Forgiveness
By kira
For Kaze-chan… Happy birthday and many more to come!!
Author's note: I don't know Naruto all that well and I'm indebted to Jen for helping me keep them in character, as well as taking the time to beta this for me. Thanks, my friend!!
Special thanks go to Lizzy for all her help in getting their characterizations right. She really knows her Naruto!! ;p However, if I've missed the fault is entirely mine.
888
Sakura sat on the grass in the meadow just outside the village, her eyes closed, face upturned towards the sun. Hugging her knees tightly, she let her mind go blank, or rather she tried to. With angry sigh, she frowned and rested her head on her knees. It was six years since he had left and she still could not get Sasuke out of her head. He haunted her like an old familiar ghost, and despite the reports that filtered in, she could not harden her heart against him. A small part of it still held on to her childish dreams and it steadfastly refused to believe the news about the rogue ninja.
Sighing again, she felt a shadow fall on her, blocking the sun's warmth. "Go away, Naruto," she said irritably, annoyed that her free time was being interrupted. "Tsunade-sensei said I was free to spend the afternoon however I wanted." When the shadow refused to move, she said in the same tones she would have used on a younger sibling, "Naruto! Move it!" Looking up as she opened her eyes, her jaw dropped when she saw who was standing before her. "Sa… suke…?"
The eighteen year old rogue ninja nodded briefly before his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed.
Sakura hesitated, he was an "S" class criminal and yet, he was also her friend. She was wondering what he was up to, and if he was laying some sort of trap for her, when her medical training suddenly kicked in. Before she was even aware that she was doing it, the pink haired medic-nin was busy, checking his vital signs and, looking for signs of injury. Finding nothing, she concluded he was simply exhausted from trying to elude capture for so long. After making him as comfortable as she could, Sakura sat down next to him so she could watch over him as he slept and sort out her feelings for him.
She let her mind drift back to when they were twelve and how they first met. All the girls used to drool over the moody genin, especially her old friend and rival, Ino. Sakura smiled and looked down at Sasuke as he shifted slightly in his sleep. Ino-chan was very angry I got to team up with you, Sasuke. The only spoiler in the whole thing was Naruto. If only he wasn't there, trying his best to win me over, I might have been able to make you mine and then you'd never have left… Face it, Sakura, only you could team up with the guy of your dreams who couldn't care less about you and the 'idiot' who adored the very ground you walked on. She sighed. We were so young and stupid back then, even you… she thought wryly. If only Ochimaru hadn't been at the chuunin exams, things might have been different. Then again, you did get your revenge on him I suppose… Damn it, Sasuke! Why did you have to go?! What were you doing all this time, besides running and hiding? I heard the reports but…
Memories of earlier times, both good and bad played over and over in her head. With a start she realized Naruto had been looking out for her all this time and probably because Sasuke had asked him to. Speaking of whom… Sakura thought wryly as Naruto called out to her.
"Hey, Sakura! Whatchya doin'?"
She waved and when he got close enough, she put a finger to her lips, indicating he should be quiet.
Her fellow jounin nodded. Naruto got the shock of his life when he sat down next to her. He whispered, "What's he doing here? Doesn't he know half the village and everyone else is out looking for him?" Do I hand him over to Tsunade or what? Damn it, Sasuke! Why'd you have to come back?! Naruto looked at his best friend and frowned.
"Of course he knows…" Sakura shrugged. "I don't know why he's here though… he just came out of nowhere. At first I thought it was you," she whispered back with a smile. Just like when we were younger…
Naruto looked over at his best friend. "Is he hurt?"
"No, he's just exhausted."
Naruto nodded. "Uh, Sakura, you want me to go?" Not that I'm going to go very far as there's no telling what he'll do.
She nodded. "Only if you want to. I know there are things you want to say to him too."
"If he had wanted to see me, he'd have found me." Naruto grinned at her. "I'll stay until he looks like he's waking up." That way I can be sure he won't hurt you. He's been away so long there's no telling how much he's changed…
"You sure?" Why do I have the feeling you're not going any farther than necessary?
"Yeah…"
"It still hurts after all this time, you know?" Sakura said softly.
