Author's Note: Thank you once again to all those who have read and reviewed, it really means a lot. I've said this to a few of you, but this story is pretty dark and most likely won't change. Sure, there will be some better moments, but still. It's also on the graphic side in more than one way, thus the M rating. Just a warning, I don't want to scare anyone off. Anyway, please enjoy the next chapter and let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, any of its characters or Emery's lyrics. The only profit I make is the natural euphoria from writing and hearing back from my readers.
Chapter 2: The Ponytail Parades
The city always looks so pretty when it snows, but as soon as the words were conceived, the wind picked up, sending a chill through the woman perched on the tiled rooftop. Biting her tongue mentally, she tucked her head into the black fur lining of her coat, eyes closing against the breeze that carried drifts of flurries. Once the wave had past, the medic lifted her frosted lashes to gaze over the buildings once more. The waxing gibbous moon peeked out from behind the clouds every so often, illuminating the snow that covered the land, making it shimmer into the night. It was these instances that Sakura waited for, so if only for a moment she could forget. Forget the past few days; forget him.
But that was unrealistic, wasn't it? He wasn't going anywhere, at least in her mind. The scant, trying times they spent together kept playing over and over, a broken record of the struggles between them. She wanted nothing more than to smash the damn thing!
Three days it had been since he embraced and rejected her. Three days, seventy-two-plus hours since she closed her eyes without seeing his enraged features, felt his rough hands and…
Sakura shook her head violently. She needed sleep. Didn't they make pills for this sort of thing? She snorted at herself; she was one of the top medics in the area, she should know. But it was inevitable that he would come to her again while lost in the dreamscape and there she wouldn't be able to prevent invasion, her lucidity low.
With a heavy sigh, Sakura fell back against her roof, leather-gloved hands behind her head, not minding as the cold seeped into her back. She didn't have to question herself at this point. After too much debating the troubled woman figured she didn't know the answers, not one.
Should I turn him in? (I don't know.)
Could I capture him? (I don't know.)
What if we met again? (I don't know.)
…Would death really be so bad? (…)
It went on, but everything came back to the Uchiha, whom she never really wanted to face. He would kill her, so he said in more or less words, but with the way things were going, it seemed to be an easy out.
What am I thinking?!
Sitting up sharply, Sakura gave a swift box to her right ear, shaking her head to clear the thought. Nothing, at any time, would make her wish for her own demise. She would rather go down fighting in her line of duty than take the coward's way. Sasuke could strut threats all he wanted, the arrogant male couldn't take her out if he tried.
Her fists clenching at her sides, the kunoichi disregarded the stinging in her palms, taking the mostly-healed scars as motivation to return the favor. This wasn't the end nor their last meeting. She would hunt Sasuke down and let him encounter the full force of her wrath. A smirk smeared across Sakura's lips in an all too familiar fashion as she sprung from the roof and onto her balcony. The slow traces of adrenaline began to pump as she rummaged through her equipment, preparing herself for war.
On the other side of the village, the soon to be massacred male was held in the relentless clutches of sleep, gripping the sheets around him tightly as the dreams took over once again. Every night it was the same thing, those he cared for being slaughtered. But it was never his notorious brother holding a katana to their throats, but himself. He took their lives and bathed in their entrails, cackling with delight. And all Sasuke could really do was watch from the terrified eyes of his former self.
The scenes replayed countless times, each the same situation, different victim. When he did finally thrust himself awake, usually by the thumping of his thrashing head against the wall, all he could see was red. It was one of the colors of his clan, one he despised the most.
Looking down at his hands, the excruciating screams resonating through his body as he shook, Sasuke cursed himself as he recalled a new face added to the masses in his dreams. Sakura. It disgusted him how any time she would be present, he took the utmost enjoyment in her termination. He could still feel the warmth of her in his hands.
Setting his face in crooked appendages, Sasuke rubbed at his eyes before glancing at the ancient clock on his nightstand. It was only just past three in the morning. Groaning, the male plopped back into the freshly washed sheets, his eyes sliding in and out of focus at the ceiling.
The next time our paths cross, your life will be mine, his own words haunted him.
So how would it be done, short and quick or long and drawn out as in his dreams? Will her blood taste just as sweet? Sasuke made a sound of bitter revulsion at himself.
