Chapter 2

Gods, it was cold.

"Can't we turn the heating up?" she just barely managed to say without a whine.

"It's all automated," Shisui told her apologetically – and not for the first time. Grimacing as she wrapped her cardigan tightly around her, Sakura closed in on herself on the sofa, bringing her knees up to her chest. "You know I can't change it."

Why they felt the need to turn it off in the night was beyond Sakura. Occasionally, the odd resident didn't want to stay in bed so sat with them in the lounge and even if they didn't, there was still the carers. What about their well-being? If they got sick, they could pass it onto the residents and there was no telling how some of their bodies would handle even a common cold.

She tipped her head back when the doors beeped, signalling someone's approach and she smiled at the sight of Shizune, soon turning on the sofa to get a better look of her.

That smile vanished at the look on her face and she suddenly forgot about how cold it was.

"Shizune-san?" she called out, frowning.

That frown was soon mirrored by Shisui, his concern obvious. "What happened?"

"A resident has passed away," she told them sadly. "We also have to close a unit due to an outbreak of DNV."

DNV was short for diarrhoea and vomiting – though, it wasn't as simple as it seemed, like she'd originally thought, forgetting how old some of the residents were. Some forgot to keep themselves hydrated and grew increasingly frightened because, to them, their body was experiencing a great trauma. People her age would bounce back from it and managed to get through it relatively quickly. For the residents, they lingered in that sick stage, their bodies struggling to overcome it.

In an attempt to prevent it spreading, they had to close off the entire unit, even if it was only a couple of residents showing the symptoms. It also meant that whoever was working that shift, would without a doubt be on for the rest of the week (or until it was well and truly over). The carers would have to wear specialist equipment while handling all residents too, which was always horrible to do, as it frightened them.

A unit being closed also meant absolutely no visitors – even professional visits were cancelled unless absolutely necessary.

It wasn't their unit being closed and part of Sakura was selfishly grateful for that. The last time it'd happened while on her shift (and on the unit she was working on), she'd eventually contracted the horrible sickness, soon passing it onto her roommate when she'd tried caring for her.

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Shisui.

"I'm afraid that we're all at risk of contracting it, as the day staff failed to notice the signs of it."

Meaning that, during handover, they'd potentially passed it on. Damn it.

Understandably, Shisui was agitated, although Sakura couldn't help but watch him in surprise. She'd never seen him in a bad mood before. "I've just finished giving Uncle Madara something to eat."

"We both did," Sakura realised worriedly.

Even normal procedures they followed (such as washing their hands before and after every task) did very little to stop it. Their immune systems were too weakened due to their old age.

And Madara was the oldest one on the end of life care.

"Change Madara-san's checks to hourly checks," Shizune ordered and walked around the sofa, grabbing his charts. "When was his last bowel movements?"

"He hasn't opened bowels since we started," Shisui informed her. "But he refused to eat today until we fed him just now."

That wasn't unusual for the stubborn Uchiha, so Sakura wasn't overly concerned by Shizune's single nod. "Make sure you keep him well hydrated," she told them both, frowning as she turned the page in his charts. "It seems he has a doctor's appointment this week anyway, so until then, we'll do what we can." That frown soon changed into a scowl and whatever she was reading didn't seem to surprise Shisui, not even when she muttered, "He wasn't checked at six."

That was why his window had been open, then. Like Sakura previously thought: it was easy to forget about Madara and many wanted to avoid him due to how unpleasant he could be.

"I will mention it at handover," Shizune continued to mutter.

The poor woman was no doubt stressed and Sakura frowned. "Shizune-san, the resident…?"

She sighed and lowered the file. "It was Ukina-san on the E.M.I unit."

Relief and sadness shot through her simultaneously and in response to her relief, guilt swarmed her, because while it hadn't been who she feared, it was still someone's relative. Someone's mother and grandmother. Sister and child. They still deserved her utmost respect and care.

Realisation had Shisui looking between the two women. "Sakura-chan has only been here two months, Shizune-san."

In response to his words, she pulled a chair up to the sofa, sitting down in front of her. "You haven't been here for the loss of a resident before," she began with a sigh, placing down Madara's file and taking her hand. "It's not easy, so I want you to know my door is always open, okay? Did they go over the support system we have here?"

Sakura shook her head.

"You can ask for counselling," Shisui told her quietly. "It's free of charge – the company takes care of you."

