After a few minutes in their close embrace, Sasuke reluctantly let go of Rinn, realising, much to his dismay, that they couldn't stay like that forever. As she pulled away from him, for a split second, their faces were so close that all he had to do was crane his neck slightly for their lips to touch – it took all of his strength to resist closing the gap. He couldn't hide the disappointment on his face as Rinn increased the distance between them by sitting upright in her chair once again. His arm closest to her still lingered gently on her hip as he continued to lie in his hospital bed, blinking up at her almost expectantly, the top half of his body now lying slightly skewed towards her.

Sasuke cast his eyes down and cleared his throat awkwardly, giving her hip an affectionate pat before bringing his arms back down by his side.

"Right, I'd better get myself sat up. The sooner I get out of here the bett – argh!" One of the arms Sasuke was using to push himself up in the bed fell out from under him, causing him to fall back onto the bed with a muffled *THUMP*.

Rinn chuckled at him.

"Oh Sasuke..." She managed to say through some laughs, "For once in your life will you take it easy? You've just woken up, just give yourself some time!"

Sasuke grumpily glared up at her, a look not dissimilar to the sulky scowls he was renowned for as a young child. Rinn's eyes danced with amusement as Sasuke averted his gaze in embarrassment, still lying down but propped up slightly on his elbows. now choosing to glare out of the window instead of at his friend. Rinn covered her mouth and tried to stifle her giggles, deciding she should probably help Sasuke rather than trying to wind him up already - even though he was making it so easy...

"Come here you!" Rinn said, standing up and leaning forward to place her forearms under Sasuke's arms to pull him up.

This caught Sasuke completely off guard.

"W-what are you doing?!" he said gruffly, his throat still hoarse.

"Helping you sit up, you doughnut!" she said, yanking Sasuke's torso towards hers and dragging him up the bed slightly.

Rinn held him against her chest with one arm as she used her other one to reach behind the head of the bed and pull it up into a sitting position by yanking down the support bar behind it and locking it there to keep it upright.

Sasuke was acutely aware of their closeness one again as she gently lowered him down onto the newly adjusted bed. His stomach was doing flips, and he gulped at the feeling of her body pressed against his, reminding him just how dry his throat was as he painfully swallowed. Her scent was intoxicating, and every time any of her skin made contact with his bare chest, it sent jolts through his body like electricity.

"Rinn..." Sasuke gently said after she had set him down, "Sorry but would you mind grabbing me some water please...?"

It was true that he desperately needed a drink, but he even more desperately needed her to leave the room for a minute so he could calm himself down. All of this sudden close proximity to her was making him feel giddy – and he knew it wasn't down to his medication.

She smiled back at him and patted his hand.

"Sure thing!" she said, getting up off of her chair and wandering out of the room to try and locate a jug and glass.

Sasuke exhaled deeply as soon as the door closed, closing his eyes and letting his head flop back onto the bed in defeat.

What is that girl doing to me...

He ran a hand through his messy raven hair, brushing it away from his face and holding it there as he stared up at the ceiling. His heart rate was finally slowing down, but his mind was still racing. Rinn was driving him crazier every time he saw her, and he didn't know how much longer he could keep it to himself.

But he couldn't possibly tell her.

Could he?

Don't be stupid Sasuke. She probably doesn't even feel the same. I bet she hasn't even noticed.

He tried to place these thoughts to the back of his mind, as Rinn burst back through the door, jug and glass in hand, being tailed by a nurse. Rinn grimaced apologetically and mouthed a "sorry" at him as they grew closer to him, the nurse beginning to flap over the fact that Sasuke was awake and nobody had come to tell her, giving a long list of all the things that should have been done once he had regained consciousness. Rinn was stood there with her arms folded, looking very unimpressed, as the nurse continued to rant on for a few minutes, much to Sasuke's amusement. In fact, he was so much more interested in looking at Rinn rather than listening to what the nurse was saying, that he became very worried when Rinn's eyes suddenly widened as the nurse bent down and reached around under Sasuke's bed.

