Oneirophrenia

—-Chapter 2—

(Rated M-Mature Themes)

-Sakura Haruno-

While Sasuke showered I decided to start packing. I pulled out my travel pack which, thankfully, already had most of the essentials prepared already. So I started with the basics and began to gather some clothes. Not a ton but enough underwear to get me through a week at least. Everything else I could wear for a few days and then I packed a single spare so I could wash and alternate. Sasuke traveled pretty light so I didn't worry too much about frivolous camping gear.

I had a few weapons on hand already packed in their holsters. I grabbed me from the closet to inspect the metal. It's been a while since I've had a mission that involved serious battle now that we're in peacetime.

I slid the steel out of its sheath.

Ugh, I thought so. They're pretty beat up. They're either going to have to be seriously sharpened down or replaced. Either way means I'm paying a visit to TenTen's shop tomorrow so I can have weapons ready for the trip.

For now, I settled for packing a scroll with a summoning for my battle axe, where it fit neatly in one of the side pockets. I know for a fact that one stays sharp. It's well maintained for sure.

I caught myself smiling when I realized Sasuke had kept his promise. "Maybe next time" was finally here.

Sasuke has been gone for a few years now.

3 years and 62 days to be exact. My inner voice taunted. Of course I've been keeping track.

I glanced over at the photo on my bedside table of us as kids. Sasuke's pout as a kid only gets better with age. It seems so ridiculous, seeing the stoic man he's become and remembering that at one point in his life he got embarrassed or upset.

The man is a master of the poker face, he could win a gambling match with Tsunade and wouldn't even have to try not to care.

I wonder what this new Sasuke is like though, there's no longer this foreboding hostility or threatening aura surrounding him anymore. I closed my eyes and tried to feel his chakra. It was calm, like water. Controlled and almost rhythmic…I could feel it ebbing with a slow pace that felt like breathing…

Until it wasn't.

Suddenly his chakra signature spiked for a second, and what felt like still water now felt like a rushing river, then calmed to a trickling creek. It stayed that way for a few moments and I backed off. What the hell was that? Could he feel me sensing him? Was that a warning? So many thoughts raced through my mind but something has him agitated. Like when the hair sticks up on a spine of a cat, Sasuke's chakra was the first warning.

I wonder what was bothering him? It's probably best not to ask. Don't wanna seem too overbearing.

Or annoying. Yeah, that too.

I heard the water shut off and the shower door open echo in the bathroom when-

*tap tap tap*

Looking over my shoulder I saw a small black crow seated on my windowsill. A small piece of parchment tied to its leg.

A message?

I grabbed a handful of birdseed from a jar I kept by the window for such an occasion and opened it up to my jet black messenger. This guy is a younger crow, probably just out of training. The treats help them familiarize and it helps him relax as I start messing with his leg

He graciously ate the treat as I untied the note and accepted a small stroking of his feathers as his cue to fly away.

A breeze rolled in through the open window, it was wonderful outside! A little brisk but the cool air felt welcome on my face. I took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of the city. I could smell the bakery down the street beginning to fill the air. It smelled wonderful, like fresh bread. The singing of the cicadas also chorused in the trees. Sitting up on the edge of the windowsill I decided to leave it open while I read the note.

"What's that?"

Oh my god how is he so quiet?!

"I'm about to find out," I said coolly, trying to to let on that he took me by surprise. I unrolled the parchment with my fingers and tried not to focus on the shirtless shinobi hovering across the room in my peripheral vision. I read the note aloud.

Mission Update:

The Lotus Bar

Happy hour

-T

"Should I go with you?" He asked, drying his hair with a small hand towel. I looked up at him from across the room, his lower half obscured by my bed but not enough to hide the fact that he had nothing but a towel around his waist. The tapered muscles of his abs was enough to make me bite my lower lip. He wasn't fair. He has to know what his body does to women. There's no way he's that oblivious.

