Summary: Through absence, Uchiha Sasuke begins to grasp the true value of Haruno Sakura. Post-562, will deviate greatly from the manga. Drabble series.

Disclaimer: Naruto is (c) Masashi Kishimoto and Shueisha, Inc.

IN ABSENTIA

The Heart of the Matter

The sterile smell of disinfectant assaulted Sasuke's senses during his next bout of consciousness. He had not bothered to open his eyes, yet it was obvious that he was in a medical facility of some sort. Years of being subjected to Orochimaru, Kabuto and their various laboratories had made the sanitary odor effortlessly recognizable to the teen. It never failed to make him nauseous either. He supposed that his repugnance to the scent could be attributable to its Sound association.

Sasuke experimentally swallowed, causing him to wince when a raw and burning sensation was produced. Trepidation filled him as he raised a sluggish hand to his damaged throat. Upon making contact with an all too thin bandage protecting the laceration site, obsidian eyes snapped open in startlement. He knew that more dressing would have been necessary for the critical injury he had sustained, which could only mean one of two things: he had run across an extremely proficient medical-nin or an excessive amount of time had elapsed subsequent to his blackout.

Peering at the room he currently occupied, Sasuke was met with white-washed walls, dull furnishings and citrus-colored blinds likely intended to convey cheer in such a dismal setting. The banality of the room in no way revealed where he was being held, but a prominent landmark showing from the window was verification enough. The stone faces of Konohagakure's five leaders were watching over him from the Hokage Monument. He was home.

Sasuke was immediately struck by the oddity of being back in the village and not having a teammate hovering. This was especially true for when he was hospitalized. As an inpatient, he had come to accept Sakura's constant flitting about and mother henning as a tiresome inevitability. However, now alone and not being privy to Sakura's circumstance, he realized that he would give just about anything to be in her annoying and doting company again.

With a grim set to his pallid features, Sasuke underwent the arduous process of sitting up and navigating his weary frame to exit the sickbed. He had to look for Sakura; too many hours, mayhap even days, had passed since their separation. She needed him.

As soon as his bare feet touched the cold tile floor, an authoritative voice whipped through the room to halt his snail's pace progression. "Where the hell do you think you're going, Uchiha? Get back in bed. Cellular regeneration isn't a simple process and I won't have you ruining my medics' hard work from overexertion."

That the Hokage had entered the room without notice was a testament to his fatigue. Nevertheless, Sasuke obstinately remained upright. "I can't just lounge around and be idle. Sakura needs-"

"-you to recuperate if you're going to be of any use in her recovery," his superior interrupted. "You shouldn't get out of bed for a week, let alone three days."

Three days. He felt physically ill, and it had nothing to do with his injury. Terrible things could happen to a ninja, particularly a female ninja, in seventy-two hours.

"Is Naruto hunting for her?" Sasuke urgently rasped, speech somewhat hindered by his affliction.

"No, we haven't acquired sufficient intel to coordinate a retrieval mission," Tsunade replied. "When he isn't camped out here, the idiot busies himself by demolishing the training grounds."

There was no hiding Sasuke's ire at the perceived incompetence. "You don't have sufficient intel? It's been three days, so what exactly have you been doing?"

"Uchiha, remember that I'm your Hokage. Unless you want to lose that tongue, be conscientious of how you utilize it," Tsunade warned as she came further into the room and towered over the former missing-nin. She then gave him a belligerent slant and taunted, "My goodness, you're behaving as if you actually care about Sakura. But surely that can't be the case. The Uchiha Sasuke we all know and tolerate only cares for his clan and his pride."

He was infuriated at the mocking tone. "Sakura's my teammate. Of course I care!"

Arms crossed over ample bosom and the intimidating woman pressed her advantage. "Prove it. Get your lilywhite ass back in bed and get better; otherwise, as I said, you'll be of no benefit to Sakura. And after you're settled, I want a verbal report of this incident. You'll begin with the identity of the party that had the misfortune of abducting my student."

Therein, Sasuke thought, lies the crux of the problem: how to tell the Hokage he suspected her precious disciple had been abducted by a dead man...

TO BE CONTINUED