a/n: Initially written for SSM, but I never got to finish it on time. Then I forgot all about it. A big thanks to smos and the general girl for reading this through. YOU'RE AWESOME.
Scent
by: cutecrazyice
. . .
The scent of spicy chicken wafted through the air tantalizingly, bringing about buyers in the marketplace that was usually less crowded over the weekends. The source of the crowd was a new food stall, right in the middle of other stalls containing jewelries, fruits, and some native trinkets and basic necessities. Smart move, really, because when you thought about it, people who shopped grew hungry and looked for food – and people who ate and were well fed became happy and shopped some more.
Sasuke usually hated crowds, but this time, he didn't mind so much. They were lying low until the war was completely over, and for their team of mismatched misfits, crowds usually meant less attention – that is, if they kept their weapons and special abilities hidden. That had been Suigetsu's problem in the beginning until Sasuke (and a screaming Karin) finally managed to convince him that bringing his sword around proudly (and threatening anyone, even civilians, who dared look at him oddly) was not the synonym of lying low.
Now, the four members of Akatsuki looked around them in silence, weapons hidden somewhere safe and outfits resembling those of civilians.
"Well," Karin announced without preamble. "I'm off to the weapons shop." She made a move to step forward, then stopped, placing one hand on her hip and giving Sasuke her patented sultry look. "Care to join me, Sasuke-kun?"
Suigetsu scoffed. "What are you talking about? I'm pretty sure the only weapon you want to see is the one attached to Sasuke's bod-eeeouch!"
After hitting the shark-man with a particularly painful elbow jab on the ribs, Karin left in a huff, cheeks pink and expression angry.
"Damn woman," Suigetsu muttered, rubbing his skin and wincing. Then his eyes focused on something and his whole stance brightened. "Heeey, I see some nice-looking girls in the flower stall there. What do you say we charm their sandals off, Juugo, buddy? Want to come, Uchih – oh, never mind. You'll just steal the spotlight, as usual."
And then they were off, with Suigetsu dragging the giant man and said giant man looking like he wanted to be nowhere near those girls.
Contemplating, Sasuke tried to organize his thoughts to determine his first priority for the day. It had been a long time since his priority had not involved lines like killing somebody, avenging somebody and destroying somebody, and he was sort of lost. Eyes straying towards three jumbled stalls, he decided.
He went to the fruit stall.
It was a colorful section, with apples and bananas and all kinds of fruits for sale at cheap prices – not that he cared, because he was already eyeing the wonderful stack of tomatoes that beckoned to him like no other fruit could. Picking up the one on top, he held it close to his eyes for scrutiny, looking for the slightest scratch or blemish. There was none, so he placed one hand inside his pocket, searching for the silver coin of the correct amount—
"Sir, can you tell me what these flowers are? They smell familiar."
—and froze.
"Those are lilacs and peonies, miss. The ones beside them are sweet peas."
Without thinking, Sasuke reached for his sword at the same time he remembered that they had hidden it somewhere to avoid detection. He had altered appearance, hadn't he? He had concealed his chakra, too, and had changed his movement patterns enough to dissuade any suspicion.
Sakura would never recognize him.
Silently willing his hand to relax, but his mind to stay alert, he listened in on the conversation, not daring to turn his head. There were some appreciative noises behind him, followed by questions to the vendor.
"No wonder they smell familiar. And they're really fragrant!"
"They only come from the best seeds, miss."
"How much are they?"
The vendor muttered a price, to which Sakura made another set of appreciative noises. It bothered him slightly how she was just as cheerful as always, with everything going on in their village right now and the threat still hanging over their world in general. Even with Madara gone, under Sasuke's own hands, it still wasn't safe. There was still Kabuto, among others.
But everything was forgotten at Sakura's next words.
"Can you tell me what colors I have in my hand?"
Without meaning to, Sasuke's head swiveled, catching a flash of pink hair and colorful flowers gripped gently in ivory hands. It was too late to turn back, and it wasn't like he could, because his gaze had strayed to where her eyes should have been, and it was too much of a shock for him to ignore.
They were a clear white. The greens were gone.
The vendor, who had been busy assisting another customer, came back to her and finally answered her question. Sakura burrowed her nose in the flowers and sniffed, a small smile on her lips. Then she dug in her pockets for some change, awkwardly feeling them out with her thumb to find the correct coin amount. Upon thanking the vendor, she reached out her other hand beside her, taking hold of a wooden cane that was perched beside the stall and using it in front of her as she slowly began to walk away from the place. From him.
It took Sasuke a minute to comprehend what he had witnessed, and to absorb. It took him another to realize that the beating in his ears wasn't from an outside source, but somewhere inside. Trying to reign it in (because really, outside there was no change in his reaction), he finally realized that someone was speaking to him.
