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Teamwork, yet another bit of chapter 6
I'm not sure i like some of it. The escape from the room is way too easy, maybe i should add some details... I didn't like summarizing the meal and all, but the chapter is already too f**ing long. And i know it could end there, but chapter six is the last chapter of the fic and i still have things to take care of before i can end the thing.
"I... really wonder what I'm going to do with you."
Naruto blushed. Sakura decided that she didn't want to try guessing his thoughts.
"So... Hokage-sama... What's going to happen now?"
"Now, I'm going to give you a check-up, and then you will be given rooms and stay there until tomorrow morning." She sounded stern, but there was an undeniably amused smile on her lips.
"Wait a second, rooms, like one for me and one for her?"
"That was the idea, yes."
"No way in hell. I'm staying with Sakura-chan."
"Naruto..."
"What if someone decides not to wait for the decision of the Council and goes and attacks her to kill her demon spawn?"
"Then I should hope that the people guarding you will stop them!"
"Yeah, well, unless you can find guys who like me and don't mind who I'm housing, there's no way I'll trust your men with Sakura-chan's security!"
Tsunade sighed deeply. "Naruto, do you have an idea what the reaction will be if I put friends of yours to keep an eye on you? They're here as much to protect you than to prevent you from running away, I have to find neutral people."
"Then I'm staying with Sakura-chan."
"You want to spend the night in a young lady's room? How improper!" Tsunade replied, laughing.
Naruto grinned. Apparently that meant yes.
"Naruto?" Sakura asked softly.
When he turned to look at her, she hit him over the head.
"Ow!!"
"That's for not even asking me if I wanted you in my room."
He gave her a kicked puppy look, rubbing his head. "You don't want me to stay with you?"
"I never said that."
He smiled, relieved.
"You can sleep on the floor."
"Oi!"
Tossing her hair over her shoulder -- something that would have been more impressive if it had been longer, but it was the attitude that counted -- Sakura got on her feet and turned toward Tsunade.
"I'm ready for the examination, Hokage-sama. And NO, Naruto, you can't stay with me during that! Keep Kakashi-sensei company, or something."
Squaring her shoulders, she walked out after Tsunade.
+
The examination had taken a lot longer than she'd thought it would. It was night when she was finally escorted to a room. It was still in the hospital, but in the high-security ward, which wasn't reassuring but didn't surprise her.
Kakashi-sensei was waiting there, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in that pose he seemed to like so much.
"I'll take her the rest of the way, thank you," he commented distractedly at the two men escorting her. "Come along, Sakura. Maybe you can beat some sense into that idiot. He's been restless all afternoon."
Before either of them thought of protesting, he had strolled away, Sakura following quickly. Kakashi-sensei looked casual, but she knew him well enough to see that he wasn't that relaxed.
"A problem, Sensei?"
"No... just wondering about Sasuke," he replied unconcernedly.
Sakura rolled her eyes. Men. How far they'd go to avoid admitting to being worried, or scared.
"I'm worried too, but Tsunade-sama promised to warn us right away if he got worse, and I trust her on that."
She was too tired to be frantic any longer. The examination had been very thorough; she was exhausted. Also, Tsunade-sama had expressed some concern at the speed at which the child was binding itself to her chakra pathways, but that was nothing that Naruto hadn't warned her about -- assuming that it was due to the demon fox genes, because it could also be a Uchiha peculiarity; seeing as all their records were hidden away, there was no way to tell. In any case, from what she'd said, it would be a difficult pregnancy.
But somehow, knowing that her team would be with her helped alleviate some of her worry. It was just nine months after all. She could do it.
Naruto almost pounced on her when she came in the room. He wanted to know if she was okay, if she'd been hurt at any time, if anyone had said anything mean to her and whether she'd undressed entirely for Tsunade's examination, at which point she had to punch him into a wall for being a pervert. She allowed him to sit close to her while they ate, though, because it was visible that he'd been very worried, even if the way he masked it was particularly irritating.
There were two beds; thank god. Sleeping close to each other in the field was one thing; but she didn't feel comfortable enough to share a real bed with Naruto, especially not when Kakashi-sensei was in the room. She was already uncomfortably aware that he'd noticed their new closeness, and she didn't know what he thought, but she knew that she was scared as hell of his disapprobation. She'd rather avoid the issue a while longer, really.
