((Uchiha))[xX]But, I Thought You Wanted Strength)

I sit in a field of flowers, eyes to the sky. A light breeze touches my skin, tickling my nose with beautiful fragrances. I laugh into the changing sky, enjoying the outdoors. Sunset approaches, the sun already falling into the depths of a mountain on my left. I close my eyes, soaking it all in before the inevitable happens.
Suddenly a hand clamps over my mouth. I gasp into it, struggling aimlessly to break free, though there only seems to be a hand. I am finally stirred from my dream and look up over my head. There, framed by the light from my doorway stands a silhouette. I struggle harder, ignoring the pain my weak body submisses to. A hand touches my forehead, the cold touch reminding me yet again who it is.
I cease my struggles, sighing with a glare for the one friend who hadn't abandoned me when I fell sick almost half a year ago. He finally withdraws his hand, his face now visible as he sits beside me with a smirk. I force myself into a sitting position, leaning back against the wall. "Sasuke... One of these days I'm going to stop fighting and just ignore you altogether, I promise that..." I say, a hollow cough working its way through my lips.
He leans back beside me, keeping a reasonable distance. "Hn. I'll believe that when I see it. Any updates?" he states casually, looking at me from the corner of his eyes.
I smile at the thought. "Yes, actually. After five and a half months, it's finally starting to lighten up... Coughing doesn't hurt much anymore. It's funny, the past couple of weeks I've been having dreams of laying in a field like I used to with my brother... The first few days he was still there... then it was just me. It's getting later too, in my dreams. Tonight it was getting close to sundown..." I say, furrowing my eyebrows as a particularly nasty cough ends my rambling.
I lean forward from the force of it, coughing up flegm from my lungs. His hand finds my back, rubbing lightly. "Sayuri, you shouldn't talk so much. It makes your throat dryer..." he says as I lean back against the wall again.
I nod slowly, rubbing my neck lightly. I have some advanced form of Bronchitis. I know, five months sounds insane for it, right? My immune system is really strong, so up until this, I've never gotten sick. I guess its strength is used against it now... The doctor comes in once a week to check up on my progress.
He said that I got it from my brother before he died. Apparently depression weakens your immune system. The frightening thing is that my brother died because of this after three months. But he'd been born sick, for the most part. He was three years older than me, the best friend I'd ever had.
In fact, in a round about way, he helped me meet Sasuke. He'd been late picking me up from the academy, one day long ago, and Sasuke was getting ready to leave. He vollunteered to stay with me until my brother got there. He didn't lie, either, even though he was supposed to meet with his brother.
"So, where were you for so long? I know you come back after missions..." I trail off, turning my head toward him. His eyes are downcast, head bowed. "That's why you came here again... New mission?" I state more than ask, letting out a sigh.
"Yes." he replies simply, still looking at the sheets.
I smile weakly, nodding. "Alright, but you gotta promise me that you won't forget me while your gone. I'll be waiting for you." I say, sinking back under the covers and placing a hand over my head.
"It shouldn't take more than a week or two. I will come back, no matter what happens, Sayuri-chan." he says, feeling my forehead as well. He frowns, ruffling my bangs. "Now get some sleep; if you're getting better we don't want you to have a relapse..." he says, getting a small laugh from me.
"I'll see you soon, Sasuke-sempai..." I say drowsily, sleep readily taking me in.

I lay in that field, eyes peacefully closed to the pinpricked sky overhead. That same cool breeze fluttering over my warm skin. From behind me a wonderfully recognizable voice says my name. "Sayuri-chan." I open my eyes to a night sky, the crescent moon beautifully shining directly overhead. I roll onto my side and smile up at Sasuke.
"Sasuke-kun!" I shout in excitement. I try to stand, but my legs feel weighted where they are. He approaches me from the distance, his usual smirk in place. "I waited for you, just like I said. Did you just get back?" I ask as he sits right beside me.
I smile when he nods. "I came to find you right when we got back. I'm surprised to find you here... I thought you'd be at your house... Did you recover so soon?" he asks, the words bringing the feeling of the sickness. I start coughing again, eyes clamping shut.
When I reopen my eyes, dark liquid is spattered over my hand, a red tint even in the pale lighting. I'd coughed up blood. My heart races, an image of my brother passing through my thoughts. Tears stream down my cheeks, the force of the cough crushing my ribs.
I cry out as Sasuke walks in front of me. I look up to him, seeing a face I don't recognize. He transforms to a man dressed in all black, a mask over his mouth and nose, a patch over his left eye. He leans down, covering my nose and mouth. I struggle, kicking and screaming uselessly behind a damp cloth.
I wake from my nightmare, the same thing before me. The man sits, straddling my waist. My eyes widen in horror. I gasp to scream for help, a strange taste to whatever liquid soaks the cloth over my mouth. I suddenly freeze up, blacking out.

