A/N: Let the burn begin.
Chapter 3
Sasuke's body lurched forward in bed before his eyes even had an opportunity to open. Once they did, he felt his sharingan had activated and sharpened his vision. His hand gripped the area where his left arm used to be in an attempt to soothe radiating pain but felt nothing there. He "Augh," he winced, sucking in a breath and resorting to gripping his left shoulder in an attempt to ameliorate the ghostly agony. This was the fourth time he'd been shocked awake by the fiery static that felt like the remnants of Naruto's rasengan shooting up what should have been there. This time, though, was the worst of them all.
He doubled over, curling into himself and tried to press his forehead to his knees. Sasuke tried carefully to open one eye to examine his chakra with his sharingan only to feel a stab of pain enter through both his temples. He squeezed his eyes shut and sucked in deep breaths to slow his panting.
Each second that passed felt like thirty. Surely enough, though, the painful static he felt dissipated. He relaxed the tension in his shut eyes slowly and leaned the back of his head against the dark wood of his headboard when his breath finally slowed to a reasonable pace. Shit, he thought, letting his hand fall limply to his side and his back to slump against his mattress. What the hell is happening? He felt a bead of sweat trickle down his jawline before dropping to his clavicle. With his lone hand, he grabbed his shirt collar and used it to wipe his face that gleaned with sweat.
He rolled on his left side and looked to the clock that hung across the room, his only decoration, if you could call it that. He traced its hands and let a disgruntled groan escape him. 4:22AM. He was probably only able to get a little over three hours of sleep, three and a half if he was lucky.
Sasuke deactivated his sharingan before he pulled himself up. There was no point in trying to force sleep at this rate. He decided he might as well start getting ready to meet the medic. It was time to focus on what he needed to do. Each move his torso made felt as though his muscles had just recovered from a stabbing cramp. He reasoned that this would be part of his penance: to feel the pain and exhaustion in his arm for as long his body forced it upon him.
He trudged to his bathroom, feet padding against the freshly installed bamboo flooring, and flipped the lights on. He was greeted by white marble countertops, a contemporary sink that poured water from a chrome spout, and a glass shower stall with water that drenched him from the ceiling. Before, he was worried that his new residence would be at least decent. Now, he was worried it was far too over-the-top.
When he first opened the door to his new abode, he was surprised to walk into an open concept space. A broad living room and kitchen, also paneled with fresh bamboo floors, were separated by a white marble countertop. Dark wood cabinets lined one wall that housed an electric stove with a matching microwave and deep basin chrome sink. His refrigerator hummed and rumbled gently with the sound of an icemaker. What seemed dissonant to the glamorous space was the antique Japanese dining table with four worn, navy cushions lining the long two sides. He immediately recognized it as his family's dining table from the Uchiha compound. On its surface, his mother served each meal, his father laid each newspaper, his brother polished each inch, and he, as a young boy, shared his heart with all three.
The table was his only piece of furniture, clearly shabby compared to the rest of the shiny surroundings. However, it was the only thing he liked.
This apartment must be a mistake.
Sasuke pulled his shirt over his head, stripped himself of his pants and boxers, and stepped into the steaming shower.
Sasuke was always quick and efficient. He did not like spending ample amounts of time on morning tasks, but he lingered on the remnants of his left arm as he scrubbed it clean, red scar tissue angrily stretching up his towards his shoulder. It created raging canyons on his skin that mimicked the paths of violent lightning bolts that dug into his muscles. When he touched the scars with his fingertips, he could barely feel the sensations that should have been there. He let a moment pass to ponder.
The morning he and Naruto were found, he was barely conscious when he felt warm chakra pouring into his weak muscles beginning from where his arm used to be. Sakura's green, focused eyes refused to look in his direction. No doubt, she was angry. No doubt, she was thankful. No doubt, he had never felt more relieved to see tears stream down her face when he finally apologized.
He shook off the memory, quickly rinsed the suds from his muscled form, and turned off the water. As he dried himself, he pictured her again. The despairing face she made when several Allied Force shinobi arrested him after he and Naruto released everyone from the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Then, the face of understanding when he turned back with the last of his energy that day to give her a look that read, Don't worry.
He tossed his towel over his head and began to ruffle his drenched locks. She entered his mind again in the form of her handwriting. His team had written him an update while he was held in the prison for interrogation, forced to read words in the presence of guards and Ibiki Moreno. It was mostly compiled of the dunce's messy handwriting and his poor attempt at explaining legal procedures. Two sentences from Kakashi about negotiations with the council and his detainment were sprinkled in the middle. Their messy signatures were scrawled on the bottom of the page. Then, at the very end, he could nearly hear her voice whisper through the page: With love, Sakura.
When he hung his towel back on the metal rod across the sink, he paused to look at his wrist. Sakura had held him there the previous day, her grip firm yet reassuring. He'd been amused, but also curious about the desire to not have her let go. Even more curious was the yearning on his skin that was left behind when she finally did.
