Blood-Stained Cherry Blossoms
Summary: Sasuke doesn't like to see Sakura bleed. .
Because it's a sign of her weakness
Sasuke smirked as he shot past Yamato, leaving a nasty laceration in the Captain's ribcage as he tore by. Pivoting, he imparted a final blow across the operative's back. Letting his enemy fall forward unobstructed, he turned--Naruto had foolishly rushed him from the side and it took little effort to land a devastating kick to the Jinchuuriki's stomach.
As his former best friend flew back, Sakura lunged from behind, her fist glowing.
With a sigh of irritation, he unsheathed his blade while simultaneously side stepping her assault. She reeled in perfect time to meet its honed edge.
The katana sank deeply into her shoulder, blood running down its length and pooling on his hand.
She groaned in obvious pain as she collapsed to her knees at his feet, crimson staining her skirt.
"Sakura." He stated, ripping the blade from her bone with an audible tear. "I see you're still as annoying has ever."
He turned in time to meet Naruto's sun-tanned fist.
****
Because it's a sign of her incompetence.
Sasuke sighed, annoyed at Naruto's usual impulsively loud nature. Given that Kakashi's tardiness was a common occurence, he couldn't rationalize the blonde's angry reaction. Or that of the kunoichi for their squad.
"Will you be joining us today, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked.
"Hn." Sasuke growled as he turned his back and jumped, disappearing in a blur only to perch himself comfortably in a nearby tree. He had reacted the exact same way every day since his forced, but not unpleasant, return three months earlier.
"I'll take that as a 'No'." Kakashi replied good-naturedly with an eye-crease as he turned back to his other two students.
Ordering Naruto and Sakura to their positions as he settled himself on the opposite side of the field, he opened his down-turned palm to reveal two bells.
"I think you know the drill." He said as he pushed his headband up to reveal his Sharigan.
They both nodded confidently as they dropped into their respective stances.
"Alright then. Let's get started. Go!"
Instantly, Sakura slammed her fist into the ground--as predicted, the jonin leapt back to avoid the impending shockwave.
Naruto appeared behind him, his leg extended as he attempted to land a blow to the Copy-Nin's back. But Kakashi was faster: Spinning, he caught the blonde's foot and levered it down while simultaneously extending his own legs and using Naruto's chest as a platform to propel him into the dense thick of trees around them.
Sakura rushed in after him, stupidly engaging him in hand-to-hand combat. Throwing futile kick after vain punch, she was caught off guard by a well-placed kick to her stomach that sent her flying.
Curling in a practice motion, she landed in a crouch, sliding back several feet even as Kakashi snapped several shuriken towards her. Pushing back on her heels, she leapt up; spinning to the right, she dodged the first--ducking, she avoid the second and third but the fourth found its mark and ripped into her side, taking a tatter of crimson clothe with it as it buried itself in a tree.
With a smirk, she rose and revealed the bell in her gloved hand.
Oblivious to her victory, Naruto charged her, stopping just short of barreling into her.
"Sakura ! You're hurt!" He cried.
"Oh, this?" Sakura asked, eyeing the thin, bloody line appearing across her ribcage. "It's nothing."
Sasuke snorted to himself: If she couldn't dodge a shuriken thrown by a friendly party, she had no business as a kunoichi.
Because it's hypocritical.
"Sai!" Sakura cried as she knelt down beside the bleeding shinobi.
Expertly gripping the kunai still lodged in his chest, she brought her glowing hand to the wound. In a slow, cautious movement, she withdrew the weapon as she healed the laceration. Finally freed, she tossed the bloody dagger aside as she cradled him against her chest and began pouring water into his dry mouth drop by drop until he finally came to.
Supporting him while he hacked up the remaining blood in his throat, she gently thumped his chest to help clear his lungs. Assured he would be fine, she set about healing Sasuke's.
"This is completely unnecessary." He stated as she gripped his arm and gently lifted it to reached a laceration along his torso.
"That's for me to say." She smiled back as she brought her warm hand to the gash.
By the time she had moved onto Naruto, the Kyuubi had done her work for her. Smiling, she said, "Let's get out of here!"
Ordering her teammates to move ahead, only Sasuke saw her wince as she clamped her hand over a puncture in her leg. Turning away, he heard the audible tearing of fabric as she ripped the hem of her skirt for a make-shift bandage.
She was the medic--If she couldn't heal herself, she was of no use to them.
***
Because it's unnecessary.
Sasuke watched as the moon danced in the sky--marred by the passing of clouds. Propping himself against the tree trunk, he stretched his legs out on the branch before him. Resting his head on his folded hands, he enjoyed the breeze whipping lightly through the leaves.
"See you, Shizune!"
His head snapped instinctively towards the voice although it was almost too familiar.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, he saw Sakura step from the doorframe of the hospital as she waved one last time to her shishou's aid.
She walked several feet before stumbling. Gripping the very tree he was relaxing in, he heard a small cry of pain escape her lips as she turned and sank down against it. Even in the pale moonlight, he could see the blood against her hand as she withdrew it from her chest.
