28. A Novelty

The temperature dropped significantly as I walked through the sliding doors of Konoha Hospital. I sighed in relief as I escaped the heat of the day. The polished floor gleamed at me as I blinked away the dots in my vision, my eyes adjusting to the lighting. I traced a familiar path to the reception desk.

The older nurse that sat behind the desk, her graying hair tied into a tight knot, glanced up and smiled at me as I neared. "Ohiyo, Nakao."

"Good afternoon," I offered her a small smile. I grabbed the clipboard sitting atop the desk. Visitor's Log was scroll across the paper clipped to the board. I scribbled my name, the date and the time in the designated boxes. My name could be found on this same sheet of paper alone at least four times. But another name jumped out at me; the name written just above mine.

Sakura's here…

Setting the clipboard back down, I made my way to Sasuke's room. Knowing Sakura would be there dampened my already subdued mood. It was always awkward when we visited Sasuke at the same time, but it was hard to avoid. Sakura had made a habit of occupying the place beside Sasuke's bed as often as possible. In fact, I was beginning to wonder if she might be skipping out on her duties to maintain her vigil. Little seemed to have kept her from it since I'd informed her of Sasuke's condition.

I'd been searching for Sakura all morning, but she'd thus far eluded me. We moved around the village daily to repair the damage left during the Third Exam, making tracking down the pink-haired girl a far from simple task. I'd finally located her replanting the Academy's court yard.

"Sakura," I called out to her as I moved forward.

The kunoichi's head perked up at the sound of her name. As her green eyes fell on me, her lips twisted in a confused frown and she stood, meeting me halfway. "Nakao? Is everything alright?"

"Actually…no," I said softly, but trying to mask my own concern.

Concern immediately spilled onto Sakura's face, however. "What's wrong?"

I sighed, wondering why I was the one having to deliver the news. "It's Sasuke…"

I heard Sakura suck in a sharp breath. There was panic in her widened eyes as she searched my face for an answer. "What is it? What happened?"

But I was shaking my head. "It's not my place to explain everything; but he's in the hospital. He's under a genjutsu."

"I don't understand," Sakura frowned, her voice small. "Sasuke can dispel genjutsus."

"Not…this one," I said, not sure how to explain this to her without revealing what had truly happened. "There's only one person who can fix it."

"Well where are they?" Sakura snapped, her face a mix of anger and fear. "Why haven't they fixed him yet?"

"It's no one in the village," I said calmly in hopes of bringing Sakura's energy down. "It's one of the legendary sannin: Tsunade. But Naruto is tracking her down; he'll bring her to Konoha so she can heal Sasuke."

But my answer did little to dissipate her concern. "How long will that take?"

I tried to continue my own facade as I answered. "I don't know. A few weeks?"

Sakura didn't like this answer any more than I did. She bit her bottom lip, maybe to keep it from quivering, though she did not succeed.

"It's going to be okay, Sakura. Sasuke's going to be okay."

But in reality, I wasn't sure who I was trying to convince. Her…or myself?

I reached Sasuke's door; my feet having brought me here while my mind wandered. I stared at its wooden surface for a long moment before I pushed it open and stepped inside. As I'd predicted, Sakura occupied her normal seat; perched on the stool beside Sasuke's bed. She'd been gazing at Sasuke silently, but glanced up as I shut the door.

A moment of awkward silence hung over us before I shrugged it off.

"Hi, Sakura," I muttered, moving over to the foot of Sasuke's bed. I stared down at him, lying there unconscious, unaware that two people who cared for him watched over him. Unaware that Naruto was out there searching for the cure. Unaware of my sleepless nights where I tossed and turned, my mind stuck on that day.

"He's so…still," Sakura finally said, quietly. I could hear the unshed tears in her voice without needing to glance over. When I did, I noticed how tired she looked. Perhaps she, too, had a difficult time sleeping.

A sharp rap on the door grabbed our attention and Sakura and I looked over as the door opened and a figure appeared. "May I come in?"

The woman who filled the doorway took me aback with her beauty. Long, golden hair was pulled into two pigtails while more framed her slender face. The color of her eyes reminded me of molten gold. She was rather tall, perhaps due to the heels she wore. Her abnormally large bosom, however, kind of took the attention away from the other details.

