Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > An Affair to Forget

Go away Sai!

by Krickitat 3 reviews

Its not easy to come back from the abyss, help me to swim to the surface of my own mind. What is reality? How can i be sure any more?

Category: Naruto - Rating: R - Genres: Action/Adventure, Romance - Characters: Itachi, Sakura - Warnings: [!] [X] - Published: 2007-03-11 - Updated: 2007-03-12 - 3249 words

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An Affair To Forget
chapter nine: go away Sai!



Her eyes cracked open and she looked into a blindingly white room. She watched in stupefaction as the monitor beeped at her. She absently took in the information provided to her but could not make sense out of it, although, she knew she should know what it meant.

She turned her head but shut her eyes as pain shot straight through, causing her to cringe in agony.

"Sai, shut the window," She knew that name...she knew that voice. She ignored the grating sound of the curtains being pulled shut concentrating on that voice next to her.

"Sensei?" her voice was a lot weaker then she thought it would be. She had to lick her lips and try again, to get passed the awful paste that had filled her mouth. "Sensei?"

"I'm right here. Sakura, open your eyes," came the light admonishment as her hand was grasped in warm calloused fingers. His hand was dry and it felt like paper to her fingers. She flexed her hands in response, surprisingly shocked to find no pain but thankful when her fingers were gently squeezed in return.

She cracked her eyes open again, relieved when the pain this time was only minor. Her eyes slowly came into focus and stared into a ring of faces surrounding her. Naruto was fidgeting and alternating between grinning and crying. She tried to smile at him but was just too tired to do anything more than lift a corner of her mouth in a crooked rendition of a smile. But it was enough for them as they all breathed a sigh of relief before standing back and pretending they hadn't been worried about her.

She watched as they went back to their respective spots but grew concerned when no one seemed to want to talk, instead they watched her. She cleared her throat and looked around the room, her eyes lingered on Sasuke but he turned away, not meeting her eyes. Did he know? She didn't think he would even be here if he didn't.

"Don't worry he has no idea."

She jumped at the voice that sounded in the back of her mind, but she was used to it...maybe the blow to the head had caused inner Sakura's voice to change. She beetled her brows as she thought about the logistics of such a thing but weirder things had happened so she discounted it. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't heard a thing from her inner personality the whole time she had been in the mountains.

She looked over as Kakashi pulled his fingers from her hand adjusting his forehead protector into place.

"Ho-ow lo-" but her throat was too dry to finish the sentence and she struggled to bring out the right words.

"Nearly five weeks now" Kakashi had seemed to know what she was asking, she sighed in relief.

She looked over as Sasuke pulled away from the wall, walking into the adjoining bathroom. She heard the sink running and he walked out with a plastic cup in his hands. He leaned over her and she felt Naruto's arm behind her back as they lifted her up so she could bring the water to her mouth. She tried to reach for the cup but her arm felt like a 20 pound weight that flopped uselessly to her side after several attempts. She sipped carefully as Sasuke held the cup to her lips, feeling the warmth of his fingers that grasped the hair at the back of her head. When she could drink no more she turned her head away and she was carefully lowered back onto the pillows.

"Thank you" her voice came out as a breathy whisper but at least she could say the words this time. She lay back and felt her eyes droop closed while the boys talked to one another. She could no longer keep track of their conversation, but didn't feel she needed to. It just felt good to be back with them. Away from him and his games.

"Is she awake?!?"
The door to the room flew open and she startled awake, only to see Ino pulling Shika into the room. She looked over at Sakura, staring at her before she burst into tears. Noticing the glares that her teammates were throwing his way, Shikamaru grabbed Ino by the arm, forcing her from the room till she could calm down. Sakura watched as her room slowly filled with people who had just come to verify the good news. She grasped her mother's fingers and sighed as her boys were slowly pushed farther from her. All except Naruto, who fought for his position at her side.
Exhausted and frustrated from trying to remember all the names and faces she closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. The boys took this as their cue to shoo everyone else from the room. Kakashi stood to go with them rubbing her hair affectionately.

"I'll be back tomorrow. Try to get some rest."
With a pop he was gone. Sai said his goodbyes not much longer after that, having escaped without having to say one word to her. She drifted while Naruto and Sasuke argued quietly in the background, glad that things were finally back to normal.

But what had happened? Where was Itachi? And how did she get back to Konoha? Did Itachi bring her back in some show of pity? These were her last thoughts as she fell into sleep.



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The next day, with the help of a nurse, she carefully negotiated her way around a cup of pudding. Taking her time while trying to ignore Sai, as he relentlessly watched her without moving a muscle.

"You don't have to draw a picture of the nurse feeding me, you know. I have a pretty good picture of it in my head. Thank you." her voice was still weak but she was able to talk with much more clarity.

"Who says I'm drawing a picture of you?" he continued to look up and stare at her before leaning back over his pad.

