Hello everyone! This is my first SasukeSakura fic! Hope you like it! Do review!
Sasuke
Sitting under the cloudless sky, I gazed at the shining stars; so small yet alluring. 'Beautiful', is all I could say when I saw a shooting star. I don't remember when was the last time I saw it - most probably when I was a kid. The shooting star seemed to illuminate the sky even more and as it disappeared returning the sky its usual darkness. I deeply inhaled and closed my eyes - it's been a while since I sat under the sky pondering over my thoughts like this.
After, a minute or so, I heard subtle noises from behind me. I ignored it completely. The cool breeze washed over my face and making my hair move a little bit. Again, I heard something behind me moving and yet again I ignored it; hoping that it would go away. But it seemed that the thing was persistent. There were sounds of shuffling and whispering. And I couldn't take it anymore. The serenity around me was very calming but the faint noise was destroying it.
I picked up the kunai that was next to me and without looking back, I flung it towards the noise. There was a sound of jumping and then I heard someone clapping behind me.
"Sharp as ever," A voice said and resumed clapping.
"You have a lot of guts to come here and disturb me." I said, disgruntled.
"Oh, well that couldn't be helped; something just had to be done." That voice said with amusement.
"State your purpose and leave." I commanded.
"Ah, straight to the point I see." The voice stated. "Sasuke-kun," And out of the shadows the person stepped out.
"It's been a long time." Said Kabuto as he removed the hood off his head.
I threw another kunai at him and he jumped away.
"Somebody is angry." Kabuto said slyly.
"Get lost." I said impassively, not in the mood to deal with him.
"I'm afraid that couldn't be done, after all we are here to kill you Sasuke-kun." He said tauntingly.
I smirked, kill me? After all this time, he is still after me? What a fool. He doesn't know that he's signing his death wish. When would he ever learn, that he can't remove my existence from this world? And whatever he does is futile?
"How many idiots did you bring here to kill me?" I asked standoffishly.
"Don't worry, they are just enough to tear you into pieces." He said smugly.
He snapped his fingers and immediately I was surrounded by many thugs. They were about forty or fifty, but that didn't intimidate me one bit, I knew for the fact that they were most probably some amateur street gangsters.
"Don't be scared. This would end up sooner then you could imagine." He said getting cocky.
I let out smirk. And then stood up, picked up my kusangi and removed it from its sheath. There was only one thought that came into my mind, as the gangsters approached me; this should be fun.
I leaned against the tree, watching a few kids playing and some nurses helping the elders to walk. Few doctors were talking to patients or their family; a number of patients were either sitting, walking or talking to each other. The cool breeze gusted all around bringing the familiar cheery blossom scent along with it. I closed my eyes breathing in the fragrance and waited.
"Wow! That's beautiful Mogei-chan!" A voice said.
I opened my eyes to see the said person whose voice it belong to was crouched next to a little girl admiring and complimenting the little girls' effort in making a small bracelet out of a few flowers.
"Here let me help you put it on." The person then stood up and petted the little girls head before coming towards me.
"Sasuke-kun, ohayo!" She said cheerfully.
"Hn," I replied.
"Tsk, still verbally handicapped?" She said jokingly.
I looked over at her; she was wearing her white doctor coat over her long sleeved red shirt and black skirt. She was also wearing a hair band from preventing her bangs coming to her forehead.
"I look beautiful, don't I?" She said playfully winking and twirling around.
I smirked at her, "Whatever you say."
"Hmph, you're just jealous." She crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her tongue out.
"Of you?" I asked scoffing.
"No, of Naurto," She said teasingly.
I snorted at her response. As if the dobe had anything to be jealoused of.
"Well don't worry, if it helps, you look good too." She said pointing at my black blazer over my navy blue button down shirt and black pants which were tucked inside my boots.
"Obviously," I said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Aren't you so full of yourself?" She said playfully punching my arm lightly, "But in any case I love you." She said as she hugged me.
