Hey Readers! Midnight here!
Guess what? This is the first one-shot I have ever written. (Le Gasp!)
So if it feels rushed, that's because it's a one shot. It supposed to have an entire plot in one chapter. It sounded easy, until I had to do it. None the less, I stand proud behind my work and display it for the world to see.
And for all you technical people out there, let's get the disclaimer going.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto manga, anime or characters. I own nothing. I am a peon of society and make my meaningless existence less painful by writing fanfiction. May we all dream of something more...
Right! Now that my creepy (slightly emo) disclaimer is out of the way, I hope you guys enjoy my oneshot. If you have any question, mail me and I'll see what I can do.
Enjoy
iiiiii
"We can't thank you enough for your work!"
Team Seven had recently been sent out on an A ranked escort mission, much to the excitement of the young kyuubi, however as it turned out, it was more like a D ranked mission. If even that. The entire trip had been spent in a forest that was known for peaceful travels.
Naruto quickly opened his mouth, always having been one to speak out of turn, "Yeah well next time you might consider-"
Sakura quickly shoved him aside, grinning widely, "Well thank you Mr. Kayamoto. It was an honor to escort your daughter back to you from her boarding school- she was in absolute safety the entire journey."
"Because there was absolutely no danger…" Naruto mumbled between Sakura's fingers, earning another rough shove from the medic.
Oblivious, the young girl grinned, turning towards Sakura, "Thank you so much for everything! I learned so much from you and your friends. Even the weird one that doesn't ever smile!"
Sakura choked back her laughter at the girl's mention of Sai, though managed to remain professional, "Of course Haruhi-san."
The girl moved towards her father, giving a bear hug to Sakura before she left. "The girl is a miracle worker Father- she can heal people without medicines or herbs or anything. I'd bet she can raise people from the dead if she wanted to."
"Now I don't know about that Haruhi, but thank you anyways. When you need to get back to school in the Spring, just send us a letter and we'll come back."
The girl's eyes lit up with joy, "You promise?"
Sakura nodded, having been quite used to working with the political side of things for Team Seven. Of course Kakashi was still the team captain, however when it came to the diplomatic affairs of Konoha, Sakura was known as being Tsunade's right hand. It was almost a waste of time for Kakashi to try to explain the ways of Konoha when Sakura was right there. Aside from that, her professionalism was so keen; she was a pure natural when it came to good relations with different villages.
"Well as long as your father sees fit to request us again I certainly don't see why not."
The counsel man nodded, looking down at his daughter, "It does seem as though you have taken care of my daughter well. I think it would be wonderful if we continued calling down Konoha's forces to ensure the safe trip of Haruhi. We'll just pay you the money we promised-" he explained as a villager handed Kakashi a large wad of money, "and call you up in a few months!"
Sakura bowed, "We would be honored. See you again soon then Haruhi."
The girl whined, running up to the medic, "Aw…you aren't going to stay the night?"
Sakura looked at the guys, then shook her head, "Sorry, but we have to get back home now too. We'll keep in touch though okay?"
The girl frowned, causing Sakura to laugh slightly to herself as they left the small village and set course for home. After about a half a mile away from the village, Naruto finally felt safe enough to speak his mind
"What a joke of a mission! That? That was an A ranked mission? Ne Sakura-chan, why did you tell them to call us up again? They don't need ninja, a tough looking body guard at most really would have been more than enough. Why didn't you just tell them we weren't interested?"
Sakura rolled her eyes, not really wanting to deal with the complaints of her childhood friend, "Naruto for once stop thinking like an individual and think like the diplomat you want to be. That was an A ranked mission, meaning the village just made a fortune off from that, and the mission was not hard at all. It means that in the future, we know we will be getting paid now without the uncertainty of possible danger. They felt safe, and in the end no one was hurt. What better circumstances could you ask for?"
The blonde glared at her, seeing her point. He sighed loudly, "Maybe just something not so utterly boring. It got so bad I was thinking about starting to talk with Sai. That's bad."
Sai looked at Naruto, however didn't really see the need to comment and continued walking in silence. It was always the same with those two- almost like it was with Sasuke and Naruto. The two would nitpick at each other until Sakura inevitably had enough and told them both to shut the hell up.
Sakura sighed silently, internally smirking at how much things had changed. It had been years since Sasuke had left, and Sakura was certain that the hole left in Team Seven was one that could never be filled. When Sai came to the team, it seemed as though the elders were adding insult to injury, however as time passed by, each had such a broken past that there was an understanding and acceptance that Sakura had never experienced before. They knew they were all messed up, flawed, and broken…but it was ok.