She had just about had enough of Sai. She loved him to death but there wasn't anyone who pissed her off more than he could. Naruto and Sasuke had each other to compete and fight with. Sakura had Sai. The man deliberately went out of his way to jerk her around. Today was no exception as he either pretended to draw her, or didn't draw her, and lied saying he wasn't. All the while inferring that she was selfish to think it was about her. She just couldn't win, she bit down on the plastic spoon giving him a lukewarm glare, and made sure to remind Kakashi about this failing in Sai before he decided to set him to watching her again.

It was nice of them to worry but the constant surveillance was getting on her nerves. She hadn't had one moment alone, even when they changed her catheter. When she got her strength back some beating obviously needed to be administered. Here she was gone for a short time and look at how uppity they got. They needed to be reminded that she was alpha female and she didn't put up with this crap.

She huffed when the nurse indicated that she might like the spoon back and she opened her mouth dejectedly while glaring at Sai. She turned back when the spoon was brought back and the nurse murmured quietly for her to open her mouth. Sakura was glad that her rehab would be starting soon, being fed by someone else was humiliating. Sai stood up and stretched, she tried to look at the pad where it had slumped to the floor, she couldn't see anything.

"Knock knock!"
Kakashi stuck his head around the corner, his cheesy smile firmly in place. He came to the bed and set a melon down on the side table, waving happily all the time. Sakura hadn't seen Kakashi since she had woken up the day before and she could only hope that it meant he was here to switch places with Sai.

Luck was with her, Sai reached over, picked up his sketch book, then dared to come over to her and peck her on the forehead. He just did it to piss her off, she was sick and tired of it.

"Any excuse to piss me off, isn't that right?" Her ire was tiring her out and she was glad he was going. Normally she didn't mind their fighting, but today it was just too exhausting.

"Is that what you think?" he smiled at her turning his head to the side, she unkindly thought of him as a stupid dog. One who refused to understand what you were telling it to do. 'You want me to do what? Sit? I don't know that word...eat, poop, No, no sit'

She sighed and lay back as he walked out the door. The nurse cleaned up her lunch, most of it from off her chest. Yes, she had given Sai quite the show. She would make sure the hospital staff knew that he was no longer welcome until she had complete function of her body.

Sakura had questions that had yet to be answered and here was the man who could tell them to her. She watched as the nurse slowly puttered around the room adjusting flowers and gathering all the trash. She wasn't someone Sakura was terribly familiar with and she didn't feel comfortable enough to tell her to get lost. They both watched as she finally grabbed her cart and trotted out of the room, breathing a sigh of relief.

Kakashi got up and closed the door behind her, turning off the over head lights, leaving just the lamps over the bed. It wasn't gloomy by any means, but it was much easier on her tired eyes. Thankfully, no one had thought to open the window, which she was sure, if Sai had known how much it would bother her he would have done it.

"Sensei..." She started but he held up his hand as he reached into his flak jacket for his infamous dirty novel.
She smiled as she watched him engross himself in the book finding his well marked page. She understood now, for Kakashi, that novel was a way to distance himself from potentially emotional situations. God forbid, he should realize he had been afraid for her and do something nasty, like get teary eyes or emotional. It was a hard rule but we all find ways to cope with it, even Sakura had begun to learn.

"Sensei, I need to know, how did you guys find me? Did he.....Did HE bring me back?" She gulped as she mentioned the name, not wanting to say it out loud, hoping maybe that he would know who she was talking about. Or maybe hoping that he didn't.

Kakashi marked his place in the book and set it on a side table he leaned over his knees and stared into her eyes. "Sakura tell me, what do you remember? When do you remember losing consciousness?"

Sakura had no idea where to start. The first time she lost consciousness in the avalanche or the time she lost consciousness in the cave? She decided to go with the easy one.

"All I remember is the noise, Sasuke and I were fighting-"
"Physically?" he interrupted her.

"No, we were arguing about....something, then I heard the noise and, well I don't really remember much after that until I woke up." She finished.

"What do you mean what noise?" He clenched his fists together, leaning his chin on top as he gave her his full attention.

"You know, the avalanche," Sakura beetled her brows as she tried to convey this to him.

Kakashi scratched at his head as he looked down at the floor, breaking his gaze from hers. Finally he looked back up at her and reached for her hand stroking her fingers reassuringly. "Sakura there was no avalanche, at least not that I know about. You were knocked out when we engaged enemy forces while training in the mountains. We brought you here immediately and you have been in a coma for the last five weeks."

"You mean....I don't understand." She felt the backs of her eyes burn as she tried to comprehend what he was telling her. There had never been Itachi, there had never been the cabin in the mountains or the cave in.... But it had been so real! Sakura could remember the feel of snow on her face and the heat of the hot spring...and she remembered Itachi the most. How could none of that have even happened?

"I have heard that some coma patients can have very...intricate dreams in order to cope with the strain." It was the only explanation he could offer her as he watched her eyes tear up.

