xXx
Sakura's POV
To say I was running for my dear own life was an understatement.
My hair bobs up and down, swishing all over my face and finding it's way into my mouth. I blow it away, skidding down the pristine halls of an all too familiar hospital.
"Sakura-!" A nurse yelps as I almost topple over her, my bulky purse almost whacking her in the face as it swishes around my wrist.
"Sorry!" I squeak out, taking a small glimpse back to see her huffing, hands on her hips and head shaking in disapproval.
I skid to a stop, my sneakers squeaking loudly. Panting heavily I reach for the knob but don't get a chance to turn it as it flings open.
My winded pink hair flies back slightly and I look up to stare into the all too familiar azure eyes I've grown to fawn over.
"Sakura-chan?" He asks, tilting his head to the side, his eyes furrowing in confusion.
My heart pumps rapidly in my chest and I feel my insides squeeze.
"You're…You're…" I begin, but all sense of forming a proper sentence leaves me. I stare at him dumbfounded, my eyes trailing all the way down to his wobbly legs.
"I'm walking." He finishes, flashing me a toothy smile. His teeth practically sparkle, and his eyes fold up into two crescent shapes.
A smile tugs on my pink lips
Walking.
The word sends a rush of joy down my spine.
It's been three weeks, three agonizing weeks where Naruto hasn't even been able to get up on his own, let alone have the energy to do anything. He usually spent his time lying on that white-sheeted bed, whining and cracking hospital jokes. Sure, it was cute the first couple of times, but then it just got freaking annoying.
One time I was so nerved I couldn't help but shove a big mac I'd been eating right into his mouth to shut him up.
There was ketchup everywhere and the nurse who takes care of him shoots dirty looks at me every time I visit.
Who knew ketchup didn't wash out?
And now, seeing him standing shakily before me, it causes my heart to flip inside my chest and rush warmth throughout my whole entire body.
"Oi, Sakura-chan, are you going to come in?" He asks, leaning against the doorframe as his breathing becomes heavy. Small beads of sweat line his hairline, beaming under the sharp hospital light.
I panic noticing his condition, and my senses snap.
"You idiot, don't overdue it! You heard what Granny said about pushing yourself too hard." I scold, pushing him back lightly and flinging the door shut with the heel of my foot.
He chuckles lightly, and wobbles towards the bed. Sitting down on the sheets, he lets out a breath and leans back on his palms.
"I just want to get out of here. One more day and I think I'll go insane."
I roll my eyes. Coming over so that I'm standing before him, I remember the real reason I'm here.
"What was all of that about on the phone? You said you need urgent help. I practically killed myself getting here!" I ask, and watch as his features brighten.
"You're going to help me escape!" He beams, his eyes sparkling.
"You can barely walk!" I protest, pointing at his shaky knees. "There's no way you're leaving this building." I huff, crossing my arms over my chest and shooting my companion a stern gaze.
Naruto only smiles harder, his azure eyes never once leaving my gaze. I'm about to ask him why he keeps staring since it's making my cheeks heat up when the flush of the toilet and the click of the doorknob causes me to focus my attention elsewhere.
"That's where I come in." A voice says, emerging from the bathroom.
My eyes shoot up and I see Gaara, his crimson hair slicked back with gel and thick black shades covering his sharp teal eyes. He's wearing a slick black leather jacket, jet-black pants with chains hanging from the oversized pockets, and black converse with the shoelaces tied sloppily.
I almost laugh at his appearance.
Almost.
"And who are you supposed to be, James Bond?" I snort, clicking my tongue against the roof of my mouth.
"No, Marilyn Monroe." He retorts blankly, walking over to a pair of crutches propped up by the window.
"Does Matsuri know you're here?" I ask, eyeing him carefully as he grabs the crutches and walks over to Naruto.
"Who cares?" He asks, smirking wildly and I shoot him a confused look.
I swear if he's toying with poor Matsuri's feeling I'll kill him personally. I don't even care if he's as scary as James Bond.
Naruto grabs the crutches and begins to stand up when I bring my palm to his chest. The fabric of his white shirt crinkles beneath my fingers, and the warmth of his chest underneath the thin cloth forces my cold fingers to tingle.
"No way." I scold, pushing him back down on the bed. He pouts, his eyes growing wide and his lip slowly puffing out.
I sigh, smiling in a sarcastic way.
"Nice try, but the same trick doesn't work on me twice."
"Please Sakura-chan?" He asks, pouting even harder, his lip whimpering slightly.
My heart melts at the sight and I feel like planting endless kisses on those lips and on the other hand I feel like smacking that pouting face and telling him to grow up.
