I feel bad about it, but I'm more likely to write longer chapters if I give myself more time. Good, right?

Anyway. As for this story, I'm not exactly sure how far the end is, but we're over half way there. There are still a few events that I want to highlight, namely Sasuke's punishment and the Pein invasion. Stuff is getting really fun! I'm so excited.

Hey, who else is getting tired of the ninja war? Ugh, I feel like we haven't seen anything of Naruto, Sasuke, or Sakura for a long, long time! I love the manga and all, but I feel like the war is seriously dragging, like some stuff happens, but it's not exactly that exciting. I can't wait for the Naruto Sasuke fight. It's gonna be epic. I hate to say it, but I'm almost hoping the end of the story is close. I'm still hoping for a happy SasuSaku filled ending. :-P

Anywho, this is an abnormally long author's note for me. Thank you Sakura's Indecision for beta-ing.

It'll be two weeks when I update next. PEACE!