Restoration: Book 2/3

Chapter 37

-Sakura's POV-

It could've been minutes, hours, or even days that I lay in a painful lull. All I knew was that I was in so much pain before losing consciousness that I wasn't sure I wanted to wake up again. The only thing that had me continuously trying to fight my way out of my clouded state of mind was the fact that Sasuke was in extreme danger when I last saw him. Not only that, but I couldn't let the last thing we said to each other be in anger.

It felt like something was clawing at the inside of my ribcage, trying to tear out of my body by force, and the longer I tried to ignore it the more painful it became. My eyes suddenly shot open as a sharp pain ran up my throat and then I was on my side coughing up blood while I tried to take in a breath.

Someone's hand was on my shoulder as they held my hair out of my face, but I couldn't look at them as I tried not to suffocate. Every inch of my body was in pain and shaking, the worst of it located where I'd been shot but my throat was a close second.

"I know it hurts, but you need to heal yourself while you're awake!" It was Sasuke. He sounded so overcome with panic that I'd almost be convinced it was a different person.

Sobs mixed in with my coughs and I tried to reach up and grab his hand in an attempt to wordlessly apologize for how we fought before I lost the chance. He pulled my body so I'd fall onto my back and unzipped my coat before pressing my hand against my stomach like he had earlier.

I choked as the blood coming up my throat pooled and fought to turn my head so I could spit it out. Somehow, I managed to rasp out, "S-Sasuke..." It hurt like hell just to speak.

He gripped my hand in between both of his tightly before pressing it against my torso once more, "Sakura, please, you have to." His unbearably helpless and desperate emotions came over me and I squeezed my eyes shut as I forced my body to move.

He helped me onto my hands and knees, keeping an arm across my chest so I wouldn't collapse forward. Awful cries and sobs tore from my body as I forced my hand up against my stomach, just under my ribcage, and made myself heal despite it feeling life every nerve in my body was being burnt.

It hurt worse than the pain that'd enveloped my entire body after Orochimaru first injected me with those odd serums. Sasuke's other arm came around my back and he held me tight the entire time. After a minute or two, my body got even weaker and I couldn't bear to even hold my hand up anymore.

Trembling fingers swiftly felt my skin where I'd been wounded and Sasuke let out a strange noise that sounded like a strange mixture of a relieved sigh and an exhausted groan. I could feel blood still dripping down my chin onto my neck, but could barely keep my eyes open.

"It's okay, you can rest now."

He didn't need to tell me twice.

I was woken up by something cold on my forehead and immediately groaned at the awful pain that ran through my midsection. The ground was hard under my body and the air felt a bit cool, but I was warm enough to be sweating, likely with a fever. My eyes opened and I instantly realized I was in a cave.

The sound of fire crackling finally registered in my ears and I turned my head to see it burning a yard or so away. The cold object on my forehead slid off and I looked at the ground where it fell to see that it was a torn piece of clothing soaked with water.

"I shouldn't have said those things to you."

I arched my neck to look up, only to realize my head was resting against Sasuke's thigh as he sat and stared at the fire with a far away look in his eye. A sharp pain ran through my throat when I tried to speak and I brought a weak hand to it, having to settle with staring up at him with tears in my eyes.