Author's Note : This is my first fanfiction story. I've been reading heaps of them for years but never actually had the guts to do it. With English not being my primary language, I was afraid of frightening the readers with my crappy writing and bad grammars. I can also honestly say that plot making and me did not get along well.
But guess what? Inspired by the bittersweet SasuSaku interaction in the latest chapters, I've finally decided I want to try creating one. Enjoy reading!
Spoiler Alert : This story contains spoilers from Naruto manga chapter 631-635.
Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto.
The first time Sasuke saw Sakura again, he was impressed.
She had changed.
She had clearly grown stronger, if the way she single-handedly defeated dozens of the Juubi's clones with merely a punch was of any indications. How she charged against her opponents and easily demolished the battlefield surrounding them without breaking a sweat was almost fascinating to watch.
Those were clearly not something the old Sakura could ever dream to achieve.
She had never been much of a fighter, Sasuke mused inwardly.
During his days at Konoha, her infatuation with him had hindered her potentials. She didn't even bother to train, too afraid to get dirty and sweaty. She probably thought it might affect her chance of asking him out.
He used to call her weak and annoying, but he was simply relaying the truth as she was never able to protect herself. Overshadowed by her much more skilled teammates and neglected by her own sensei, Sakura was never given a time to shine.
Now, she proved that she was worthy enough to stand alongside her teammates on battle.
Never been one to display much emotions, he simply smirked to show his approval as the pink-haired chuunin obliterated another clone out of existence with her monstrous strength. Seeing such display of power, Naruto was not faring as well as he was in hiding his astonishment. Eyes widening like a saucer and mouth gaping almost comically, the self-preclaimed future Hokage was clearly alarmed and appallingly frightened, muttering how he would never poke fun of the the kunoichi ever again.
Sasuka was rarely impressed. The onyx-eyed avenger was, however, pleasantly surprised that the infuriating girl who used to fawn over him had the capabilities to entice such reaction of him.
The first time Sakura saw Sasuke again, she was doubtful.
She's terrified of what he was capable of doing.
What if he suddenly turns his back on Konoha again?
What if he attacks Naruto?
What if he harms her friends?
There were too many possibilities clouding her mind that it was impossible for her not to distrust him. Not now, not when he had tried to kill her and Naruto.
Twice, without any hesitation.
After nearly being strangled to death, she realized that he had truly meant to sever his bonds against them, her and Naruto.
People who would've accepted him for who he was. Forgiven him for whatever crime it was he'd committed.
The thought of Sasuke as an enemy was so foreign and sickeningly painful that she was overwhelmed with the urge to cry every time it passed her mind. To her, Sasuke used to be such a hero, a knight in shining armor who would sweep her from harm's way. She depended on him and he always protected her. It was ironic that he was now the one she had to be kept safe from.
She knew what was expected of her if the missing-nin ever came back to Konoha. With her obvious past declaration of love to the avenger, people anticipated her to welcome him with open arms. Her friends assumed that she would forgive his past mistakes and immediately return to the lovesick girl she used to be.
Not a hint of suspicion.
Once in her past, she might have done exactly what they said.
Although she admitted that she still harbored some lingering feelings for the Uchiha, despite everything, she was no longer naïve.
She tried to maintain a nonchalant facade when he first arrived at the battlefield, face completely wiped clean of emotion. Her heart, however, decided to betray her when it began to beat frantically, galloping erratically with frenzy. Silently pondering over millions of reasons regarding his intentions, Sakura vowed to protect her friends if Sasuke ever showed any intent to hurt even a strand of their hairs.
Even when I still cannot bear to kill him, I will still fight do to defend my important people. Wake up, Sakura! He was not the man he used to be.
"Why are you here, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura questioned, casting a hesitant glance to her raven-haired former teammate.
Giving her a flat look, he responded in a surprisingly leveled tone, voice firm and resolute, "A lot of things have happened. I've decided to protect Konoha."
