I want to thank everyone who read the first chapter and reviewed. So far it's all been positive, which I hope it stays that. I was so excited about how well the first chapter went over I rushed to finish this chapter so you could continue reading. Unfortunately, there is no Sasuke in this chapter, however he will appear in the next and you'll see POV from him as well. So on to this chapter.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own NARUTO.

My eyes fluttered open into the bright light. I quickly shut them. So I did die. Everything seemed brighter than I really expected. Maybe I'll see Jiraiya in this afterlife. I can tell him how much Naruto has truly grown. He'd be so proud of him, I know it!

I slowly opened my eyes again and let my eyes adjust to the light. I honestly had not expected to see what I did. When my eyes finally adjusted, I realized the bright light was only the sun shining through the window and directly on the hospital bed, on which I was lying. Also at the window was the orange haired man who tried to shield me from the blast, however, he no longer seemed monstrous. His arms looked like an average mans, although slightly bulky from his muscles.

There was a small finch perched on his finger. He gently whispered to the bird as he lightly scratched between the bird's wings. The bird tweeted back, as though they were happily engaged in a conversation. I couldn't help but smile. This guy was truly a gentle giant.

He suddenly lifted his right hand out the window and the bird flew off. He then turned to me with a concerned expression.

"I was wondering if you were ever going to wake up," he said.

I didn't understand how he could care so much about a stranger he'd never met before. I opened my mouth to respond but my throat was dry. It hurt to try to get even a simple sound to leave my lips.

The gentle giant stood from his seat and walked towards me. Once at my bedside, he took a cup, which had sat on the side table, and brought it to my lips. I took a sip of the room temperature water, slowly swallowing it. I took another sip before I tried to speak again.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"Six days. The nurse said you were completely exhausted of chakra and they weren't sure you'd ever wake up."

I wasn't entirely surprised about this. I knew the risk for chakra exhaustion. Several cases I took when I worked in the hospital in Konoha, the patients immediately died from their bodies going into shock. There were also those who went into a deep coma, like Tsunade Shishou after Pein attacked the village. She was out for a little over a month before she woke. Most time the patients never woke up. It was terribly depressing to watch the families come in everyday hoping and praying there would be some improvement and that their loved ones would wake.

I reached up to take the cup from his hand, which the finch had recently perched, but my hand quickly fell back on the bed. I had no strength at all. I was so weak and I hated it. I looked down at my hand and saw the IV hooked to the bag of fluids above my head. When had I become this unobservant?

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. You've been in a coma for almost a week. It'll take time to readjust," he assured me. I was almost bothered by the fact he could read my mind so easily. "Yesterday she said your chakra was still at a minimal level and that normally they would've performed chakra infusion therapy, but that all the doctors where still at the battlefield healing the injured. She said once you wake up and start moving and eating real food, you'll be back at optimal level in no time."

The war! How could I have forgotten? Did we win? Is everyone alright? Did Naruto make it?

"Is the war over?" I asked.

"I think so," he said then nodded, as if to reassure himself. "When you woke up, I was asking the bird if there were still any disturbances around. She assured me everything was alright." So he really didn't know any more than I did. "I should let the nurse know you're awake."

He left the room but returned shortly after. When he came back in, he went directly to his chair by the window. There were so many questions I still had for him, but I could tell, after he came back, he was uneasy and a little perturbed. I don't know what happened when he went to find the nurse but he was definitely on edge now. I was about to ask if everything was alright but the nurse came through the door first.

"Good morning miss, nice to you see you awake. It's a shame to hide those eyes from the world," the elderly nurse told me. This woman could have easily been my grandmother and should probably have retired by now. Signs of arthritis showed on her fingers, bent digits and swollen knuckles. "So miss, what's your name?"

"Haruno. Sakura Haruno."

"It's fitting isn't it," she responded with a genuine smile. She started to go over their diagnosis and treatment plan. I've heard it all before especially since I'm usually the one explaining it to my patients.

In the corner of my eye I watch my gentle giant. His shoulders were tense and he was wrinkling the fabric of his pants by fisting it. Surely he's not disturbed by this woman talking? I know her speech is a little tedious but not that bad. I wonder if she knows anything about what is going on with the war.

"…we'll have you rest here another two days and discharge yo—"

"Do you know anything about the war?" I interrupted her speech.

"Oh my child, the things that happened in your sleep!" she exclaimed. "The nations won! The war is over. Thank goodness too. I'm ready to go back into my retirement. You know, we old timers run most of this hospital. We came to help while the young doctors and nurses went to the battlefield. Oh my have I forgotten how tiring it…" She continued to babble on about the hospital and how so much had changed since she first became a nurse.

I was able to breathe easy now knowing it was all over. I still needed to find out about Naruto and Kakashi, if they were alright. I also wondered if Sai had been able to find Yamato. He'd been missing since the war began. He had gone on the mission as Naruto's bodyguard but never came back when the rest of them entered the battlefield.

"Well I'll leave you to rest. I'll get one of our little volunteers to bring you two something to eat," she said. Before she was completely out the door she stopped again, but this time she spoke to my gentle giant. "You really should let one of the nurses look at that." He didn't make any motion that indicated he had even heard her. She sighed and left the room.

What was she talking about? Was he hurt? I then noticed that his left arm laid limp at his side. Wow, yet again something I didn't notice! He has a dislocated shoulder. How long has he been like that? Has it been dislocated this entire time I've been asleep? He didn't even act as though he was in pain. And why wouldn't he let them put it back in place?

The moment the nurse left, the tension he'd been holding in his shoulders vanished. He was now the relaxed, gentle giant I woke up to find. I really needed to call him something other than gentle giant.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Juugo," he replied, still looking out the window.

"Juugo…," I said, and waited for him to look at me. I think he must have finally understood that was what I was waiting for because he finally turned to face me. With his scarlet eyes looking into mine, I gave him a sincere smile and said, "Thank you!"

Please review. I'd love to hear from you. The more feedback I get, the more motivated I am to write and to write quickly. :)

I would also like some advice from you authors. Should I look into finding a beta reader? I'm not sure exactly how it all works.