Naruto slept again later, heavily medicated.
Sakura stayed.
The rain outside softened into a steady rhythm, like the village itself was holding vigil.
She held his hand and finally said the words she never let herself think.
"I'm terrified," she whispered into the quiet room.
"Not of losing you in battle… but of surviving you."
Her grip tightened.
"I don't know who I am without you anymore. And that scares me because I worked so hard to be strong on my own."
Naruto stirred, half-conscious.
"You're strong with me," he murmured. "That doesn't erase who you are."
She laughed softly through tears. "You always know what to say."
"Only with you."