For electric stars
Pairing: Sasuke/Sakura/Kiba
Word count: 1,182
Prompts: Sakura on morphine, distraught Naruto, pervy Suigetsu
Notes: So… I'm sure I didn't write that you were expecting for this prompt, but I really like how it turned out. I'm a bit over the constant crack, to be honest.
Takes place after Sasuke's de-defection (you know it'll happen!), which is obvious, so I didn't waste time with pointless exposition.
-x-
The stars were especially bright tonight.
A rustle of movement came from the left, but Sasuke didn't look away from the sky to check on it. It was a good thing he wasn't on guard duty tonight. Then again, everyone was awake, anyway.
Well… almost everyone.
"You should sleep," Sasuke heard Kiba say.
"I'm okay," Naruto replied thickly. Sasuke clenched his fists at the pathetic tone of his voice. For God's sake, they were shinobi! If one of them happened to get hurt, it didn't mean the rest of them spent the journey mooning over it!
Jaw clenched, Sasuke dropped his gaze and turned to inform Naruto of this very fact –
Naruto lay beside Sakura, eyes wide and unblinking. Kiba was on her other side, not looking at either of them. He kept his gaze fixed straight ahead. And Sakura… Sakura's eyes were closed, expression smooth as stone. And Sakura's expression was never smooth as stone.
Suigetsu suddenly broke the foliage, carrying firewood. He clomped over to Naruto, Kiba, and Sakura, and squatted down.
"How's the patient?"
"Still asleep," Naruto said. He swallowed hard and looked away, shamefully, for a moment.
"Bet I can wake her up," Suigetsu said, and reached out to poke her.
"Don't touch her," Sasuke snapped, just as Kiba reached out to slap Suigetsu's hand away from Sakura's bare leg.
Suigetsu rocked back on his heels and rolled his eyes. "You guys need to lighten up," he said. "So she got hurt. So what? She's fixing it, isn't she?" He rose to his feet and scooped up his firewood. "Meanwhile, the three of you sit around moping. She's not dead, you idiots."
Suigetsu set to work building a fire, and Naruto rose to a sitting position. He put a hand on Sakura's head and looked up at Sasuke. He didn't say anything, so Sasuke didn't reply.
"Anyone hungry?" Suigetsu asked. When no one replied, he scowled. "Would you guys get over it, already? I wish Sakura were awake. She's not such terrible company."
Kiba stood up with a grunt. "You're right," he said, stretching, then wincing as he pulled the sloppily-bandaged wound in his side. "What can I do?"
"Get water for the ramen," Suigetsu said.
Kiba wrinkled his nose. "Ramen?"
"Don't blame me; Naruto was in charge of the food."
Kiba sighed. "Great." He started off toward the stream half a mile north of their campsite, knuckling Naruto in the head as he passed. Naruto rubbed his head, but otherwise didn't react.
He was driving Sasuke insane.
Sasuke got to his feet. "I'll help," he muttered when Suigetsu looked up, and followed Kiba into the forest. He passed Sakura's unconscious form as he passed, but didn't slow down to look at her. It disturbed him how pretty she looked like that, with the subtle healing glow of her chakra emanating from her prone form.
Sasuke traipsed silently through the forest, making no effort to catch up with Kiba. By the time he had reached the stream. Kiba had already filled one pot.
"Need any help?"
Kiba started, then looked around. "Oh," he said when he saw Sasuke, "No, I'm good."
Sasuke stepped up beside him anyway, and grabbed the remaining pot. "You're too distracted," he said.
"Aren't we all?"
"What happened to Sakura is no excuse," Sasuke said. "Always stay alert. What if I was an enemy?"
Kiba scowled and slammed the put down on the ground, sloshing half its contents onto the grass. "You were, remember?"
Sasuke sneered. Oh, that was clever. He didn't dignify Kiba with a response, merely bent to fill his pot. Kiba did the same to refill his pot, and they were silent for a moment.
They turned to leave, when Kiba said, "Aren't you upset?" Sasuke glanced at him, and he clarified: "About Sakura, I mean."
"No," Sasuke said, and made to leave.
Kiba's voice stopped him in his tracks. "But don't you feel guilty?"
Sasuke spun around to face him, eyes flashing with barely-suppressed rage. "What?"
Kiba seemed to regret his words. He drummed his fingers nervously on his pot of water, swallowed, and kept shifting his gaze from Sasuke to the ground to the stream.
"I mean…" he stammered. "I'm not blaming you, but, uh—I mean, doesn't everyone feel like it was their fault?"
Sakura had been blocking an attack meant for Naruto. Sasuke's opponent, the leader of the gang, seeing a gap in her defense, had leapt away from Sasuke to attack her with a poisoned kunai to the thigh, that had shut down her nervous system. If it weren't for Sakura's ability to heal herself while she slept, she would be dead now.
"No," Sasuke lied, "I don't."
"Oh," Kiba said. "Well… I do."
"You were nowhere near her."
"Yeah, but I saw the whole thing. I could have stopped it." Kiba exhaled and started walking. "I feel bad now. Naruto looks miserable."
"He's being an idiot," Sasuke said, walking beside him. He felt Kiba's eyes on him, but didn't turn. "These things happen. Sakura knew it could."
"That's kind of harsh," Kiba said, sounding annoyed.
"If it were me or you," Sasuke said, "He wouldn't overreact like this. It's because it's Sakura that he keeps whining."
Kiba was silent for a moment. "I don't believe that."
"Then don't," Sasuke said, pushing aside a branch so he could pass. "But it's true."
"Well, fine. Naruto's upset because he happens to love Sakura," Kiba said. "Then what's your excuse?"
Sasuke glared at him. "What's yours?"
Kiba's expression shifted to one of complete shock, and then they were back at camp and Suigetsu called out to them:
"Finally! What took so long? I'm starved."
"Sorry," Kiba said. Sasuke handed him his pot of water, and Kiba carried both to Suigetsu and the now-crackling fire.
"Move Sakura closer to the fire," Sasuke told Naruto. He met Kiba's gaze, then turned away.
Naruto gently scooped her up in his arms and carried her closer to the warmth of the fire. Suigetsu watched him with exasperated amusement.
"Would you relax? She isn't going to break." He held out a cup of ramen to Naruto. "Eat. You look terrible."
"Thanks," Naruto said sarcastically. He took an eager sip of soup, then nearly dropped the cup. "Hot!"
"Careful, Naruto!" Kiba barked. He gestured to Sakura. "You spilled some on her."
"Crap," Naruto said. "Napkin, napkin…" Sasuke handed him one. "Thanks." He turned to wipe the hot soup off Sakura's shin, but found Suigetsu had already beaten him to it.
Suigetsu wiped the soup off with a finger, then popped it in his mouth with a wicked grin. "Tasty."
Naruto scowled at him. "Don't do that to Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed, waving the cup of ramen around.
"Naruto!" Kiba snapped, and Naruto calmed down, looking sheepish.
Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked over to Suigetsu for his own meal.
"Suigetsu," Sasuke said in a low voice as Suigetsu handed him the cup.
"Yeah?"
"Do that again," he said, "And I'll cook you for dinner. Understand?"
Suigetsu grinned, not afraid in the least. "Got it, boss."
