Into The Night
folder
Naruto › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
4
Views:
1,189
Reviews:
11
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Naruto › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
4
Views:
1,189
Reviews:
11
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Drifting
Into The Night
Chapter 04
Sakura swam in darkness. There were no distinguishing marks to show her where she was, just a simple stretch of black. She couldn’t even see her body – she was a pair of eyes, blinking and straining to see. To see what, she wasn’t really sure.
After a while, there was a sense of movement. Breathing, she was breathing. She allowed the feeling to wash over her senses, assessing herself – her breathing was a little laboured – perhaps a broken rib? Maybe just bruised, that made it hard to breath sometimes.
Slowly, sound began to make its way through to her. First was her breathing again – and now she could hear how laboured her breathing was – a slight rattle to each breath that betrayed weakened lungs.
That caused her pause – a possible broken rib and laboured breathing? Something had gone wrong. And now she could feel herself shivering and the cold that was seeping into her skin. A pattering made itself known and she realised she could hear rain, striking almost rhythmically against canvas. It sounded heavy. It was probably the source of her chill, as well as the rattling in her lungs.
If only she could move and hear and see.
There was a low murmuring some distance away – indeterminate, because her hearing was still muffled. It slowly coalesced into a voice she knew. A low, gentle, unhurried, male voice. She felt her lips try to pull into a smile, but something hurt there and she stopped.
The voice slowly became clearer and she realised he wasn’t talking to her, but to someone else – someone who spoke much more quietly, in a far gruffer voice.
“…don’t know how long it’ll take to get back…”
“…should I tell her?”
“…week, as the civilian travels…find medic…may die…not willing…”
Die? Someone was dying?
She forced herself to move, a weak groan escaping her lips as she did. Everything ached. As her senses came back to her, she could feel everything again and there was a white-hot pain thumping inside her head. Her right arm was throbbing; her left forefingers ached with sharp jabbing pains, her jaw felt bruised, her ribs felt broken, her throat swollen, her right thigh felt stiff and all her joints ached as if she were ninety years old and suffering arthritis.
Maybe it was herself who was dying? She certainly felt like it.
Movement behind her made her jerk, her eyes opening as she reacted. She cried out in pain as the harsh morning light hit her, causing her more pain as her body tried to react with its usual reflexes.
In a moment Kakashi was holding her, quietly telling her to settle back down again, to rest. At this moment her memory decided to return and she realised what was wrong with her, why she felt to awful. She relented and allowed Kakashi to push her back down and pull the blanket back up to her chin. She didn’t open her eyes again.
After a moment she realised the second voice was Pakkun, Kakashi’s pack-leader Nin-Dog. Apparently her condition made it necessary for Kakashi to send a message ahead of them. She supposed she should worry more, but the pain in her head forced the concern aside.
She slept again.
When she awoke the second time, she was being held in strong arms, movement jostling her painfully. Carefully, tentatively, she opened her eyes to see what was going on.
She looked straight into Kakashi’s shirt – her nose was buried in the folds and she could smell him. Damp, a hint of sweat and there, underneath it, his own masculine scent, traces of it swimming through her senses. Closing her eyes again, she turned her head. She was being carried bridal-style, wrapped tightly in the blanket. Neither of them was wearing their ANBU uniforms, so Kakashi must have changed her into her civilian clothes as she slept. The thought was slightly disconcerting.
Kakashi stopped when she stirred, pausing for a moment, before checking the surrounding area and then moving off the path and into the trees. He set her down gently against a sturdy trunk and pulled some food from his bag.
“Here. You need the energy.”
Careful of her wounds and still feeling remarkably weak, Sakura took the offered food. As she ate, Kakashi checked his bag, then her own, before pulling out her medic-kit.
“Your wounds aren’t healing.” He whispered; no trace of his usual light-heartedness in his voice, “Something to do with the poison in your system.”
Sakura nodded. It wasn’t unheard of – anything that sapped a person of their chakra often had such side-effects. The less chakra, the less able a body was to heal itself.
As they took a few minutes to rest, Sakura closed her eyes and turned her face to the sun. The rain had passed sometime during her sleep and the forest now felt more like the one around Konoha. The rain had filled the air with a fresh scent of damp trees, decaying leaves, even a few late-summer blooms. The scent was calming and the sound of the wind passing through the leaves above her, even more so. She felt almost at home.
Listening to the creak and groan of the higher branches, the swishing of the leaves and the faint calls of birds in the distance, Sakura nearly dropped off again. She started, clenching her teeth against a cry of pain at the movement, when fingers brushed her cheek. Kakashi regarded her solemnly with his one open eye, before brushing a damp cloth against the senbon marks on her swollen throat.
The tiny marks stung horrendously, disproportionately to their size. She frowned and ground her teeth against the pain, unwilling to be a troublesome patient.
