Okay so I recently became obsessed with Deidara. For some reason he's so hot now lol. So I decided to write a DeidaraxSakura fic.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this fic. All I own is this idea and I don't make money from it.
A/N: It will also have some AU things incorporated.
Sakura jumped back breathing heavily. Her assailant smiled wickedly at her and advanced, holding a long sword in each of his hands. His swords were made of something much harder than diamonds and when she finally got close enough to hit them, they only cracked a little. He laughed maniacally and sliced her arm. Pink hair filtered around the eighteen year old Jounin's face as she jumped backwards, managing to move enough to where he didn't cause a serious injury, but it still hurt all the same...that bastard.
The young kunoichi had no idea why this guy was after her in the first place. She had never seen him before in her life...but then he started ranting about her being a Konoha bitch. Ah, it was all completely clear now. Frowning as soft green leaves filtered around her body from when he had swiped at her, Sakura decided then and there that she wasn't going to be taken by the likes of this guy... or any guy for that matter. He was the twenty-third person to come at her spouting this nonsense and Sakura knew exactly why.
"So which nation are you from?" she panted as she dodged his sharp silver blades once more.
"I'm from the Village Hidden in the Clouds," her assailant said, a maniacal grin on plastered on his thin face. "Ever since I first saw you I decided that I wanted to stain that cotton candy hair of yours with your blood."
Sakura's brow knitted in confusion; had she met this nutcase before? Oh well, it didn't really matter though. Since she wore the Konohagakure Hitai-ate, she was a considered an enemy to all three of the other nations: Lightning, Earth, and Water.
The Fire Country was currently at war with the other three great nations except the Wind Country who was their solid alliance because of the strong bond that had been formed years before. The other nations had agreed that not only did the Fire Country have too much power and influence over everyone else, it had too many threats. They were paranoid that the Fire Country would grow too powerful and take over the other nations and decided that they were going to take over and distribute the power amongst themselves. Their greatest ninjas would be sent to protect other countries, mainly those containing the Jinchuriki. The cowards were going to attack Konoha first because that was where the Hokage and elders were, the main source of power in the Nation. If they took them out, it would be a lot easier to gain control of the rest of the country...or so they thought.
Sakura knew that there was no way that any one of the ninjas that lived there were going to let some outsiders get to the Hokage and even if they did, that woman was no push over. The fiery blonde could probably take out more men than they could with her massive strength. Of course, Tsunade was a smart woman and first tried to make peace with the other Nations. She insisted that they would never attack anyone without cause and that cause would only be if they were endangering her people. She told them that she had no interest in taking over anyone else's land and asked what the Fire Nation could to do prove their loyalty. Their response was they would rather be safe than sorry and completely ignored the question of proving loyalty...bunch of pansies.
It made Sakura proud that the other three nations had to combine their power to even have a chance of defeating them. She could feel that pride well up in her chest whenever she destroyed someone who attacked her. What was even better was that they had friends like Gaara of the Sand and his siblings along with their shinobi to help. Anytime the Leaf needed them, they would come no matter what.
She didn't think she had encountered someone like this guy before though. Sakura had next to no trouble with the others, but then again she was alone right now and already tired from a day of working at the hospital.
Sakura had been taking her usual path through the woods to get home after visiting the Hokage once her day was finished when this guy came after her. She had simply been enjoying a calm spring afternoon. The birds were chirping their relaxing lullaby as the forest was illuminated in warm colors like red, orange, and yellow due to the sun sinking lower every moment. A gentle breeze teased her cheeks, making the medical nin feel one with natural. Such a beautiful and peaceful sight was the forests of Konoha; she saw another man leaning against a tree and Sakura assumed that he was also enjoying the scenery, but then she saw he was wearing a Hitai-ate from the side view she got of him and she realized she couldn't place his features with anyone else.
Long brown hair stopped in the middle of his back although it was pulled up in a ponytail; grey eyes flashed at her with both anger and entertainment as he attacked her without saying anything. She must have been battling him for a while now. So far, it looked like she was losing which was making her more than angry.
