A Howling Love :.

Chapter Eleven xx Protector

Everything seemed blurry and out of focus as the pinkette reluctantly blinked open her delicate hues. The first thing she was aware of was the intense pain radiating through her being, the most painful being from her leg. Without even having to looks she knew it was broken, and just knowing that lone fact sent small ripples of fear to flutter through her stomach. She could deal with other people's injuries without batting an eye, but when it came to having to assess and heal her own, it was a whole knew story.

She felt like she should know where she was, but for an odd reason she didn't. She struggled to remember, but nothing remotely understandable came to her. And then she felt something beneath her shift slightly, and she realized that she was being held in the arms of someone else.

Someone else..... And then it all came flooding back, and panic bloomed thick in her heart and it started hammering against her chest with the sudden rush of adrenaline. She tried to calm it, tried desperately to tell herself to cool off, but that subconscious fear continued to channel through her.

And then she felt something soft and delicate brushing her cheek, and she blinked repetitively, trying to get her world to focus.

She looked up at him slowly, her thin lashes brushing her cheek before revealing two glittering emerald hues. His deep, swirling obsidians met her halfway, surprisingly soft and gentle compared to their normally fierce aura. His expression appeared rather agitated and slightly concerned, two emotions that seldom appeared on his usually passive face. When her eyes connected with his however, a subtle relief melted through it, and he let out a brief sigh that caused his thick bangs to stir about his face.

Sakura made a move to sit up, but immediately found one of his hands gently restraining her.

"Don't try to move.... Your leg is broken, and I think your wrist and a couple ribs might be as well." His voice sounded small, quiet. Sakura groaned loudly, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Damnit." she swore loudly. He didn't say anything, and though she didn't look, she had the feeling that his expression would be apologetic.... For not being there. She grit her teeth.

"I had one job to do, and I failed." Her voice was malicious, loathsome. Her eyes abruptly opened and turned to glare off into space bitterly. He shifted his arms again, and abrupt pain splintered out from her leg. She hissed quietly, scrunching up her face as she tried to ignore it.

"....Sorry." She couldn't tell if he was apologizing about her failure or moving her. She assumed it was for the latter.

"Why are you apologizing? You, you saved me...." she trailed off, fingering a fold of his white yukata that happened to hang near her hand.

"...Hn." She could tell she was making him uncomfortable, so she dropped it. A small, somewhat awkward silence ensued, until the Uchiha daringly broke it.

"We need to get out of here," he informed her dryly, his onyx eyes flickering towards her leg than back to her face quickly, an almost unnoticeable action. She, however, didn't miss it.

"I can try to walk—"

"No, you can't walk." It wasn't an opinion, it was fact. She gulped at his suddenly very serious expression. "Do you have any bandages or something to make a splint out of in your pouch?" His voice was loud, forceful. How fast he was able to go from being so gentle and passive to being so serious and broody was beyond the Haruno's ability to keep up with, so she just chose to roll with it.

She reached behind her with her good arm and unclipped her weapons pouch and cracked it open with one hand. She rummaged around for a bit before finally producing a role of pre-wrap and medical tape. "This work?"

He nodded slowly and took it from her before raising his head and glancing around quickly.

Quite conveniently, a pretty straight-looking stick lay just besides them. He snatched it up and looked it over for a second, then glanced down at the kunoichi leaning against his other arm. "Sakura?"

She glanced up at him curiously.

"I need my other arm..." She flushed scarlet at this, and nodded rapidly. "Gomen! Um, I'll try to sit up—" The Uchiha rolled his eyes dryly, and very quickly and fluidly shifted so that instead of leaning on his arm, she was propped up against his chest. Her scarlet features darkened to an even deeper shade, and she nearly forgot her many injuries in her utter embarrassment.

His chest was hard and strong, but not to the point where it was comfortable. He was still almost a head taller than her, and the way he had his whole torso curved protectively aove and around her. She could feel the individual muscles rippling beneath her as he drew his katana and carefully cut down the stick in front of her, creating a pretty legitimate splint in a few minutes. She watched him work contentedly, quietly enjoying the feel of the contact and of being enwrapped within his warm, masculine scent..

He prodded her gently in the shoulder, and she glanced up to see his extremely attractive face peering down at her. She blushed again, then turned her gaze, unwilling to meet those dark, curious eyes...

"We need to get this splint on your leg.... Or we can't really get out of here." She glanced down at her leg carefully, biting her lip. Her dark-colored spandex had a large darkened stain slowly spreading across the top of her right thigh, and could see a small, grotesque rising out from its center. She knew exactly what kind of break it was, and she sure as hell wished it had been any other kind. Compound fractures were the most painful and, lucky for her, the hardest to set. The kunoichi said nothing for a time, and then finally forced out a single sentence: "I'll do it."

He tilted his head slightly to the side and reluctantly held out the stick and bandages to her. When she didn't make a more to take them, he raised an inquisitive brow and just set it all down besides them.

"Need to set it first," she said softly, her whole body rigid. Scared. She took one very large breath and steadied herself, grasping either sides of her thigh with her hands, preparing herself both mentally and physically.

