"Teme, come on. I'm sure it's only temporary. Granny will definitely find a cure to it! You're looking at the most influential medic-nin in the history of shinobi!"
Sasuke glares at his closed front door. Part of him wants to let the damn idiot in so he would stop yelling so damn loud, but part of him doesn't have the patience to deal with Naruto right now. It's been three days since he'd last left the hospital, and he hasn't been back since. Remembering the confused, angry girl only made him want to punch a hole through the wall.
"Fuck off," he snarls—full of venom because he can't deal with this right now, and Naruto's voice gets louder.
"You know you want to visit her! You're in denial! Stupid bastard, does she mean so little to you?"
It's the one simple accusation that flies out of Naruto's mouth that sets Sasuke's blood on fire and on his feet in an instant. Storming to the door and yanking it open with more force than necessary, he ignores the heavy dent he just created in the wall and stares icily at the blond on his doorstep.
"Fuck. Off." He sneers, his dark eyes boring into defiant cerulean ones. "I don't want to see her or you right now. Fuck off, before I give you another reason to be at the hospital."
If it'd been anybody else, they'd be terrified and gone the minute Sasuke appeared before them. But Naruto, albeit irritating as shit, is his best friend and someone who knows him well enough to deal with his temper—someone who is, unfortunately, not as afraid of him as he wishes he were.
So the blond straightens up, a rare display of anger morphing his usually happy face, and growls back, in a low tone, "You're a real piece of shit, you know that? Sakura's one of our teammates and you're abandoning her in a time of need." He shakes his head. "I know she doesn't remember you, but that shouldn't change how you see her. She's supposed to be one of our precious people." Naruto stares at him, right in the eyes, and continues, "If Kakashi-sensei were here, he'd say you're lower than scum. And I would have to agree."
With that, the blond turns his back and stalks away, enraged. He doesn't look back.
Sasuke is left furious from Naruto's visit. What right did he have to come in and act as if he understood Sasuke's situation? How did he know what Sasuke felt? Sakura didn't forget him. Sakura didn't forget about Naruto Uzumaki.
She forgot about Sasuke Uchiha. That thought alone is…annoying.
He goes to the training grounds in hopes of releasing some anger, but his mind is distracted.
Truthfully, Naruto often had a weird ability of being able to read what was on Sasuke's mind at certain times. However, this matter was entirely different. To say or even assume the three days of refraining from visiting a certain patient at Konoha Hospital was easy would be a straight up lie.
Sasuke has never been one to talk about or express his emotions—doing so made him feel vulnerable, exposed, and he downright despised the feeling. But somehow, he couldn't get rid of the uncomfortable feelings that wormed through his chest whenever he thinks of the pretty pink-haired girl lying in the hospital room, her brilliant mind empty of any thoughts of him.
He should keep his distance, he knows. It is the best thing to do. Had he been his twelve year old self, he'd be taking advantage of his former teammate's condition—after all, she'd always been too annoying, always grating on his nerves. He'd always find flaws in the pretty girl—she was never serious enough, never ambitious enough, never good enough for him. Smarter than Naruto, sure, but she didn't have as much potential as Naruto held.
Or so he'd thought.
Who knew he'd returned to find that his fragile, vulnerable teammate had blossomed into a beautiful, insanely strong kunoichi who was more than capable of taking care of herself? Who knew Sakura Haruno would avoid him when he'd returned, with nothing exposing the fact that she'd promised him her heart years ago?
But somehow, he can't find it in himself to avoid her. She's like a constant presence in his mind, nagging, demanding doesn't know exactly why Sakura's forgetfulness of him bothers him so much, but it does—creeping into his mind at the most unsuspecting times and instantly darkening his mood. Maybe it's because over the years, despite countless declarations of love from many girls in the village, it was Sakura who maintained true to her word. She'd been unwaveringly supportive of him and truly loved him, unconditionally, even when he was bitter and angry at the world.
