Note: This is a very new story of mine, but it's my baby. I am loving the way it's progressing in my mind at the moment.
Be kind and review. Even if you have nothing to say. As a writer, I feed off of reviews, and I appreciate every comment I recieve. I feel neglected if no one reviews!
Also, please let me know if you spot any grammar or spelling errors, I'm soloing this. I have no Beta, so if I missed anything, I apologize. This reminds me, if you're interested in being my beta, please let me know! I need a partner!
Let's see...
Pairing: Sasu/Saku, Slight Shika/Saku
Rating: Will be rated M. For Language and sexual themes.
Goal: Next chapter should be up in 2 weeks. In final editing stages right now.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story of course, but we should all know this!
Cigarette Smoke and Restraints
Surprisingly enough, Sakura didn't flinch at the sudden, abrasive contact that the man before her was offering. His long arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her close to his side with one firm tug. With her shoulder wedged under his arm, it was a very soothing gesture.
She didn't reject the touch, and she didn't respond to it, she simply allowed to it happen. She drew a small comfort from it's clumsiness. A pleasant fluttering sensation buzzed to life in her chest in a way that she hadn't experienced before. How long had it been since a boy besides Naruto had shown her affection? Offered her comfort and understanding? After a moment of initial stiffness, she leaned into him gingerly as they gazed out at Konoha.
The night above them was heavy, and as she looked out at the village she loved so much, she felt a sad kind of peace squeeze her. Those thatched roof tops that she was so used to seeing Naruto hop across, smiling back at her all the way. The market, and the academy that she had spent so many days and nights visiting. Ichiraku ramen shop, which never seemed to have the same spirit whenever Naruto was away on a mission. She often visited that place in his stead, and it never failed to cheer her up imagining him sitting there beside him with his pork ramen and a big, loving grin. The hospital that she had devoted endless hours of her time, had poured her heart into. The training grounds that held all of her precious memories underneath the shining sun with Naruto and even Sasuke, training back when they were genin. Working day and night to improve themselves. Looking at those trees, those worn down stumps and open fields, always reminded her of Naruto's profound growth, Sasuke's natural talent and determination, and the nights she had spent with her shishou working until she thought she might break from exhaustion. Out in the distance her eyes caught the sight of their past heroes, the Hokage Monument which she hoped with all of her heart that she would see her best friends face upon one day. All of these things looked back up at them under the melancholy moon.
"I'm scared," She breathed, "that everything's going to change." His breathing was a steady rhythm beside her. The rise and fall of his chest familiar and calm, and his fingers flexing their hold against her upper arm, despite their support, gave her little reprieve. "Tomorrow everything will change."
He didn't reply with an uplifting promise of how he was certain he could make everything better, like Naruto would have. He remained grounded and reliably honest, and that was something that she had come to love about him. "Sitting around and worrying about it won't help. Thing's are going to work out, if they're meant to be. No sense in worrying about it, Sakura." It was a promise, made in his own way. Maybe not as untiring and powerful as Naruto's promises, but at least she could feel it in her bones. She could feel his honesty, and she could tell that it was the best he could do. She knew that he would be right beside her. As she was fighting to save the people, and the home, they both loved so much. As she tried her hardest to save every life that she came across in danger of being lost in the hospital. When she had to stay up late with Tsunade, and whenever Naruto or any of their other friends needed her. He would be there whenever she needed him. "Don't worry about it..." He ghosted, his eyes growing distant.
He wouldn't let her down. She had come to trust this man. To draw companionship from his silence, and awkwardness.
She twisted out of his grasp and turned to face him. His dark eyes, heavy lidded as they always were, held hers unfalteringly. "I can't promise that everything will be okay, but I can say that I won't let you down, and neither will Naruto." He dug around in his pocket for a cigarette, lighting it and taking a drag before he continued. His words were carried on the cloud of smoke off into the night sky, dissipating in a mystifying way. "Tsunade trusts you with her life, and there isn't a civilian or shinobi in Konoha who doesn't know and respect you. So stop worrying about this. You'll pull through."
She sighed, her heart warmed by his conviction, but her mind picking apart his kind words with harsh criticisms.
She wanted to listen to his advice and draw comfort, but she just couldn't be truly satisfied. After all, tomorrow wasn't just the beginning of any normal day. Tomorrow he would be here.