"But it was so real," she whispered her lower lip pouting. Kakashi reached up and rubbed her head, patting her in sympathy.

"Maybe you ought to get some sleep. You look pretty tired, it can't be easy moving around this much after such a long time."
Sakura nodded as her exhaustion caught up with her and she lay back on the pillows as Kakashi clicked off all of the lights except one over his shoulder. She listened to the quiet turning of pages as he occasionally hummed. She didn't think he realized that he read to himself sometimes. It's why she had never needed to read that book. If you were just quiet and listened, he would tell you himself. She smiled as she once more engrossed herself in the misadventures of Junko and all his wicked kunoichi until she fell asleep.


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"I've been waiting for you to come back to me."

"You can't, you're not real."

"Doesn't this feel real to you?" She felt his hand cup her breast and his warm breath on the back of her neck. It felt real but it wasn't, she knew that. Strong fingers pulled at her nipple as he reached up and pulled her hair away from her face.

"Stop....stop toying with me, YOUR NOT REAL!"

"I'm more real then you think. Someday you'll understand that."

"No!"
But the hand didn't stop and he rolled her hip forward bringing her leg up as he slipped his body into hers. His hands gripped her hips hard and she thrust back into him as he grunted his appreciation.

She bit down on her knuckles as he drove his hips up into her, twining his fingers with hers and pulling her shoulder down with each thrust up. She arched her back and groaned as lights burst behind her eyes, every muscle in her body clenching in waves as she felt the warmth of his release in her belly, his breath heavy in her hair.

"You're not real." she whispered as lips ghosted along her nape.

"Come back to me and I'll prove to you again how real I am."
She couldn't see his face but she could hear his smirk. The darkness in the room engulfed her and she lost all track of herself as night consumed her.



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Her eyes opened. She gasped as focus and reality came back to her. She looked over to the side and saw Naruto slumped in the chair snoring loudly with drool slowly rolling down his face and into the cuff of his jacket.

She glared up into the ceiling as she felt the uncomfortable wetness between her legs, she had no way to wipe it up especially since her catheter was still in and wasn't THAT a blast. 'Note to self: For future reference NEVER have an orgasm with a catheter in.'

Naruto continued to snore loudly next to her and she turned to stare at his rough unshaven cheek that was still gently rounded. She could see the sharp outline that would start to take control of his face soon. Sasuke never seemed to need to shave but Sakura had never minded before...Itachi didn't need to shave either. She blocked that thought quickly 'I don't know what Itachi's cheek feels like, it was just a dream.'

A shadow detached itself away from the wall and Sakura jumped as Sasuke came to stand over her. He stood next to the bed and kicked Naruto in the leg when he began to snore to loudly.

"Stop teme!" Naruto whined in his sleep as he shifted away from Sasuke.

"Shut up dobe."

That was just like Sasuke, to avoid talking her by getting on Naruto's nerves. She felt kinda upset that he hadn't said anything to her since she woke up...but he was here and that was what really mattered. She looked away from him not wanting him to see the ungrateful look in her eye. She didn't want him to think she was ungrateful.

Sakura jumped when she felt Sasuke rub the backs of his fingers along her cheek. For a moment, all she could think of was her dream and the one who had trailed his fingers down her face in just that way.

"Sasuke...were you here while I was sleeping? Were you, touching my face just a moment ago?" she gulped as she waited for the answer.

"Yea, he was....he's been here every day, he talked to you every day too. The day you woke up he was talking to you. He kept telling you to wake up, as if he ordered you enough you would obey him." Sasuke reached over, smacking Naruto for piping up. Naruto just ducked and leaned over her.

"Ooh Sakura, please wake up! I miss you so much, you just need to wake up! Oh my love, my love, please please come back to me!" Naruto pantomimed in a sing song voice, grasping his hands and batting his eyelashes.

"Shut up ursatonkachi! I never did that!"
Naruto danced around the room comically avoiding Sasuke's blows making Sakura laugh weakly at their antics. She was touched by what Naruto had told her. Maybe he hadn't been that passionate about it but he had been there...and he had talked to her. She finally wound down and smiled at them as they held each other in a head lock. You wouldn't think Sasuke would still give in to Naruto's childishness but they were all happy when he did. Naruto seemed to be the only one who could break him out of his shell and Sakura admitted it was something she encouraged. She loved seeing Sasuke animated and enjoying himself, fighting with Naruto did that for him. She only wished she had that much of a hold on Sasuke's heart, that she could bring to him what these moments with Naruto did.

When the boys had exhausted themselves, they opened the curtains, and together all three of them watched as the sun came up again. Sakura held the hand of each man who was close to her. She breathed a sigh of relief as Sasuke gripped her hand tightly, rubbing the back of her knuckles with his thumb. It was nice to be missed, it was even nicer to be back even if she never really left.

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and thanks to every one who reviewed! i really appreciate it and it helps me to keep going.
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