Title: Rebuild
Full Summary: Somewhat AU. Following Pein's Invasion and Uchiha Sasuke's return, Haruno Sakura struggles to cope as Konoha struggles to rebuild itself. The terrifying, familiar poison of yesterday's past is back. Learning how to trust again is not an easy task - especially when her life is a spin-cycle of betrayal. Bang and beat, rinse and repeat.
Pairing: SasuSaku
Note: This story somewhat follows the Manga storyline, all the way up to Danzo's death. After that it follows a different path entirely - Akatsuki is wiped out with Pein, there is no Shinobi Alliance, Naruto never meets Killer Bee, etc.
So raise your glass if you are wrong in all the right ways. All my underdogs, we will never be, never be anything but loud.
Danzo's cold, ruthless regime was finally over, and Tsunade was working around the clock to get Sasuke's death sentence repealed, cleaning up everything Danzo had left in his destructive wake. Naruto had been horrified to learn that Sasuke had reached international criminal status, and she herself had been dismayed. The Raikage was adamant and refused to take Sasuke out of his country's bingo book - now that Danzo had declared Sasuke's execution, the other countries had immediately followed suit. The most she could do was persuade the other Kages and reverse Konoha's sentence. Her trump card was the fact that he was a defector from Konoha, and he would subsequently be imprisoned and tried in his home country. She had been accused of favoritism, but had smoothly turned it over with cold, hard facts. Uchiha Sasuke was the last remaining survivor of the Uchiha Clan. Madara's offspring from the product of his DNA would run the 75% probability of high risk deformity, and although Kakashi possessed the Sharingan, it was a transplanted organ and the Uchiha blood did not run through his veins. She argued that the Uchiha Clan deserved a second chance at life - after all, they had not done anything wrong, and their deaths had been a conspiracy. They deserved the right to survive and prosper just as much as any other prestigious clan. The Council members grudgingly passed her repeal, finally acquiescing to her demand when Naruto burst through the doors and gave a tirade on how it was the Council who'd sentenced the Uchiha to death, and now they owed the Uchiha whatever they had to give, if not more. The Conspiracy itself was top-secret, highly classified into compartments. The Council, the Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Hatake Kakashi were the only souls alive who knew the secret, save Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Madara. The four shinobi in Konoha had all sworn chakra-binding oaths - the minute the secret passed their lips to someone who hadn't been informed, the Council would immediately know and act accordingly. Sai was carefully kept in the dark due to the fact he'd worked for Danzo. His loyalty to the village was vehemently protected and argued by both Naruto and Sakura, but he had not gained the Council's full trust.
Akatsuki had fallen apart with Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Madara's deaths, although the whereabouts of Zetsu was still unknown. Naruto was working hard as well, undertaking missions to the borders of all foreign countries in hopes of catching a glimpse of his self-proclaimed brother. He had not given up on Sasuke yet, fiercely determined to bring him back home. He fought regularly with the Council, searching all over the place for things that would help prove Sasuke's innocence. It had been about half a year since Pein's Invasion, but the after-effects had only just started. The people of Konoha were still cleaning up the rubble, missing shinobi beginning to be declared M.I.A. and their names engraved on Konoha's memorial stone. Many lives and fortunes had been lost, and Pein's Invasion had been declared a national day of remembrance. Naruto took the losses in stride, although Teuchi's death had hit him the hardest. The old man who'd never looked down on him, who'd never refused him and had even offered him free bowls of ramen had been killed protecting his daughter. Ayame was lost in a daze, wandering around the picked-up ruins of Ichiraku Ramen shop and trying to cope with the terrible loss. Pein's mass revival had only saved those who had perished within an hour's time; the rest were lost forever. The population of Konoha had fallen dramatically, there was no one unaffected by the tragedy. Sakura found herself stuck in the hospital for three straight months, whilst Kakashi had been reassigned to the ANBU with Sai on his team to make up for the lost members.
Tsunade leaned back and rubbed her eyes, reaching for the steaming cup of tea on her desk. The moon rose steadily into the sky, but the Fifth Hokage had no time for sleep. She was working hard on the Alliance Treaty between Rain and Konoha, which needed to be passed as quickly as possible. Nobody knew when the remnants of Akatsuki would decide to strike, or what in kami's name they were doing at the moment. Rumors were abound that they were gathering new recruits, but there was no solid evidence. Even though chances of the Akatsuki rearing its ugly head were very low, it wouldn't be long before someone decided to create their own renegade group and terrorize civilians and ninja alike.