"Naruto," I begin, crouching down so that our eyes meet at a good level, "If you overdue it you're going to feel even worse tomorrow. It's your first day walking, you shouldn't be pushing yourself." I say gently, smiling softly towards him.
He scans my eyes and is about to nod his head up and down in agreement,
When the crimson haired maniac clears his throat.
"Step aside pinky." Gaara says, and before I have time to knock him in the head for giving me such a ridiculous nickname, something rough meets my neck and the last thing I see is Naruto's eyes widening in horror and the scent of men's cologne filling my nostrils.
And the world went black.
xXx
My eyes flutter open, blurry as the darkness envelops my vision. I rub my sore neck, groaning slightly as I realize I'm in the backseat of a messy car. Empty glass bottles clash around and roll against each other, the music is blaring, and the car reeks of grease and well…McDonalds. My nose scrunches and I whip up into a sitting position.
The memories of earlier flood my mind.
"What the hell is going on?" I lash out, staring at the two buffoons casually listening to the music while Gaara parks the car.
Naruto glances my direction, anime sweat pouring from the side of his face, and Gaara simply slips out of the car to avoid the situation.
"YOU GET BACK HERE!" I growl after the redhead, my fist flying in the air, missing him by just a smidge. Naruto chuckles nervously as the door slams shut, shakes a little, and some small specks of window glass easily chip off.
And then disappears Gaara.
I'm about to break down the backseat door and rush after him when a steady hand lands on my shoulder.
"Oi, Sakura-chan, please don't break down his car…it's already breaking down on it's own." He chuckles at his bitter attempt at a joke.
I only huff in annoyance and my eyes widen as I realize that the recovering leukemia patient is out of his hospital room in some raggedy old truck in the middle of who knows where.
"I told you to stay in your hospital room!" I boom, pointing an accusing finger at the blonde," Why the heck are you here in the middle of freaking nowhere! You should be resting, the doctors are going to kill you, and your parents must be worried as heck!" I scream out, grabbing his collar firmly in my hands and shaking him.
"I-I'm sorry Sakura-chan, I just…I…" He stutters nervously before clearing his throat and staring intently at me with those azure eyes of his.
I loosen my grip on him, my fingers still curled into fists with the warm cloth of his jacket heating my palms, and give him a curious look.
Why the stuttering?
"Out with it blondie." I say, annoyed by the fact that he's out here stuttering when he could be in the safety of his hospital room stuttering instead.
"Come with me." He says quickly before leaving my grip and rushing out the door.
The door slams shut and I blink a few times before scurrying to follow him.
Stepping out into the cool air, I trail behind the limping blonde and catch up to him in no time. I notice that we are on a dirt path, trees envelop the space, and there's some sort of lamppost a little ways ahead with a large black gate surrounding an area.
Where are we?
"Where do you think you're going?" I hiss, trying to block his path, but he refuses to be blocked and instead continues to limp weakly.
He only ignores me and keeps limping further away from our ride home. I run ahead of him, the cool air feeling good as it whips my hair around.
"Naruto, you have to get back to the hospital. I'll go find Gaara and snatch the keys from him. I am not letting you go any further." I persist, putting a hand to his chest to stop him from limping. His chest rises rapidly as he's already out of breath and struggling to even keep his balance.
"Please Sakura-chan, this is important." He pleads, his eyes begging me to go on.
"It can wait, I'm sure it's not that impor-"
"It is." He cuts me off, his voice stern and uncharacteristic. I blink in surprise and stare at him with eyes wide as I realize that he must actually be very passionate about whatever the heck he's trying to accomplish out here.
He relaxes his posture a little before continuing,
"Please, it's only a little further. I have to do this."
I open my mouth to protest but lock it shut after a few seconds.
"Fine, but I'm not leaving your side and if you pass out don't count on me to catch you." I say, crossing my arms over my chest and staring at him sharply.
He chuckles lightly, his laughter leaving a bubble of warmth in my chest.
"I wouldn't want it any other way." He replies, smiling that famous toothy grin of his before narrowing his eyes at the path and trudging along.
I only follow hoping he doesn't fall, because I wasn't joking about dropping him.
xXx
AN: Sorry for not updating for quite a while! This chapter is short, but I'm currently writing more, so the next one should be up soon and it should be longer. Also, I apologize that this isn't my best chapter and then again I don't really know if cancer patients can walk 3 weeks into their recovery but I didn't want to make it like 3 months, since I want to write out some Gaara x Matsuri stuff along the way. Would you guys like that? I have a lot in store for both couples...and where is Naruto taking Sakura...and why? (obviously not to propose their like 16/17 xDD)
Please please PLEASE leave a review, they help out a lot!
Until, next chapter, toodles~