Sasuke and Hinata on a mission where Hinata gets badly wounded.
(requested by uzumaki-wannabe.)
"Keep talking to me. Let me know you're still alive."
"I'm alive," she said faintly, but then she began to cough, and choke. Sasuke watched blood fill her mouth then spill from the corners of her lips. More blood seeped from the wound on her abdomen, despite that he held it as tightly as he dared. She blankly stared up at the trees through her half-lidded eyes.
"Sakura will be here soon," he said, almost detached. He was still trying to register, How could this happen?
"I'm scared." Her whisper cut through his thoughts.
"Don't be," he responded, remaining calm, because the more she panicked, the more her heart raced, and the more her heart raced, the more she would bleed. In consequence, her heart would slow down, and then it would stop beating altogether. Sasuke watched as shadows blossomed beneath her eyes, her skin paling, and limbs resigning. Right there on the forest floor, he watched her slowly dying.
Hinata lifted those weary eyes of hers, peering, and noticing the tension in his jaw. Perhaps she sensed that he was more frightened than she was. "I love you," mumbled. She watched as he activated the sharingan. "Sasuke?"
She slipped away, she thought to her death, but when she surfaced, she was curled in bed, and they were together. She lay opposite him, her forehead against his. The sheets and walls were an unnatural white, the bright light of day filling the room.
She smiled at him, and he offered one back, in a rare and fleeting occurance she would kill to experience again.
As Sasuke cupped her cheek, she held his hand there. "You're okay," he said, his face becoming solemn again. "You're fine." She wasn't sure if he was speaking to her or himself.
Hinata frowned at Sasuke, wondering what was wrong. She parted her lips, and meant to ask him, when she was painfully wrenched from the illusion to a reality that was cold, sticky, and unwelcoming. She grunted in pain as the wound on her abdomen healed. Opening her eyes, Hinata saw Sakura knelt beside her where Sasuke had been. The medic grabbed her hand and pulled her up, wrapping Hinata's arm around her shoulders to counter her dizziness. Hinata looked around and spotted Sasuke standing on the outskirts of the clearing. He was turned away from them, his hand against a tree, and every muscle in his back, braced.
Hinata pulled away from Sakura, mumbling a thanks before walking over to Sasuke. He barely acknowledged her presence. "I almost died," she said, wrapping her arms around his chest, not caring as his body tensed. But she felt it slowly relax, and he rested his chin on her head.
"So did I."