Just behind this woman, I noted another woman lurking behind her. She was much slighter and shorter. Her mousy brown hair was cut short above her shoulders. Her soft brown eyes radiated warmth.

"Who are you…?" Sakura asked, her eyes appraising the new arrivals.

Suddenly, Naruto popped out from behind the woman. A large grin lit up his face. "He'll be alright, Sakura! She's a great healer!"

Tsunade-sama… My shoulders sagged with relief.

Sakura immediately got to her feet, bowing her head at Tsunade. "I heard from Nakao. Please…please help Sasuke-kun!"

Tsunade studied my teammate for a moment before her eyes flickered to me. I quickly bowed my head as well. Tsunade grinned. "Alright! Leave it all to me!"

Tsunade moved over to the side of Sasuke's bed, her eyes sweeping over his prone figure. She reached out, placing her right palm gently against Sasuke's forehead. A soft, green light emanated from her hand. All occupants of the room watched the scene intently and I raised myself on my toes, craning my neck to get a better view. It lasted only a moment and Tsunade withdrew her hand.

Tsunade turned, smiling at Sakura and I in turn. "He will wake soon."

Sakura's eyes welled with tears, so overcome with emotion she seemed unable to speak. But I'd had years of practice in hiding my emotions, burying them deep enough I could sometimes forget they were there. So I spoke instead.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama," I bowed my head and laced my words with all the gratitude I felt towards her. I wanted her to know how grateful we were, how grateful I was.

When I glanced up, I noticed her golden gaze on me. Her eyes were set as she searched my face. There was a ghost of a smile on her pink lips. I cocked my head just so to the side and the smile widened just a fraction before she turned, and her and her companion left the room without another word.

Sakura turned her full attention back to Sasuke, hands clasped together in front of her heart. Her green eyes bored into Sasuke's face as she waited for a sign of recovery.

I turned to Naruto, who had wandered towards me at my place at the foot of Sasuke's bed. I smiled him. "You did it, Naruto. Your brought her."

Naruto turned to me and grinned. A hand rubbed the back of his blonde head. Before he could speak, I reached over, wrapping him in a tight hug. I squeezed him gently as I whispered in his ear, wanting him to know how grateful I was. "Thank you."

As I pulled away, Naruto gazed at me in surprise. For once, he seemed speechless. Before he could respond, if he'd planned to, Sakura's gasp caught my attention.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto and I immediately glanced over in time to see Sasuke blink at the ceiling. My heart stuttered in my chest as I watched the boy in anticipation. Without a word, Sasuke slowly began to sit up, but before he could fully do so, Sakura was hugging him around the neck. Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks. Sasuke seemed to barely register this and looked exhausted and haggard for someone who'd spent weeks lying in bed.

I was overcome with relief. I hadn't realized how stressed and worried I'd been until I felt my knees weaken, as though I might sag right there, or fall completely to the ground. My eyes continued to roam over his face, as though devouring the sight of him sitting there, awake. But I still managed to keep my mask on, and deny the moisture that tried to creep into my own eyes.

Sasuke's head barely turned so that he could glance at Sakura. He watched her listlessly for a moment before turning his gaze to the foot of his bed. His eyes fell on Naruto's bright face, then on me.

He looked so…tired. As I took in his weary eyes, the dark circles beneath them, the absolute bleakness of his expression, I felt that burden that had lifted from my shoulders immediately slam back down. I'd spent weeks lying in the dark each night, chanting to myself over and over that Sasuke would be alright, that he would wake up. But he was awake now…and he didn't seem alright.

Awareness cut through my thoughts and I noticed that Sasuke's gaze still rested on me. And I realized that this entire time, my eyes had been set intently on him. I felt heat flush in my face and I quickly glanced away; to the floor, to the wall, to Naruto; anywhere that wasn't Sasuke.

Silence settled over the room, and though Naruto and Sakura seemed unaffected, I felt like it was suffocating me. The room was growing hotter, stuffy. I fidgeted under the intensity of that silence, of his stare. And so I reverted to what I did best.

"Give him some room to breathe, Sakura, or you'll put him back in a coma," I said dryly, eyes set on the floor. But the sarcastic bite was noticeably absent.

Sakura gently pulled away from Sasuke, though she did not move far. She turned a glare on me. Her eyes were still shimmering, her cheeks shining with tears. Her tone definitely held a bite.