She'd only been on the E.M.I unit a handful of times, each experience highly unpleasant. But as Shisui had told her each time they were placed there: the residents couldn't help it. Not really. They were confused the majority of the time, that confusion causing them to grow agitated and, in most cases, violent.

Gods, she could remember the first time she'd been hit while working up there. It'd been such a shock. Shisui had caught many of the blows, restraining the resident carefully while she went about cleaning him up, changing his pad and redressing him. But then she made the rookie mistake of going near the resident's feet, Shisui's warning too late as she was caught in the stomach. Hours later and a foot sized bruise began developing. It was shocking how strong the elderly were.

Ukina was… She was actually one of the very few who rarely got violent, unless she was purposely provoked. From what Sakura could recall (as the woman had blended in so easily, meekly sitting in the corner and reading, hoping and praying she wouldn't be bothered), she'd been sent up to the E.M.I unit due to having outbursts (for the E.M.D unit, Sakura supposed it did warrant concern) and refusing to co-operate. Shisui hadn't been pleased when he heard of her being moved, but there was nothing he could do. His word was nothing compared to the written reports and random behaviour charts.

"Was it because of DNV?" asked Shisui when she failed to respond.

"I don't believe so, as Ukina-san didn't show any signs of the sickness. It seems as though she merely passed away in her sleep, but the postmortem will be able to tell us more."

Poor Ukina, Sakura couldn't help but agonise internally. She hoped it was during her sleep, as that would mean the woman wouldn't have been aware of her own death.

"Back to the counselling services," Shizune said and looked back to her, those dark eyes filled with concern. "I will return after your next checks with some handouts. If you feel it to be necessary to speak to someone, then by all means, do so. Please."

After her nod of agreement, Shizune excused herself politely and left to inform the rest of the units of Ukina's death and the closure of the E.M.I unit.

She sunk back into the sofa, knees coming to her chest once more and by her side, she felt more than saw Shisui moving a little closer, their arms brushing momentarily.

"Ukina-san was a good woman," he murmured.

She nodded quickly.

"You spoke to her a few times, didn't you?"

"We talked about books."

"Come to think of it, every time I saw her, she always had a book in hand."

She'd just wanted to keep to herself, no doubt terrified of how brutal some of the other residents on the E.M.I unit could be. Gods, it was a terrible unit at the best of times – there was always some kind of disagreement, or something bad in general happening. When she and Shisui had worked on there only a few weeks back (along with two others), she'd been startled when one resident in particular repeatedly dressed down in the lounge and relieved themselves, growing vicious when they tried stopping them.

"What happens now?" asked Sakura quietly, meeting his downcast gaze.

"Shizune-san will inform Ukina-san's family and there will be an investigation into her death to find out the cause. The family will come in within the next week – no, later, actually due to the quarantine – and collect her belongings, should they wish to. If not, we will follow their wishes of either sharing Ukina-san's belongings with other residents or donating them to a charity store."

Other than sentimental items, she could recall her mother giving away the rest of her grandmother's things and at first, Sakura had been angry about it, as they were her grandmother's, meaning they had no right to give them away. But despite the awful feeling of tossing it all aside, she'd eventually come to realise after taking a few items for herself, that it didn't matter. None of it did. Not including the sentimental things, it was all superficial. They were material items that she had no use for.

But still, she couldn't imagine seeing other residents wearing Ukina's clothes, or using her belongings like her walking frame or precious books.

She sighed. "Shisui-san?"

He looked down at her. "What is it?"

"I'm cold," she whined, head dropping to her knees.

"You know," he murmured suddenly, playfully and she stiffened when his arm once more brushed against hers. "We could always cuddle to keep warm."

Hidden by her arms, Sakura couldn't help but smile widely, heart stuttering nervously at the thought of cuddling with Shisui. Instead, however, she put on a disapproving voice, snapping, "Don't be taking advantage of me in a moment of weakness!"

He quickly pulled back. "I didn't mean–"

The genuine panic in his voice had her giggling and in response, she heard him breathe out a heavy sigh, felt him nudging her a moment later.

"That was mean, Sakura-chan," he complained.

"Was it? I'm sorry."

"Why don't I believe you?"

"Because you're secretly paranoid."

"Ah, but the fact that I'm displaying said paranoia means that it's not so secret."

