Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.
(A/N) okay i posted this chap before but im extremly STUPID and only posted HALF of the chapter. so if you read this befor, you might want to read the part you havnt read yet... its good
well, on with the story. i hope you like it
Chapter 1: Revenge And Home
Time itself seemed to stand still. No one moved. No one took a breath. The four shinobi crouching in a tree above the clearing didn't dare blink. There focus was on the two entangled brothers. Who had won?
Sasuke and Itachi glared into each others crimson, one with pure loathing and regret, the other with satisfaction and pride.
Itachi took a quivering breath, "You have become strong Sasuke… I'm proud of you…"
After his final praising passed his cold lips, Itachi fell forward onto his younger brother. Sasuke pulled his arm back out of Itachi's chest and collapsed to his knees with his brother in his arms, ignoring the fact that he himself had a gaping whole in his side from earlier in the battle.
Sasuke gently laid his brother down on his back and for the last time gazed into the face of the man he once looked up to.
"Good bye brother." He whispered as he fell back, unconscious. Naruto caught him before he hit the ground.
"Sasuke! Sasuke, wake up!" he cried desperately, shaking his friedns' shoulders.
Sakura appeared on the other side of Sasuke's body and placed a hand on Naruto's, stopping his futile attempt to wake the unconscious man.
"Naruto, it's okay. Just let me handle this." She told him in a strong yea shaky voice. "Go stand back with Kakashi-sensei and Sai."
Naruto looked up at her with pleading eyes.
"Please, help him Sakura-chan." He whispered while standing up to join his other teammates a few feet away.
"I'll do what I can." She answered, not meeting his eyes.
Sakura placed her glowing green hands over the fatal wound in his stomach. Sasuke had a whole almost clean through his abdomen. She really had no ides how he could have possibly survived after this blow, let alone concentrate enough chakra for chidori to kill Itachi. If Sakura had to guess, it was his will to live to avenge his clan.
Slowly, Sasukes wound began to close and once it was healed enough to not be fatal, Sakura wrapped it up in bandages, then started on any gashes or cuts that might enable him to loose anymore blood than he already has.
After and hour of healing and excessive chakra use, Sakura was finished. She sat back and whipped the sweat off her brow and gave a vain attempt to catch her breath.
Naruto came running to her.
"Sakura-chan! What happened? Are you alright? Is he-"
"He's going to be fine Naruto." She cut in. "He's stable now, but we should get him back to Konoha as quickly as possible, just in case. I've passed my limit. I won't be able to do anything if something happens." She said, her eyes closed the entire time she spoke.
"Sakura, do you need someone to carry you back?" Kakashi asked, noticing her fatigue.
"No… I'll be fine." She said, pushing herself up to stand. With shack legs she stood straight up, eyes still closed. Sakura finally managed to open her eyes, though they were heavy and half-lidded. She took only one step before her eyes fell shut again and she plummeted forward to the ground beneath her.
Kakashi caught her just in time. He picked her up bridal style and turned towards Naruto and Sai.
"You two drab Sasuke and try not to reopen his wounds. If he looses anymore blood, he's dead. And Sakura is in no position to heal him."
Naruto and Sai nodded and went to go pick up Sasuke. They both draped one of Sasuke's arms around their neck and carried him in between themselves.
Once they got through the gate, Kakashi stopped and looked at Sai.
"Leave Sasuke with Naruto and go as quickly as possible to the Hokage to inform her that we have brought Uchiha Sasuke back and that we are bringing him to the hospital."
"Hai." He answered obediently then ducked from under Sasuke's arm and turned to Naruto with a fake smile. "Just make sure you don't drop him Dickless…"
But before Naruto could even open his mouth, Sai was already gone, so he simply muttered profanities under his breath as he and Kakashi sped through the streets of Konoha to the hospital.
"…Jackass…nicknames…kill…dickless…bastard…"
Kakashi shook his head at his former student. He half felt bad for the kid. Constantly being called "dickless" in public. Now there are plenty of things a man can just brush off, but if it's a blow to his pride and questioning the size or… existence of his manhood, then he has every right to be pissed. It was just wrong.