"Just who the hell are you!" Sakura shouted at him from the branches of a large oak tree.
He chuckled and smiled up at her. "You won't be alive much longer so it doesn't really matter now does it?"
He did a few hand signs while still holding on to his swords and pointed them towards the sky "Lightning Style: Fangs of Lightning."
Large clouds began to gather over head, darkening as they conjugated together. Sakura looked up as she heard the thunder roll heavily overhead and a single rain drop fell from a blackened cloud and slid down her cheek. Strong gusts began to rip around her body and she shielded her eyes from flying debris; the man began to laugh maniacally, lightning striking his swords and illuminating the area around them. Suddenly a bolt of electricity landed no less than three feet away from her. Sakura jumped out of the way at the last second and threw kunai at her attacker. They had paper bombs attached to them and the Cloud nin tried to jump out of the way when they exploded. He stood in a tree opposite of her, his shirt gone and burn marks prevalent on his chest from the paper bombs.
"You're going to have to try harder than that if you think you can get rid of me," he said chuckling. He then poofed away.
"A shadow clone!" Sakura said incredulously.
She turned around and saw the man falling towards her with that same crazy smile on his face. "I've got you!"
"Move away!"
Sakura didn't know where the new voice came from, but she immediately jumped into the brushes. Loud explosions echoed next to her and debris flew everywhere. She covered her head with her arms and waited for it to die down. Once it did, she coughed at the large cloud of grey smoke billowing around her. She stood up and tried to open her eyes, but they were watering badly. The blinded girl jumped back a bit into fresh air, her eyes fixated on where the explosion had come from.
A male with long blonde hair stepped forward, bangs covering the left side of his sun kissed face; a tan kasa hat was atop of his head. There was something extremely familiar about him and he smirked at Sakura when she noticed his robes.
"You're from the Akatsuki," she accused. "What are you doing here?"
"That's not how you talk to someone who just saved you're ass, yeah?" he responded as he crossed his arms, his smirk staying on his lips. "I think a 'thank you' is in order."
"I didn't ask you to save me," Sakura countered as she moved closer to him. "I'll take you out myself!"
The Akatsuki was a gang of rogue-ninjas that were after the Tailed Beasts. They were thought to be the strongest of shinobi, containing members with unique and fearsome powers. From his appearance, she had no doubts about his identity. This was Deidara, Master of Explosions. There wasn't much on how he used his powers because most didn't live to see it. All that was known was that he had two mouths in his hands and he used some sort of clay that was explosive. That must have been what he used to take out that guy who was bothering her.
Sakura rushed him, her fist raised. He shook his head and smiled, single sky blue orb sparkling with amusement. "You're just as stupid as you look, un."
Deidara dodged every punch and kick she threw at him. She was already tired because her chakra had been depleted in the last battle plus her injuries didn't help much either, but the annoyed woman really wanted to wipe that smug look off his face.
The traitor Stone nin caught her hand, whirled her around, and locked an arm around her neck. She struggled, but she was too tired to put up much of a fight. She breathed heavily as he held her tightly.
"What do you want with me?" she hissed, still squirming against him.
"Nothing," Deidara responded. "You were the one attacking me, yeah?"
He was right but what did he expect? He was a wanted criminal and she served as justice; it was inevitable for her to try and take him out. It made her and the other ninjas' job much easier if he was gone. Maybe if she was at her full strength, she could have taken him on, but Sakura was fully aware that he wouldn't have been an easy opponent.
It was then that Sakura noticed that his firm chest was pressed firmly against her back. She felt a blush creeping across her face with how near he was. "You can let me go now."
"Are you getting nervous?" he asked, his breath fanning over the back of her neck, making goose bumps rise.
"No," she said harshly, viridian irises glowering at him.
He chuckled and bent down near her ear, his blonde hair gliding over her shoulder. "I think you are." Sakura could hear voices coming towards them. She smirked at the realization that he would have to let her go now and he did. As she turned to face him Deidara grinned at her. "I'll see you later Sakura."
