AN: Iya iya… So many of you guessed right on Kakashi's gift. Alas, I suppose I didn't make it mysterious enough. Ah, well. I do appreciate your comments and feedback. I suppose this idea is a little twisted but since when is anything "normal" when it concerns this author? …Don't answer that.
Just a note: I might be BSing a little here at parts. The good thing is it's from Sakura's point of view so it doesn't have to be completely accurate, but just reflects her thoughts on the matter.
Disclaimer: I do not own eyeballs. Take it from there.
Mismatched
I – Copy Ninja Memorial
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Her eyes blurred as she hugged her dark coat closer to her body. Naturally it would be dark and windy that day. It only better suited the mood. Bandages still covered her body and wrapped around her forehead and over her left eye. She alienated herself from anyone else around her. Of course, it wasn't hard to do when no one could recognize her. The black scarf and hat hid her hair and face well. The coat was thick and the dress long, covering almost every inch of her body.
Almost like a blanket to shield her from the harsh reality she was in.
She didn't even bother to wipe the tears that fell as she watched the lilies and flowers being set on the memorial. His hitai-ate (1) had been placed in the center, worn from years of use. Around it were pictures of him and his beloved comrades. From the jounin group to Team 7 and even to Kakashi's own genin team. Another tear ran down her cheek and she refuse to wipe it away. She felt she should shed them proudly; to show she loved her teacher almost like a second father. Not that anyone could see. But he could. She knew it. He was a part of her now. Just as Obito had been a part of him.
As the Hokage's speech started Sakura found that she didn't wish to be there any longer. Silently moving through the crowd and away from the service, she trekked slowly down the path that she knew all too well. The first meeting place of Team 7. This was where Kakashi had told them the meaning and value of the word "comrade." Right there beside the memorial stone where the names of heroes had been carved in so that they would live forever in the memories of Konoha's people.
A shudder ripped through her body as the wind blew through the trees and the grass around her. She stared at the white lilies that decorated the monument until she recognized the sound of rain pattering on the stone and ground. Again, perfect for the occasion.
She stepped up to the stone, her pale fingers tracing over the recently added name on the smooth surface. She wondered if he resented her for not being able to save him. She had cursed her own abilities the moment she realized the wound was life-threatening.
She didn't know how long she stayed out in the rain with her fingers touching the cool stone when a hand gently rested on her shoulder. Sakura turned her face to look up at the strong face of Godaime (2). "Sakura, I need to talk to you. Let's go back to my office."
She nodded and silently followed Tsunade back to the office, head down and staring at the dirt path she walked on. The older woman's hand remained lightly pressed against her back the entire time; a slight offer of comfort. However, Sakura was too lost in her own thoughts to recognize the touch.
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A short while later, Sakura found herself sitting on a medical bed removing her coat as Tsunade read over some files in her hand. As soon as Sakura had finished taking off her hat and coat Tsunade looked up from the papers. "Remove the bandages around your head, please."
Sakura nodded, reaching up and began to unravel the gauze wrapped around her head. As the wrappings pooled into her lap, Tsunade gently grasped the girl's chin and tilted her face up. Sakura's eyes slowly looked up to meet Tsunade's as the woman studied the handiwork of her apprentice's self-applied surgery. "You managed to exchange it without scarring too much tissue. That's good."
Sakura nodded slightly, eyes glancing around the room nervously. Her vision was distorted; it was hard to adjust, especially since she had kept the bandages on since the time of the transplant.
"I have better news than that," Tsunade continued, pushing the girl's hair out of her face. "You and Kakashi share the same blood type. This works in our favor because I can finish the surgery you started to making the eye complete; something that was not done when Kakashi received his Sharingan."
Sakura squinted up at Tsunade, watching they way her mouth moved. "What does that mean…?" Sakura inquired weakly, her voice soft and hoarse.
"It means that you may be able to shut it off so it won't eat up your chakra. I won't know until I try, however. Are you up for it?" The woman asked, pushing another stray lock behind Sakura's ear.
"S-sure." Sakura replied, closing her eyes. It would be easier if she could cut it off. The world was so different looking through the eye. It was like everything was broken down into the basics. She could observe movements and record them, decipher them. Things seemed to slow down so she could see every little event until she could categorize it in her memory for later use. She could only wonder what it would be like to observe a ninjutsu or genjutsu. To see through it. It intrigued her and tired her at the same time. She wasn't ready to think too hard yet. "When can we start?"
"Right now."
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"Hoi! Sasuke!"
