This is just a little thank you for all your support and inspiring love of this story. This one was pretty damn awesome to write, but it was also written at like three in the morning so if there are errors, I apologize. As for the future, there will be some chapters either written entirely or in part from the point of view of our dearly beloved Sasuke-kun, so look forward to those! Thank you to anyone taking the time to read this story. Xoxo
"That's Type B4 suppressant, just in case she doesn't read my report today," I say to a guard as I hand her the scroll. She nods and I close the door behind her.
With a grimace, I note that I'm still in the clothes that I arrived in. I haven't showered since I've been here, I probably smell horrible. Come to think of it, Sasuke will need some form of practice of personal hygiene. Although, since he's not allowed to be alone, I wonder how we're going to work that out. I trek upstairs to the room I occupy, peering across at Sasuke's when I enter. He sits on the edge of the bed, looking out the window. A guard is in the room with him, standing idly and stealing glances. There were no more episodes last night so I left in the early hours of the morning, changing places with a guard, and managing to catch just a few hours of exhaustion sleep. It scared me, what happened last night. I should check on him, it is my job. I turn around and walk into Sasuke's room.
"How do you feel this morning?" I stay by the door, not sure where to place myself; this whole situation is weird.
"Perfect," Sasuke snaps, turning only ever so slightly so that I can see the look in his eyes.
"I wrote to Tsunade-sama about a different form of suppressant that may not have as severe consequences as this one does," I respond, trying to be diplomatic. Sasuke scoffs.
"You're fooling yourself if you think she's going to lift a finger to help me," Sasuke shakes his head and looks away. I frown, a little irritated.
"I should moderate your chakra since I'm in here," I walk towards him and he flinches as I reach out. I grit my teeth, "You should lie down." He complies, but doesn't look at me. I pull the chair from last night out of the corner and sit by the bed. My hands hover over his chest and forehead for a moment, remembering my previous exploration, before touching down to deplete him of chakra. The surge of energy is almost staggering, as is the flurry of emotion that comes with it. I take a deep breath and try to concentrate. There's so much damage, so much pain. Briefly my gaze goes to his face and I realize he's been watching me; he knows that I can feel everything. I look away and try to finish up quickly. Once I'm through, I turn to the guard. "Soon, he'll need to bathe," I try to act professional, addressing the situation as if it were Kuro-san or another of my patients, "How would you like to go about doing that?"
"We'll draw straws and whoever loses gets to watch him get naked," the soldier replies sardonically, "Aren't you his nurse? Isn't it your job?"
"Yes, Sakura," Sasuke says, sitting himself up slowly, "Aren't you supposed to be taking care of me?"
"Did Tsunade-sama explain how things would be going here?" I ask, ignoring Sasuke.
"She said you would take care of everything, she didn't say anything about me or my men having to play doctor."
"I'm not asking anyone to bathe him," I say, trying to keep my temper at bay, "I just need a guard in there to watch him, he can take care of himself."
"I'm not so sure about that," the guard shakes his head, "He's injured and working at half the energy he normally does."
"Exactly," Sasuke draws the word out like a proposition.
"Sorry, but he's your problem, not ours. We're just here to make sure no one gets in or out."Are you kidding me?
I drop my head in my hands. I tap my foot against the stone floor and watch the steam rise around me. I pull my hair up into a small bun as the heat starts to get to me. My tank top sticks to my skin and I give an aggravated huff.
"Are you done, yet?"
"Yes," he replies. I turn around to see my teenage wet dream in all of its glory. Uchiha Sasuke sits on a wooden block by the running shower with nothing but a towel in his lap, waiting for me to bathe him. Heat rushes to my cheeks as I move closer. I grab the shower head and my heart thumps wildly. Keep it together. I test the water with my hand.
"Where should I start?" I mentally slap myself; I am a trained medic nin, I know what to do. Why am I so tentative?
"That's up to you," his eyes are to the ground and I think to myself that this is probably a first for him. I feel a little relieved at that, "But I need to wash my hair, too."
"Okay, I'll start there," I step behind him and run the water over his scalp. He tilts his head back, "Is the temperature okay?"