The Council was doing everything in its efforts to postpone the alliance, but the treaty was in its final stages now. Konoha needed the support and allies in order to get back on its feet without having to worry too much about the other, more hostile shinobi nations. Tsunade glared at the stack of papers on her desk and was sorely tempted to chuck them into the rubbish just so she wouldn't have to deal with them any longer. She couldn't wait for the day that Naruto became Hokage, she was sick of filling out form after form after form. She stretched, allowing herself a moment's respite before she threw herself back into scribbling with a vengeance, determined to stay up as long as she had to in order to finish the packet.
Deep within the recesses of the hospital, Sakura had taken over her mentor's bad workaholic habit, hastily filling out several procedural forms and scanning the list of her immediate patients. But unlike Tsunade, her choice to stay late wasn't because of wanting to get the work done - which she usually did. Tonight, working overtime was keeping her from home. She was nearly seventeen, the legal age at which she would be allowed to move out, and she was desperate to spend as much time away from it as possible until that time came. Sasuke and Naruto were special cases - nobody would take the kyuubi-host in, and Sasuke adamantly refused to be placed in the foster care system. They had been given social workers and had been given enough money for food, clothes and other necessities, and their apartment and electric and water bills were absolutely free.
But Sakura had parents, and she didn't have a special case. She smiled bitterly at the fleeting thought of Sasuke - what would he say if he knew about her life at home? Would he still accuse her of being a spoiled brat who knew nothing of loneliness and pain? Would he still criticize her for not being able to understand? Would he ridicule her for her perfect family? She smiled darkly for a second before thinking of Naruto and Kakashi. They didn't know. Nobody knew, not even Tsunade. The smile melted and slid off her face.
Her mother was a lazy, good-for-nothing alcoholic who cursed Sakura and told her she wasn't good enough for anything. Her father wasn't any better. He'd deserted them when Sakura was about four years old. She could still remember snatches of what he looked like - all she knew was that she was the spitting image of him, and she hated it. She paused to rub her temples, watching as the words swam around on the page and blurred before her eyes. Deciding she'd prolonged the misery long enough, she clocked out and lightly hopped the rooftops to get home, sliding in through her window and pausing very quietly to listen for her mother. She heard nothing but loud snores, and slipped into the bathroom to get ready for bed.
She sat on her tiny bed, drawing her knees up to her chest and gazing at the star-littered sky above. She and her mother lived in the "ghetto" of Konoha. They were far away from the hubbub of the main part of the city, crowded in a tiny flat that they could barely afford with unemployment pay. She couldn't wait for her next mission. She felt rage suddenly bubble up inside her, scanning the tiny, dirty room and thinking, why wasn't she ever good enough? Her own parents didn't want her, she wasn't even worth having a father who cared enough to stick around, her mother cussed her out every chance she got, words slurred on alcohol, she wasn't enough to get Sasuke stay, she was the least favorite of Kakashi's students - what the hell had he ever taught her? Oh, right. How to climb a goddamn tree. Naruto and Sasuke had received special training, but she'd gotten nothing. She would never, ever be good enough for anything or anyone.
A light flicked on in the hallway, accompanied by a several heavy curses. Sakura winced and silently threw herself into a crouch, simulatenously re-wrapping her kunai pouch around her leg if she needed to leave.
"What the fuck is going on in there?" her mother roared. "All I ask is for some goddamn peace and quiet at night, you worthless piece of shit!" The sound of glass breaking and exploding filled her ears, and Sakura's breath quickened as lurching footsteps staggered down the hall. Tears leapt to her eyes and she gasped in ragged breaths. It was all too much to take in at once, and as her mother's heavy feet reached her door, Sakura ducked out of her window and raced off into the night.
Kakashi rocked back on his heels, panting as he reached up with his sleeve to wipe away the blood smeared across his cheek. He gazed around the clearing with half-lidded eyes, feeling rather taxed. He was desperate to just lie down upon the forest floor and sleep forever, but he had a duty and mission to complete. He glanced at Sai, scanning the area for any unseen ninja. Gratefully finding none, he headed for the first of the bodies, dragging them all into a pile.
Sai quickly sent out ink-scouts before bending over to do the same. It was grim work, but they were both hardened shinobi used to carnage and assassinations, and now, it was just another unpleasant task. They doused the bodies in a flammable liquid and swiftly lit them on fire, pitching in rocks and pieces of wood. Kakashi ignored the foul smell, mulling over the information one of the shinobi had given him right before he died. Whilst under the influence of genjutsu, he'd accidentally parted with mission details and rumors. Vital rumors containing information about the whereabouts of Uchiha Sasuke, Kakashi's former student. He gritted his teeth and stared out into the forest, dimly noting his left hand was rather sore. He ignored it and pushed on, setting up their tents around the fire, bring out their rations of dried meat and fruit. He considered a soldier pill, but they would have plenty of time to recuperate. They had to make sure there was no trace of human flesh left behind, nor any clues as to what had transpired in the forest. He collapsed on his bedroll, not looking forward to second watch.