Though it was not exactly a replacement for the missing piece's the Uchiha had left behind, it was still a little piece of heaven for them all in a dark world that was beyond reform. They each learned to accept each other for who they were, and in time, Team Seven was born anew.
Sakura gave a slight shiver, pulling her traveling cloak a little tighter to fight off the chill of the air. It was still winter and they were only a half a day's journey to the mountains. Konoha never really had a winter; it was either summer or spring all year long, so she never had really liked snow or any cold weather.
As they walked onward, they stopped as a poof of smoke appeared in the path before them.
"Pakkun!" Naruto mumbled in amazement, grabbing Kakashi's attention at the mention of his tracking comrade.
"Kakashi-sama." Pakkun greeted, nodding at his master in respect. Kakashi seemed grieved slightly, catching Sakura's interest instantly. She had spent so much time with this team reading them was second nature really, so she knew instantly that something was off.
The sharingan holder sighed, running a hand through his gravity defying hair, mumbling slightly, "I see. Well that is unexpected…" he mumbled, closing his book and closing his eyes in thought.
Naruto seemed beyond confused, staring at his sensei in wonder, "Kakashi-sensei…what is it? Are we in danger?"
Sakura felt her stomach churn apprehensively. She was uneasy about whatever was going on. Whatever it was, it was big. Pakkun wouldn't just show up without cause, and Kakashi seemed lost in thought from just seeing the tracking specialist.
"Come on Kakashi don't leave us in the dark…" Naruto goaded with an uneasy laugh, slight dread in his voice.
Kakashi slowly opened his eyes, addressing the group as a whole, "It seems as though we have caught onto Sasuke's trail. He's headed towards the mountains as we speak."
Naruto went silent as the news sunk in, though Sakura was already doing the math of her former teammate's location.
"The mountains?" Sai asked plainly, "We are downwind of him right now then meaning-"
"We can catch him…" Sakura finished, following Sai's logic expertly.
Kakashi nodded, turning towards his four legged companion, "Thank you for your help Pakkun. I'll tell you what our decision is."
The small dog poofed away again, and Naruto looked towards Kakashi, "So this, this is the real deal then?"
Kakashi didn't respond, only gave a slow nod.
They each knew what this meant. Sasuke was on order to be brought back to Konoha, at this point dead or alive. Whoever ran into him from this point on would no longer care about leaving him alive, so the percentile of Sasuke surviving an encounter from Konoha was considerably less than before. Team Seven had secretly wished they would be the only ones to run into him because they would never kill their comrade.
Whether Sasuke accepted them or not, they were still protecting him.
Sakura clenched her fist, her other hand subconsciously moving to her neck where the Uchiha had hit her so many years ago, his final parting gift to her.
Kakashi looked at his three team mates, "If we go, it is likely Sasuke will attack us, possibly kill one of us, and we will be going on a mission not assigned to us. In short, we will have a lot of explaining to do if we go after him. Possible trial even if they find out we let him walk away."
Naruto groweled, "Like I care? I won't rest until I've beaten some sense into the bastard."
Kakashi nodded, turning his attention to Sai, "Sai, I know you don't really care too much for Sasuke, what's your take on the situation?"
Sai stared at the ground, "It's not a question of like or not. The Uchiha is a comrade- I've learned that it is…important…in a team."
With a new nod, he turned his attention to Sakura, not even bothering to ask her opinion simply waiting for an answer, "I wouldn't mind reuniting Team Seven- if only for a rough sparring match again."
Sakura had a bad feeling in her stomach about the entire thing, but it wasn't exactly an omen per say. Running into the Uchiha meant a battle, a messy, bloody, heart wrenching battle.
Perhaps this would turn into an A ranked mission after all…
"It's settled then- let's go." Kakashi announced, and they were instantly flying through the trees, knowing that they would soon be meeting up with the missing Uchiha that had abandoned them so long ago.
Sakura had to force her nerves into submission. All she could think about was getting involved in the fight, and what damage lay in wait for her friends. She found that she wanted so badly to pound in the Uchiha's face, if only because she could. The last run in they had with him, she was held back so she could heal any injuries.
She would be certain that would not happen this time around.
She would knock out Naruto first if she had to. This time, the Uchiha was hers.
They traveled onward silently, the atmosphere far too tense for any lame conversation. Each member of Team Seven was focused, preparing their minds for the battle that was certain to come. Besides, they would need to be as mentally sharp as possible. Because of how the situation played out, no one side would have the element of surprise on their side.
