Sacrifice and Surrender

1: Awakening

The first thing she recognised was touch.

Her fingers slowly rubbed the cloth, her body felt the soft mattress she lay on, her toes shifted the blanket that was on top of her.

Next, smell. The room smelt almost stale, the air was warm but not unpleasantly so and there was a wafting scent of something floral.

Her body felt exhausted, heavy. She took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes, taking long and slow blinks, adjusting to the dim light from the total darkness. Her vision blurred into focus. The ceiling was a dull tan colour, her eyes shifted sideways, but she kept her head straight, and she saw the walls were a slightly darker colour. Black ink traced a pattern over it. A seal, she thought faintly.

Tired as she was, she moved her head and arms, trying to sit up.

There was a gasp, and some young girl she'd never seen before was by her side.

"You're awake," the girl said with wonder.

She helped Sakura to sit up. Sakura felt stiffness in her lower abdomen and alarm bells started ringing in Sakura's head.

"Who are you?" Her voice felt like sandpaper in her throat. "Where am I?"

"My name is Hikari Shimura," the girl replied, handing Sakura a glass of water. "You're in the hospital in Konoha."

Sakura gladly drank the water. Her mind was a fog; what was she doing in the hospital? The girl, Hikari, took the glass back. Shimura, the name gave her shivers.

"Lady Sakura, please, I'm going to tell them you're awake. Okay? Please lay back and rest."

Sakura gave a vague nod, eyeing the seals in the room. She recognised them, they were the kind of seals used in medicine when the patient was unconscious for a long time. Coma patients. She swallowed, feeling weak. How long had she been asleep?

She glanced at her hands and arms and had a sharp intake of breath. She was thin. Very thin. Her bones were more visible than she'd ever seen them before. Her hands came up to her face and she touched her cheeks. They were swallow. She must look half dead. It only added to her incoherent thoughts about the length of time she'd been unconscious. With some hesitation, she pushed back the blanket. She was wearing a thick and short white kimono, and she was naked underneath. Her legs looked like she was eleven again. She glanced up at the seals. Clearly, they were incomplete, if they weren't, her muscles wouldn't have died. It was going to be a pain to get it back. She took a breath and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Her feet landed on the cold floor and slowly, shakily, she forced herself to stand up. Clammy cold sweat started to form on her brow.

With one hand on the bed, she took a step.

The door burst open and shocked her. The first thing she saw was black hair. Her heart lurched.

Itachi.

She remembered. Her eyes focused on the man staring at her with dark, Uchiha eyes. It wasn't Itachi.

She remembered.

Blood pouring from his gaping wounds. His mouth coughing out blood. Her name, the last thing he said.

Her eyes widened on Madara, who was staring at her with a mix of relief and concern and something else. She stumbled on her trembling, weak legs, falling forwards, He caught her. She felt so small in his arms, so fragile.

"Itachi," she whimpered.

Madara picked her up smoothly, hooking an arm under her legs and putting her carefully back on the bed.