"Boy, you're crushing my tomato!"
And he was. Sasuke stared at the wilted fruit in his hand before absently getting his coins and paying quickly. He left the tomato in its original place and turned his attention back to where he had spotted her walking away. The space was empty, except for some strangers walking by who didn't have a single strand of pink on their head.
"What the…that dull lady didn't give me the correct amount!"
The outraged shout of the flower vendor was enough to have several of the people turn in his direction, including Sasuke. Without thinking, he spoke.
"Then maybe you should pay attention before you let a customer go."
The old man glared at him. Sasuke merely stared back, unwilling to let the man know his own surprise at his words, and his fury at himself for meddling in the first place. Who was she, anyway? An old teammate, really, who he hadn't seen since the war had started and who he never wanted to see again. They were his past, and he didn't want to look back anymore.
She was blind. Somewhere along the years, she had become blind.
It wasn't his business.
"Kenji, what are you doing glaring at a poor old man like that? Brother, you need to learn to control your temper sometimes."
Suigetsu's clear voice penetrated through Sasuke's thoughts as he placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and comfortably rolled the alias in his tongue.
"Kenji, seriously. Let's leave the man alone."
The man in question kept on glaring, fisting the coins in his hand. "Are you this boy's brother?" he asked Suigetsu.
"Yes, sir," the shark boy replied.
"How are you related to that stupid girl?"
"What girl?"
"The one your brother was defending!" the man snapped.
Suigetsu blinked, then tried to keep a straight face. "I have no idea what you're talking about, sir. She is the only female we have with us – not that she looks female, but she really is – ooooouch!"
"Shut up," Karin hissed, pinching his arm menacingly. "What's the matter, Kenji-kun? Did somebody hurt my baby?"
"Are you his mother?" Suigetsu snapped.
"I said shut up!"
The noise was giving him a headache. Ignoring everyone, Sasuke simply said to Juugo that he would be back in an hour or two, and that nobody should follow him. Juugo nodded his head, half-occupied with the brewing fight between the always-bickering shark boy and red-haired girl.
Sasuke slipped away before they could notice.
. . .
It took him ten minutes to find Sakura, and to confirm that he really wasn't hallucinating. As quietly as possible, still baffled by the realization unfolding before him, he followed her as she walked the village with one hand gripping the flowers she bought, the other gripping her pointy cane, and her pace as relaxed as if she had all the time in the world. She turned her head slightly in the direction of children to her right, hearing their laughter and the way their slippers pounded as they ran around and played. She sat on a bench for around five minutes, burying her nose in the flowers again before counting them one by one, her hands hesitant in their movements. Standing up, she began to make her way towards the southern part of the village, where no children were out and most of the shops were downright shady-looking.
No one bothered her.
It was time for him to go. She obviously knew what she was doing, and he had no reason to keep trailing after her anymore. Nobody knew they were here.
Taking a step back from the lamp post he leaning in, Sasuke turned around and prepared to go back to the marketplace when she spoke.
"Why are you following me?"
He didn't exactly freeze, but surprise flitted across his face for a second before he could tamp it down.
Silence.
"I can feel you," Sakura continued, tone thoughtful. "Your chakra is faint, so I can't recognize it. But I know you've been following me."
Silence.
"Are you planning to mug me or something?"
Sasuke thought it was useless to remain quiet at this point. Toning his voice to sound different, he replied, "I'm not mugging someone who can't even pay for the flowers she bought."
Her face remained expressionless, though her hand slackened its hold on said flowers.
"That's impossible," she scoffed. "And what are you, then? The errand boy? I'm not paying a single cent. I paid for this already. Leave me alone."
She began walking again, away from him. Something about her gait had him narrowing his eyes, coming to a further conclusion – which, in turn, caused him to speak instead of shutting up.
"You used to be a kunoichi."
She stiffened, gripping her cane tighter.
"What makes you think I'm not anymore?"
Staying still, Sasuke observed her from head to toe, noting the semi-pristine white dress and civilian slippers.
"You're limping, and you're using chakra to make sure no one notices it – but not enough to completely disguise it, or cure your limp. And you can't see. Unless you're undercover, then I'd say you're a former kunoichi."
She visibly bristled at that, but calmed down enough to face him. "If that is a challenge, then I accept."
He scoffed. "I'm not fighting a blind girl."
A ghost of a smile appeared on her face. "That's good. You're not here to kill me, then. See you around."
Where was she off to? Was she really blind, or was this some sort of ploy? Sasuke considered for a split second before deciding to test it out. Without sound, he moved until he was standing in front of her.
She looked in his direction, but not in his eyes.
"Stop following me," she ordered calmly.
