Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine.
They've become a constant presence in his life again except everything has changed. He almost expects them because every few weeks he sees them and they're always fighting trying for whatever reason to get him to come back. He can't imagine why and he wonders if they could ever manage to bring him back if they'll forgive him for this. These fights in which he has not held back when he attacks them has wounded them far more than they have him. He doesn't think so. Not even Sakura, foolish weak thing that she is could be so forgiving.
This time it's 7 of them against Team Hebi. Naruto as always has taken it upon himself to fight him. It's just like before but back then they were friends, rivals and what they did were games compared to this. Naruto can't seem to let go of the past and still has some qualms when he fights him, that just makes things less interesting. He's gotten better he'll admit but it's not until he's severed this one sided bond that he will finally be strong.
Hinata is fighting with Karin which he finds odd. He's been wanting to see her fight Sakura. That would be a terribly amusing sight for him. Suigetsu has finished his fight with the other Hyuuga and has moved on to Lee. Far off he sees Juugo with Shikamaru and the new boy who has replaced him. He should be more focused on the fight with Naruto but his mind wanders to his other former team mate. It shouldn't be hard really to spot her unique hair.
He finds her with the Hyuuga. She's healing his wounds quickly while still being aware of the fight around her. Naturally she had to have improved from before. She's not the hindrance from before in any case.
Karin has knocked Hinata unconscious and Sakura seemingly satisfied with Neji's condition stands and goes toward his new female teammate. Karin smirks and seems happy to fight her. She knows who she is and of her past with Sasuke. He's not disappointed as their fight continues proving to be the spectacle he had known it would be. He's just mildly disappointed when Sakura turns out to be the victor.
In his opinion she's really nothing more than a glorified nurse.
&&&&&&&&
He coughs rather loudly despite his efforts to stop it. Now Sakura will never let him leave now. She's determined to keep them bedridden until they're back in total health. Thankfully her bed is big enough so both Naruto and he can sleep without having any contact. He's been here for two days already under the care of Sakura. He didn't need her help and the only reason he stayed is because the 12 year old kunoichi was scary when she was acting as a mother to them. Not that he'd admit it. His official excuse is that Kakashi had ordered them to stay until Sakura thought they were better, which is the more acceptable truth.
Sakura frowns slightly as he continues to cough and then peers at Naruto who is very red and has had a fever for the past hour. She makes a clucking noise and leaves the room. Just three days ago before this whole mess started they had a mission to find a feudal lord's dog who was scared of thunderstorms and had run away. Of course, the thunderstorm was still in progress when they had set out to look for the dog. Through some ironic twist Sakura who was always so weak in his opinion was the only one to not get sick after the mission was completed. Even Kakashi had gotten a cold although he wouldn't actually stay in Sakura's house while her parents were away. He had deemed it necessary though that he and Naruto reside there. There was no one to object to their absences in any case.
Sakura, for her part, was proving to be adept at taking care of them. She gave them their medicine exactly every 5 hours and had been making warm soup to help them recuperate. The cold cloths on their heads were changed immediately after they lost their soothing effect and they had not been allowed to move without her notice.
Naruto was enjoying this attention immensely and had not even minded being stuck with Sasuke the whole time. Sasuke although he would never disclose the information to anyone was slightly happy at being cared for. It was an odd experience, one that he had almost forgotten about.
He couldn't tell Sakura that, he thought as she entered the room with a damp cloth in one hand and medicine in the other. No doubt she'd get the wrong idea. She changed the cloth on Naruto's forehead and gave him a spoonful of his medicine. He allowed himself to give her a small thankful smile.
The last thoughts he has before drifting to sleep are that she'd be a very good medic-nin. He'll tell her that one day.
&&&&&&&&
He's approaching her as she's getting ready to go to Neji and Hinata. The Hyuuga heiress is obviously seriously wounded. Karin lies on the ground near her useless. She's panting but she gets into a offensive stance when he gets near her. Her green eyes are determined and her pink lips are in a thin line. He almost thinks that she will attack him but she doesn't.
Instead she begins to talk. "Do you miss me Sasuke?" she asks, her words bringing up memories from before. "Is that why you've replaced me?" Her words are cold as she gestures towards the fallen redhead. He finds it doesn't suit her. He gives her a cruel smile wondering if it will affect her as it's done in the past.