I hugged her back. It's been so long since I hugged her. Because of her doctor schedule and my ANBU duties, we've been so busy that we've haven't met for three days. I hugged her tightly and whiffed her hair which smelled like cheery blossom. God, I missed her.
"Looks like someone missed me." She said amusedly as if she read my thoughts and pulled back a little bit to see my face. I pulled her back in for another hug. She laughed at my response.
"Well, I missed you too." She whispered and hugged me tighter.
We stayed like that for a little while that's until she pulled back and chuckled as I glared at her for pulling out.
"So what brings you here?" She asked innocently and feigning not to know that I came to meet her.
"Sakura," I said warningly.
"Did you hurt yourself somewhere?" She said smiling while ignoring my warning tone.
"Sakura," I started again.
"Or are you sick?" She still pretended and checked my forehead for a fever.
"Sakura," I growled.
"Nah, maybe you need something?" She said and retracted her hand from my forehead. But I quickly grasped her hand and pulled her towards me and through another hand I tickled her sides. Soon enough the hospital garden was filled with her musical laughter.
"Okay! Okay! I get it Sasuke-kun! Stop! Stop!" She said laughing and panting. I let go of her and she wiped the tears that came off from all that laughing.
She took a deep breath and said panting slightly, "You didn't have to do that, you know? I was just joking around."
"I know." I said coolly.
"So what brings you here?" She started again.
I glared at her again. "Do you want me to tickle you again?"
"No! No!" She said backing away with her hands in front of her defensively. She then chuckled and I just stood there watching her amused.
After a moment of silence I said, "Get ready at 8. I'll pick you up."
"But I have work to do!" She said pretending to whine.
I threateningly glared at her and she immediately quit her whining.
"Sheesh, what kind of boyfriend forces his girlfriend on a date?" She said pouting.
"Hn,"
"Seriously that again? Why do you keep sayin-" I walked towards her and flicked her forehead.
"Ow! What was that for?" She said as she rubbed her hand against the forehead.
I just smirked at her, "Just be ready."
"Sure sur-" She got cut off as her pager went off. "Oh! Looks like I have to go! See you at 8 Sasuke-kun!" She gave me a hug and was about to pull back when I held her tightly.
"Mou, Sasuke-kun I have to go!" She said complaining.
"Just in a while," I said. She giggled and ruffled my hair. After a moment or two I reluctantly let her pull back. She smiled and kissed me on the cheek before running off towards the hospital. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.
'Stupid duties!' I cursed mentally. I then turned around and walked out of the hospital garden, well aware of a presence that was supposedly 'stealthily' following me.
X-X ... X-X
It was not until I reached a dark alley, when I decided to confront the person with my one hand holding his neck against the wall and another having a kunai threateningly near his face.
"Give me a name." I said ominously.
He started to struggle by desperately trying to push me away. I reacted by pushing his neck harder against the wall. He started to choke.
"Give me a name." I growled and this time I flashed him my sharingan.
He stopped struggling. "Ka-bu-to-sa-ma," He choked out.
I was about to let him go when my cell phone started buzzing. I kept my kunai back inside my blazer and reached for my cell phone, all the while holding his neck.
"Sasuke-teme! Konoha hospital is on fire! You better hurry up!" It was Naruto. His voice was that of urgency and over his voice I could hear sirens, people shouting and children crying. The call ended.
I immediately let go of the person I was holding, struck him at his neck so that he was unconscious and messaged the ANBU headquarters to take him there. I then hurried back to the hospital with only one thing on my mind.
"Sakura!"
It was a complete mess – half of the building was on fire, debris, rubble, glass was all over the place, police was trying to make everyone calm and at the same time asking questions, children were crying with their mothers holding on to them, fire stoppers were running all over the place; shouting each other commands, ambulances were standing with a few nurses and doctors tending to the injured ones whilst the others were themselves getting tended. Through the mass of the crowd I couldn't find a pink head.
I turned around and scanned the crowd. I then spotted Naruto. He was holding Hinata by the waist and comforting her as she was clearly shocked and sobbing silently. I went over to them.
