My Snippets: Part 2

In Sickness

In sickness and in health, a sentiment that he took very seriously.

A sasusaku blank-period snippet.

.
.
.

The aroma of herbs and spices grew stronger with each passing second and at first, Sakura thought it must've been caused by some sort of fever induced hallucination. But then, the sounds of faint creaking reached her ears, followed by a gentle touch to her cheek and she knew then that it was no mirage.

She groaned and moved away from the touch, not wanting to join the living world just yet. A gentle sigh before cold fingertips brushed her damp forehead. It was then that his voice reached her ears. "Sakura, wake up. You need to eat something."

"Mmm," she groaned, turning her head away from the voice completely. She had no desire or intention of following orders. She wanted to go back to sleep. Peaceful, blissful sleep.

Another deep sigh before a firm hand landed on her shoulder, shaking her gently to try and rouse her. If she'd had the energy and strength, she would have pushed it away, but as it were, all she could do was groan. "I'm not going to let you go back to sleep yet. Not until you've taken at least a couple bites of this soup." She huffs through her nostrils before slowly turning towards the stern voice and cracks a blurry eye open at the offender.

She gives him a scowl but there is no maliciousness behind it. "I thought you were away on a mission."

"Change of plans," her husband simply states while shrugging his shoulders. He turns slightly to pull the side table closer to him. On it sits a small bowl with steam rising from its top, and a metal utensil hangs from the right-hand side. This must be the source of the smell, she thinks as he looks back at her briefly, probably to make sure that she's still awake, before reaching for the spoon.

However, she's conflicted.

The thought of soup both delighted her (given the fact that she hasn't eaten in two days) but turned her stomach also at the mere thought of eating. Her eyelids grew heavy again as she contemplated until her husband nudged her gently with his knees. She sighs, struggling to keep her eyes open. It takes all of her energy to do so and all Sakura can really do is watch as Sasuke scoops up some of the contents from inside the bowl before bringing it up to his lips.

After blowing on it to try and cool it down a little, he presents it to her. She stares at it tiredly and after a brief glance at Sasuke, who of course was waiting on her expectantly, she parts her chapped lips just wide enough for the spoon to slip past them.

Sakura is forced to school her expression when the concoction of warm flavors slides down her throat. It wasn't that it was overly unpleasant but she couldn't put her finger on what was off about it. With the hot contents swirling against her tongue then down her throat, Sakura finally swallows the first bite and her husband seems satisfied with this while he dips the spoon back into the bowl for a second time.

Her stomach protests, aching from the lack of food, and she feels the nausea resurface, but only briefly before the ill feeling subsides completely. Her eyes blink with surprise when she absentmindedly takes another bite of the unknown liquid. She returns her gaze to Sasuke, who's watching her closely. "What is it?"

He sits up a little straighter as he goes for another scoop of soup. "Something my Mother came up with when I was young to help me fight any illness." Her brows scrunched together in utter confusion. How'd he possibly remember its contents? Did she tell him before the massacre? Sensing Sakura's questions, he decided to elaborate on his explanation. "I found an old book containing some of the Uchiha recipes and remedies for all kinds of things when I searched through the compound." A light bulb finally went off in her head and she nodded as understanding and realization dawned on her.

She took three more bites before turning her head away. Enough was enough and Sasuke didn't fight her on it. Instead he moved the side table back and stood before leaning over her to lift the blanket back in place across her chest. Sakura shivered slightly at the feel of the fabric gliding across her skin and he placed the back of his hand across her forehead again; checking on her fever. "I'm fine..," she insists, then lets out a huge yawn. "Just... tired."

"Rest," was all he said before taking the soup bowl back to the kitchen. Sakura sighed when she heard the muffled sounds of pots and pans shuffling, then settled against the mattress more comfortably after closing her tired eyes. She sensed his presence a moment later while her mind grew slow and heavy. She barely cracks an eye open to observe him as he makes himself at home on a chair that sat at the foot of their bed. Sensing her eye on him, he lifted his head after crossing one leg in front of the other and pulled a scroll across his lap.

She lets out another tired yawn, this one causing her eyes to water. "Go to sleep, Sakura," he huffs and adjusts his posture in the wooden chair before lowering his gaze. "Rest." Her lips lift slightly at the demanding tone and if she had more energy, she'd be a bit defiant. But given her ill state, she decided to do as she was told. After all, even doctors could be good patients... right?

'Thank you, Anata.'