With that he retreated, Sakura's gaze following after him. "How did he know my name?"
She tried to shake the feeling that he gave her off as Naruto, Sai, and Kakashi-sensei burst through the woods. They looked around at the disheveled landscape and Naruto moved up to her quickly, his face taut with anger.
"What happened!" the Kyuubi Jinchuriki demanded.
"Some guy tried to attack me. He was from the Village hidden in the Clouds," she answered as she winced at her injuries. Sakura didn't have enough chakra left to heal them so she would just have to wait until she got to the Konoha medical ward.
"Who was he?" Kakashi questioned.
"He didn't say," Sakura answered as she pointed to what was left of the guy. "He was about to finish me off and take me away when Deidara came in an-"
Naruto looked at her strangely. "Deidara from the Akatsuki saved you?"
"Yeah, I'm a bit surprised by it myself," she admitted.
Sakura could see him in her mind. His long hair caressing his shoulders as the wind blew. The way his bangs covered one eye only allowing her to see one sky blue orb. Those features were similar to Naruto's but different at the same time. He looked more...mature. Then again he probably was a few years older than the both of them.
"I guess the Akatsuki was serious then," Sai said seriously.
"What are you talking about Sai?" Sakura asked gazing over at him.
"The Hokage will tell you when you get back," Kakashi answered as he hooked her arm over his shoulder, supporting her weight as they began to move back towards their home.
Sakura wondered what was going on. Why in the world was an Akatsuki so close to their village? What was up with these annoying ass people coming to fight her? A full attack hadn't been issued so she guessed these people were acting on their own free will.
The group of four began to move back into the Village Hidden in the Leaves. As they dashed through the trees, her unnaturally pink hair whipped around her face. Jade colored eyes glanced at her teammates, wondering what it was they knew and she didn't.
The scenery blurred together as they sped through the bushes. The sun was sinking fast behind the horizon. The storm cloud from that weird ninja had dissipated right after Deidara blew him up, but she had been too occupied with him to notice until just now.
It was a beautiful autumn evening and as they entered the village, people were busting throughout the streets. The laughter of children could be heard as they hurried to the Hokage's office. Some of the villagers waved kindly to them. They returned the gestures quickly and soon were bounding up the steps of the tower.
Naruto pushed open the double doors and their sensei helped Sakura through it with Sai trailing behind. Team Kakashi climbed the stairs and once the four shinobi reached the fifth floor, they traveled through the long, winding hallways. Doors passed on either side of them, but they didn't stop until the reached the one that they knew belonged to the Fifth Hokage. They knocked and entered; Sakura's mouth immediately dropped open.
Every last one of the Akatsuki were in the office just standing there like everything was fine. Sakura's gaze traveled to the man with a ridiculous amount of piercings and burnt orange hair who was standing on the right hand side of the blonde Hokage. She was in her usual pose (when she wasn't splayed out from large amounts of sake), her elbows resting on the desk, fingers locked together, and a serious look on her face. Her rich light brown eyes traced over Sakura in concern.
"What happened?" she questioned.
"Is that all you have to say?" she asked incredulously. "Do you realize the entire Akatsuki is standing in your office?"
"Speak the obvious you dumb bitch," a male with silvery hair that looked like it was gelled back said smartly, his violent eyes flashing irritably as he crossed his arms over his visible chest. The man turned slightly away, grey, black, and red scythe on his back gleaming in the light.
"Be quiet Hidan," the male that was standing next to Tsunade said coolly.
The one called Hidan "hmphed" but didn't say anything more. Tsunade's expression didn't change. "Yes that is why I have called you. The Akatsuki will be staying here in Konoha."
"What!" Sakura bellowed. "Why would you allow the enemy to live with us! Did you forget that they are after the Jinchuriki and Naruto happens to be one?"
"I am aware of that, Sakura," Tsunade responded, her voice sounding almost annoyed. "The Akatsuki has agreed not to hunt Naruto and also the Kazekage if we assist them with their goal."
"I don't understand."
