Title: Determination
Summary: She was the only bond he could save, the only bond he can't let go. But she loves someone else, and he is determined to save her from Sasuke. SasukexSakuraxOC
Pairings: SasukexSakuraxOC
Genre: Romance/Angst
Disclaimer: Naruto won't be shonen if I owned it.
Chapter 2: What are you looking for?
The place was unfamiliar to her, although it did resemble Konoha. It was a ninja village after all, but still it was smaller and crowded.
"What are you doing?"
She turned around at the voice that was so familiar to her those past few days, and her green eyes met purple.
"The Chuunin Exams are over, why are you still hanging around here?"
She smiled. "I should ask the same of you, Ketsui-kun."
He brushed back his dark brown hair and grinned. "Touché, Haruno."
Sakura started walking and Ketsui joined her, his hands in his pocket.
"Sooo. Where's the Godaime's apprentice off to this time?"
"I'm looking at the highest point in this village."
Ketsui raised an eyebrow. "What for?"
"I just want to see the whole place before I leave."
"Won't the people here think you're planning some sort of invasion?" He teased.
She pushed him gently, but it was enough to make him stumble.
"Hey! Quit it or won't tell it to you!"
"Tell me what?"
"The place you are looking for of course." He winked. "I always make sure I know the places I have to avoid."
When she woke up, she was at first confused to where she was. Then, images flashed in her memory. Konoha ruined, the elders dead, and the red eyes of the man she thought would never be her enemy. For a minute, she fought the migraine she felt. When she first heard that Sasuke had returned to Konoha, her heart was filled with joy. Then it shattered the moment she heard was he intended to do.
He was her enemy now, she could no longer support the denial in her heart. The image in her head, of Naruto bringing back a world weary Sasuke was gone. Naruto had made her hope that he will come back against all odds. It was a hope that wavered, but remained deeply rooted in her heart.
The day she saw Sasuke again in the Orochimaru's lair, she was determined to show him her strength, to show Naruto that she will fulfill her promise of bringing him back together. But she was unable to do anything, she reverted to that weak tag along of their genin days. And Sasuke's eyes...
When she saw them that time, her hope fell, but it was still there.
She had waited patiently for any news of Sasuke. One of the privileges she enjoyed being the Hokage's apprentice was being one of the first to receive news. Sakura was both glad and dismayed at what she heard. She never heard of him slaughtering in cold blood. Though he was always with Orochimaru, he was not connected to anything sinister connected to the sanin. Sakura wished that this meant he was still the same, the young boy she knew was still in him.
Then, he killed Orochimaru, and still didn't come back.
She felt pain in her chest when she heard that he assembled a new team. Replacements for them, for team 7.
She fought back tears when she saw his name in the Bingo books, wanted for capturing the Raikage's brother, the eight tails' container.
She had shaken her head when they added he is now part of Akatsuki.
But the next time she saw him, he was indeed donned in an Akatsuki cloak. He killed many of her comrades. And he killed the elders.
She had wept silently after a few minutes, and then she stood up. She didn't know why he kidnapped her, she had no intention of staying to find out. She no longer wishes to see him.
Now, Sakura stood still behind a wall waiting for the people on the other side to pass by. She had been dismayed to find that her Chakra was drained, but now she was thankful. It gave her a better chance of remaining undetected.
The voices died down, and she continued her escape.
She was glad to find that she had been left unguarded, only a locked door barred her way to freedom. There were seals on the door, indicating it was chakra-proof and ensuring that only one person could open it.
Smiling, she had taken out a hairpin.
"The most useful invention in all of history!" Ketsui grinned, returning her hairpin. Swinging the door open, he bowed and gestured her in. "After you, my Lady."
Sakura giggled. "There are other ways to open that door."
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, with Chakra! You are a medic, Haruno. You need every single ounce of Chakra on the field." He jabbed a finger at her head. "Use that wit of yours, Haruno. There are plenty of times a shinobi can run out of Chakra."
The walls were getting rougher, indicating that she was almost free. Smiling in relief, she hastened her pace. There were hardly anyone at the base, and she was almost free. She could see the sunlight!
The soil beneath her suddenly gave away. She had walked into a trap!
Cursing herself for her foolishness, she took out a dinner knife she had picked up when she passed a kitchen. She slammed it through the wall as she fell. She took out another and began using them as a mountaineer would use a pickaxe. Using them as leverage, she climbed out. Wiping away her perspiration, she tried to stand up, only to feel hands pulling her back.
She smiled as a bird perched on her finger, but a loud crash and an even louder curse scared the bird away.
Pouting, she turned and glared at the boy behind her.
Purple eyes glared back as he grabbed a pole.
