Blind Spots

Chapter 5

"Don't you have a bed of your own?"

Sakura cracked open an eye to see Tsunade standing at the foot of the bed, reading through Kakashi's chart and marking things with a pen. She hadn't meant to stay all night—just a few hours to get her wind back—but the light outside the window indicated that it was early morning and the bony pillow that Kakashi's sternum made was gone. Distantly, she heard the shower running in the attached bathroom.

"Well?" Tsunade prompted.

"It was either this or fall asleep on my feet on the way home," she said.

The blond woman shook her head in disapproval and dropped the file back into the cubby at the foot of the bed. "Up," she commanded and she delivered to Sakura a sharp smack on the backside that prompted a pained yelp from the girl. "You have patients to see. That student of yours is being a right terror and it's too early to deal with the Hyuuga by myself. If you check the girl's progress, I'll see if I can't get that old goat she calls a father to eat some food. Divide and conquer. Up, up, up."

Sakura made a grumbling noise of discontent as she rolled out of bed and by the grace of familiarity caught the night bag that Tsunade then threw at her head without looking. "Shower," the woman said. "You have fifteen minutes."

The pinkette rolled her eyes, but beat feet to the nurse's locker room on the third floor, where a quick round of conditioning and a good, close shave made her feel marginally more alive than she had. There was even a fresh change of clothes in the bag—likely Ino's doing since the dress matched very well with the sandals she had been wearing.

In Hanabi's room, Sakura found Tsunade attempting to lure Hiashi away from Hanabi's bed with the same success one might have attempting to uproot a Fire Country Oak with a spade.

"I mean no offense to your student," he began, sparing Sakura a quick glance, "But I would feel more comfortable if you would see to Hanabi's treatment personally."

Tsunade huffed out air through her nose, like an agitated bull. "Hyuuga Hiashi, you don't know anything about medicine so I don't want to hear you passing judgment on any of my medics," she said, her tone reminiscent of her days as the Hokage but scarier because as a simple administrator she wasn't bound by the constraints of diplomacy. "As for Haruno Sakura, her hands are as capable as my own."

Sakura tried not to beam too brightly at that, even though it made her want to glow inside and out. The fact was that Tsunade never seemed more willing to offer a compliment than she was when someone expressed doubt in her student and, by extension, doubt in her ability as a teacher.

Hiashi frowned a bit, obviously displeased to be called out like a genin by the woman, but nodded anyway and with one last glance at his daughter, followed Tsunade into the hallway.

"I'm sorry about him."

Sakura sat down on the edge of Hanabi's bed and smiled at the girl. "He's your father," she said. "He just wants what's best for you."

Hanabi scoffed a bit as Sakura began to unwind the gauze that circled her head like a halo and covered both of her eyes. "It's kind of embarrassing," she said. "He didn't yell at that idiot Konohamaru, did he? Because I'm just as guilty as he is."

"Well, Konohamaru took full responsibility," Sakura replied. "And your father thanked him for his honesty and wished him a speedy recovery."

Hanabi seemed contented by this. Sakura finished with the gauze and laid the roll of it beside her as she reached to remove the two cotton pads that had been placed over the girl's eyes to keep the healing salve in place. The skin around her eyes, the lids, and her temples, appeared red and irritated, as if they had been burned. Her eyes themselves were bloodshot and clouded over—an effect that was exaggerated by the lack of color. "Any changes?" Sakura asked as she waved a hand in front of the girl's face.

"No, it's all still just shadows," the girl said, sounding dejected.

"Eh, it was a long-shot," Sakura replied. "You'll be hearing that question and giving that answer a lot over the next few weeks, so don't get discouraged."

Hanabi relaxed back into bed with a heavy sigh. "I cried last night in front of my sister and in front of Neji-nii," she whispered. "I cried in front of Father. It was so embarrassing."

"Hanabi, I'd cry if I was blinded and I don't have a bloodline ability to lose," Sakura said gently. "It's natural and human. It's not just your bloodline, but your career and everything you've been working for since you were a little girl. I've seen men who have been at this job for twice as long as you cry. You just can't help it and people like your father, sister, and cousin know better than to judge anyone for it."