"Tell me about it. He's lucky he came to you first, Sakura, as I still want to kick his ass for it. Damn it! All he had to do was ask and we would have helped!" I could kill you, Sasuke, for endangering her like that!
"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura hissed. "Or you'll wake him!"
"Sorry!" the blond jounin grumbled. "Maybe I'd better go, Sakura. If he wakes up, there's no telling what I'd say or do and then he'd probably run off again." Naruto stood up to leave.
"Okay… But don't go far." As much as I'd like you to, I can't help feeling a bit afraid…What if he's changed from all of this?
"Okay, but why?"
"In case I need you to back us up." There's that too, I mean if anyone saw us together, who knows what trouble I'd be in? And then there's no telling what Sasuke would do if they found him…
"We were all friends and a team, Sakura. Tsunade-sensei knows this and anything we say is going to be suspect."
"I had hoped with you here…" Sakura sighed.
Naruto shrugged. "Who knows, maybe he had a damned good reason for doing what he did." He grinned and Sakura felt a little better. And it had better be a good too, Sasuke…
"Yeah… maybe…"
Without another word, Naruto took off towards some nearby trees that surrounded their village.
Sakura sighed and watched him go. Looking down at Sasuke's sleeping form, she thought, You'd have better have a good reason or else…
The afternoon wore on and it was not long before Sasuke finally woke up. "Sakura?!" he said with a start as he sat up. It had been a long time since he was able to sleep so peacefully and soundly.
"Sasuke..." she replied coolly, refusing to look at him.
"I… uh…" Sasuke hesitated, taken aback by her manner.
"Why are you here?"
"I came to…" Sasuke trailed off softly and frowned, gathering his thoughts. This is turning out harder than I thought…
"You came to what? Destroy this village too?" Sakura said sarcastically. She was trying hard to treat him as she would any other enemy and she felt herself failing miserably. There was something about his gaunt, haggard look that made her want to let her guard down.
"No," he angrily replied.
"Then what?"
Her question was met with silence.
"Sasuke, say what you came to say and leave… Tsunade-sensei has people out looking for you. If they found you here…" Her expression briefly softened.
More stony silence filled the air between them.
"Damn it, Sasuke! Answer me!" She stood up to leave.
"I'm sorry…" he said softly as he also stood.
"For what?" Sakura said irritably as she folded her arms across her chest. For coming back? For having to kill me now? For going rogue? For what, Sasuke? What are you sorry for? she screamed at him in her head. Please, Sasuke, hurry up and tell me before someone sees you here…
From the shadows of the tree line, Naruto watched them. He was itching to go over there and knock some sense into Sasuke as he had the feeling Sakura was being too easy on him, when he saw her stand up to go. Sasuke soon followed suit. They stood there apparently glaring at each other, or from what he could tell, Sakura was glaring. Still, he wished Sasuke would hurry up and say something already. Growling softly in frustration, Naruto called on all of his jounin training to remain calm while he watched what was going on.
"Well?" Sakura demanded loudly, her worry over the situation getting the better of her. "If you're going to stand there and waste my time, Sasuke, you'd better go. There's no telling who saw you and like I said before, if Tsunade-sensei finds out you're here…"
Sasuke nodded. He briefly looked away and back. Grabbing Sakura by the upper arms, as if to steady himself as well as prevent her from leaving, he said, "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have left like I did, but I had to find him. I had to go, Sakura. It was eating me alive and far worse than that curse. I needed to avenge the others for what Itachi did to them!" he said. "And what he did to me…" he added softly.
"But that's no excuse!" she blurted out and instantly regretted it when she saw his expression.
"I know…" Sasuke said ruefully. "And I had to find a way of getting rid of that curse or becoming stronger than it if I could. That was something I couldn't do back then and you know it. I needed time alone to figure it out. Truthfully, it was hard as it was too much for me to bear at times and..." he sighed softly as he recalled all he had been through, "I was never one to burden anyone with my troubles."
"I know…" Sakura said softly, her expression softening a bit, because she could not believe he was finally opening up to her after all these years. Still, what he did bothered her and she felt she had to tell him that. She paused, trying to find the words so he would understand. "But we were a team, Sasuke. And team members look after each other and we help each to the best of our abilities." She looked him straight in the eye. "And we'd die for each other if that's the way it should be."