"Our main objective is peace," the man with the many piercings said. Sakura also noticed the strange ringlets in his eyes and it sent a chill up her spine. He obviously had some kind of eye technique that was probably an Ocular jutsu like the Sharingan or Byakugan. "We were going to gather the Jinchuriki in order to use them to create peace. Others have already tried to hire us in order to defeat you, but they have no real power on their own. We have agreed to remain loyal to Konoha in order to fight for this peace. "
"So are you still going to collect the tailed beasts?" Sakura questioned.
"Precisely," the man answered, "but we have agreed to not come after the Shukaku or the Kyuubi for now. By the time we gather the other tailed beasts, if peace has not been reached and the Fire Country is indeed in a full blown war, we will gather the last two and eliminate."
"Eliminate what?" she asked meekly.
"You know the answer to that," he answered smoothly.
So if there wasn't peace in a certain amount of time, they were going to strike fear by destroying the ones causing the war. That didn't seem worthy enough to keep them around. Sakura thought for a moment, if they had the Akatsuki on their side, maybe people would back off and stop trying to start a war. Of course it would make the Fire Country look even worse since they were working with a bunch of rogue ninja, but she preferred the lives of her fellow villagers over the respect of countries she didn't care about.
"They will be collecting a Jinchuriki once every two months," Tsunade continued. "That gives us a year and two months to try and stop this ridiculous war from starting...or end it before that time."
It was true that troops had not come to their doorstep yet. Only certain ninja would come and attack Konohagakure, but of course they were unsuccessful. That guy she fought had to be really strong in order to get past the gates.
"Pain will be seen with me every so often," the Hokage continued motioning to the man with the freaky eyes. "Since he is the leader, he has control over the others. Sakura, you will be working with Shizune to find a way to extract the Bijuu without killing the host. "
"What will the villagers say when they realize the Akatsuki is in our village! What if they turn against us!" Sakura exclaimed, completely ignoring what her mentor said.
"If they do, then we aren't as stable a village as we think we are," Tsunade answered as she stood. "We will gather to villagers together next Saturday and announce it. The Jounin will be spreading the word. Posters will be put up in every booth in the market place."
This was too much for Sakura to handle. They were teaming up with the Akatsuki although it made the most sense, they were still teaming up with criminals. These people killed anyone who got in their way. They were ruthless, feared by some of the strongest people, and they were going to be within her vicinity for over a year. They said they wouldn't take Naruto and Gaara, but what about the villagers?
"They won't harm anyone here right?" Sakura asked.
"Only intruders," Pain responded. "We will not harm any of the villagers as long as they don't defy us."
That wasn't exactly the answer she was looking for, but it was better than nothing. Sakura felt her last bit of strength being drained from her. Her head drooped and she was sucked into oblivion.
Kakashi caught her before she slumped to the floor. "I need to get her to the hospital wing. Her chakra level is nearly depleted."
"I see," Tsunade answered. "Take her. Naruto, Sai, stay here."
Kakashi nodded silently and exited. Naruto gazed at the Akatsuki warily but when his gaze dropped on Itachi, his face hardened. He still hated the Konoha traitor for what he did to Sasuke. If it wasn't for him, Naruto's best friend would have never left Konoha. The Kyuubi Jinchuriki glowered at the man before him. He made no effort in hiding that he was looking at him with all the malice he could muster.
Itachi's Sharingan eyes turned to meet Naruto's deep blue orbs. The tension between them could be easily picked up by the others in the room. Itachi didn't avert his gaze as Naruto continued to stare him down. His face was blank as usual, but his mouth was twisted down slightly in what looked like a hint of annoyance. His thin, dark eyebrows where furrowed a little, but not enough to make him look angry. He turned his body so he was facing Naruto head on. Tsunade decided to step in before things got ugly.
"Naruto, do you know what happened to Sakura?" she questioned as she moved around her desk to lean against it.
"No," Naruto said shortly, calm rage written on his face as he and Itachi continued to have their stare down match. It was obvious he didn't register the question because he did know what happened. Sakura had told him since that was the first question Naruto asked her when they found their teammate bruised and battered.