"I've never seen Nii-san cry—not that I really remember at least," Hanabi went on. Then, very thoughtfully she added, "But I have see Father cry. I suppose that makes it better."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Not that she was interested in gossip. She was simply trying to picture stone-faced Hyuuga Hiashi moved to tears and found it rather impossible.

Hanabi smiled a little. "When Hinata and Neji came home from the war. It was a few months after Father had been sent home and he worried the whole time," she said. "They were coming up the walk to the house and Father ran out to meet them. He cried as he hugged them."

Sakura couldn't see it readily in her mind, but knew the relief the man must have felt and that was enough to bring the familiar pinprick sensation of tears to her eyes, which she dismissed with a mute and frustrated sigh. She remembered what it was like to see Sai, Kakashi, and Naruto again after they had been split up during the aftermath of the war. She had hugged them and bawled in front of an entire camp of medics from all five of the Great Villages and hadn't cared. "Crying does not make you weak," she said firmly and she laid a hand over Hanabi's because there was no way to communicate her meaning through a smile. "Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. Now, try to relax for me. I know that the chakra pathways around a Hyuuga's eyes can be quite sensitive, so this might be uncomfortable. Let me know if it becomes painful."

It had distressed his team to hear about Hanabi's condition and even Gai, who had broken both legs once and insisted still on training, had encouraged Neji to skip training for the day and return to his cousin's side. Some things, he said, were more important.

As much as he hated to miss a session, Neji had readily taken the advice and cut a quick path back to the hospital.

The burden he felt weighing him down lightened considerably when he heard Hanabi's hiccupping laughter coming from her room and he was surprised to see that it was Sakura perched on the edge of her bed.

"And that's what they call the "thermometer incident"," Sakura was saying. "As you can see, he was totally asking for it."

Hanabi was reclined against her pillows and clutching her belly as she laughed. Neji smiled to see her spirits brighter than they had been the night before.

Sakura noticed him then and smiled warmly. Gone was the pretty, civilian girl of the day before and in front of him was the medic he had known for some years, dressed in a white doctor's lab coat with her hair tied up into a high, swishing tail at the back of her head. "Hey," she greeted him. "Hanabi, your cousin is here."

Hanabi sat up a little at this, still chuckling as she did so. "Neji," she said, reaching for him.

Neji caught her hand in his and took a seat in the chair at her side. "Here," he replied gently. "Forgive me for my absence. I had to meet my team."

She snorted. "Duh," she replied as she wrapped both of her hands around just the one of his, her little fingers curling around his own like the tendrils of a vine. She had never felt so much like spun glass to him before.

"They send their regards and well wishes. Tenten said that she would come to visit you later and Lee promised to as well."

Hanabi smiled and nodded. "Good." She turned her head suddenly as the bed shifted. "Sakura?"

Sakura had stood up and was making her way toward the door as she wrote notes in a chart balanced on her left forearm. "Is something the matter, Hanabi-chan?"

The girl was frowning at the medic. "Where are you going?"

Sakura smiled. "I have some things to do," she said. "I will come back later. If you want, I could bring something to read to you."

"I would like that," Hanabi replied quickly. "Just, please, come back?"

The medic laughed at this. "I will. It was nice seeing you again, Neji."

She nodded to him and then stepped out into the hall. Neji watched after her for a second and then gave Hanabi's hands a gentle squeeze. "I will be right back," he whispered to her before standing and following Sakura.

He couldn't remember a time when their paths had crossed as often as this, but he found himself grateful to her, that she could make Hanabi laugh at such a time and that she was so quick to offer comfort to Hinata, who had been forced away from her sister's bedside to attend a meeting with the clan elders.

"Sakura."

She smiled at him as she dropped the chart into a cubby next to Hanabi's door. "What's up?" she asked.

Neji searched for what to say and then let out a long breath and shook his head as he glanced backward as if at Hanabi. "I want to thank you," he said. "For everything."

"It's my job," Sakura replied with a shrug. "Even if it wasn't, Hinata has been a very dear friend to me for years and Hanabi is a sweet kid. I wouldn't need any more of a reason than that."

"My uncle…" He trailed off, hoping that that would be explanation enough. He had heard the day before how terse and short the man was with her and wondered if it had anything to do with his previous impression of the medic.

For her part, Sakura didn't seem concerned. "He's under a great deal of stress at the moment," she said. "I don't blame him for acting like it."

