Requested by @Fatal_Hit06

Meeeeeh I tried to make this all sad and sentimental but it all came out really weird. But yeah. Please try to enjoy!

"Must... keep going. Hospital... Konoha..." you gasped, pushing yourself onwards through the dense forests that surrounded your village. The large wound in your abdomen wasn't exactly speeding up your progress, though, and you had to keep reminding yourself to apply pressure on it. In spite of the hasty dressing covering it, your hands were stained red, and your nostrils filled with the coppery scent of blood.

A tree's root caught your foot, sending you sprawling onto the ground, at the edge of a clearing. Lacking both the willpower and strength to get up, you lay there, completely winded.

This is it, the pessimistic part of you thought to yourself. I'm going to die here.

No, I'm not! Argued your inner optimist. I'm close enough to the village for them to sense me! And any ninken they have will definitely smell all the blood!

What makes you think the border patrol will have ninken? Pessimist countered.

I don't. I can only hope, Optimist admitted.

Pessimist scoffed. Not much of a chance, then.

Oh, shut up.

Squeezing your eyes shut, you silenced both the annoying voices in your head, and tried your best to stay conscious. Deep breaths, you had been told, helped the best.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Don't freak out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Stay calm.

Surprisingly, unlike all the other advice medics had ever given you, this helped. It gave you a clear head, and you began assessing your chances, eventually settling on two options. You could try to keep moving, or try to make as much noise as possible, and attract attention from the border patrol.

You had just decided to make a ruckus, when a crashing sound caught your attention. It came from not far away.

"Are you sure you smelt something, Akamaru?"

A bark in reply.

Kiba. Your heart skipped a beat at the thought of your boyfriend.

"Okay, if you're right, then we'll need to hurry!" The crashing noises got closer and closer, until a certain Inuzuka boy burst into the clearing, a large white ninken at his heels. He gasped at the sight of you lying in a small pool of your own blood, the makeshift bandaging having slipped a while ago.

"[Y/n]!" He sprinted across the clearing. "Oh, no. Akamaru, I'm gonna support her, and sit on your back. You'll have to do the running and take us to the hospital." Kiba flicked a soldier pill at the hound, who crunched it up immediately.

"[Y/n]? Please tell me you can hear me." He placed two fingers over your neck, checking for a pulse.

You pushed your eyelids open, with great effort. "Ki...ba?" Your tongue struggled to form the words, seeing that you'd nearly passed out from blood loss. He sighed with relief, but worry was still etched on his face.

"Hang on, sweetheart, we'll get you to the hospital in no time." Gently, he lifted you up bridal-style and sat on Akamaru's back. "Okay, buddy, let's go!"

The last thing you saw before falling unconscious was Kiba's worried face.

"Shizune, Sakura, are you both ready for the operation?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," two voices chimed.

"Okay. Begin."

"Tsunade-sama, she isn't responding to the stimuli."

"Try it again."

Pause.

"Still no response."

"Damn it! She's been unconscious for far too long! If this goes on, the probability of her waking up will vanish entirely!"

"Tsunade-sama... please help her."

"We're trying, Kiba. We're trying."

"I... know. It's just scary."

"I understand completely, believe me. And the only thing you can do now is stay strong for her."

"Why do people always say that?! It doesn't even make any sense!"

"Shh, Kiba. There are other patients in the ward and they need their rest."

"I don't give a flying fuck! I just want my [Y/n] back, Sakura!"

A choked sob. "You're not the only one. I miss my friend, too."

"[Y/n], love, its Kiba. Please wake up. I miss you. Akamaru misses you. Heck, we all miss you. Just-just get better soon, 'kay? Because I don't think I could go on if you didn't."

Pause.