So it was time for bed, and she hid behind a screen and took off the pants she'd been given to replace her torn dress, only keeping her shorts and the large t-shirt like a nightdress, and then the lights turned off, and she lay down, closed her eyes...
... and couldn't fall asleep.
She was tired, so tired, limbs heavy and muddled thoughts, but it didn't seem to make a difference. One hour, two hours went that way, in the room that was just lit enough to let her see Naruto's eyes glinting in the darkness as he stared up at the ceiling, and Kakashi's shape leaning against the wall as he guarded them.
She could guess what kept Naruto awake. Probably close to her reasons, with less emphasis on future difficulties to build a normal life and more on immediate danger to his teammates, particularly Sasuke. No one had deigned to send them a report on his condition after all. If he'd gotten worse, she was sure they'd have known, but it didn't mean that they didn't want details.
Finally, the silence and forced stillness were broken when Kakashi pushed away from the wall and casually went to the door.
Sakura sat up, holding the blankets over her chest, and Naruto pushed himself up on his arms, surprised. Kakashi was supposed to stay with them !
"Kakashi-sensei, where are you going?" she asked softly, unsure.
"I have to leave."
"Now? But-- you have to guard us..." Naruto replied, scratching his head.
"Pressing business."
"Don't you want to warn anyone?" she asked, more and more puzzled. He couldn't leave without even finding a replacement!
"No. No time."
"Why!?" she whined, not understanding.
Kakashi gave her a blank look, a hand on the door handle. "Explosive diarrhea. Do you want more details?"
"ACK!!! Sensei, that's disgusting!!" Naruto protested as she gasped in surprise and embarrassment.
"You asked."
And with that, he opened the door silently and slid out of the bedroom.
Naruto and Sakura stayed unmoving, flabbergasted.
"... D'you think he was telling the truth...?"
"Somehow, I don't really want to know."
Naruto started to chuckle. "Yeah, better to assume that he was lying again, though-- why -- oh."
"Oh?" she asked, puzzled.
"Oh. OH. Kakashi-sensei, I love you. Get up, Sakura-chan!"
Naruto jumped out of his bed, bare feet landing silently on the tiles, and tugged at her wrist until she stumbled out of bed after him, almost falling over when her legs tangled in the sheets.
"Come on, quick -- shhh, be quiet!!"
"But Naruto--"
"Cast a genjutsu, so people don't see us," he demanded, his voice low and urgent. "Come on, before someone notices--"
She obeyed, pushed by the raw intensity in his eyes.
They padded silently through the corridors, using all of their training to go unnoticed. They didn't meet lots of people, but she realized quickly enough that it was only because they weren't attempting to leave the hospital; they were going to another ward. Recovery, she saw as Naruto pulled her through another set of doors.
She didn't know how Naruto pinpointed the room they were looking for so quickly. Sense of smell maybe? But not even fifteen minutes after leaving their own room, they were coming into another bedroom, and there was Sasuke.
He was laying on his back, asleep. She walked closer silently, her eyes tearing up in relief. His skin was still as pale, but not so unhealthy-looking anymore, and there were just the IV tube and a machine to record his heartbeat. She'd been scared to find him surrounded by dozens of machines fighting to keep him alive, but he wasn't even wearing an oxygen mask or anything. He seemed to be breathing just fine on his own, even though it was visible that he wouldn't be walking out of there anytime soon -- maybe the reason why he wasn't more heavily guarded.
"Sasuke-kun," she whispered as she stepped close to the bed, almost close enough to touch. He looked so frail... She reached out, wanting to push away that lock of dark hair that was laying across his cheek.
Her hand was batted aside and the black eyes opened, looking toward her warily.
He seemed out of it, as if everything was foggy, and the slap on her hand had been weak, his movement sluggish by Sasuke standards. She wasn't even sure he'd recognized her. But seeing him even half-aware... it was marvelous.
"Hey, Sasuke," whispered Naruto, leaning over her shoulder to peer down at him.
"... 'ruto...? Sak'ra?"
Sakura grinned, wiping her eyes dry quickly. She was very tired, that was all, it was the only reason they were itching so much. "Yes, we're here."
"... Where?"
"Hospital," she replied softly as she dared to sit on the edge of his bed.
"Safe?"
"Yes, safe."
"... 'kay."
Finally, unable to resist, she reached to gently push that rebellious lock of hair away. He blinked fuzzily at her, confused.
"Sleep, Sasuke-kun," she advised, smiling softly, smoothing his hair again. "Sleep. Everything's okay."