"Even so…"

She smiled. "He loves his family and he wants what's best for them. I deeply respect that."

Neji thought of the stories that Gai sometimes told about the war when Tenten would ask him to, because he had a way of telling those stories—of both triumph and loss—that made the memories seem less awful. Those that included Sakura always exalted her vicious need to protect, even at the cost of her own well-being. It drove her; a true medic, Gai always said with more than a bit of reverence. There were few things that motivated Haruno Sakura to fight like the idea of harm coming to her squad or those under her care. Neji had heard similar stories from other sources. Hell, her steadfast loyalty to Uchiha Sasuke in the face of widespread disapproval and snide, hissing rumors was enough to prove that much of her character. If his memory served, there was even one story of her hitting someone for speaking ill of Uchiha Itachi after the true story of his "betrayal" had come to light and that spoke volumes more.

"Go back to Hanabi," Sakura told him gently, snapping him from his reverie with the sound of her voice and the touch of her hand on his forearm again. "I'll be back in a little while."

He nodded and she turned away with a smile and a casual wave as he stepped back into Hanabi's room.

"Sasuke's improving, I see."

Yamato chuckled wryly to his lap as Sakura attended to a slice in his shoulder where the edge of a sword had cut past his skin into the meat. He was shirtless since his sweater had been soaked through with blood and mud and to make it easier for them both Sakura had cut it with a quick skim of her chakra scalpel. The worn, ratty fabric had fallen away easily and it reminded her a little of how Kakashi wore his clothes to death as well. "He is," he agreed at length. "He's a quick study. It would take anyone else years to adapt to hand-to-hand combat the way he has with his disability. It won't be much longer before he's perfected this jutsu of his."

Sakura hummed at this. She was perched beside him on the cot in her office, a mess of bloody rags lying beside her, having served their purpose well. "Good thing. He doesn't have the patience to wait much longer," she said.

It was moments like these that made Sakura forget the more tumultuous aspects of their relationship; that reminded her of years before when Yamato had first stepped in to fill Kakashi's role. They had gotten along so well then. She had enjoyed his easy manners, especially in comparison to how distant Kakashi had always seemed to her back then.

"I talked to Kakashi-senpai today. And Naruto." Yamato glanced up at her from the corner of his eye. "They want me to continue leading the team."

Sakura shrugged. "Well, that makes sense," she said. "Why shuffle around the rosters when this arrangement works?"

"Not that it's working out so well."

She passed him an ironic little smile. The tissue had finally knitted itself together under his flesh and she could begin sealing the skin. "Kakashi thinks we just need time," she murmured.

"He said the same thing to me. I told him that you might kill me sooner than that."

"I told him the same thing."

Yamato actually smiled and dropped his chin to his chest as he ran a hand over the back of his neck in a familiar, uneasy gesture. She shooed it away when it wandered too near her work. "It was easier when you were a kid," he said at length.

"When I was a kid, I was so afraid of doing something wrong I needed someone to double check everything I did," Sakura replied. "Everyone else was always smarter and stronger and more skilled than me. I thought that always made them right. More right than me, at least. I guess the war changed… well, all of that—how I saw myself and others."

He hummed at this in a noncommittal sort of way as he fiddled with his gloves. "Kakashi was your commander then too, wasn't he? In the war, I mean."

She nodded. "He's been my commander my whole career, actually."

"Ten years then?" he asked.

"Just about, yes."

An ache panged through Sakura's chest and for a moment it was hard to breathe. Ten years. She thought of Kakashi, who was soon to be permanently retired, and her heart broke all over again. It hadn't really set in until after the war, but Kakashi had become something of a rock in her life. She felt grounded with him and more than anyone else he treated her like an adult, like someone of worth and value (even Tsunade sometimes still treated her like a child). The war had bonded them together as comrades and teammates and after all these years she had earned his trust and respect. It had kept them alive in Earth Country, on the countless missions before that, and she did everything to make sure he never regretted it.

Maybe Yamato didn't stand a chance when it came to taking his place. Maybe no one else ever would.

"There," she said, pulling her hands away and leaving the skin new and pink where it had once been opened and bleeding.

"You don't happen to have a shir—" Yamato was cut off when a pile of black fabric smacked him in the face and Sakura laughed from her storage cabinet as she shut and locked the steel doors again. "Why…?"