It was unlikely Sasuke would be prepared for a four man battle in the mountains, and Team Seven was certainly not expecting such an event to transpire- meaning that this would without doubt be a messy, bloody mess when it was all said and done.
As they neared the base of the mountains cape, Sakura considered changing her vote to a no. She wasn't afraid of the fight per say, but she didn't want to watch her friends, be it Naruto or Sai, or even Sasuke, be obliterated and wounded by…anyone, let alone each other.
Who were they really fighting for anyhow? Seems how they weren't fighting based on the rules of Konoha, it wasn't for the village…yet fighting because of emotional hurt was so shallow…
What sick rule was it that made it so they always had to meet as enemies every time? Why could they never reunite as friends, or even neutral strangers would be a step up Sakura supposed.
"Sakura- Sakura you need to focus." Kakashi stated firmly, grabbing her attentions back to the group
"Oh- right, sorry." The medic mumbled, mentally scolding herself for getting lost in her ideals
"Though we masked our signatures, Sasuke recently masked his as well"
"He knows we are here then" Naruto mumbled, looking at the snowy areas in suspicion.
They had begun climbing the mountain, hoping against all hope that they might be able to sneak up on the Uchiha somehow, however to no avail.
"So in other words, the battle could begin any moment." Sai concluded calmly, in control of his expressions as always.
Though Sakura felt hesitant, she forced her feelings away and made herself begin to think on battle terms. In a case where they had to fight, meaning now, she would rather her attacker go down before her. In a battle of life or death, she would choose her own life any time.
Not that it was shallow, that was simply just life. In a battle of survival, one would choose self every time. It was nothing more than primal instinct.
Kakashi nodded, "From here on out, be on your guard. For all we know, Sasuke may simply be trying to escape and avoid confrontation."
"Or he may be waiting to jump us." Naruto mumbled, finishing the thought that was going through everyone else's mind.
Team Kakashi began to search the mountain, hot on the pursuit of the Uchiha's trail. After a while of searching, Kakashi caught onto Sasuke's sent and the group took off.
Sakura had only felt so much adrenaline in her life one other time- when she was fighting Sasori. There was nothing better than a dangerous, deadly fight to prove to one that you were in fact alive. Only when face to face with death can one truly appreciate what a gift life really is, and it was certainly true for the medic as well.
Sakura could feel pure energy rush through her veins- it was incredible. She was alert to every falling snowflake, every crunch of the snow as they landed and continued moving.
Suddenly, the group stopped, the team staring at Kakashi for direction.
Naruto gasped out first, panting from the hard run, "Wha…Kakashi…why- why did you stop?"
Kakashi took a deep breath, shaking his head, "The trial stops here."
As Sakura was about to shout out in frustration, she noticed Sai staring blankly to their right. "Sai what are you-"
Crimson met green.
Sasuke Uchiha.
He was here.
Team Seven…
Together at last.
Sasuke stood up from the ground, sitting in a small cave that they had looked past in their haste. He smirked slightly, speaking loud enough for them all to hear, "Team Seven? Took you long enough to get here, I stopped moving about an hour ago and decided to let you catch up. If I had known it would have taken you that long I would have kept going."
Naruto shouted quickly, seeming to speak for everyone at the moment, "Shut up you bastard! I'm sick of listening to you!"
Sakura narrowed her eyes, finding she couldn't help but agree with Naruto. Sasuke was always so damned condescending, even as a child he was always unnaturally cold to everyone.
Not wanting the situation to get out of hand, Kakashi stepped forward, "Sasuke Uchiha, you are charged with betrayal of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. By order of the Fifth hokage, you are charged to return to Konoha…dead or alive." He added in, communicating what was needed to his past student.
Sasuke cocked his head slightly, a smirk rising to his lips, "Oh? Dead or alive now? To be honest with you I have places to go, so I need to go soon."
Sakura grit her teeth in frustration. That damned brat! Why did he always have to be so cryptic and nonchalant about it all?
Naruto shouted loudly again, "Dammit Sasuke- enough of this! Come home back to where you belong!"
Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed slightly, his aura darkening in frustration, "I already said I don't have time to waste here. Look, I'd love to stay to entertain you all, but unfortunately I have to be somewhere."
"Don't make me laugh Sasuke- nobody cares about you anymore don't you get it? Even your own village doesn't give a damn about what happens to you now!"
Though that would usually be something Naruto would say, it shocked everyone, even Sasuke, to see that those harsh words were not spoken by Naruto, but by Sakura.