Maybe it's because he is unwilling to accept the fact that the very same girl has forgotten only him.
So during his nightly walk, instead of his usual route through the forest, Sasuke finds his feet leading him down the dimly lit path towards the centre of the village to Konoha Hospital, his mind cluttered with thoughts of pink and green. Logically, he should've visited during the day with Naruto so the villagers won't think he's some kind of pathetic stalker, but Sasuke is stubborn—and on top of that, he'd managed to piss off Sakura the very moment she woke up, and he'd never been one to apologize.
The hospital is quiet when he arrives—which is normal for the night shift—with nothing but the slight breeze passing through the trees. It's dark enough for him to slip through the shadows unnoticed and that's exactly what he does; the front entrance is definitely not an option. He remembers Tsunade's all-knowing glance only a couple days ago when he'd handed in his mission report—the thought that Sakura's mentor was clearly aware of his growing feelings for the rosette was…alarming. In all honesty, he doesn't know what he really feels for his former teammate—but he doesn't have time to dwell on that. His main goal concerning this pink-haired girl (as of now, he decides) is to simply re-establish their broken bond (all thanks to him, he reminds himself bitterly).
It takes a simple masking of his chakra and a couple of twists to the hospital window before he's in the room, quiet and unsuspected by any nurses. The room is dark; the only light is the gentle moonlight streaming through the window in luminescent beams—and completely silent with the exception of the low hum of the heart monitor machine Tsunade had insisted on despite Sakura's numerous protests.
His hard eyes soften as he approaches the slumbering girl on the hospital bed. Her eyebrows are creased, as if dreaming of something unpleasant—but that is the only indication of disturbance in her otherwise peaceful sleep. At eighteen, Sakura is much more petite than most girls her age. Her cotton candy pink hair and brilliant green eyes almost give an impression of a small, innocent child; if Sasuke didn't know any better, he would've thought her to be fragile still.
But this is not the same girl who'd quivered at the sight of bloodshed or the same girl who'd cried with utmost desperation that fateful night he left Konoha. He knows now, without a doubt, that this girl could create earthquakes with the touch of her pinkie and heal the most gruesome wounds without batting an eye. He'd heard rumours of Sakura's legendary strength, her genius for medicine; she is a hero to the village, a necessity to the wellbeing of Konoha's citizens.
So where does that leave him?
Before he can dwell on his thoughts, a choked gasp escapes from the rosette's lips and Sasuke stiffens, thinking he'd disrupted Sakura's sleep, his mind already planning out a hundred ways to explain his (probably) unwanted presence in the room. The heart monitor starts beeping wildly and he whirls around, alarmed. Mentally cursing, he decides that his pride is worth swallowing and that Sakura needs a nurse or a doctor now, but before he can even make his way to the door Sakura shoots up suddenly, her eyes wide open, and stares blankly at him.
For a second he thinks she's going to yell at him; but after a minute passes, he realizes that the rosette is not actually awake. Her eyes are glassy, her mouth is parted in silent horror, and a thin sheen of sweat is visible on her pale skin—she's staring blindly at him, her hand reaching up as if attempting to grasp something out of reach, and she chokes out, "No!" Tears start forming down in her empty eyes, spilling down her cheeks as she continues reaching towards his general direction, heart-wrenching pleas stumbling from her lips.
"Don't—no, don't leave, no, please…"
She's having a nightmare, he realizes, by her side in an instant. Her eyes follow him, her hand reaching for his.
He'd never been one for comforting people. He just wasn't good at it. He had a notorious temper, an attitude that people considered arrogant, and a natural tendency to preserve his personal space.
But seeing his former teammate, his maybe-could've-been-something-more, in so much agony, he allows her to take a hold of his hand. He doesn't know what to say because he's never been good with words—but he lets her hold him, her grip tight, as her breaths leave her in shallow gasps.