"Quite a few people come to see me in my office," she replied. "As much as it'd amuse the nurses, I try to avoid a parade of shirtless people walking out of here every day."

Yamato laughed, flashing white, straight teeth and pink, healthy gums, and she smiled at the sound. He was always so dour and calm, so much like the emotionless, porcelain masks they wore in ANBU that there was seemingly no difference between it and him. It had been that way once with Kakashi, when his mask had seemed so much a part of him that over time she had simply stopped thinking of it as separate from his face. However, it was and she had seen it for herself. That and the honest smile Yamato had on his face gave her some hope.

"How's it feel?" she asked when he was dressed again and shrugging into his flak jacket.

Yamato shrugged his shoulder and stretched his arms over his head. "A bit stiff," he said.

"There will be a little swelling left over," she replied, nodding. "Training will just continue to agitate it I'm afraid, so go home, put ice on it, and rest."

He shook his head, a frown tugging at one corner of his lips. "Later. I've left Sai and Sasuke alone too long already I think…" He trailed off and they shared a look that spoke volumes more than they had actually ever said on the topic.

They both knew it was a problem, a cancerous growth that was crippling their already limping team, but neither could point to a source for it. It wasn't obvious to anyone on the outside, either. To anyone else, Sasuke and Sai might have seemed downright civil with one another, all things between them considered. However, Sakura had seen the first spark of hatred when Sasuke had been reinstated as a member of their team and Yamato had spotted it immediately when he saw how Sai's impassivity wavered in the Uchiha's presence. The hate between them was noxious and palpable, even at the best of times.

"Go," Sakura told him.

Yamato nodded and a second later was gone.

Sakura reflexively face-palmed when she walked into Udon's room and found Konohamaru sitting on the foot of his friend's bed, a surgical glove pulled over his head, which expanded like a balloon with his breathing. Udon was chuckling to himself as he watched.

"You're going to suffocate yourself," Sakura scolded as she pinched a bit of the material at the back of his neck and snapped it against his skin.

Konohamaru yanked the glove off and rubbed at the back of his head sheepishly. "Baa-chan wanted me to keep him in here," he replied. "He's kinda a sucky patient."

Sakura rolled her eyes and turned his face toward her to check the burn on his cheek. It was milder than those that Udon had received, but he had also been treated faster as well. "Are you taking your meds?" she asked. "All of them? Because I'll know if you're lying."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Yes, Nee-san," he muttered.

She nodded and looked to Udon then. "Terrorizing the nurses? It's not even noon yet."

The bespectacled boy scowled at her. "They're idiots."

"Careful. As a medic, they're going to be the ones you'll rely on," Sakura retorted. "They work long hours and deal with grumpy, injured, agitated people all day and the last thing they need is for one know-it-all chuunin to be giving them grief. Besides, you spend more time in the field than here in the hospital. They don't need you telling them how to do their job."

"Their filing system is absurd!"

"To you," she replied. "As long as they know what they're doing, it's none of your concern, especially not as a patient. Besides, if Tsunade hears you talk like that she's liable to tear your ears off and if I hear you talk like it anymore, I might just do the same, understood?"

Udon sighed heavily through his nose. "Sorry, senpai."

Sakura nodded and looked to Konohamaru. "If he doesn't behave himself, feel free to restrain him," she said.

The boy pumped a fist into the air. "All right!"

Udon glowered, but went otherwise ignored. "How's Hanabi?" he asked instead.

Sakura crossed the room to a set of cabinets and drawers and after some searching, found what she needed and returned to the bed. She sat down first beside Konohamaru and began dabbing some cream from a freshly opened jar onto his cheek. "Cooling salve," she explained shortly when the boy made a face at the gentle sting of it against his wound. "And Hanabi's… well, she's still blind, but she's doing all right, all things considered."

Konohamaru cringed. "It's my fault," he muttered.

Udon rolled his eyes. "Don't play martyr," he scolded, but his tone was gentle. "It was just bad luck. You didn't aim for that plant. If anything, I should have informed the team of the danger beforehand as soon as I realized we were going to Kumo."