"The man who attacked her was from the Lightning country," Sai answered. "Cloud Village."
Tsunade face contorted with anger, but then it quickly passed as if it wasn't there. She couldn't lose her cool now. She knew that Sakura was a strong woman. She had trained her to be that way and she was damn proud of her progress. Her apprentice was very close to surpassing her strength. Sakura's chakra control was perfect and her medical ninjutsu was broadening everyday. That girl, well woman now, was her prodigy and the Hokage knew that she would do great things in the future. This whole generation of ninja would be making the world a better place.
"She said that she was almost defeated, but the Akatsuki saved her," Sai continued, ebony gaze looking over their guests.
Tsunade was glad to hear it. The Akatsuki seemed to be holding up their end on the agreement to help them in battle. "Who saved her?"
"I did," Deidara spoke, but didn't move from his spot. "You should tell her to be more thankful when someone saves her."
The Hokage snorted. "She's very headstrong. She'll come around though."
"I will not always be here, but the Akatsuki have telepathic abilities through our rings," Pain said changing the subject. He motioned to a woman with hair that was a navy blue and a beautiful origami flower in it. She was the only female standing before her and Tsunade could some what sense her authority over the other members besides Pain. "Konan will relay any messages I have for you."
"Very well," Tsunade responded. "Sai, show them to their quarters. Once I heal Sakura, she will follow. She will be staying next door so anything you need to know, she will answer. Sakura will also provide medical attention to anyone who needs it."
The artist nodded and exited, Akatsuki members following after him. Their quarters were on the second floor of the tower. The first floor was large and spacious, but it was where the requests for missions were read over and categorized. It was also where their fees were paid and the treasury safe was on the far left corner, containing their profits. It was guarded with a strong jutsu to only allow one of the secretaries to open it and it was only opened once the visitor had left while two guards stood by. The guards and secretary were retired Jounin whose loyalty to Konoha was undoubted so there was no fear of theft, but measures had been taken just in case.
The second floor where the Akatsuki would be staying had ten large rooms all together. Each had their own bathroom filled with toiletries that were necessary along with towels and hair products. The bedrooms each had a king sized bed and a long dresser with a nicely sized mirror on it. White walls were what surrounded them, but Tsunade was going to allow them to do whatever they liked to make their new homes more likable. The rooms were actually for the Hokage's family to live, but since Tsunade had no living family, this worked out perfectly.
The third floor was the cafeteria. There were only a few people working right now as only the Hokage, the Elders, and Shizune lived there, but she was going to have to hire a few more now that the Akatsuki would be living with them as well. The cafeteria took up most of the floor, but there were a few rooms for the chefs who lived on the premises.
The fourth floor was where the elders lived. Tsunade hated that they were in the same vicinity as her. Those wrinkly old prunes constantly hassled her about how she did things. She would strangle the old bats if she could. Well technically she could, but it wouldn't be a good idea.
Although they downgraded her constantly on her ways, she couldn't deny that they were wise and knew much about Konoha and other things that Tsunade herself was unaware of. She was truly surprised when they agreed to let the Akatsuki stay. Of course at first they declined harshly asking why they should allow those murderers to live among them. Since the Akatsuki was present at the time, Kisame, the man who resembled a shark with his blue skin and gills on his face, spoke and pointed out that all ninja killed, whether for justice or their own reasons.
The Elders then said that it would put a strain on the failing relationship that they already had with the other nations. Konan then reminded them that other countries had already tried to hire them in order to take out the Fire Nation. She also mentioned that people were subtly trying to attack their ninja.
It really was Danzo who persuaded them by pointing out it was better they had the Akatsuki, especially with their goals to capture the Bijuu. If other nations got a hold if them, then they would hesitate to use them against their people. The old man said that since the Akatsuki agreed not to hurt the villagers and live peacefully with them while still collecting the Tailed Beasts, they weren't doing any harm. The icing on the cake was that they would not harm the Kazekage or Naruto for now and assist in battle. Tsunade found Danzo to be very shady, but she silently thanked him for convincing the old birds to agree to it.