"And we also don't quit on each other…" he finished softly, voicing the words she left unsaid. "But this was something I had to do on my own." I couldn't take you because I couldn't bear it if you died…
Sakura frowned.
"Look, as the last of the Uchiha, I was honor bound to avenge them. That was something that overruled anything the Hokage would say."
"But that-"
"But nothing!" he interrupted. "I did what I had to and now I…" He paused as he hated the look on her face. "Now I have to live with the consequences," he continued. "If I could have done it any other way, I would have, Sakura."
Sakura sighed. "I know…" she said softly.
"Forgiven…?"
She closed her eyes and gave him a barely perceptible nod.
He flashed her one of his rare smiles and she answered back with one of her own. Pulling her close, Sasuke held her as if he never wanted to let go. Sakura snaked her arms around him, holding him just as tightly. Just as quickly as he had embraced her, Sasuke let go. He stepped back and reached out to take a bit of her hair in his hand. He let the pink silky strands run through his fingers, before gently cupping her cheek.
Sakura felt her eyes welling up with tears as she held his hand against her cheek with one of her own. She let out a soft half sigh, half sob.
"Don't cry for me, Sakura…" Sasuke whispered, and leaning towards her, he kissed her.
Throwing her arms around him, Sakura kissed him long and hard, but all too quickly the moment passed. Stepping away from each other, Sasuke turned as is to go.
"I guess this is good-bye." Take care of yourself, Sakura…
"Yeah…" I wish you didn't have to go…
Without another word, Sasuke took off in the same direction Naruto had gone in earlier. Sakura stood there, watching him go. When he began lost from sight, she sank to her knees and cried.
Naruto, who had been watching the whole thing, took a step towards her. Despite the fact that he knew her heart would always belong to their wayward friend and former teammate, Naruto still harbored feelings for Sakura. Before he could leave his hidden sanctuary, Sasuke stepped in front of him.
"Sasuke?!"
"Naruto," the rogue ninja said, looking over his shoulder at Sakura. "Look after her for me, okay?"
"Sure…" What ever argument Naruto had remained unsaid. He remained motionless for several heartbeats as if Sasuke had placed a powerful jitsu on him. He watched helplessly as his friend got away.
Naruto was sure Sakura had said it all and that Sasuke had said his peace. It was an unfortunate situation and they all knew if he could have gone back and done things differently, Sasuke would have done the same thing. Besides, once Sakura had cried herself out, Naruto knew she would tell him what Sasuke had said anyway.
"Thanks…" And with one word, Sasuke disappeared into the shadows of the forest.
Suddenly finding himself able to move again, Naruto briefly looked back to find nothing more than a few swaying branches as a sign his old friend had ever been there. Take care of yourself, Sasuke, cuz I'm gonna kick your ass one of these days for all the trouble you've caused. Grinning inwardly, the blond jounin hurried over to her.
"You okay, Sakura?"
"Yeah…" She hastily rubbed her face, wiping her tears away.
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"You forgave him, didn't you?"
Sakura nodded.
"You were always too soft on him."
"I know…"
"Well, uh… if it's any consolation, I guess I'll forgive him too if you have." Naruto laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head.
"Idiot." Sakura playfully hit him as she slipped back into her old way of dealing with him when they were younger.
Naruto smiled, pleased that her spirits seem to be lifting. "Anyway, we'd better get back to the village."
Sakura shook her head at him and sighed. "Okay, but you're paying for the ramen this time," she said as she started walking away. The pink haired medic-nin cast a quick sideways glance at him and giggled inwardly at his expression.
The blond jounin stood there with his mouth hanging open as she walked away. "But-but!!" he sputtered as he took off after her.
"But nothing. If there's one thing that never changes it's your appetite for noodles," she called out over her shoulder at him. Thanks for making me feel better…
"I don't eat that much ramen and you know it!"
"Yeah, then why are the owners of several ramen shops talking about how rich you've made them?" Sakura teased.
"They have not!"
"You're right; they haven't. But that doesn't mean it won't happen…"
Naruto laughed. "Well, that has about as much chance of happening as Sasuke does of clearing his name."
"Exactly!" she replied smugly.
Naruto smiled. "I guess I'd better start making those shop owners rich, hunh?"
"Yup…" she said as they entered the village.