Naruto: Blind

"Sasuke?" she murmured quietly, laying a hand tentatively on his shoulder.

He rolled over, and curled up in a ball on the bed, his form trembling visibly—Sakura shook his shoulder slightly, trying to wake him from his slumber, but to no avail. Shaking his head side to side in his troubled dreams, he was uttering a long stream of words, too quietly for her to catch. His fingers clutched at the sheets, as he flinched visibly like he was in pain, and then continued to mutter.

Nightmares. She realized with sudden revelation that he was not hurt or suffering like she had originally thought, but something in the corner of his mind had been brought up for review in his sleep, and now he was quietly murmuring incoherent words into his mattress. She bit her lip as he gave another sudden flinch in his sleep; what should she do? Should she wake him? No, he would be angry with her, and embarrassed by the fact his nightmares woke her. Should she leave him and go back to sleep? That wasn't an option either; she couldn't just leave him like this…

He gave another shudder and this time grasped his shoulder in a wounded manner, another shout coming from his sleeping form.

'The curse mark…?' she wondered dimly. No—it was too low down for that, he had been clutching it earlier when they were in that one room. The room that had blood stained on the floor—where Sasuke's parents had taken their last breaths. Horror washed over her as she gained a small insight into what plagued his sleep.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she was overcome by a protective intuition, her heart throbbed painfully as she watched him suffer. She wrapped her arm around him, propping him up a little so that when she held his trembling form, his head resting on her shoulder, his forehead against her neck. Surprise took her as he suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist in an almost instinctive manner, like she was the only escape from the mental torture he was going through.

He quivered so violently in her arms, but was no longer muttering, but a frightened shake of the head told her that her embrace wasn't enough. He needed more reassurance, something that he knew well…something that could touch his subconscious and sooth him. Sakura wracked her mind for possibilities; she and Sasuke had never shared anything intimate, there was nothing that she could think of that would remind him of her, telling him that she was there for him. Perhaps there was something from his childhood…the lullaby she had come across in the closet—the one his mother had written for him.

After tracing the faded piece of sheet music in her head, she began to hum the first few bars, the notes becoming clearer as she continued the song. His grip on her tightened as she hummed, but she didn't mind, merely returning the strong embrace as well, hoping that her humming would reach him somehow.

In the dim light that was spilling in from outside, she could see his face, marred with the look of fright. Then after a moment, his obsidian irises appeared as he half-opened his eyes, the fearful and confused expression not changing. His gaze was vacant and delirious, staring blankly forward, not able to see anything—Sakura felt her heart go out to him as the trembling continued, but she did not break the song. What would it be like, she asked herself, to wake from a nightmare and still wonder with horror if you're still dreaming?

"K…Kaa-san?" she heard him whisper shakily, clinging to her slender frame.

Her heart broke. Tears welled up in her eyes and she pulled him closer still, if that was possible. She took a shallow breath and was barely able to choke back a despairing sob.

"Iie," she replied—distraught—yet managing to just keep the tremble out of her voice as she rested her cheek on the top his head. She refused to let the tears fall as she gently corrected him, "Sakura-chan."

"Sa-kura…?" he murmured softly and brokenly, his eyes slowly sliding shut again.

The grip he held on her did not slacken as he fell still again, his body's trembling abating and his breathing falling into a regular pattern. Laying a hand on his head, she cradled him gently, allowing the tears to finally break free from her eyelids and slide over her face. She had always taken her mother's tender embrace for granted, but as she sat now with Sasuke asleep in her arms, his head on her shoulder, and his arms wrapped securely around her like a frightened child, she wondered… She wondered what it must have been like for him.

Through the biggest nightmare of his life, the one person who he could seek comfort and shelter from he found dead at his brother's feet.

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