Sakura
The past few days went by in a blur. I couldn't really remember much of what had happened when I first awoke; after all, the morphine was making me a little loopy. Tsunade spent most mornings in my room, slowly working on the tissues and damaged skin from my wounds. In the afternoon's, after my treatments, I was often in physical therapy. After a week had gone by, you could hardly tell that I had been in a coma for four and a half months. I was walking again, and eventually the holes in my body healed, at least on the surface, with only two large patches on darker skin to remind me of them.
"Hey, Sakura-Chan," I looked up to see Naruto walk through the door, followed by Hinata. He looked a lot better than when I last saw him. The bags that were once under his eyes seemed lighter, and his appearance and attitude a lot brighter. When he walked, he bounced with an energy that made me smile. "Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah," I said smiling, putting him at ease, "Tsunade says I can leave tomorrow." Naruto smiled again before walking over to the foot of the bed and sitting down. He looked at my eyes and then looked over my body as if he was waiting to wake up from a dream. I tilted my head and laughed a little.
"I'm not going anywhere, Naruto." I whispered, putting the palm of my hand softly on his cheek. He let out a chuckled and hugged me. "Hey, I might be better, but I'm not completely healed!" I yelled as I pushed him off of me, laughing. I looked behind him to Hinata.
She was shy, as always, still standing near the back. She was smiling also, her cheeks tinged with pink. She was wearing a pretty purple dress that fell to the ground in layers. Her hair had also grown longer, pulled up into a ponytail, a white flower tucked behind her ear. She had visited a few times with Naruto, and I put two and two together. Finally, Naruto had seen the love Hinata had always had for him.
"So what's up?" I ask, motioning for Hinata to sit on the bed too. After she sat down, the hands that had been properly folded behind her back uncrossed and she held out her left hand, a small white lavender diamond on her ring finger. "No way," I said astonished, holding Hinata's hand as I examined the ring closer. "It's beautiful," I whispered looking at Naruto, a warm smile playing on my lips, "congrats little brother." I gave him a hug, and he laughed in relief.
"I'm not your little brother!" He said, punching my shoulder playfully, "I'm like seven months older than you, Sakura."
I laughed again at his retort, "maybe physically, but not mentally." This caused Hinata to chuckle as Naruto tried to understand what I meant. A few seconds later he finally understood, and replied by punching me again in the shoulder. After a while of talking, and I becoming a bridesmaid, we said our good-byes and I watched as they left, a sincere smile on my face.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
After a lot of pleading and intentional annoying sighs on my part, Tsunade agreed to release me from the hospital that evening. She didn't approve of me leaving early, but I was so bored and truthfully, there were many other harmed ninja's who could use the room that I had been occupying. And not to mention, I'm pretty stubborn.
As I walked outside, carefully so I would not open my stitches (which I had already done four times the past week and a half), I noticed Sasuke at the bottom of the porch stairs, leaning against the edge of the wall just outside the entrance of the hospital. His head was laying back, his eyes closed. The cool air was nice, and it blew his hair ever so softly in the wind. He seemed so relaxed, as if he had never even left, and had always been an original familiarity in the scene.
"Are you just going to stand there and stare?" He asked, opening his eyes half-way to look up at me. I cocked my head to the side, studying him.
"Perhaps. Truthfully, I'm quite surprised you're still here. I expected you to be long gone by now." He seemed to smirk, even though I couldn't see his face from where he was standing. I watched as he pushed himself off the wall, and he walked over to the first of four steps.
"Naruto was called to Suna on business. He asked for me to care for you until he returns." This time a chuckled.
"I don't need a babysitter. I am just fine on my own," to prove my point, I grabbed the guard rail and walked down the steps, hiding the pain that shot through my body, "after all, I wouldn't want to inconvenience you." I spat it out, sarcasm dripping from my words.
"Are you sure about that," he asked smirking as my body wavered and his hand reached out to steady me, "and Naruto told me to tell you that if you refuse, he will write 'dangerous and reckless' on your résumé." I rolled my eyes, shaking my head in discontent.
"Of course he did," I said, starting to walk as Sasuke followed close behind. I managed to make it forty-seven steps before I had to stop and lean against a wall for support. The pain was worse than I thought it would be, and I could feel the stitches straining with each step that I took. My breathing was shallow and quick, my head starting to ache. I took deep breaths, ignoring the fact that Sasuke stood closer than I would have liked. Honestly, I wasn't so keen to trust him. Sure, we may have had a moment, but that doesn't account for the past twelve years. And I sure in hell wasn't that same little girl full of love and affection.
"I can carry you." He finally said after a while.
"Hell no," I whispered through breaths, "I'm fine." I heard him let out a sigh as he moved in front of me and crouched down. "I said rugged breaths, "I didn't want your help."
"I never said I was asking." I didn't have time to contemplate what he meant, because he grabbed my thighs and hoisted me up, causing me to grab a hold of his shoulders so I wouldn't fall. I let out a grunt as pain once again rang through the trunk of my body, but felt relief after it subsided. Once I was secure he began to walk slowly, his footfalls echoing in the empty streets.
"Why do you always insist on doing the complete opposite of what I wish for?" I ranted, my chin resting on his shoulder. "I could have fallen and re-opened my cuts, baka." A small smirk played on his lips.
"When did you become so hostile, Sak~u~ra?" He purred, letting my name stretch, "There was a time where you would have loved to be in this position. I bet your heart is beating so quickly, and you feel lightheaded, don't you?"
It was true, at least the lightheadedness, but that wasn't because of his closeness. "That was a long time ago, Sasuke." I whispered.
He didn't reply, and we walked in silence through the empty town, only the dim streetlights to keep us company. I found myself lost in my thoughts, thinking of random tid-bits that crossed my mind. It wasn't until we passed our old training grounds did I start to feel nostalgic; the memories that had played through my mind while I was in the coma resurfaced, and I found myself staring at the stone bench as we passed it.
"Are you going to stay?" I finally asked, my voice so low that I thought he didn't hear it at first. I was going to repeat the question when he finally replied.
"I don't know," he said, biting the corner of his lip as he focused straight ahead. "Do you want me to?"
"Do I want you to what?" I asked, closing my eyes as I rested on his back. The luke-warm air blew my bangs to the side and I let out a deep breath, relaxing my stiff stature.
"Stay." He replied quickly, causing me to bring my head up in surprise. But after thinking about his statement, I rested back on his shoulder, assuming he was just being sarcastic. I could feel my body giving away to sleep and I let out a yawn.
"Why would it matter what I wished for? It's not like I can control you," I spoke through sleepiness. Another yawn coming from my lips. I closed my eyes, listening to the wind as it blew through the trees. My mind started to slip away, my heart starting to beat slower.
"I think that you have more power over me than I'd wish to admit." I wanted to smirk at his comment, or say something sarcastic, but I was too long gone.