She brought a hand up to her chest and clutched the necklace that Naruto had given her. Looking at it brought up both fond, and woeful memories.
Tomorrow Sasuke would be here. Sasuke would be here in Konoha. So many nights spent dreaming of the moment he would return. The time had come, and that moment would be rising with the sun, but it was only bringing her dread. Yamato, Sai, and of course, her wonderful Naruto, were bringing him back tomorrow. They had succeeded in capturing Sasuke, and we're currently on the way back. They should be back by the morning light.
She let out a heavy sigh, and before her, her newest treasure in life didn't offer another word of unnecessary repetitive comfort. He simply stood with her in companionship smoking a cigarette under the moon. He wouldn't go anywhere, and he wouldn't complicate things with yet more words that she wouldn't agree with. He had said his peace, and would now stand with her for one reason; So she didn't have to be alone, which his intelligent eyes had picked up on as her weakness.
She didn't like to be alone, so he would offer her companionship, and it was something she appreciated more than she could ever explain to him.
"Thanks Shikamaru."
The last thing Sasuke remembered was laying on the flat of his back, gazing up into the blue eyes of his once best friend, that had haunted his memory so many days and nights of his life.
He had lost. An overwhelming flood of self loathing, pathetic cowardice, and failure hit him like a ton of weigh pressing down on his chest.
He became aware of the fact that he couldn't move. Not for a reason he would have assumed. Not because the pain was too intense, in fact, he felt far better than he logically should, all things considered. He couldn't move because his hands were restrained, along with his ankles, legs and torso. Strapped down like a rabid beast.
The urge to struggle against them became too intense to squelch. He tried to see how far he could rise, how much slack those straps had allowed him, only to find that he was definitely not going anywhere. Panic would have set in if a noise somewhere in the room hadn't alarmed him.
In attempting to open his eyes, he was rewarded with sustained darkness. His eyes were covered by a cloth that was dark enough to let no light penetrate.
He focused his attention on that sound, clinging to it like his sanity depended on it. Being deprived of all his sense but his hearing, perhaps it did. He realized how it looked, suddenly stiffer than a board, barely breathing and suspiciously quiet, but his instincts had completely taken over.
Listening to any real indication that the person in the room had realized his alertness, he noticed nothing in particular. If they knew he was hanging on to their every movement, they didn't seem to care. The very soft sound of foot steps in a scattered form, walking no where in particular. He recognized the sound of nervous pacing fairly well. Whoever was sharing this room with him was clearly uncertain of what to do next, but they most certainly weren't worried about him.
The unknown presence in the room was suddenly overtaken by several pairs more. At least three more people had entered rather loudly.
He stiffened at the sound of a familiar, deep voice. "Uchiha Sasuke. Let's get this over with." A humorless, dry tone. The shuffling of feet brought the voice closer, as well as the smell of cigarette smoke. "It is in your best interest to answer every question we ask, honestly, and without hesitation or disregard of details."
Sasuke gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to wrestle against his restraints again.
Why was he so weak? If he hadn't lost his battle, he wouldn't be here. If Naruto hadn't bested him, he would be the one affronting. Instead, he was strapped to a fucking table! He once again felt overwhelmed with self disgust.
"Do you understand me?" The recognizable, dull voice scraped against Sasuke's already dangerously low nerves like metal grinding against metal.
In a small display of insolence, he turned his head away from the direction of the voice, as far as the leather strap holding his forehead to the table would allow.
There was a small stretch of silence in which no one in the room moved even slightly, and Sasuke found that he was holding his breath as he waited for the only person he knew for certain, to speak.
It had been years, 6 or 7 at least, since he had seen or heard tale of Shikamaru Nara, but yet here he was. He recognized the voice without fail. He would know it anywhere. Indifferent, yet incredibly wise, and tactical. That was what worried Sasuke most about Nara. He could always sense an underlying purpose to all of his words. They may have sounded bored and lazy, but Sasuke always had the feeling that deep down, he was searching. He was looking, probing, hoping for the answers he wanted. That was the problem with Nara. He was a strategist in battle, an adept Shogi player, and Sasuke assumed he applied those things to his every thought and action. One never really stopped being an expert strategist.
