Healing

Sakura POV

She knew he wouldn't want special attention. She knew he wouldn't want everyone to know or see him in pain. She knew he viewed it as a weakness. Since learning that Sasuke had phantom pains in his arm, Sakura had been much more attentive to him. Not that she made it obvious, but she would take the long route to where she was going so she could walk by his room. She told the guards outside to page her immediately if they heard noises coming from the room, no matter what time it was. She avoided going into his room unless there was a specific reason. Smothering him wasn't a good idea, and he would only rebel if he found out that she was keeping close tabs on him.

Two days later, Sakura received a page from one of the guards. The clock noted 2:30 in the morning, and she jumped up from where she had been sleeping on the couch in her office. Rushing to the room, she tore the door open and immediately went to Sasuke's side. He was writhing in pain with sweat dripping down his face. Pooling the chakra in her hands, Sakura began to soothe the pain and work through the knotted muscle. The strain of the immense pain had worn Sasuke out, and he quickly passed out once relief was given to him. Sakura sat back and caught her breath. If this is what it would take, she would keep sleeping in her office to make sure she could get to him when these pains came.

Expecting that he wouldn't have any phantom pains for a while, Sakura was surprised when she was paged yet again only two hours later. Again, she raced to Sasuke's room and administered the healing. Sasuke calmed down again and relaxed on the mattress. Assuming he had fallen asleep, Sakura sat back to calm her worried nerves. This was happening too frequently. She would need to do an exam on his arm later to see if she could find a better treatment method. Her eyes snapped open when she heard a quiet voice.

"You're crying again."

Surprised, Sakura lifted her hand to her cheek. She hadn't realized that she had, but the tears fell freely down her face.

"I always make you cry."

The words were gentle, full of emotion that was normally hidden. Sasuke was looking straight at her, as if looking for the words to say. Sakura wiped away the fresh tears and tried to smile at him.

"It's not you that's making me cry. It's the situation. This is so unfair! Why should you have to deal with more pain and loneliness? I know you aren't blameless, but you should at least be able to sleep through the night!"

Sasuke smirked. "Look who's talking. Shouldn't you be asleep right now?"

Sighing, Sakura made her way to the chair on the other side of the bed and flopped down into it. It was nearly five in the morning now, so she'd need to start her daily routine soon. There was no more time for sleep.

"Yeah, well I don't need too much sleep. There's still plenty to do around here. Speaking of, I should really go start my rounds…" Sakura didn't want to leave yet. She was having a real, pleasant conversation with Sasuke, and she didn't want to leave him alone again. It had to be boring, sitting in his hospital room, unable to move freely. Well, technically he was on her list for morning rounds…

"Mind if I start with you today? Nothing too bad, I promise," she said with a little smile. Sasuke nodded his head slightly, so she got up to start the familiar routine.

Sasuke POV

He wasn't an idiot. He knew that a certain pink-haired nurse had been passing by his doorway and coming to check up on him more than was necessary. Her appearance in the middle of the night swept away any remaining doubts about what she was doing, and while Sasuke hated to put more strain on her, he appreciated the effort. This way, fewer people would see in him such a state. Why did she have to cry, though? He had never enjoyed seeing her cry, but now it felt like he was entirely powerless to make the tears stop. He had diverted the conversation earlier after accidentally speaking his thoughts about her crying.

Now as she moved around the bed to continue with his physical, Sasuke just watched silently. It seemed she had calmed down. Her presence calmed his mind as well. He was just thinking of asking her to bring lunch for both of them later when the door opened.

Lady Tsunade and Kakashi walked through the door, the first looking firm and on-guard and the second looking grim but determined. Sakura stopped her examination to look at her two mentors, and Sasuke could see her stiffen slightly. Tsunade stepped forward with her hand out.

"Let me see his chart, Sakura," she said while swiftly plucking the clipboard out of the girl's hands. She reviewed it silently for a moment before looking at Kakashi and nodding once.

Sighing, Kakashi gave a brief look to Sakura that seemed to make her more worried. Kakashi turned his attention back to Sasuke and began in a clear, practiced tone, "Sasuke Uchiha, you have been cleared to leave the hospital based on your recuperation. As you know, there are several warrants out for your arrest." The older man stopped here, and his gaze slightly softened towards his young student. After a deep breath, he continued, "You will be bound, your eyes sealed, and taken to the prison to await your hearing. Please do not try to resist. Any action will only be taken as an act of aggression and will be met with consequences. Do you understand?"

Knowing that something like this would probably be coming sooner rather than later, Sasuke gazed straight into his Sensei's eyes. He didn't like the sound of it, but he knew he had to put on a show for the people of the village. He nodded once and simply said, "Yes."

"No! He isn't fully healed yet and binding him may further injure his left arm! And what do you mean his eyes will be sealed? Is that really necessary?" Sakura was taking this worse than the Uchiha himself.

Tsunade stepped in at this point. "He is healed enough to be escorted to the prison, and you know it. His arm is healing, but we can't keep him here until it is fully restored. He is a war criminal after all. And yes, sealing his eyes is crucial. Those eyes have too many powerful abilities to allow him to go freely, or did you forget he can open a time-space portal at any given time?"

"But he hasn't! He has done nothing to even suggest that he will become violent! He's been complicit in everything we…"

"Yes, I understand," Sasuke said loudly enough to cut Sakura off. He didn't want to make this more of a scene than it already was. Either way, he would be bound, and his eyes would be sealed. Better to just get it over with than linger on the details. Sakura looked at him with so much pain in her eyes that he had to look away. This was a price to pay for all his foolishness.

Kakashi motioned for Tsunade, who stepped up next to Sasuke. She had a cloth with a sealing symbol on it, but that didn't seem to be the main part of the sealing. She put one hand over Sasuke's left eye, and he could feel the jutsu begin to work. His eye felt squeezed, everything went black, and he hissed in a breath at the sensation. A small hand was in his right hand, as Sakura gently rubbed the back of his hand with her other one. Sasuke felt something pop into place within his eye, and all the discomfort vanished. He was now blind in one eye, and he could tell that Tsunade had severed his chakra points to the eye. It was a powerful technique. Just before the sanin's hand covered his right eye, Sasuke looked at Sakura to see her tear-stained face looking back at him. She squeezed his hand, willing her feeling to get through to him. As the sensation began in his right eye, Sasuke squeezed her hand back slightly. He was glad she was there, although he didn't like the situation at all.

When both eyes were finished, someone unbound him from the straps on the bed. Sasuke gingerly sat up, feeling his muscles and joints both rejoice and complain at finally being able to move again. Sakura's hand was still in his, and it gently tugged him towards the edge of the bed. Something, probably the cloth Tsunade had carried earlier, was tied around his face, blocking his eyes from sight. He understood now that this was just a flashy show to make any villagers feel better. The sealing was already complete.

"Alright, Sasuke," he recognized his Sensei's voice. "Stand up, and we have to put a straight jacket on you. I'm sorry, but there's no other way. Then I'll escort you to the prison. We'll have ANBU surrounding us, but just be prepared that some villagers may not react well to seeing you. Let's go now."

Kakashi's voice left no room for argument, but it wasn't harsh. Sasuke suspected he wanted this done with also. The young man stood and slowly extracted his hand from Sakura's. He was ready to face this.