Placing a hand over his face, he allowed a brief glimpse of the last moment they shared, when nothing really mattered and both were too desperate to care. The way the kunoichi's mouth had clung to his, how he could have devoured her whole had things been different. The dark male's brow creased. What could possibly change to make the circumstances right for him to have her like that? If he had never fled? If he made himself into a better man and been the savior she always wanted? Nothing, so why even consider it.
If they ever met again, he would stay true to his word and more than likely shred her to pieces. Monster.
Forcing his mind into vacancy, Sasuke let any remaining feelings on the subject slip away, welcoming the lifelessness of sleep. Caught between the waking world and margins of consciousness, the male's usually keen senses were dulled, allowing him to miss the subtle sounds of a nearby window scrape open.
It took little effort for the overly fatigued and mildly delusional woman to slip into her rival's home. She masked her footfalls easily with light steps, tiptoeing along the edges of the hallway where the wood was less worn and squeaky. Her emerald eyes wide, pupils dilated, Sakura gazed into the room that the male resided in, appearing to have no trouble with sleep. Lucky bastard.
Leering at her crafty plan, the pink-haired ninja took half a pace back, digging into the holster on her thigh and retrieving transparent strings, disentangling them with her teeth. With one swift moment, Sakura leapt into the room, bracing herself on a dresser top before springing to the side, leaving slack in the thread in her wake. Silently she crisscrossed over Sasuke's moderately sized bed, slowly allowing her chakra to fill the tiny ropes that draped over him. When they were at full capacity a moment later, Sakura tugged the lines taunt, trapping the man securely in place.
Sasuke's lids slip open lazily, looking straight at the woman hovering over him, ignoring the binds as if they were constructed of little substance.
"Don't you know that it's rude to break into someone's home and wake them?" his voice was clipped and emphatic.
"Oh, so sorry," she said with a deceptively sugar-sweet voice before giving her threads a good yank.
The string tightened around Sasuke, biting into the male's flesh, but he made no response outside of his mouth flattening just slightly. His eyes narrowed at the woman before him, watching in stiff stillness as she crawled up over his ensnared form.
Her knees on either side of his hips, Sakura knelt over the man, a slow, cat-like grin revealing small, pointed teeth. The menacing expression she shot him told of her devious plans, measures she would take a great deal of pleasure in carrying out.
"Sasuke-kun," she practically purred as she leaned close to his face, her hot breath brushing his cheek, "I do recall that at our last meeting, you dealt me a certain…threat." The shimmering in her eyes held some foreboding. "Now what was it..?"
"That I would take your life," for such strong words the male spoke them like everyday conversation.
"That's right," Sakura chirped a little too cheerfully.
The trapped nin noticed that the kunoichi's right hand was sliding slowly down her sleek thigh, only to disappear into the small pouch attached to it. Biting the inside of his cheek, the male's jaw tightened at the familiar sight of needles glistening in the almost nonexistent light protruding from a crack in the window. Knowing nothing good could come out this situation, his mind started to calculate, blocking out the taunting words from the woman above.
Sakura locked gazes with the collected man between her legs, her mouth setting in a frown as she took note of the absence in his face. With an aggressive growl, she dropped the syrupy act and jabbed the points of two needles under Sasuke's chin, pressing them until she spotted the glitter of his blood.
"You'll do well to pay attention," she barked, dragging the tips of the cold metal down her captive's throat, leaving small, dark smears on his pale skin.
"Hn," he smirked with a hint of amusement, successfully setting the girl off canter.
Is he enjoying this? Sakura thought with a hint of distress. If the Uchiha kept that look, it could very well mean that the tables were about to turn. No. He is not messing with me again!
The slap that she delivered to his cheek echoed throughout the house.
"Wipe that dirty little smile off your face," she spat between clamped teeth.
The fact that she retaliated so quickly for nothing deceived her nerves. She was afraid to lose domination. Sasuke's sneer widened as he went unaffected by her strike.
"Sakura," the male mimicked her slow, confidant purr, rolling her name off this tongue.
"Shut up! Don't you dare say my name!" the girl started to screech, slapping his other cheek, which in turn began the Uchiha's maniacal laughter.