Sai leapt to the trees, placing his sword in easy reach. Kakashi had entrusted him with the rumors about Sasuke, the defected member of Team 7 he'd never met - not on friendly terms, at least. From the time he'd spent with the Uchiha, he'd surmised that the boy was rapidly heading down the path where salvation would soon be impossible. He was foul-tempered, extremely moody, and very dangerous. In all honesty, Sai didn't think Sakura and Naruto needed to waste their time on him. He obviously didn't appreciate or deserve them, and yet here they were, giving and giving while they got nothing but betrayal in return.
Sai couldn't really understand their bond, but they loved him, and Sai thought that if they loved him, then that was reason enough for him to love Sasuke too. Naruto and Sakura had taught him what it was like to feel again, and he owed them more than they would ever know. They'd drawn him out of his darkness, with their benevolence and sunny dispositions, and he felt himself warming up to them. Sakura was the embodiment of hope, in his opinion. She was radiant and beautiful, even if he called her ugly. She gave him butterflies that Naruto didn't, and at first he'd attributed it to this thing called love, but he could plainly see she solely belonged to Sasuke, and Sai would never be able to replace him. He supposed that Sakura gave everyone butterflies, and didn't mull on it much longer. He sighed and leaned back agains the tree, thinking about how his two teammates would react to the news. He gave a little wince and looked down at his ribs - one of the shinobi had gotten a hard kick in between attacks, and he was afraid one of them was broken. He surmised he'd stop by Sakura's the minute they got back to Konoha. Hours passed, and he fell into his sleeping bag as Kakashi slouched to take second watch.
It was a long, hard trek back - the ground was frozen and wintry beneath their feet, but at least the snow was melting. Sai tugged his cloak higher up his neck, pinks cheek with the cold. His impassive eyes regarded Kakashi, burdened heavy with thought and the scroll resting in his pack. Not for the first time, a surge of anger shivered down his spine. Sasuke had made them all like this - Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura. While he was out gallivanting with his band of criminals, the ones who loved him were suffering back home, and he seemed to not care in the least about it. Sai was not a man of emotions; rather of cool, clinical observation and slight amusement, but this made him mad. He disliked seeing his teammates downtrodden all the time, faces long and drawn and putting up fake smiles and laughs to please everyone around them. He wanted those smiles to be real, those laughs genuine. He knew he could not fill the void the way Sasuke could - not even close. So he made it his duty to aid them in whatever way he could, to repay them for showing him happiness and real friendship again. Every mission he had, he tried to glean information on Uchiha Sasuke. He sincerely hoped they could help the Uchiha like they'd helped him. They were his inspiration, he mused.
Night was heavy as they fell upon the gates of Konoha, both sighing inwardly in relief as they checked in and passed through the gates.
"I'll take this to the Hokage," Kakashi said, vanishing in a puff of grey smoke. Sai took off for Sakura's house, leaping lightly across the rooftops. He glanced down at the streets below, several stragglers left in the streets. He flew silently to her apartment, slipping agilely through the open window and alighting on her paper-strewn floor. She was in the middle of it all, hovering over a complex jutsu scroll, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, hair slipping over her face. She hadn't even noticed him - he was unsure whether to scold her or feel content with the fact that his chakra signature posed no threat to her and was quite familiar. He cleared his throat and she jumped in shock.
"Sai!" she hissed, eyes wide. "How the hell do you know where I live?" she exclaimed, casting a quick glance over her shoulder to the door.
"I carried you home one night after a mission, remember?" She lightly smacked her forehead at his response.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean you can just come in whenever you like! You know you're not supposed to come to my house - you know how my mother feels about ninja. I told you guys already." She sounded cross, and somewhat tense.
"My apologies," he covered smoothly. "I'll remember that next time, hag." She bristled slightly at the insult, but let it go as he opened his cloak and exposed his heavily bruised side.
"Sai!" she whisper-hissed, hands emitting a green glow as she ran them up and down his torso. He closed his eyes at the feeling. Her chakra smoothed the pain over with a pleasant buzz. "You've got a small hairline fracture," she murmured, "just be careful on it for a day or two while it heals up, okay?"