"Where is Sakura?" I asked.
Naruto looked over at me and Hinata just pushed herself in his embrace.
"I don't know, I didn't see her," Naruto replied, consoling the girl in his arms.
"She is still inside." I turned around to face Ino. She was coughing severely; clearly she just came out of the building.
Shikamaru came behind her, draping a blanket over her shoulders and handing her a water bottle. She took a sip and started to cough again.
"Sh-she was…..st-ill in-inside," Ino started to cough, "I-I…..told her to-to come….. bu-but sh-she….." And then she started to cry. "I'm s-sorry….."
Shikamaru hugged her, "Shh….it's going to be okay. Calm down. Calm down." He kept petting her back in efforts of comforting her.
I turned to look at the building which was on the verge of collapsing. I had to go inside. I swiftly sprinted towards the building and I could hear Naruto and Shikamaru shouting for me to come back.
X-X ... X-X
There was just too much smoke! Everywhere I turned there was intensive fire through which I couldn't pass easily. For a moment I stood there contemplating on which route to take. It wasn't until the roof above me that collapsed that I heard a sound of a child crying. I rushed towards it, ignoring the smoke and heat – which was barely my concern at the moment.
I kicked the door open from where the wailing could be hard. Sitting in the middle of the room – or what was left of it – with rubble all round, was a boy. He was crying hard with his hands on his eyes. I went near him and saw him wrapped up in a familiar white doctors' coat.
He then looked up at me and pointed to the debris on his left. "Sak-ur-a-nee," He sobbed. It was then I saw a hand coming from beneath the debris and on the crying boy's leg. But that was not all, I could see a bit of pink hair and 'blood!'
Instantaneously, I pushed all the wreckage away. Buried beneath, face down and in a pool of blood was Sakura. I crouched, took off my blazer, wrapped it around her and quickly picked her up. Carefully I turned her around, mindful of her leg that was twisted in an odd angle. Blood was all over her clothes and she was not breathing. I hurriedly checked her pulse; barely feeling it. 'I have got to get her out of here!'
I twisted my head over my shoulder to look if the way I came through was blocked – which thankfully was not. This meant that I had to hurry up before it started to get blocked. I turned my head towards the boy who had stopped weeping loudly though he was still sobbing quietly.
"Hey kid," I started, he looked me with tears in his eyes, "I need you to stop crying and be strong." He looked at me and nodded slowly.
"Good, now get on my back and hold on tightly." I told him. He quickly got up and went to get on my back. "Don't let go, okay?" I turned to look him over my shoulder.
"Ye-yes," The boy stuttered.
Next I stood up carefully as Sakura was in my arms and the kid on my back. I held her close and tightly so that she was tucked safely in my embrace.
All that was left…was to get out.
I don't like hospitals. And it's official this time. They make you uncomfortable, uneasy, anxious, edgy, tense, apprehensive, perturbed, troubled – 'Oh God, I really am going crazy!'
It's been three hours, thirty minutes and twenty-six seconds since we got here and I'm probably sighing for the fortieth time, waiting for a report on Sakura's condition. My shirt is covered in her blood and my hands – which were cleaned from her blood from my quick forceful trip to the bathroom – are clutching my hair tightly. I don't care if I'm going to get bald. All that matters is her.
This whole fire was a set up. In fact the guy following me was a decoy. And the culprit behind it was none other than Kabuto. He must have told that guy to follow me, knowing that I'll be aware of it and have my attention adhered there. This therefore gave him the perfect opportunity to strike at the hospital and kill her. That bastard! When I lay my hands on him the next time, he's going to die a slow painful death.
Ever since I came back from Sound – after killing Orochimaru of course – Kabuto's been keeping tabs on me. He wants to get 'revenge' from me for killing his 'master'. But he should know that I never intended to stay in Sound. I went for power so that I could surpass my brother and prove my Father that I was better than him. But that doesn't matter to me now. Betraying my country, my family, my team and most importantly her, was the biggest and the stupidest mistake that I ever made. I've learned my lesson.