Kakashi lowered his eyes from hers and whispered, “Sakura, I don’t know what to do.”
And that was the crux of the problem. Kakashi was no Healer, he didn’t have the necessary training, certainly nothing beyond basic field medical and it was clear to her that she needed a professional. If it had been the other way around, she could have healed Kakashi in a moment.
With a sigh she closed her eyes against the pain, the worry. “Find a healer.”
When she next woke, the pain was gone, but her entire body was numb. A bad sign. Kakashi was carrying her again, bridal style still. She was wrapped in both their blankets, which must mean her body was chilled – another bad sign. She turned her head slightly, burying her face in his chest, breathing in his scent.
Kakashi kept moving, his steps careful, measured, but quick. His body was tense, his breathing slightly laboured. He must have been walking for hours, without rest. Her situation was that bad.
Listening carefully, she realised that they weren’t alone. Opening her eyes, slitted against the sunlight, slanting low over the horizon, she realised they were in a town or city.
“Kakashi… Where..?”
He paused momentarily in his walk, looked down at her, but then continued on.
“Tiger-Well. I’ll find us shelter and a Healer here.” He glanced down at her again and she realised his face was covered only by a scarf, left eye firmly closed. “Don’t worry, Sakura.”
She nodded, trying to smile, her eyes drifting closed. She trusted him to find what they needed.
* * * *
Either she was blind, or it was dark. With the amount of pain she was in, it could go either way.
With a slight groan, Sakura turned her head and discovered she was lying on a bed. It was comfortable, warm, dry and she couldn’t hear anything moving in the room, so she guessed Kakashi must have forked out for a respectable hotel.
After a moment, she realised she could hear footsteps moving her way and she focussed on the doorway across from the bed. The footsteps paused and a key shifted n the lock. Kakashi came moved quietly into the room, closing the door gently behind himself. He paused when he noticed her open eyes, watching him.
He quickly moved to her side and she shifted slightly, grimacing against the renewed pain.
“I put the word out for a Healer. One should be here with the hour, try to get back to sleep.”
Sakura nodded and he carefully pulled the blanket back up over her shoulders, tucking her in snugly.
As she drifted back into the darkness, Sakura felt the fleeting brush of fingertips against her cheek, followed by softly spoken words of comfort.
* * * *
AN: Sorry it's taken so long to update - other things took precedence c.c I should be updatingthis a bit more regularly now though ^^ hope you enjoyed!
Chapter 04
Sakura swam in darkness. There were no distinguishing marks to show her where she was, just a simple stretch of black. She couldn’t even see her body – she was a pair of eyes, blinking and straining to see. To see what, she wasn’t really sure.
After a while, there was a sense of movement. Breathing, she was breathing. She allowed the feeling to wash over her senses, assessing herself – her breathing was a little laboured – perhaps a broken rib? Maybe just bruised, that made it hard to breath sometimes.
Slowly, sound began to make its way through to her. First was her breathing again – and now she could hear how laboured her breathing was – a slight rattle to each breath that betrayed weakened lungs.
That caused her pause – a possible broken rib and laboured breathing? Something had gone wrong. And now she could feel herself shivering and the cold that was seeping into her skin. A pattering made itself known and she realised she could hear rain, striking almost rhythmically against canvas. It sounded heavy. It was probably the source of her chill, as well as the rattling in her lungs.
If only she could move and hear and see.
There was a low murmuring some distance away – indeterminate, because her hearing was still muffled. It slowly coalesced into a voice she knew. A low, gentle, unhurried, male voice. She felt her lips try to pull into a smile, but something hurt there and she stopped.
The voice slowly became clearer and she realised he wasn’t talking to her, but to someone else – someone who spoke much more quietly, in a far gruffer voice.
“…don’t know how long it’ll take to get back…”
“…should I tell her?”
“…week, as the civilian travels…find medic…may die…not willing…”
Die? Someone was dying?
She forced herself to move, a weak groan escaping her lips as she did. Everything ached. As her senses came back to her, she could feel everything again and there was a white-hot pain thumping inside her head. Her right arm was throbbing; her left forefingers ached with sharp jabbing pains, her jaw felt bruised, her ribs felt broken, her throat swollen, her right thigh felt stiff and all her joints ached as if she were ninety years old and suffering arthritis.
Maybe it was herself who was dying? She certainly felt like it.
Movement behind her made her jerk, her eyes opening as she reacted. She cried out in pain as the harsh morning light hit her, causing her more pain as her body tried to react with its usual reflexes.
In a moment Kakashi was holding her, quietly telling her to settle back down again, to rest. At this moment her memory decided to return and she realised what was wrong with her, why she felt to awful. She relented and allowed Kakashi to push her back down and pull the blanket back up to her chin. She didn’t open her eyes again.