The Hokage's room was down the hall from her office, but she only used it to sleep and bathe.
The sixth and highest floor contained the library of top secret information along with research material and the basement was where Ibiki did his interrogations. She didn't bother contacting him for interrogation on the Akatsuki. They were much to powerful and on top of that, they wouldn't tell anything unless they felt like it. There really wasn't a need to interrogate them. Their goal was known so they didn't have anything to worry about...for now.
Tsunade rubbed her temples and looked at Naruto who was unusually quiet. "Go inform the Jounin to report to my office."
"I can't believe you're letting the Akatsuki stay here!" he exclaimed as he advanced closer. "They have hurt so many innocents to get to their goals! And Itachi, he annihilated his entire clan and he's being welcomed back with open arms!"
"There's so much you don't know!" Tsunade shouted angrily. "Just do what I said and let me worry about things! You aren't Hokage yet."
He stared at her a moment before turning his back. "Fine." With that he left.
Tsunade exhaled. This was going to be a hard thing to get used to, but she knew that it was for the best. The worn out woman left her office and headed to find Sakura in the hospital.
Kakashi laid the unconscious kunoichi on the clean white sheets of the hospital bed. He sat down in the chair next to the bed, crossed his legs, and pulled his book from his pocket. As much as he tried to indulge himself in the perverted deliciousness of the Icha Icha series, the situation they were in continued to seep into his mind.
He was wary of letting the Akatsuki stay, but he could understand where the Hokage came from when it came to the benefits of them being on their side. They would just have to keep their guard up, but he didn't find the Akatsuki to be a deceiving kind of group. They took what they wanted and didn't need to be conniving to do it. They were just that powerful.
The Copy Nin looked up when he heard he creak of the mahogany door to see the busty Hokage swaying through it. It wasn't that he was gazing at them, it's just it seemed like they looked at him with how large they were. He personally wasn't fond of extremely large breasts and the fact that she wasn't as young as she currently looked made his eyes constantly stay locked on her face. He secretly wondered what she really looked like underneath that transformation jutsu. He now understood why when his students were younger, they were so intrigued on seeing what was underneath his mask.
I've been around Naruto too long, Kakashi sighed in his mind.
Tsunade nodded at Kakashi and then moved to Sakura's bedside. It wrenched her heart a bit to see her apprentice in this condition, but it also made her realize that not all their enemies would be weak.
She placed her hands over Sakura's chest and they began to glow green as Tsunade channeled her chakra into her chest; it coursed throughout the intricate veins of the chakra network. Soon Sakura's eyes fluttered under her lids for a moment before she cracked them open slightly and looked around.
Tsunade removed her hands. "You heal your own injuries now."
Sakura nodded and sat up slowly. She placed her left hand over the gash on her right forearm and the other on the cut across her thigh. She looked up at Tsunade.
"You will be the one to bring them anything they need," Tsunade said. "You live next to the tower which is where they are staying and on top of that you will have to be there often to help research a way to keep the Jinchuriki from dying when the Bijuu are extracted. You have two months before they gather the Two-Tailed beast to come up with a way to keep the host alive."
Sakura blinked at Tsunade incredulously. "Are you telling me that I have to baby-sit the Akatsuki? Why can't someone else keep up with them while I look for a way to keep the host of the Tailed beast alive? That is more important than dealing with them!"
"You will do both," Tsunade said sternly. "You are also the best medical ninja that we have which means we will need you to do quick healing sessions if they become injured. They are stronger than some of the Jounin we have here so keeping them in top shape is also a main priority along with keeping our own alive."
Sakura sucked in her cheeks. She didn't want anything to do with the group of rogue-nin. They were the enemy. Well when she thought about it, only Itachi could be considered an enemy since he was the only one from Konoha out of the group. She exhaled. She knew that although she didn't want them there, they would be a great asset in this war that was starting to brew. It was obvious that they planned to keep their word on assisting Konoha. The fact that Deidara saved her was proof enough.