Sasuke stopped fussing with his hair and I released my lip from in between my teeth.

"Tsunade-shishou isn't Hokage anymore, so this is probably hospital related. You can come if you want but I can't promise it'll be very exciting. It's probably just adding a stop to our itinerary," I suggested. Plus, Tsunade could be really temperamental...especially if she's drinking...She scheduled our meeting for Happy Hour?! Who knows what kind of nonsense she's gonna try to talk me into doing for her?! Offering a drink is her way of getting drunk men to put more chips in the pot, happy hour can only mean she wants a favor and I'm probably not gonna like it.

Sasuke walked over, hand towel draped over his left shoulder and plucked the tiny piece of paper from my hands.

"I'll go with you," he said firmly. The small paper ignited in flame and disappeared into smoke with a small burst of chakra. I stared at him incredulously,

"Tsunade doesn't like you," I countered.

"A lot of people don't like me."

I opened my mouth to say something snarky but took a deep breath instead. Being sarcastic was a good way of distracting myself from how much I wanted his body pressed up against mine... But he had a point. Sasuke was still fighting an uphill battle in the popularity department.

His journey for revenge took so many turns, and took so many lives in the process . His entire world has been shattered so many times I think even he's lost count. Sasuke was so incredibly lost in a web of lies and history that I can't imagine where his head is at now, years after winning a war. After fighting his best friend and seeing only darkness for so long he forgot what light felt like. I wonder how much he's changed since he's opened his eyes again...

"Some people do..." I said gently instead. "I always have." I reached out and took his right hand in my left. Our fingers gently hooked on each other's for a moment. My thumb brushed over the bruised knuckles on his index and middle fingers and I was surprised he didn't pull away. I wonder if these were from battle or from training. I collected a small amount of chakra in the pad of my thumb and eased the swelling.

"I know," he said softly. I smiled softly, still looking at our hands and finally let go as he gently pulled away. "Goodnight, Sakura."

"Oyasumi, Sasuke-kun."

He walked out of my bedroom and shut the door quietly behind him. His back looked just as good as the front. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. How long was this mission going to take?

I'm going to have to spend months with him there's no way I can put up with this beating so fast. I bit my lip and rolled back, falling onto the bed.

Fuck.

Reality was finally starting to set in.

He's here. He's sleeping on my couch. We're going on a mission together. He's hot. Like unbearably hot. We're both adults now, though barely so. We've both grown a lot in the past few years. In different ways, for sure. I only hoped I didn't look too much like a child still. I get criticized all the time at the hospital for how young I look.

It tends to get annoying pretty quickly.

I looked over at the wood door separating us. This is the closest I've been to him in years...

I turned my head and stared at my underwear there sat a very expensive, very embarrassing vibrator.

Ino got it for me as a birthday present two years ago, after boasting to me about her fulfilling sex life with Sai in explicit detail I struggle to forget.

"Sakura I am serious. Just try it out and see if you like it. You don't even have to put it in at first you know just like...give yourself a little...show?" She made circles over her crotch with an open palm and wiggles her eyebrows with a smirk.

And oh did I.

Ino called me "A modern feminist virgin". That is, a virgin without a virginity to lose. I took it myself, on my own terms and explored my own sexuality with the person I trust most: myself. It's led to a lot of 'self discovery', and I am not shy with myself either.

Let's just say it's been put to good use. I even got treated to a drink by Ino to "cheers your first orgasm!" However..

I absolutely cannot use it for the next three days. It's not exactly a secret who I want. And I don't want the subject of all my fantasies to hear me moan his name from the other side of my bedroom door. And all I can think about is his body...

I've started glaring at the drawer now.

I also can't take it with me.

Kami, this is going to be the longest mission of my life!

—

"So...Sasuke is back I see."

"Yep."

"And out shopping with you."

"Uhuh."

"Does Ino know?"

"No! I'll get around to it! Things have just been busy," I whispered through gritted teeth. I shot a glance down the aisle Sasuke was looking at. Swords. Of course.