I think this is the only time Naruto has ever had the patience of a saint. By now I would have killed Sai… Kakashi thought to himself.
Naruto and Kakashi arrived at the hospital and everyone seemed to stop to stare at the unconscious, bloodied man in Naruto's arms, not able to believe whet they saw. He was back! Naruto brought him back.
"Why the hell are you all just standing around!? Prepare two rooms. One for a resting patient and the other for a missing-nin. Get an ANBU squad here as quickly as possible. Only a few selected nurses, team Kakashi, the ANBU squad, myself, and Shizune are the only ones permitted to enter Uchiha Sasuke's room. Everyone else is to stay clear of it until I get some answers. Understood?" Tsunade asked.
"Hai." The staff chanted.
"Good, now move!" she ordered.
The medic-nins all scattered. Four men took Sasuke and Sakura on stretchers and carried them to their rooms. Once things settled down, Tsunade turned to Kakashi and Naruto.
"What the hell happened?"
"Long story short, we found Sasuke and his companions. Sasuke and the two other men didn't want anything to do with us. Sasuke knew Itachi was near by." Kakashi started form behind his book. "the other one, Suigetsu I think his name was, seemed to want to get to the Akatsuki member Kisame, and the other man, Juugo, wanted to stay near Sasuke."
Tsunade raised and eyebrow, "Yes, and? That was only two of his companions. What about the third one?"
"Yes I was getting to that Hokage-sama."
"Don't get smart with me Hatake." She said sharply, beginning to loose her temper.
"My apologies… Anyway, the third one, Karin, strongly insisted that she fight Sakura-"
"Is that what happened to Sakura?" she cut in.
"No, of course not. Sakura told us to go up ahead and follow Sasuke while she took care of Karin. She met back up with us only ten minutes after that. By the time we caught up to Sasuke, he was battling Itachi, Suigetsu was off somewhere fighting Kisame, we don't know who won, and Juugo was knocked out. We sat in a tree overlooking the battle between the Uchiha's. They were evenly matched the whole way through until the end… Sasuke used chidori to punch a whole through Itachi's chest. He passed out shortly after killing his brother."
"Soo, Uchiha Itachi is dead?" Tsunade asked, stunned.
"Hai."
"Well, that takes a lot off my shoulders. Now, what about Sakura? You've yet to tell me how she got in this state."
"Sasuke had a gaping hole in his stomach and quite a few deep cuts. She used the last of her chakra to get him stable. She's simply suffering form chakra exhaustion" Kakashi told her lightly.
Tsunade looked at him skeptically, "Chakra exhaustion? From healing a simple hole and a few cuts? That's impossible!" she argued, placing her hands on her hips. "How long did it take her to heal his wounds?"
"About and hour, but the whole went all the way through his stomach and the cuts were deep. It seemed like the standard amount of time to heal his wounds." Kakashi said, looking over his book.
Tsunade frowned, "Sakura's not a standard medic Kakashi. Don't underestimate her. No, it would usually have taken her thirty minutes to heal his wounds completely. But you're saying it took her and hour just to get him stable? No, that doesn't make since. Maybe I should have a nurse give her an examination."
"Maybe she was just tired from fighting that Karin woman?" Naruto asked, finally jumping into the conversation, not able to take the abnormal silence he put himself through.
"Hmph, she wouldn't nee much to beat that stupid girl. I'm still doing to have a nurse look at her."
"I think that'll be wise if what you say is true about her healing speed and stamina, you should probably find out why she was exhausted as she was."
It was dark and it smelled like sterilizer. His whole body hurt. He tried to move his arm and became aware of the soft sheets and blanket surrounding him. He opened his eyes slightly, but quickly shut them to block the burning white light above him. Rolling his head to the side, away from the bright light, he tried again. This time he was able to see unfocused, dark figures standing against the blazing white of the walls.
"He's awake! Look, Teme's awake!" someone yelled.