Forcing herself up on her shaky legs, she continued walking--her figure shuddering and shrinking every so often as another wave of pain struck her.
Snorting to himself, he wondered why she hadn't simply asked Tsunade for help if she didn't have the chakra to help herself.
***
Because it's unfair.
Sasuke sighed as he forced his way through the rambunctious crowd of Konoha denizens--of course, if Naruto hadn't literally dragged him out of his house, he wouldn't have been there at all.
It was the annual Cherry Blossom Viewing Party--the only official celebration of spring that Konoha held.
But it seemed an empty gesture given their cherry blossom wasn't present. She had been called to Suna several days earlier to aid after a raid by Lightning.
And then he heard a small gasp--audible even through the constant buzz of the crowds. Turning to the gate, his gaze fell on Sakura--stumbling as she clutched her bleeding and obviously broken arm to her side. Refusing the guard's aid with an outstretched hand, she began making her way towards her house.
He appeared beside her before she could take more than three steps.
"Sakura, what happened?" He demanded.
"If you think I look bad, you should see the other guy." She replied with a smirk that all too quickly turned to a wince.
The Uchiha growled in frustration as he attempted to help her--but she very gently pushed away from him.
"What?" He asked, annoyed.
Sakura took one look at the deep, navy blue robes he wore--the Uchiha symbol emblazoned across the back in thread so fine, the top half appeared to be made of rubies and the bottom of diamonds--and shook her head.
"I don't want to bleed on you."
With that, she began down a side street as to not interrupt the masses enjoying themselves. As a medic, she knew all too well the trauma the sight of an injured person could inflict on those unprepared for it. And she wasn't going to do that to anyone.
Sasuke, from his seemingly grounded position, couldn't help but think that it was unfair that Sakura would spend a night thrown in her namesake's honor at home attempting to clean her own blood from herself. She should have been among the throngs of young women dressed in beautiful kimonos having fun.
***
Because it's unnatural.
Sasuke's eyes widened imperceptibly as Sakura lunged past him, her fist drawn back and scream of rage tearing through her throat as she charged Kabuto.
But by then all that remained was a log--the product of a well-timed and advanced Substitution.
Sakura growled as she loosened her painfully coiled muscles--he had gotten away again!
Slamming her fist into an unfortunate tree, she released her pent-up hatred before turning back to her teammates.
Sasuke didn't like the spray of scarlet against her skin: Perhaps it because of her ivory tone. Her pale complexion made the blood look that much more vibrant and violent splayed out across her skin.
And paired with her forced smile as she turned to help them with their injuries it was eerie....unnatural.
***
Because it's a sign of her growth.
Sasuke suppressed the urge to jump between Sakura and the blade bearing down on her--but even if he hadn't he wouldn't have been able to because he was locked in a struggle against his own opponent.
Fending off the offender's kunai, his gaze veered back to Sakura as she met the Mist Nin's short blade with her own dagger.
Catching his enemy's blade with own again, he glanced at the pink-haired kunoichi as she leapt back, biting into her thumb even through her gloves. Her slender hands flew up; forming seals at a speed even he had trouble keeping track of. As she touched down, she slammed her palm against the ground, a cloud of smoke erupting from beneath it as the ground trembled and the air filled with vicious growls.
The Dogs of War tore through the haze, latching onto her enemy as she sprinted at him, leaping up and landing a kick to his chest so great the unfortunate nin literally dissolved into a spray of blood.
And even as Sasuke tore his katana from the body of a nearby shinobi, he couldn't help but eye the bruised and blood puncture in her thumb and realize she didn't need protecting anymore.
***
And conversely a sign of his incompetence.
Sasuke growled as he stumbled, falling back. His katana was mere inches from his fingertips but he just couldn't reach it.
"Now you die." Kabuto smirked as he raised his own blade.
Sasuke instinctively closed his eyes--but it was at the sudden rush of air as a pink blur clammered between him and certain death.
A warm spray hit his face and, realizing he felt no pain, he opened his eye.
Sakura was there, the blade embedded in the side of her ribcage. But far from trying to remove it, she was holding it there, her left elbow levering it down as her right held the razor's edge near the hilt.
Her legs trembled as she adjusted her grip on the katana, turning her head over her shoulder as she smiled.
"Sorry I'm late."
***
Because it's a sign of his weakness.
Sasuke sat, propped against a shattered tree trunk--Naruto beside him was already asleep, his injuries healing so rapidly it reminded Sasuke of the Nine-Tail's strength.
His weary eyes, sore from the constant flow of chakra into them, looked across the moonlit battlefield where hundreds lie dead. Both Leaf and Oto shinobi and kunoichi.
He could even see Kabuto's body from his vantage point--the gaping hole Sakura's fist had left in his chest visible.
And that was when he found her: She was crouching down to confirm the death of another one of her comrades even as she laid her free hand on a kunoichi to begin healing her.
She had fought longer than he had--she had led one of the initial charges while his wave had been delayed. And she had fought harder, too. And yet she was still standing, still pouring more of her dwindling chakra into the wounded.