"Yes, Ugly," came the emotionless reply. She rolled her eyes and slipped her hands off his chest, heart pounding as she heard heavy steps come up the stairs.
"Shit!" she hissed, raking a hand through her messy hair. She threw a wild glance behind her and pushed him towards the window, pushing him out. He fell but rolled and caught himself, just in time to hear Sakura's mother. She screeched her daughter's name, voice warbling with a drunken slur. Sakura quickly shut the window but wasn't fast enough. Sai stared up at the window in shock, horrified upon finding the reason why nobody was ever allowed at the Haruno household. He sat and listened to Sakura's mother's muffled screams and accusations, and waited til she stumbled back down the hall to depart. He felt Sakura knew he'd heard at least some of the violent exchange, and spent half the night staring at the ceiling and trying to decipher why anyone would want to to do such a thing to his teammate. She was sunny and cheerful, full of hope, intelligent, and beautiful. He couldn't see anything wrong with her. She was hard-working and apprentice to the Hokage herself. It troubled him long into the night, wondering how long Sakura had lived like this. He admired her strength and determination - he wasn't sure if he could ever have done it himself.
He cracked bleary eyes open to see Sakura leaning over him, a worried frown on her face and dark circles under her eyes. Sunlight was barely beginning to trickle in through his windows, lighting on the art hung up all over his room.
"Sai!" she called, shaking his shoulder gently.
"Morning, hag." His voice was deep and groggy from sleep, slowly sitting up. The covers fell from his naked chest, exposing him to the chilly morning air. He nearly shivered, noting with a wry smile she'd slipped in through the still open window.
"We need to talk," she said curtly, playing with her fingers nervously. She perched on the end of his bed, waiting for him to fully wake up she could have his full attention. "You can't tell anyone about what you saw last night. No one," she stressed, a wild look in her eyes. "Please, Sai. Promise me."
"Nobody deserves to be treated like that, Sakura," he told her softly, dark eyes solemn. She took a deep breath and looked away, swallowing thickly.
"Just - please, Sai. You can't. In a month, on my seventeenth birthday, I can move out. I've already found an apartment for cheap and have made the first payments. Just one more month and I'll be free of this forever." When Sai simply frowned disapprovingly at her, she caught his hands and begged. "I've been keeping it from you guys because I don't want Naruto or Kakashi to worry. You know Naruto - he'll throw a big fit about it, and he's already stressed enough. Not to mention everyone else's lives as well. Can I trust you on this, Sai?"
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" he asked in response, not giving her a reply.
"I - there was never a time appropriate enough. Think about it, Sai. We've been through so much - I've been through so much the past years, and there's just been so much going on I never thought it was important."
"Never thought it was important? Look at you, Sakura." Sai's response was scathing, and she jerked her head up to meet him, eyes wide. It was one of the first times she'd heard so much emotion in his voice. "She's been mistreating you for years. Naruto and Kakashi would've certainly helped out, you could've lived with any of them, or me-"
"Life's a lot more complicated than that, Sai," she smiled wryly. The look in her eyes was tender now. "I know you guys would, and I really appreciate that. But my mother is my legal guardian, and she has to agree to give me off. And why would she? This would make her the laughing stock of the public. No way in hell is she ever going to admit she verbally abuses me. It would get her in trouble with the law, and it would've caused a lot more trouble than it's worth. I would've had to stay back from missions to deal with court, and she's still my mother. Even if she's an alcoholic and has done all these terrible things to me." Sai sighed and looked away, mulling over possible decisions. She waited with bated breath, anxious for his answer. Sai turned his head towards her and sighed.
"Alright, Sakura. I promise, but only because I trust you to make your own decisions. Once you're out of the house, if she ever bothers you again - I'm going to tell Tsunade. You can't let her do this to you, Sakura. You deserve much better than that. If you're not out of the house within a month I won't keep it a secret any longer."
"Thank you, Sai!" she looked so relieved his heart tugged. She flung herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around him in a grateful hug. "Thank you so, so much," she whispered. "You're a great friend," she told him as she got off the bed, giving him a small, hopeful smile. "Thank you," she said again, and prepared to dash off.
"Stay," he commanded. "For breakfast, at least. So you don't have to go home." Her smile was brilliant and rivaled Naruto's grin, and she flushed with gratitude. "I really appreciate it, Sai. I know you don't agree, but thank you for trusting me and respecting my decision. It means a lot to me." Sai nodded in response, moving across the kitchen to fetch her something to eat. She dug in, and he propped his feet up on one of the chairs and settled down with a sketchpad, drawing her, serene and beautiful in his kitchen.