"I could ask you the same thing," he tells her not wanting to answer her question and motioning toward the new Team 7 member. The dark-haired boy is fighting Juugo, but seems quite unaffected. She turns to look at her teammate and for a moment there is something in her eyes and he doesn't like it. He finds it's easier than ever to hurt her. Her green eyes close and she falls to the ground with a thud.
&&&&&&&&
It's over and they have managed to defeat the Konoha shinobi again. His team is grumbling slightly but none are seriously injured. It had been easier than he thought. True, Sakura had managed to defeat Karin although she hadn't killed her when given the chance. It didn't matter because he had knocked her unconscious so quickly. She still couldn't put up a real fight when it concerned him. Naruto had weakened after stopping his four tailed state. His raw power or rather the Kyuubi's power at that point had unsettled him somewhat. They had to be better prepared in the future.
He looks toward Karin who seems rather quiet. No doubt she's fuming over having lost to the 'little princess' as she had taken to calling her. It was highly entertaining to Suigetsu.
He lets out a small frown on his face that has nothing to do with their antics. He can't get her out of his mind lately and he's not ready to believe any of the excuses he has thought of as to why.
Her face keeps appearing in his mind's eye and he can't forget the words she uttered before he hit her hard enough to make her black out. It's foolish to waste any thoughts on her. She's not strong enough to be of any vital importance. Naruto on the other hand...
Still although he wants to dwell on other things he can't stop but think on how much things have changed. It was never so easy to cause her pain.
&&&&&&&&
He smirks at the blond haired boy who just looks back angry and shameful. He smiles at him suddenly though and Sasuke is surprised.
"I'll get you next time Sasuke, just you watch," he tells him and his voice is both playful and serious. Sasuke frowns because he doesn't like these feelings he's getting around the two of his teammates and even Kakashi. He ignores it though and is once again smug because Naruto despite his words is injured badly enough that he knows not to keep going at it. Still he is now left without someone to spar with.
It is then that a voice breaks his thoughts. "Sasuke-kun, I'll spar with you."
He turns towards Sakura and resists the urge to roll his eyes.
"There's no point," he tells her curtly. Hurt crosses her face. He almost regrets his words.
"I've gotten better," she mumbles. Naruto is glaring at him, and even Kakashi who's reading his seemingly never-ending book looks up disapprovingly.
"Fine," he replies and her face lights up. Simple things always seem to make her so happy. It's a kind of nice but still annoying trait . He feels pleased though that she's not sad anymore. It's only because he doesn't like seeing her cry as she's prone to do.
They begin and he finds himself not for the first time holding back. It's probably the only reason any of her blows have actually made contact. Just as he thought, she's still not even near the same level as he or Naruto are. She seems to become more irritated though as the fight continues.
"Don't hold back," she whispers so the others can't hear, but her voice is angry.
"Are you sure?" he asks unsure.
"Yes," she mumbles and the real fight begins.
For a few moments she does fair enough but rather quickly it's over. He stares at her body on the ground not even trying to help her up. A kunai is embedded in her shoulder deeply and another in her ankle. She's bleeding and blood mars her pale skin. He's stunned for a second. He hadn't meant to actually injure her. He doesn't like the sight of her blood especially when it's his fault.
Naruto glares at him as he picks her up. He accidentally touches her injured shoulder and she winces. She looks back at him though smiling which doesn't surprise him. It's annoying how she much she wants his approval. It's pathetic really.
"Thank you," she tells him and his eyes widen a fraction.
He doesn't respond and continues to look at her as she and Naruto walk away. He doesn't like the way she affects him. He absolutely hates how easy it is to cause her pain. He's never told a soul but she's the only person he ever regrets hurting.
&&&&&&&&
It was a miscalculation he repeats over and over in his head. It doesn't change things though. Naruto is dead and he's the one who's killed him. For a moment it's as though time has stopped and will never again continue. Naruto couldn't die. He was a boy still really but he was more than anyone else. He couldn't die yet. Not so soon and definitely not this way. In this moment he feels sadness that he hasn't felt since he's lost his family. He loved the boy no matter how much he had tried to hide it.
Perhaps if he survives the fight he will understand the full impact of what he's done. If he survives he will mourn. If he survives he wonders if he will lose the numbness that has suddenly taken control.
Then the moment is over and everyone's fighting again. There are tears in the eyes of some of the Konoha team even as they fight harder than ever before. They may not be as strong as his team but there's a need for revenge in each of them and that is driving them. Hatred because Naruto couldn't (shouldn't) have died.
