Well chapter 3, this is when the pairing becomes more obvious, people should be able to pickout who's going to hook up in the end. I think I got this out a bit faster than my last one...maybe...uh...yeah.
This chapter caused some problems thoughcuz I didn't want to make it to serious but not make it too funny and thus cliche, so it required a bit of thinking and planning. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, definitely don't want to, wayyyy to much work and I suck at drawing!
A yawn broke out, stretching her mouth and making her jaws ache with how wide, she couldn't use either hand to cover it since they were settled on Izumo's chest, meticulously scanning his body for a last check-up. Luckily a nurse or doctor had already filled out his medical chart, one less difficulty.
She was exhausted; weariness crept into her muscles and joints, a steadily approaching fog that whispered sweet enticements of bed and rest. Shaking her head and forcing her mouth closed on another yawn that threatened to split her jaw in two. Her sight faltered for a second, staring blankly at the clock on the opposite wall she didn't acknowledge the time, forcing her eyes to concentrate on the body beneath her hands.
He lay quiescent drugged to a sleeping haze. A catacomb of white bandages wove around his torso. Dressed in the standard hospital gown, it further paled his skin making his black hair look too dark, she could have compared him to a corpse but his skin didn't have that waxy texture that often came with death, a valiant but wasted effort of the body to preserve itself. Letting her hands slide off with a gust of released breath, her stomach deflating with the escaped air, gazing unseeingly at him she shook her head leaning back in the seat slowly.
Everything was in order, no infection had set in and the wounds were closing up, there were still some scrapes left but all of them were starting the long process of healing. Still some had to be bandaged up the old fashioned way with healing salve lathered generously on. Taking inventory of what chakra she had left, she was pleased with how much she had to spare, not much but some a lot better then what she could have done a year ago.
Visibly wavering she almost toppled sideways out of the chair, chakra she might have left, but she was still weary. Familiar hands steadied her to lean back and stay upright, wearily blinking bleary eyes
"You did well Sakura, go home, get some rest, Izumo won't get any better with you slumped over asleep on him"
She was about to make a mild protest to stay and watch him for the night, no matter how tempting it sounded to go to bed and curl up in her sheets and sleep. Tsunade must have sensed her rebellion against it
"A good medic knows when to stop and get some rest" it was a gentle reminder mixed in with a command to go home.
"Hai Shishou" Sakura groaned, stifling a yawn with a hand and stretching the other up, satisfied to hear the pop of joints and muscles slightly cramped. Grimacing Sakura swallowed thickly how long had she been sitting here, her throat felt dry and raspy like she'd been traveling to Suna without pause and without water.
"Go home Sakura, you're tired and tired medics make mistakes" Tsunde helped her stand up, Sakura focused through sleep-deprived eyes at her Shishou.
"I'm going, I'm going" she said "Arigatou Shishou" she added fuzzily making an effort to stay polite, Tsunde kept a supporting and guiding hand on her back to aid her out of the room and on her way to the front doors and home. Giving Sakura a light squeeze on the shoulder in affection and praise for her hard work, a gentle push sent her on her way down the hallway.
Waving a floppy hand to both Shishou and the front doors woman, Sakura dragged her feet down the dirt road to home. Covering her mouth with a hand she extended her arms up, drawing herself up on tip-toe to stretch her self from fingertips to toenails. A sigh of delight passed her lips; that felt good it made her a bit more wide awake also. She was looking forward to a nice rest and the contented feeling she'd have tomorrow for a job well done tonight.
Passing by the bright lights of an open bar, she looked through the red fabric of opening… and stopped in startled surprise. It was dark enough that the blue-tinged white lights of the place threw everything in clear-cut definition. Sitting where anyone could see him was the spiky-haired jôunin, best friends with the nin she had just patched up, the one and only Hagane Kotetsu. Granted his back was to her, but it was obvious it was him who else had that kind of hair. Studying his back it was slightly slumped over the bar and a white sake bottle was next to him, Sakura wondered how many others were around besides the one she could see.
Sighing with irritation, she rubbed her forehead with the palm of her hand tiredly, casting a critical eye on his slumped form he looked well and truly wasted, a turn of her head and a longing glance down the street to where her apartment was, then back at Kotetsu, weighing the pros and cons of going home or helping him, her medical professionalism won out... unfortunately. Casting one last pining gaze to where her apartment was, she turned her attention squarely to the new problem of Kotetsu. Why oh why did he have to get inebriated tonight and why oh why did she have to stop and help him.
She didn't have to but she could never face Shishou much less look at herself in the mirror again if she ignored someone in obvious need of help and comfort. Why had she chosen to be a medic again? Her reasons seemed to have deserted her for some reason.