After a moment she realised the second voice was Pakkun, Kakashi’s pack-leader Nin-Dog. Apparently her condition made it necessary for Kakashi to send a message ahead of them. She supposed she should worry more, but the pain in her head forced the concern aside.
She slept again.
When she awoke the second time, she was being held in strong arms, movement jostling her painfully. Carefully, tentatively, she opened her eyes to see what was going on.
She looked straight into Kakashi’s shirt – her nose was buried in the folds and she could smell him. Damp, a hint of sweat and there, underneath it, his own masculine scent, traces of it swimming through her senses. Closing her eyes again, she turned her head. She was being carried bridal-style, wrapped tightly in the blanket. Neither of them was wearing their ANBU uniforms, so Kakashi must have changed her into her civilian clothes as she slept. The thought was slightly disconcerting.
Kakashi stopped when she stirred, pausing for a moment, before checking the surrounding area and then moving off the path and into the trees. He set her down gently against a sturdy trunk and pulled some food from his bag.
“Here. You need the energy.”
Careful of her wounds and still feeling remarkably weak, Sakura took the offered food. As she ate, Kakashi checked his bag, then her own, before pulling out her medic-kit.
“Your wounds aren’t healing.” He whispered; no trace of his usual light-heartedness in his voice, “Something to do with the poison in your system.”
Sakura nodded. It wasn’t unheard of – anything that sapped a person of their chakra often had such side-effects. The less chakra, the less able a body was to heal itself.
As they took a few minutes to rest, Sakura closed her eyes and turned her face to the sun. The rain had passed sometime during her sleep and the forest now felt more like the one around Konoha. The rain had filled the air with a fresh scent of damp trees, decaying leaves, even a few late-summer blooms. The scent was calming and the sound of the wind passing through the leaves above her, even more so. She felt almost at home.
Listening to the creak and groan of the higher branches, the swishing of the leaves and the faint calls of birds in the distance, Sakura nearly dropped off again. She started, clenching her teeth against a cry of pain at the movement, when fingers brushed her cheek. Kakashi regarded her solemnly with his one open eye, before brushing a damp cloth against the senbon marks on her swollen throat.
The tiny marks stung horrendously, disproportionately to their size. She frowned and ground her teeth against the pain, unwilling to be a troublesome patient.
Kakashi lowered his eyes from hers and whispered, “Sakura, I don’t know what to do.”
And that was the crux of the problem. Kakashi was no Healer, he didn’t have the necessary training, certainly nothing beyond basic field medical and it was clear to her that she needed a professional. If it had been the other way around, she could have healed Kakashi in a moment.
With a sigh she closed her eyes against the pain, the worry. “Find a healer.”
When she next woke, the pain was gone, but her entire body was numb. A bad sign. Kakashi was carrying her again, bridal style still. She was wrapped in both their blankets, which must mean her body was chilled – another bad sign. She turned her head slightly, burying her face in his chest, breathing in his scent.
Kakashi kept moving, his steps careful, measured, but quick. His body was tense, his breathing slightly laboured. He must have been walking for hours, without rest. Her situation was that bad.
Listening carefully, she realised that they weren’t alone. Opening her eyes, slitted against the sunlight, slanting low over the horizon, she realised they were in a town or city.
“Kakashi… Where..?”
He paused momentarily in his walk, looked down at her, but then continued on.
“Tiger-Well. I’ll find us shelter and a Healer here.” He glanced down at her again and she realised his face was covered only by a scarf, left eye firmly closed. “Don’t worry, Sakura.”
She nodded, trying to smile, her eyes drifting closed. She trusted him to find what they needed.
* * * *
Either she was blind, or it was dark. With the amount of pain she was in, it could go either way.
With a slight groan, Sakura turned her head and discovered she was lying on a bed. It was comfortable, warm, dry and she couldn’t hear anything moving in the room, so she guessed Kakashi must have forked out for a respectable hotel.
After a moment, she realised she could hear footsteps moving her way and she focussed on the doorway across from the bed. The footsteps paused and a key shifted n the lock. Kakashi came moved quietly into the room, closing the door gently behind himself. He paused when he noticed her open eyes, watching him.
He quickly moved to her side and she shifted slightly, grimacing against the renewed pain.
“I put the word out for a Healer. One should be here with the hour, try to get back to sleep.”
Sakura nodded and he carefully pulled the blanket back up over her shoulders, tucking her in snugly.
As she drifted back into the darkness, Sakura felt the fleeting brush of fingertips against her cheek, followed by softly spoken words of comfort.
* * * *
AN: Sorry it's taken so long to update - other things took precedence c.c I should be updatingthis a bit more regularly now though ^^ hope you enjoyed!