"What's so funny? Shut up! SHUT UP!!" the blows started falling like hail over the man's body, the female growing more frantic, desperate to keep jurisdiction although she knew she was failing miserably.
But the laughter just amplified and in return Sakura screamed her curses as she attempted to muffle her hostage, the raging wailing drowning out evidence of his superiority.
In an instant there was silence. With the holding of breath, the remnants of past sounds bounced off hollow walls, leaving a distinct ringing in both sets of ears. Cautiously, Sakura swallowed, the movement shifting the blade pressed to her vulnerable throat from behind. Stifling a gasp as the sharp metal pierced her skin, Sakura became ridged as she felt the hot velvet of Sasuke's tongue sliding almost abrasively to catch her blood.
"Why did you come?" his gravelly voice reverberated through her as the kunai was dragged down the female's torso.
"I don't feel it's necessary to-" her mocking of pervious works were cut short as his teeth dug into the preformed slice in her neck.
"Why did you come?" the dangerous male behind her whispered slowly against her skin.
"Why prolong the unavoidable?" she shot back, trying to hold some pride in the face of her fear.
She didn't know how he had escaped her chakra-infused strings, it had happened before she could draw a breath. How was it this man always had the upper hand on her? He had been deceiving her the entire time, allowing her the irrational concept that she could best him. It's all just a game…
"You came to die?" she couldn't have lost her mind that quickly.
"I sought you out instead of cowering in anticipation for you. I could have waited forever, my guard up, but the moment it fell I know you would be staring me in the face. If it was bound to happen this way, I wanted to make the decision as to when, not you. I won't let you hold me in the palm of your hand."
A soft chuckle could be heard from the male as his weapon was drawn between her breasts, the fabric of her clothing separating just slightly.
"I have always held you, Sakura. There hasn't been a time when you didn't belong to me."
The pink-haired warrior snorted with indignity, "Don't flatter yourself, Uchiha."
"Oh?" she could hear the simper in his tone, "If my memory serves me correctly, you would have done anything for me before. You said so yourself I don't know how many times. If I told you to jump, you'd ask how high. Face it, Sakura, I own you, and always will."
"How dare you!" the kunoichi hissed, twisting in the male's vice-like grasp as she targeted his face with the hardest part of her body, not even registering the deep slice in her ribs from his blade.
The soldier's elbow landed its mark successfully, but in turn was flipped belly-down onto the bed, her hands pinned to the small of her back.
Sasuke scowled, rolling his tongue before spitting the bloody molar from his mouth. Glaring down at the woman, his hands slid over hers, thumbs pressing into the fresh scars in her palms.
"You can't overcome or escape me, Sakura," his frigid voice held barely restrained anger. "No matter how much you resist, I won't go away. You wanted to be mine so long ago. Well fine, I accept."
"How could you take a childish dream and turn it into this, you twisted bastard? I wanted you when you were untainted by the evil that you left us for!"
The crooked smile that slowly glided across Sasuke's face lengthened a tense pause, "I've always been this way, you were just too naive to ever notice."
"Rot in Hell," the girl spat back, trying to wring herself from the traitor's grip.
"Only if you'll be by my side," came the sinfully husky whisper against her ear. Sakura had to fight back a shiver.
"Not after everything you've done. Had the offer stood when we were young, I would have followed you anywhere, waited for you as long as you would just be with me. But now, I want nothing to do with you," Sakura had to keep her voice harsh restraining the little girl within from holding on.
"Your actions certainly contradict your words," Sakura didn't need to ask what he was speaking of.
"I wasn't of sound mind then."
Rolling the woman over, trapping her beneath his toned body, the dark male's onyx eyes stared into her own, his ebony hair dangling around her face, "Weren't you?"
Self control slipping, Sakura's mouth went dry, "Don't try to change me back into what I used to be, Sasuke. I don't want to be her anymore. I won't be a slave to you."
Pressing his thumbs into her small hands again, "She never left you. And until she does, until the numbness finally consumes you, no one but me will claim you. No one will hold you because those aren't my arms. No one will protect you because I'm the only thing that's a threat. I'll tear you apart before I even lift a finger. None of that will change, and neither will we."