"W-What's going on?!" Sasuke hurriedly asked, eyes frantically darting between the nurse and Rinn, who now had her hand over her mouth as if she were stifling a chuckle.

"It's time to get you cleaned up," The nurse abruptly replied, dragging out a silver bowl with a sponge inside it from underneath the bed, "I'm just going to fill this up with some hot water."

She bustled out of the room, leaving a horrified Sasuke sitting wide-eyed, looking to Rinn for some support. Unfortunately for him, she was already beginning to giggle to herself.

"Rinn... What does she mean by 'cleaned up'?" he asked nervously.

His friend let out a loud laugh before she was able to reply.

"It would appear that you're getting a bed bath when she comes back with that water..." Rinn explained, delight glinting in her eyes at his evident horror at the idea.

"You've got to be kidding me! She's not coming near me with that damn sponge!"

"Sasuke you need to be cleaned up, you're covered in sweat..."

Sasuke looked down at his naked chest, which was indeed dusted with small beads of sweat. Maybe she was right. Maybe he did need a bit of a freshen up.

"Well I'll just sort it out myself. I don't need any help – I'm perfectly capable," he said defiantly, scowling at nothing once again.

"Sasuke you can't even sit up by yourself. I hardly think you're in a position to be giving yourself a bath..."

"Well I certainly don't want her doing it!" he replied sheepishly as the nurse re-appeared with the now full bowl of soapy warm water, sponge floating leisurely on top. As the nurse approached him with said sponge, Sasuke recoiled away as much as his damaged body would allow him to, screwing up his face in disgust and subconsciously tensing all of his muscles.

Rinn was able to watch this spectacle for all but a minute before she gave in.

"Nurse... Thank you for your help, but I think I should take it from here," she said, giving the nurse an apologetic look for Sasuke's evidently uncooperative behaviour.

Sasuke froze and his eyes followed Rinn's hand as she reached forward and gently took the sponge from the nurse, who sighed in resignation before politely and quietly leaving Sasuke's room. Rinn's eyes guiltily lingered on the doorway for a minute. It wasn't the poor nurse's fault that Sasuke was so stubborn – she was only trying to do her job after all.

"Thanks for intervening..." Sasuke said, relaxing back onto his pillow in relief.

But he wasn't out of the woods yet.

"I don't know why you're relaxing Sasuke, you still need a wash," Rinn said, standing to the side of the bed where the nurse had just been, dumping the sponge back into the water and squeezing out the excess liquid.

Sasuke gulped as his heart began pumping faster and faster. Never for a minute did he think she was being serious when she said that she was going to take over! Even though he secretly hoped that she had meant it, now that it was actually going to happen he didn't know what to do with himself.

What if I hate it like when the nurse did it? I don't want to upset her...

What if I enjoy it?

What if I enjoy it... too much? And I get –

Sasuke was torn away from his thoughts as he felt the warm, soft sponge get dragged across his firm chest. His body tensed awkwardly, and he became embarrassed, not knowing where to look.

However, it did not take long for him to relax, and before he knew it he was beginning to relish in the feeling of the warmth and wetness of being clean, coupled with the closeness of his beloved Rinn as she finished cleaning his arms.

"Right, let's get you forward again and do your back," Rinn said, mostly to herself, as she hooked an arm under Sasuke's again, hoiking him forward to start wiping down his back. She noticed with distaste how damp the sheet was behind him, and quickly reached around for a fresh towel to put behind Sasuke so she wouldn't be lying his clean torso back onto a grimy sheet. As she gently lowered him backwards to be supported by the bed once more, Sasuke again became acutely aware of their proximity. He was having a much harder time controlling himself this time, due to the fact that she had been wiping him down so deliciously for the past 10 minutes or so. His heart was going haywire, and his whole body possessed a weird tingling sensation. His stomach did flips, but the feeling wasn't unpleasant.