I could still remember the day I returned back to Konoha; everyone was casting me glances of betrayal, suspiciousness – even my own family. It took at least two days for Naruto, Mother and Itachi to look me in my eye and forgive me, one week for Father to let me off the hook, two weeks for rest of my acquaintances (now friends) to pardon me, months to gain back the trust of the people of Konoha and only a few seconds for her to forgive and forget.
I don't know what I did to deserve her. She could have ignored me or doubt me or left me…but she didn't. Instead she chose the most irrational path of all – devoted herself to me.
Up till now, she was the one who clung to me; cherished me, cared for me - even though I didn't deserve that - but now it's not the same. It's not her, it's me. It's me who needs her. It's me who is clutching her. It's me who wants to treasure her. It's me who doesn't want to leave her. I'm stupid not to realize this sooner. How did she even kept up with me?
My thoughts were halted as Tsunade and Shizune came out of the room. I immediately stood up and walked over to them. Naruto came running down the hallway.
Before I could open my mouth to ask about Sakura, Tsunade started talking, "She's stable." I let out a sigh that I didn't know I was holding. Naruto laughed and slapped my back. I glared at him and he just goofily smiled.
"But," Uh-oh, here comes the dreading part. "She is still unconscious. We don't know when she would wake up, though sooner the better. Otherwise, well….let's not go there."
"But she would be alright Baa-chan?" Naruto asked seriously, all his humorous mood disappeared.
"Yes, but she has a lot of injuries." Shizune answered this time. "Her left leg is broken, left arm fractured, multiple ribs damaged and also she inhaled a lot of smoke that is making her breathing a harder job and of course blood loss."
"Those injuries are not as threatening as they would heal over time. But…..her unconscious state is. However we are trying our best, so let's just sit, hope and pray." Tsunade said, clearly she was frustrated and worried just as all of us. "You may go see her."
"Don't worry Sasuke-teme, Sakura-chan is strong, she will be okay!" Naruto said cheerfully putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. I looked over at him and nodded. Sometimes I wish I was optimistic as well. In this case I have to be, for myself and most importantly for her. With that I went inside the room.
Sakura
'Wh-where am I?' I thought as I struggled to open my eyes. I could see a white ceiling and blinding white light. I blinked my eyes so that my vision was clearer. I tried to move but the pain was making it harder for me so I resorted to move my hands; one was hurting as if it was stomped on whilst the other was warm. Then I tried to move my head – which was the least hurting part of my body.
On my right side, I saw someone sitting on the chair. I blinked my eyes again, trying to gaze closely at the figure. 'Sasuke-kun!' He was holding my right hand with his both hands, elbows on the bed and hands altogether resting against his forehead.
'What happened?' I tried to recall the events that led me to this situation but my head had other thoughts as it started to throb. I let out a groan and shut my eyes tightly. He seemed to have heard it as I felt his head moved to look at me.
"Sakura?" He whispered, unsure of whether I was conscious or not.
At this I slowly opened my eyes. "Sa-su-ke-kun," I managed with a throaty murmur.
He responded by squeezing my hands before brushing my hair away from my face. "Are you okay?"
I slowly nodded and opened my mouth to say something only to cough at the last second. I then felt him helping me sit up and aiding me to drink a glass of water. After I was finished, he gently laid me down on the bed.
"What happened?" I asked as my voice was back to normal.
He looked over at me and sighed. "What do you remember?"
I tried to recall again, piecing together the bits of memories. It was all too hazy in my mind. Though soon after my eyes widened at realization; the screams, the smoke, the fire, the panicking, a kid crying, Ino, the running, the trying to get out, the collapsing of the roof, a scream again and the pain.
I gasped in shock and looked over at him. He stared solemnly at me. He knew I remembered everything and I could see he was worried and angry.
"Damn it Sakura! What were you thinking?" He shouted as he stood up angrily, fist clenched. I could feel his frustration.
"I-I did what I had-d to." I said nervously after a moment.
