A/N: SasuSaku fic. The usual. But this is different from the others, I tell you. You'll know in the later chapters. Oh, and standard disclaimers apply.
It was completely dark in her room. She glanced outside her bedroom window, looking at the still dark sky. She positioned herself against the headboard of her bed and crossed her arms on her chest.
Then he came into her mind.
Why was he back again?
Oh, right. He had already killed Itachi.
But when he walked into the gates of Konoha, with her looking at him from high on the trees, she couldn't help but sense the same old feeling coming back to her again.
She remembered just how he still managed to notice her presence as he looked up to her with strange stoic eyes. He was badly beaten then, but she didn't seem to care, as she leaped down to the ground and with a brief glance at him, walked away briskly.
She frowned to herself as she stared in the dark.
Of course, Naruto might have brought him to the hospital. And she couldn't help but worry about her ex-crush…
Quietly walking to her closet, she changed her clothes before walking out of her room and out of her apartment.
--
It was just past two in the morning and the sky is still dark. Sakura stared ahead as she listened to the only thing that could be heard—her silent footsteps. She didn't even think of where she was supposed to go; her feet already knew where to bring her.
She looked to her side.
Naruto's house…
With a small smile, she looked up his window and saw that his lights were already on… or rather still on. Naruto had become quite serious with improving his skills. How he manages to do it in his small room was unknown to Sakura.
After a couple of turns and walking by closed stores and a few houses, Sakura stopped in front of what seemed to be a place that had been abandoned for a long time.
To her surprise, she saw a figure standing across her.
"Sakura…"
Take Me Away
By: Vanity-chan
Sakura stared at his form, the wind blowing his black hair against his face. She couldn't see him clearly from where she was standing, since it was still dark and the moon is still up there in the sky.
She smiled slightly.
"Sasuke…"
Uchiha Sasuke smirked to himself as he noticed how she called him with not even uttering the suffix that she had always added to his name back then when they were young. He gazed at her form, her skin faintly glistening because of the fading moonlight.
He walked a couple of steps, making sure that he was near enough for them to see each other clearly.
"What are you doing here?"
Sakura blinked at him. "Why? Do I need to have a reason to visit an old friend?"
Sasuke noted how she emphasized the last two words, as if wanting to knock some sense into him.
"Hn. At this time?" He smirked. She sure got him amused.
"Well… yeah. Got a problem with that?"
Now he IS completely amused, but he won't show it, of course. Sakura never talked to him like that back then… But then again, this is now, and people change.
Just as how she's changed. He mused.
Sasuke shook his head slightly. "Not really. It's just that I didn't expect you to come."
Well, it was half-true. He didn't know that she will come, not until he felt a sudden feeling about someone coming to his abode to see him. And he wasn't surprised it was her.
Sakura nodded faintly. "Okay. Can I… come inside?"
Sasuke turned his back on her and walked into his house. Sakura took this as a yes, seeing as he didn't complain when she walked to his side.
Sakura eyed the oddly clean room, with the walls all free of dust, the cabinet located in the corner of the room closed ever so nicely, the simple bed neatly arranged and the things arranged orderly on the desk next to the bed.
She snickered.
Is this really Sasuke's room?
She obviously didn't expect it to be this clean.
Sasuke turned to her with confused eyes as she continued to laugh. He leaned by the door with hands on his pockets and raised an eyebrow at her.
"What's so funny?"
Sakura blinked at him and then fought the urge to laugh again. Clearing her throat, she spoke, "Your room is so clean, Sasuke."
Sasuke nearly rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Sakura. You're annoying."
She decided to ignore him and looked around his room again. Sasuke noted that she is the kind of person that easy to amuse, since his room was nothing but a plain old space wherein he sleeps and rests, changes his clothes and those kinds of stuff. He didn't even put any decorations in it, saying that it's not important in his life.
Nothing had been important in his life anyway, with revenge as an exception.
"We could've stayed in the living room, you know. Why my room?" He decided to ask out of curiosity.
