Sasuke wakes to his phone ringing in the middle of the night. He's angry because he's barely able to rest these days, what with helping with the search efforts and maintaining his job. He grumbles into the device with his eyes still sleepily closed, "What is it?"
"Is this Mr. Sasuke Uchiha?" The voice that comes is authoritative and professional. It wakes the man up a bit.
His eyes crack open, "Yes. Who is this?"
"My name is Detective Minuka. I'm calling from Yugakure. I've been advised to contact you in regards to any leads in the missing persons case of…." The person pauses as though looking up the information they should already know, "Of one Sakura Haruno. Is now a good time?"
Now, the Uchiha is wide awake. He sits up, "Yes. Did you find her?" It's only been a few days since the official missing persons alerts were sent out. After a month of coming up with zero leads on their own, Sasuke, Ino, and Sakura's parents had low expectations for results.
"My unit chief directed us to be on the lookout for anything that might relate to your missing girl."
So, does that mean they haven't found her, then? Sasuke can't tell by the person's voice what he's trying to say.
Thankfully, the detective elaborates, "I hope I'm not giving you false hope, I just know that if it was someone I love out there, I'd want to have someone keeping an eye out." Mr. Minuka sighs, "There's a young woman that arrived at the local hospital tonight. She mostly fits the description of Miss Sakura."
Sasuke's heart nearly jumps out of his chest as he shoots out of bed and immediately begins getting dressed, "I'm leaving now. I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Wait! Wait, Mr. Uchiha."
The man freezes with one arm out of his sweater, "What?"
"The thing is…. Authorities are aware of the circumstances of your girlfriend's disappearance, and this Jane Doe doesn't have that."
"Have what? What are you talking about? Is it her or not?" Sasuke barks. He's at his wit's end and has little ability to care about manners.
Detective Minuka says, "This girl doesn't have any blood diseases. The doctors screened her for all kinds of things, and the tests came back negative. That's why I was hesitant to reach out."
All the hope in Sasuke evaporates, his entire being feeling heavier in a snap. The line is quiet as he tries to figure out what to say. How is he supposed to react to having his emotions stretched and released like a rubberband?
The officer seems to pick up on his struggle because he clears his throat and says, "Anyway, would you be able to determine if this is your Sakura? I'm not technically supposed to do this since her identity hasn't been confirmed, but I'm willing to let you visit her if you want. I just have a gut feeling…."
Though pessimistic, Sasuke makes a confirming sound. It's obvious to him and likely the man on the other end of the line that his demeanor has become much less hopeful, "Of course. I'll get on the quickest plane I can catch." After exchanging some necessary information, the call ends. The Uchiha man packs a small suitcase, texts his elder brother to let him know he won't be at work tomorrow, and leaves the condo.
By the time the sun comes up in the morning, he's in a cab in Yugakure heading toward the city's only hospital. His thoughts are scrambled. He wants to keep a positive state of mind but knows this mystery woman can't be Sakura due to the blood test results. Perhaps he unconsciously decided to come out here for some time away from Konoha, where all who know him stare with pity in their eyes.
A heavyset officer is waiting for him outside the hospital. He shakes the man's hand, "Detective Minuka?"
"Yes, Sir. How was the flight?"
"Fine," Sasuke mumbles, walking ahead and through the doors to go inside.
"You can call me Kirigi," the officer says while trying to keep up with the Uchiha's pace.
Sasuke steps into an elevator when it opens, saying nothing. He's not in the mood for pleasantries or meaningless conversation. He just wants to get this over with so he can go hide out in his hotel room for a few days.
"Our Jane Doe is in room two hundred and two, but there's something you should know-" The doors open and the Director strides out with his eyes peeled for the room numbers. The officer jogs to keep up, but Sasuke ignores him when he locates the one mentioned.
He tells himself not to let his hopes get raised once more because they'll inevitably be shot down. It doesn't matter because his heart is racing by the time he opens the hospital room door. Stepping inside, he freezes when he sees familiar pink hair and deep green eyes.
"S-Sasuke?!"
It's her.
Detective Minuka is breathing heavily as he arrives at the Uchiha's side and explains, "She tried to escape as soon as she woke up, despite her injuries. The doctor's gave her a sedative, but it's not doing much."
That's when he finally notices that Sakura's wrist is strapped to the bedrail. Only one of them, though, because her other arm is in a cast. Sasuke doesn't know what to say or do. All he knows is that he's beyond relieved to see the pinkette alive. He was sure he never would again.
"Can we have a moment alone?" He manages.
Sakura nods at the officer when he looks her way for confirmation. Then, the duo is alone.
Sasuke is angry. He's hurt and confused. Tears well in his eyes as he steps cautiously toward the upset woman, "Sakura…."
"No! No! Stop!" She cuts him off. His mouth clamps closed in shock as she bursts into tears while tugging at her bound wrist, "Why did you have to look for me? I didn't want you to see me like this! That's why I left!"
The man doesn't know how to respond to that. Instead, he takes in her appearance. She's skinnier than he remembers and her skin and eyes aren't full of life like they always have been. Sakura looks as ill as he's pictured over the last month. The thought reminds him of the detective's words and he shakes his head, "There's been a mistake. The doctors said you aren't sick."
Tired green eyes widen before squeezing closed. Sakura shakes her head before lowering it so he can't see her face well. Her shoulders tremble as she softly cries, "They're wrong."
