. . .and Call Me in the Morning: Ch. 2

A/N: Naruto characters and themes are not my property, and I do not profit from any likenesses.

In the previous scene:

Sakura turned around and gazed at a frightening and pitiful sight. There lay Sasuke Uchiha, fully naked and barely conscious. He looked pretty strung out. Upon closer inspection - to his face, that is - Sakura noticed his eyes were extremely dilated, his skin was abnormally pale, and he wasn't reacting to her panicked screams. Sakura knew well enough to keep hush. Sasuke wouldn't want all the nurses barging in to find him on the floor, as naked as the day he was born, crazed and out of his mind.

Sakura jumped up and grabbed the thin white blanket off his bed. She hastily covered him up, blushing wildly. It wasn't so much that he was very, very naked. It was more startling that he had a very impressive. . .erection. What. The. Hell.

Sakura checked him over a little better while trying not to notice the extra-large tent a few feet down south. His eyes weren't just dilated; they were discolored. Interestingly enough, Sakura thought she saw flickers of purple shooting through them. Sakura fumbled in one of her white lab coat pockets before she fished out her little flashlight. She shined the light in his eyes and was completely amazed at what she saw.

In Sasuke's eyes were flickering, curving lines of violet. They looked like teeny bolts of electricity flowing through them. Does it have something to do with his Chidori? Or is this something else entirely? Whatever it is, Sakura knew Sasuke's life could be in danger.

"Oh, my gosh. I've never seen anything like this. I'm sorry, Sasuke, but I have to tell Tsunade."

Sakura waited outside the exam room on the eighth floor. Lady Tsunade ordered her to wait outside after noticing the young woman was too emotionally attached and was becoming a bit unhinged. Sasuke Uchiha was evidently in bad shape. But Sakura couldn't understand why. That was what made it so frustrating for her - she couldn't help him. But she will never stop trying.

'What is this? Why isn't he all better yet? Did I do something wrong? Did he get an infection? Because of me? Will he be alright? Oh, God! What if I just made things worse?'

Sakura mulled over possibilities for her own mistakes. Sakura happens to be a very careful doctor, and would not leave one "i" undotted or one "t" uncrossed. She sincerely hoped everything was going to be okay. It wasn't so much that she feared being labeled as a failure or an incompetent doctor; Sakura was terrified that her close friend was in mortal danger and she failed to help him.

The white door creaked open. Out walked two members of Lady Tsunade's personal medical team. Sakura was too shaken to note that the two persons happened to be Dr. Morimasa Ogata and Dr. Ikku Matsuda, two of the world's best-known toxicologists. These two men are experts at many different types of poisons, toxic foods and plants, venom, and special toxic fighting skills or bloodline limits. They both have traveled the world in their studies, and made a formidable team after coming to Konoha to work under Lady Tsunade several years back. The two were well aware of each other, but never really worked together before working for Konoha. Rumor has it that Lady Tsunade actually won a bet that all but enslaved them to her. Since their first day, most of the villagers had never even been able to set eyes on the pair.

Drs. Ogata and Matsuda peered down at the disheveled, downtrodden apprentice of Lady Tsunade. The two men had come to hold high esteem for Sakura, along with quite a bit of affection. It was too hard not to grow close to the young girl. She was beautiful and very talented. Sakura had a genuine thirst for knowledge, a trait both men saw in each other, as well. Sakura also genuinely felt compelled to help people any way she could, even putting her own safety and well-being on the line to do so. Sakura was destined to be a wonderful doctor.

The two doctors also knew well of the Uchiha clan and Sasuke Uchiha. He was quite the formidable ANBU ninja, or so they've heard. His brother, Itachi, was the leader of the Konoha Police Force. Both young men were revered nobles and terrifying opponents. The doctors knew of the infamous Uchiha disposition, and knew well enough about Sakura's youthful affections towards the younger Uchiha brother.

Dr. Ogata spoke up, hating to see Sakura in so much anguish.

"Dr. Haruno, your patient is doing just fine. Lady Tsunade has stabilized him. You were quite astute to notice poisoning so quickly. Your split-second action possibly saved his life. That Uchiha boy owes you his life, you know."

Sakura stood up, ignoring the nagging sensations running through her muscles. She quelled her restlessness and fatigue just to find out how Sasuke is doing.

"How is he? Is he really stable? What type of poison is it?"

Dr. Matsuda laughed and put his hand out in front of him to slow Sakura down.