There was a slight hitch, the tiniest quake that gave him away. He didn't want any of that to be the slightest bit different. The two were on opposite sides of every spectrum, and if they came together for any reason, they would destroy themselves and all else involved. But Sasuke like it that way.
The masochists were silent, each lost in the other's mind. Breathing became audible, each a whisper of what shouldn't be. Sakura's hands quivered.
"Why me?" Sakura murmured. If this was the game, he could have had anyone, played with their fate instead of hers.
"I warned you, did I not, that I would take your life if we met again? You brought this upon yourself," the words that went unsaid spoke the loudest. I wanted you.
"I won't belong to you, Uchiha," Sakura's eyes narrowed as she disregarded the pleas for comfort inside her head. She wasn't that girl.
"Hn," his lip curled, almost sarcastically, "Too bad."
There had been another scuffle before Sakura was able to flea the run down Uchiha compound again. After the words were spoken and the battles drawn, Sakura came out with nothing. She had sought the male out to prove a point, to show that he couldn't keep her under his thumb. But why was it that she always had to be wrong when it came to Sasuke?
Now as she sat staring at her hands, all the medic could do was reminisce on the past events that had occurred almost a week ago, neglecting Naruto for the umpteenth time that day. A light shove to her shoulder was the only thing that managed to snap her back to reality.
"Oi, Sakura, now I've just about had enough of this. What's the matter with you?" the impatient blonde beside her sulked, arms crossing. When the pink-haired shinobi hesitated, he gave her a pointed look, "I'm waiting."
"He's back," was all the girl could mutter, eyes cast downward.
Naruto blinked before his brow ruffled, "You're sure, because the last time you said that-"
"I was right then, too," her temper rose swiftly to the occasion, bellowing at the unsuspecting male.
Naruto ducked and covered.
A misery that the fox hadn't seen in years came over Sakura's expression as she sobered, the same appearance she had adopted when the fugitive in question left the first time. I know I didn't really believe it two years ago, but now how could I doubt her?
Naruto placed a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder, fingers rubbing in a circular motion, "What happened?"
Sakura shook her head, hands curling over one another on the tabletop of the restaurant they were dining at for lunch. How could she tell him of the clashes they had together? Of those heated moments where hate drove them to rip each other apart, but now that all-powerful emotion became muddled. Was hate all there was to it?
"Sakura, you have to talk to me," the guy beside her urged, trying to be sensitive for her, but with his edgy nature, it wasn't easy.
Shaking her head, the medic gave him an apologetic smile, "Sorry man, I just don't know where to start. There's so much, all in these minute, condensed moments that it has all become a blur."
"So you've seen Teme more than once?" why hadn't she told him sooner?
The girl nodded, her petite frame shrinking a little into the wooden seat.
"Well," Naruto sighted, settling in his chair, "Start where most people do, at the beginning."
It took a good hour and a half of Sakura's nonstop recapping of the run-ins with Sasuke, and all the while the two were unaware that they were being watched from the nearby shadows, familiar ebony eyes gleaming under a false persona. He had been following the pair since their training this morning, watching how they interacted and keeping a sharp eye on what was now his. Sasuke had to fight the impulse to thrash Naruto when his hand slipped during a routine spar and made inappropriate contact with Sakura, who didn't even seem to notice.
The girl was right, she had changed. She didn't throw a fit over small incidents anymore, remained cool and collected. Except around him.
That fact filled the dark male with something akin to vain confidence. But such things were a double-edged sword, for where he could get an emotional stir from her, Sasuke observed that others would receive a tenderness, a smile that could never be directed at him again.
In a brief lapse of character, Sasuke felt something that paralleled regret. He wondered, if only for a moment, that if he were softer towards the woman, would the sound and fury that she reserved for him ease? Would she in turn become gentle again and perhaps share her joy with the one who deserved it the least? Derailing the train of thought, the man scoffed at himself. Not likely.
It was funny though, he couldn't help recalling how things used to be, that he would have been welcome to that table instead of brooding at the bar. The loudmouthed, blonde shinobi would have dragged him into a seat at one time and jabbered his ear off while the bubbly, pink girl beamed in adoration. A small smirk creased a faint line in Sasuke's cheek. The irony of it all was that every time it happened, he used to want to get away to mope in the corner. Fate always did have a twisted sense of humor.