He remained silent. The irritation on her face was becoming clear as she determinedly walked forward, sidestepping him. The move was so flawless that his hand reached out before he could stop himself, wrapping around her wrist and feeling the silk and tender bones. It occurred to him that this was the first time he had touched her in a long time, and wondered why such a thought would come to his mind.
She paused at the touch, the unexpected warmth. He tried to ignore it, and concentrate on the way her frown deepened, and her hand tightened on her cane as she swung it at him with precision, aiming for his face.
He easily dodged it and took the object from her, one hand still on her. He tried to bring her closer, but she resisted, glaring now.
Then, as if changing her mind, she lunged at him.
It was such a childish move that he had no choice but to counteract it as if fighting a kid with a tantrum – by using her impact to take hold of her and sling her over his shoulder, then try to settle her back on her feet. But before she could fully reach the ground, she was already kicking at him, using her uninjured foot and landing on her other one.
There was almost a wince of pain, but she schooled her face into an expression of determination and annoyance.
"Leave me alone and give me back my cane."
"Go home to your village," he countered.
"Leave me alone and give me back my cane," she repeated.
"…go home."
"Leave me alone and give me back my – what, no, I—"
"Quiet," he hissed, one hand already clamping over her mouth and the other wrapping around her waist as he jumped and took her with him, leaving the cane behind and crowding them into the nearest wall in a semi-dark, hidden alley.
There had been a spike of chakra that didn't belong to Suigetsu, or his team, or any of the Leaf nin that he'd been acquainted with when he was young. It was suspicious, to say the least – but one look at her shocked face had him reevaluating the situation, and realizing that she was as vulnerable as an infant if she stayed in this place with no protection. Her pink hair alone advertised who she was, and her powerful connections with the Hokage.
With the nine-tailed fox.
He then realized that she was holding on to his shirt with fisted hands, and was not letting go. The mild scent of creamy mangoes drifted through his senses, reminding him of laughter and kids, of black masks and a memory that didn't quite vanish like he wanted it to. It took him a few seconds to process that his mouth was near her cheek, and his nose was touching her hair. She turned her head until her mouth was near his, despite her not knowing it.
She exhaled shakily, warm breath wisping out, crossing an invisible line.
He pulled back abruptly.
Obsidian eyes met white, and there was something almost like recognition in hers, despite the lack of pupils.
"You feel familiar," she whispered, fisted hands opening. Her palms felt smooth, yet scarred, over his shirt.
He removed them and scoffed, feeling angry. Did she always trust strangers so easily? What was wrong with her? "Blind people will always try to see everything as familiar."
"It's not that," she replied.
"Go home."
"I said—"
"Go. Home."
She sighed. "I don't know where it is."
His silence must have expressed his disbelief, because she added, "I mean, I know where it is, obviously – but I don't even know where I am. The villagers keep telling me to stop asking questions and rest and—"
"Stop telling strangers these things—"
"I don't think you're a stranger," she countered. "You feel…you feel like this person I knew. Years ago. But…you can't be him."
He inwardly froze. The question was out of his mouth before he could stop himself.
"Why?"
She smiled sadly. "He kills his friends. I'd have been dead already."
He locked away whatever answer he may have had to that.
Hesitantly, she moved away from the wall, one hand reaching out to touch his face. "Who are you?"
He took her wrist again before it could reach him, turning off all thoughts of that familiar warmth he felt in her skin earlier. She was no longer anything to him.
She'd never been anything but a part of his past, one he would never visit again.
With a flick of movement, he brought her closer and placed one hand at the back of her neck. She stiffened, her own hands automatically going for his wrists, ready to inflict chakra into his pressure points. Ah. Maybe she still knew how to defend herself, after all.
A moment passed as she tried to assess the situation.
"You're not going to kill me." Her voice didn't tremble. It wasn't a question.
"No," he replied.
A pause.
"But you're not safe here."
Then before she could react, he pressed his fingers first, infusing his chakra and feeling her weight slump down. She would have fallen to the ground if not for him holding her up, watching as her eyes slowly drifted close.
There had been no time for her to recognize his chakra, nor for her expression to change. Looking around, he tried to feel out for the foreign chakra again.
It was gone.
He thought of leaving her on the bench she sat in earlier before dismissing it as entirely cruel, and potentially risky. He inwardly scoffed at the irony before hitching her up in his arms and walking away from the alley.
She felt light, and soft. He felt the muscles underneath the softness, and wondered—
He stopped those thoughts before they could form.
There was only one thing left to do.
. . .
Suigetsu watched their black-haired leader walk back to the marketplace with a steady, brisk gait and an unreadable expression.
"Where are the two?"
"Ice cream shop. It was the best thing I could think of to cool down that irritating nerd."