"Whoa, young lady. One question at a time, please. Sasuke is stable, but we haven't been able to drain as much of the poison out as we should have easily been able to. We. . .don't know what type of poison it is. It is not indigenous to these parts or any other country we've visited. It's possible it could be a new strain of a very rare plant I discovered. . ."

"I discovered it, Ikku. You merely read my report once it was all finished."

"Right. We discovered it-"

Dr. Ogata sighed in irritation. Sakura rolled her eyes. 'Maybe working together is a mistake for these two. Always trying to one-up the other.'

"-on a tall mountain located in the treacherous mountain range bordering the Land of Earth. From what we observed, it can be fatal unless enough is removed from the bloodstream before it reaches the heart. We believe we have done so."

"Oh, thank you! Thank y-" Sakura pulled back and tried to maintain more professional composure. "Thank you for your miracle, Drs. Ogata and Matsuda!" Sakura bowed, but had a little bit of trouble on the way back up. Her energy was zapped, not to mention her chakra levels were extremely low. She wanted to face-plant onto the floor.

"Oh, you should be in there thanking Lady Tsunade. She did most of the work. She has plenty of experience with poisons, as you should very well know." Dr. Matsuda put his hand on Sakura's shoulder. She looked as if she would slump against the wall at any moment. "You do, as well. You're a very strong, knowledgeable doctor. At your age, that is completely unheard of. We can't wait to see what you are capable of in your lifetime. We're sorry we'll be gone long before then."

"Thank you."

"You can go in and see him now, if you'd like." Dr. Ogata noticed her hesitation, even though he knew she wanted to see Sasuke. "Why do you hesitate? Don't you want to see him?"

Sakura shifted from one foot to the other. "I do have experience with poisons, but why didn't I notice quickly enough? I should have."

"No, no, Sakura. This type of poison doesn't affect the victim until a few days later."

"Like Sasori's poison?" Sakura thought back to the Akatsuki member named Sasori, whose poison would kill even a very strong shinobi in only three days, rendering the victim paralyzed and virtually helpless in those three days leading up to their death. It was a very complex type of poison, and thinking this could very well be similar scared Sakura. She questioned her abilities.

"Well, not quite. This poison seems to have come from a plant of some sort, not from an attack. It is complex like Sasori's poison, but not similar enough for us to have the upper hand. The cause of death is the poisoning of the heart. It will cause the heart to seize. It can lie dormant for a number of days, depending on how active the victim will be while infected. But when it is triggered, it moves very slowly. While it is moving through the bloodstream, it affects the mental stability of the person. He can become flustered, possibly enraged quickly."

Sakura scoffed. "Then I wouldn't have known. Nothing out of the ordinary there." Sakura was only kidding. Everyone knows Uchihas show no emotion. But what stood out to her was Sasuke asking to go out and do things, then finding him in that. . .disrobed state. There's no telling how crazy he went while she left him alone.

Dr. Ogata nodded his head in understanding, missing Sakura's sarcasm, and continued on.

"Furthermore, his chakra levels will drain quickly until they are almost completely depleted. That gives us the clue that this was designed specifically for combat against other ninja. He can lose his train of thought easily, begin to say things he wouldn't normally say, then. . .pretty much begin to lose any shred of sanity. His mind will eventually shut him down, in a way. He will lose consciousness, but not before insanity kicks in. Did no nurse report anything unusual before you found him?"

'Well, now I know why he was asking about going swimming.' "No. But I did notice his window was open. Do you think he was trying to escape?"

"I don't know. We've never dealt with this specific poison before, and it's possible Sasuke may not remember any of his last few hours. We just don't know yet."

"Oh. He didn't hurt himself, did he? I noticed some cuts and scrapes. I guess we may never know how he got those."

Dr. Matsuda snickered a little. "Actually, he fractured his left wrist, he has bruising in his ribs, and had a very nice hole in his right hand."

"Oh my gosh! Wha. . .a hole? What do you mean?"

"It seems that the crazed boy stabbed himself with a sharp instrument of some sort. Nothing that matches the wound was found in his hospital room. It's a very peculiar situation."

"Then how. . .oh, never mind! There's no telling what happened there, I suppose. Will he wake up soon?"

"You should ask Lady Tsunade. I believe she has a mission for you, Dr. Haruno. Don't worry about a thing."

Both doctors gave her a nod, a smile and a little bit of comfort, then walked back towards the elevators.