The man in question casually turned the blonde who was running down the street to catch up with him. He waited patiently; his normal blank look painted on his pale face. It had been a tough time for him these past few weeks. Even though he was still under surveillance, he was slightly glad to be back. Especially after he found out that Orochimaru was, in fact, weaker than Itachi (that really pissed him off) and the man wanted his body for his own soul and Sasuke wouldn't exist anymore. That also didn't set well with the Uchiha. So, instead of staying there, he decided to come back. Well, it was more like he didn't resist too much when Sakura and Naruto dragged his ass back. But he wouldn't admit that. And after a few more weeks he hoped that he could get back to something more comfortable. Maybe even normal.
It was hard. Everyone was awkward around him and very suspicious. Kakashi was hesitant to train him. He was pretty much on his own. Just like before. But he knew he deserved it.
Sasuke had screwed up big time. Even Naruto and Sakura were still awkward around him although it was more subtle now. He'd even gotten into a few bickering arguments with Naruto that reminded him of the old times.
But his decision was still sound. Train. Train more. Follow the rules. And train more. Did he mention train more? He would still beat Itachi. He would gouge the man's eyes out and satisfy his revenge. But Itachi could wait a little while longer. He wasn't going to get stronger over night. Maybe that rock wall he was knocked through by Naruto gave him some common sense. Maybe. The important thing was Naruto hadn't surpassed him. But he was going to have trouble keeping it that way.
Naruto stopped to catch his breath, hands on his knees, before looking up to Sasuke. "Have you seen Sakura-chan?"
Sasuke paused, thinking. In fact, he hadn't seen her since before she left... on that mission. And he didn't see her at the service. He didn't actually look for her; he half expected her to seek out him instead. But she hadn't. And he never saw the flash of pink within the crowd. "No, I haven't."
Naruto frowned. "I haven't either. I hope she's OK. She must be really upset…" He trailed off, looking down at the ground. Sasuke did so as well. He pitied the girl for what she went through. Sakura had improved over the past three years yet she still failed. Same as he did. But it wasn't like he could offer comfort. Sasuke wasn't like that. Leave the comforting thing to Naruto.
Sasuke turned back toward the path he was going down. "I'm going to my apartment to change then to train. You coming?"
Naruto blinked at his abrupt change of topic before smirking and nodding. "Of course! Why would I pass up an opportunity to kick your ass?"
Anything to get his mind off of the recent events. He knew it was escapism for Sasuke as well.
Sasuke snorted, smirking. "You wish, dobe (3)."
Both gladly accepted the escape from reality.
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Sakura slowly came to, vision blurred as she stared at the ceiling. She pushed herself up into a seated position as she looked over at Tsunade who was cleaning up her supplies. "Did it…?"
"I don't know yet. I was waiting for you to wake before I removed the bandages."
Sakura nodded, swinging her feet to the side of the bed, giving herself a moment to get her bearings straight. She stood up and Tsunade pointed to a mirror. Taking a deep breath, Sakura walked up to it as Tsunade stood behind her and began to undo the bandages. When the last loop was pulled off, Sakura slowly opened her eyes and stared in the mirror. Two colors stared back at her. Jade and Onyx.
Mismatched eyes.
"It worked…" Sakura murmured, reaching up to touch her cheek below the eye. The black eye moved with the green as she darted her eyes this way and that. Finally, she took the last step. Inhaling deeply, Sakura activated her chakra and pushed it into her left eye. Black swirled into red, three commas appearing in a ring around the pupil. It had worked.
Smiling for the first time since she had came back from the mission, Sakura turned around and threw her arms around Tsunade, tears falling down her cheeks. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama."
Tsunade smiled and patted the girl's head. "Now, go show them what you're made of."
Sakura paused before stepping back and frowning. "No… not yet."
Tsunade arched a brow. "Why not?"
Sakura took a deep breath and turned away from Tsunade, hands clasped together. "See… if Sasuke-kun found out… he'd be really upset. I don't think he'd be happy at all. And Naruto might get jealous, too. So I think I should just train by myself for a while and get used to this before I decide to really learn anything to be used on missions. Does that make sense?"
Tsunade smiled at her student's thinking. "That sounds like a good plan. Now hurry up out of here. I have work to do."
Sakura nodded and left feeling a lot better than she had all day.
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"Ha! You're getting slow, Sasuke-teme (4)!"
A snort. "You got lucky, dobe."
They parted, both panting slightly, one grinning maniacally and the other smirking. The training grounds were soaked from the rain that had fallen earlier and were also covered in a vast array of craters and holes. There was a moment for recovery before the two clashed again. Kunai met kunai; metal clashed against metal; and offense met defense. Every punch was blocked; every kick evaded. They were equal.
That is, until Naruto's attention was diverted elsewhere. "Sakura-cha—" CRACK. Naruto's greeting was cut off by Sasuke's fist hooking Naruto's jaw, sending the other boy crashing into the ground a few feet away. Sasuke composed himself and turned to the person who had walked into the training grounds. His eyes widened a fraction.
"Sasuke-teme! That was a cheap shot!"