Sasuke was getting dangerously lost in the moment, and his hormones were threatening to take over at any instant. As if his body was moving on its own, he closed his eyes and rested his head back onto the pillow, gently placing his hand on Rinn's mid-thigh as she sat down on the chair next to his bed and began washing his abdomen. This did not go unnoticed, and Rinn felt her heart skip a beat at this small act of affection from her friend. Putting her growing feelings to the back of her mind, she continued to wipe Sasuke down; lower, and lower... and –

Sasuke let out a sharp exhale as Rinn's sponge swept over a particularly sensitive part of his lower left pelvis, giving him goosebumps and sending his head reeling. The more she carried on, the more hot and bothered he became.

Ironic really, given that she's supposed to be cleaning the sweat off of me! She's probably the main cause of it!

Rinn bit her lip as she cautiously began to clean the other hip. Sasuke's breathing was becoming noticeably quicker, and he was gripping the sheets tightly in an aim to calm himself.

And then she went a little too close to his inner thigh.

Sasuke lost it.

His right hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her movements dead. He was panting heavily, eyes now open and stern. He had never been so glad a blanket was covering his lower half in his entire life. Rinn looked up at him questioningly, but soon looked away blushing once she saw the flustered state that Sasuke was now in.

"Thanks. I uh... I can do the rest myself..." Sasuke said through heavy breaths, hand still tightly gripping her wrist.

"O-Ok..." Rinn replied awkwardly, clumsily but speedily recoiling her hand and throwing the sponge back in the bucket, causing a small splash of water to empty onto the floor and splash both herself and Sasuke.

"Oh shit I'm sorry!" Rinn said apologetically.

"That's OK," Sasuke replied headily, eyes now closed again, breathing deeply and slowly with his brows furrowed, as if he were concentrating intensely on something.

"I'll erm... tidy this away on my way out... I need to be at the training grounds in 15 minutes..." Rinn muttered, picking up the bowl and hastily making her way to the door.

"Thanks Rinn, and good luck. You'll be back later though, right...?" Sasuke called to her with a hint of desperation in his voice, this time opening his eyes to look over to her as she hovered in the doorway.

"Sure thing!" She said, grinning at him and giving him a thumbs up with one hand, whilst the other balanced the bowl of water on her opposite hip.

Sasuke shot her a genuine smile, before raising his head slightly and holding a hand up to wave at her weakly. The door to his room fell closed with a small *CLICK*.

And then she was gone.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuckkkkkkk!" Sasuke said through a long, calming exhale as he rested his head back onto the pillow and ran a hand through his hair, leaving it there for a few minutes – still dumbstruck about what had just happened. He blinked at the ceiling a few times, trying to keep his thoughts controlled and as far away as possible from earlier events.

But he just couldn't help himself.

Sasuke's mind kept returning to that deliciously sinful feeling he had experienced as the sponge had made its way around his body, and about how much more delicious it would feel if it was her hands on his body and not the sponge...

He frowned again.

Stop it Sasuke! Not only is she your best friend, but this is no way to be acting when you have more important things to do!

The second stage of the chunin exams isn't far away now...

And don't lose sight of your true goal.

Sasuke spent ages convincing himself that having feelings for Rinn was a terrible idea, only to be back at square one again the second he pictured her face.

And we've been getting closer and closer recently...

He allowed himself to hope beyond hope for a split second. Then, he let out a long sigh and began to work on getting out of bed by himself – he knew it was probably futile, but he had to get up and about as soon as possible so he could start training again.

- X -

Over the next few days, Rinn continued to visit Sasuke at regular intervals throughout the day, and he was making a very speedy recovery if she said so herself. Rinn had been secretly healing him again. Not enough to be noticeably suspicious to the medical staff, but enough to give him a recovery time to rival Naruto's.

It was the second day since Sasuke had woken up that the topic of her jutsu came up in conversation. They were sitting on his bed sideways; backs against the wall with pillows behind, giving them a sort of make shift sofa to relax on.

"So, Rinn. I have to admit I was very impressed when I watched your match in the arena before Kakashi dragged me away – you really can take care of yourself," Sasuke began, smirking slightly at Rinn earning him a gentle push in the cheek for his teasing, "What were the techniques that you were using?"

Rinn eyed him warily, raising an eyebrow and folding her arms. She was unsure whether or not he was still making fun of her.

"I'm being serious," Sasuke said, chuckling. "Tell me."

