Chapter 14: Cold
Sakura checked her backpack one final time, before she picked it up and threw one last glance at herself in the mirror. She had exchanged her usual outfit for more practical ninja attire. She was dressed from head to toe in black; her new clothes offered a variety of places to hide kunai and shuriken. After endless days between hope and despair, Sakura had decided to do something. She had to go find Sasuke, even though she didn't know where to start her search. One thing was for sure, she couldn't remain idle at home waiting any longer.
When she was satisfied with her appearance, she tied the Konoha forehead protector around her head. She traced her fingers over the village symbol etched into the metal; she had chosen to wear the headband that Sasuke had left behind. After one last glance at the place they had once shared, she left the apartment. She'd sworn to herself that she wouldn't return home until she had found her husband.
As she was leaving the house, someone came running towards her from across the street, calling out her name. Much to her surprise, it was Naruto. What was he doing here and at this time? After all, it was in the middle of the night! "SAKURA!", he yelled, probably waking all the neighbours.
"What's wrong?" she asked. "I don't have time for your jokes right now, Naruto. I'm going to leave the village."
He shook his head forcefully, inhaled deeply and then he said: "Sasuke is back!"
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Sakura hesitantly entered the small room, her gaze immediately wandered over to the narrow hospital bed. She pressed a hand over her mouth and tears welled up in her pale green eyes. It was him, there on the bed, it was really him. Sasuke. He looked terrible, but he was alive. She approached the bed and reached out to touch him, but didn't dare to for she was afraid that this was only a dream and when she touched him he would disappear. But when she placed her hand on his forehead, nothing happened. This was real. She could feel his hot skin and damp hair under her fingers.
"Sasuke…" Tears were streaming down her face and she took his hand in hers. He was unconscious, but still she uttered his name once more.
"He and one more member of the team were found not far from the village entrance," said Tsunade, who was standing on the other side of the bed watching over Sasuke. " I don't know what happened yet, they were both in such a bad condition. I haven't had a chance to speak with either of them. Don't worry though… aside from a few scars, Sasuke will completely recover. I think he'll regain consciousness soon. He was already awake once and he kept asking for you."
"I'm so… so very happy…", Sakura whispered. "May I stay with him?"
"Of course, he needs you now. I'll check on him again as soon as he wakes up, then you can take him home and care for him there."
Sakura nodded enthusiastically and sat down on the edge of his bed. He looked as if he'd been through hell and back. She hardly noticed when Tsunade left the room.
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For half the night, Sakura remained by her husband's side, watching over him. Shortly before sunrise, he began to stir. She smiled at him reassuringly when he opened his eyes, he seemed to be disorientated. "Sakura?"
She nodded. "It's me. You're at home."
"Is this a dream?"
"No. You're safe, Sasuke-kun. They found you and your teammate near the village." She was still holding his hand. "You cannot imagine, how scared I was… how much I worried about you…"
Even though she tried to stop him, he sat up in his bed. He looked around himself, but did not ask any questions about the room they were in. He was trembling slightly. "Am I really in Konoha?" He stared down at his hands.
"Hush, Sasuke. I know you've been through more than I could ever imagine... But you're at home now, believe me." When she embraced him, she realized how hard he trembling. "Sasuke, what's wrong?"
"I'm cold…", he replied, "So cold…"
"I'll go get Tsunade. She wanted to check on you anyways," she said but when she attempted to stand up, he grabbed her by the wrist and held her back.
"I want to go home," he demanded. Sakura wanted to object, but she could see in his eyes that he was serious about this. "Sakura. Please."
With a sigh, she asked: "Can you stand up?"
With her help, he managed to get up from the bed. She placed his arm around her shoulder and it startled her that he almost rested his entire weight on her. Normally, he would have rather crawled home on all fours than show her any of his weaknesses. This worried her greatly.
Nevertheless, she brought him out of the hospital room and told someone that she was going to take Sasuke home.
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Once they arrived home, Sakura put him back to bed immediately, he didn't even protest. She brought him fresh clothes to change into as well as something to eat, but he didn't touch anything. He sat upright in their bed and pulled the blanket tightly around himself. Tsunade had said he'd be better soon, but Sakura was worried. He was deathly pale and was still trembling heavily. Maybe it had been a mistake to bring him home. She should have at least waited for Tsunade to make sure Sasuke was alright,but it was too late now.
She sat down next to him and pointed at the food she had brought. "You should eat something, Sasuke-kun. You have to get your strength back."
He shook his head firmly. "I can't." Something was wrong with him. Sakura could sense it. The awful welts on his back were proof of what he had been through, but Sasuke wasn't the type who would get so shaken over something like that. If she didn't know better, she would have thought that he was simply… scared. He stared at her helplessly. "Sakura… I'm cold…" He was trembling and all the blankets Sakura found couldn't make it any better.
Sakura was desperate. She wanted to inform Tsunade that she must have made a mistake in bringing him home, something had to be wrong with Sasuke,buthe refused to let her leave his side. "I don't need a doctor," he insisted and she had to promise him that she wouldn't call Tsunade. Sakura placed her palm on his forehead, his pale skin was hot. He was practically burning up with fever.
"Sasuke, at least lie down," she whispered. "You have to rest."
Again, he shook his head fiercely. "I can't." She was so worried. Never had she seen Sasuke in such a bad state. Even after his fight against Itachi, he hadn't been in such bad shape. His unstoppable shaking and dull eyes scared her immensely.
It seemed like forever that she sat there by his side, wordlessly, trying to just be there for him. He sat there, wrapped up in blankets, and stared blankly at the wall.
Eventually, his hand found hers. It must have been the first time that he had ever searched physical contact with her. "Sakura," he muttered, "Don't leave…"
She embraced him, careful to avoid his injuries, and replied: "I won't go. I promise."
…tbc…