Deidara, she whispered in her mind, a frown crossing her face at his audacity.
She could still feel the heat of his body as he stood behind her. Deidara was a few inches taller than her so when he held her, the Konoha ninja's head could lean back comfortably on his shoulder. Long blonde hair had brushed silkily over her shoulder and tickled her cheek when he whispered to her. Sakura had noticed when she first saw him how light blue his eye was. She couldn't see the other because his long bangs covered the left half of his face completely, but she could see that they were pale like the afternoon sky and as clear as water.
Sakura shook her head. She shouldn't be thinking about an Akatsuki member of all people so hard. Sure it had been awhile since she had a guy (the fling with Kiba not lasting too long) but she still can't be looking at the ones who were supposed to be the bad guys.
She had given up on Sasuke at sixteen years old. Sakura knew that she couldn't change what he allowed to fester in his heart and made Naruto fall back on his promise, which was something hard to do because Naruto never went back on his word. A little while after, she started noticing the subtle glances she would get from the Inuzuka ninja. She saw that he blushed around her and any time she touched him, he would start to stutter like Hinata. It was actually the shy Hyuuga girl who told her of Kiba's affections. For some reason after finding out he liked her, Sakura noticed how cute he was. Naruto complained about it saying that he had been trying to date her since they were little. She kindly hit him across the back of the head, told him that Hinata liked him for a long time, and called him an idiot.
They dated for six months and he was her first experience for everything. They ended up splitting because she could not handle when the Inuzuka mating season came around once a month. He would want to hump like rabbits and she never could get anything done with him always trying to take off her pants. They were still good friends though and didn't regret anything that happened between them.
Sakura pouted slightly, but not enough for her Tsunade to notice. She would do as she was told, but she wouldn't act like she was happy about it around them.
"Once you finish healing your injuries, you may go home," Tsunade instructed as she turned to leave, blonde pigtails swinging softly. "Tomorrow, bright and early you will check on the members and see if there is anything that they need. After that, head to the sixth floor and Shizune along with the other researchers will assist you in your task. Consider it an A-rank mission."
"Yes ma'am," Sakura responded as she healed the little scratch on her face. She hopped off the bed. "I've healed all the major wounds. I really just need to take a shower, get something to eat, and rest a little bit."
"Good," Tsunade said curtly as she exited.
Sakura looked over at her former sensei and he just shrugged his shoulders as he did some hand signs and disappeared. He could be just as irritating as Naruto sometimes.
Sakura stretched, her sore muscles screaming at her. She left the hospital and traveled the short distance to her home. It was next door to the tower so it wouldn't be a hassle to get there. Well with her ability it wouldn't take long even if the journey was across town. She was proud of her power and loved any opportunity to exercise it.
Once Sakura was in front of her small home, she entered, took off her jacket, and removed her shoes, leaving them at the door. The soft white carpet felt good underneath the tired woman's feet as she trudged from the door and past her living room. Sakura looked inside briefly. Her home was set up pretty nicely in her opinion, not too flashy, but not to bare either. A long couch sat on the right hand side of the room and a smaller reclining chair on the opposite side. They were both royal blue because that was her favorite color despite everyone thinking that it was pink.
In the center of the room was a table covered in medical books and scrolls. Some had rolled onto the floor next to the glass table. In front of it was a large t.v. with a few of her favorite movies stacked neatly beneath the stand it was on. There was a play station sitting on the floor in front of the stand, its two controllers wrapped up neatly. Her games were sitting next to her movies. Sakura didn't have much time to play them, but she sure did like video games.
Moved past the living room, Sakura found herself going through her small kitchen. She went over to the refrigerator on the left that was sitting next to the dynasty purple marbled counter. It curved around to the corner of the right wall. The sink was closer to the left side of the counter than the right and a large window above it. She opened the refrigerator and studied the contents inside. It was pretty bare, only having a jug of water and some left over Ichiraku from the night before.