There was a long pause as no one said anything. Somehow, the fact that even Sakura was shouting at him made everything ten times more hostile, ten times more final
Naruto gave a sigh, speaking in slight defeat, "Sakura…Sakura's right Sasuke. At this point, if Konoha runs into you, we can't stop them from trying to kill you. We begged with Tsunade, but it couldn't be helped. After you killed Orochimaru and still didn't return, it was the final straw. Please Sasuke…please come back before it's too late."
Sasuke's face remained stoic, waiting for a moment before responding, "It matters not. Now if we could get this over with, I really must go."
In a speed that Sakura could only place with Sasuke, he closed the distance and began his first attack on the Copy ninja, while Naruto took to making various clones of himself.
Sakura watched the battle unfold, somehow feeling an air of misplacement. Something was very…odd. She couldn't quite understand what, but there was something off with the Uchiha.
Deciding to test the waters of the battle, Sakura joined Kakashi in hand to hand combat, not even really trying to battle as much as she was just trying to get a feel for Sasuke. Was he wounded or something? Not that his fighting was bad it was just so…
She didn't know how to explain it.
It was too…perfect.
Each movement flowed smoothly. Flawlessly. It was hypnotic almost. Plus it didn't make since at all. Sasuke clearly had stated he wanted to get moving- why would he waste all this time in a formal battle when he was trying to save time?
Sakura stopped fighting for a moment, instantly putting the pieces together.
It was too perfect in fact, because it wasn't real. Sasuke had cast them all under a genjutsu.
No.
He would not disappear so quickly.
Not like this.
"Kai!" Sakura whispered, watching the battle she had momentarily saw as real dissolve from her eyes. The real sight that greeted her would have almost been comical had it not been an actual battle.
There were Naruto clones everywhere. Sasuke had known that Naruto would resort to that and made it so some of the clones appeared as him. Naruto was so busy creating more and more clones that the switch out of clone to clone was never noticed. Kakashi most likely saw it as Sasuke moving quickly from location to location. Even Sai had yet to see the battle was all the work of genjutsu.
Knowing that Sakura wouldn't be able to force them out of the genjutsu, Sakura turned her attention the cave.
Not there.
Was Sasuke already running?
If that were the case, should she chase after him? Wait for the genjutsu to wear off?
As he mind rehursed the possibilities, she noticed a shadow above her. Sasuke was in the air, the strongest amount of chidori built up in his hand like a lazer. A shot that powerful enough would be strong enough to travel a great distance.
She looked around, finding she quickly understood the genious of his plan.
Water.
By sending a wave of electricity into the snow, the water would carry the shock, and Sasuke would effectively knock them all out in one quick and easy motion- meaning he could get away without persuit.
And what better way than to distract each mind with a genjutsu?
She had to act fast. Any moment now and they would all be unconscious.
Think Sakura think.
In that moment, she slid down to a small valley a few feet away with as much speed as she could, knowing she only had a few milliseconds to somehow beat Sasuke at his own game. Knowing there was only one thing to do, Sakura gathered up all the chakra in her palm that she possibly could, punching the ground with everything she had. She knew she should think of a better plan, however in a moment's notice causing an avalanche was the best she could muster. If she brought the snow her partners were in, down and away from Sasuke, they would all be saved.
As the ground cracked and vibrated, a the snow instantly shifted downwards just as Sasuke's chidori hit the ground- the quick moving electrified snow, swallowed instantly by the shifting grounds.
She did it!
She saved her team!
Sakura's victory was short lived as she heard distant rumbling.
An avalanche….
Though she had in fact stopped Sasuke's plan effectively, she had hit the ground so hard it shook the very core of the mountain. Her teammates were already being pushed downward until they finally realized what was up and snapped out of the genjutsu. Quickly assessing the situation, Kakashi rallied the boys and began to seek higher ground, leaving Sakura below in the valley.
"Sakura!" Kakashi shouted, jumping behind a rock with Naruto and Sai. "Sakura what happened?"
"Genjutsu!" Sakura shouted, pleased to know her team was safe, "In the process of stopping Sasuke, I caused an avalanche…"
Sakura watched the falling snow mounds, seeing that giant boulder sized mounds of snow were falling straight from the mountain top- not to mention the wall of white that was headed straight towards her. With the falling snow mounds, it was unwise to jump into the air, but with the avalanche headed down…if she didn't move…she would get buried alive…
"Shit!" she cursed, seeing a large wave of snow come towards her.
"Sakura!" Naruto screamed, his voice all but cracking from the strain.