When I regain consciousness, I find myself in a room, curtains drawn over the window, a trickle of sunlight reaching me. I try to open my mouth, though something blocks my progress. Tape. I test out my arms, finding them bound behind my back. My feet as well. A tickle in my throat worries me. I fight the urge to cough, terrified of what would happen with my mouth forced shut.
The man I'd seen in my dream enters from a door in the distance. I worm my way back from him as he approaches. He strides over to me, grabbing me under one arm to lift me to my feet. "Useless girl..." he growls, tearing the tape off of my mouth. He produces a cup from out of thin air, pouring the contents down my throat. I cough and sputter, tears falling fown my cheeks.
He throws me down on the cold floor again, reaching into a pouch on his leg. My breath catches in my throat. He crouches next to me, holding a kunai knife in his hand. I stare at it, entranced with a mixture of fear and worry. "I'm starting to think it was pointless to abduct you... I left a note on your bed, letting them know my demands. I haven't seen a hint that they've even seen it yet..." He leans over me, grabbing a fistfull of my hair. I wince, keeping silent for fear of unspoken consequences.
"I bet your parents couldn't care less that you've been taken... Or maybe they just don't care enough to check up on you..." he says, dragging me back up to my feet by the hair so that he stares straight down into my eyes. "Maybe I should make it worth all the trouble..." he says, eyes roaming. My heart speeds up, fear reinspired. He leans his head down to my neck, breathing over it. I shudder and react on instinct, bringing my shoulder up hard to his cheek. He jerks his head back, glaring at me as he throws me down again. My headache spawns once more, bringing a fresh coat of tears to my cheeks.
The kunai flies at me, connecting with my arm and driving through, pinning me to what turns out to be a tatami mat. I cry out, not moving in case it would worsen the damage. A dull chuckle reaches me as he advances a step. The door creaks open and all I hear in time is the clash of two weapons several times in quick succession.
I look blindly around, trying to see something of the new figure. With a final chink of metal on metal, one falls. The other darts at me, a kunai dropping from his hand. I groan as the kunai holding me in place is slowly extracted. I hear fabric tear, still unable to see my rescuer's face, since this obviously wasn't that first man.
Whoever it is helps me sit up, quickly wrapping up the bleeding wound in my forearm. The rope that bound my hands and ankles are sliced and he helps me to my feet. I am led to the light at the door and he finally catches the light just right. "Sasuke?" I ask dumbly, feeling my stomach flutter.
He glances at me from the corner of his eyes, nodding. "Are you alright?" he says, not slowing in his pace. I nod in response, quickly finding the both of us outside of whatever building I'd just been captive in.

I sit in the field, my loose hair blown by the wind around my shoulders. I take a deep breath, glad to find the absence of the tickle that preceeds a cough. I let it out slowly, smiling into the brightly lit sky, the sun overhead. I run my fingers through the grass, leaning over to smell a flower. I'd nearly forgotten how wonderful it really could be outside...
Something plots down beside me, drawing my dumbfounded attention to the figure of Sasuke, staring up at the sky. "You're back!" I say, happily pulling him into a hug like I'd wanted to for a long time, though I'd never wanted to get him sick.
When I pull back he smiles down, a faint tint to his cheeks. "Yeah, I am. I went to your house first. Imagine my surprise when your mother tells me that you're back in the field." he says, shaking his head. "Fully recovered..." he finishes.
I nod excitedly, pumping a fist into the air. "Yep! Healthy as I used to be. This time I do not plan on getting sick again..." I reply with a small laugh.
"Good. I don't think I'd be able to handle you stuck in your bed again... I remember back before you got sick you were always out here..." he states, laying flat on the ground again.
I support myself with an extended arm, turning to look at him. "What do you mean 'I?' Are you telling me that the ladies' man actually remotely cares for one girl's health?" I ask, feigning shock. He stares determinedly up at the sky.
"Of course. You don't stalk me... It took me a while to lose them today just to come down here alone..." he says simply, rolling his eyes.
I cock an eyebrow at this, smirking confidently as he usually does. "Oh, so you just wanted to be alone with me today?" I ask with a giggle, blushing lightly.
He sits up quickly, looking at me from the corner of his eyes, the tint darkening in his cheeks. "Well, I wanted to see if you really felt better or not..." he says, gaining control over the blush.
"Why?" I ask suspiciously, narrowing my gaze toward him, losing the smirk as he takes it back.
"...You wanna get some ramen?" he asks casually. My jaw drops open.
"Did you just... But I didn't think that you--... Wow, okay. Did you just ask me out?" I fumble with the phrasing, the blush raging now.
He shakes his head and the butterflies that had nearly consumed my stomach die altogether. "Oh..."
He turns toward me, looking fully in my direction. "Do you want to go out with me?" he asks.
My eyes widen substantially. "Sure...?" I say, almost too stunned to get that out.
"Oh, that's promising." he says sarcastically. I laugh nervously, holding up my hands in defense.
"No! I didn't mean it like that. I meant 'yes!' I just... I thought you wanted strength?" I clarify, feeling a little awkward.
"And? You are strength..." he says, averting his gaze again.
I sit for a moment, just a little confused at the sudden and, at least to me, random asking. After a few moments I decide on my initial idea. I tackle him in a hug, laughing happily. He twists under the attack, making it so that I magically land on my back. I feel only a little nervous as I push myself up on my elbows and peck him on the lips.
He makes a strange face, holding a finger up and turning his head to the side. Suddenly he sneezes, alerting me. "Sasuke?" I ask, a little worried.
"It's just a cold..." he says, a sweat drop appearing on my head.
"You shouldn't be outside! You should lay down!" I say, pushing up on his chest. And with that he collapses on me. "...I didn't mean here..." I mumble.
[xX]That's all miladies! I hope you at least enjoyed >some< of it <3~![Xx]