He prodded her in the ribs trying to provoke a response.

"Well... that weird protective sphere I can make is a lightning style technique. It's normally almost impenetrable but unfortunately has a weakness to wind. I'm now working on being able to project it to another target... So for example if one of my teammates is unable to block an attack I can help them out..."

Sasuke thought back to the time that Rinn attempted to use this against Shichiro before the chunin exams had gotten underway, when they had gotten into that fight in the woods. It certainly wasn't a perfected technique but it was still very formidable.

"The only problem is," Rinn continued, "At the moment I can't use this to defend whilst I'm attacking, it's either one or the other. Toru-sensei seems to think one day I might be able to do both but I'm not convinced myself!"

He raised an eyebrow at this.

If she can attack as powerfully as she does whilst having an almost impenetrable defence, she would certainly be challenging opponent in battle...

"What about your main attacks? Your red chakra?" Sasuke pressed, keen to find out as much as possible about her abilities. Not because he wanted to find out her weaknesses. In fact, it was more down to the fact that he wanted to learn about her strengths. Hell, she had left him alone in the village for more than enough time, and now he was keen to see what she had to show for it. So far he was not disappointed.

"As I'm sure you saw, my main attack is my bone breaking jutsu, and Toru-sensei also trained us pretty hard in Taijutsu and the use of weapons. When my eyes change, I can see inside people to their bones – almost like X-ray vision I suppose! That's how I managed to get all of the glass out of your hand that time. It also really helps when I perform any medical justu."

Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement.

"I'm assuming your medical jutsu is the green chakra? What can you heal?" He asked.

"Obviously bones in particular, but I've found I can heal most things... Apparently quite quickly as well, according to the hospital staff!"

"Yeah I've seen that in action a fair few times myself," Sasuke said, grinning.

"What about you? How's that sharingan of yours coming along?" Rinn said, shoving him playfully.

"Owwwww, don't abuse the sick!" Sasuke complained, grabbing his body in mock pain, causing Rinn to giggle at him, making his heart flutter a little.

"It's coming along alright thanks," he continued, "Although being stuck in here certainly isn't helping me improve it. I can't believe they're still keeping me here – I need to get back to my training!"

"Your fire and shuriken jutsu were pretty cool as well," Rinn interrupted, trying to distract him from his constant desire to escape from the hospital.

Sasuke smiled at her and mumbled a quiet "thanks" at her before going off into a thoughtful daze for a minute or so.

"Rinn..."

She looked over to him suspiciously.

"Yes Sasuke?"

"I think we need to name your jutsu," he said decisively, a sly grin appearing on his face.

"Excuse me?! And what do you mean we?!" She replied, a little outraged.

"Well... as far as you're aware nobody else possesses your skills, correct?"

Rinn nodded, eying him sceptically.

"In which case I think this is a perfect opportunity for you to coin the name for your techniques. It's such a mouthful explaining it all, right? Obviously your medical justu is already an established skill, but your attack, your defence and your eyes are nameless. And that just won't do..."

"Won't it," She stated sarcastically.

Sasuke shook his head, and then looked at her expectantly, eagerly waiting for an answer.

Rinn pondered this for a moment. Personally, she didn't really see the need for any of it, but Sasuke seemed to have his heart so set on it now that it would be like kicking a puppy in the face if she were to say no.

"Ok fine," she said reluctantly, sighing in dismay.

"Great!" Sasuke replied keenly, beaming at her and sitting forward a little now that he had a new job to do.

They sat there quietly for a few minutes, blinking into space. Sasuke would take a breath in occasionally and sit up straight, as if he were about to say something, before sighing heavily and slouching back down without uttering a word. This happened a few times before Rinn finally interrupted him.

"So...?" She said.

"Hmm?"

"Have you thought of anything yet?" she asked him, to which he merely frowned sulkily.

"Uggghhhh... This was your idea you know!" she griped, leaning her head backwards against the wall and looking up at the ceiling.

"I know it was – but it's much harder than I thought it would be OK? Everything I think of sounds ridiculous," Sasuke said, growling in frustration.