"Shut up, Nakao," she snapped. "You don't have to be nasty just because you're jealous."

Her comment caught me so off guard that my attention snapped to her. I focused my gaze on her, as I felt two other pairs of eyes on me. "What are you talking about?"

But there was a sinking feeling in my gut; a hiss of instinct in my ear to abandon ship. Sakura was bristling; the squaring of her shoulders indicating she was ready for a fight. And her opening line was enough to send warning bells ringing through my mind.

She continued to train that glare on me and I actually felt frozen in place. "You're so obvious, Nakao. Your feelings for Sasuke."

Complete, deafening silence. Blood came rushing through my ears as my face flushed until I actually felt like my skin was on fire. Something heavy dropped into my stomach. I felt completely pinned down by the three sets of eyes focused on me. Could they see that I could draw in air? Was I sweating?

"Don't be ridiculous."

Was that a freaking stutter at the beginning?

I was beginning to feel cornered, as though the room was shrinking in on me. I could feel the dizzying embarrassment start to give way to something else; something primal. Defensiveness flooded me, bringing with it anger and the desire to lash out.

"Sakura…Nakao…" Naruto started tentatively, as though sensing an impending battle.

But I'd had enough. I'd literally run through the gamut of my emotions in the span of five minutes. And so I held up a hand, cutting Naruto off. With one last glare at Sakura, I turned sharply on my heel and stalked over to the door. Pulling it open, I made sure to slam it on my way out.

I called Sakura all manner of vulgar names, some in my head, some muttered out loud; kicking at pebbles when they came along as though it would release some frustration. The sun was sinking below the horizon now, painting the sky in deep blue and purple hues. The first stars were beginning to gently wink down at me. Most of the village was closing up now and the streets were barren. All was quiet aside from the gentle breeze through the leaves and the scuff of my sandals against the dirt ground.

Hands dug deep in the pockets of my olive-green cargos, I let my feet lead me where they may. And so they brought me to a very familiar clearing. Three tall posts could be seen just on the outskirts of the clearing, but they were not my destination. Instead, I stopped in the center of the clearing, standing before the monument that rested there. The moon was beginning to rise from behind a strip of clouds, casting a gentle glow upon the glossy, black granite of the K.I.A. monument.

I stared down at the stone, as I'd done so many times before. In the recent chaos, many new names had been added to the stone. Too many names. My brother's seem to pop out at me, grabbing my attention without needing to search for it. I placed my fingers against those markings in the smooth granite, tracing my way from his name, towards my parents', many lines above his.

A pang of sadness and longing managed to wipe away my frustrations. I was still adjusting to life without my brother. Sometimes, if I distracted myself enough, I could forget that he was gone. That I might turn towards the front door of my home to see him walking through it. As though he'd only been away on another mission. That this whole thing was a nightmare.

But this stone here, these small lines that made up his name, brought me back to reality. Reminded me that I was truly alone. That no one cared for me, loved me. That the only people who would ever love me unconditionally were gone; merely ashes that had long since been scattered by the wind.

There were still pieces of him in the house that reminded me of him; that denied me my desire to forget. The drawers were still neatly organized and labeled. The bookshelf was still alphabetized. And I myself still clung to a reminder of him. His headband had now replaced my own, tied around my left arm. I kept my own in pocket of my weapon's belt; as to not be parted with the symbol of my own strengths and accomplishments. But having his headband made me feel close to him; like he wasn't so far away after all.

"I thought this might be a good place to look for you."

I started, quickly swiveling to look behind me. A figure was walking towards me, hands in their pockets. I'd been so deep in thought, so deep in my own sadness, that I hadn't sensed him approach.

"Sasuke?" I breathed as he neared me. "What are you doing here? They let you out of the hospital?"

Sasuke settled his eyes on the stone before him. He gave a half shrug. "I was not injured; there was no reason to keep me."

Except for the traumatic experience he'd just woken up from. Or the deep, dark circles beneath his eyes. Or that pinched, pale look of his face.

Still, I had to admit he looked much better than when he'd woken up. There'd been a listlessness in him; like the fire within him had died. Like I was looking at a vessel that had once contained my friend. So at least it looked like his soul had returned.

I was frowning when I responded. "Sasuke…you should be resting. You need some real sleep. You need to relax."

"I'm fine, Nakao." He said it evenly enough; but there was no denying the finality in his tone.