"Let's not play the "no, it's my fault" game at all," Sakura interrupted. "It's good that you both want to take responsibility, but things like this happen all the time to ninja no matter their rank, even to jounin and ANBU. It's one of those thing s you can't account for." She wiped the excess cream off on her lab coat and then reached to undo the bandages that were wrapped around Konohamaru's hands. They weren't as extensive as Udon's, as they left his fingers uncovered and mobile, but she could see where he had been picking at them. "How do your hands feel?"

"Shizune-nee actually took care of most of it," Konohamaru replied. "They're just kinda sore, like they burn when I wash and stuff."

Sakura hummed as she set the bandages aside. With one hand she scooped some salve from the jar into her other and then rubbed it between her palms to warm it. Then she reached for Konohamaru's right hand and began to massage the cream into the skin, which was pink and agitated rather than outright blistered as they had been. "It's important to keep them covered," she said. "Try not to peel at the bandages anymore, okay?"

Konohamaru grinned a bit guiltily. "All right."

She smiled and began to rewrap his hands, being careful to do so the same way she did for the jounin she treated, who liked their fingers freed and useful even if they were bedridden—a force of habit after years of training. Konohamaru flexed his palms and fingers against the bandages as soon as she was finished, which gave and bent to accommodate his movement and he beamed at her appreciatively. She stared at him for a thoughtful moment before applying a square of gauze over the burn on his cheek and then taping it into place.

Then the process began over again, this time with Udon. She was careful as she peeled away his bandages, wincing whenever he did. Just as tenderly, she inspected the burns that ran the length of his arms and their varying degrees of severity. Some areas were barely pink with inflammation while the back of one of his hands had a deep, weeping wound where it looked as though he had been burnt all the way to the meat. She frowned at this and poured some of her chakra into it to gently stimulate the healing process.

Oftentimes, burns increased in severity on their own, so it wasn't unusual for medics to take the 'wait and see' approach rather than having all of their hard word undone. However, in this case she would make an exception. A partial healing would prevent the wound from getting any worse, even if the healing itself was undone.

She attended to a handful of other areas before reaching for the salve and applying it liberally and gently. The nature of it mixed well with chakra and she wove tiny amounts of hers in with the jelly-like substance as she spread it around. Once finished, she stood and washed her hands at the sink before going about the process of reapplying new bandages.

"I was sorry to hear about Kakashi-senpai," Udon suddenly said, his eyes briefly meeting Sakura's before returning to his lap.

Sakura sighed. "It was only a matter of time," she replied.

Konohamaru shrugged at this. "Still, it sucks."

She smiled and ran a hand fondly through his hair once she had finished the last of Udon's bandages. "It does," she agreed. She gathered up the old bandages into a pile and then stood and dumped them into the trash bin. "I'll be back to check on you later, Udon. I have rounds. I'll see you later as well, Konohamaru."

Both of the boys nodded and with that she went for the door, but it opened before she could reach it and a ginger-haired girl rushed inside, her long braids trailing after her. The ends just skimmed the backs of her thighs and they were almost long enough to wrap around her completely when she whirled in place to look at Sakura. "Sakura-nee!"

The medic smiled. "Hey Moegi."

The girl was carrying a basket in front of her and beaming from ear-to-ear, her freckled cheeks bunched up into a happy smile. "How are they?" she asked, jerking her head back to the boys.

"I just changed their dressings," Sakura replied. "Wallop Konohamaru one for me if you see him picking at his."

"Hey!"

"Can do!" Moegi chirped back before twirling to face the boys and holding up the basket. "I brought sweets from mom's shop!"

Sakura smiled and slipped out into the hall.

Hiashi returned not too long after Sakura had departed and only when Hanabi fell asleep did Neji move from her side to sit at his uncle's instead.

"You could return to the compound," Hiashi said, his voice very soft so as not to disturb his daughter. His shoulders were slouched and his face was weary and drawn with exhaustion.

"I will not unless you order it," Neji replied simply.

His uncle shook his head and one of his palms ghosted over Neji's shoulder in the barest of touches, conveying many things without a single sound uttered. Stay, it said. And he would, until he was dragged away and even then his assailant had best be prepared for a fight.

"Tsunade-sama told me that Hanabi could be released as early as the weeks' end," Hiashi said. "However, Hanabi will need someone to be with her at all times once she is brought home."

"I will extend my leave for as long as it is necessary," Neji murmured.

The shadow of a smile fell upon his uncle's face. "You have other duties."