"Lie down," he orders softly, using his free hand to gently lower Sakura down onto the pillows. She complies, and to his relief her breathing returns to normal. The erratic beating of the heart monitor gradually relaxes back to its quiet hum, and he watches as Sakura's eyes slowly close.
"…Stay," is the last thing that she whispers before her green eyes fully shut; only this time her face is serene as she falls into a tranquil slumber again. Her grip on Sasuke's hand loosens but he doesn't let go, doesn't want to.
It's going to be a long night.
Raising a cup of coffee to her lips, Tsunade smirks. Did that Uchiha brat really think the hospital security was that easy to bypass? Her medical office was just down the hall and she'd been here the entire time.
She'd given him the satisfaction of believing that his visit was undetected; but in reality, she'd saw him coming and disabled the locks on Sakura's room. Did he really think Tsunade would allow random, unwanted visitors creeping into her most precious student's room while the girl was resting and in a vulnerable state? Hell no.
But he's the exception to her overprotective stance with Sakura—the older woman could tell that her student meant a lot to the brat, even if the kid didn't know it himself. She'd called off the nurses when Sakura's heart monitor flared as well; the brat seemed to have it under control, and she might as well save the kid from some embarrassment, since she was feeling extra generous today.
Sensing the two familiar chakra signatures just down the hall, she sighs. Both the brat and Sakura's chakra have calmed significantly after Sakura's sudden episode, but Tsunade is mainly concerned as to why her student's heart rate accelerated at such a substantial pace.
It's going to be a long night.
The warm morning sun on Sakura's face is what awakens her—Konoha's mornings are always incredibly bright—and with a groan, she sits up. Her eyes feel tired and puffy for some strange reason, and there's a longing in her heart for something she can't quite fathom.
Her eyes wander to her hands, and she has a strange sensation that she is missing something, that something has happened, but she just can't picture what. She tries to remember if she'd had a dream, anything, but her mind gives her nothing but black stillness.
She's left staring confusedly at her hands for what feels like eternity, only blinking away when Naruto bursts into the room with a cheerful, "Good morning, Sakura-chan!" At the sight of Naruto's dazzling smile and the delicious-looking container of rice, grilled fish and miso soup he sets in front of her, she feels her uneasiness lessen a bit. You're just overthinking it, she thinks, anyway, shishou would definitely let you know if something occurred during the night.
Convincing herself that it's nothing, she returns Naruto's smile and listens as the blond explains that Hinata made the breakfast for her. He continues rambling on the daily news in the village, keeping her up to date on everything, and his smile only falters when he mistakenly says, "…and that stupid teme wouldn't even—"
"Hm?" she asks when Naruto's tanned face pales a bit. "Wouldn't even what?"
"Uh… wouldn't even train with me!" Naruto finishes in a rush. "Anyway, um, it's not important. Hey, did you know Ayame from Ichiraku's…"
Naruto has been her best friend for years, and she knows exactly when he is lying; and she knows for a fact right now that the blond is hiding something from her. Normally, Naruto wouldn't shut up about 'teme this' or 'teme that', always questioning if she remembered that Sasuke guy. But today, Naruto seemed—off.
"Naruto," she cuts him off, "did something happen? Between you and Sasuke, I mean."
Naruto's answer is quick and firm. "No. It's nothing you need to worry about, Sakura-chan! Just focus on getting better!" and he smiles, brilliant, as if to deter her attention away from the topic.
Sakura doesn't press on; but she isn't convinced.
note: um. so. thank you all for your patience with this story, i know my updates haven't been frequent or timely at all. i can see my writing style has changed a bit, so i hope y'all don't mind too much. updated for sauce's birthday today (july 23! getting old, that guy) because its 2:30 a.m and i have a 12 hr shift tomorrow (today?) and i just felt like i needed to post something out there for this special day.
also- i kinda ended this chapter at an awkward place, because i felt it was it was too long and wasn't consistent with the other chapter lengths. that being said, i have the beginnings of the next chapter started, so hopefully i'll update sooner this time lol.
LOVE YOUS.
-A