Sasuke shivered and hurried out of the bathroom to put on a new set of clothes. You're just sleepy, he told himself. You need rest…
Sasuke audibly growled in embarrassment at himself. Why is she coming up in his thoughts like this? His mind was clearly not in its usual state. His lack of sleep caused him to let his mind wander too much and focus on the unnecessary.
He slunk on a black cotton sweater, careful to choose one that covered his left stump and did not flash the Uchiha crest. He slipped on dark blue pants before making his way back into the bathroom to brush his teeth. As the toothpaste bubbled in his mouth, he took the time to examine his face. His hair was damp and grouped his hair together in small strings of black. His face seemed paler than the day before due in part to the way it contrasted with the beginnings of dark circles already forming under his eyes. Great.
Within thirty seconds, he rinsed his mouth, slipped on his shoes, locked the door, and jumped off the railing to begin his walk to the hospital.
Sakura leaned against the concrete walls outside the hospital entrance and closed her eyes. The air was chilly and caused her to wrap her white coat around her body tightly and hold it in place weakly with one hand. Her other hand was pressed to her forehead to soothe her fatigued mind. She didn't sleep well, thoughts riddled with what she could have said better the night before. The worst thought, though, was the way he looked at her when he first entered her apartment. Flat on her belly, her panda shirt riding up her back, doe in the headlights. It was the first time she'd seen that expression on his face and couldn't place what emotion it was, but it made her cheeks burn. "Ugh!"
"You okay?"
Her eyes shot open and focused on the subject of her mind. "Sasuke-kun," she breathed. Sakura's brow suddenly furrowed in concern as she caught a better view of his eyes. "I should be asking you that question."
Sasuke shrugged tiredly. "Didn't sleep well."
You too, huh? she thought.
The pinkette instinctively raised her hand to brush his hair out of his eyes to examine them better. Sasuke felt his breath hitch, though imperceptible to Sakura, as he saw her slender fingers inch closer to him. Suddenly, she stopped herself. Her arm fell limply to her side before even touching him.
"Sorry, force of habit," she chuckled, turning her back to him to lead him into the hospital. "I'm sure Naruto will let you rest in his room. There's a reclining lounge chair you can lay on."
What felt like mild disappointment ached in his chest when she turned away. Sasuke followed closely behind her, unconsciously lessening the unwritten rule of an arm's length distance by a fourth. He took a moment to study her appearance. She wore a jade blouse that matched the color of her eyes and black capris. Her white coat was draped over her left arm. The smell of rosemary and mint wafted into his nose. Comforting. Familiar.
The halls were quiet despite the nurses who still walked up and down to peek into patient rooms. Each one greeted Sakura with either a smile or a wave. Some even bothered to give a small bow to Sasuke in acknowledgment.
On the seventh floor of the west wing, they reached a door labeled, "Uzumaki." Sakura and Sasuke quietly entered the dim space, the latter pausing at the foot of the bed to watch as the medic walked to Naruto's sleeping form. He splayed out on his bed like a starfish, though his upper half was slightly raised by the incline of the bed. An IV line was snug in place in his left arm. The blonde's sheets were nearly off the mattress and left his lower half bare. Sakura tapped his shoulder lightly causing a loud snort to escape the blonde's open mouth.
"Hah?" Lazy blue eyes opened slightly to find green. "Sa'ka-chan," he slurred. He tilted his head slightly to get a better look at the dark form standing by his feet. "Sa…TEME!"
Sakura's hand slapped over Naruto's mouth with a harsh smack! "Lower your voice, Naruto!" she hissed.
His blue eyes looked up sheepishly at her and muttered what Sasuke believed was, "My bad," through her firm fingers.
Sasuke grimaced when she released him, for Naruto's questions shot out at a rapid-fire pace.
"Howcomeyoudidntvisitmeyesterday? DoyouknowhowlongIwaswaiting?"
Sakura opened her mouth to reply, but Sasuke beat her to it. "I was tired and I don't care."
Naruto pouted for a moment before his face suddenly broke out into a wide grin. "Good to see you now, Sasuke."
The Uchiha smirked in response.
Sakura looked between the two of them, confusion on her face. "I'll never understand you two," she sighed, though her own smile formed on her lips. She glanced at the digital clock on Naruto's nightstand. "I have to get going to the East Wing to make my rounds. Naruto, I'll be back at around noon. Don't make too much noise until then."
"Right, right," he assured her, his voice a loud whisper.
She walked by the Uchiha and turned slightly to quietly say, "Get some rest, Sasuke-kun," before taking her leave. Sasuke's gaze didn't leave her until the door clicked shut.
"Wo-ow."
"What?" Sasuke snapped.
"Nothing. I just felt that."
