Restoration Book 3/3: Sakura's Fate

Chapter 9

A groan ached in my chest and throat the moment I gained consciousness. The severe pain throughout my body had dulled only slightly since the last time I was awake, but not enough that I could completely ignore it.

Something soft brushed against my cheek, and I felt my brow tense slightly in response. A deep hum floated through the air, a voice maybe, and a sigh eased from my lips, my body relaxing further at the comforting sound. The tender sensation against my cheek came again, but this time it moved to brush the hair out of my face, and I realized it was someone's hand, their fingers.

The drowsy haze I was in slowly faded as I finally acknowledged what was happening and tried to make myself fully wake.

Even if my injuries were still plaguing me, my body was warm, and I immediately recognized the feeling of an oversized cotton shirt or dress against my skin. My fingers twitched atop the fabric of whatever I was wearing. The sleeves were too long and covered them completely, but it proved to be incredibly comforting.

"Sakura..." It was that melodic voice again.

My eyes opened, and the breath momentarily left my body when I saw Sasuke. He was propped up on his side with his elbow as he looked down at me with such a relieved expression that it almost seemed wrong to witness it.

Neither of us moved for a long time. Red and black eyes studied mine patiently as my memories slowly began to flood in, and when they did, a soft gasp shook my chest, and I felt tears well up.

Then he was kissing me, slow and soft, like I would break if he didn't treat me with abundant care. With each tender press of his lips to mine, my tears got thicker, and my chest got tighter until I couldn't control it anymore. He seemed to sense this and pulled back a bit so I could cover my eyes with one hand as I weakly sobbed, pressing his lips to my forehead with his fingers gently coming into my hair. Either one of us is trembling, or both, but I can't tell.

A minute or two passed before I could get ahold of myself enough to speak, "S-Sasuke...."

He slid his hand down to my chest so I could wrap all of my fingers around it, but he didn't say anything or pull back so I could see his face.

"You were bleeding...." Each word felt like pins and needles were stabbing my throat.

The peaceful aura of the room threatened to fade as Sasuke finally pulled away so he could fix a disbelieving glare on me. He's angry but is still trying to stay calm for my sake. My vision focused on his face, and I looked over every part of him that I could see to make sure he wasn't injured.

The unhappy expression on his face hardened further as he stared, but then I was stunned to see it soften all over again. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he leaned down to rest his forehead against mine lightly, squeezing them closed in a desperate attempt to keep the tears from spilling over, "Baby...."

My face warmed at the term of endearment. The first time he called me that, I thought it didn't fit him or me or our relationship, but now my stomach flips excitedly every time he does. The incredibly emotional tug in his tone made my heart both flutter and ache within my chest.

The way he's acting now, the way he acted when he realized there wasn't anything he could do to help me in that god-awful room, it's so genuine and unfiltered that I feel guilty. For him to throw his bashfulness to the wind, I must've scared the living hell out of him.

I touched his cheek and repeated the pet name, hoping he understood how much I loved him with just the one word. We didn't move for a moment before I broke the silence, "I'm so sorry, Sasuke."

He made a negative sound deep in his throat, kissing me a few times between words, "You're alive."

My eyes fluttered open, and he pulled back to look at my face, both of us wiping our tears, "You're not angry?"