Sakura wasn't one to panic, but each time she made herself ready to jump, she would have to use that energy to dodge the falling snow. Each moment she wasted was a moment closer to her death. The snow was getting higher and higher and she was soon up to her waist in snow. It was getting so hard to move…
"I'm sorry…" Sakura smiled sadly towards her odd family, just before the falling avalanche came and separated the two of them. She could still hear Naruto's shouting above the sound of the cascading snow.
It was so painful…
Sakura felt the wind knocked out of her, the shifting air, chill of the snow, and her world went black.
Sakura had always imagined death would be peaceful. Warm maybe. She had always been told she would see a bright light and that heaven would be the most amazing thing she had ever seen before.
There had to have been some form of miscommunication because it was all a big lie. Sakura was cold, uncomfortable and there was certainly no bright light to guide her to the pearly gates.
Whatever.
She'd find her own way to heaven then, guide or not- and when she got there, that gate keeper would certainly be getting a piece of her mind. Some welcome this was.
She moved her hand forward, hoping that maybe it was a dark staircase perhaps. At least a path with guard rails or something.
As she leaned forward, her hand made contact with…flesh?
Sakura was confused.
What was this? A bloody line? Who the hell was running this heaven place anyways? If she was just going to have to wait in line, couldn't she have stayed alive another hour or so, especially if they weren't ready for her? This was stupid.
"Remove your hand from my person, Sakura." The voice of Sasuke echoed loudly, surprising Sakura to such an extent she gave a slight shout as she recoiled her hand, finding her face beginning to heat up in embarrassment.
"The hell? I'm not…dead?" Sakura asked, squinting her eyes in hopes to be able to see better.
"You have to ask?" the Uchiha responded coolly, and after a moment, a fire lit up the area.
Sakura looked around, realizing they were in the cave that Sasuke had been originally sitting in, though now the entrance was blocked entirely with snow.
"What happened?" Sakura asked beside herself, placing a hand on the snow that trapped them inside.
"As the snow came down, I grabbed you. I didn't think you were going to make it by yourself and you deserve a better death that death by self caused avalanche." Sasuke explained, catching Sakura's attention.
Sakura's pride got the best of her, and she refused to turn around, "I would have made it out fine."
"Don't lie to me Sakura." Sasuke commanded sharply, the change in the echos making it clear that he had turned his head to glare at her.
Sakura turned around just as sharply, pointing a finger at the Uchiha, "You do not get to command me anymore Sasuke. You lost that right when you left the village" she paused, glaring coldly right back at him, "and left me on a park bench."
A long silence filled the air, and after deciding that Sasuke had nothing to say, Sakura turned back to the blocked passageway. Sasuke had…saved her then. He said it was because she deserved better, yet still, since when did he give a damn about Konoha- and more importantly herself as an individual. She didn't really understand the change. All she wanted was to get out of the cave and away from him.
Being around him made her still feel like the little girl she used to be. She hated it. She was an accomplished medic, diplomat, right hand of Tsunade. Yet here around Sasuke, he only knew her as the useless weakling he had to save once again.
From snow.
God she hated life sometimes.
"If you keep standing by the snow this whole time, you'll freeze to death before either of us get out of here." Sasuke spoke calmly, "The temperature is only going to get worse so don't blame me if you get sick." He finished, not bothering to look at her.
"I don't give a damn." She spat, staring at the snow like an unsolved puzzle
"Stop being such a child Sakura. You don't want to die so get over here by the fire before you get frostbite." Sasuke responded with equal ferocity, adding another log of firewood.
Sakura let out a sigh, and moved towards the fire, sitting down roughly and glaring at the Uchiha. He had caused so much heartache for her and her friends. She had every right to hate him. She should hate him.
Yet she never could. Naruto could never bring himself to either.
"This is all your fault Sasuke."
"My fault?" he countered, quirking an eyebrow slightly at her, "As I recall you are the one that put us in this predicament. Not me."
"Whatever." Sakura bit out, staring at the fire and seething slightly.
He was their comrade- and somehow, alone in this cave, she knew that it was no longer Konoha verses missing nin. It was simply Sakura Haruno, and stubborn, arrogant Sasuke Uchiha.
Sakura rolled her eyes with a note of finality, forcing herself to pretend that Sasuke was not sitting in the same room with her. No. She was alone, by herself, sitting by a warm fire.
She watched the fire dance and display shadows against the cave walls, loving the gentle, tingling feeling it gave her. Sakura had always loved watching fire. It was fierce and unpredictable- devastating when out of control, yet when in the hands of a master, fire was a very beautiful thing. It simply needed a guiding hand.
