"…overexerted herself…she'll be out of action for a while…so reckless…" a female voice said.

Sakura understood bits and pieces of dialogue as she drifted in and out of consciousness.

"…should have stopped her…so stubborn…" a male voice replied quietly.

"…it was Naruto…lost her sense of reason…"

"…his condition?"

"…full recovery…saved his life…"

Sakura lay there with her eyes closed, trying to figure out who was in the room with her. Based on the smell of the room, the quality of the bed, and the IV she felt in her arm, she was in the hospital. She couldn't remember why she was there, but she knew better than to cause a scene.

"Let me take her home," the male voice said stubbornly. Sakura knew that voice.

"Absolutely not," the female replied sternly. Sakura recognized it, too, from years of being on the receiving end of that commanding tone. "You are nowhere near qualified to care for her."

Sakura heard the man huff with frustration as the woman exited the room, her heels clicking on the floor as she walked away.

"I know you're awake." Sasuke said quietly, coming to her bedside.

Sakura tried to ask what had happened, but her throat was hoarse and no words came from her mouth when she tried to speak. She tried to open her eyes, but her lids felt so heavy, like they were made from lead.

"Don't," Sasuke chastised softly. "Just rest."

Sakura's consciousness began to fade, and before she was gone, she felt cool lips brush against her forehead.


When Sakura awoke the next day, the severity of her condition hit her like a ton of bricks. Every fiber of her being was overwhelmed by a dull ache. Her head was pounding, her limbs were heavy, and when she reached into her chakra pool, she felt only the slightest flicker of energy.

"I wouldn't try that, if I were you." The stern female voice was back.

Sakura slowly opened her eyes, noticing that it was nighttime and the room was dark. She was grateful for the lack of bright sunlight that she knew would have burned her eyes. "Tsunade-sama…" she said, smiling faintly.

Tsunade was seated across the room on a small sofa. "Don't even think about using your chakra for at least a week. You'll regret it." She rose from the sofa and walked to Sakura's bedside, taking Sakura's wrist into her hand to check her pulse. "You're still incredibly weak. If you weren't so bad off, I'd flick your forehead for being so foolish."

"What happened?" Sakura asked, confused. "I don't remember anything."

Tsunade chuckled to herself and shook her head. "You nearly killed yourself because you let your emotions get in the way of your common sense."

Sakura remained perplexed.

Tsunade returned to the sofa. "Naruto returned badly injured from a mission. We believe he was targeted because of his significance to Konoha as a war hero. He had lost a lot of blood, and several of his vital organs had been punctured. He was also subjected to torture, and his mind was in bad shape," she said grimly.

"How is he doing now?" Sakura asked, making a concentrated effort to remain calm.

"He made a full recovery, thanks to you and a lot of bedrest. He was asleep for three days and bedridden for another three. It was nearly impossible to keep him restrained, but Hinata managed to convince him to do as he was advised by the medical staff."

"Wait, that's six days…how long have I been asleep?"

"Only a week," Tsunade replied, chuckling at Sakura's anxiety. "Naruto was released yesterday."

Sakura couldn't believe that she had been asleep for that long. "So what happened to me?"

"You nearly drained your own life force trying to save Naruto. It was the damage to his mind that pushed you over the edge – you had already expended so much chakra healing his wounds and replenishing his blood. I honestly thought you were going to die for him; I know how important he is to you."

Sakura blushed with embarrassment and shame. "I should have known better than to push myself that far."

"You're damn right." Tsunade agreed emphatically; then her voice softened. "But you're both alive, and that's the important thing. Now you need to focus on your recovery."

Sakura nodded, knowing that she had narrowly escaped death, and she needed to take her recovery period seriously.

"You will remain in the hospital until I deem you fit for release." Tsunade said, her voice becoming business-like. "You are not allowed more than two visitors at a time. You are not allowed to leave your bed without assistance. You are not allowed to use your chakra."