"Then we'll have them run the tests again!" Sasuke surprises even himself when he suddenly loses his composure. He glares at her, annoyed by her defeated demeanor when he's so used to her being headstrong and unyielding, "And even if they are wrong, you can't just leave like that! Do you have any idea-" He closes his mouth, gritting his teeth before looking away from her stunned face.
His inability to properly verbalize his thoughts seems to knock some sense into the pink-haired woman. She speaks in a more stable voice, quieter than before, "I-I'm sorry, Sasuke. I was scared. I thought it'd be better if everyone didn't have to watch me wither away." When the two share a long, silent moment of eye contact, she repeats with a crack in her voice, "I'm so sorry."
Just like that, the terrible pain in Sasuke's chest eases. His body feels weak and tired to the point that he shakily grabs a chair and pulls it up to sit at the crying woman's bedside. He watches her try unsuccessfully to wipe her tears with her injured arm before wordlessly lifting a hand to do it for her. Her brow furrows as she searches his face.
Though he's happier than he's been in a month, the man can't bring himself to smile. So, he simply returns the look and says nothing. Hopefully, the action will be enough to explain to Sakura that he'll be here regardless of what those test results may be.
…..
Sakura feels like a fool. More than that, she's actually irritated with herself for having the audacity to feel relieved to see Sasuke when it was her who fled Konoha. He must think she's a massive burden for making him travel all this way for her sake. She feels guilty and embarrassed, but again, the happiness of witnessing his awkward yet gentle way of wordlessly comforting her overrides it all. It's obvious he has more to say, a lot more. He hasn't spoken much, though. He must be saving it for when they can speak outside of the confines of this hospital.
The doctors are hesitant to release her since she quite literally tried to sneak out of the place upon waking up, but with reassurance from the Uchiha man that he'll personally ensure her safety, they relent. They're both consenting adults, after all.
Sasuke generally respects her independence, so she didn't expect him to drag her along to his hotel upon leaving, ignoring her weak excuses as to why they should part ways again. His anger is palpable, but he's also being overly cautious of her injured arm and the bruises she obtained from the car wreck.
He nods toward the bathroom once they're inside his huge room. She gives him a confused look, to which he finally breaks the thick silence, "Shower." He sits one of his shirts and a pair of his boxers on the counter of the bathroom for her to use as pajamas then leaves her alone.
Since he's not watching, Sakura finally allows her tears to flow again. Any sound they might've made becomes masked by the shower running. She has no idea what to do. The hospital drew more blood before releasing her so they can rerun all those tests. She doesn't want to know the results just as much as she can't wait to discover the truth once and for all.
If the negative results were a mistake, she'll have to receive the terrible news all over again, this time with Sasuke there to witness the turmoil. If they're true, by some miracle, and she's not dying…. No, that's impossible. It's wishful thinking like that that's going to make parting ways with the Uchiha man more difficult.
"Eep!" Sakura squeaks in surprise when Sasuke suddenly enters the shower behind her. She blushes when she accidentally glances at his lower body before facing the shower head with her uninjured hand over her eyes, "What are you doing?!" The man says nothing. Nervous to the extreme, she babbles, "You can't just help yourself into a woman's shower without-!" Her words die when Sasuke gently pulls her long hair over her shoulders and begins washing it without so much as a peep.
Slowly, her hand slips off her eyes and she stares dazedly at the shower wall. Maybe he's helping because of her broken arm and bruised body from the wreck. Maybe he just wants to be sure she won't do anything stupid in here now that he's located her. Perhaps both, or neither. It may just be that he's been lonely in her absence and this is his own way of communicating that he's missed her.
Tears fall slowly down the woman's cheeks, only to be sucked down the drain with the soapy water.
Though their romantic relationship had been short-lived at the time of her diagnosis, they were friends long before that. So, she knows just how closed-off Sasuke gets when something is wrong. And the one person that he'd have turned to for support? That'd have been her, but she wasn't there. That means he's been bottling things up like he had when she first met him, and it's all her fault. The guilt threatens to eat her alive.
As if he can hear her chaotic thoughts, Sasuke pauses after rinsing her hair of soap. Sniffling, Sakura's breath hitches when his hands hesitantly land on her hips. For a moment, neither moves, but then his arms are firmly around her middle, his face pretty much nuzzled into her neck.
The silence as they finish bathing, get dressed, and climb into bed is as comfortable as it can be given the situation. Sakura feels emotionally unstable as she's surrounded by her boyfriend's comforting scent since she's wearing his clothing for pajamas, not to mention laying beside him. The couple eats a meal. Sasuke orders some clothes to be delivered for her. It's as if they're on a weekend getaway rather than an ill-fated reunion.
Once night falls and they're supposedly trying to fall asleep, Sakura can no longer take it. She turns her back to Sasuke and blurts out what's been on her mind all day, "You should go back to Konoha. It'll only hurt if you stay with me."
The man takes his time responding, but eventually does, "That's not your decision to make."
She bites her tongue. She said those exact words to him before. The bittersweet memory makes her chin quiver. Quietly, she admits, "I'm selfishly happy you're here when I should be trying to disappear again so you don't have to suffer."
There's a soft rustling behind her as the Uchiha turns onto his side, facing her back. "I'm selfish because I won't let you get away again, no matter how much you want to run."