Sasuke meandered over to the green reclining lounge chair and sunk into its cushions. "What?" he repeated, irritation fueled by exhaustion rising in his voice.
"Get some rest, Sasuke-kun," Naruto said, his falsetto voice mimicking a tone saturated in admiration.
Sasuke reached behind him to grab one of the chair's cushions and swung it at Naruto's face. "Shut up."
Naruto pushed the cushion just before it could smack his nose, snorting a laugh. "Did you leave me here to rot so you could frolic in a field of pink flowers?" Sasuke swung the cushion again, but Naruto blocked it once more with his hand. "Wait, wait, one more, just one more!" the blond laughed as the Uchiha stared at him with an unamused expression. "Did you—uh, did…ah, I lost it."
"Are you done?"
Naruto leaned back and sighed. "For now, but it'll come back to me."
Sasuke swung the cushion one more time, successfully thwacking Naruto's face. The blond sputtered and pushed the cushion back in his best friend's direction, rubbing his nose dramatically. The raven-haired shinobi put the cushion back in its place behind him before finding the lever to extend the recliner's leg rest. It was as though his body creaked in appreciation at the resting position. He swiveled to sit parallel from Naruto's position. The two of them stared at the wall ahead of them in comfortable silence before Sasuke said, "I just had dinner at her place and went home right after."
"How long ago was that? Thirty minutes? You both look like you chugged herbal tea instead of green."
Sasuke raised his right hand and rested it over his eyes. He was sure he looked even worse than when he saw himself in his bathroom this morning. His mismatched eyes burned with exhaustion, but he didn't want to say the reason of why he couldn't sleep into words. Instead, he decided to change the subject. "How did you end up in here?"
"I was really excited that my body was resting up faster than the arm with Hashirama's cells could be made. Muscle tears healed instantly for a while and then Kurama had enough of my bullshit because I kept demonstrating how his chakra could seal up any wound."
"You were bragging."
Sasuke could almost hear Naruto's pout as he muttered something defiant under his breath.
"Bragging makes you do reckless things."
Naruto snorted a laugh. "You and Sakura-chan are on a weird wavelength or something," he said, piquing Sasuke's curiosity and irritation. "She said the exact same thing yesterday. Did you both send each other more letters when you were away without telling the rest of us?"
"No, we didn't." Sasuke rubbed his temples with his broad hand. If it were true, it was odd that he and Sakura said the exact same thing to Naruto. Something had felt off about being with her yesterday and that morning, although it wasn't uncomfortable. If anything, it was rather enjoyable. Which, he supposed, could also be principally uncomfortable. "She only ever signed her name at the bottom of that letter you three sent me. Nothing more."
The two of them sat quietly for a moment again. He sensed that Sasuke's exhaustion was reaching its peak. He attempted to change the subject to something more lighthearted. "How do you like your new place?"
It was Sasuke's turn to scoff. "It's too big, too fancy." Without skipping a beat, he added, "I like Sakura's much better." Sasuke's eyes fluttered open in confusion, as that last comment surprised even himself. He hoped Naruto didn't notice.
Oh, but Naruto did.
"Are you sure nothing happened between you two?" the blonde asked, his tone more serious as he circled back to questioning. When Sasuke didn't reply, Naruto sensed the touchiness of the subject. He held his tongue and tried again to be lighthearted, yet sneakily sprinkle the pinkette's name to gauge his best friend's reaction. "You know, I was the one who picked that place out especially for you. Sakura-chan and I are both here to pay for it, so we figured we'd let you get more bang for our buck. She gets a nice fat paycheck, now. You can think of it as a welcome back gift."
Silence. Naruto peeked over to see if his friend had dozed off only to see that Sasuke's eyes were focused on the ceiling above them as though he were solving an extensive mathematical equation. "When did Sakura move out of her parents' home?"
"About a month ago."
"When did the two of you start paying for my apartment?"
"About a month ago," Naruto repeated.
A pause.
Naruto sighed. "She insisted that you take her current apartment, but I thought it was because she was wanting something all fancy. She kept telling me that you didn't seem like the type to want something so new and shiny. I guess Sakura-chan was right. Both about your opinion of your brand-new apartment and picking the three-month lease, since you hate it so much." Naruto's tone softened as he said, "You two can read each other like books."
Something stirred in Sasuke's chest at the sound of that comment. He shook it off, turned to face the hospital window away from Naruto, and mumbled, "I'm going to sleep." He shut his eyes and felt his brow furrow. This time, he slept soundly.
Hours later, Sakura returned to the room to find her two teammates deep in slumber. She carefully shut the door and slipped through their two sleeping forms and behind Sasuke's reclining chair to lower the window blinds to shield them from the midday sun. The noise made Naruto stir, causing Sakura to look back at him. "Sakura-chan," he greeted, a drowsy grin forming on his face. "Noon already?"