Naruto…
"Sasuke! Sasuke can you hear me?" Naruto yelled, standing only a foot away from Sasuke's face.
"Of course I can hear you dobe, you're yelling right in my ear." Sasuke said while trying to sit up. Naruto grabbed his friends arm and helped him sit, then placed a few pillows behind his back to lean against.
"Thanks." Sasuke mumbled.
Naruto gave a big grin and rubbed the back of his head, "No problem."
Sasuke looked around the room. Kakashi seemed to have noticed him looking his way because he raised his hand and gave a simple "Yo" without looking away from his book. Sasuke's gaze drifted to the person standing next to the window. He recognized the man immediately and glared. It was that Sai guy. The one that replaced him. Sasuke didn't feel like being in such a bad mood, so he looked away from the infuriating man and began to search the room absent-mindedly.
"She's not here." Naruto said out of nowhere. He had been watching Sasuke the whole time.
"What?"
"Sakura-chan. That's who you were looking for right? She's not here."
Sasuke frowned, "I wasn't looking… where is she?"
"She's resting in another room. After you passed out earlier, Sakura healed all your major wounds just enough to keep you stable until we got you back to Konoha. When she was done she passed out from chakra exhaustion, though Granny Tsunade says it would usually take much more to do Sakura in like that, so she's gonna get a check up to see if everything's alright."
"Hn. So you three were there the whole time?" Sasuke asked, purposely leaving out Sai.
"Yeah, Sai was there too."
"Do you happen to know where my comrades are?" Sasuke asked, ignoring Naruto's comment.
"Well we don't know where Suigetsu or Kisame are, or who won. Karin insisted on fighting Sakura, so Sakura beat her ass and left her tied up to a tree unconscious for the ANBU to get, and Tsunade sent a team to retrieve Juugo and bring him back here."
"You said Sakura beat Karin?"
"Yeah, it barely took her ten minutes. Why?"
"Karin's strong."
"Sakura's stronger." Naruto said sharply. "She's not that weak little twelve year old you once knew Sasuke. She's now one of the top kunoichi's and Konoha's number two medic-nin, under Granny herself."
"You give ugly too much credit." A voice said from the window.
"Stop calling her that! If you think someone as beautiful as Sakura is ugly, then you must be gay!" Naruto yelled.
Sai turned around with one of his fake smiles.
"I'm just stating the facts, dickless." He said simply.
"Sai, that's enough." Kakashi said sternly.
"Yes Kakashi-senpai."
Naruto, who was already halfway across the room with a kunai in his hand stopped and took a deep breath. He turned around and slumped into the chair next to Sasuke's bed.
"Is it really necessary to keep me form killing him all the time Kakashi-sensei? I'll just be doing everyone a favor." Naruto growled.
"Yes Naruto, it is necessary."
Sasuke looked form Naruto to Sai.
They fight like we used to. So he's really replaced me in more ways than one. Sasuke thought, then gave a small smirk. Dickless? That's an amusing name.
"What the hell are you smirking at Teme?"
Sasuke's face went blank again as he glared at Naruto.
"Hn."
Just then the door opened, a pink flash ran through it, and it closed again. Sakura ran to the corner of the room, did some quick hand signs, and disappeared in her gen-jutsu. The door flew open again and a nurse barged in, breathing heavy. She looked around the room and frowned.
"Have any of you seen Lady Sakura?" she asked.
They all shook their head.
"Well if you happen to see her, tell her she needs to get her examinations done and that the Hokage will be furious if she found out Lady Sakura refused them then ran out."
Kakashi gave one of his famous eye-creases, "We will."
"Thank you." The nurse said, then left.
Once the door shut, they all looked over in the corner where they knew Sakura was standing. When she released the gen-jutsu, she slumped against the wall with her eyes closed, breathing hard.
"Sakura-chan, what are you doing?!" Naruto asked.
Kakashi lowered his book and eyes his former student, "Sakura, you're in no condition-"
"I'm fine." She breathed.
"Well then you shouldn't be running out on nurses like that."
"Hmph, your one to talk Kakashi-sen-"
Before Sakura could finish, she slid down the wall to the floor.