Emerald eyes widened fractionally at the newfound information.
"I'm also going to become Hokage," he confidently declared after a mere lapse of silence.
To say that she was dumbfounded would be an understatement of the century.
Not that she was the only one with such reaction. The rest of the Konoha 12 were thoroughly flabbergasted that it took them nearly a minute to finally comprehend his sudden, shockingly astounding, declaration.
Their reactions, needless to say, were not pretty. It was almost amusing to watch Kiba, infamously known for his competitive streak, being so blatantly infuriated and furious that he kept reminding everyone of his sudden ambition to also be inaugurated as the next Hokage.
It was only after the First Hokage interrupted their musings that their attentions were moved back to the battle at hand.
Even after the fight started, even while team 7 was fighting side by side, even when both he readily protected her against one of the Juubi's clones when she was caught off guard, the doubt never dissipated.
Sasuke-kun, what are you truly after?
The first time Sasuke fatally injured Sakura, he was overcome with shock.
The Fourth Shinobi War had nearly ended. Madara was already defeated, sealed with the combined effort of Naruto, Sasuke, and the Kages. With Sasuke's intention to put an end to the twisted shinobi system by obliterating all Bijuus, however, Naruto was forced to once again fight against his longtime rival, his former teammate, his almost-brother.
It was not looking good for Naruto at the moment, he was exhausted and his chakra was nearly depleted. The cerulean-eyed shinobi had been continuously distributing his chakra to the other shinobis throughout the entire war, significantly draining his energy.
It was when Naruto sagged to the ground and lost consciousness that Sasuke made his move. Easily concentrating a powerful lightning chakra into his left hand, Sasuke ran and prepared to finish Naruto off with his infamous move.
With this, the village will be renewed. All Bijuus posed a threat and must be obliterated.
"Please, don't!"
With speed he did not know she possessed, Sakura abruptly, precipitously, threw herself in front of Naruto, intending to protect him using her own body as a shield.
Sasuke truly wished he could've stopped his attack. He truly did. Briefly, he was overcome with a wave of nostalgia as the accident on top of the hospital building on his previous fight with Naruto flashed through his mind. How her unforeseen appearance to halt their fight had thrown him off-guard. How he and Naruto had tried in vain to dispel the chakra on the palms of their hands.
Fortunately, Kakashi appeared to save the day and she survived with barely any scratch on her body.
This time around, nobody could've stopped his attack.
Not Kakashi, not Naruto, not himself. Not any of her friends.
It was too late.
Nobody was in close vicinity, Naruto had pleaded the Kages to let him handle Sasuke alone when they learned of his intent. "Please, I promise I will definitely change his mind. I'll beat the crap out of him until he does!" he had begged. Knowing his past history with the Uchiha, and acknowledging him as having the best chance of actually winning against him, the Kages finally relented.
It was probably not the best choice, considering the current situation.
When the blue, crackling lighting collided with her body, she was thrown back a few meters back before promptly crashed into a boulder and falling to the ground. He never heard her name being screamed by her close acquaintances. Never saw them worriedly ran to her. Tsunade and Shizune were by her side immediately, trying desperately to close the gaping hole on her abdomen. It was almost a futile attempt, she had lost too much blood that her system was shutting down at an alarming rate.
Throughout the commotion, he was still stunned to the ground, never moving an inch.
"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura tried to call him, her voice almost sounded strangled.
Hearing his name being called, Sasuke finally casted a look at her. Finally really noticed her.
She was there, lying in the pool of her blood.
Blood was everywhere.
On her stomach, on her mouth, on her clothes.
Did I…
Did I do that to her?
"Come here, you Uchiha brat! She's calling for you!" Tsunade yelled frantically.
The sound of her voice did nothing to settle his churning stomach. She sounded so agitated, as if something terribly bad was happening.
As if she might not make it.
Realizing how dire her condition was, his heart pounded uncontrollably. Sudden tenseness began enveloping his body. Eyes widening with terror, he suddenly felt the urge to throw up.
