𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯 𝒀𝑶𝑼 | 𝑲.𝑰𝑵𝒁𝑼𝑲𝑨

|I{•------» [28] «------•}I|

The painful pressure welled within her stomach, stirring her from her unconscious state, with stabbing pulses tearing through her entire being. A groan escaped her lips, and she was suddenly flooded with a cacophony of sounds and voices that she couldn't discern.

"Ruka?!" One of the voices gasped, but the heiress felt disconnected from the rapid drumming of her own heart as her blue eyes flickered past them in a panicked manner.

It was the feeling of hands sliding up to cup her cheeks that finally broke the hold of the hurricane raging inside her. She blinked and blinked again until the soothing sound of a familiar husky voice registered with her. When the haze in front of her eyes lifted, she was met with two brilliant orbs of blue shining with concern.

"Ruka?" Naruto murmured softly, looking uncertain as his blue eyes scanned every inch of her face. "Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

"What happened?" Ruka questioned as she tried to sit up straighter, but winced noticeably. "You should rest, Ruka," Sakura frowned, sticking close by and supporting her front to prevent her from tumbling backward. "You're still not fully recovered."

"Sakura, what happened?" Ruka repeated when no answer came. The pink-haired girl ignored her, wrapping an arm around her front and guiding her into a more relaxed position. "Well..." Sakura began with a heavy sigh, her lips thinning as she recalled the last flashes of what had happened. "I carried Naruto away as you told me to, but it wasn't easy. I couldn't find my way through the forest, and we stumbled a lot. I wasn't sure what to do or where to go. But finally, I found this place."

Ruka's gaze wandered over the small pebbles scattered on the cave floor until it settled on the unconscious raven-haired male slumped down in the cave. "Is he okay?"

Sakura followed her gaze, feeling the weight of exhaustion both mentally and physically. She swallowed and glanced away from the Uchiha with a heavy heart. "After I got Naruto to safety... I tried to find Shikamaru as you suggested, but this place is a death trap."

"You found your way back to us."

It wasn't a question, and Sakura couldn't discern from the tone what Ruka was implying. "I was out of my mind with worry. I couldn't just leave you there. Kakashi-sensei's words kept playing through my head, and before I knew it, I was trying to make my way back to you. But by the time I got there, Sasuke was already... and you were fighting that man, you burned him, and, my god, his face melted off..."

"He said his name was Orochimaru."

"And then I woke up!" Naruto's youthful voice broke the tension. Ruka turned to smile at him. "Is that so?"

Sakura shot him a heated glare. "Not before I had to carry Ruka and Sasuke back here!-" She began to ramble, the words speeding up with each one that escaped her mouth.

"Sakura," Ruka murmured, shuffling around to face the panicking pink-haired girl. "Hey, Sakura."

It seemed like Sakura didn't register any of the heiress's concern until Ruka finally reached forward, placing a small, sympathetic hand on her shoulder. Sakura felt her dazed panic lift, and within seconds, she was met with Ruka's gaze. Her blue eyes were soft with gentle concern and understanding, reminding Sakura of the Third Hokage.

"You saved us," Ruka said, her voice as soft as the sweetest melodic notes. "Despite everything you've been through, you came back, and thank you." Sakura felt like crying. In fact, she could feel the moisture gathering in her eyes, threatening to spill over. It was such a Ruka-like thing to do, to speak the words Sakura had long yearned to hear from everyone, including her parents.

For as long as she could remember, all she had wanted was to be acknowledged. And now, she finally was. Ruka was becoming Sakura's closest friend, whether the young heiress knew it or not.