He felt a strange pang in his chest as his eyes began to close against his will. And for a brief moment he considered calling for medical aid. But something told him not even the best medic could mend the ache in his chest.
***
Because it takes him back.
Sasuke always liked to think he had control of any situation he stepped into: Control had been his priority since the Uchiha massacre. For example, he had complete control when Orochimaru had attempted to take his body. If he could steer that successfully, he reasoned, no situation was too great for him.
And a broken glass would prove exactly how wrong he was.
He had been walking home late after a private training session with himself one night and and accidently--It was true, nearly nine months after his return he still didn't know where his teammates lived--stumbled across Sakura's apartment.
She had been struggling to balance some groceries as she tried to unlock her door; and, taking control of the situation, he had appeared in front of her, taken two of the larger bags, and motioned for her to open her door.
Visibly shocked, she had simply nodded and obeyed, holding the door open with her foot as he followed in after her.
"Thanks for the help!" She had said brightly as she set a pot of water on the stove to boil. "But what are you doing out so late?"
"Training." He replied as he turned to leave.
"Oh." Sakura said, her hand resting on her chin in thought. "Well, at least stay long enough to have some tea. It's getting to be chilly outside."
He didn't have much choice--he really couldn't refuse her. So he begrudgingly took a seat and stared off into the night until she laid a cup down in front of him. A moment later it was joined by a pale wedge of something.
"It's cheesecake." She stated, obviously amused by his hesitation.
"Hn." He replied as he cut a small section off with the blunt side of his fork and brought it to his mouth. Surprisingly, it wasn't too sweet even for his overly sensitive tongue.
"Glad you like it!" She smiled as she rose, her hand brushing her empty glass and sending it tumbling onto the tile of her kitchen floor.
"Oops...clumsy me!" She smiled as she gathered the shards into her cupped hand and threw them away, oblivious to the thin red line across her finger.
"Sakura." He stated, motioning vaguely to her hand.
"What?" She asked, inspecting the back of it.
Sasuke reached out, grabbed her hand, turned it, and lighly tapped the cut.
"Oh!" She replied as she squirmed out of his loose grip and dug through a nearby draw to find a bandage.
The rest of his short visit was spent in silence as he stared at the thin brown covering around her index finger.
***
Because it shows she still loves him.
Sasuke cried out in pain as the cursemark began to spread, its inky black, jagged marks spreading across his body.
It had granted him the strength he needed to kill Itachi--but now it would consume him.
"Sasuke!"
A negligible weight collided with his chest, her cry still ringing in his ears. His demonic eyes snapped open as a feral growl caught in the back of his throat. His claws lengthened against his will.
He was trapped in a nightmare--his consciousness sinking into the darkness as the demon within took control of him, letting him view the world from those yellow and black orbs. Letting him watch as those talons tore into Sakura's stomach sickeningly.
Watching as her body fell, still gripping him beseechingly, begging him to come back....
And then he opened his eyes and his body was his again. And Sakura was there...smiling even as a rivet of blood dripped from her mouth.
"Sa...sas...Sasuke." She sighed happily, taking his hand in her rapidly cooling palm.
It was wrong...wrong that someone so perfect could love someone so flawed--the beast standing as the beauty fell into a pool of her own blood.
***
Because it shows he loves her.
Sasuke watched as from a distance as Sakura seated herself on one of the benches the lined the cherry tree groves. Her namesake was in full bloom now.
It was her birthday...and her first day out of a hospital bed in nearly four weeks.
She wore a deep turquoise kimono that was slit to the knee, revealing her bare feet and slender legs. Around her delicate waist was wrapped an obi in a shade identical to that of her hair and stitched with flowers in such fine silver that they were invisible until the light struck them at the correct angle. Her hair was pulled back messily at the nape of her neck, her bangs dancing lightly around her face with the breeze.
And then he watched as she buried her head in her hands and sobbed.
He knew why: For weeks she had asked to see him. And he had refused her every time. But she would never know the nights he spent perched uneasily in the trees outside of her room as he eyed the monitors running to and from her wearily.
She had asked for him again that day: Shizune delivering the message, pleading with the Uchiha to come.
He had closed the door on her.
And yet he was there...he couldn't stay away. Even though he was the cause of her suffering, the reason for the wound that nearly killed her....
He walked forward; his practiced feet made no sound as he neared her from behind. Reaching out, he placed his hand on her shoulder, saying, "Don't cry."
She had stiffened at his voice, turning as if she expected an enemy rather than him. And when their eyes met, her face crumpled, tears flowing freely again as she leapt up and wrapped her arms around him.
"I was so worried!" She sobbed against his chest as he held one hand bay by the wrist, her other clutching the fabric of his shirt.
And then he laced his fingers around her's and pulled her close as he bent and pressed his lips against her's.
He smiled as he pulled away, wiping away her tears with his thumb.
And then they were in each other's arms.
And he finally realized why he didn't like to see her bleed. But he didn't have to like it--it was their ripening. Their aches--the growing pains they had endured.
It was theirs. An evolution revolving around the crimson their bodies wept--a drop for every tear shed.
An evolution of bloodshed but, more importantly, of love.
End.