"My duty is to my family," the younger man replied dismissively. "What of a medic?"

Hiashi shook his head. "Tsunade-sama has agreed to accommodate my preferences, if I have them and if she deems them sensible." He offered his nephew a wry, half-smile. "It is as accommodating as one can hope her to be."

Neji returned the smile and then his eyes fell upon Hanabi, pale and thin in her bed. "It is too much to ask of Hinata," he said. "Her medical skills are not as refined as her other abilities and she must continue to focus on clan affairs lest the council begins to call her authority into question. Besides, she would never forgive herself if something were to go wrong."

The man beside him nodded solemnly. "Tsunade-sama's first apprentice is also unavailable. She acts as our young Kage's assistant when she is not occupied here at the hospital and I imagine that for the village's sake it is best she is left to that."

"If her team and the hospital can spare her, Sakura might be the best choice." Neji glanced at his uncle. "Haruno-san," he clarified.

"If your encounter with her is any indication, her bedside manner leaves something to be desired," Hiashi replied.

Neji shook his head. "We have both put that instance behind us. One could not place a stone wall between her and a patient and expect the wall to remain standing, no matter the circumstances. My chances were dismal, at best," he said. He looked to his cousin again and went on: "Hanabi likes her very much and Sakura has been Hinata's friend for many years. Her presence would bring them both a great deal of comfort."

Hiashi seemed to consider this as his chin came to rest upon his joined hands. "If it would please the girls…" He glanced at his nephew. "Do you trust her skills?"

The young man let out a quiet breath. "The only reason my hands were not fully healed after she attended to them the first time was because I would not tell her that I was still in pain," he admitted. "Haruno Sakura would, I think, quite literally work herself to death if no one took care to stop her. I would trust Hanabi to few others beside her." He paused briefly and then looked to the man beside him. "I am sorry that I did not explain that sooner, Uncle. I should have before you confronted Tsunade-sama and Hokage-sama on my behalf."

Hiashi said nothing at first and then his hand fell upon his nephew's shoulder again, but this time the touch lingered as he squeezed. His hands were nothing like Gai's, whose hands were scarred and callused from years of work and abuse. Even so, the steadiness of his grip and the warmth of his palm were a comfort to Neji. "Pride makes everyone her fool from time to time," the older man said gently. "I thank you for telling me now. I will speak to Haruno-san as soon as possible regarding Hanabi. If she agrees first to this request, Tsunade-sama will be more inclined to follow suit."

Sakura tried not to look quite as dumbstruck as she felt, but she imagined that she was failing at that when she felt her own jaw hanging slack. She closed her mouth forcefully and straightened a little under Hiashi's patient, but penetrating stare. She wondered if that was a Hyuuga thing or something exclusive to clan leaders. Had Hinata ever looked at her, or anyone, that way? She couldn't imagine it. "I would be happy to continue attending to Hanabi-chan after her release, Hiashi-sama."

"Understand that this is a request that you are free to deny, Haruno-san. I know that you have many obligations."

She was shaking her head before he even finished and noted the tiny, almost imperceptible life of one eyebrow. "I am obligated to my patients," she said. "As I said, I would be happy to continue caring for Hanabi-chan."

Hiashi seemed pleased by this and bowed his head gratefully. "I thank you," he replied and in some small way he seemed to relax. "The clan will pay you generously for your service."

"That won't be necessary," she argued. "The hospital will pay me as—"

"It is not a matter up for discussion."

Sakura silenced herself immediately, almost reflexively, because damn if Hiashi didn't have a way of taking the words right out of someone's mouth. Was that something else that came with being a clan leader? She couldn't remember Ino's father having ever managed that. He couldn't even command the attention of a room at a family dinner, although that might have been less his fault and more the fact that the Yamanaka brood rarely let anyone get a word in edgewise. "All right, then," she agreed, sounding meeker than she had in years. "I will speak to Tsunade-sama this afternoon and we will begin planning for Hanabi's follow-up care so that things are settled before she is released."

He nodded. "You may stay at the compound as a guest for the duration of Hanabi's recovery," he said. "A room will be prepared for your use in the Main House."

She was tempted to decline, but something about his tone told her that it would be as pointless as her previous protest. So, she nodded instead. "I appreciate that very much. Thank you, Hiashi-sama."