"Shit" she cursed quietly, she really couldn't leave him he looked too pathetic from where she stood. She knew the feeling of despair and helplessness when a good friend was in the hospital. They were close, much closer than she realized if Kotetsu went drinking when Izumo was hurt, hell she had to help he'd probably never get home by himself.
Striding toward the cloth barrier she parted a side, treading in. Taking the empty seat next to him, it was moderately busy, finding an open spot wasn't difficult. Turning slightly to him, he looked awful, how much had he drunk? Giving a slightly disgusted noise from the back of her throat, he looked pale, waxen, eyes half-closed with the amount of alcohol.
"You're going to have the worst hangover tomorrow" Sakura commented to start up the conversation, it got her desired response. He peered at her with a filled saucer at his lips, taking a good look at her before tilting it up and downing it. She watched his throat contract as the alcohol slid down his throat.
"Sakura-san" he said dully.
Sakura frowned her eyebrows furrowing, looking at his eyes they were unfocused and blinking rapidly not to mention bloodshot, it was proof enough that he had too much to drink he was probably seeing quadruple by now.
"I came to tell you Izumo-san's fine and you can go see him tomorrow" Glancing at the small dark clock mounted on the wall to her left, she squinted through some of the hovering smoke to see it was already well into the next day 4:00 am.
"Scratch that, later on today if you're not passed out or puking your stomach out for the rest of the day" she amended, sweeping over him with critiquing eyes.
"Which is highly probable" she added at a low murmur.
He carelessly waved her remark aside nearly knocking the sake bottle over along with himself he tilted dangerously to the floor. In regular circumstances Sakura would have found this amusing and worth a few good laughs now though...
"Mmfie" he slurred slowly, dear gods he couldn't even speak right, Kotetsu picked up the sake bottle to fill his dish again.
"Okay, obviously you've had enough to drink" she said dryly taking the bottle before he could tilt it to spill its numbing contents. Probably spill it all over the bar counter in his desire to get a buzz. Tugging it out of his hand with little resistance, he blinked at her, then sighed
"…eah….probablyyy" the last word came out almost normal if it wasn't for the drawn out y.
"Let's go" she wound an arm around his waist, laying some money down for the drinks, she'd get Kotetsu to pay her back later. His arm naturally went around her shoulders, the night was looking up in Sakura's favor, so far he hadn't groped her, too many times she'd seen drunken men grope some girl it always disgusted her. She probably would have punched him and then left him if he had tried it. Sakura ignored how close he was in favor of getting him home and in bed. Walking slowly she lifted the cloth hanging for both of them stumbling past it. Supporting him down the street, his shoes made light shuffles against the ground, knocking dirt and pebbles askew.
She knew where both he and Izumo lived, because of the many times they had met up together, they worked with the Hokage first as chûnin messengers then as jôunin messengers. She had a lot of contact with them in the workplace, it wasn't surprising she mutually knew where, it was necessary when one had to find them quickly.
The times she had to fetch them per Hokage's request, the first place to check was their apartments then the training grounds and from then on the next thing on their priority lists. Sakura found it odd that Izumo and he weren't living together. Mentally shrugging she steadied his wavering and stumbling body he was leaning heavily on her, dragging her down slightly. Sakura wrapped the arm tighter around his waist clenching her muscles to a tighter contraction. Moving closer to him so she could support him with the length of her body, it pressed his body in a long line down her own, taking absent not of how muscled and firm he was, all shinobi were toned but still it was… nice to feel muscles underhand it sent a shiver down her spine or some sparking awareness. Approaching his apartment it was dark the doorway shadowed and generally looking like no one was home. His key was her next problem, sighing and digging her fingers slightly into the toned muscle at his hip.
"Kotetsu-san…. Kotetsu-san where's your house key" she turned her neck to look at him, his head was down, black hair obscuring his face. Hopefully he wasn't too wasted that he couldn't remember.
"P-pouch" he slurred, stumbling on the slight step up to his flat, swallowing thickly, Sakura lowered her gaze, trailing it down the side of his body to his hip, her eyes landing on the tan pouch at the bottom of his jôunin vest.
Steadying herself with what she was about to do, she prayed to whatever higher being there was that no one would walk down the street and see them, the questions asked would be beyond uncomfortable. She felt wrong going through his things while he was intoxicated, made it worse since he didn't know a quarter of the things going on, someone could stab him and he wouldn't even notice. Leaning him gently on the doorway on his side, he was quiet a thing she'd be thankful for later
Flicking open the pouch, and keeping her eyes forward scanning over the door and wood of his apartment while rummaging through, she touched paper and some other unidentifiable things sliding her fingers along a carved house key, the sharp points and hooks of it dug into her digits as she fished it out between two fingers. It was slightly cool to the touch and flashed dull silver in the moon and star given light.