"Well what did you think of then?"

Sasuke blushed in response.

"Sasuke..."

"I can't remember."

"You little liar!"

"What? I can't..."

"Bull. SHIT!"

Rinn whacked him with a nearby cushion to emphasise her cursing.

"Owww! Hey! What did I tell you earlier about attacking the sick and vulnerable?" Sasuke whined, however this time he did not manage to coax a giggle out of Rinn – her facial expression was more akin to that of a mother not being fooled by her child pretending they are unwell. In one word: Unimpressed.

"Well, how about we bounce ideas off of each other then?" Sasuke suggested gently, anxious to avoid another cushion to the face.

"Sure, why not," Rinn said, still resentful of the entire task at hand.

"Blood palms and lightning shield?"

Rinn snorted.

"Bone crusher and blue orb?"

Rinn snorted again, a little louder this time.

"Red break and ocean sphere?"

Rinn finally lost it and was soon howling with laughter. When she eventually calmed down to a giggle, Sasuke was glaring at her, red cheeked and arms folded. Of course, this only made things more amusing for her.

"Sasuke, I'm so sorry, but... *snort* I think you should stop trying!" she continued laughing to herself.

"Morologus es!" she choked out to him through giggles, before taking a deep breath and managing to stifle them at last.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her for a second, before they quickly widened and suddenly a smile appeared on his face. Rinn was very confused at this, as she had just insulted him. 'Morologus es' is a Latin phrase which essentially means something like 'You sound like a moron', so she could not understand why he was looking so happy, unless he had forgotten what it meant.

"That's it Rinn! Let's name your jutsu in Latin – it's perfect!" Sasuke said jovially. When they were younger, he and Rinn had taught themselves some basic Latin from books so that they could converse in their own secret language that nobody else understood. It actually got them out of a lot of trouble quite regularly, as they often got up to things they shouldn't have as kids, and being able to discuss possible plans (and excuses...) in front of other people without them having the knowledge to follow it was incredibly useful.

Sasuke thought it would be a great idea to come up with a Latin name for Rinn's techniques. Not only would it be unique and special, just like Rinn was, but because it was so personal to the two of them he felt that he would always be with her, and that she would always remember him – no matter where their paths ended up leading them.

To his surprise, Rinn seemed to like his suggestion, and now seemed much more interested in coming up with ideas. They sat quietly as they listed as many relevant Latin words as they could remember on the back of Sasuke's medical notes, before they divided so that Sasuke could try and pick something for Rinn's defensive technique, whilst she worked on a name for her attack. It didn't take long before they both put down their pens and looked at each other happily, keen to share what they had written.

"You go first," Sasuke prompted.

"Ok. So for the bone breaking technique, I went for "Os-fragor". What do you think?"

"Hmm... 'Bone crash'? I guess the literal translation sounds a bit weird but in Latin it sounds cool. I like it!" Sasuke said, grinning.

"Great, let's hear yours then!"

"Impedimentum," he said simply.

"'Obstacle'?" she replied in slight surprise, and considered it for a moment before continuing.

"You know, you're not wrong! Impedimentium it is! Although I reserve the right to cut them down later on if they become too much of a mouthful..."

"It's no worse than you saying 'bone breaking' or 'weird blue barrier thing' now is it?" Sasuke teased, smirking at her slightly, before lazily staring at her for a while.

"Now then... what about those beautiful eyes of yours?" he said, absent-mindedly twirling a strand of her hair in his fingertips.

Rinn blushed.

"Well they're not very nice when they turn white, that's for sure. I look... well... dead..." She said awkwardly, looking down at the bed dejectedly. Sasuke quickly reached out and grabbed her chin gently between his thumb and index finger, forcing her to look back up at him.

"'Oculi adamas'," he said, smiling.

Diamond eyes.

Rinn went redder still, and desperately looked anywhere but at his gorgeous face (which was very close at this particular moment).

"O-Ok, but I think that might be a little too l-long... How about we cut it down to 'Oculidama'?"

Sasuke chuckled, before pulling her into a big bear hug.

"There, that wasn't so hard was it?"