Ocean Of Blood And Fire [Sasusaku]

Chapter Twenty Five: Sakura's P.O.V.

I groaned as I sat up, my whole body hurting. I brought a hand up to my head as the pounding set in, and I recognized the pain of chakra exhaustion. "Ugh... This sucks," I grumbled, thinking I was alone.

Tsunami-sama sat bolt upright, staring at me with wide eyes. "Oh, my goodness!" She rushed over and wrapped me in a big hug, something I was wholly unfamiliar with. I had, in fact, never been hugged by another female before, not to mention that the only hugs I've ever received in the first place were either a manipulative tactic or from Naruto - neither of which as tender and gentle as the one she gave me now.

I hesitantly lifted my arms to rest awkwardly against her back. It wasn't that I didn't like hugging her- it was quite pleasant, actually- I just wasn't sure how to respond.

"Thank Kami you're awake, Sakura-chan, we were all so worried! I have to go tell everyone!" She raced out of the room in a haste, only to run back in and push me back down in the bed, raising the covers all the way up to my neck. "You stay in bed now!" She said before once again rushing off.

I blinked, the quiet now deafening following that chaos.

A warm feeling rose up from my chest that brought a smile to my face. And not a forced one either. This was a genuine smile, and it felt wonderful. I giggled and snuggled deeply into the mass of pillows and blankets that surrounded me on the bed. I kept my eyes open, looking around the room that, so far, I hadn't been inside. I saw Naruto's and Sasuke's packs in the corner- well, actually, I saw Naruto's pack flung unceremoniously in the corner and Sasuke's neatly leaned against the wall. I realized this was the room they were sharing, and I giggled again as I wondered how they kept from killing each other last night.

They were polar opposites, yet they worked so well together.

I turned to look around at the other bed that was in the room and recognized it as Naruto's, due to the sheets still being mussed and the blanket hanging down to drag on the floor. Not to mention his unusual pajamas crumpled on the pillow.

Which meant I was laying in Sasuke's bed (again). I knew it was his because, aside from Naruto's messy bed, I recognized the scent from when he carried me home.

I hoped he didn't get annoyed. He seemed to do that easily.

I shouldn't have worried. A few minutes later, the door to the room once again flew open and I was immediately surrounded by my three teammates. Naruto threw his arms over me and tearfully hugged me. "Sakura-chan, don't do that to us!" He cried. I winced as he squeezed, and both Kakashi Sensei and Sasuke dragged him back.

"Careful, dobe! You can't go around squeezing the daylights out of someone who was just unconscious!" Then he whispered something in Naruto's ear, and his face fell, becoming more somber while he looked at Sasuke and nodded.

What was that about? I thought nervously, warily eyeing the boys.

Kakashi Sensei patted my head with a concerned look in his eye. "Are you alright, Sakura?"

"I'm... I'm okay, Sensei," I looked up at him, the warm feeling returning tenfold. Was this what it felt like to have a family...?

Then, I nervously glanced at Sasuke. "Um, sorry for taking up your bed..."

Sasuke sighed and walked up to the bed, hands in his pockets and eyes on me. "Sa-ku-raa, I'm not upset with you."

A slight fluttering feeling rose up as he gave me a slight smile, and I didn't know what to make of it. It was a new sensation, one I had never felt or even heard of before. All of a sudden, I couldn't meet his eyes.

"Oh, that's- that's good."

He sat down on the edge of the bed and propped one of his legs up on the bedframe. "Although," he started, and something in his tone made me nervous. "I do have to wonder why you decided to try and heal a whole village with an already depleted chakra reserve." He raised an eyebrow at me.