Sakura ducked in the hospital room. There she found Lady Tsunade sitting in a corner chair, scribbling on a clipboard. She didn't look up when Sakura came in, but Sakura knew she was aware of her presence immediately. Sasuke was very still on his stark white hospital bed with a charcoal grey blanket covering him. It was obvious to Sakura that he still wasn't wearing any clothes. She blushed at her earlier encounter with the naked Uchiha. 'Just what was going on in that head of yours, Sasuke? You must have been tripping pretty badly. I sincerely hope you didn't venture out that window, because we have yet to recover your clothes here in the hospital.'

"He'll be awake in about an hour, maybe less." Tsunade glanced from her work to see Sakura peering at Sasuke's sleeping form. His right hand was bandaged. Both hands were at his side, above the blanket. "The poison isn't all out of his system, but there isn't enough left to cause him any more harm. The only problem right now is he'll be pretty weak for at least 20 more hours or so."

"Is he. . ."

"He'll be fine. But the problem at hand is we need to know more about this poison. A lot more. We've never seen this before. It likely came from battle, but we are not aware of any further side effects, how it is transmitted or possibly even long-term or recurring conditions."

Sakura huffed. She didn't really think about how badly Sasuke could be in trouble with this poison. She stared in disbelief at a helpless and defenseless Sasuke, something utterly surprising and shocking to her or to most anyone else. At that moment, Sakura knew what she had to do. She lightly took grasp of Sasuke's unbandaged hand.

'Sasuke, I vow to help and protect you at all costs until you are fully healed.' She turned to Lady Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama, what were the orders you were going to assign me?"

"Well, that should be fairly obvious, Sakura. You are his doctor. This is your patient. You need to monitor him."

Sakura nodded her head. Then she remembered. "But Tsunade-sama, I have vacation time for the rest of the week. Can someone else-"

"Out of the question. This is not someone else's patient. When he wakes up, he will be perfectly able to get up and walk out of here."

"Then why-"

"I wasn't finished, Sakura."

"Sorry, Tsunade-sama."

"Sasuke will need monitoring. He will likely jump at the chance to get out of the hospital. It will only take a few days, but you will need to act as his personal doctor and nurse."

"What? We have more than plenty of nurses who. . .would. . .no, we don't." 'Lazy bitches.' "The young ones think he's good-looking, but everyone's terrified of him. He's such a jerk." 'And powerful. I can't match him.'

"My point, exactly." Lady Tsunade stared Sakura down, weakening her small ounce of defiance. She's good at staring people down to bend them to her will. "We cannot be certain how the poison has affected his combat capabilities. He may not even be able to think rationally. I highly doubt he will even grasp the urgency of his situation. Until then, he will need medical assistance and added security. You can handle both of those needs."

Sakura drooped her shoulders into an unflattering slouch and sighed in defeat. She knew she had lost from the very beginning, never willing to defy direct orders from the Hokage. Any argument with Lady Tsunade always seems more successful in the beginning, but sounds whiny and pathetic near the end. She looked at Sasuke's peaceful yet troubled face.

"I guess you're coming home with me, Sasuke, whether you like it or not."

"Good. I'll have him transported to your apartment this evening."

Sakura jerked and turned quickly to face Lady Tsunade. "What!" she asked, startled. "Tonight? You said he won't be awake until tomorrow. Why does he need to leave right now?"

"He will be harder to control if he's in here. At the rate Naruto's going, he'll likely be frequenting our only padded room. If we grant him the amenities of a home instead of the hospital, be will be much easier to deal with."

"But why does it have to be my home?"

"You're not just his doctor, Sakura. You're his teammate and childhood friend. I'm assuming you've seen each other's homes."

"Well, yes." 'Ugh. Sasuke's apartment is so. . .plain. And cold. White walls, except for his beige bedroom walls. He keeps the thermostat below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. His china is plain white, his furniture is solid color (no prints), and he doesn't even own curtains except for the cheap, sheer ones that came with his bedroom when he signed the lease for the apartment! Well, at least he isn't a filthy pig like Naru-'

"Would you feel more comfortable sleeping in your own bed or on the couch at his?"

"Deal. . .I guess he's lucky I have a guest bedroom."

"Psst!" Naruto's shadow clone peeked around the corner from his hospital room. "Nurse Tracy?" Naruto checked his watch. It was now so close to 5:00 p.m. The poor spiky-haired blond was so hungry!

'Maybe I can jet outta here for a nice dinner with Nurse Tracy! Hot Damn! Where is that hot girl?'

Naruto's clone strolled down the hallway until he heard a couple of voices, one of them being a female voice. Smirking, he hid around the closest corner to see who was coming.