Turning her head in his direction, she allowed him to see her playful expression as her lips stretched into a warm smile, one that seemed to take him by surprise. Much to her amusement, he looked towards the television, sweeping a hand through his hair.

"Is that a blush, Shisui-san?" she asked, giggling.

"The most beautiful woman in my life is smiling at me," he replied and glanced at her from the corner of his eye, his smirk impish and causing her insides to melt. That was all he needed to get her back, murmuring slyly, "Why, Sakura-chan, is that a blush?"

She buried her face into her knees once more, attempting to hide the blush he'd already seen, the ferociousness of the burn on her cheeks stunning her.

Fortunately – or unfortunately, since she wasn't sure how to view it just yet – one of the alarms sounded for a resident, telling them they were either out of bed or had pressed a button for their assistance. Since the majority of the residents on the end of life unit were still mobile, Shisui sighed and stood up, murmuring that he would answer it.

In his absence, Sakura glanced to the television though didn't really focus on it as she bit her lip.

Her playful banter with Shisui never failed to get her heart racing – sometimes, depending on how flirtatious they both got, it even caused the beginnings of arousal to stir within her.

She would be lying if she said she'd never considered what it would be like to date Uchiha Shisui, but the harsh reminder of how it would change their working lives always shut those thoughts down. Most places disliked couples working together, so it was only safe to assume that they'd be separated and placed on opposite shifts, meaning they would never really have any time together other than handover, which she so wasn't counting. Still, Sakura wondered how the relationship would play out. Would it remain playful and light-hearted, or would it grow serious fast? Would they have the time to explore their feelings, or would they dive headfirst into everything all at once?

All she really knew of the Uchiha family was what Sasuke had told her and how he acted and from what she'd pieced together: they were intense. Would a relationship with Shisui be any different?

The thoughts disappeared when Shisui reappeared, rubbing his hands together with the sanitising gel stationed around the corridors and rooms.

"Everything okay?" she asked, watching him sit down beside her. Like earlier, he was closer than usual, but she couldn't find it in herself to complain, not when it made her heart stutter with excitement.

"Yeah," he replied easily and smiled down at her. "Arashi-san spilled a drink and needed clean bed sheets."

She didn't need to ask if Shisui had made sure the floor was dry – he never missed a detail when it concerned the residents. It was one of many things she admired about him.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Shisui, stunning Sakura by lightly nudging her.

Was he trying to keep her spirits lifted after the sad news? She felt herself melting inside and she smiled, telling him truthfully, "You're really good at your job."

"Thank you," came his quiet reply. Glancing away from her, he unknowingly copied her earlier actions by looking to the television, his eyes unfocused. "After starting this job, I quickly discovered that these people rely so heavily on us – for most of them, we're all the family they have. So, I always try my best for them."

Yes, she'd sadly noticed that, too. At least half of the residents up on the E.M.I unit had no-one to visit them, their family members no longer seeing any reason as to why they should bother, considering their loved one couldn't remember them. Half of them disliked seeing them in such a way and while Sakura could somewhat understand, it still pained her in those brief moments when the residents could remember, or when they got stuck in a memory and demanded to know where their family had gone.

Gods, dementia was a terrible disease.

"I was thinking, Shisui-san," Sakura began, pausing as she carefully considered the thought that had been playing in her mind repeatedly in the lead up to Christmas. Would he agree to it? Would it be too much? Hesitantly, she gazed up at him from beneath her lashes, only to quickly avert her eyes when she found him already looking her way. "I wanted to try and get each resident a gift for Christmas, seeing as some of them don't have any family and won't receive anything."

"Sounds expensive," he told her honestly.

"Yeah," she agreed with a nod. "But I was thinking instead of doing a Secret Santa for each other, we could use that money on the residents."

"It's a nice idea and I'm all for it," Shisui said, sighing. "But a lot of the others have children and in previous years, they haven't participated in Secret Santa."

Again, she nodded, feeling defeated.

He nudged her again. "They don't really care about gifts, anyway," he assured her gently. Then, he added quietly, "Many of the residents here are lonely, so perhaps the greatest gift we can give to them is our time and compassion."

Her heart warmed and once more, she looked to him. "Ukina-san liked it when I sat and spoke with her about the latest book she was reading. Sure, she didn't always remember what she'd read, but there were times when she'd pick out the littlest detail and stick to it."

