Heavy

'Why do my missions always become so complicated?' Sakura thought miserably. Go to the Land of Iron and help heal some miners who had been injured in an accident. Then take a slight detour on the way home to collect some medicinal herbs from the Land of Waterfalls. It shouldn't have been difficult. Only some Sound ninja had gone to pick up the same medicinal herbs for Kabuto.

Four on one. She had taken them out, but she was pretty sure that one of them had used some sort of numbing toxin because her limbs felt heavy as she tried to trudge home. Tsuande would have expected her hours ago after she had sent a message from the Land of Iron to notify her she was heading to Waterfall and would return from there. If only she had enough chakra, she could summon one of her slugs and have them send for help.

Her legs buckled underneath her, and she had to catch herself against the nearest tree so that she didn't hit her head. More carefully, she lowered herself to the ground, still sprawled inelegantly but by controlling her landing, she didn't have any additional injuries to worry about. 'Dammit', she thought, her eyelids also feeling heavy, but it wasn't safe to succumb to the unconsciousness her body craved right now. She was out in the open, defenceless and, one way or another, she still had to get those herbs back to Konoha.

She didn't know how long she had lay there fighting to stay conscious when she heard someone drop to the ground beside her and a voice shouting frantically.

"Sakura! Sakura, can you hear me? She's here Sasuke!"

'Sasuke? Naruto?' She wanted to reassure them she was fine, but her tongue felt heavy too. 'Damn those Sound ninja!'

Another pair of feet appeared in her peripheral vision and she felt a hand gently running across her back, fingers tracing the back of her head.

"There's no serious injury. Her chakra's low."

"Then why does she look so beat?"

"Nng," she tried, and the fingers tensed in her hair. "Num- numbing toxin."

Naruto cursed and Sasuke growled. She loved her boys.

"We'll have to carry her back," Naruto observed.

"I'll do it. Will you help lift her onto my back?" Sasuke asked.

"No!" Sakura moaned as they started to lift her. "I'm too heavy. Just… just give me a bit."

Naruto laughed and Sasuke snorted as they continued to arrange her on his back.

"Naruto's eaten servings of ramen heavier than you," Sasuke said and Sakura chuckled.

Sasuke watched her from the corner of his eye as they set off, her head resting on his shoulder. "Go to sleep."

"Mm," she hummed, eyes blinking heavily a few times as she watched Naruto setting the pace ahead of them before they closed, and her breathing evened out.

Sasuke gave her one more sideways glance before picking up speed. "And don't worry me like that again."