She yawned, quickly hiding it behind her hand. Now that the stress was letting up, she felt her tiredness much more keenly. But there was only one bed in the room, and besides, she didn't want to stop caressing his hair. She knew that it was probably just his state that prevented him from protesting against the petting, but nevertheless, she was determined to enjoy the rare occasion.
"Sleep too," he muttered, eyes closing slowly.
"I'll sleep later, Sasuke-kun."
His brow furrowed. "Liar."
"I don't--"
"... 'ruto... m'ke her sleep... stupid girl..."
She was startled by the reminder that he was there with them, but more so by the hands closing on her waist and lifting her. If it hadn't been so vital that they keep quiet, she would have shrieked.
Naruto carried her around the bed, so that Sasuke was between her and the door, and lay her down at his side without asking for her opinion.
"Naruto! He's hurt, I can't sleep with him-- the IV!"
"Just put your arm over his collarbone, and stop moving."
Sasuke seemed asleep again, eyes closed, breathing softly. He didn't protest, or show any discomfort, when she followed the suggestion shyly.
Naruto pulled the blankets over them, tucking them in, then circled the bed again and sat on the edge of the mattress, one foot up and his back slumping against the headboard.
"Sleep. I'm keeping watch."
His quiet promise was all the guarantee she needed to slide into sleep.
"I... really wonder what I'm going to do with you."
Naruto blushed. Sakura decided that she didn't want to try guessing his thoughts.
"So... Hokage-sama... What's going to happen now?"
"Now, I'm going to give you a check-up, and then you will be given rooms and stay there until tomorrow morning." She sounded stern, but there was an undeniably amused smile on her lips.
"Wait a second, rooms, like one for me and one for her?"
"That was the idea, yes."
"No way in hell. I'm staying with Sakura-chan."
"Naruto..."
"What if someone decides not to wait for the decision of the Council and goes and attacks her to kill her demon spawn?"
"Then I should hope that the people guarding you will stop them!"
"Yeah, well, unless you can find guys who like me and don't mind who I'm housing, there's no way I'll trust your men with Sakura-chan's security!"
Tsunade sighed deeply. "Naruto, do you have an idea what the reaction will be if I put friends of yours to keep an eye on you? They're here as much to protect you than to prevent you from running away, I have to find neutral people."
"Then I'm staying with Sakura-chan."
"You want to spend the night in a young lady's room? How improper!" Tsunade replied, laughing.
Naruto grinned. Apparently that meant yes.
"Naruto?" Sakura asked softly.
When he turned to look at her, she hit him over the head.
"Ow!!"
"That's for not even asking me if I wanted you in my room."
He gave her a kicked puppy look, rubbing his head. "You don't want me to stay with you?"
"I never said that."
He smiled, relieved.
"You can sleep on the floor."
"Oi!"
Tossing her hair over her shoulder -- something that would have been more impressive if it had been longer, but it was the attitude that counted -- Sakura got on her feet and turned toward Tsunade.
"I'm ready for the examination, Hokage-sama. And NO, Naruto, you can't stay with me during that! Keep Kakashi-sensei company, or something."
Squaring her shoulders, she walked out after Tsunade.
+
The examination had taken a lot longer than she'd thought it would. It was night when she was finally escorted to a room. It was still in the hospital, but in the high-security ward, which wasn't reassuring but didn't surprise her.
Kakashi-sensei was waiting there, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in that pose he seemed to like so much.
"I'll take her the rest of the way, thank you," he commented distractedly at the two men escorting her. "Come along, Sakura. Maybe you can beat some sense into that idiot. He's been restless all afternoon."
Before either of them thought of protesting, he had strolled away, Sakura following quickly. Kakashi-sensei looked casual, but she knew him well enough to see that he wasn't that relaxed.
"A problem, Sensei?"
"No... just wondering about Sasuke," he replied unconcernedly.
Sakura rolled her eyes. Men. How far they'd go to avoid admitting to being worried, or scared.
"I'm worried too, but Tsunade-sama promised to warn us right away if he got worse, and I trust her on that."
She was too tired to be frantic any longer. The examination had been very thorough; she was exhausted. Also, Tsunade-sama had expressed some concern at the speed at which the child was binding itself to her chakra pathways, but that was nothing that Naruto hadn't warned her about -- assuming that it was due to the demon fox genes, because it could also be a Uchiha peculiarity; seeing as all their records were hidden away, there was no way to tell. In any case, from what she'd said, it would be a difficult pregnancy.