Sakura jumped as she heard a bush rustle close by and without hesitation thrust one of the needles she carried through the shrub.
It didn't even faze her when she heard the deep voice from behind, "Growing a little hasty, aren't you?"
"What do you want, Hatake?" the woman was in no mood to deal with anyone at this point, all she wanted was her warm bed.
"Is that any way to address your former sensei?" there was a touch of joking behind that black mask.
"You never made a big deal out of it any other time. Now I'm going to repeat myself just once. What do you want?" there was no room for argument.
Kakashi's single visible eye lost its crinkle, taking on a coolness usually reserved for serious business, "I've been sent to escort you to the Hokage." At the question written on Sakura's face, he continued, "She caught word that you have been seeing Sasuke again and would like to speak with you."
Oh God. Sakura's eyes widened as she backed up, head slowly swiveling from side to side. This wasn't happening again.
"Who told her?" there were several people in that diner, but the shinobi had assumed none would eavesdrop on a private conversation. Then again, she had been so distraught in the retelling of events that she was probably too careless. Naruto would have never betrayed her…
"I cannot repeat that information," the masked man replied calmly as he stepped closer to his charge. "Now please come with me, Sakura, there's nothing to be afraid of."
As he reached his hand towards her elbow, the pink-locked woman snatched it away. It was as if she were reliving a premonition, the horrible memories she wished were only dreams.
Kakashi gave her a stern look, "Don't make this hard on yourself. I will bring you to Tsunade one way or another."
Not pausing for a moment to reply, Sakura vanished into the night with a lightening-fast jutsu. The silver-haired man was close behind, predicting that the girl would bolt. Where one of the nin appeared, the other would follow, Kakashi having a keen memory for the girl's haunts and sanctuaries.
Arriving by the old training bridge, the older man scanned quickly for his former student, feeling the ruminants of her chakra trail, but she had gone already. Taking pause, Kakashi sliced his exposed thumb, summoning the pack of dogs under his command. The smallest, a pug with an extensive vocabulary and deadpan voice approached.
"Haruno Sakura, she is wanted by the Hokage immediately. Find her."
"No problem," the mutt grunted before the canines were off in a split second.
It took but minutes for Kakashi to hear the distinct howls of the dogs in the not so far distance. He zapped on location.
There was Sakura, deep in the heart of the forest bordering Konoha, one of his scouts attached to every possible limb. She screeched at her captors, struggling to flee, but was held secure as her ex-instructor sauntered forward.
"This would have been so much less trouble if you had just come with me," the male shook his head and sighed.
"I won't go!" the girl cried, still squirming. "You don't know what she'll do to me!"
"Oh, but I do, Sakura. I do."
The female soldier stood stiffly in front of her commander and chief's desk, hands bound tightly behind her back. The woman's green eyes were flat as she stared unfocused straight ahead.
"I hear that you have encountered an S-class criminal as of late, Sakura," the powerful lady behind the table started slowly, knowing the touchy subject matter but also restraining her own resentment at the fact that the kunoichi had to be arrested in order to be present.
The woman under interrogation remained soundless and vacant.
"Are you going to confirm what you were readily discussing to your comrade or just examine the new paint job?"
"I have, Godaime."
Tsunade's jaw tightened somewhat, "And it had become frequent, correct?" At Sakura's nod, she went on, "Why have you not reported the Uchiha's presence before now?"
The shinobi blinked, "Would you have believed me?"
The quick temper of the Hokage slipped, "No, I wouldn't and I'm not sure I do now with your recent history, but it is still your obligation to report fugitives when sighted."
Sakura rose out of the cold front she had been putting up, her irritability meeting that of her superior's, "Only to be shoved back into shock-therapy, hell no!"
Tsunade shot out of her chair, hands flat on the desk's surface, "Watch your tongue and don't forget your place, young lady, or you'll be suffering much worse consequences than a few volts."
Sakura's now distinctly intense eyes narrowed on the blonde woman in front of her, mouth pursing into a firm line.
"Now you listen to me, Haruno, I don't want another traitor on my hands, and if I find out that you are coercing with the enemy, I will make an example out of you. Right now you are standing on very thin ice."
"Do you think that I would join Sasuke if I had the chance?"