He would use extreme caution around the shadow wielder. Especially in a situation that left him as vulnerable as this one.
A deep sigh dusted across Sasuke's cheek, smoke and displeasure coloring it. In his mind, he imagined a picture of a very unhappy man.
"How troublesome."
"You should know, Uchiha," A second voice snapped against Sasuke's senses like a whip, and he found it difficult to keep the surprise away from his face. He tensed as the very deep, and calm voice began again, "your cooperation is not necessary. This interrogation will proceed with or without your consent. However, if you wish to have an opportunity to come out of this room alive, I suggest you attempt to play nice."
He could vaguely say that he recognized the voice, but no face or name surfaced in his memory. It was marginally disturbing that this other man which he did not know was in the room. He knew how to react when assuming Shikamaru Nara was before him, leading the way. With another in the room, it greatly diminished his control over the situation.
Suddenly, he was fairly concerned with trying to pinpoint just how many others were in the room, and if he knew them.
Shikamaru Nara. This much he was certain of. The looming presence just to his right side, reeking of smoke, and indifference. This man he knew for certain.
He noted that the man who had just spoken was the farthest away from him. The voice, though sounded familiar, struck no further cord of recognition in his mind.
To his left, he heard the softest of all the footing, the very first person to enter his room, and the one who was previously pacing nervously. This person, was breathing heavily, and was close enough that he almost hear their heart beat.
He could sense one other presence in the room, but they also had said nothing, and gave no tale tell sign for him to distinguish.
"So what gives?" Nara's voice invaded Sasuke's ears, and the disdain he felt grew tenfold. "Are you going to cooperate, or should we tell the Hokage that you'll be choosing the death sentence?" Funny, he had never known Nara to have such a dry sense of humor.
"Hn." He grunted, and he found himself incredulous at the voice he heard next.
"That's a yes, right?" A very jagged, scary emotion tore through him. Naruto! One of the people in the room was Naruto!
How had Naruto been in the room for so long and he hadn't known it? This time, he was sure the emotion did play across his face. Shock, followed by uncontrollable anger. The self loathing was present also, like an ugly, raging monster inside of him
"They actually let an idiot like you into an interrogation room?" He tried to keep his voice an even tone of disgust, but he was sure it sounded less than impressive. How intimidating could he be strapped to a table and blindfolded?
Naruto's shuffling feet came up beside Nara and his nervous laughter filled Sasuke with dread. "Come on Sasuke, just agree. Tell them what they need, so you can come back. You belong hereā¦" He said quietly.
Sasuke's knuckles went white with pressure, and he felt a jab in his heart. How could he be expected to just come back to this village? Especially after being defeated and dragged back here. It was too much to ask of him.
"You don't know anything." He stated blandly, and Naruto seemed to be holding his breath. He felt as if he were submerged under freezing cold water.
There was something very familiar about what Naruto said next. "I know we need you back, teme." There was a sad silence that carried through the room.
Sasuke felt a sharp pain in his chest. How could be forgive Naruto for defeating him? How could he forgive himself for everything he had done, and just resume life in Konoha like nothing had happened?
Nara's voice had taken an unkind tone when he spoke again, more resentment than Sasuke thought he was capable of producing. "Uchiha Sasuke, do you willingly confess to the murder of Uchiha Itachi, Sanin Orochimaru, and countless other shinobi, allied and rogue over the past 8 years?"
Sasuke released a sigh. "Yes."
Someone where to his left there was a very feminine sigh of relief that fluttered across his skin, and with it, he felt his heart freeze. Who would find relief in that admission? And why did that tone of voice sound so familiar.
"The only easy part of this will be your cooperation, Uchiha." The other voice in the room, the older man who had scalded him earlier spoke now, "Now we have to document all of your terribly misguided crimes. So let's start with the beginning." His voice became louder as he came closer, and with him, dread buried itself in Sasuke's chest.
"Tell me about the night you became a missing-nin. Tell me what beckoned you to betray your team members, and your village."
Absolute darkness took him, filling his chest and blackening his heart. He did not want to tell this story. Somewhere within the corners of his mind, he recognized the night he left Konoha as being one of his darkest regrets. He swallowed his pride as he began his story, unsure of why he was telling it at all, but by this point, reliving it either way. It was too late now.