"So is it true then?" Sasuke asked after a long while of silence, bringing Sakura out of her dream like mental haze.
"Is…what true?" She asked, not breaking her gaze from the fire.
"I heard that you took out an Akatsuki member. At least, I heard a pink haired medic did. I don't know many medics, but it was hard to not pick up on the pink hair." Sasuke explained. Sakura was certain it was only the shadows playing tricks on her eyes, but for a moment it had appeared as though Sasuke had been slightly smiling
"That was a few years back. To be honest I'm surprised we won that fight. I was so sloppy back then…had it not been for the fact that I had premade some antidotes to combat his poison, we would have lost for sure."
"So you're a medic now then?" Sasuke asked, and it struck Sakura as odd when she realized that she was not the one initiating the conversation.
It was…Sasuke…that was.
It was as though he were actually curious about her….like he actually cared about what had happened while he was away.
The thought was offsetting, so Sakura pushed it aside and decided to answer the question and ignore what her head was telling her. "Yeah, not long after you left I begged Tsunade to teach me. My chakra control was already advanced for my age even at that time, so it was just a matter of refining it and channeling it into healing chakra. To be honest, medical ninjutsu came quite naturally to me."
"That makes sense as to why you broke through my genjutsu." He mumbled, more to himself than to her so it seemed.
Sakura sighed, reminded what got them into this whole mess to begin with. Ah that's right. Sasuke had tried to kill them once again.
Sakura spoke lowly, not even certain why she was saying the words she was, "Sasuke, you really need to come back to Konoha. We can't protect you forever you know…"
The fire swayed violently, though Sakura moved a log over carefully, pleased to see the fire return to its' normal state once more. As the moment passed, Sasuke responded slowly
"Sakura…I don't need you guys to protect me from the village." His voice was mildly irritated, yet even passed all the years they had been apart, Sakura could tell that he was trying to be patient- most likely because he knew that neither of them were going anywhere, but still, it impressed her.
"I wasn't referring to the village. I was referring to yourself. You keep pushing us away, and though I hate to say it, one day Sasuke…we won't come back" Sakura finished, and the room fell to a grim silence.
Hours passed by in silence. Neither of them really had anything to say to each other. Their last meeting had been awkward, and the time before that would have been the day Sasuke had left Konoha.
That was certainly a day Sakura did not intend on going over with the Uchiha, so she didn't really press for conversation either. Even though time passed by, now that she was around the Uchiha, she found it was a wound that had never really healed right. She had poured out her heart to him, and he threw it right back in her face without so much as an apology or explanation. He left her that night. Completley rejected her, and betrayed them all.
Out of everyone Sasuke had left, he had cut her the deepest
"So, is it true?" Sakura found herself asking hours later, officially bored of the long drawn out silence.
"Hm?" Sasuke asked, seemingly lost at her random question she brought up.
"I heard you took down Orochimaru, so considering you are on your own now, I sort of already know the answer, but I really want to hear it from you."
He had somewhat forgotten how naturally intelligent she was. He had been away from her for so long, and the last time they ran into each other, she was in the background for whatever reason. She wasn't able to fight much to his dismay. He knew Naruto would improve, however Sakura was a toss up. Had she taken her life as a ninja seriously after he left? Not only had he heard rumors of her across the five nations, but had also seen it with his own eyes at this point.
It was…impressive.
"Tell me what you want to hear then, if you already know the answer there isn't much I can do for you." He responded simply, not breaking his gaze from her as the fire flickered quietly. He watched her frown slightly, wondering if he had effectively silenced her. That wasn't his goal, but Sakura didn't seem to be at all what she used to be.
Her existence didn't depend on his approval anymore.
"Well, I suppose what I want to hear is that you are going to come back to Konoha…" she mumbled to herself, bringing her knees closer to herself. Whether it was to conserve body heat or if it was to comfort herself, Sasuke wasn't certain, but he found the motion intriguing none the less.
After a long pause of no response, Sakura sighed, giving a sad smile, "I guess I had always believed that once Orochimaru was out of the picture, you would come home." She paused again, shaking her head, "You know, years ago…hell even a year ago, I would have asked why you didn't."
Sasuke's head cocked slightly, his eyes clouding slightly, "Why not now?"
Sakura took a preparational sigh, knowing somehow that this conversation was going to come sooner or later.
"Well to be honest Sasuke, after waking up alone, crying myself to sleep night after night, spending weeks, years training, praying that you would come back… I just can't force myself to care like I used to."