Disappointing the blond clone, it was not Nurse Tracy. It was an older doctor who was flirting with a young candy-striper. Naruto shook his head, disgusted at the older man's ploy to romance a naive young girl. Though he was just as guilty, but just a bit closer to the girl's age. 'That makes it more okay, right? Well, if things don't go over well with Nurse Tracy. . .I am ANBU, after all. I'm sure brawn trumps brains.'

After they passed, Naruto's clone sleuthed down the hallway, spying on any open doors to look for the object of his momentary affections. The clone searched high and low while creeping so as to go undetected. He was hot on Tracy's trail like a bloodhound, or so he thought.

SWOOSH!

Naruto's clone suddenly dissipated.

A little further up the hallway, Naruto peered out of his hospital room, wondering what the Hell just happened. 'What the Hell? Was my clone just attacked in the middle of the hospital halls?'

"Sakura? Is that you? Sasuk-"

WHAM!

The dumb blond never even felt the chakra presence. Naruto's body fell forward onto the cold tile floor. Two strong arms flipped him on his back and drug him back into his hospital room, the door closing quietly behind them.

Sasuke stirred. He first noticed his tongue. It felt like it weighed a ton. He struggled but still barely lifted it, sliding the unusually heavy and dry muscle over the roof of his mouth. It tasted like copper and. . .what is that other taste. . .plastic, perhaps? His eyes felt like lead. He squinted and managed to concentrate on his right eye, peering out into a darkened room. Had his eyes not been adjusted to the darkness already, he was sure it would have been very difficult to see the machines on either side of him. Not again. This was how he woke up after his latest battle. Can't a guy ever catch a break?

Sasuke heard someone stirring and panicked, instantly feeling threatened in his weakened state. He tried to use his voice to grumble, but nothing came out.

"Sasuke? Are you awake?" Sasuke's muscled relaxed. It was Sakura, thank God. He tried again to find his voice. What came out was surprising and embarrassing. His voice was gruff and scratchy, and it could not have startled even a cowardly dog.

"Sa-Sakura."

Sakura recognized the tone of voice. He was upset. His loss of voice didn't do much to keep her from comprehending the Uchiha was pissed. He must not know anything about his newfound condition. Sakura herself was pretty upset that he was awake several hours ahead of schedule, thus firmly wiping her evening plans off the calendar.

"Sasuke, it appears you had been infected with a slow-moving poison in your last battle. We were able to extract most of it, thank goodness. You'll be weak for a little while, but I'm sure you-"

"What? What is it?"

Sakura flinched. Sasuke's tone held a sense of urgency. It startled her and made her a little uneasy.

"It's. . .we may have a problem. Whoever poisoned you was able to do so undetected by you and me. And I'm willing to bet they have plenty more poison where that came from."

Sasuke tried to sit up, but failed. He thought he was close, but he wasn't. Sakura saw him try to lift his head, but his neck barely made an effort. She knew he would be very angry with her for helping, but he was in no condition to overexert himself. He'll have to let this one slide, for now. Sakura grabbed his shoulders and pulled him up. Sasuke did grumble, but was slightly thankful for her help. Sasuke's arms were mobile enough to reach out and grab the metal rails of his hospital bed for balance. Sakura reached around behind Sasuke and fluffed his pillows, rearranging them so he could prop himself up on them. She stood up and reached backwards to the side table and picked up a tall, clear glass and a white pitcher. Sakura poured fresh water into the glass and brought it to Sasuke's lips to help him drink it. Just as she expected, Sasuke was offended that she was treating him like a. . .well, like a patient. Sasuke rudely grabbed the glass from her, making a portion of the water splash out of the cup and onto his hospital blanket.

"I need to get out of here." Sasuke noticed that his voice was returning. His sore throat must not have been attributed to the poison.

Sakura sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that. You need to rest, or you won't heal or fully recover as quickly fr-"

"What the fuck! Sakura, what the Hell happened to my hand?"

Nurse Tracy returned to Naruto's room, expecting him to be awake and back to his usual boisterous, irritating and perverted self. To her surprise, Naruto was still out cold.

'What the Hell did you do to him, Sakura?' Tracy wondered about the impact Sakura caused as the blond went sailing into the wall of his hospital room. She turned to see the impression left in the drywall. 'Damn. Nice one.'

Tracy walked over to Naruto's heart monitor and observed a normal reading. "At least he's still breathing. Maybe a coma is good for him! Smart thinking, Sakura. Now, how's about those drinks?"

"Yes. How's about that drink, Tracy?"

"Ah!" Tracy stumbled backwards, shocked at the sudden appearance. Se grabbed her chest, startled. "Oh, hi. You scared me."