"I really need to do some grocery shopping," Sakura muttered as she pulled out the plastic container.
Sakura would have warmed it up, but she was too hungry to do so. The hungry female wolfed it down and decided that it would have definitely tasted better warmed up. Sakura went to the opposite side of the refrigerator and threw the container in the garbage. Sakura turned on her heels and proceeded down the hallway that continued from the living room and straight through the kitchen. She passed the bathroom door on her left and went to the room at the end of the hall.
The exhausted woman smiled gratefully at her queen sized bed, royal blue comforter, and soft, fluffy pillows. She couldn't wait to lay her head down on them and sleep like a log. Next to her bed was a smaller dresser that had an alarm clock on it. Inside it were the many poems she wrote as a girl. It was strange to think that Sakura would be the type to do something so sentimental. True, she had her weak moments where she cried, but that was anyone. She wasn't one to cry anymore; not over silly matters anyway.
Sakura went over to her bed and sat down. She set her alarm for 5:00 a.m. and opened the drawer. Inside were notebooks of her writing. She picked up the red one. It contained all the heartfelt poems she had written mainly when Sasuke left. It was slightly torn and the wiring was coming off from prolonged use. Sakura let out a soft noise similar to a scoff and opened it to a random page.
Emotions, something that is used to show feelings
Something that we can't touch
Something that comes forth from the depths of your soul
These can be grasped by the heart and do things that physical items can't
They can cut without the use of a knife
They can bring a smile to your face or tears to your eyes
They can mend a broken heart or shatter it into a million worthless pieces
Sakura smiled slightly. She had written this after Sasuke left. That was the most devastating moment of her life. She "loved" Sasuke with everything she had. Her infatuation was so serious that she really did feel broken hearted when he left. Sakura missed him terribly for months, years after; writing poems as she sat on the bench he abandoned her on.
It's the heart's fault that it is so easily destroyed
It's fragile and weak like the tender petals of a red rose
It has to be protected or it will easily fall to ruin
Make sure to keep it safe until it can be given to one who cares about its well being
Once the heart is exposed to love, there is no turning back
It is the strongest emotion of all and the heart holds on to it for strength
For hope
For the sense of being needed
Sakura could feel those emotions as if they were pouring off the paper. She really had been a sad depressed girl, but no more. She was now a strong woman who had her priorities in order and it did not include searching desperately for a rogue-nin who didn't give a damn if she lived or died. the medical nin did admit that love could change a person's outlook on things. It sometimes made people have this sort of tunnel vision so they could only see that one person they were infatuated with. It also, when taken away, left emotions that were opposite of it. Sakura's light green eyes continued to scan the paper.
When love grows stronger, so does the heart
When love is broken, the heart is shattered
No longer will it beat soundly with happiness
It will become a shell, completely hollow inside
The hollowness leaves room for other strong feelings
Jealously, resentment, hatred
Only time heals all wounds, but there will still be a scar
The one thing able to erase that scar is what placed it there
Sakura shut the notebook and placed it back in the dresser, closing it silently. She never did rhyme with her poems, she just spread all her emotions out onto the paper. Not only did it make her feel better, but by looking back at it now, she can see how far she has come from the situation that made her feel a certain way in the first place if it was negative.
She moved over to her tall drawer, pulled out undergarments, and something to sleep in. She could see the dark blue sky of night from the window that was next to the bed, giving the room a relaxing glow. Looking at the clock, it was 7: 21 p.m. The days were already starting to grow shorter from the change in season.
Sakura untied her Hitai-ate and placed it on top of the dresser as she headed for the shower. Tomorrow and the next year were going to be a drag. Sakura rolled her eyes at how much she sounded like the lazy Shadow Ninja Shikamaru.
A/N: The poem I found in my stash of poems from when I was little and you know what caused those feelings...the song at the beginning of the Kingdom Hearts 2 game (Dearly Beloved) O.o. I know it's weird right? I cried for hours and it was like after hearing it fifty thousand times. lol. I think it was the monthly hormones that caused it though.