Timid

Sasuke POV

The first thing that Sasuke registered was intense pain in his left arm, but due to his restraints, he was unable to move to try to alleviate it. Instead, he clenched his jaw and waited for the spasms to stop. When they finally did, he breathed deeply and slowly opened his eyes. The last thing he remembered was the aftermath of the long battle. He and Naruto had saved everyone from the Divine Tree, and once the people woke up, he collapsed in fatigue. He recognized the Leaf's hospital, with its white curtains and beeping medical machines. Sasuke really hated being here. Hospitals were too confining.

However, as he looked around, he spotted a girl asleep next to him with her pink head resting on the mattress. Sasuke felt a mixture of relief and anxiety at seeing this person right after waking up. On one hand, she was always a safe place for him and had the ability to soothe his inner demons slightly without even seeming to try. On the other hand, their relationship as of late had not exactly been stable or friendly. He had tried to kill her; she had tried to kill him. He said hateful things to her; she continuously professed her love for him. How was he supposed to face her now? What should he say? Did he need to say something right away about it? What if she didn't want to hear it? Had she finally given up on him in the end?

As Sasuke mulled over his thoughts and feelings, he heard Sakura moan slightly as she stirred from her sleep. It couldn't have been comfortable to sleep like that. Sasuke didn't say anything as he watched her rouse herself. Although she was a beautiful young woman, she had definitely seen better days. The bags under her eyes, her pale complexion, and messy hair proved that she was overstraining herself. Sakura did not seem to notice that he was awake. She just looked at the monitor next to him, taking in the information it apparently gave her. When she did turn to look at him, she stopped short, eyes growing wide.

While Sakura took a moment to process that he was awake, Sasuke kept a neutral expression, but he was raging with himself inside on what to say or do now. Luckily for him, the girl didn't take long to accept that he was awake. She moved her face closer to his and asked, "Sasuke, are you feeling alright? You're finally awake!"

Seeming to remember her professionalism, she quickly stepped a respectful distance away and simply smiled at him, waiting for an answer. The one she got was not very descriptive.

"Yeah," Sasuke muttered.

That was good enough for the medical ninja, though, and she beamed as she reached for his chart to record the updates. "Well, you probably have a lot of questions. You've been here at the Leaf for about two weeks now. We addressed all your more serious injuries, and they are progressing nicely. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything we could do for your left arm… It still has a lot of chakra built up at the end, so you'll need to have routine healing sessions to ease that. Let's see, Naruto woke up a few days ago, and he's been dying to run around as much as possible. Likewise, we couldn't do much of anything for his right arm. I'm sorry that you aren't able to move around freely. It was hard to get the Police Force to allow you even this much freedom. Anyway, are you uncomfortable in any way?"

Sasuke stared as he took in the new information. He didn't expect that he would be unrestrained, but it was still uncomfortable to not be able to stretch his stiff muscles. Deciding that he didn't want to show any weakness, Sasuke ignored the discomfort and asked, "Why are you here?"

Green eyes grew wide with shock and sadness. She looked down at the floor briefly before casting her gaze back to him.

"I'm a physician, this is a hospital, and you are a patient. Why shouldn't I be here?"

Noting the defensive edge to her voice, Sasuke silently cursed his choice of words. He didn't mean that he didn't want her to be there. He just didn't know how she felt toward him now, and he had expected her to be at least a little distant after the way he treated her.

"No… I didn't mean it like that."

"Well, whatever. Now that you're awake, we need to run some tests. I, um, I can get another doctor, if you would prefer."

Sasuke's response was immediate.

"No."

Sakura gave a small smile while she busied herself with running various tests as best she could with his restraints. As she worked her way up his body, she eventually got to his head. Her expression softened as she began to let the green healing chakra pool in her hands.

Looking at Sasuke gently, she asked "Is it alright if I examine your eyes? I need to make sure they are healing as well."

Sasuke simply nodded his permission, and both closed their eyes as Sakura placed her fingers gently over his eyes. Her hands were cool, and the chakra felt light and soothing. He hadn't even noticed how tired his eyes were. The relief she offered was indescribable. Sasuke sighed unconsciously, feeling the tension drain away.

When Sakura finished treating his eyes, she slowly removed her hands. Sasuke realized how relaxed he had become, and he snapped his eyes open to stare up at Sakura.

Sakura POV

Sakura had opened her eyes when she heard him sigh, at first afraid she had done something wrong. When she saw his face, though, all her doubts were wiped away. He seemed to relish in treatment, and she was glad she could provide some help. When his eyes locked with hers, Sakura wasn't sure what emotions she saw in them. If she didn't know any better, she might think she saw fear and desperation. Surely Sasuke didn't feel the need to be fearful of her, right?

Deciding to give him some space, Sakura stepped away from the bed to write on his patient file again. Since she found nothing out of the ordinary, she glanced back at the man she loved. He was still watching her, his face completely unreadable again.

"I'll let you have some peace and quiet now. Thanks for putting up with the tests. If you need anything, just press this button. It may sound strange since you've been in a mild coma, but you should really get more rest."

Sakura placed the call remote button next to Sasuke's right hand, where he could easily reach it. She allowed her fingers to brush against his hand slightly as she pulled away. She offered him a smile and turned to leave the room. As the door slid shut, she thought she heard a soft, "Thank you," but she probably imagined it.

She leaned against the closed door and allowed herself to let go of the worries that had tormented her mind for the past few weeks. While waiting for Sasuke to wake, she hadn't allowed herself to dwell on those ideas too long. She wouldn't have been able to continue on if she had.

Straightening herself from the door, Sakura took off toward Naruto's room. He would want to know that Sasuke was awake. With any luck, Kakashi-sensei would be there also and spare her the trip to his Hokage's office.