"People would never guess you're a ninja." Sakura turned away and started skipping around tower's roof.
"Show off!" he muttered before closing his eyes.
"Ah!" Sakura stumbled at the edge and Ketsui quickly darted forward only to find her laughing as she stood perpendicular against the wall. "Got you!"
"Haruno!" Yelling angrily, he crawled back the pole. "Don't do that!"
"Sorry." Sakura laughed as she climbed back. "If you are so afraid of heights, then why did you come here?"
Turning, his purple eyes met hers again.
"Because you are here." He said simply.
"Damn you! Let me go Uchiha!"
"Hn."
Thrown over his shoulder, she ignored the surprised faces of the shinobi they passed as she went on screaming and kicking him.
Holding her tighter, Sasuke continued his walk towards the room. He casually entered it and dropped her on the bed.
"You bastard!" Sakura pushed herself off the bed, turned and was about to land her fist on his face when he effortlessly caught and twisted it. Sakura tried holding back a yelp of pain but failed.
"What do you freaking want with me, Uchiha?!" She glared at him defiantly.
"Hn."
"Don't ignore me!" Sakura cradled her broken wrist. "You owe me an explanation, Uchiha!"
"Sasuke-kun."
"What?!"
He lifted her chin. "Call me Sasuke-kun."
Her eyes narrowed, and she slapped his hand away. "I call you whatever I want, Uchiha! Bastard! Jerk! Traitor!"
She started pushing him away with her good arm. "Chicken butt head! Psycho! Kidnapper! Sociopath! Sadist! Bastard! I already said that, Bastard!"
"Murderer!" She hissed, but tears were now falling on her cheeks. "How could you do this?" She held the Akatsuki cloak he wore. "They want to kill Naruto! We did everything to bring you back, but you killed the elders! You helped destroy Konoha! Our home!"
She fell sobbing unto him, while he held her gently.
"Why did you become a ninja?"
She turned away from the sunset to see his face serious.
"I mean, you are not from a shinobi family, no one forced you." He frowned. "But still you chose a job that would kill people, despite your specialty."
Smiling sadly, she stared the flock of birds on their way back to their nests. "It started shallow enough. I thought ninjas were cool. Then, I pushed on because I wanted to impress a boy." She blushed, but her eyes were sad.
"So did you impress him?"
Sakura shook her head. "But that doesn't matter anymore. I'm a ninja because of a promise! I'm no longer the girl I was before."
Ketsui shook his head. "People don't change. They grow. I don't know you that long, but the girl before is still there, she just shed the parts she no longer needed."
"We can always build a new home." Sasuke whispered.
Jerking away from him, she stomped his foot.
"Are you deranged?! What is the fucking wrong with you?! You joined the organization who wants to kill your best friend! You destroy the place you grew up in! You killed several people who knew you! And now you're spouting some 'we can always build a new home' shit! Are you seriously turning your back on everyone?!"
"They killed my family Sakura!" His eyes bled red as he grabbed her forcefully. "Konoha ordered my family to be killed. They forced Itachi to do it! He saved me, Sakura!"
At that information, Sakura stood still. She couldn't believe it, but Sasuke kept on telling her everything he found out, and somehow it made sense. At least some of them.
"Konoha took everything from me!" He spat. "I will destroy them!"
"Why am I still here?" She looked up at him. "I belong to Konoha?"
"You do not belong to Konoha, you belong to me."
"You arrogant Jackass!" Sakura tried to pull away, but he held her firmly.
"I won't allow you to break your promise to me!"
Sakura cringed as she remembered hated benches and tearful heartbreaks. "I was not myself that night!"
Then she felt her face sting from the slap.
"You meant everything you said!" His tone was dark. "And I mean everything I will tell you now. You belong to me, you will stay with me!"
He pushed her back to the bed and walked to the door. But before he got out,he bit his thumb and summoned a snake.
Silent and confused, she stared at the guard Sasuke had left for her this time.
"Tell me why you like high places." Ketsui told her.
Smiling, pointed around them. "Look at everything! Only from this high a place can you see this!"
Smirking, Ketsui looked up at the clouds. "While you are there watching the view, I wonder what you are looking for?"
Tucking her hair behind her ear, she looked at the distance. "Good question."
Finally looking away from the snake, Sakura felt tears at her eyes. "I have no idea, Ketsui-kun."
Well, I hope everyone likes this chapter. And please tell me. I was a bit sad no one reviewed despite many are adding this story to their favorites and alerts. A part of me wanted to discontinue the story, so please help me convince myself otherwise.
And tell me how you like Ketsui-kun?
And how did you find Sakura?
Sasuke? Well, he is meant to be crazy here.
Till next time,
Chantrea Moonbeam