"I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I was just checking on this guy. He isn't awake yet. I'm wondering how bad of a hit he took from Sakura."

"Yeah, me too. But our shift's pretty much ended, so. . ." Tracy flicked a bit of her hair behind her shoulder. "Are you still up for going out tonight? Sakura said she'd be there."

"Yeah, she did. You're coming, too, right?" Lucas smiled a devilish grin. Tracy swooned.

"Oh! Um, yeah. I-I mean, if you want me to." Tracy upped the ante on her flirting, noticing Lucas was interested and extremely flattering. 'Sorry, Sakura. It looks like this one may be mine. For tonight, at least.'

Tracy's cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She reached in to pull it out and slid her finger over the screen to read her message from Sakura.

Sakura sat in one of her living room chairs, staring at her cell phone. Tracy had not called her yet, so Sakura assumed she was at her own apartment, getting ready to go out tonight. She sighed and began to text Tracy.

Sakura: Hey. R U still at the hospital?

Tracy: Yes. About 2 leave.

Sakura: I can't go out 2nite. I'll have to make it up to you l8r. Tsunade dumped a problem in my lap.

Tracy: Bummer. I'll call you in the morning, then. Wish me good night!

Sakura: Good night, you lucky bitch. Have fun with the new hottie.

Sakura put her cell phone down on her coffee table and looked back over to Sasuke, lamenting a chance to get to know hottie-nurse a bit better. Well, it wasn't like she was gong to be able to bring him back to her place now, was she?

But the thought of Lucas washed away as she looked over at Sasuke. He was bundled in a comfy blanket she fetched from her guest bedroom's closet. Sasuke demanded he stay on the couch, since he assured her these would be very temporary arrangements. Sakura figured she'd drag him to the guest bedroom as soon as she was certain he was fast asleep, but now she felt a little guilty. Sakura looked over to his limp left arm, clutching her remote control. The guest bedroom didn't have a television set. If this was what kept him happy, then she would oblige. It's so much better than having him pissed off at her. The Uchiha glare wasn't so much frightening to her (like for so many others, the reason why no other nurse would deal with him alone) as it was just downright annoying.

So instead, Sasuke got what he wanted and stayed on her couch in front of her large, wide screen television set to watch tv all evening. Whatever he wanted to watch, not whatever Sakura wanted to watch. Ir was only her television, after all. Ugh. Alas, Sakura didn't complain too much and let him watch whatever he wanted. She was still exhausted from explaining to him how she'd found him, buck naked and wounded. She didn't tell him he must have somehow escaped from his hospital room. Sakura sincerely hoped he as fully clothed before he hopped back into his hospital room - they didn't hear of any reports about a streaker running through the streets of Konoha, so that was a good indication there were no witnesses, other than Sakura and Lady Tsunade.

Sakura removed her aching self from her living room chair and walked over to Sasuke. His breathing was even. His face looked very relaxed. She had checked her thermostat earlier to make sure the temperature was warm enough to help keep his body warm. She didn't want a draft in her apartment to be his undoing. Sasuke's immune system was pretty weak at this stage. Any simple common cold could turn into pneumonia in a short amount of time, possibly before she would notice it in time.

Sasuke flinched underneath her gaze. His eyelid lifted and saw a mass of pink hair.

"Sakura. . .what are you doing? I'm not dead."

Sakura shot back, instinctively moving back a step. She had been caught checking up on him. But she wasn't too embarrassed. The bastard should be a bit more appreciative. Now she just wanted to slap him upside his perfect, pretty little head. 'Dumb jerk.'

"I know, baka. I'm just checking to see if your body has made much progress in recovery."

"I feel fine."

"Shut up. You're lying."

"How do you know?"

"Because you look terrible." Sakura smirked when she saw his eyes grow a little bigger. He was never one to tolerate a disheveled appearance like Naruto would, or even sometimes Kakashi-sensei. Uchihas are always anal, even with their appearance. It sometimes put quite a damper on long-term missions between Sasuke and his teammates. Speaking of, Sakura knew she needed to call Kakashi, Sai and Yamato to let them in on Sasuke's condition. But she decided she would wait until tomorrow to update them, since there wasn't much to update them on at this moment. Hopefully, Sasuke's condition would improve much more by morning and he'd possibly be able to get up and walk around a bit. He'd need the exercise if they were to assess any damage to Sasuke's fighting capabilities.