"Hn. We need to go."
The silver-haired man observed Sasuke carefully as he said his next words.
"So that pink-haired girl…"
Silence.
"Heard she's a missing nin, three weeks back. Apparently she botched up some mission and never returned to the leaf village."
Silence. Tilting his head, Suigetsu kept observing.
"I didn't tell you because I thought you wouldn't care, anyway."
"I don't." The Uchiha's reply was blunt.
"Ah. Figured. So you wouldn't mind if we take her with us? She's pretty valuable. We can lure the kyuubi vessel, or even demand some terms from their Hokage. They won't be hunting us down anymore."
"No."
The answer surprised the shark man. "But—"
"I said no. I sent the village messenger to Konoha so they'd know her whereabouts."
"WHAT THE—"
"We don't need a blind girl with us. She'd just be a burden."
Regarding Sasuke thoughtfully, Suigetsu carefully considered his next words before speaking.
"But why tell Konoha if she's just a burden? What's the point?"
Expression of apathy remaining, the Uchiha replied, voice cold and calm.
"So they won't hunt us down anymore." Then he turned around and left.
Suigetsu stayed where he was, wondering why he felt something odd about that statement. A second later, he finally realized why.
Sasuke had explained instead of saying his usual Hn.
He only did that when it was important.
. . .
An hour later, Sakura's eyes fluttered open.
"Ah, you're awake. Good. I was kind of worried about you."
Blinking, her blurry vision vanished and she saw Shikamaru sitting on a wooden chair beside the bed she was lying in, a frown marring his expression.
"Can you see me now?"
She blinked again, then squinted her eyes. "Yes. Yes, I can now."
"So your potion worked. Your vision is really back."
She smiled. "Of course my potion worked. What do you take me for?"
Shikamaru didn't smile back, moving his eyes in the direction beside Sakura. Curious, Sakura turned her head, too. Then she froze.
Beside her were the flowers she had bought, and her cane.
Quietly, Sakura picked up the flowers and sniffed them again. It overpowered the familiar scent of pine and hazy smoke, and made her slightly forget.
"It could be a peace offering," Shikamaru commented, eyeing her closely.
Sakura shrugged. "Or a challenge. We never know."
"True. I should never have brought up the plan. It was such a risk."
"Shikamaru, our job is to take that risk. It was a good plan."
"He could have killed you."
"Well, he didn't."
Throwing the flowers in the garbage can and removing the subtle chakra covering the green part of her eyes, Sakura blinked again. They watered but didn't hurt, which was a good thing.
"Sakura?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you sure you're okay?"
She tried to tell herself that she was fine, and everything was okay.
"Yeah. I'm okay."
She tried to tell herself her heart wasn't beating so fast, or that if it was, it was simply because of the adrenaline rush of almost getting killed.
"Shikamaru, I got the device in him now. We can track him."
He stared at her silently, hands in his pockets and stance calm. "You don't need to be so cold, you know."
"I'm not cold. I'm practical. We can't trust him."
Silence.
"Sakura."
"What?"
"You know we have to kill him, right? After we track Kabuto?"
A pause.
"Yeah. I know."
Another pause, before Shikamaru sighed and stood up to leave the motel room. Sitting up and touching the cane, Sakura closed her eyes and remembered one more time the way her ex-teammate smelled, and felt against her hands. The grief nearly overwhelmed her, making her hands tremble before she could stop it. Viciously willing her mind to calm down, she let chakra seep into her system, taking away the memory and the feeling that came with it.
A minute. Two. Then they were mentally locked, burrowed down where she could never find them again.
It was time to face reality.
A soft knock sounded on the door Shikamaru had just left in. Sighing, Sakura stood up, taking a kunai with her as she cautiously asked who it was.
"It's me," a male voice replied. It wasn't Shikamaru, but she knew who it was.
Her hand trembled again, but she steadied it, took a deep breath and opened the door.
Itachi stood on the other side.
a/n: I'm honestly not satisfied with this. D: I had a hard time writing Sasuke and his thoughts, as I wanted him to stay in character without being too psycho. I usually tend to stay in Sakura's head when writing SasuSaku, but this needed some Sasuke thoughts, imo.
Also, I was initially supposed to write a fight scene between Sasuke and Sakura, but I suck at fight scenes and chickened out at the last minute. Lol.
Um. Let me know what you think? If it sucked, tell me. If you liked it, tell me, too. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one. :)
P.S. Might be a twoshot or threeshot, but sticking to oneshot for now. The general girl told me I was being evil with the ending, but...yeah. Gotta think about the plot first, if this ever happens. Enjoy? :)
(alsoalsoalso, don't think I hate Karin! I just like having fun with her character, is all. No offense meant to all Karin-lovers out there)