Sakura bowed her head in submission. "Yes, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade rose from the couch and walked toward the door. "It's nearly midnight, so try not to stay up too late. You still need rest. You hear that, Sasuke?"

Sakura looked around, confused. Sasuke wasn't here, was he?

"Hn," a voice said from the window, and Sakura turned her head too quickly in an effort to locate Sasuke. She winced with pain.

"Lurking outside of windows is frowned upon, especially at this hospital. Next time, just come inside." Tsunade said reasonably. "Or at least try harder to conceal yourself; I'm not fond of being spied on by a child." she said haughtily, walking away.

As the sound of clicking heels faded, Sakura stared up at Sasuke, who was perched on the windowsill and was studying her with dark eyes. "How long have you been there?" she asked quietly.

Sasuke did not answer her question. "How do you feel?" he asked instead.

Sakura sighed, leaning back against her pillows. Her muscles burned with every movement, and she ground her teeth to fight the pain. "I'm okay." she lied through her teeth.

"Hn," Sasuke scoffed. "You were never good at lying."

Sakura sighed again. "What else am I supposed to say?"

"Tell the truth." Sasuke said, his eyes boring into hers with a soft intensity that revealed how much he truly cared.

"I feel like complete shit." Sakura admitted. "I also feel stupid for letting this happen," she sighed. "I'm just glad that Naruto is okay."

Sasuke did not say anything in response to that; he simply turned and stared out into the night, letting the cool breeze blow his bangs over his eyes.

"You were waiting for me in my office when I passed out, right?"

Sasuke didn't look at her when he nodded his head.

Sakura frowned. "Was there something you needed to talk to me about? You usually don't come inside the building…had you already heard about Naruto?"

Sasuke shook his head, keeping his eyes on the moon. "No. It was a coincidence."

"Well I'm glad you were there with me when I fainted. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if I had been alone and no one had found me until hours later." Sakura whispered.

"Me too." Sasuke agreed, finally looking her in the eyes again. "You scared me, Sakura." he said softly, so quiet that no one else would hear him admit one of his biggest fears.

Sakura looked down at her hands, which she had clasped in her lap. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Sasuke said bluntly, gracefully dropping from the windowsill and onto the floor. "You saved our best friend," he said as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

Sakura smiled a little bit at Sasuke's mild attempt to praise her. She noticed that his posture was rather stiff; he had yet to show her any sort of affection. Maybe being in the hospital makes him uncomfortable, she thought. "Hey," she said softly, trying to sit up.

Sasuke silently rushed to her side, one hand supporting her back as she struggled to lift herself from the pillows. "What are you doing?" he hissed. "Lay back down."

Sakura smiled and complied. "I just wanted you to come over here and sit with me," she said innocently.

Sasuke frowned at her. "Don't do that again. You're going to hurt yourself." His reprimand was only half-hearted, though; there was no bite to his words.

Sakura patted the space next to her on the bed, and Sasuke eyed her apprehensively.

"I don't think I should…" Sasuke hedged.

"I insist." Sakura said stubbornly with a grin.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I don't think it's appropriate for a hospital."

Sakura giggled, wincing a little bit as pain shot through her ribcage. "Don't be silly, I just want you to sit with me until I fall asleep. I promise I'll behave," she said earnestly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and slowly put his weight on the bed, careful not to bump into Sakura. Truth be told, he was incredibly worried about hurting her. He had watched her collapse in her office; he'd been the one who carried her through the halls until he found Tsunade. He had watched as they tried to resuscitate her when her heart gave out. He had stood there, completely helpless, just as he had done when Itachi confronted him after the death of his parents. When Shizune had announced that Sakura's heart was beating again, Sasuke felt immense relief wash over him. He hadn't realized that he had been holding his breath the entire time.