"Sakura-chan!"
Naruto got up and rushed to the now unconscious girl on the floor. He picked her up and placed her in the chair he was just occupying.
Kakashi shook his head, "She's either extremely stubborn, or I'm starting to rub off on her."
Sasuke merely gazed at Sakura's sleeping form. It had been a couple years since the last time he saw her, and the changes since then were clearly evident. Her hair was now down to her shoulders but still choppy. Her tank-top was the same as when she was five-teen, but was unzipped a little, showing the fishnet shirt she wore underneath. She still wore the knee high boots and shorts, the only difference was that her skirt was black instead of tan.
But it wasn't her outfit or hair that attracted Sasuke's attention. It was her eyes. While she was in her gen-jutsu and no one else could see her, Sasuke could. The jutsu didn't faze him. While everyone in the room's attention was on the nurse, Sasuke and Sakura's eyes locked. He saw so many different emotions in her eyes, it confused him.
Sasuke continued to stare at her. She really was beautiful. Her skin was pale and flawless. Her lips were red and plump, and her eyelashes grazed her cheeks gently. Sasuke's focus lowered. Her breasts had gotten larger, but not as big as say… Tsunade's. no, they were the perfect size to Sasuke. About a C cup. His eyes lowered. He marveled at the perfect hourglass shape her waist and hips have taken. Naruto was right, she wasn't that weak little girl he used to know. She is now a strong, beautiful kunoichi. And how Sai could call Sakura ugly was truly beyond him.
Sakura rolled over in the bed and nuzzled her face into the pillows beneath her head. She took a deep breath and inhaled the tantalizing scent that still lingered in the fabric. She knew that smell and missed it dearly. Forest, sweat, and sandalwood. But why was it on her pillows?
My pillows? I don't remember even going back home. The last thing I remember was passing out in Sasuke's room…
Her eyes shot open at the realization of where she might have been. She sat up and looked around the dark room. The curtains were shut so the only source of light was a single wedge of moonlight shining through the top. Sakura pushed the blankets off and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
"Going home?" a voice asked from the shadows in the far corner, making Sakura jump.
"Sasuke?"
Sasuke walked out of the shadows and sat in the chair he had been sleeping in before he realized Sakura had woken up.
"Why am I in your bed?" she asked seriously.
"You were the one sleeping." He answered coolly.
Sakura gave a sigh and slid out if the bed, "Get in. You're the patient. Not me."
Sasuke stood up and did as he was told. He sat up against the pillows and looked at Sakura. She turned away from his burning gaze and sat down in the chair next to the bed.
"How are you feeling? Do you still feel any pain?" she asked, looking over his bandage body.
"Hai."
Sakura stood up and placed a hand on his bare shoulder, "Lay down."
With difficulty, Sasuke lowered himself to lay flat on his back with his eyes closed. Sakura stared at his well toned chest and abs, but her eyes lingered on the cursed mark on his shoulder. Without realizing it, her hand reached out and her fingers brushed over the damned mark. Sasuke's eyes shot open at the touch, but he said nothing. Sakura drew her hand back with a heavy sigh and turned her attention to the bandage wrapped around his stomach.
She gently placed her hands on his wounds and began pouring her healing chakra into him. Sasuke's eyes closed once again at the feeling of the warm sensation flowing through him.
"When did you become a medic-nin?" he asked in a daze.
Sakura was silent for awhile, "After you left, I asked Tsunade-sama if I could be her apprentice. I told her I would become strong enough to help Naruto bring you back… I didn't want to be a burden anymore. I didn't want to be protected. I wanted to protect."
Though it was still dark in the room, Sasuke could see the fire burning in her jade orbs.
"I still remember the feeling of complete loss when you left. Then shortly after that, Naruto left as well. with both of you gone, I felt mere alone that ever."
"Naruto left?"
"Yeah, for two and a half years." She answered quietly.
"Why?"
"He went to go train with Jiraya."
"Hn. And when he came back, it was then when you got that Sai guy to replace me?" he asked bitterly.