"Really now? You could have waited for someone else to save the kid!"
I opened my mouth to say something but he quickly spoke, "Don't! Just…..don't…."
He then sat on the chair, clutching his head firmly.
With great effort, I managed to sit up and extend my right hand towards him. "I'm sorry." I said softly, my hand resting on his cheek.
He looked up and stood up to sit next to me on the bed, all the while holding my right hand that was on his cheek. He then let go of it and hugged me, heedful of my injuries.
"What would I have done if something happened to you?" He murmured, burying his face into my neck. "What would I do if you…."
At that moment I realized his inner turmoil. I realized exactly how much all of this pained him more than it pained me. I was stupid. I shouldn't have done that. But on the other hand if I didn't then that kid could have died.
"It's all my fault….if only I was-"
I pulled back a little to look him at the face. "What 'was' Sasuke-kun? It was not your fault, don't blame yourself."
"Yes it was! If I wouldn't have left you, if I had reached there in time." He said ruefully.
"Please….don't blame yourself. How could you have possible known that this were to happen?"
He was about to say something when I pulled him in a hug. "Shh…."
I should've known that he would blame himself. Ever since he came back from Sound, he's changed. Even before we start dating he would repeatedly blame himself if something were to happen to me. He once told me and Naruto that when he was in Sound he made a lot of enemies. He said that each one of them wanted him dead, especially a guy named 'Kabuto'.
Kabuto and his minions have tired multiple times to attack him or me or his family. It's a good thing that his family owns the police department. At least that way his family is safe – his mother for that matter since he and his brother are ANBU members and his father is the head.
I once asked him to let me take exams for joining the police department; that way he wouldn't have to protect me all the time. But he straightforwardly rejected that idea as it was too 'dangerous' for me. I argued that there were other females who were also police officers. He replied that I was not like them and that they were very good at what they do and that I'm better off as being a doctor since I'm good at that.
As a result, I gave up on that idea and concentrated on being a doctor under the direct training of Tsunade-sama, our Hokage slash President. However at times like these I wished that I was a police officer or better yet an ANBU member.
I was pulled out of my thoughts as I felt him stroking my hair. He cared about me so much. He always kept my needs first and listened to what I had to say no matter how silly the matter was. He never complained and did everything to keep me happy. I have always realized this but today I understood it all completely; knowing the depth of his feelings. And now, looking him like this, made my heart pain. I bit my lip to stop the tears that were threatening to fall.
"I'm sorry." He whispered still holding me.
"No I'm sorry…..You were right, what I did was not only reckless but dangerous too. I-I promise I wouldn't do anything like this ever again, I promise I will be careful. I promise I will listen to you." I said no longer being able to hold my tears back.
He pulled away and gently wiped the tears with his thumbs. He then leaned his forehead against mine. "I love you."
More tears started to pour out of my eyes at this. Understanding his concern, his love, his pain for me was too much for me to handle. All this while, I've been stupid, never realizing the seriousness of his words, his actions.
He then kissed my forehead and proceeded to hug me.
"I love you too." I said crying, holding him tightly.
As the sunset beneath the sky, two people held on to each other, promising to protect and cherish one another until their very last breath.
'Never again.' Both of them thought.
"SASUKE-TEME!" Naruto yelled, banging the door open and barging in. Behind him stood Hinata, Ino and Shikamaru, who were wincing at his loud voice.
"QUIT HUGGING SAKURA-CHAN LIKE A PIECE OF MEAT! YOU ARE HARASSING HER!"
A vein throbbed at Sasuke's head. He took a hold of the nearest object – which happened to be a flower vase – and flung it towards Naruto. A few seconds later, Naruto was seen plummeted at the floor with ramen bowls all he could see circling around his head.
Hinata gasped and crouched, asking if he was alright; Ino laughed, Shikamaru shook his head and muttered a 'Troublesome', Sakura smiled and Sasuke smirked.
Because nobody gets away with interrupting the 'SasukeSakura' time.
X-X ... X-X
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