"Yes," his lips barely move. I set the shower head back in place and grab a glob of shampoo. I hesitate for a split second before gathering courage to weave my fingers through his wet hair. I remind myself of my medic training and gently massage his scalp, gathering strand upon strand to lather the suds. Sasuke closes his eyes and this look of contentment overcomes him. I trace the lines of his face, the slender nose, angles of his cheeks, the sharp definition of each feature. I have to admit, he's handsome. I take the shower head once more and rinse out the shampoo, spreading locks of his hair with my fingers. Droplets of water spray my clothes and legs, but I can't be bothered. Once I'm finished, I pull another wooden seat so that I can sit behind him. I run the water over his back then grab a washcloth and squirt some soap on it. I rub the soap on his skin in gentle circles, moving over his shoulder blades, down his spine, attempting not to distract myself by looking as my hand approaches his lower back.
"So can you really not take care of yourself or are you just doing this to irritate me?" I ask as I reapply the water. I use the soap as an excuse to run my bare hand down his back, feeling the tense and release of his muscles as he breathes.
"A little of both," Sasuke answers when I move myself in front of him, "Did it work?"
"What do you think?" I shoot him a glare as I repeat the process on both arms. He smirks. Then I come to his chest. I grab another washcloth and hand it to him, "I need you to hold this against the wound; we can't get any soap in it." He nods and spreads it as far along the lesion as he can. I start my gentle pattern over his chest, my head feeling a little light and I try to convince myself it's just the heat. I'm just doing a job, it was wrong of me to touch him and it won't happen again. I furrow my brows, as if to solidify this thought, and adjust my legs, accidentally brushing a leg against his. My whole face must be red now.
"Wasn't there a time where you would have given anything to be in a situation like this with me?" his smirk is evident in his tone. Cocky bastard.
"Wasn't there a time where you wouldn't say two words to me?" I snap and against my better judgement I don't let it go, "Seriously, you were never this talkative."
"Yeah, well," he takes a deep breath as I rinse the soap away, "People change."
"Exactly," I look him dead in the eyes before getting a new wash cloth, discarding the one he held, and dousing it in hot water. I press it against the stitches gingerly. He winces slightly, "Sorry," I gently move along the laceration, then come to a stop at his hip. My hand and the cloth rests there for a moment, my eyes downcast. Why can't I move? Why do I want to touch him so badly? Sasuke's hand closes around mine.
"Sakura," he moves our hands away; I can't look at him, "I can take it from here." Not sure how to justify or defend my actions, I get up and walk to the other end of the bathroom, back turned. I busy myself with some gauze and surgical tape to dress his abrasion. Get it together. The water runs in silence for a few more minutes.
"Can you hand me a towel?" I grab one from a shelf, and walk backwards, almost slipping, desperate to both see and not see more than I already have. He takes the towel from my hand and I turn around after a few seconds.
"I need to cover your wound," I pick up the materials I had laid out. He nods in compliance and comes forward. I breathe deeply and catch the scent of generic soap that Tsunade provided, yet also a hint of something fresh and earthy. Calm down, the quicker this gets done, the sooner I don't have to battle temptation. I fit the gauze around his torso, wrapping it a couple times and placing a small piece of tape to secure the end of it. "All done."
"Thank you," his mouth is a straight line and I don't dare look into his eyes. I open the door to a rush of cool air and pad over to Sasuke's room. Lui-san is waiting there patiently.
"Hello," I smile at him.
"Good afternoon, Haruno-san," he returns my smile. Then, a thought occurs to me, memories of last night surfacing.
"Have you eaten anything since you've been here?" I turn to Sasuke, dripping wet and looking for fresh clothes in a dresser. He shakes his head and pulls out a pair of pants and a shirt with the Uchiha emblem at the back. Why does Tsunade have a stock of Uchiha clothes?
"To be honest I feel like I'm going to faint if I don't eat something soon," He winces as he tries to lift the shirt over his head. I come over to help him, gently sliding his arms through the garment. I release his limbs as quickly as possible.
"I'll go make you something," I rush out of the room and into the kitchen, grateful for some breathing space. I take deep breaths and grip the kitchen counters until my knuckles turn white. What is wrong with me? I've never been so irresponsible with a patient. But, Sasuke's not a patient. No, he is, he is my patient and that is as far as our relationship extends. I refuse to let him ruin my reputation and resolve. Keep it together.