He's still near Naruto's broken body blue eyes blank and staring upward. Then suddenly out of all of the others it's Hinata who comes at him. It takes him by surprise that she's gotten rather strong. He should be able to defeat her without any problems but she's giving him all she's got. Her movements are quick and are doing their job. Those precious bloodline eyes staring at him anger and hatred that he hadn't known she could be capable of. He vaguely remembers that Hinata loved Naruto when they were younger. Perhaps that had never changed.
He defeats her though and she falls to the ground with a thud. He doesn't kill her though, that much at least he owes to Naruto. Naruto is dead he remembers a second later. He doesn't owe him anything. It changes nothing though because Naruto is Naruto and he couldn't have died.
He runs and he feels cowardly for doing it, but he can't handle this because Naruto is dead and it shouldn't be this way. Not Naruto who was one of the only people he cared for, and he had killed him. He runs and it's easy because he's done it so many times before when emotions he'd rather not have start getting loose. His chakra feels off and he assumes that Hinata had stopped some chakra points.
Then there's a pink blur in front of him and he feels his shoulder bone shatter as a fist makes contact. He falls to the ground but not before a kick breaks his leg.
"You killed him. You killed him. You killed him."
It's Sakura and she continues to scream sounding deranged and hatred lacing every word. It's her mantra and he can't stop her words which are hurting him more than his broken body. He can't use a jutsu with his chakra the way it is. Hell he can't even stand.
She's killing him, he realizes as she continues to pound him without any hesitation with her inhuman strength. All the while she continues her mantra and he realizes that her words have changed.
"I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. "
He's lying at her feet when she finally stops, his body finally as broken on the outside as it is on the inside. He's going to die but even though he knows this he does nothing. She's crying and she's back to her old mantra.
"You killed him. You killed him. You killed him."
"I know," he says and it hurts to talk but it gets her to stop and stare at him with those green eyes. They are so wild and full of different emotions he can't discern what she's feeling. There is blood in his mouth and lips as he speaks and it seems fitting somehow. She is closer to him now her face close to his. Her eyes look calm, detached even though her body is shaking. She is waiting for something but he's not sure what.
He closes the space between them in an impulsive manner and kisses her. It is quick, chaste, and so very painful. There is blood on her lips. She didn't respond and even now she continues gazing at him calmly unaffected.
"Do you still love me?" he asks slowly.
"I hate you," she says harshly but he can hear both the truth and the lie in her words.
Everything is fading but before he's gone completely he whispers an answer to a question never asked.
"Always, Sakura, always."
&&&&&&&&&
It's her first mission as a chunin and she's determined to prove that she's worthy of her rank. It's a B rank mission and they're on their way to deliver weapons to Suna. Neji, a chunin and another jonin are with her.
They've stopped for a while and since a spring is nearby she is the one to go fill their canteens. She's on her knees filling each canteen to the brim while splashing some of the cool water on her face.
"Sakura."
She looks up but there's no need to. The voice is familiar even if it's been a year since she's heard it. The same one that's been haunting her. He's still beautiful just a little taller, features sharper, and eyes just a little more dead. He's alone but this scares her more than if he had been with others.
She can't find her voice and instead begins to focus the chakra in her hand. He may attack her but she won't go down without a fight. She wants to believe he wouldn't attack her but finds herself scared to find out just how much he may have changed.
"You," she finally manages to say. She doesn't want to call him anything else. He's not the same, not Sasuke-kun.
"Sakura," he repeats amused at her unwillingness to say his name. She doesn't say anything though and he lets out a sigh apparently bored.
"You're not going to beg me to come back," he asks taunting her. It reminds her of her failed attempt. He could always be cruel she remembers.
"You wouldn't come back anyways," she remarks surprised by the bitterness in her voice.
"Looks like you've finally begun to understand," he informs her calmly, smirking.
"I've changed," she says simply but she's glaring at him she never has before.
"Don't you miss me, Sakura," he questions her coldly. He enjoys saying her name. Seeing her reaction to it is quite gratifying in its own way.
"You don't care, do you?" she replies her voice slightly higher.
"About what? Konoha? Team 7? You?" he queries, eyes narrowing and expression colder as he says each one. The last word causes her to tremble.
"Ah, I see. Do you still love me Sakura?" he asks sarcastically and his words cut her. It brings back memories she's tried so hard to forget. When he looks her in the eyes, he sees a fury in them. Hatred, an emotion he is acquainted with so well is clear in her green orbs. He's never seen that expression on her face before directed at him. That's why it surprises him when he finally hears her response breaking the silence.
"Always."