But somehow, knowing that her team would be with her helped alleviate some of her worry. It was just nine months after all. She could do it.
Naruto almost pounced on her when she came in the room. He wanted to know if she was okay, if she'd been hurt at any time, if anyone had said anything mean to her and whether she'd undressed entirely for Tsunade's examination, at which point she had to punch him into a wall for being a pervert. She allowed him to sit close to her while they ate, though, because it was visible that he'd been very worried, even if the way he masked it was particularly irritating.
There were two beds; thank god. Sleeping close to each other in the field was one thing; but she didn't feel comfortable enough to share a real bed with Naruto, especially not when Kakashi-sensei was in the room. She was already uncomfortably aware that he'd noticed their new closeness, and she didn't know what he thought, but she knew that she was scared as hell of his disapprobation. She'd rather avoid the issue a while longer, really.
So it was time for bed, and she hid behind a screen and took off the pants she'd been given to replace her torn dress, only keeping her shorts and the large t-shirt like a nightdress, and then the lights turned off, and she lay down, closed her eyes...
... and couldn't fall asleep.
She was tired, so tired, limbs heavy and muddled thoughts, but it didn't seem to make a difference. One hour, two hours went that way, in the room that was just lit enough to let her see Naruto's eyes glinting in the darkness as he stared up at the ceiling, and Kakashi's shape leaning against the wall as he guarded them.
She could guess what kept Naruto awake. Probably close to her reasons, with less emphasis on future difficulties to build a normal life and more on immediate danger to his teammates, particularly Sasuke. No one had deigned to send them a report on his condition after all. If he'd gotten worse, she was sure they'd have known, but it didn't mean that they didn't want details.
Finally, the silence and forced stillness were broken when Kakashi pushed away from the wall and casually went to the door.
Sakura sat up, holding the blankets over her chest, and Naruto pushed himself up on his arms, surprised. Kakashi was supposed to stay with them !
"Kakashi-sensei, where are you going?" she asked softly, unsure.
"I have to leave."
"Now? But-- you have to guard us..." Naruto replied, scratching his head.
"Pressing business."
"Don't you want to warn anyone?" she asked, more and more puzzled. He couldn't leave without even finding a replacement!
"No. No time."
"Why!?" she whined, not understanding.
Kakashi gave her a blank look, a hand on the door handle. "Explosive diarrhea. Do you want more details?"
"ACK!!! Sensei, that's disgusting!!" Naruto protested as she gasped in surprise and embarrassment.
"You asked."
And with that, he opened the door silently and slid out of the bedroom.
Naruto and Sakura stayed unmoving, flabbergasted.
"... D'you think he was telling the truth...?"
"Somehow, I don't really want to know."
Naruto started to chuckle. "Yeah, better to assume that he was lying again, though-- why -- oh."
"Oh?" she asked, puzzled.
"Oh. OH. Kakashi-sensei, I love you. Get up, Sakura-chan!"
Naruto jumped out of his bed, bare feet landing silently on the tiles, and tugged at her wrist until she stumbled out of bed after him, almost falling over when her legs tangled in the sheets.
"Come on, quick -- shhh, be quiet!!"
"But Naruto--"
"Cast a genjutsu, so people don't see us," he demanded, his voice low and urgent. "Come on, before someone notices--"
She obeyed, pushed by the raw intensity in his eyes.
They padded silently through the corridors, using all of their training to go unnoticed. They didn't meet lots of people, but she realized quickly enough that it was only because they weren't attempting to leave the hospital; they were going to another ward. Recovery, she saw as Naruto pulled her through another set of doors.
She didn't know how Naruto pinpointed the room they were looking for so quickly. Sense of smell maybe? But not even fifteen minutes after leaving their own room, they were coming into another bedroom, and there was Sasuke.
He was laying on his back, asleep. She walked closer silently, her eyes tearing up in relief. His skin was still as pale, but not so unhealthy-looking anymore, and there were just the IV tube and a machine to record his heartbeat. She'd been scared to find him surrounded by dozens of machines fighting to keep him alive, but he wasn't even wearing an oxygen mask or anything. He seemed to be breathing just fine on his own, even though it was visible that he wouldn't be walking out of there anytime soon -- maybe the reason why he wasn't more heavily guarded.
"Sasuke-kun," she whispered as she stepped close to the bed, almost close enough to touch. He looked so frail... She reached out, wanting to push away that lock of dark hair that was laying across his cheek.
