Sasuke's mind whirled in a storm of electricity and blood, the afterimages of the genjutsu. He'd known it was genjutsu but without activating his Sharingan he couldn't fight it. The agony of trying to activate and failing over and over stretched the minutes into eons. The man's voice compelling him to speak of secrets he didn't dare reveal had infuriated him to the point that he could feel the strain in his jaw as he struggled physically to keep his mouth shut.

As reality manifested itself and the genjutsu fell away his body had moved automatically to strike a perceived attack. Too late rational thought came together to scream for dismissing the chidori before he hurt anyone.

Now there was blood and there was the field in the afternoon and his chidori screeching away. His left arm felt like mush and he was feeling lethargic. Thoughts were coming slowly.

Sasuke blinked. He was no longer under attack but the field was smoking from eruptions and explosions. He had struck someone...

Sasuke looked up in horror. ...pink hair. No. It couldn't be.

At the base of a tree a dozen feet away lay the crumpled body of a pink haired woman. She wore the jonin uniform of a Konoha shinobi. She was missing one shoe. Sasuke found it lying on its side near him. And near it was a a needle.

Sasuke dismissed his chidori and wiped his face and left arm. His left arm wouldn't move and his face felt... well, he couldn't feel his face. He looked again at the needle. Dammit.

He stumbled forward toward the woman, shoe in one hand, demanding his legs to work properly. She looked older than Sakura, he thought. Or he prayed it. His thoughts were as difficult to control as his body. It was a bit like being drunk only far more irritating.

He staggered the last few feet and collapsed on his knees. Unable to move gracefully, he grabbed the woman's head and wrenched it over so he could see her face. Pale skin and dusty rose lips turned to the sun. A woman's face, to be sure, but Sakura's.

For a moment Sasuke cursed himself to hell. No, no, no, no, no! Not Sakura! How could-

Then her throat moved slightly as she drew a pained breath.

Sasuke fell back to sitting, relief taking even more strength away from his body. He hadn't killed her.

Trying to think was a pain. How could he solve this...? How could he make Sakura be okay? She should open her eyes. He wanted to tell her to open her eyes but his tongue was thick in his mouth. Was her skin getting whiter? She would know, she was the medic.

Yes, a medic. She might have medicine. He slapped at her hip pouch with one hand. He smacked other pockets until he heard a glass chink. He pulled out a bottle and was glad to find it filled with soldier pills.

He took one for himself, vaguely thinking it might counteract the drowsy feelings that were stealing over him. He wasn't sure he could make Sakura take a pill while unconscious. What if she choked on it?

He crushed a pill in his hand. He silently asked her forgiveness as he parted her lips with dirty fingers. He tried to drop as much of the powder in her mouth as he could but a lot of it seemed to fall on her face and ear. He tried to close her mouth and maker her swallow but her head only tipped back over, making her hair fall over like a curtain.

He scrubbed at his head with embarrassingly imprecise fingers. His hands and feet felt cold but his head felt hot.

Sasuke wanted to cry. He had sworn hadn't he? He had made an oath that would never again allow someone to suffer for his foolish actions.

It might have been his imagination, but he thought he heard a quiet groan. He reached for her shoulders and pulled her up. He cradled her head and moved the hair out of her face. "Sakura."

A crease appeared between her eyebrows. Her eyes scrunched tightly. Then her lips parted and a tongue swiped over them. Her eyes opened slightly. A very weary, very slow "Sasuke?" issued from her mouth.

Sasuke put a hand to the side of her face. "I'm here."

"Oh."

Sasuke thought she was trying to nod but realized she was trying to move more than her head. He helped her sit up only to watch her pitch forward and vomit on his arm.

Sakura pushed away until she was on her hands and knees and dry heaving. Sasuke wiped his arm as well as he could and observed movement was starting to come back to him. Sakura was sitting on her ankles, still hunched over and shaking slightly.

Sasuke forced himself to look to her side where her blouse hung in ragged shreds. The electricity of the chidori cauterized wounds on contact so there was never much blood spilled. But the internal damage would be horrible. He noticed she was moving slightly and observed a hand reach to the same wound and gloved fingers feel its contours. He crept to her side.

Sakura moved very slowly. Her eyes were closed and she perspired heavily. Sasuke reached for her arm. On contact her eyes opened, she seemed to have to work to focus on him.

"You hit your head on the tree." He said.

She nodded dumbly, in short jerks. Slowly, like her arm weighed a great deal, she lifted a hand to the back of her head and winced. "Yeah... concussion. I see. Have to heal it." Her eyes closed and for a moment she teetered like she might fall over. Sasuke even lifted a hand in case she did.

A green glow emanated from her hand over the back of her head. Sakura squeezed her eyes tight and her forehead furrowed with concentration.

Sasuke felt utterly useless.

After exactly three minutes the light winked out and Sakura's arm flopped over and down to her side. Her eyes opened half way and her head bobbed as she turned to look at Sasuke.

"You haven't killed me."

Sasuke's eyes went wide.

Sakura shook her head. "No that's not it. You haven't left. You're here still."

Sasuke felt cold inside. Of course she would expect the worst from him, she had no reason not to and ample evidence from their past should make her cynical. "I hurt you." Was all he could say.

Sakura nodded and let her head tip over. "Yeah. I'm sorry."

"Wwhat?!" Did the concussion lead her to say strange things? This was his fault.

Sakura sighed and looked at Sasuke again. "I drugged you when I got you out of the genjutsu. I was careless around you when you were feeling under attack. So it's my fault you're taking care of me." Sakura's gaze flickered away and then back to Sasuke. "But I'm glad you are."