"Hn." His grunt went unnoticed, since Sakura had already moved into the kitchen. Sasuke tried to close his eyes, but the noise in the kitchen prevented another nap. Sasuke could clearly hear Sakura banging pots and pans in the kitchen. Even though she wasn't trying to, the clanging distracted him from sleep, as it would for anybody. But, oddly enough, Sasuke didn't mind the noise. It reminded him of when he was younger, when he'd be sick and his mother would be fixing him something special in the kitchen while he was on the couch, listening to her. Sometimes she'd even hum a tranquil, relaxing tune that would calm him down and soothe him.

Sasuke thought about his earlier childhood, when his mother, Mikoto Uchiha, would allow him to nap on the couch while she would serve him herself. The head family of the Uchiha clan had their own waiting staff, of course. But Mikoto liked to take care of her own sons, like any good mother would. She would make him homemade tomato soup from scratch. Sure, chicken noodle soup is known as the staple "sick people" food. But Mikoto knew her youngest son absolutely loved tomatoes. Sasuke knew he had loved tomatoes since before he could even remember. His mother would go out of her way to care for her family and for so many others. Mikoto never turned down an ailing or needy person. She would often busy herself taking care of others that she would put her own health and safety on the line. She was a kind and pleasant woman, a dutiful and caring wife, and a wonderful mother.

Sasuke thought about the close similarities between Sakura and his mother. Sakura is a very strong kunoichi. During their younger preteen years and leading into their teenage years, Sasuke was pretty hard on her. He let her know exactly where her weaknesses lie. He pushed others away due to his unhappiness with his father and brother. But Sakura prevailed where so many others would not have made it, and she has become such a strong ninja. She can make any enemy tremble at the sight of her glowing fists. But, in the same second, her glowing fists would unravel and become something relieving and relaxing. Her hands can instantly turn from weapons into tools for healing and peered from his position on the couch to gaze at his teammate.

'But now, looking at Sakura at her beautiful back arching over the counter top, her hair shining under the hanging light fixture, her. . .wait. What am I thinking? This is Sakura!'

Sasuke shook his head, hoping to clear his mind. He turned back to the television, not really able to follow the program with his cluttered thoughts.

Within about twenty minutes' time, Sakura was pleased to present Sasuke with a serving tray. On the tray was a bowl of tomato soup made from scratch, like his mother would make him in his childhood (and still sometimes sent over to him if he fell ill). Sakura also made him a melted cheese sandwich with shredded chicken, which was delicious. She had also made herself a similar sandwich. Sasuke noticed a tall glass with a light green liquid. It held an herbal aroma, so he guessed it was some sort of herbal green tea. Sakura was a kunoichi and a doctor with vast medical knowledge, so Sasuke figured it was concocted to boost his immune system. And it didn't taste half bad, either. Something told him Sakura made sure the tea wasn't something he would spit right out. In fact, everything on his tray tasted really good. Sasuke wasn't sure if his taste buds were dull, or perhaps that it was his first decent meal in days. But he had to give kudos to Sakura for really great cooking skills, even in a pinch - for a sick person. Sasuke cared about Sakura, and knew he had to let her know of his gratitude.

Sasuke cleared his throat. "Sakura."

"Hm?" Sakura set down her glass of green tea and turned to Sasuke from her position in the living room chair.

"Well, I. . .don't want you to think I'm not grateful. . .for everything. . ."

"I don't."

". . .thanks." Sasuke mumbled his last word, tripping over himself in this unfamiliar territory.

Sakura had to admit that she was pretty surprised. Sasuke rarely showed his gratitude, and anyone he showed it to usually was grateful for a nod. But he actually put his gratitude into words for her. Audible words. No nod, no grunt. Sakura got an actual "thanks" from the stoic younger Uchiha brother. Anyone else wouldn't pay much attention to it, but Sakura was ready to fall over in shock.

"Y-you're. . .welcome, Sasuke." 'Ooh, I can't believe it! Wait until Ino-pig hears this! Her jaw will drop! For once, she'll be at a loss for words!'

Sasuke turned back to the television. Now he wasn't even sure if this was the same program as before. Really, like he could concentrate now? He had a very attractive distraction sitting a few feet away from him. 'Why now, of all times for my crush on Sakura to pop out in full force? Well, why not see if I can make something come of this.' He smirked, gone unnoticed as Sakura worked on completing her late-night snack. She knew she'd need her energy, just in case Sasuke needed more medical help on his road to recovery.

Sakura noticed that Sasuke scarfed down the tomato soup, obviously a favorite of his. He was almost finished with his sandwich - just one final bite. Sakura waited until he lifted the remaining piece of his sandwich before she stood up and cleared his tray out of the way. She picked up his glass and found a coaster so she could set the glass down on the coffee table in front of him, making sure to keep it within his arms' reach. But before she set the glass down, Sasuke reached out and gently grasped her wrist. Sakura was a little bit surprised, and Sasuke caught the small gasp she let slide.