Sakura shrugged and smiled at him, too bright a smile that he averted his eyes. But he noticed that her expression suddenly changed, as if she remembered something.
"Why…"
Sasuke turned to look at her. Her eyes held sadness in them.
"Why did you decide to come back?"
He continued to look at her as she avoided his gaze this time. She walked to his desk and fingered the framed picture of Team 7, when they were still twelve.
"I mean, you could have stayed there with Orochimaru, but still you—"
"Don't you want me here?"
Sakura looked up at him with wide eyes. He smirked, knowing full well that he's making her confused by this time. She was an easy person, as he had expected her to be, after years of being away. But somehow, she's changed, in a way that he didn't know if he'd like or not.
Scratch that, she changed into a better person.
"I've already accomplished my goal. I don't care if I die anytime. I could even kill myself. I don't have anyone anymore."
Sakura gazed down at her feet. What he was saying… she, of course, didn't want that to happen. She even trembled at the thought.
"But you couldn't die. You should not die, Sasuke."
Determinedly, she looked directly at his eyes, taking a couple of steps. Her knuckles turned white as she tightened both her hands. She can't take it. Even if ho wmuch she'd tried to forget about her feelings for him, it's something that will remain in her heart forever, no matter how much she try to avoid it.
It's unavoidable, inescapable, indisputable… no matter what you call it, it stays.
It stays…
And the old Sakura who's pathetic and weak didn't change. Her stupidity stayed.
What more can she do but play along with it?
"You still have me."
"But you shouldn't send him on missions yet!"
Shizune glared at Tsunade across the table, as she continued her paperwork calmly, not even sparing Shizune a single glance.
Kakashi stood amused behind a furious Shizune, watching how she bellowed at the Godaime who seems to ignore everything she says. Strange… isn't Tsunade the one who loses her patience easily and Shizune is the one who holds her back from doing something regretful?
But it sure is the other way around now.
He stared from the furious Shizune and then to Tsunade who nonchalantly continues her paperwork, secretly fingering the sake that was on her lap. Shizune didn't even noticed it, didn't she?
Kakashi fought the urge to laugh. What an amusing Hokage they have.
But come to think of it, Shizune is right.
Kakashi placed a hand on Shizune's shoulder and she looked over her shoulder and stared angrily at him.
With a smile, he said, "I'll handle it."
Shizune took a step back hesitantly to let him speak with Tsunade. This time, the fifth Hokage looked up from her work. Placing a lazy hand below her cheek, she stared at him through half-lidded eyes.
"What the hell do you want, Kakashi."
Shizune scoffed. Tsunade was purposely provoking her, that's for sure. Taking another step back, she decided it's best to leave it to Kakashi to do it. Tsunade was like a child that's hard to handle, and now, Shizune was losing her patience.
"I suggest that you don't let Sasuke go on a mission alone. I will—"
"Can't you understand why I chose him to do the mission? There are no more available chuunins and jounins to do the job. Genins can't go on a mission like this and since—"
"Hokage-sama, why don't you let your student go with him?"
Tsunade sighed annoyingly. She perfectly knew that he was going to say that. But she thought that Sakura might want some time away from the younger Uchiha, and she didn't want Sakura to fuss over these problems when she's badly needed in the hospital.
She glared at Kakashi. Talk about persistence.
Pushing the pile of papers, she stood up.
"Hatake Kakashi, you—"
"I believe that Sakura isn't busy at the moment—"
"You already cut my sentences twice, Kakashi."
"We are not talking about how many times I cut you off."
Tsunade crossed her arms over her chest.
"Kakashi, Sakura is needed in the hospital if just in case the other ninjas go back to Konoha wounded. She is the best medic-nin in town."
Kakashi thought of considering what she said. But still, Sasuke is still on probation, and Tsunade letting him go on a mission, especially on a mission like this,isn't going to help. But no one seems to be available at the moment to even just accompany Sasuke on his mission.
Kakashi sighed.
"What do you call Shizune if she couldn't help in the hospital? Did she become your apprentice just for nothing?"