I huffed and turned away. "Why were you looking for me?"

"I came to tell you that you're an idiot."

Eye twitching, I shot the Uchiha a look, responding dryly. "Don't worry; I haven't forgotten from the last hundred times you've told me. Would you like to tattoo it on my arm so you never have to say it again?"

Sasuke shot me an annoyed look, but only briefly. He glanced back to the stone, not looking at me when he spoke. "When I tell you to stay away, I mean that you need to stay away."

I watched his profile confused for a moment.

Standing several feet in front of me, standing before Itachi, was Sasuke. He'd clearly been distracted by my appearance, as he glanced over his shoulder at my arrival. I'd rarely seen Sasuke's eyes burn with such fury as he glared at me.

"Stay there!" Sasuke immediately shouted, effectively halting me in my tracks.

Oh.

I let the silence settle over us for a moment while my mind flitted through thoughts. Had he really believed I would sit back and watch him be slaughtered? Did he think reiterating his point now was going to make a difference?

And then a piece of me marveled at the fact that, despite everything that had transpired, all Sasuke had endured for these last few weeks…his priority had been to track me down and tell me to listen to commands.

I felt a smile tugging at the corner of my lips. I wanted to fight it, to keep my face blank, but I couldn't.

"Well…" I finally said, breaking the comfortable silence, keeping my face turned away as to not reveal what my lips betrayed. "How do you expect me to piss you off? I've got to mix it up here and there, ya know?"

Sasuke shot me a sharp look, which eventually dissolved into a sigh at my feigned innocent look.

"You're hopeless," he finally muttered, glancing away again.

"Would you like to tattoo that line too?"

This pulled a smirk from him. I saw it grace his lips, saw that split second of amusement cross his face before he'd rule it back into submission. It tugged at my own lips and suddenly, I found that both of us were looking at one another, his face schooled, but relaxed; mine still harboring the ghost of amusement. And we just…stood there like that, watching one another. It was just us here, in this little bubble of peace, with the birds falling silent and the weather cooling as night reigned.

I began to wonder if the novelty of looking at him would ever wear off. The spike of happiness and relief that accompanied the realization that he was awake and well. I'd not truly realized how I'd agonized the weeks he'd been out of commission. The worry and fear that, not only would he not wake up, but that, if he did, his mind would have been altered. That living in those nightmares for so long would have changed him back into that heartless boy who had sat on those steps atop the Academy building. The boy whom had watched our new sensei with a complete lack of interest, and looked at the three of us with absolute disdain.

It felt like a lifetime ago we were that ragtag bunch of twelve-year-olds with our naïve ideas of what being a shinobi would be like. And little by little, we'd chipped away at that rough exterior; all three of us. We'd smoothed the edges until the Sasuke that I knew could shine through. And though he might lurk under that mask of indifference; I knew better. That there was some kind of feeling beneath that rough exterior.

What would I have done if all this time meant nothing? If those walls around his heart had grown stronger and thicker than ever? If he'd truly blocked me out for good?

And it would have been all my fault. I hadn't stopped Itachi from hurting him. I'd remained on the ground, frozen. My mind had been telling me that there was no point in interfering; that I was no match against Uchiha Itachi. But I should have tried. I should have done something, anything; just enough to distract him.

But here he was, looking and sounding like the Sasuke I'd grown accustomed to. And I was fine with just standing here, looking at him. Carving it into my brain that he really was okay. He was safe. He was back where he belonged.

And then I remembered his hospital room.

"You're so obvious, Nakao. Your feelings for Sasuke."

My face flushed immediately and I pulled my gaze from Sasuke. Our little bubble now felt stuffy and hot…way too hot.

"Well, goodnight, Sasuke," I said abruptly, looking anywhere but at him. "Get some sleep tonight."

And before Sasuke could respond, I'd turned on my heel and was walking away. I could feel his gaze on my back and my muscles tensed in response and I quickened my pace.

Later I would curse Sakura over and over in my mind. Perhaps envision some unique death experiences for her. Because I'd been…

Content. Peaceful. Happy.

I could have remained in that moment for longer than I'd ever admit out loud. Because as we stood there, holding each other's gaze, I wasn't thinking about Keitaro. Or my parents. Or the aching hole in my chest.

I was just thinking about him.

And I was happy.