"Telling by your past behavior, I'm not sure what you would do, Sakura, but I have my doubts that you would turn that man in. After the way you practically lost your mind over him."
"No, Tsunade-sama, the only reason I almost lost my mind was because of what the 'psychiatrists' that you sent me to did to me. I know what I saw and I was right!" Sakura's voice cracked as it began to rise in pitch and volume as her words went on, eyes expanding, flanking on frantic, "Sasuke was here! He was watching me the entire time, watched what you had them do to me!"
As the kunoichi stepped closer, bantering as she had once before, the Hokage's alarm went up as well as her blood pressure. Soon the girl was shrieking at her, blaming her for the only treatments that could strike some sense into that thick skull.
"I said watch you tongue!" the elder woman snapped, shoving her apprentice roughly out of her face, effectively causing the girl to stumble back onto the floor, the unchecked weight bruising her hip and shoulder.
Skirting the desk, the chief female went to stand over the other, knuckles turning white on her hips, "I'm tempted to let the shrinks take you back after that outburst. And here I thought you had improved so well. Suppose appearances are deceiving." Wrinkling her nose, Tsunade scowled at the pink-locked soldier at her feet as she attempted to stand. Not wanting to have to deal with another eruption, she placed a sandaled foot on Sakura's pre-bashed shoulder and forced her back down, calling for security.
"Gentlemen," she said with an air of restrained irritation, "please accompany Miss Haruno to a holding chamber; I want to keep her for observation."
With a nod and bow the men complied, brusquely grasping the woman by the upper arms, ushering her out the door and down several stories into a frost-lined hallway underground.
She was running as fast as her well-toned legs could carry her, panting for breath. Casting her eyes back, she saw no one behind her, but how long could that possibly last?
As soon as the guards had entered the cell's room with her away from eyes of others, it had been simple to take advantage of their mere jounin status. What they hadn't known was that she ran with ANBU as a medic and it was required to be at a similar level of expertise. It took just a few chakra-infused blows to all the right places and she was home free. Well, almost.
It was only a matter of time before they would find the unconscious bodies and come after her. A deep feeling of regret seeped into Sakura, knowing that she might as well have killed them for the amount of trouble awaiting her return. But there was no way that she would go back to that place, where people in white coats went to any measures to convince her that she was mentally unstable. She wouldn't go back…
So where could she go now that she was on the run? It was obvious that she would be labeled traitor, or at least insubordinate, so how much worse could it be were she to leave the village completely? Discarding the idea, Sakura's rational mind came through the cloud of her emotional state. The shinobi would be considered missing-nin, categorized in with the worst criminals. Skipping town wasn't worth that.
But, damn, she thought this was all over a while ago. She thought she could trust herself again and be strong in every situation. Seeing those mysterious ebony eyes again changed such circumstances.
Without really weighing the consequences, Sakura suddenly found herself on an all too familiar doorstep, pounding on the hard wooden entrance.
"Sasuke!" she called loudly, her fist rapping still. What am I doing?
She cried out his name again, pounding the door more insistently. Why did I even consider this?
When the looming male finally opened the door and stared at her with a raised brow, she looked back at him weakly. And why did I endure everything for him?
"Just can't keep yourself away, I see," his lip twitched.
"I need your help," the dark smudges were stark against her abnormally pasty face, hands that she tried to conceal shaking. I can't believe I'm going to go through with this…
"You always do," Sasuke held a hint of disdain in his voice before he stepped out towards the woman, closing the door behind him, "What is it?"
"I need a place to stay," the last thing the female expected was to be greeted by his insufferable laughter. Too tired to hold her temper under control, Sakura fumed, "What's your problem? It's not funny." She really didn't mean to make the last statement sound so pitiful.
When the male calmed enough to speak, he started sarcastically, "I can't believe this. Don't you have your own house, or are the authorities hot on your tail?" At her nod, Sasuke blanched, "What the hell did you do?"
Shaking her rosy head, the kunoichi waved off the question, "Can I please just stay? Even if it's only for tonight, that'll give me time to breathe and think."
"And if I say no?" Sasuke's face hardened, not appreciative of his question being blown off.
Sakura swallowed, eyes casting down as she held collecting tears at bay. Everything always happened so fast and now the only place she could find refuge in wasn't open to her. So now it was either abandon her home or be captured. No logic could really help the situation. She sniffled.
