Don't Stare at the Sun or You'll Go Blind

Chapter 21

A vague and distant sense of déjà vu greeted Sasuke once he was conscious. A light fog clouded his mind, his entire body felt weighed down, and his eyes throbbed slightly. A spike of panic caused his entire body to tense. His eyes weren't in pain, but what if it hadn't worked?

"I think he's waking up," a distant voice noted.

"Sasuke?"

The feeling of someone's small hand slipping into his, helped pull him from his drug-induced fog. They were squeezing his hand now, wordlessly encouraging. It took far longer than normal for him to become fully aware of his surroundings.

"Sasuke-kun? If you can hear me, can you squeeze your hand?"

Finally, the fog was starting to lift. He recognized Sakura's light voice even under the medical professionalism. Cursing softly, Sasuke tried to lift his hands to remove the bandages he felt around his eyes.

"Sasuke!" his mother's voice chastised.

A deeper voice on the other side of the room chuckled. "He's fine. His mouth is still filthy, but he's fine," Shisui's voice mused.

"Son? How do you feel?" his father's voice asked. Was his entire family here?

Coming back from the dead had been easier...

"The disorientation should fade within a few hours. The anesthetics we give shinobi are a bit stronger to ensure that they don't wake during surgery," Sakura explained with amusement in her voice.

"Did...I say that out loud?" Sasuke asked, his throat far too dry. The chuckles were louder this time.

"I'm afraid so, Otouto."

Despite the fog, hoarse throat, and apparent disorientation, Sasuke snapped to attention at the sound of his brother's voice. "Itachi, are you-"

"Fine," Itachi cut off firmly. "We've all been waiting for you to wake."

All? He could sense Sakura's chakra signature moving towards his bedside, his parents were nestled in between him and Itachi's muted presence. Shisui's chakra was stronger than it had been the last time he'd seen his cousin, nearly overshadowing Izumi's smaller reserves.

"Did it work?" Sasuke asked.

He felt Sakura's hands on his head and her familiar chakra probing before she spoke, "The operation was successful. There weren't any complications during surgery. And from what I can tell from yours and Itachi-san's chakra pathways, you should both make a full recovery and have your vision fully restored."

His mother was muttering soft prayers of thanks while squeezing his hand again. Finally, Sasuke was able to relax slightly. He breathed a soft sigh of relief as he slumped against his pillow. Itachi would be alright.

"I would like to keep you both for a few days of observation just to be sure. Itachi-san, we'll move forward with your treatment once you've fully recovered," Sakura informed as she fiddled with his bandages. When the dressings loosened and fell away, Sasuke experimentally blinked the initial blurriness away. "Look at me," Sakura gently commanded.

After months of slowly deteriorating eyesight, he could only vaguely remember what perfect visual acuity felt like without his sharingan. But now, he could easily see the individual strands of Sakura's pink hair and the creases on the finger that she slowly moved in front of his face. He patiently waited for her to finish her examination and make her notes on the file in her hands before he softly said, "Thank you, Sakura."

Sakura stilled in the middle of her writing to give him a look of surprise. A light pink flush colored her cheeks as she blinked at him in surprise. She quickly shook herself out and replied, "What are friends for?"