"Damn it, come quick! She desperately needs a transfusion, but she insisted she wanted to talk to you first before we move her to the hospital!" The Godaime hissed, all the while pumping chakra to her disciple's abdomen.
Her wound was considerably smaller, but Sakura was rapidly losing her complexion due to a massive blood loss. Gone was the usual rosy flush occupying her cheeks, replaced by an unhealthy paleness. Gone was the redness usually inhabiting her lips, replaced by whiteness resembling that of a blank paper sheet.
Another yell of his name finally brought him back to reality. Urging the thought of her dying away from his mind, the onyx-eyed shinobi hastily marched to where his former teammate was lying before awkwardly kneeled beside her body. He stared at her, dreading the hate he felt would be directed to him.
His eyes abruptly widened when all he got was not any disdainful look.
Far from it.
She was smiling, gazing at him with so much love, so much adoration that he could not will any words to escape his mouth.
For me?
Even after I nearly killed you?
For the first time in his life, Sasuke felt utterly perplexed.
The first time Sakura was nearly killed by Sasuke, unexpectedly, she felt redeemed.
Finally, I can fulfill my vow.
I can protect my boys.
If the price for their safeties was her own life, so be it. Sakura had always thought with how heartbreaking their pasts were, of all people, Naruto and Sasuke deserved to be happy. This way, she was giving Naruto another opportunity to live.
And for Sasuke… A chance for redemption.
She understood that Sasuke would suffer a devastating loss if he ever truly killed Naruto. Even when he would never admit it, even when they were always bickering, the bond he shared with Naruto was strong enough that they could almost never be severed even with how often they nearly killed each other. Naruto was persistent enough in ensuring that would never happen. In a way, the two almost acted like siblings. Like family.
With their similar tragic pasts, Naruto had always been the one who understand Sasuke the most.
She was also confident that with time, he would be able to change Sasuke.
Though I guess after all this time I'm the one who can predict Sasuke-kun's thought best, Naruto...
She knew immediately that Sasuke had an ulterior motive the first time he arrived to help them. She suspected that Sasuke and Naruto would ultimately fight their final battle after defeating Madara, that Sasuke would never relent in having to obey the village's order.
She also knew that when Naruto fell unconscious, Sasuke would be truly intending to kill him.
Something that he would regret later.
So she settled for sacrificing her life to safe her teammates. Clenching her fists, face renewed with utter determination, she readied her muscles and proceeded to run with a speed which rivaled that of her teammates', neglecting several shouts of surprise from Ino, Kakashi, and Tsunade. She thus promptly positioned herself in front of Naruto and shielded him with her body.
She figured considering just how much they'd protected her in the past, how much she stayed behind and watch them do all the work, how much she depended on Naruto and Sasuke, this was something she had to do.
It was the least she could do to them.
When Tsunade and Shizune were hysterically trying to close her wound, she struggled to call him. She had refused to be taken to the hospital for a proper blood transfusion, not without talking to him.
She'd needed to see him one last time, if by any chance she would not survive.
"Sasuke-kun…"
The pink-haired kunoichi was almost unconscious by the time she felt him kneeling beside her. Mustering all her strength to look at him, she smiled and directed all her feelings for him into that one stare. He was clearly not expecting that, for he seemed to stiffen, stoned with shock, onyx eyes widening impeccably in astonishment.
"Sasuke-kun," Sakura struggled to talk, voice strained.
"Please be happy."
Sakura wondered how the words made it past her mouth, with how hazy everything was going. Her throat hurt, her breathing was ragged, and her vision was blurry. It was agonizing to even keep her eyes open.
"You and Naruto, you're the two most important people in my life. I cannot take losing either of you," Sakura continued, if only through sheer will alone.
"Thank you, Sasuke-kun."
Thank you for giving me a chance to love you.
Author's Note : Constructive criticism makes me happy. :)