"I really meant it. Thank you."

I. . .I-I. . ." Sakura couldn't make words form, no matter how hard she tried. She was simply at a loss. What was he trying to tell her? Was he just grateful for her help? For taking care of him and protecting him? For not letting anyone else in on his weakened state?

"Sakura. . .sit down."

"O-okay." Sakura turned away to move back to her living room chair, but Sasuke's grip didn't lessen. She couldn't go back to her seat. So she stood there and turned back around to look at him. He pulled her to him, Sakura's backside hitting the part of the couch cushion close to the edge. Sasuke reached out to take the tray from her and slid it over to the coffee table. Sasuke let go of her arm and let her fall on his chest, knowing she'd lose balance and would have to use him for support. Tricky, tricky.

"Sasuke. . ." Sakura felt a dark blush form on her cheeks. She'd never been this close to Sasuke in an intimate situation. Only in battle, during training and in tight spots on missions. But what was going on now?

"Sakura, I just want you to know that I care about you. A whole lot. I don't know how to tell you this. I don't think I've ever told anyone before. Sure, I love my Mom. I care about my family. But. . I just wanted to let you. . .let you in, I guess."

"Sasuke, I. . ." 'What the Hell is he talking about?' "Sasuke, I care about you, too. I care about all my teammates, my family and friends."

Sasuke turned his head away for a moment. He looked a little hurt by her dismissal. She obviously wasn't getting it. 'She usually doesn't, doesn't she?'

"Sakura, how do you feel about me?"

"Huh?" Sakura was suddenly very much aware of her hands planted firmly on his chest, her fingers almost gripping his skin. He was wearing his navy blue shirt with the Hidden Leaf logo printed on the front, basic t-shirts a casual t-shirt issued to pretty much all Konoha shinobi. But she now not only noticed that not only was she able to feel his taut chest muscles underneath her hands, but she was accidentally making she shirt ride up a bit, revealing his chiseled abs. 'Damn, he does train pretty hard. No one can say he isn't dedicated to his job.'

Sakura's blush darkened even more, if it was even possible. Sasuke guessed she must be getting the idea now. Either that or the intensity of the situation was getting to her. Either way, he could make it work to his advantage. Sasuke leaned forward, letting his face hover extremely close to Sakura's. He could hear her suck in air with another small gasp, surprised at Sasuke's actions. Sasuke stopped just short of letting his lips touch hers. He looked like he was waiting for something.

Sakura looked puzzled until she finally caught a clue, right before Sasuke came within an inch of her rosy pink lips. Sakura's eyes fell gently closed, and she leaned in to lightly graze Sasuke's mouth. Sasuke tilted his head a little and pushed his lips fully on Sakura's, claiming hers in a gentle kiss. Sakura let out a tiny moan, obviously pleased at the light, pleasant sensation the touch caused.

It only took a handful of seconds before Sasuke made the kiss turn passionate. Sakura wasn't even thinking, and she let him slip his tongue inside after she leaned back for a breath. That definitely threw her for a loop. Sasuke caressed her tongue with his. Sakura's eyes rolled back into her head. Not that this was her first kiss, but Sakura was a virgin, and she hadn't let too much passion into her life as she pushed herself to succeed in the medical world. She made it her life's work to help others, though she didn't take much time to take care of herself. Now Sasuke was willing to do just that. He wanted to make her feel special, and to take care of her needs and wants. To make her feel safe and wanted. Sakura got all that just from his passionate kiss. Maybe she was being silly and reading too much into it?

Both young shinobi became heated very quickly. Sasuke's hands began to wander over her body. Soon after, Sakura's hands found their way underneath Sasuke's navy blue t-shirt to caress the skin over his rock hard abs. When Sasuke's hands reached down to her butt and squeezed, he lifted Sakura onto his body. She quickly realized his abs weren't the only thing that was hard about the younger Uchiha. Sakura gasped, realizing the compromising position. Sasuke didn't let her gather her thoughts before he started unbuttoning her shirt. He hastily pulled the unbuttoned blouse backwards, letting Sakura finish the job and shrug off the cloth. Sakura was obviously as interested in him as he was her, and she showed it by quickly pulling his t-shirt over his head. His already messy hair came out wild and crazy, poking out in all different directions. Sakura chuckled inwardly. Sasuke detected a hint of laughter in her eyes. He took the hint and ran his fingers through his dark locks, taming them a bit.