"I will speak to Tsunade-sama to confirm—"

"I will speak to her," Sakura cut in and she tried hard not to enjoy the look on his face or the act of regaining a little bit of her lost footing. "She will not argue with me."

Because Tsunade had honed Sakura's work ethic, determination, and stubbornness to match her own. She had sharpened the girl's skills and mind like trench knives and took pride in that, much like her master, Sakura never accepted 'no' as a valid answer. It was merely an obstacle, to be crushed or flung out of the way. She had taken such pains to do this that she never denied her student anything, except to rile her and force her to defend her requests. After that was done, it was with a great amount of fondness and no small amount of pride that Tsunade would call the girl defiant and accuse her of twisting her master's arm. Sakura only ever smiled in reply.

Hiashi nodded once and then, ever so slightly, inclined his head and shoulders in the very smallest of bows. "Thank you, Haruno-san."

Before she could answer, he was gone and Sakura was left to blink away the sudden haze of confusion that had fallen upon her. Hyuuga were way too damn complicated.

"Sai."

Sai was staring at the wall with such intent that Sakura feared he'd burn a hole through her plaster. Her living room, like the rest of her house, was small, but comfortably furnished with an overstuffed sofa and plush pillows strewn about at random. They were seated on the sofa and she was tending to his bloody, battered knuckles with a wash cloth soak in antiseptic. His whole body was covered in bruises and she wondered vaguely if she would have to take her med-kit over to Sasuke's to check on him after she was finished with Sai.

"Sai," she said again, her tone beseeching.

They had gotten closer after the war, while Team Seven completed mission after mission to bring money in for a desperate Konoha. He was someone she could trust and rely on and he seemed to take that very seriously. No one, he told her one night, had ever trusted him and he had never trusted anyone. That had also changed, he said.

She had cried when he had first confided in her what he did remember of his training and what he had called the "desensitization process". It was only then that it really occurred to her what ROOT had taken from him; that they had tortured him from early childhood to break him. The gentle monotone he had used to describe it in made it all so much worse.

Sakura reached out and ran her fingers through his hair. He flinched at the contact and finally looked at her, his eyes clearing as if he had been in a trance. She petted his hair like she often did when sitting at his side after he was wounded, smoothing it where the sweaty strands were disheveled. "What is it?" he asked.

"Talk to me."

Sai stared at her for a few long moments, his expression soft. Then, with a hand still crusted in dried blood, he reached out and gently pushed the stray bits of pink hair that had escaped her ponytail away from her face. "I have nothing to say."

"You and Sasuke cannot keep doing this. We're supposed to be a team."

"We have never allowed our personal differences to interfere with missions," he replied and there was something vaguely accusatory in his tone that made her blush. "It is nothing you should concern yourself with."

Sakura grabbed his hand and turned his wrist to show him his cracked and bleeding knuckles, his half-missing thumbnail, and the way his pinkie finger was bent to the side. "This concerns me," she snapped. "You concern me, Sai. Sasuke concerns me."

"He should not."

"Well, he does and that isn't your choice."

Sai's eyes hardened. It was a tiny change, something that someone else might have missed but experience made the change from coal to black ice easy for her to spot. "You concern me," he replied.

She frowned, not sure how to decipher his meaning. "Sai…?"

He stared at her for a moment longer and then looked away, signaling that the discussion was over.

With a heavy sigh, Sakura stood from the couch and headed toward the kitchen. "Go shower. I'll tend to you after you've finished."

At the end of the week, Hanabi was moved from her hospital room before sunrise to heed Tsunade's warning about sun exposure. At the compound, she was settled in a spacious interior den-cum-sick room in the Main House and later that same morning that Sakura arrived with the canvas backpack she typically carried on missions slung over one shoulder.

"Sakura!"

Hinata rushed to meet her as she was coming up to the stone walk toward the house, a flurry of silk sleeves and skirts and long, black hair. They embraced tightly when they met.

"I was so relieved when Father said that you agreed to continue treating Hanabi," the clan leader said. They parted and she took the medic's hands in her own. "I might never be able to repay you for this."

"You won't need to. Your father is being more than generous," Sakura replied with a dismissive shake of her head. "However, you must understand that I will still be on call. Should I be required at the hospital or called away to lead an RD Squad, I will not refuse. That is non-negotiable."