Sasuke just stared at her. Then he shook his head. He handed Sakura her missing shoe. "I'm not even doing anything, you are healing yourself."

"Mh. As to that." Sakura put on her shoe and then slowly pulled bandages from her back pouch. "I can't heal any more. I can't really do much of anything any more. All I can do is get some rest so my chakra comes back."

Sasuke frowned. "But your side..."

"I have some antiseptics but everything has to be by hand from here on."

"But you could die."

Sakura grunted. "I guess, for my carelessness, that's what I deserve." She was wrapping a bandage around her head but it slipped. "Dammit."

Sasuke took hold of the bandage and kneeled beside Sakura. He removed her hitaiate gently and placed it in her hands. Then he wrapped the bandage properly and tied it off.

"Thanks."

"Aa." Sasuke stood up. He held out a hand to Sakura.

She look up at him, shock plain on her face. Eyes flicked to his hand and then his face again, while her mouth hung slightly open. Sasuke was tempted to take back his hand but she finally put her hand in his.

He hauled her to her feet. Her fingers inside her gloves were long and thin.

"I stay in a cottage further up the river. You should get your rest and finish healing there."

Sakura stared at him and was silent.

She was still so long that Sasuke finally broke the silence. "I don't know what happened here..." he gestured to the destroyed field behind him. "But if you can't defend yourself you need to leave."

Sakura sucked in a deep breath and glanced at the field. "I'm not sure I can walk."

"Hn." Sasuke stepped into place to let Sakura climb on his back.

Sakura seemed to hesitate but after long moment her hands took hold of his shoulders and a knee pushed into his waist. When she was secure Sasuke began to walk.

"I would never have imagined it." Sakura's tone was soft, as if she dared not raise her voice for fear of breaking a spell. "I guess we all have to change, but to think that you would carry me to your home." She made a small musing sound and then was quiet for the rest of the trip.

Sasuke had to suppose back then he was unlikely to have been so solicitous, but circumstances would never have permitted it. There was always someone there, keeping him away from any Konoha ninja.

But no, no excuses. He chose his company deliberately and he chose to turn his back on Konoha. No wonder Sakura looked at him like she was observing a complete stranger pretend he was a friend.

Her legs were long around his hips and dangled wildly. He could feel her thigh muscles through her pants and her grip on his upper arms furthermore told him that she definitely earned her jonin rank. Certainly, if she could take out two Iwa shinobi at the same time... He wondered how much of the mess on the field was her doing.

Sakura adjusted herself and her arm moved lightly against his throat. She had grown up without him.

Try as he may, he couldn't avoid his old life or his old ties. He supposed one was only free of such things when one was dead.

Sasuke reached the clearing that he called home. A ramshackle cottage came into view. He walked up through a broken down gate and headed for the door.

He had contemplated suicide back then, in those dark days after the war. His mind had felt clear finally and he could see what had come of his choices. Death and destruction had been his gifts to the world. Sasuke knew full well that he had sought them out but he had never once considered what it might be like if he survived. The countries' forces went home again. The Akatsuki were finally and complete smashed and every single member of his family save himself was utterly dead.

Sasuke toed open the door and eased himself and Sakura inside. He let his eyes adjust to the darkness and walked to the pallet where he made his bed.

In those smoke filled days after the war he had run fast and hard. Many shinobi simply wanted his head on a platter. But Konoha... Naruto... wanted him. They wanted him to come home. Most wanted him to stand trial. But Naruto wanted him to... what? Sasuke was never really clear. Simply be teammates again, like nothing had ever happened? Sasuke told himself he ran from Naruto to escape his stupidity. But on many nights, when he couldn't sleep and there were still too many hours before dawn, he had cursed himself at length. He ran to avoid his actions...and to avoid the idea that he had never needed to take them. He ran from the camaraderie and acceptance that only Naruto could give. He ran so he wouldn't have to see someone who had faith in him, who cared about him.

Sasuke gently let Sakura down onto the pallet. She groaned delicately and clutched a hand to her side. He watched her as she moved. He both did and didn't want her to care about him.

With some effort she shifted and pulled a pouch loose. She pushed it to him. "There's a bottle with antiseptic spray and cotton. I need your help to clean this out." She pointed to her side. "I'd do it myself but...god...I'm so tired." She let her head fall back. Her eyes slid closed.

Sasuke picked up the spray and the bag of cotton balls. He'd barely ever done more than wrap a bandage. He knew nothing about medicine.

He poked at her blouse and finally decided the best way to proceed was to push it up to just under her breasts. (He had an unformed thought about how they were bigger than he remembered but the hideous wound he had given her quickly focused him on the work at hand.) She had two scars on her stomach, one just below the ribs and one to the side of her belly button. If this wound wasn't healed thoroughly, and preferably with medical ninjutsu she would have much larger and uglier scar.

Sasuke got to work and was as thorough as he knew how. When he finished he gently shook Sakura so she would sit up. Between the two they applied the wraps around her ribs.

"Thank you, Sasuke."

"Hn. I'm going to get supplies from the village. You should rest."

"Yeah." Sakura lay herself down awkwardly.

Sasuke thought about saying something else. About contacting her team... But he wasn't eager to be a part of that. It would end up requiring more running for him. For now all Sakura could do was rest. Once she was healed they could go their separate ways.

He pulled off her shoes and gloves and arranged them neatly, then he reached over to where he had kicked off his blanket that morning. He pulled it up over Sakura and tucked it in around her shoulders.

Even though her eyes were closed Sakura smiled.

Sasuke tried and failed to smile back.

-傷-

To be continued...

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