Sakura's response was cold, but he could tell she wasn't being spiteful. Her voice was tired. Though he didn't think it was possible, perhaps she was just as tired as he was. Sasuke was tired of the fighting. Tired of having to live the ninja life. Though he still wanted nothing more than to kill his older brother, he knew very well that it would never bring him peace. There was no such thing as peace in the life of a ninja. Perhaps that was why Itachi had wanted him alive in the first place. Death was the only ultimate escape.
"I had never meant to hurt Team Seven, Sakura" Sasuke mumbled, finding he felt remorse for how it all ended. It wasn't just remorse, it was guilt. There was so much she didn't understand.
So much he needed to say that night, but couldn't. However, now that he had her alone, he knew it was time to set things straight
"Or you…" he specified, knowing that the distinction needed to be made.
As much as he tried to deny it, there was something more personal there that could never compare with strictly the betrayal of team seven. For Sakura, the hurt ran much deeper, on both sides. He had come to count and depend on her unconditional devotion.
"Yeah? Well thanks for that. It helps, now that we are all jacked up and crazy- at least I can check one thing off the list." Sakura joked, earning a small chuckle from Sasuke as well.
Sakura moved slightly towards Sasuke, grabbing a log and carefully adding it into the fire, "So in Kumo…did you miss…Team Seven?" she asked quietly, watching the fire dance and sway, contrasting against the darkness of the cave.
"I did. And to answer your unspoken question, I missed you as well." Sasuke whispered, looking at the medic that now sat beside him from a few feet's distance.
Her eyes widened, and she could not bring herself to meet his gaze. "…You did?"
"Every single day"
She gave a sad smile, staring into the fire silently. It was ironic how life worked out. Though Sasuke had always kept her at an arms length distance before, she had never stopped trying because she knew that somewhere deep down, he accepted her. He cared for her. As the years passed by, she wrote it off as misjudgment…
She had been right all along.
"You left me Sasuke. You left me alone, knocked out on a park bench, never so much as a letter or anything."
"I did what I had to." He replied simply, somehow not regretting the fact that he had told her the truth after all these years.
"You broke my heart." Sakura added in, finally looking up at the Uchiha.
His eyes were narrowed in thought, a dark obsidian that she was certain she would never see again, "It wasn't easy on me either Sakura."
Sakura stood up, her head spinning so fast she felt as though she were losing control, "Stop messing with me Sasuke! You've been gone for years now- you don't get to just appear and rewrite my entire past. If you cared so much than why didn't you stay- or let me go? I was willing to leave with you and you instead left me on the street!"
Sasuke stood up, inches in front of her, "You didn't know what you were asking of me Sakura! I felt as though I were selling my soul to the devil, do you really think I was going to drag you down with me, to a place that I could never protect you from?"
Sakura opened her mouth to speak, though Sasuke growled and covered her mouth with his hand, "It was tempting to bring you. You always believed in me…cared about me, for just being me. I loved your simplistic devotion, but I knew that I could never stay in Konoha, just like you could never live in my world."
He paused again, bringing his hand down from her face, taking a long pause before sitting down again, "I did what I thought was right."
Sakura stood there for a long time, fighting back tears as so much of her past was dug up against her will. Sasuke had…he did care. After all this time…
She sat down slowly, hoping to change the subject slightly. It was far too much to take in…
"And once we get out of this cave?"
"I am going to track down my brother, and you are going back with Team Seven, just as it should be."
"So that's it then?" Sakura stated, glaring at Sasuke, "You bring up all of that, make me question most of my life- then say nothing is going to change? That bullshit Sasuke!"
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, not being used to hearing Sakura's more…colorful language that Tsunade had thoroughly equipped her with.
The medic crossed her arms, rolling her eyes and turning towards the fire.
Sasuke was such a jerk.
He was toying with her again. Just because he could.
He probably didn't even mean a word of it.
As she continued attempting to disprove all of his words, Sasuke leaned forward, deciding that for once, he wasn't going to follow the norm. He was going to do something for himself, and no one else. He was going to prove the medic wrong.
He could feel Sakura's instant alert as he enclosed on her personal space, however didn't stop. He carefully closed his lips around hers gently, mentally saving each moment he could as he precisely moved his lips across hers. He felt the girl below him melt slightly, pause with hesitation, then finally wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him back with equal carefulness.
How he had dreamed of this moment for so long now, it was better than he had imagined. She was so small in his arms, yet she held such dangerous strength now. Her lips were sweet, warm…addictive.
