Updates will come frequently now, I appreciate all of you! Reviews are greatly appreciated, trust me, they really motivate me to move on…
-"Sakura"-
My body tensed at her irritating presence and inappropriate manners.
-"Didn't anyone teach you to knock, Haruno?"-
Her emerald eyes dropped to the floor, and my irritation grew.
-"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun, Hinata-chan. I didn't mean to interrupt..."-
I stood straight, glancing at my wife's flushed face, and moved aside slightly after giving her a smirk. Without turning to face the pink-haired nuisance, I walked to the window, pretending to observe the landscape. I knew why she was here, and in order to take Hinata home, I had to let the medic-nin do her job.
-"D-Don't worry, S-Sakura-san..."- I heard the sheets shift slightly, knowing now that my wife's body was entirely at Sakura's mercy. All I could do was clench my fists and wait.
-"It will hurt a bit, Hinata."-
I felt the chakra emanating from her body, almost monstrous in its intensity, and I had to restrain myself. Everything would be fine.
-"I k-know..." She took a deep breath. "...I'm ready."-
Hinata's breath hitched slightly, tension growing in the room as though she was trying to hold back desperate screams. I didn't turn around until one finally escaped her lips. In an instant, I stood between the medic-nin and my wife, wrath etched into my features as I glared at those jaded eyes—my ex-teammate's.
-"Enough."-
-"But Sasuke—"-
-"I said enough!"- I growled.
-"S-Sasuke-kun, c-calm down..."- Her delicate fingers touched my lower back. -"...It's not as p-painful as it was before. I c-can endure this."-
Her words confused me. -"As painful as before?"- Wait a minute...
-"What do you mean by 'as painful'? Does this mean..."- I couldn't even finish the sentence. My gaze, which had turned to my wife's pained expression, snapped back to Sakura's jaded eyes. -"Sakura. Explain this to me right now."-
-"Sasuke-kun, this procedure was performed several times a day, with twice the amount of chakra, on Hinata's body—therefore doubly painful. The reaction she just had is because it's been some time since she last received treatment. She hadn't shown symptoms again... until now."-
Her last words hit me hard. She had fallen sick again, and it was my fault... so she had to endure this again.
-"For how long did you treat her?"- I needed to know.
-"Daily, for almost a year."-
The hand on my lower back clenched the fabric of my clothing tightly, and I turned to meet her opalescent eyes. Her gaze, filled with understanding and affection, softened my confusion. She could see the remorse in my expression.
-"Hinata..."-
-"How long will she be in here?"- My voice was steady, immutable.
-"You can take her out of here if you let me finish."- Sakura's hand reached for my shoulder, and I turned toward her. -"I promise."-
Analyzing the situation, I realized that without Sakura, Hinata wouldn't be alive. I had to trust her. I nodded in agreement.
-"Fine."-
This time, I walked past Sakura to the door and sat in a chair just beside it. Again, I felt the massive surge of healing chakra. I controlled myself this time because I knew I could take Hinata home once it was all over. That thought calmed me.
After some time, when I didn't hear any sound from my wife, I opened my eyes. My gaze fixed on her unmoving body, and if it hadn't been for her hands tightly clenching the bed sheets, I might have thought she wasn't in pain... but that wasn't the case.
I stood and walked toward her. Sakura flinched for a moment when she sensed me approaching but relaxed when she saw me walk around the bed to stand beside Hinata. Gently, I took her right hand in mine. At my touch, her eyes opened slightly, clouded with pain. She gripped my hand tightly, and I let her hold me as strongly as she needed, my gaze never leaving her albino eyes. I lost track of time.
-"Done."-
Sakura's voice pulled me back to reality after what felt like hours. Hinata's hand relaxed its grip on mine, and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
-"I'll remove the IVs and equipment. You did well, Hinata."-
The weariness in Sakura's voice was almost tangible, but she hid it well. At that moment, I realized how much she had matured, becoming stronger than I had ever imagined.
-"If you'll excuse me" -Sakura said. With a smile, she turned to leave, but after a few steps, she stopped and turned back toward us. -"Oh, I forgot! On the day of the ceremony, I didn't get a chance to say this because there were so many people, but I want to extend my congratulations on your marriage. I wish you both well. Hinata, you and Sasuke deserve to be happy."-
There was a certain melancholy in her voice, but her words were sincere.
-"T-Thank you, S-Sakura-san."- my wife replied kindly.
Sakura turned back and began to twist the doorknob to leave.
-"Hmph..."- She hesitated, stopping mid-motion. -"Thank you, Sakura."-
Her head tilted downward, and I saw her entire body relax as if my words had lifted a great burden from her—a weight she had carried for many years.
-"You deserve all of this, Sasuke-kun."-
Her emerald eyes met mine, carrying a love I now recognized as that of a cherished friend or sibling. In that moment, I understood what I had unknowingly given her with my words: freedom.
My gaze remained fixed on the door long after she left. The pink-haired nin had been gone for some time, and yet a calmness began to creep over me. A lopsided grin formed on my face as I turned toward my wife, who was trying, and failing, to sit up.
-"Hinata..."-
She looked at me, her face flushing deeply—that rosy hue that was so uniquely hers. My intense gaze and the sound of my voice made her blush even more, if such a thing were possible, yet she didn't shy away.
I leaned closer and gently took her arms, placing them around my neck. The mere inch separating our lips made her face redden even further. She didn't resist.
Sliding my left arm around her back and my right arm under her knees, I met her gaze and lifted her off the stretcher, holding her tightly in my arms.
-"Let's go home"- I said, my voice steady, as I carried her out.