"It worked, didn't it?"
Naruto was about to reply until he remembered why he got hit. He stood up; grimacing when he realized his entire backside was soaked. "Hoi, Sakura-chan! Where have you been? We've been looking for you!"
Sakura gave a small smile and took another step forward. "I'm sorry. I just… I wanted to be alone."
Immediately the high was gone as both Sasuke and Naruto sobered up. "Yeah…"
Sakura realized she'd ruined the mood. "Ah… I'm sorry. I'll leave you two to your training."
"No, wait!" Naruto called out. Sakura turned to look at the rambunctious blonde. He smiled and jogged up to her. It was then he noticed her hair. She had styled it to cover the left side of her face. "You changed your hair," Naruto commented, reaching up to push aside the bangs. Sakura jerked back before he could make contact. Immediately she berated herself.
"I'm sorry; I just…"
"Nah, it's OK." Naruto replied, smiling sympathetically. "How are your injuries? I hope they're not too severe. We can't tell since you're wrapped up like a present."
Sakura gave a small smile before realizing Sasuke had appeared beside the two sometime during their exchange. He seemed to be giving her a scrutinizing gaze. Sakura flinched under his stare. "I, uh, had a few cuts and a bad gash on my forehead. A minor concussion, too. It wasn't… that bad." She murmured, lowering her head.
The trembling of her shoulders alerted the boys she was forcing back sobs. Naruto's face contorted into one of pain at seeing his friend like this. Reaching forward, he pulled the girl into his arms where she immediately buried her face into his chest and sobbed. "I couldn't do anything, Naruto! I tried and I tried but the bleeding wouldn't stop! I couldn't save him! All of my training was worthless! I was worthless! I let him die!"
Her words came out in choked sobs, half hysterical, half muffled by her face being pressed into his chest. Naruto spared a glance at Sasuke who was frowning and apparently deep in thought. At least he wasn't going to be cold. If he did, Naruto wouldn't hesitate to beat him into a pulp. Sakura needed support. Hell, they all did. "Sakura-chan. Look at me."
Slowly, Sakura pulled herself up from Naruto's warm embrace and stared up at those beautiful cerulean blue eyes that were full of compassion. Her bangs were matted to her face and still effectively covered what she didn't want him to see. "You are not a failure. I should hit you for thinking you are, but I don't hit girls. Only guys who look like them." A growl from Sasuke interrupted Naruto's little speech. "But, all kidding aside, you are far from a failure. We're all human. We all have weaknesses. And Kakashi didn't blame you. He wouldn't ever blame you. What do you think he would say if he saw you here like this? I think he'd be disappointed. You've become a fine kunoichi (5), Sakura-chan. Continue to be one by growing strong and working hard for Kakashi's sake. We'll be here every step of the way. Right Sasuke?"
Sasuke grunted but nodded nonetheless, looking away.
Sakura looked between the two boys before smiling through her tears. "Thank you guys… You've become two of the most important people in my life. Thank you so much." She took a deep breath before turning and grabbing both of the boy's hands while tugging them toward the village. "Come on. I'll treat you both to ramen."
Naruto perked up at the mention of ramen and began to jog after Sakura eagerly.
Sasuke looked away with an attempt at a scowl but one could see he was smiling. He was glad to have things back to normal. Finally.
Sakura let go of the boys' wrists as she turned around to smile at both of them while in mid-jog. Her hair flew about her gracefully, falling around her head in a bounce as she smiled widely.
Her smile stopped abruptly when both boys stopped walking and stared at her. She stopped and stared back as realization dawned on her and her mouth opened in shock.
The two boys stared in silent bewilderment at the pair of mismatched eyes. One of beautiful jade and the other of the darkest of obsidians, six fresh, tiny incision scars surrounding the eye like a star.
"Oh, God…"
To be continued…
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AN: UGH. I'm too brain-dead to even know if this is a good chapter or not. You can rant all you want to about all the faults; I deserve it. Just no ranting on the eye thing. Really, if you don't like it, don't read. Don't bitch to me about it. Cuz I could care less. My fic. Mine. Not yours, mine.
Translations: (BTW, in word these were superscripted but won't let it be formatted that way so the numbers are in parenthesis as you noticed. I hope it wasn't too much of a bother.)
1. Hitai-ate: Forehead protector.
2. Godaime: The Fifth. As in the fifth hokage.
3. dobe: Sasuke's favourite insult to Naruto. I don't know the exact translation but its equivalent is something like "dead last". Or whatnot. If anyone can give me the translation for dobe and the other word that's really long and I can't remember then I'd be very grateful.
4. –teme: It's a very rude way of saying "you". Basically it'd be like calling him a bastard.
5. kunoichi: female ninja.
Yeah, and all that stuff. Thanks for your comments and reviews; much appreciated.
Phoe-chan