Disclaimer: The characters and world featured in this story belong to Masashi Kishimoto. This is for entertainment purposes only.

"If you don't believe me, I can show you all the research I've been reading," Sakura huffed. She put her weight on one foot, then jutted a hip out to one side, providing just the right surface for an impatient fist to rest as she leaned over. Even after that, she still couldn't see her patient's face through his mess of dark hair. "Are you going to say anything?"

Sasuke sighed and continued to stare into his lap. A hospital blanket draped over his legs. Nurses replaced his linens frequently, but the same sterile white was driving him batty. If he dared look anywhere else, he would lift his gaze, and Sakura would see how uncomfortable her suggestion made him.

"Sasuke?" she persisted, an irritated edge to her voice. Honestly, there were academy brats more cooperative than her recently restored teammate.

He grumbled thoughtfully as a reply.

The humbled Uchiha's healing had progressed nicely under Sakura's tireless care. His injured arm transformed from a bloody mess to a relatively smooth stump. He didn't tell her, but Sasuke was amazed at Sakura's endurance. She somehow saw to her other patients while monitoring his wound for infection, cleaning it, changing his bandages, and checking on his overall comfort each day. And this was after everything she went through during the war. His other injuries were less severe and didn't require so much attention, nor the followup rehabilitation. She and her mentor both spoke to him about a replacement limb, but Sasuke wasn't sure he even wanted, let alone deserved, such a gift.

Currently, however, Sakura was not discussing the possibility of an arm transplant. She was suggesting a therapeutic healing technique, one that made his stomach coil uncertainly, one that sounded very annoying. He clenched the exhausting white blanket with his remaining hand.

"Do you want me to tell you about the research?" Sakura asked as she walked towards his bed. She crouched to look at his face, and frowned at the dark circles below his eyes.

It seemed the awkward silence would drag on for hours until he gave her a gravely reply. "Fine," he sighed. He was her captive here, after all. He was beholden to all of Konoha, and yet it irritated him still. Even after he worked with Naruto to undo the terrible dream prison of the Infinite Tsukuyomi… He returned to the village, his old team supporting each other through the gates. Even after all of that, he couldn't help but recall the pain and betrayal he felt there, and all the suffering he had caused his companions. Sasuke was adamant about supporting Naruto and making up for past mistakes, but he wasn't sure how to go about it. He'd started to contemplate a journey of redemption, but Sasuke didn't know if his former sensei, the current Hokage, could allow that. Even with the dobe's support… It seemed like a pipe dream. If Sasuke were to ever regain the freedom he needed, and craved, he first needed Sakura's approval.

His curt answer delighted the medical nin. Her eyes lit up, and she started to count on her fingers. Sakura was so distracted by the giddiness of sharing her knowhow and passion, she missed the small, amused quirk of Sasuke's normally thin-lipped expression.

"Well, for starters, it will help with the scarred tissue. I've worked really hard to help your arm heal with minimal scarring already, but this will further benefit you in the long run. I don't believe you're at risk of blood clots. My last scan showed your circulation has improved greatly, and the research says massage will be of greater assistance in that area. Massage will also help with the phantom limb pains you've been experiencing."

There it was. The m word. Sasuke winced. He never, in a thousand years, imagined getting a massage. That she would recommend giving him one made Sasuke question her growth. He would have expected this from her as a genin had she been studying medicine then. The only reason he was even entertaining this conversation was her professionalism. Twelve-year-old Sakura would have blushed from the tips of her toes all the way to her strangely alluring forehead.

He looked at her kneeling by him. She was earnestly studying his face. He turned toward the window. "It's becoming tolerable," he said with a shrug.

"Okay, but massage can help that process along. Your nerve endings require quite a bit more healing," Sakura continued, then lowered her voice to a gentler, vulnerable tone. "There are limits to my healing ninjutsu, you know. Sometimes… sometimes physical touch is needed. I'm not the best, but I did have some training while I studied anatomy."

It was true. He only seemed able to tolerate Sakura changing his bandages. The other doctors and nurses were rough, suggesting that they wanted to restore distance between themselves and the remaining Uchiha. He didn't begrudge them, however. He felt he deserved their contempt. Sakura was gentle, patient, and calming. She sometimes brushed her fingers over his skin when she asked him to move his arm in different positions. She assessed how his muscles moved, and how the skin was healing over the stump. Her touch was always brief and clinical, but it never failed to make Sasuke's heart beat faster. He suddenly thought of her skilled hands tracing down his spine. He shivered, and his jaw and fist clenched tighter. He was glad that their relationship was on the mend, but the fluttering sensations he felt upon her suggestion were something new.

"Also… there's evidence that massage can help people with sleep issues," she continued. Sasuke turned to glare at her. "It's no secret that you're not getting enough. You slept for hours after we first brought you here. You basically collapsed, but even then, you were fitful. You called out in your sleep." She had seen him scream, even cry, but she decided to keep that to herself for now. It had been deeply unsettling. Sakura felt that she had witnessed something forbidden. After those tenuous first few days in the hospital, his condition improved, but his sleep schedule deteriorated. She swallowed, girding herself to continue. "Sleep will improve your healing, and it will help you replenish your chakra."

He growled and once more looked toward the window.

Sakura bit her lip and stood up with a sigh. "Of course, I would never force it on you." She laughed nervously. Even in his condition, she doubted she could force him to do anything. "It was just a suggestion, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable. Just… think about it. If you do want to try it out, I can have a fully licensed massage therapist work with you instead. Normally I would never offer, but I know how you feel about… boundaries."

And I want to do everything in my power to help you… I wish I could have done more when we were younger...

Sasuke continued to stare away from her. After a moment, she quietly turned to leave. She whispered, "I'll see you later, Sasuke-kun."

"Sakura."

The command in his voice seemed to create a forcefield between the young woman and the hallway. She swallowed, both unnerved and tantalized by the power his voice held over her heart. When she finally turned, she saw him watching her with apologetic eyes. It was a new expression, one she'd only seen immediately after finding her boys nearly dead on the battlefield, and again after he woke up in the hospital. They were fleeting moments that filled her heart with delicate hope.

Sasuke's shoulders rose and dropped with his deep, relenting breath. "I'll try it."

Sakura smiled. "O-okay, Sasuke-kun! I can talk to the massage therapist on staff, and I'll make sure she understands that-"

"Sakura." The medic stared at him expectantly. "You."

Blushing, Sakura nodded and looked down at her feet. She once more missed his brief grin. "Okay, then. Tonight. After dinner."

Author's note:

I've had this story floating around my head for some time. I'm working on my own original story, but I needed to take a break from it. I'm glad I finally started this. It was fun, and I'm looking forward to the next chapter. I know I love a good massage. What will Sasuke think?