My Snippets: Part 1

You're Here with Me

                                  (Sasusaku au)

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Sasuke awoke with a start and feeling a slight pressure on both his chest and his side, he slowly glanced down the length of his body to see what was the cause of his discomfort. The sight that greeted him caused his stern looking features to soften significantly and despite the pain he was feeling throughout his entire body (combined with the slightly blurred vision in his eyes) he felt his chest swell with a warmth that only she was able to provide him with.

His beautiful, devoted wife of three years sat in a small chair by his bedside and had her upper half resting against him as she slumped over slightly.  Her eyes were tightly shut and lips were slightly parted as she held him close to her small frame; even as she slumbers soundlessly beside him.

'Sakura must have been there for hours. Even in sleep she looks exhausted,' Sasuke thought as he brought a bandaged hand slowly to rest upon her bare, pale cheek; caressing the delicate skin beneath his fingertips gently. "Sakura," he called softly to his young wife and his deep, rough voice cracked slightly due to the dryness in his throat. But she stirred nonetheless and it only took her a moment before she had shot up in her seat; her green eyes were wide as she glanced around the room frantically before they finally settled on her bed-ridden husband.

"Oh, my goodness Sasuke, you're awake! I was just resting my eyes for a moment." She reached for him then and placed one of her hands on his forehead while the other grasped the one hand he had rested against her cheek within her firm but gentle grip. He watched as her face line with worry while his wife checked him over thoroughly. With her being a doctor, it was in her nature to take care of others. It was one of the many, many qualities that he loved about his wife. Sakura's  caring, loving, and sweet disposition was always a welcoming comfort for the young man; even in situations such as this.

"I'm alright, Sakura." He tried to ease her worries with a warm smile but soon, his poor throat gave him issue and Sasuke began to cough violently. His face twisting in pain as a few of his partially broken ribs rubbed painfully within his chest when he tried to shift his prone position slightly so he could be sitting up instead of lying flat on his back. Sakura reached over swiftly to grab a glass of water and helped to lift him gently so that he could take a large sip from the glass that she held up to his lips. Sakura refused to let him do it on his own and since it was just the two of them (alone) in the hospital room, he allowed her to baby him a little. He secretly loved it, though he wouldn't ever admit to that fact aloud. After Sasuke had relaxed and was resting comfortably against the bed once more, he motioned for his wife to come to his side and very gently (after a small amount of protesting on her part) scooted so that her body would be able to lay next to his; she on her side facing him and he on his back.

"Sasuke," she called out to her husband softly as she moved one of her hands to place it against his chest; directly above his heart, which Sasuke assumed was done so in order to help herself be comforted by his presence in some sort of way; after all, their traumatic experience was still fresh on both of their minds. The male waited patiently for her to continue speaking, knowing that she had something to say and wanting to hear her say it. "I'm so... I'm just so glad that you're still alive and here with me. You... you shouldn't have tried to come get me tonight. I could have driven myself home. The road was so icy and I..."

"Sakura," the patriarch spoke softly as he calmly interrupted his wife, trying to sooth away all of her growing concerns on the matter. "You know that I wouldn't have allowed you to try and drive these roads alone. It was dangerous yes, but I was completely fine until that asshole ran a red light."

"I would kill him if I wouldn't go to jail for it you know; for what he did to you." The rage in his wife's voice was prominent and he knew without a shadow of doubt, that she was serious. He felt her small fist tighten against his chest as she grasped onto his hospital gown harshly. "That bastard will pay Sasuke. When we find him, he will pay for what he's done to you. I will make sure of it!"

"Sakura," he placed a calming hand on his wife's upper arm and brought her closer to him with the arm that was wrapped around her shoulders. He began to rub her skin soothingly as he tilted his head so that it could easily rest upon the top of hers. Sasuke could feel her small frame shaking slightly next to him; though the young man wasn't sure if it was due to her anger or sorrow. "I'm here," he whispered softly against her and  his warm breath fanned across the skin of her cheek; blowing a few loose strands of pink hair into her face in the process though his wife didn't take notice of this and simply ignored it.

"Yes but... it was so close... I thought that I had lost you at one-point during the surgery. Your heart had stopped beating Sasuke. It was... it was absolutely horrifying. I never want to go through that again do you hear me!" She wiggled against him, pressing herself as close to him as she possibly could and even though his wife's movements were slightly painful to him as she jostled his body; he didn't protest.

"Sakura, look at me." He lifted her face slightly so she was forced to look at him and his expression softened when he saw that her eyes were pooling with ushered tears. He rubbed at her cheek with the pad of his thumb. "I am alive because of you. I'm here because of you. Let's just enjoy that fact and forget the past for a little while, alright. Just stay with me like this for a few minutes, ok."

"Okay...," Sakura whispered as she snuggled her petite body closer to his. She shut her eyes and breathed him in deeply for a moment before deciding to break the comfortable silence that had grown between them. "Sasuke...."

"What is it Sakura?" The deep, husky undertone in his voice indicated to her that her husband's sleepy state was starting to pull him back into a world of unconsciousness. The pinkette smiled softly to herself when she felt his strong hold on her tighten.

"I love you." Sakura felt his soft lips press against the top of her head and sighed deeply as they continued to hold each other closely. Her body and mind were now at ease knowing that he would be okay; knowing that he would make it out of this whole ordeal alive and well.

"I love you too Tsuma," he whispered softly to her and Sakura stayed like that, with her husband, well into the early hours of the morning; only deciding to finally move once the beginning of the morning light began to seep past a small crack in one of the curtains that covered the large picture window on the far side of the room. 

He was alive; and she would be forever grateful.