In the Blink of an Eye (Sasusaku)

Heaven and Earth

Brilliant, golden flames cast shadows that danced across the dark sands, the pleasant crackling and popping of the fire filling the chilly night air. After minutes had flown by of their silent embrace, Sakura sighed into the fabric of Sasuke's shirt, before adjusting her grip so that he leaned against her, his arm resting around her shoulder. The boy's body sagged against her, likely drained from the immense chakra consumed by the sudden awakening of Orochimaru's seal. Sakura's own reserves were practically empty at this point, and the both of them stumbled back to her makeshift campsite with great effort. Once they returned to the protective warmth of the fire, Sakura collapsed onto the sand in relief, with Sasuke plopping down just on the other side of Naruto.

It amazed Sakura how their third teammate had not so much as twitched throughout his sleep, despite the chaos that had ensued only minutes before. Naruto remained in the same exact position the medic had left him in, with his body resting peacefully on the cool sand and his face illuminated by the flicker of the fire. His skin, however, seemed to have a more healthy glow in contrast to the deathly pale color he had sported earlier, which eased her concern slightly. That's Naruto for you. He'll bounce back in no time.

A sharp sting near her gut captured her attention once more, drawing her eyes back to the bloody kunai wound soaking her shirt. I better clean this quickly, before it gets infected, she decided, pulling out a roll of bandages and some healing salve from her travel pack. She turned her attention to her raven-haired teammate, who seemed to be staring aimlessly into the fire, lost in his own thoughts.

"Um...Sasuke?" she called out softly to the Uchiha. As soon as he heard her voice, Sasuke seemed to snap out of his brooding, greeting her with curious, onyx eyes. "Could you turn around please?"

For a moment, Sasuke seemed confused by her question, but nodded in understanding when she gestured towards her stomach. He politely turned his back towards her, giving her the privacy she needed. Sakura didn't waste any time as she quietly slipped off her crimson top, revealing the full stab wound that tore across her skin. Taking a spare cloth from her pouch, she soaked the fabric with whatever water she had left and gently cleaned the wound, wincing every time she pressed too hard against her sensitive skin. Once all the smudges of blood had been wiped away, the medic carefully applied some healing salve and wrapped the roll of bandages around her stomach. Using another wet cloth from her pouch, Sakura cleaned the dried, brown blood from her shirt so that the fabric wouldn't stain.

"Okay, I'm done," she informed her teammate after she slipped on her shirt once more. "Thanks."

Sasuke responded with a silent nod, his face settling into its usual nonchalance as his dark eyes took in her appearance.

"Are you okay?" He stared at her bandaged midriff for a moment before meeting her gaze, a troubled frown gracing his features. "You can heal yourself, right?"

A shadow of a smile pulled at the kunoichi's pink lips, touched by the concern overflowing in her teammate's deep gaze. "I'll be fine, Sasuke," she reassured, moving to slip the roll of bandages into her pouch once more. "I have some chakra exhaustion, but I think my reserves will be restored soon enough."

Silence enveloped the two genin as they sat around the fire, neither of them daring to break the delicate calm that had descended over them. Sakura herself was still shaken from the sight of the black flames creeping over Sasuke's skin- the image brought up old memories that she would rather have kept buried deep within her mind. She could tell that her teammate wasn't feeling any better by the way his eyes darted around the shadowed horizon, his muscles tense and alert despite the indifferent facade he carried. I don't blame him, she reflected with a slight frown. If another team just happened to find us now, we'd be as good as dead.