Restoration Book 3/3: Hinata's Fate

Chapter 10

Her hand touched my shoulder and I squeezed handfuls of the sheet in my fists as I buried my face in it, "P-Please don't! I can't leave him..."

The woman paused for a long moment before I heard the rustle of her clothes as she knelt down beside me. I raised my head to look at her face and she gave me a reassuring smile, cupping my cheek softly, "I promise I'll take good care of him. Nothing bad's going to happen."

My brow furrowed as I reached up to wipe roughly at the tears rolling thick down my cheeks. She continued, her voice taking on a softer tone, "But right now you need to worry about yourself so when he wakes up he's not stressing out about your condition. You don't want that, do you?" I shook my head after a few moments, knowing she was correct even if I stubbornly didn't want to admit it.

She helped me up to my feet and guided me over so Tenten and Neji could get a firm hold around me like before, "You have my word, Hinata. He's going to be fine. Please get some rest." I looked at Naruto's unconscious face as I was led towards the door. My chest felt tight and weighed down, but I couldn't bring myself to argue or resist.

Temari and Shikamaru were in the hallway, likely on their way to check on the Subaku brothers and Matsuri, and the former shoved her way past my helpers' arms so she could hug me tightly. I winced in pain, but only felt relieved to see the two of them uninjured for the most part. Both had minor bumps and scrapes.

I managed to make out a few words past my crying, "Matsuri....Is she...?"

Temari pulled away and wiped at her own tears as Shikamaru shook his head, "Tsunade has her in a medically induced coma. If she was to wake up now, she'd be in too much pain to function. We won't know her exact condition for at least another week."

I recalled the harsh injury on the girl's forehead when I last saw her and worried it might've caused some lasting effects, but made myself shake the anxious thought away because stressing about it was only going to make it harder for me to keep it together. We said our goodbyes and then I was helped into the bathroom in the room across the hall.

Tenten gave Neji a look of thanks before he left, shutting the door behind him so she could help me bathe. I shakily leaned against the counter and began unwrapping the gauze from my arm as she knelt down to do the same thing for the injury on my leg, "Where are we?" This place, obviously a hospital, had power and functioning plumbing.

"We're still in Suna. It's not even been a full day yet." It was dark outside, likely the middle of the night, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

Once she was done ridding of the bloody gauze, she verified I was steady before turning on the water in the tub so it'd begin to fill before turning to help me undress. When I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror, I looked away with a grimace. My lip was still busted even if it wasn't bleeding anymore and cuts and massive bruises dusted almost every inch of my skin. It truly looked like I'd just fought in a war.

The sad look on Tenten's face and about her aura was so different from her usual, more bubbly personality. Now that I knew Naruto was safe, the pain from my own injuries seemed more prominent and I struggled to distract myself from it.

"Is everyone else okay? Sakura?"

Tears welled up in her eyes and she wiped at them swiftly with one hand before returning to her task, shaking her head, "She's still unconscious."

I met her eye when she brought an arm around my back to help me step into the bath. Her voice cracked and wavered as she spoke in a heartbreaking tone, "Sasuke said he saw her die, but she somehow came back to life. It's still bad, though. They-" A sob cut off her words as she helped me sit and I stared at her with anticipation. After taking a strengthening breath, she continued, "They stabbed her with a fucking sword. Kiba said it went completely through to the other side."