"It probably reminded her of a similar situation in her life," Shisui replied thoughtfully. "Ukina-san might not have been able to understand why it stood out to her more than other parts of the stories, but I believe that's the reason."

They sat in comfortable silence for a short while after that conversation, watching a movie until their next rounds began, the pair of them separating momentarily as they individually changed the pads of residents who needed it. Between those changes and while writing in their notes, they resumed their friendly banter, teasing one another.

Smiling to herself, Sakura waited outside of Madara's room as Shisui spent a few extra minutes with his uncle.

As draining as her job could be at the best of times (especially the night shifts, which she'd yet to get used to), she loved it. Every minute of it. And she knew it was partly thanks to the man she worked with, his calming presence helping her as she learned the ropes.

When he left Madara's room and wrote in his notes, he smirked to himself, though wouldn't tell her why. She decided not to push it just in case it was a private moment between the relatives.

Instead, she guided the way back to the lounge area, grabbing extra bed sheets along the way, much to her colleague's amusement. Sakura knew he was just as cold as she could be, however, because he gratefully accepted the blanket, draping it over his shoulders as they settled down on the sofa once more, the pair of them only somewhat miffed that they'd missed the ending of their movie. They'd spoken through the majority of it, anyway.

"How's Madara-san doing, anyway?" she asked as they helped themselves to a packet of biscuits from the kitchen, dunking them into their tea. Reaching to the plate situated between them as they sat cross legged opposite one another, she looked up at Shisui, adding, "You seemed to be in good spirits leaving his room."

Shisui huffed at that, sipping his tea. "He was teasing me, believe it or not."

Really? Madara teased him? Saying that, the old man was like a completely different person when his great nephew was in the room. The familiar face seemed to make the whole situation easier for him.

"Why?"

"Because of you," he told her unabashedly, smirking. "He said I need to hurry up and ask you out already – I'm a coward for hesitating, apparently."

Damn it. Shisui had definitely waited until she'd taken a sip of her tea before telling her that, Sakura thought grumpily, trying to hide the fact she was choking on the liquid. Bringing a hand to her mouth, her shoulders and chest convulsed, leaving her eyes to water as she fought the urge to cough.

"W-What did you say?" she asked hoarsely, throat feeling like it was burning.

Much to her embarrassment, he laughed, though Sakura quickly discovered it wasn't at his uncle's words, it was due to her choking. He reached around her, patting her firmly on the back.

"Isn't it a good thing I'm qualified to care for others?" he murmured playfully.

How the hell was she supposed to focus on what he was saying when they were so close? Her cheeks raged with their blush as she glared down at her tea, trying and failing to calm her racing heart.

"I told him about my plan."

She regretted trying to look at his expression, instead coming eye level with his shoulder. Even though he was no longer patting her back, his hand continued to rest there, his closeness effecting her ability to think clearly.

"Plan?" came her meek response.

He hummed teasingly and leaned back, granting her with more space to breathe easily. It had her inwardly sighing with relief. "Mmhm."

Did he require more pushing? "What's your plan, then?"

"Well, I was going to continue buttering you up to me," he began with a smirk and sat back, taking another biscuit with him. Dunking it, he brought it to his mouth, forcing her to wait as he slowly ate it and while Sakura knew he was doing it to tease her, she couldn't take her eyes off the way a single droplet of tea slipped from his lips and down his chin. "Then, when the time was right, I'd ask you out and go all out with the date, so that any future date would never match up. You'd always be thinking to yourself, 'ah, this sucks compared to what Shisui had in store for me. I should definitely go on another date with him'."

Sakura smirked at that.

"And then I'd be the luckiest man alive, having you on my arm."

Chuckling to herself, she daringly reached forward, taking Shisui by surprise as she wiped the tea from his chin that he'd somehow missed.

"That's great and all," she started slowly, continuing to lean over the tea as she held his gaze. In her chest, her heart was hammering away, but that wasn't unusual when it came to their flirty conversations. "But what if I asked you out first?"

"That would never happen."

"Oh?"

His earlier smirk returned. "I need to butter you up some more. You're way out of my league."

Was that what he really thought or was he merely teasing her? Either way, it made her blush – a blush that only deepened when his gaze softened on her. Slowly, Sakura retreated to her end of the sofa, bringing her cup of tea close to her chest to try and give herself something different to focus on.

"Well, I guess I'll wait, then," she said, smiling.