"They say you shouldn't be able to hear me, but I don't care. I want to say this. I need to say this, or else I feel like I'm gonna burst. I love you. I love you so, so much. You're my whole world, and I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

"Hey, [Y/n]. It's Sakura here. I'm honestly not sure if you can hear me or not, because I don't really have much experience with comatose patients." A soft laugh. "Y'know, if you were awake, you'd tease me about that. 'The great Haruno Sakura not knowing how to deal with a coma patient? How is that possible?' you'd ask me. And I'd elbow you and tell you to shut up." Pause. "We miss you, ya know? Kiba most of all. He barely leaves the hospital these days. Tsume-san and Hana have needed to drag him home for stuff as simple as showering. And he just comes immediately back here. It's breaking him, slowly, the state you're in right now. He just sits at your bedside all day long, holding your hand. He only leaves the room when Tsunade-sama forcibly throws him out." Another pause, and a sniffle. "It's been almost a month. Just get better, yeah?"

"Hello, [Y/n]. This is Tsunade. I really feel like an idiot, sitting here and talking to you like this, but Sakura wanted me to try it. Damn brat. All I can say is, you're worrying all of us, being like this. I've never had a patient like you before, and it's lowkey driving me out of my mind. So... just get better. Or I'll- no, I can't even threaten you now. Bye."

"Hey, this is Kiba again. I still can't bring myself to leave you alone, unless Ma knocks me out and carries me home with Hana's help." A dry chuckle. "Yeah, she actually did that yesterday. And gave me a huge-ass lecture about how this isn't healthy. But I can't stop. Can't leave you. You get it, don't you?"

"Hello, [Y/n]-chan. This is Hinata here. We all really miss you, especially Kiba-kun. He's refusing to leave the hospital, you see. He thinks it's his fault you're like this, because if he'd found you and brought you here sooner, it wouldn't have happened. Sakura-chan and I tell him he's wrong, but he's not really listening. He's like a brother to me. So... just get well soon. Please?"

Gah. It hurt so bad.

Agony flitted through your body, in a white-hot streak. For the first time in two months, your eyelids shifted slightly.

"Tsunade-sama! She moved her eyelids! I swear I'm not imagining it this time!"

"I know, Sakura. I saw it myself. Ready?"

"Ready."

A gentle warmth spread through your body, slowly chasing away the pain. It filled you up with a tingling feeling, that started deep in your core and spread outward.

Bit by bit, the warmth lifted you up higher and higher, out of your daze, and your eyes fluttered open fully, meeting a pair of emerald-green orbs, currently brimming with tears.

"[Y/n]... thank kami..."

Your mouth cracked into a smile. "Hey, chill. I'm fine now." And broke off into a coughing fit.

Sakura gave you some water, and performed a couple of check-ups on you, wiping her eyes. "We really got scared, ya know."

You blinked. "Wow. You're crying."

"Am not. My eyes are just watering," she protested.

"Suuure they are. I could hear you, you know. Every single thing you guys said to me."

She stiffened. "So... you heard about Kiba?"

Your shoulders sagged. "Yeah. And now I feel really bad, for making him worry so much."

Sakura bit her lip. "D'you want to see him? He's outside right now."

"Yes please."

"Okay. One Inuzuka boy coming right up." She opened the door and beckoned to someone outside.

You held your breath, as he slowly entered the room. His dulled eyes lit up when he saw that you were awake, and he crossed the room in three giant steps to reach your bedside, wearing a smile bright enough to rival the stars.

"You're awake." He didn't seem to believe it.

"I am. And I want a hug."

Kiba laughed and wrapped his arms around you so tight that Sakura wondered out loud if he'd ever be able to let go. You gave a soft sigh and leant your head into his chest, not wanting the moment to end. Suddenly, you felt something wet on your hair. Looking up, you saw it was Kiba's tears.

"Hey." You reached up and wiped away the droplets. "I'm fine. Don't worry anymore."

"S' not that," he mumbled, dragging a hand across his eyes and sitting on your bed. "I missed you. So fucking much."

"Well, I'm here now." You pulled him into another hug, running a hand through his messy hair. "And I don't plan to leave any time soon."