"Of course," Hinata answered. "Tsunade-sama and Naruto-sama are being very generous with your services and you are doing my family a great favor. We would not expect to capitalize on your time entirely. I hope that your team will not suffer for it, though?"

"They will survive I think," Sakura said, with more optimism than she genuinely felt. "I would like to see my patient now."

"Hanabi was still asleep when I left her just a few minutes ago," Hinata replied. "Let us get you settled in your room for now and then perhaps in a little while we can wake her to join us for breakfast. Come."

Still holding Sakura by the hand, Hinata escorted the medic into the Main House.

Sakura had been inside the great building a handful of times, but her breath was still taken away by the beauty of the place. The Fire Oak floors, which were a very dark, reddish color, were polished until they gleamed while every doorframe and visible rafter was elaborately hand-carved with designs of flowing ivy and flowers. Many of the outer walls could be slid opened, allowing in the warmth of sunlight and a constant, sweet-smelling breeze to blow through the many halls and rooms. The entire house dripped with a very simple and reserved kind of luxury.

"I cannot be with her as much as I would like to be," Hinata said to Sakura as they slowly ascended a set of winding stairs to the next floor. "Between clan affairs and my team—"

"I understand," Sakura cut in. "I'm sure that Hanabi does too."

"Better than anyone," Hinata admitted with a gentle smile. "She kept reminding me yesterday that I had meetings to attend. The truth is that she does not like to be in a position that requires assistance or fussing."

"I would blame her age, but that would mean we are a village overflowing with perpetual adolescents," Sakura replied with a shake of her head. "In my experience, it is more stubbornness than pride. Most ninja tend to catch that bug."

Hinata chuckled. "I have noticed as much myself."

The medic squeezed her friend's hand gently as they reached the top of the stairs. "As someone who has treated you for chakra exhaustion on more than one occasion, you have no room to talk, Hyuuga-sama."

Hinata laughed a little louder. "I do not deny it," she replied. "In my defense, however, I come by it quite honestly. Kiba claims that it is the Hyuugas' second bloodline ability."

Sakura smiled and they stopped at a door in the hall, which Hinata then pushed open gently, revealing a modestly decorated room with a plush futon and a pair of sliding screens opened just enough to allow in the breeze. There were fresh flowers in a vase placed atop a short stand beside the futon and two piece of ink-drawn art hanging on one wall side-by-side.

"The servants are at your disposal," Hinata said as Sakura dropped her bag beside the futon. "If you require anything, simply ask. Is there anything I can do?"

The medic nodded and surveyed the room for a moment before turning to face her hostess and smiling. "No, there isn't anything I'd ask the Hyuuga clan leader to do for me."

Hinata blushed a pretty shade of pink. "Please, do not call me that," she said. "It is strange enough to hear it from the elders, let alone a friend. I still think of that as my father's title. In many ways, the elders seem to think that as well."

"It will take time," Sakura replied. "I don't know much about clans, but I do understand how slow things are to change. People still go to Tsunade like she's the Hokage sometimes."

Hinata chuckled. "You are right," she conceded. "Come then, let me show you around the house. It has been a while since you have seen it in full, I think."

1. So this chapter kind of jumps all over the place, but there are a lot of little things I'm trying to develop, so that'll probably be par for the course in the future.

2. Hiashi is an interesting creature to write. I am going for a little bit of a different interpretation of him than what a lot people shoot for, in that I haven't made him a baby strangling monster. I just don't see it, guys. As for the more emotional bits, I think he'd allow himself to express himself when he was away from prying eyes that might misinterpret displays of tenderness as weakness. I believe that's called "The woman wearing the queenly mask" syndrome. Look it up on TVTropes.

3. Also fuck Kishi for ruining the chances of that kind of homecoming, which I would dearly love to see. I love the idea that Hiashi would cry to see his daughter and nephew home safe after a grueling war and that it would be one of the moments where he didn't care if someone saw him displaying more tender emotions.

4. Sooo, have I warned you guys that the romance thing is going to be slow? Because it's going to be slow. Like, we're talking molasses here.

5. Sai. Honestly, I'm probably having WAY too much fun with his angle. It's probably my favorite part of this whole story, even trumping the to-be romance.

6. I probably have WAY more fun with Konohamaru than I ought to. Udon as well. They've become two of my favorite characters to write.

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