Sakura leaned down again for a passionate kiss. Sasuke obliged, capturing her lips once again in a fight for dominance. Sasuke won, using the time to reach around to Sakura's back. His fingers trailed her spine. Sasuke was pleased at the chills her received from his touch. He eventually reached the zipper on her skirt. He wasted no time in pulling it down, the material of the skirt falling open. Sakura lifted her hips off of Sasuke's torso long enough for Sasuke's hands to push the material down her thighs. Sakura wiggled enough for the skirt to fall all the way down her bent legs. She kicked it off, leaving her in her white lacy bra and white cotton panties. Had she known this evening was going to be this interesting, she would have made the effort to wear something a little more alluring. But basic white cotton was going to have to do.

Sakura's hands flew to Sasuke's drawstring on his pants. The pants were a little baggy and loose, like Sasuke liked, so he had tied the drawstring. Now he wished he hadn't because it would have moved things along a bit quicker. Sakura evidently couldn't undo the tie in her flustered state, and Sasuke was growing more and more impatient. He lifted his hips, bringing Sakura up a little higher, as well. Her hands flew to his chest again, now able to touch his chest without the t-shirt in the way. His chest and stomach were so hard! She loved feeling his muscles. She shouldn't be so impressed, since she has seen so many bare chests of handsome men in her healing and in her studies, as well as in the field as a kunoichi surrounded by countless male ninjas. But this was Sasuke, the object of her unrequited love for years. She lost interest as a crush, but new flames arose where no other guys had managed to even so much as cause sparks.

Well, the sparks certainly are flying now.

When Sasuke raised his hips to slide his baggy pants off, he failed to notice how he now could actually do these tasks. His strength was returning. He had an appetite. Now he had a different kind of appetite, and he had a pink-haired beauty to thank. And he would do just that. But wait. . .

'Oh, God. Where did this stomach pain come from?'

Sakura immediately noticed Sasuke's color draining from his face. One second, Sasuke is raising his hips to slide his pants off; the next second, he's fighting the urge to vomit. To say Sakura panicked would be an understatement. She jumped up immediately, running to her bathroom in the master bedroom.

"Sasuke, hold on!" Sakura snatched a fluffy green robe from a hook off the bathroom door, then grabbed her little plastic wastebasket. She overturned the basket, letting a few pieces of bathroom trash spill out onto the floor. 'There's no time to worry about that right now!' She reached up and popped open her well-stocked (she's a medic - go figure) medicine cabinet, easily able to find a cold compress activated by mashing the center of the pack to release the active chemicals. Within seconds, Sakura had left his side and zipped back in to play doctor once again.

Sasuke had almost no color left in his face, and he was barely holding back tears. Sakura was extremely worried. 'What if we didn't get all the poison out of his blood stream? Surely Konoha's top poison experts extracted enough poison from his system, right?'

Sakura placed the wastebasket next to Sasuke for reassurance. She placed the cold compress directly onto his forehead. She pressed the tips of her fingers to the sides of his head, not noticing now how silky his onyx locks happen to be. Instead, all she could sense and feel was a terrible fever and a reaction to an unidentifiable poison. Thanks to her studies and keen sense for detecting medical problems, Sakura could use her chakra to sense the poison was attacking his organs. What surprised her the most was that it was also attacking his blood cells, like a deadly virus. Oh, shit.

Sakura ran to her cell phone, dialing Lady Tsunade at her home.

*ring*

"Tsunade-sama, please pick up!"

*ring* -click-

"Please don't be in a drunken stupor already!"

Silence.

". . .um. . .hello?"

"No, Sakura, I am not. What has you calling at this hour, young lady?"

"Oh, God, Tsunade-sama! Sasuke has an immense fever! It just hit him like a ton of bricks!"

"Then just treat it like he has a cold. With a bit of over-the-counter medicine and a cold compress, his fever should break-"

"No! It's the poison! I can sense it! There's more now than there was when he was brought over here! It's like it's replicating. It's attacking his organs; right now, his pancreas."

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Tsunade-sama, wait!"

"What is it?"

"It's attacking white blood cells. It's like a virus, only-"

-click-

Lady Tsunade hurriedly slipped on her sandals and tore her home apart to gather up supplies she thought she'd need. In a few minutes, she slipped out of her home to rush to Sakura's aid. 'It's worse than I thought. Hang, on, Sasuke. If you aren't strong enough, this poison will kill you before dawn.'

A/N: Much-delayed second chapter!