Chapter Text
A clearing with a small cottage came into view in the dim evening light. The wound in Sakura’s side stung with blinding pain. With a flash of movement, her old teammate and friend stood before her like he’d always been there. Sakura panted with relief and exhaustion.
“What happened?” Sasuke demanded. He took in her blood-splattered clothing.
“I was on my way back to the village from an S-rank. I was ambushed,” Sakura began. She paused for a breath, gritting her teeth as a wave of pain became too great to bear. She clutched her side. With as much grace as she could muster, she began to lower her knees to the soft ground.
Startled, Sasuke darted out to catch her, slinging her arm around his neck and clasping her wrist to keep her steady.
“Why haven’t you healed yourself?” Sasuke realized too late that his voice came out harsh. It had been many years, if ever, that he had last seen her injured to this extent. He had taken her legendary healing abilities for granted. The sight of her blood disturbed him.
“I drained my seal on the mission,” Sakura explained. Sasuke felt a jolt as he eyed the mark on her brow.
Sakura closed her eyes. She had spent the past few weeks on a long and difficult mission. An unknown illness had befallen the entire capital city in the Mist. While her peers in medical ninjutsu scrambled for information and a cure, she drained the chakra stored in the seal on her forehead to save as many lived as she could. The immense responsibility to protect so many people, not to mention the physical tolls of healing at a large scale, had left her exhausted to her core and depleted of chakra.
Upon ambush during her journey back to Konoha, it took all her strength to evade the enemy shinobi and escape. With the last of her stored chakra, she patched up her wound just enough to keep her alive.
Sakura’s attempts to support her own weight were failing. She allowed herself to lean into Sasuke’s side. Without complaint he drew her closer.
Even through the dizziness of blood-loss, the exhaustion of a long mission, an unexpected battle and tricky escape, a part of Sakura’s mind registered the warmth of Sasuke’s body as he pressed her to himself.
Sasuke guided Sakura to the open door of the cottage. “Were you followed?” he asked.
Sakura didn’t answer, concentrating too hard on placing one foot after the other. She shook her head no.
Impatient with their pace, Sasuke bent and lifted her into his arms.
Sakura sounded a meek protest.
“It’s faster this way.” He sounded annoyed, and Sakura almost smiled. One hand still pressed against her wound, she fought to keep her eyes from closing.
She forced her eyes open and they were inside the cottage. Her head was heavy on Sasuke’s chest. Was that his heartbeat? She tried to listen but felt herself drifting…
The sway of being carried had stopped. Something firm but soft rose to meet her back.
Something was shaking her.
“Wake up,” Sasuke said. “I need to know if you can stop the bleeding. Sakura.” His voice was sharp when he said her name, like he’d been speaking for a while before she had noticed.
She opened her eyes. The dim light of the evening had fallen to darkness. She was lying in a bed, Sasuke’s face hovering over her.
Sakura reached for her side. Her shirt had been carefully folded up to expose the injury. The wound was clean, but still bleeding. Her hand, which should have been stained with blood, was clean too. She felt for her chakra reserves.
“Almost enough chakra,” she said.
“How long?” he asked.
Her head swirled. Words didn't form.
A gentle shake of her shoulder nudged her to respond. “Maybe tomorrow.” He didn’t answer. “Don’t worry,” Sakura added. The wound had been worse earlier: a deep slash from a sharp kunai blade. She had managed to heal enough to avoid a dire risk to her life. She could last until tomorrow.
Sasuke offered his hand out to her. His palm hummed with violet chakra. Her eyes widened as she grew more alert. She hesitated in accepting the gift.
“Take it,” he pressed.
Sakura reached out and clutched his hand. She shivered.
Naruto’s warm, bubbly chakra had cloaked Sakura before. This was different. Sasuke’s chakra on the palm of her hand was lightning on the horizon prickling the hairs on the back of her neck. It was a cool storm approaching, leaves on trees turning over in anticipation.
His borrowed energy flowed into her, woke her up, warmed her.
Her small hand over his, she guided him to each site of pain. The principle was the same in the end. His chakra didn’t belong to her, but she directed it into her body anyway. She asked it to seal up her torn skin and muscle, asked it to heal. She stitched threads of him through the wound on her side, applied him like a salve to aches and bruises.
When it was done, she sank her head into the pillow placed behind her, dizzy in relief from the absence of pain.
She didn’t let go of his hand as she fell asleep. It was a long time before Sasuke moved away.
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