She was hesitant at first, as if testing the waters, though Sasuke deepened the kiss quickly. He wanted more. He pulled Sakura closer to his core, feeling his blood begin to circulate in his veins quicker. He ran his tongue across the base of her lips, not even waiting a moment longer before entering into her mouth, claiming every space that his tongue could reach.
Sasuke bit back a slight moan as he felt Sakura pull on his hair slightly, her hands beginning to move across his scalp then down to his shoulders again. God she was so addictive. How he had managed to leave her behind then was a mystery, but now…she was quite the woman.
An attractive woman.
Sasuke moved his hands lower, pushing Sakura lower until she was lying against the floor. He hovered over her, noting the look of pure lust in her eyes with pride. Though she hid it well, she still found him attractive as well. He leaned down kissing her neck roughly; wanting so badly to just take her right there.
Sasuke stayed still for a moment or two, collecting himself. He would never take advantage of Sakura like that. Not in a situation like this. It was tempting to…but he cared about her far too much than to just use her like a cheap whore.
"Sasuke?" Sakura breathed, clearly confused
"Not like this Sakura…" he explained carefully, moving off from her and sitting aside her again.
Sakura found her face heating up, though knew he was right.
Sakura sighed,thoughts clouding her mind as she thought through everything . She found she felt betrayed…by Konoha. By everyone.
This.
This thing between her and Sasuke…
It was how things should be. How things should have been, but would never were. There would be no happily ever after, and no light at the end of the tunnel. They were ninja. Such things didn't exist for them.
As time moved on, the silence became comfortable again, and Sakura finally asked the question that had been on her mind for years, plaguing her night after night when she couldn't sleep.
"Do you ever wish things had turned out differently Sasuke? Not even between you and I- just life in general?"
"All the time." He responded, finding that Sakura did in fact know him much better than he gave her credit for. He had once criticized about not being able to understand him and his problems, though Sakura was such an intellect, the strain of politics and war had clearly scarred her as well.
When he looked into her eyes, she wasn't as lively as she was once. She was worn out and weary.
She too had seen the worst of injustices and deaths. That was one look Sasuke could identify with all too well.
A cold chill went through Sakura and she shivered slightly, almost gasping in shock when she felt Sasuke pull her into him. He held her tightly, not even saying a word as he held her.
For hours they stayed together in silence, just watching the fire burn together. What was there to say between them? They were born into a world that had taught them to kill. That violence wasn't just an answer, it was the ultimate answer. They were far too broken- forced to grow up in a dark twisted world that used them and destroyed them. For a ninja, this was as close as one could possibly get to happiness.
And somehow…that was enough for them both.
Come the morning, she would have enough chakra to break through the snow, and they would head their separate ways once more. All they had was this moment….and yet somehow, it was enough.
"Sasuke…"
"Un."
"What will you do when you defeat Itachi?"
Sasuke paused, staring at Sakura for a long moment, not even flinching as she repositioned herself and was now laying her head in his lap.
"What? Why?" he asked, finding that he had subconsciously began running a hand through her hair. He had always loved her hair, it was so exotic and captivating. It was softer than he remembered, or perhaps it was just because it had been so long he couldn't remember it like he used to.
"Well you have everything else planned out so well, yet when it comes to Itachi, it seems as though that's the end of your plans." Sakura explained, rolling over slightly and facing the fire again.
"I don't know…" Sasuke responded, knowing somehow that the conversation was over there.
Sakura allowed her mind to relax, knowing that she could trust Sasuke to let her sleep in peace. She wasn't certain if he would sleep or not, but she knew he would at least tend to the fire a while longer. She had always loved fire. She knew the risks that fire had, yet she always loved the warm feeling it left her with, and that cold aching that it always left when it went out. She allowed the heat to slowly allow flood her mind until she was fully asleep in the arms of her childhood love- perhaps the only man she could ever truly give her heart out to again.
Sasuke smiled to himself, looking down at the girl in his lap proudly.
Sakura.
After all this time, she still believed in him and supported him in a way that only she could. When she was around, it made him forget everything he was, and made it possible for him to be just him. Just Sasuke Uchiha.
That was all he had really ever wanted to be.
As he moved a strand of fallen hair out of the way, he gave a slight frown, knowing that he had once again lied to her.
He had told her that he didn't know what his plans were once Itachi was out of the picture, but that was a lie. He had always planned on reviving the clan, settling down- she knew that much at least. As time moved on however, the family plan had taken a back seat to revenge and was all but forgotten for a time.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, just like he had years ago before he left that night as he left the village of Konoha.
No- he had known long ago who his future was, but for now…
Sakura would just have to wait a while longer.
iiiii
oooo
The End
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