I'm picking up a sense of déjà vu, the male thought as he watched the girl in front of him lose her backbone, needing his protection. He was tempted to turn her away or toss hurtful accusations at her to see if she would snap out of it. Instead he sighed and turned back towards the house, going in and leaving the door open.
Sakura blinked blurry green eyes at his actions but took the hint. Could he really be assisting her, even after the past couple of weeks? She shut the door softly behind her.
Walking up to the man who had sprawled his long body over the couch, eyes closed with a little wrinkle in his forehead, the woman clasped her hands, saying a meek thanks.
Onyx eyes glared hard up at her, "Don't read too far into this, Sakura, it's only for the night. I'm not looking to be your friend, so just keep your distance and don't pester me." I can't believe you came to me again. I thought I had rid you from this place the last time. Stay away before I won't let you go. He turned onto his side, broad back blocking out his guest.
"I don't suppose you ever really wanted my friendship, eh, Sasuke-kun?" Although there was a bitter edge to her voice, the little girl was actually the one speaking, "Even after all that we've been through -then, now- you still want nothing to do with me. Good, I don't want you either." Don't lie.
A snort was his reply. Just keep thinking that.
"It's all for the best anyway," Sasuke heard her mutter under her breath as she found a chair in the corner of the room, curling up into it, her back now to him as well.
She was being idiotic if she actually thought that finding sanctuary in him was a good idea. She pretended that he still held onto an old morality from his youth, that he could still be the hero to save her. What she didn't realize that she was sleeping in the villain's den.
Repetitive thoughts such as these rolled through Sasuke's mind throughout the night. What the male didn't comprehend was that despite his anger towards Sakura's trust in him, he fretted mostly about her security. Tossing and turning, the Uchiha couldn't pull himself from the couch, unwilling to leave the kunoichi in the room alone. Every so often he would glance at her coiled form in the chair, wondering what it was she mouthed in her sleep.
Around two in the morning, between bouts of stressful dozing, Sasuke gazed over at the sleeping shinobi and took note on how her body quivered. Shaking his head, he rose to drape the blanket from the couch over her, thinking that she didn't know how to care for herself, this not being the first example of which. Pausing before returning to his area, Sasuke brushed his knuckles lightly over her rosette strands before mentally scolding himself for such indulgence. Huffing, the man stomped away from the girl, plopping back onto his makeshift bed and refused to linger any more on the woman in his temporary care. Even when his back cramped from remaining in one position too long, the stubborn male rejected the idea of facing her again.
Just be gone in the morning, were his last thoughts, knowing that if their acquaintance didn't end, there would be hell to pay.
Emery – The Ponytail Parades
Three
sleepless nights I will wait
for you forever, It doesn't feel right,
It scares me to think, But
your head is elsewhere, And I
thought that you said (I fall from
you eyes, your eyes I trusted, you said forever) Erase my name from this
page. How can you take all these days I
stay up nights
This isn't how its supposed to be.
But you are
so good at
taking your time to get back to me.
if you would just ask me.
I thought that I
could change you
but you changed me.
holding someone else's hand.
Together on phone lines,
and
living at two opposite ends.
that
you could find takers other than me
and better than me.
and I'm talking enough for both of
us.
When will you see it's not (it's not) so easy for me
you're
careless, and whispered, insulting, and bruising.
things were improving.
These laces are
untied,
but my feet are still walking away.
I never thought
that you could say these words.
Is this really happening?
I
never thought that you could say these words.
(Don't say...)
Is
this really happening?
I never thought that you could say these
words.
(Don't say that we can...)
Is this really happening?
I
never thought that you could say these words.
(Don't say that we
can still be...)
Is this really happening?
I never thought that
you could say these words.
Is this really happening?
(Don't say
that we can still be friends)
(What is inside of me
what have I done?)
and throw them away
(Is this the only way
that you will notice me?)
as I sit here waiting for you (for you)
(Dead words for closed ears all this is sung for you)
(If you are still pretending this is what's right)
until stars leave the sky
(Why can't you look at me can you
only see?)
knowing what my dreams can take away
(One side,
your side, can take away)
Walk away from me.
This night is
done.