Inserting it with a rasp of acceptance, metal against metal, Sakura gave a breath of relief as it turned in the lock, moving the tumblers and unlocking the door. She fumbled with the doorknob opening it with a click, Kotetsu was still quite as she pushed in his door, wrapping an arm once again around his waist, his arm around her shoulders flopped down, almost boneless. Pulling him forward slightly, he was more asleep than awake she reasoned, since he was all but falling on top of her.
His feet dragged on the carpet, she kicked the door shut behind her with her foot, tugging him down the hallway he was almost deadweight. His bedroom door was wide open and clean, there were no problems traversing him to his bed, awkwardly moving to his bedside, giving a small grunt of strain lowering him onto his bed. Unzipping his vest and peeling it off his body, she laid it out on a dresser in the corner close to her.
"Sakura…" he murmured diffidently, Sakura jumped with surprise wasn't he asleep
"Hmmm" she asked after a moment's vacillation, sliding his hitae-ate off slowly making sure not to catch any of his black hair in it and cause undo pain.
"It was my fault" he said slowly, he sounded a bit more sober, Sakura paid only partial attention to his words setting the Konoha identification down on the same dresser with his vest and turning to his sandals, questioning him out of tendency
"What was?" pulling one black sandal off letting it drop to the floor and starting on the wrapped pant ends.
"Izumo getting injured" he said it fuzzily; he was fighting the sensations that put him in jeopardy of falling into the world of dreams and rest. She stilled, pausing on his wrappings, they lay loosely in her hands, as she tilted her head to study his face what did he mean, weren't they attacked.
"Oh… how's that?" she asked curiously and subconsciously continued to unwrap his bindings, but watching his face instead. It flickered with fury and anger for a moment, before falling back into drunken passiveness.
"He jumped…. In front of me, this bastard nin hit him with these claws, I-I thought he was dead, there was so much blood and it kept coming, it was flooding everywhere" fright stretched his face into a grim mockery of his handsomeness.
"The blood was everywhere" he said in a hoarse voice like tears were just on the edge and threatening to fall, Sakura pretended to ignore the glinting of his eyes that suggested wetness, focusing on his other sandal, his hands roughly clenched, curling in.
"Izumo never emitted a sound, fuck it must have hurt it went straight through his body, like he was only cutting butter, but it was…Izumo" Glancing up from his last bit of wrappings, his head was turned slightly to the window, his eyes were hazy and distant, he was reliving it, slightly wet paths traced down his face from his eyes.
Sakura swallowed forcefully she wasn't used to men crying and what he was saying made even her want to burst into tears.
"He's dead."
"I killed the nin that did it" he finished turning his face to peer at her giving her a lopsided smile that almost made him like the old Kotetsu that she was teased by… just last morning, was it really such a short time ago.
"Kotetsu…" she said kindly searching for the words that would comfort him, she understood now, the reason why he was at the bar drinking his sorrows down. He felt responsible it wasn't a rare thing that was happening now. Kotetsu and Izumo were close and with Izumo's actions, the repercussions left Kotetsu feeling worthless laying the blame on himself, that could be… self-destructing.
"Izumo-san was doing what his duty was as both friend and shinobi, you should be proud that your friend holds you so highly as to give his life for yours, I'm sure you would have done the same thing" moving to the side of the bed and kneeling next to his face.
"He did it for you so you could continue living, don't blame yourself for his actions he did what he wanted, no matter what you said I'm sure Izumo-san would have done it anyway, it's not your fault" she laid a hand on his arm to comfort him, he was looking at her now, eyes half-lidded. She couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling
"I thought he was dead" his eyelids slid shut. Sakura watched him take even breaths before taking his hand in hers it was warm and clasped hers back tightly like a lifeline.
"But he's not dead" she soothed
"Tomorrow you can go and visit him, joke and laugh, and he'll be fine, really you should be more worried about yourself, your head is going to be pounding like hell when you wake up tomorrow morning" she chuckled the last part trying to lighten him up with laughter.
"You're so beautiful Sakura" he slurred almost asleep but not quite, he was just on the edge but what he had said froze her, muscles clenched and tightened with shock. The obscene thought
'Yeah he's definitely smashed' failed to rectify the situation only making it worse with the realization, drunks were too unpredictable.
How'd ya like it, good...bad? So post comments that you have and I'll respond, just click the button that says go and Review! Chapter four is in the works and you'll see in about a week that's the start of the heavy stuff bit more humor next chapter also.
So Review and I'll bring it up faster, if you have any suggestions I'll take those too.