After they took Sakura into another room for proper treatment, he had lingered in the hospital for hours, his nerves completely shot. Once she had been placed in a permanent room, he had watched her nearly every minute of every day. He only went home to shower and eat when Tsunade agreed to look after Sakura herself; Sasuke trusted no one else to watch over her.

In all of the commotion, however, he had not forgotten for a single second that he still had a major decision to make. But he couldn't bring himself to say anything to Sakura until she was fully recovered; it wouldn't be fair to stress her out like that while she was already so weak.

"Relax," Sakura said gently, rubbing Sasuke's arm. "You can come a little closer; I'm not a china doll."

Sasuke hesitated, but complied with her request, kicking off his shoes and propping his feet up.

Sakura rested her head on his shoulder, taking a careful deep breath. "Promise you won't leave until I'm asleep?" she yawned.

Sasuke smirked, knowing that he would not be leaving for quite a while. "Promise." he agreed.


Sakura slept in longer than she would have at home; she noticed that someone had pulled the curtains shut to block out most of the morning light and give her more time to rest. Still feeling stiff, she slowly sat up against her pillows and pushed her call button for breakfast.

While she waited for someone to arrive, she surveyed her hospital room in the dim daylight. There were several cards on the table in the corner of the room, a "get well soon" balloon tied to a chair, and someone had even bought her a stuffed bear.

A nurse arrived with a bowl of chilled fruit and a small glass of water. Sakura could not hide her disappointment at the meager breakfast she was being offered.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-san, but this is protocol." the nurse said nervously, bowing with regret. "Your body needs time to acclimate."

Sakura sighed, but plastered a smile on her face. "Please don't worry; I understand."

The nurse made another quick apology before she quickly exited the room.

"New staff members are always so skittish." Sakura said to herself, taking a bite of a piece of cantaloupe.

"That's because you're scary when you're angry." a voice said from the doorway.

Sakura saw the orange jumpsuit from her peripheral vision as she turned and saw Naruto standing there, looking slightly skittish himself. "Naruto!" she said excitedly, wincing as she tried to sit up straighter.

"Hey, Sakura-chan." he mumbled, using one hand to rub the back of his head. His other hand was hidden behind his back. "I just wanted to drop by and thank you for, uh, saving my life."

"Please come sit down." Sakura gestured to one of the chairs at the table in the corner.

Naruto walked into the room, pulling a bouquet of flowers from behind his back as he did so. "I brought you these," he said, still looking a bit sheepish. "I feel really bad that you—"

"Don't worry about it, Naruto. I knew the risk," Sakura said, waving away his apology. "I don't really want to think about it right now," she explained.

"Oh, well here you go." Naruto handed her the bouquet, which included sunflowers, daisies, and baby's breath. "Ino said these flowers bring happiness or something. I'm not really good with all that flower crap," he chuckled.

Sakura smiled, taking the bouquet and setting it on her nightstand. "Thank you, they're wonderful. I'll ask a nurse for a vase the next time they come and check on me."

Naruto took a seat at the table. "So how long are you in here for?"

"I'm not sure yet. It depends on how long it takes my chakra to restore itself, I suppose." Sakura shrugged. "Until then, I'm Tsunade's prisoner." She tried not to sigh too heavily, as she could still feel tension in her lungs and ribcage.

"Have you seen Sasuke since you woke up?" Naruto asked casually, picking up the stuffed bear and examining it.

"I saw him briefly last night, but he's yet to visit today." Sakura said, shrugging again. "I think hospitals make him nervous."

"He was really worried about you, you know." Naruto said quietly. "I heard that he hardly left your bedside while you were out of it."

"I can believe it," Sakura nodded solemnly.

There was an awkward pause, and silence hung between the two friends for several long moments as they both struggled to find something else to say.

"You know, if hospitals make him so nervous, I wonder why he's sitting outside your window right now, eavesdropping on our conversation." Naruto said with a smirk.

Sakura's eyebrows rose in surprise as Sasuke silently came into the room through the window, brushing the curtains aside.