She nodded her head tiredly. "How are you feeling?"
"Better than he looks," he replied, gesturing over to the sleeping Uchiha.
Sakura peered over the back of the reclining chair to check on Sasuke. He slept on his right side, his lone hand gripping his left shoulder tightly, even in his sleep. His legs looked as though he attempted to curl up to preserve his warmth in the chilly room. Sasuke's face was usually hardened and unamused, but in his sleeping hours he looked almost like a child. Dark eyebrows were relaxed, his mouth slightly open and absent of tension that normally caused his lips to form a thin, unamused line. His eyes had slightly darker circles compared to this morning, though she wasn't sure if it was due greater access to light or because the rings were truly growing darker. Sasuke stirred slightly, attempting to bring his knees closer to his chest.
Sakura gave a weak smile at his sleeping form as she walked to his side. She slid her white coat off her shoulders and carefully draped it over Sasuke's torso. "There aren't any spare blankets on this floor," she whispered. "This'll have to do."
Naruto watched the act of affection unfold but decided to keep his jokes to himself. "When is your break?" he asked.
"The nurses helped me schedule one now for an hour," she replied, rubbing her eyes. "I wanted to check on you first."
Naruto grinned. "Forty-five minutes is a good length of time for a nap. I'll let you have my lunch when you wake up." He shuffled to the far left of his hospital bed and reached over with his left hand to pat the space between him and Sasuke. "I'll be your alarm."
With the rest of her long shift ahead of her, Sakura obliged immediately. She crawled onto the space he offered and turned her back towards him. "Thanks, Naruto," she murmured. Before he could even reply, he heard her breath slow and saw her shoulders relax.
After a few moments, sure she was fast asleep, Naruto said, "So how long have you been awake?"
Sasuke's eyes were open and focused on the white sleeve of Sakura's medical coat that rested in front of him. "Less than a minute." He shifted in the chair and settled on his other side, careful to not let her coat slide off of him. He watched Sakura's tranquil expression on her face, hands pressed up on the right side of her face to give herself some elevation. He was careful not to let his gaze scan her whole body, knowing well that Naruto was observing him. Instead, he focused on the peculiar yin seal on her forehead, strands of pink hair delicately brushing against the skin there.
"She's been doing this for the last five days," Naruto said quietly. "Just walks into the room to take a nap before zooming back out there to work."
Sasuke said nothing at that, but Naruto could see the ends of his mouth twitch slightly in a frown. Even months after the war, physical consequences still exist that she and other medics were obligated to treat. And, according to Sakura herself, mental scars of hundreds of children formed and are possibly still forming. He closed his eyes once more and pinched the bridge of his nose. He could not help but think of his near-contribution his rage-filled revenge almost made.
"Don't let guilt eat you up, Sasuke," Naruto said carefully.
When the Uchiha opened his mouth to respond, fiery static burst from his ghostly arm yet again and caused him to grip his shoulder. Sakura's white coat slipped onto his lap when he hissed through his gritted teeth as he curled into himself. From the corner of his eye, he saw the blonde's shocked expression as he reached out to wake their sleeping teammate. "Don't," Sasuke croaked through the pain.
"Stupid, that's not normal," Naruto spat quietly, but he let his arm fall hesitantly back by his side. "Why don't you get that checked? You're in a hospital with what we can basically say is a personal doctor."
Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut and quieted his gasps as best he could. He merely shook his head, parts of his fringe sticking to his face by the sweat that began to form on his forehead. He pressed the side of his face into the recliner's plush cushion to muffle his breaths. The agonizing seconds soon passed, and Sasuke found himself exhausted yet again, the flames turning to embers, the embers turning into ash. As he turned to lay on his back, he used the collar of his shirt to wipe his face away from the sweat that formed there and allowed his sore body to relax.
"Leave it alone," he panted. I deserve this.
Naruto's brows furrowed together in a mix of frustration and worry. He opened his mouth to say something, but he soon changed his mind and just shook his head. They sat in silence, save for the gentle ticking of the wall clock. "What are you going to do when it gets too much?"
Sasuke didn't reply.
"You can't keep torturing yourself."
Nothing.
"When you hurt, we all hurt."
Still, nothing.
"Sakura-chan hurts the most."
"She has no need to," Sasuke snapped quickly. She has others to worry about, he told himself, but something panged in his chest at the thought, knowing the power of her worry.
"She can't help it."
"Shut up."
Naruto knew he struck a chord in his best friend, but he had a feeling it was in a good way. He gave a small, knowing smile that he knew Sasuke couldn't see and leaned back into his inclined hospital bed. He watched Sasuke carefully lift Sakura's medical white coat. He Uchiha hesitated at the sight of her name sewed into its lapel in red thread. He pulled it over his torso and shrugged back into the cushions of the recliner. She shouldn't worry about me.