And then, quickly and smoothly, she yanked her leg down, and slammed her hands against its sides, thus pulling the bones that had pierced her skin back into her flesh and straightening tit into place, making a sickening snapping sound.

A strangled cry escaped her lips before she feebly collapsed against the Uchiha's body, her chest heaving with pants and shoulders shaking with muffled sobs. She almost didn't notice when Sasuke's arms suddenly wrapped around her shoulders, holding and comforting her. It surprised her, so much so that she turned around to cast him a teary-eyed look, but misjudged it and managed just to bury her face against chest. Surprising her yet again, his gentle embrace didn't slacken, so she slowly lifted her delicate fingers to cling pitifully to the folds of his shirts.

He gently rested his chin atop of her head, enjoying the faint smell of fresh strawberries that swirled about her perfect locks of cotton-candy-colored hair. And he just let her cling to him, gently holding her back, waiting for her to calm. He'd never quite experienced this sort of emotion before. He felt this surging pleasure in the feeling of having someone depend on him so profusely, and he felt this wave of protective instincts kicking in as he realized that it would be his job to protect this person.

That it would be his job to keep this person out of harms way. It didn't matter how hard he'd fought in his days with his Sound master to break his bonds with her and the rest of Konoha; nothing had changed. That overpowering need to keep her safe was still there, as it would always be. It had become part of who he was long ago, and no amount of persistence would ever manage to completely lock it away.

He delicately touched her elbow, and already knowing his question, she nodded reluctantly.

Then, very carefully and silently while she was pressed up against him, he took the bandages and flat stick and quickly fastened a makeshift splint around the broken bone in her thigh. He felt a few long tears splash across his shirt, but didn't comment on them.

The two of them just sort of sat like that for a time afterwards. He, sitting with his arms wrapped protectively around her, respectively letting her get over her pain, and she clinging to him while fighting to ignore her pain.

It's a shame that all good things must to an end.

Sasuke noticed it first as always. Sakura had known something was wrong when his whole body suddenly went stiff around her, and she cautiously detached herself from him, glancing up to meet his tense stare.

"Sasuke-kun?" she asked softly. He shook his head, and she quieted and turned back around so that her back rested comfortably against his chest again. She listened to his heart for a moment, finding a soothing rhythm in its steady beating.

And then his eyes were on her again, glittering fiercely and venomously, and Sakura found a weightless fear soaring through her being. Suddenly she was being lifted off the ground, gently and smoothly, and she cringed when a sharp pang erupted from her thigh. The Uchiha scooped her up bridal style, one hand supporting her around her shoulder blades, the other hooked beneath her knees.

"What's going on?!" her voice was wary and panic-stricken, and she craned her neck to try to get a better look around the clearing. Her own chakra reserves were dangerously low, and she hadn't the energy to check for any threats that may be approaching. So she trusted the black-haired youth and curled in towards his chest, again trying to calm herself with the relentless hammering of his heart.

"Don't worry about it, just try to rest or something..." He said the words distantly, his mind obviously on the task of getting them out of there, so she shut right up, unwilling to be a hindrance.

And then they were off.

His running was graceful and agile, even through carrying her. He managed to avoid jarring her often, so she was able to keep her soft moans to a minimum. Whenever she let one escape however, he would slow his pace and look down at her in his arms, and she would try her best to crack and believable smile. Though he would nod and continue on in his normal pace, she knew that he didn't buy an ounce of it.

She heard distant rustling and crashings, and her whole body froze against his. She glanced cautiously up in an attempt to catch his gaze, but he was looking away, his dark eyes strained as they darted about them, completely on edge.

It was getting extremely close, and Sakura shrunk closer to him, hating the useless feeling that sunk through her gut. She couldn't stand the inability to fight or even walk on her own. She wanted so bad to jump up and fight with him, to be able to benefit him in some way...

And then suddenly Sasuke skidded to a halt, his grasp on her tightening. She allowed him to pull her close and tried to strain her neck to see what was happening, but suddenly he was turning, sliding his stance around so that his shoulder curved slightly in front of her in a protective position, and her vision was blocked. Then a strange male voice purred out from somewhere in front of them, out of view; thick and serene, with a deadly little hook that scent rabid shivers racing down her spine.

She hesitantly peered up at the black-haired youth, and almost recoiled in her shock.

His expression was feral with rage. His sharingan were already activated and narrowed, his teeth ground together and fixed in a loathsome scowl. His whole body was literally shaking with malice and hate, and she could feel it in the less gentle and more forceful way in which he held her that this was one rematch that he'd been itching to have. Without even having to see the foe, she knew immediately who it was.

Katsuo.

And by the sounds of it, he was alone.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Tiger Priestess for her incredibly thoughtful and kind review. It was one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me, and it does not go unappreciated! She is the main reason behind this fast update! Thanks Tiger! :]

And thanks everyone else who was kind enough to review last chapter. And though I really shouldn't have to say it, no flaming, please.

This chapter is full of lovely fluff with a OMG TWIST at the end. *cough* For those of you guys who haven't yet, do take a peek at my new other fic, Shattered. It's very dramatic and full of SasuSaku loveliness, ( Or at least it will be once I develop the plot a little bit.)

Please review and thanks so much for reading! :]

-- xxIndigo