Tsunade sat down, defeated. "Have it your way, Kakashi."
"Of course." Kakashi muttered before leaving.
Shizune blinked at the suddenly thoughtful Hokage. "But… Tsunade-sama, I thought you gave the other chuunins and jounins vacation for some days?"
Tsunade grinned at her sheepishly. She placed the sake on her desk, opened it, and gobbled it up.
"Trickery is my way, Shizune."
Shizune could do nothing but sweat-drop.
"Sakura-chan!"
Sakura groggily sat up from her bed, hearing the loud knocking on her door and the oh-so familiar voice of the one outside, calling her like there's no tomorrow. Only one person will be that energetic in the morning. And only one person comes to see her every morning and can put up with her super human strength.
Opening her bedroom window, she glared down at Naruto who continued pounding on her door.
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS? IT'S GODDAMN SIX IN THE MORNING!"
Naruto blinked back with his blue eyes.
"But you always wake up at five, Sakura-chan."
Sakura groaned and closed the window. She then heard Naruto shouting.
"Are you coming down, Sakura-chan?!"
She ran a hand through her hair in annoyance. "YES! JUST WAIT!"
She rolled her eyes, walking groggily to the bathroom and slamming the door behind her. She shrieked in frustration.
"He's so noisy so early in the morning…"
"SAKURA-CHAN! ARE YOU OKAY IN THERE?"
Sakura and Naruto walked to Sasuke's house in silence. After Sakura bonked him on the head (things never change) and with an exchange of shouting (more of Sakura's side), they ended up walking to Sasuke's house together.
Naruto told her that Kakashi-sensei wanted to meet her and Sasuke, saying that there's a mission for them.
Excluding Naruto.
Which made the said guy whine in protest all the way to Sasuke's house.
Sakura chuckled to herself. She wondered why Kakashi told Naruto about their mission, when he knew that Naruto will react that way.
Well, he always reacts that way, even if it's not a situation like this.
"Here we are." Naruto said rather excitedly.
Sakura, on the other hand, gulped in nervousness. She just can't act normally after what happened last night. Her confidence fades when she's around Uchiha Sasuke.
I thought I've changed for the better? Why am I like this now?
Walking to Sasuke's door, Naruto was about to knock when the door was opened, and his fist was caught by Sasuke's hand.
"Dobe…"
"Don't call me dobe, teme!" Naruto pulled his hand from him.
"Don't call me teme, usuratonkachi."
"NANI? I came all the way here to tell you of something important and this is what I get from you?"
Sasuke eyed him confusedly. "Why would you know of something important before me?"
Naruto had a smug look on his face. "Because I'm better than you, dattebayo."
Sasuke was about to retort, when Sakura stood between them, with her hands on her hips.
"Shut up both of you because you're just wasting time." She said almost coldly, her chin held high and her nose up in the air.
Sasuke stared at her as if she is a different person, the exact opposite of the Haruno Sakura that he had grown to… scratch that… the exact opposite of the Haruno Sakura that he had known. He had still a lot to see of her. What she showed last night really left him bemused to no end.
"My, you're already gathered here. Just as I thought."
The three of them turned to look at the owner of the voice.
"Kakashi-sensei."
"Yo. How are you doing, Naruto, Sakura…" Kakashi paused.
"…Sasuke."
"What's up, Kakashi-sensei?"
"Ohayou, Kakashi-sensei."
"Hn."
Kakashi eyed each one of them before grinning behind his mask. Taking his eyes off from his orange book (though he still left it open), he crossed his arms.
"Okay, since we're all here, let's get down to business."
tbc…
A/N: Did you notice? The beginning was a bit serious… but when I continued, I suddenly had the urge to make it lighter, since I can't take writing a story continually grave. Che,.. never mind that. So what do you think? This just popped into my mind. It's not that different from the others, but I'll try to do so.
Maybe some of you already know about the mission.
Anyway, that's pretty much everything, so I'm already going since I have to update my other stories and everything…
Vanity-chan, out.
Oh, btw, please REVIEW.