Her hand was batted aside and the black eyes opened, looking toward her warily.
He seemed out of it, as if everything was foggy, and the slap on her hand had been weak, his movement sluggish by Sasuke standards. She wasn't even sure he'd recognized her. But seeing him even half-aware... it was marvelous.
"Hey, Sasuke," whispered Naruto, leaning over her shoulder to peer down at him.
"... 'ruto...? Sak'ra?"
Sakura grinned, wiping her eyes dry quickly. She was very tired, that was all, it was the only reason they were itching so much. "Yes, we're here."
"... Where?"
"Hospital," she replied softly as she dared to sit on the edge of his bed.
"Safe?"
"Yes, safe."
"... 'kay."
Finally, unable to resist, she reached to gently push that rebellious lock of hair away. He blinked fuzzily at her, confused.
"Sleep, Sasuke-kun," she advised, smiling softly, smoothing his hair again. "Sleep. Everything's okay."
She yawned, quickly hiding it behind her hand. Now that the stress was letting up, she felt her tiredness much more keenly. But there was only one bed in the room, and besides, she didn't want to stop caressing his hair. She knew that it was probably just his state that prevented him from protesting against the petting, but nevertheless, she was determined to enjoy the rare occasion.
"Sleep too," he muttered, eyes closing slowly.
"I'll sleep later, Sasuke-kun."
His brow furrowed. "Liar."
"I don't--"
"... 'ruto... m'ke her sleep... stupid girl..."
She was startled by the reminder that he was there with them, but more so by the hands closing on her waist and lifting her. If it hadn't been so vital that they keep quiet, she would have shrieked.
Naruto carried her around the bed, so that Sasuke was between her and the door, and lay her down at his side without asking for her opinion.
"Naruto! He's hurt, I can't sleep with him-- the IV!"
"Just put your arm over his collarbone, and stop moving."
Sasuke seemed asleep again, eyes closed, breathing softly. He didn't protest, or show any discomfort, when she followed the suggestion shyly.
Naruto pulled the blankets over them, tucking them in, then circled the bed again and sat on the edge of the mattress, one foot up and his back slumping against the headboard.
"Sleep. I'm keeping watch."
His quiet promise was all the guarantee she needed to slide into sleep.
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*licks your nose*
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Twas my precious first! ::is noseless and miserable::
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Even so.
Maybe consider extending it a wee little bit more?... or at least divide the chapter into bits... I guess...
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And jeeze, if they're so whiny about it, you should just say something along the lines of "Well SORRY! but if you actually LOOKED at my links above, then you'd be updated much more quickly and you'd be satisfied much quicker."
Heaven knows that's the main reason behind the fact that I friended you. *see the devil horns holding up the halo*
Muwaha... actually, your writing's been mostly what's keeping me liking much anime at all, seeing as Harry Potter has dug it's little claws into me and has taken it upon itself to possess me with bunnies... *twitches and falls over*
Er... yes. I think I'm done now.
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Poor Sakura, she's been through a lot. They all have, actually, but her most of all. I love your characterizations, as usual.
Only one thing I noticed: 'she didn't know what he thought, but she knew that she was scared as hell of his disapprobation.' 'disapproval' would probably be a better word than 'disapprobation'. I'm not even sure what that means. o.O
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And then I start the sequels. Muahahaha. ^__________^-V
Sequels will deal with : Telling the friends and family, moving in together, the marriage, passing the Chuunin exam, and maybe a few random lemons XD. If you or anyone else has something they'd like to see, please feel free to suggest, i'm listening. ^__^
Changed the word, thanks. Usually i catch the frenchizations I make, but the spellcheck didn't pick up this one O_o;;;
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By the way, I added you as a friend, hope you don't mind ^_^
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Uhh, just so you know, so far i've only written one big narusasusaku and two ficlets for naruto ^^; people seem to like the threesome, but. well. Just so you know ^^;
friend away, friend away! ^__^
*watches number of "friends of" climb and rubs hands gleefuly*
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I mean you let Sasuke get to be fucked into oblivion by a hot and possessed Naruto and poor Sakura has to deal with getting knocked up, morning sickness, cramps, strange food cravings, swollen ankles, and mad horomonal shifts, the least you could give her is some screentime sandwhiched between her slick, hot naked men.
(zones out on mental images and drools on the keyboard)
Pretty please?