Sakura gave a harsh laugh, "Yes, Sai was appointed the fourth member of Team Kakashi after we saved Gaara and before we found you." She looked over at him, "You remember that, right?"
"Hn."
"Well, at first Sai was a complete ass. Always asking if Naruto had a penis and bad mouthing about you. And that stupid fake smile of his just pissed everyone off. You see, he's sort of like you and a way, but he's completely different. You choose not to show your emotions, Sai has no emotions to show. He was trained at a young age in ROOTS not to have any emotions… he's learned over the years but he's still an ass. I'm sure you two will learn to like each other."
"Hn. I doubt it."
Sakura's hands slipped away form his stomach and collapsed back into the chair.
"Okay, now how do you feel?"
Sasuke sat up quickly and for a fraction of a second, his eyes widened with surprise.
"I feel nothing. Thank you."
Sakura gave a small smile, "Your welcome."
"So, I heard you took on Karin." He said with a smirk.
"She was pathetic." She answered dully. "She was weak and childish. She reminded me of my twelve year old self. Everything she said was 'Sasuke-kun this' and 'Sasuke-kun that.' You would think at her age she would grow out of those little school girl crushes. Why would you choose someone like that to be on your team ?"
"You certainly have a strong opinion of her." He said, smirking. "I needed her to find Itachi. Her skills were very useful."
"Pathetic." She mumbled under her breath.
"Jealous."
"Hmph. I have nothing to be jealous about." She crossed her arms and looked the other way, secretly hoping what she said was true.
"Hn."
"Are you trying to piss me off?" Sakura asked, feeling her temper start to rise.
"Hn."
"Well fine I don't have to take this."
She stood up and made her way to the door, but before she could get to it, she was thrust against the wall. Sasuke had pinned her with one hand on the wall by her head and the other on her waist. He leaned forward, nuzzled his face in her neck. He felt Sakura shiver as he began to kiss the tender flesh. Trailing the light kisses up her neck to her ear, he whispered,
"Trust me Sakura, you have nothing to be jealous about. Women were the last thing on my mind while I was searching for Itachi." Sakura's arms went up to wrap themselves around his neck. "Though there was always the memory of one that haunted my mind. I didn't know whether it was guilt for leaving her the way I did, or maybe the fact that I just might have missed her."
Sasuke pulled back to look Sakura in the eyes, "I think it was a little of both."
He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers in a gentle kiss, but one with repressed longing. Sakura turned her head away, staring wide eyed at the floor. She reluctantly pushed Sasuke back, putting some distance between them.
Sakura touched her lips gently, still able to feel the tingling sensation. She kept a steady gaze at the floor in an attempt to avoid looking him in the eye.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, sliding over to the door. "I can't do this."
Before Sasuke could say anything, Sakura was already out of the room. He continued to stare, confused, at the empty space Sakura had just abandoned. He had no idea why she had rejected him the way she did. Sasuke knew she still had feelings for him. He saw it in her eyes. He felt it in her kiss. It wasn't her feelings that was keeping him at arm length. No, it was something else. Something more.
Sakura ran through the streets of Konoha, tears leaking from her eyes.
Why? Why had she pushed him away? That was possibly the only chance she would ever have to be with Sasuke.
You know why! Inner Sakura interrupted.
Yes, but-
But nothing! You know what will happen. You know our fate. Don't burden him with such a thing.
I know. I should keep my distance… with everyone. Sakura thought as she entered her apartment.
Not even bothering to turn on the lights, she walked through the hallways to her bedroom in the dark. But before she got to the door, she heard a grunting noise come from the living room.
Someone's here, she thought, pulling a kunai out of her holster.
Silently, she made her way back into the living room, ready to attack. She heard another grunt, and out of instinct, threw her kunai at the source.
(A/N) well, that's the first chap of my second fic! I hope you enjoyed it.
Im soooo sorry for the people who read this and got half the chap….. I was kinda in a rush.
PLEASE, IF YOU LIKED IT SO FAR THEN REVIEW!!!!!!