Naruto stood at the nearest window in the waiting room, chewing on his thumbnail which had grown out to resemble Kiba's claw like nails while they had waited anxiously for someone to come by and tell them something about Sakura. Of course his anxiety had spiked when Tsunade (damned, stupid woman) had come out with her hands and clothing stained red and shouted for a crash cart just before he had had to wrestle Kakashi to the ground and render him unconscious for a while with a harsh blow to one of his pressure points.
Before grasping him by his wrist and dragging him back into the room where Tenzou and Sai sat wide eyed and silent as he more or less dropped the silver haired shinobi next to the two and then growled out, "If he tries that again..." His azure eyes bled to scarlet as he left the two to interpret what else he was going to say before slowly moving out of their personal space and going back to his window.
His mind abuzz with all the different times Sakura had done something great. The times she had been hurt trying to protect a client. The time she had come see him in the hospital after Sauske had beaten him and had smiled and told him it was okay. He didn't fail to keep his promise. Not completely, because part of the promise had a lot to do with him coming back alive himself. Her training under Tsunade. The time she had helped to save Gaara's life after helping Naruto and the others on their team wrestle his body away from the Akutsuki.
The time she had punched Sai... The newest member of their team, and replacement for Sauske, for insulting both him and Sauske in the same breath. That had to be one of his favorite moments since he'd come to like and even tolerate Sai.
Of course that had been three days ago when he hadn't been sure that she would survive. And as elated as he was that Tsunade had managed to keep her alive thus far- He still couldn't totally relax. Not while she wouldn't allow the lot of them to confirm for themselves that Sakura was indeed alive.
And all of the senseless waiting was finally starting to get on his already frayed nerves.
It wouldn't be long before he started lashing out- It was about that time that Shikamaru, Ino and Choji came walking into the room. Ino holding a bouquet of lovely yet delicate peonies and cosmos and snap dragons. All in pink and white and softly subdued shades of green. Choji held a bag in his hand with a tiny stuffed animal attached to it and walked over to Naruto and set the bag down.
Naruto stared at him empathetically for a moment before he said, "Ino was nice enough to get Sakura a couple of things from home. It's nothing big. But It might make her feel more comfortable. Ya know, a change of clothing. Her favorite pillow. A small group of stuffed toys that Sakura apparently made herself when Sai joined Team Kakashi-" As if to demonstrate what he was talking about Choji reached into the bag and slowly pulled out four little likenesses of Kakashi, himself, Tenzou, and Sai. Each one either brandishing a weapon or in the middle of preforming a jutsu as Ino cut in where Choji had momentarily stopped speaking.
"Everytime you guys had a run in with the Akutsuki or Sauske, she would feel so scared and depressed that she used to lock herself in her house- in her room, in the dark and she'd post these little guys at the windows and doors," Ino said pointing to Sai and Tenzou before going on to say, "And she'd keep the other two with her while she slept because the dolls of Naruto and Kakashi are the ones that made her feel that she could close her eyes and rest. As silly as it sounds, she calls you guys her last line of defense."
Naruto remained strangely silent and still throughout the whole talk as he stared at the little likenesses of himself and Kakashi, earning worried looks from Ino and Shikamaru as the shadow user sighed and reached behind him and pulled something that looked suspiciously like a small box out of his back pants pocket, and handed it to Naruto who got a perturbed look on his face as he curiously opened said box and let his breath leave him in a hiss.
Inside the box was a silver chain necklace with a pink rainbow moonstone that had been carved into the shape of a cherry blossom. In all honesty it was a beautiful and thoughtful gift if perhaps a little over the top. And as Naruto placed the lid back on the box, one thing crossed his mind. Shikamaru had better not walk down any dark isolated alley's in the near future. Otherwise he'd break his legs for daring to give team Kakashi's, Sakura, such a lovely get well gift.
"Uh... Naruto y-you've got blood in your- Omph!" Shikamaru was cut off by a sharp elbow to the ribs from Ino, causing him to double over as she hissed at him,
"Moron," Before turning back to Team Kakashi and addressing them. "Have there been any updates on Sakura's condition?" And because Naruto didn't feel like speaking it was Tenzou who was left to answer her question.
"No. Nothing. We haven't heard anything since the morning after we came in when Tsunade moved her to the ICU to recover."
"But she is alive right?" Ino asked anxiously, her blue eyes starting to take on a glassy sheen as they teared up.
"As far as we know she is. Tsunade refuses to tell us anything aside from that."
Ino got a thoughtful look on her face before stating, "And she's taken me off of the work roster here at the hospital... I'm assuming to keep me away from Sakura's room." Sai nodded his head then said,
"I have observed that only Tsunade herself and Shizune have been coming and going from the ICU area."
"I see." Was all that Ino said when Shizune suddenly ran by the waiting room at break neck speed with a syringe in hand, looking as pale as death itself. Naruto narrowed his eyes on her retreating form and started to move towards the door when all of a sudden his entire body was on lock down, and he couldn't move a muscle. Slowly turning his head to glare at Shikamaru for stopping him the shadow user sighed tiredly before simply stating,
"Don't. If Shizune is running that fast then something must have happened to de-stabilize Sakura's already fragile condition and the last thing anyone needs is you getting in the way. You'll have to just suck it up and wait like the rest of us and hope for the best."
"No," Naruto said as his glare lost some of it's malice as he thought, There is no point in hoping. Because Sakura will not die. He knew this totally with conviction. He'd known the girl long enough to know that right now, where ever she was in the hospital, she was fighting tooth and nail for her life. She would not leave them. She would not abandon team Kakashi to living a life of any kind without her.
Because she knew how dearly the price that they would pay if she died as a small voice in his head said.
The team that works and trains together- Dies together.