"You know, there is a door you can use," she chastised. "And I thought Tsunade told you to stop spying on me?"

Sasuke let the ghost of a smirk appear on his lips. "She only said she didn't like being spied on."

Sakura rolled her eyes as Naruto laughed at the loophole Sasuke had found. "So what's your excuse for lurking this time?"

"I didn't want to interrupt your time with Naruto." Sasuke shrugged.

"Lame excuse." Naruto said through an obviously fake cough.

Sasuke shot a cold glare at his comrade, but Naruto's sunny disposition went unaffected.

"So, like, what are you two nowadays?" Naruto asked rather bluntly.

Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other cautiously, each wondering what the other would say. Sasuke, being a private person by nature, left the decision up to Sakura. He knew that they both loved each other deeply, but he didn't know how he was supposed to label their relationship. And with the threat of the village council looming over his head…

"Committed," Sakura answered finally, smiling at Sasuke. He looks like he's brooding over something, she thought to herself absently.

Sasuke felt something tighten in the pit of his stomach. Was it guilt? Guilt for keeping such an important secret from Sakura?

"That's such a bullshit answer – have you slept together yet?"

And with that, Sasuke escorted Naruto from the hospital room via the open window. When Naruto was out of sight, Sasuke closed the window and pulled the curtains so that curious eyes would not be able to see into the room.

"He is so obnoxious." Sakura shook her head, but smiled at the bouquet of flowers on her bedside table "But he's got a heart of gold."

"Hn," Sasuke smirked. "His heart must match his obnoxious hair."

Sakura giggled, then clutched her ribs. "Ow! You can't make me laugh like that," she said, smiling as she gasped for breath.

Sasuke frowned. "You're right, you need to rest. No more visitors."

Now it was Sakura's turn to frown. "But I just woke up! You can't honestly expect me to sit here all day and stare at the wall?"

Sasuke just looked at her, and Sakura saw that his mind was preoccupied with something besides her wellbeing. Knowing Sasuke, however, she decided to change the subject instead of prying into his affairs; he would tell her whenever he was ready.

"I need a shower," she said, gesturing to her rumpled hospital gown and greasy pink hair. "They may have washed Naruto's blood off of me, but if I've been asleep for a week, then it's been a week since I was last clean!"

"I'll go find a nurse to assist you," Sasuke said, walking toward the door.

"No, I don't need a nurse," Sakura said stubbornly, throwing her legs over the edge of her bed. She tried to hide her pain as she stretched her legs, rolled her ankles, and curled her toes. After loosening her joints, she placed her feet on the floor and tried to stand.

"Whoa," Sasuke said, quickly scooping Sakura up into his arms as her knees gave out and she lost her balance. "You haven't walked in a week, and Tsunade said you're not allowed to leave your bed unassisted," he scolded.

"Well I don't need a nurse," Sakura repeated firmly. "Can you imagine? I'm in charge of these people during the week, and now I need them to help me walk? My reputation would be ruined," she huffed. "Just help me get to the bathroom and I'll handle the rest."

Sasuke scowled at Sakura and carried her into the bathroom, being extra careful not to jostle her as he walked. The hospital bathroom was equipped with a shower bench and detachable showerhead behind a thin white plastic curtain; quite minimalistic and depressing, in Sasuke's opinion, but he understood its purpose. He gently set her down on the bench and then stepped aside, unsure of what he was supposed to do next.

"Here, help me take off this ridiculous gown," Sakura said as she struggled to reach the ties that held her thin blue gown together on her backside.

Sasuke hesitated. "I should get a nurse," he mumbled. "This isn't appropriate."

Sakura groaned in frustration. "What are you talking about? You've already seen me naked, and we've showered together."

A hint of a blush crept onto Sasuke's cheeks. "Yes, but someone could walk in and get the wrong idea."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Nobody in their right mind is going to walk into my hospital room without authorization. They just brought me my breakfast, so unless I push the call button, they shouldn't be back until lunch to check on me," she said patiently. "Now, are you going to help me or not?"

