Chapter 27: Of Trust, Spilled Secrets, and Other Things

Sakura opened the door to Sasuke's room and greeted him with a smile that he couldn't see. He had been showered and cleaned, a fresh hospital gown and his damp hair told her as much; and a tray that had the remnants of a meal scattered on it, lay on his lap. Sasuke himself was holding a bowl, prodding the inside with his chopsticks in an investigative manner, shoving aside food he didn't like, and probing around for anything good that was left over. Sakura watched his behavior with interest—so he was already using techniques like those to help him discern his surroundings; rehab shouldn't be too difficult if he was already picking up on it by himself.

"Sorry I kept you waiting," she said cheerfully, going over to him and resting her book bag on the nightstand, "I see that they got you some food—that's good. Did you sleep at all while I was gone?"

"A little," he replied absently, setting down the bowl and chopsticks, "Where were you?"

"Just wanted to grab a few things, that's all," Sakura replied happily, not wanting to state that she had been going through things at his house, "I brought something for you too. –Are you done eating?"

"Aa."

Sakura took the tray from his lap and carried it over to the door, setting it outside and off to the right—a nurse would come and pick it up later. Turning around, she closed the door behind her and walked up to Sasuke once more. She opened her bag up and withdrew the set of clothing that she had taken from his house.

"I know those hospital gowns feel terrible and itch something dreadful, so I brought you some clothes—thought they would be more comfortable," she told him, laying them on his lap, "I don't know whose they are, because your stuff is still the same size as when you left. It might be your father's—anyways, it's a similar style, and I got you black, since that seems to be your preference."

Sasuke said nothing as he placed his hands on the folded garments, feeling the fabric in his hands, an unreadable expression on his face. He traced the emblem of the Uchiha clan, running his fingertip along the seam in a thoughtful and memory-invoking manner. Sakura wondered what he was thinking of at that moment, his bandaged eyes preventing her from reading any emotion behind them.

"I'll step out of the room so you can change," she said pleasantly, walking over to the other side of his bed and drawing the curtains shut, "Just give me a shout when you're ready."

Sakura closed the door behind her after she had exited the room, and waited patiently. The halls were rather quiet that day—it was not nearly as busy as it had been a couple years back. Konoha was completely recovered since Orochimaru's attack and no longer were the ninja teams being constantly sent out on dangerous missions. There was the occasional one that took a turn for the worse, but there were hardly any serious cases, and so far this year, only one ninja had died on a mission. The chaos had diminished as things settled out and the hospital was peaceful as it should be—also a lack of Naruto tended to help matters.

"Sakura," Sasuke's voice came from the inside of the room.

Smiling, she went back inside, once again closing the door behind her. She looked over at Sasuke, who seemed to have had no trouble changing clothes, however—Sakura laid a hand over her smiling lips so that she wouldn't be tempted to giggle. Once the feeling had passed, she lowered her hand and cleared her throat slightly.

"Sasuke, your shirt is on backwards," she said as politely as she could, managing to keep the amused tone out of her voice.

The young Uchiha growled and retracted his arms inside his shirt. After a moment of struggling, he managed to get it rotated around his neck so that he could slide his arms out through the sleeves once more. He sat rigidly, trying to act as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened; Sakura mused at his prideful behavior.

Walking over to the edge of the bed, Sakura picked up the discarded hospital gown, "Feel for the tags inside the neckline, it's easier to tell which is front and back that way."

A grunt was all the response that she got out of him and Sakura couldn't help but grin to herself. She knew that he was embarrassed—the redness on the back of his neck told her as much—so she decided not to say more on the matter, choosing not to prod at Sasuke's already bruised ego. After tossing the gown into a laundry hamper, she went and sat down on the edge of the bed, kicking off her shoes. Swinging her legs up over the side, she took a cross-legged sitting position opposite Sasuke.

"I'll start the process," she said about to reach out and removed the bandage, but Sasuke reached up quicker than her and grasped the ties on the end of the knot.

He untied the bandage from behind his head and let it unwind fully before he gathered it up in his lap. He let it rest for a moment, feeling the gauze between his fingertips before offering it to her. Taking it gently, she folded it up tidily after his hands had returned to resting on his knees, where he sat silently as before. It was a psychological thing, she knew; he took off the bandage in order to give him a little sense of independence, and she was aware that he probably needed that reassurance.

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