Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Naruto is the sole property of Masashi Kishimoto.
A Little Flu
Sasuke was awake. He knew that much for sure. Little pinpricks stabbed his back and arms as he gazed up at the ceiling. The clouds moved around, and a leaf fell from… the ceiling?
Wait.
Where was he?
He flexed his muscles to sit up, but pressure on his shoulders kept him down. Glancing around, he gathered that he was at the training grounds where his team had been practicing. It was uncomfortably hot, yet he felt himself shiver.
"Sasuke...?"
His eyes flicked to the left to see a certain pink-haired girl resting her hands on his shoulder. Her green eyes were staring at his face, no, his forehead. He made eye contact, hoping she'd avert her gaze, but she stayed steady. Instead, he resumed staring at the clouds, trying to pretend he wasn't being surrounded.
"Sasuke, what happened out there?"
Kakashi was behind his head. Sasuke strained to look back towards him, but he was just out of sight in this position. As Sasuke struggled to make eye contact, Sakura's hands pressed more firmly, holding him in place.
"Yeah, what happened? We were sparring and suddenly you just stopped. What's wrong with you?!"
The training had been going well enough, Sasuke remembered. Sure, he hadn't been feeling up to par, but he couldn't let Naruto get the upper hand. Sasuke had decided to power through it, which, in hindsight, may not have been the right call to make.
"Nothing, hn. Can we go back to training now?" Sasuke found the attention unsettling and honestly embarrassing. He was an Uchiha, and he did not need to be coddled so obviously for what was a minor illness.
"Hm, well, I don't think that's the best plan. I think it's best if we get you checked out at the hospital," Kakashi spoke with authority. Sasuke struggled against Sakura's hands, although she seemed to be much stronger today. Defeated, Sasuke allowed himself to lay flat on the ground again, his muscles grateful for the break.
"I don't need a hospital. I'm going home." Sasuke glared towards Naruto. This would be a setback in his training, and that would give Naruto the opportunity to get stronger. Not that Naruto was a threat, but Sasuke despised the idea.
Even now, it felt like both of his teammates had surpassed him. His muscles ached, his head was pounding, and he was acutely aware of the pains in his throat as he swallowed his pride.
Sasuke's eyes stung from the sunlight. He glared, looking at each of his teammates, who seemed busy looking at each other. "Can I get up now?" Sakura glanced down at him, and then back up to look in Kakashi's direction.
Kakashi sighed. "Fine. You can go home. On one condition." Sasuke opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off quickly. "We will be monitoring you. Well, these two will be. They can take turns."
Naruto groaned. Sasuke shifted his weight, fidgeting with the blades of grass under his body. Looking up, he saw a blush on Sakura's face, noting that she avoided eye contact with him. Her hand did not budge off of his shoulder. Sasuke squirmed, getting Sakura's attention.
Finally free of Sakura's grip, Sasuke propped himself up on his elbows, slowly rising to a seated position. The clouds seemed to whirl around, and for a moment Sasuke considered the possibility of a tornado. As if to answer his thoughts, the ground tilted and twirled, and he gripped the dirt to steady his swaying body. Sasuke tried to focus on any of his team members, questioning why they too weren't worried about the sudden movements of the world, but found they too seemed to be spinning.
"…Sasuke? Can you hear me?" Kakashi's voice rang out. Suddenly, Sasuke was aware that his eyes had involuntarily shut, and he forced them open. The world was still. He blinked, moving his eyes to Kakashi.
"…yeah. Yeah I can hear you," Sasuke said. His face felt warm, and he cursed the sun and the heat and the summer. He pushed his hands against the ground to force himself into a standing position. The world tilted again, and he closed his eyes tightly, willing it to stop.
A hand gripped his shoulder. Or was that two hands? His legs shook with the ground. Two earthquakes back-to-back. Sasuke exhaled sharply as his legs threatened to give out.
Suddenly, he was falling. Sasuke braced himself for the impact, but none came. Slowly, he opened his eyes once again, and found himself staring up into the eye of Kakashi. Sasuke pushed, trying to get out of his grasp, but his muscles shook with the effort.
"Sasuke, stay still. It's okay. We're taking you home!" Sakura quickly stated. Sasuke turned his head to follow the sound, but Kakashi's movement made it hard for his eyes to focus. Instead, he elected to glare at the ground.
"I can walk. Let me down," Sasuke muttered. He cringed at how tired his voice sounded, hoping the others wouldn't notice.
They ignored him. Completely. Or, at the very least, Sasuke assumed the ignored him, as he didn't dare to lift his eyes off of the ground. No one spoke.
The rest of the journey to his apartment was in silence. Sasuke tried to keep up his aggressive appearance, but exhaustion was starting to take over, and he struggled to keep his eyes open completely.
Kakashi slipped his hand into Sasuke's pocket, grabbing his eye and opening the door swiftly. Sasuke opened his mouth to direct them to his bedroom, but Kakashi seemed to know the way already. Sasuke decided that he'd question that later, filing it away as exhaustion cluttered his mind.
Sasuke felt the bed beneath him as Kakashi gently sat him down. Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto left the room almost immediately, whispering in hushed tones. With that, Sasuke drifted off quietly, the warmth of the blankets lulling him to sleep.
A/N: Hello if you're reading this. This is my first fic back after a several year long hiatus. I graduated with a BA last year, and I'm pursuing an MA now. Got engaged. Things are different and new, and I'm excited to hopefully start writing fanfiction again on a regular basis. This is a lot of fluff, so I hope you enjoyed! This can be a one-shot or I can add some more chapters if you guys show interest! Thank you all so much for reading!