Sasuke obliged, helping Sakura remove her hospital gown. Years of hiding his emotions from others allowed him to maintain his composure even as he saw the outward damage that had been done to Sakura's body during her attempts to save Naruto. He was no medical expert, but from the fading purple and green bruises on Sakura's chest and abdomen, he guessed that such an extensive use of chakra had put substantial strain on her vital organs and chakra network, and the damage extended all the way through to her skin.

Simultaneously, Sasuke couldn't help but admire Sakura's figure. His eyes roamed her body, noticing more week-old bruises before settling on the overall picture painted by her subtle curves. He blinked twice, realizing that he should be helping and not staring. He quickly pulled the shower head from its wall bracket and turned on the water, adjusting it to the right temperature for Sakura.

Sakura took the showerhead from Sasuke and smiled. "You can wait outside if that makes you more comfortable; I've got it from here."

Sasuke nodded and pulled the shower curtain closed to give Sakura more privacy as he exited the bathroom. He left the door slightly ajar in case she needed to call for assistance, and then he awkwardly sat on the bed to wait.

He hadn't been sitting for very long when there was a knock at the door and Ino walked in with a fruit basket. She gasped, eyes wide with surprise to see Sasuke in the room instead of Sakura.

"Oh, Sasuke!" she exclaimed, automatically standing a little straighter and subconsciously puffing out her chest. "I hadn't expected to see you here! Where is Sakura?" she asked, setting her gift on the table.

"She is cleaning up right now." Sasuke answered mildly, nodding to the bathroom door.

"But she's not supposed to be left alone, right? Tsunade-sama told me she's still fragile," Ino said, giving Sasuke a slightly disapproving look.

Sasuke let out a small chuckle in spite of himself. "Don't let her hear you say that."

Ino rolled her eyes. "I'll go sit with her." She turned back to look at Sasuke as she opened the bathroom door. "Unless you'd like to do the honors?" she asked innocently.

Sasuke scowled, and Ino giggled as she slipped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Sasuke had always found Ino to be obnoxious, but at least she was a good friend to Sakura now that their rivalry for him was over.


After Sakura was done bathing herself, Ino handed her a towel and helped her stand. Then they walked to the vanity and Ino ran a comb through Sakura's wet locks in a sisterly fashion.

"Hey," Sakura whispered, making sure that the door was shut and the bathroom fan was still running, drowning out the specifics of her speech to any outside listeners. "Did something happen with Sasuke when I was out of it? He's been acting a little standoffish since I woke up," Sakura said, biting her lip.

"Isn't that his trademark behavior?" Ino snorted.

Sakura frowned in the mirror at her friend. "Not with me, it's not. Maybe he still acts that way with you because you're a snarky and annoying gossip." She stuck her tongue out at Ino.

Ino rolled her eyes, continuing to comb wet knots out of Sakura's pink hair. She took a moment to consider Sakura's original question. "One of the advantages of being a gossip is that I hear more things than I should," she admitted seriously. "I heard that the night Naruto was attacked and you passed out after healing him, Sasuke had just come from a meeting with the Hokage when he came to the hospital. The other nurses said he looked murderous, like something had really pissed him off."

"Does anyone know what the meeting was about?"

Ino shook her head. "No, but I would imagine it was serious. You know Kakashi doesn't like playing the Hokage card."

"I wonder if he's being sent on a mission." Sakura said sadly. She'd been spoiled these past few months by Sasuke's constant presence, but in the end, he was still a shinobi. If the village had a mission that required the very best ninja, Sasuke was the man to call.

"Who knows, but try not to worry about it, okay? You have enough to worry about." Ino said firmly, pulling the hairdryer from the wall.


A/N: I admit, this was a bit of a filler chapter so that you all know what happened to Sakura after she fainted. Please review!