"She's gonna kill you if she doesn't find out like, Yesterday," Tenten said, resting her head in the palm of her hand as she sat behind her desk. "That woman wouldn't be satisfied if you could predict the future and tell her before it happened."

"Yeah wait until she finds out he slept on my couch last night."

"You're joking."

"And for the next two nights"

"She's gonna make you tell her everything, are you taking notes?"

"God help me..." I put my face into my hands and groaned. Ino was relentless, she need to have detailed descriptions of every guy who's asked me out ever. Sometimes she asks me their blood types. And sometimes I know the answer because I'm their doctor.

On the Topic of Sasuke however? Ino might need to schedule a day around it.

That's a problem for later, for right now I need to be preparing for a mission. Oh god I have to tell her about the mission too!

"How's my baby doing?" I put my hands on the desk and gave Tenten my best puppy dog impression. I needed a change of subject.

Tenten rolled her eyes and smiles. "Come on, let's have a look at her."

And man, was she beautiful. A ornately carved 3 foot wide steel axe with a red leather wrapped handle and onyx stone inlays in the mast. Tenten handed me a piece of rope and I held it to the edge of the blade. The rope split just resting against the blade, thin and sharp. It was a Jounin graduation gift from Tsunade 4 months ago. And Tenten was meticulous in her sharpening skills. And I pay her really well to do it.

"She's so pretty I can't wait to use her one day." I grazed my hand over the beautiful carving of cherry blossom trees on the steel. Right under the branches was the carved in summoning seal, ready to be called into battle at a moments notice.

Tenten just laughed. "I pity the next guy who slaps your ass at a bar." She started walking back towards the front of the store.

"Are you ready to go?" Sounded Sasuke from the other room.

"On our way out!" I shouted back at him. "Seriously though Tenten thanks for taking care of it for me."

"Don't sweat it, it's my job! Just make sure you wrap it before sending it back, I don't want it to end up in the floor pile with everyone else's." She gestures towards the large summoning circle in the center of the room where all the return weapons summons show up to be put back into storage. Currently there were a few swords and some sickles, a cannon shaped like a dragon, a demon wind shuriken the size of a refrigerator and a trident. With a 'poof' a couple of intricate bladed fans appeared, a little bent and dinged up from battle.

We walked into the lobby and Tenten rang up all of our new weapons purchases. I gave her a hug and then we were off to the next stop on our list.

—

"Why is he here?" Tsunade said, shuffling a deck of cards. The music played in the background, mellow and melancholic. It didn't suit the tense mood at all...

"Well were going to be traveling together so he wanted to know what the Update was." I took a sip of cider from the pint glass Shishou so happily ordered for me because 'it's happy hour, not drinking is rude." Sasuke ordered a water and declined, clearly not caring about politeness.

Didn't help his case with Tsunade's bad side, but it can't be helped I guess.

Tsunade just sighed and pressed the glass of sake to her lips, "Let's get down to business then, if that's the case. I wouldn't want to waste the almighty Uchiha's precious time catching up with my protégée now would I?" She took a sip and set the empty glass down, preparing to pour another.

"I'll owe you a drink and a game next time, I promise." I offered, trying to ease the tension.

"Only if you're planning on betting something worth playing for, kiddo," she teased.

"How about the bottle of Blue Label Scotch my parents gave me from their trip to waves. I've only had one drink and its been on my shelf ever since." I offered, knowing my audience well.

"Now you're talking," she said, dealing the cards in front of us in two neat piles. Sasuke was just along for the ride at this point. Which was fine, Not very many people knew how to navigate her nuanced sarcasm and impatience.

Tsunade finished dealing the cards and asked me to flip the cards over.

They were blank. I saw Sasuke begin to shift in his seat, watching every move out of the corner of my eye as Tsunade plucked a car out of her fan and place it face up on the table in play.

Her middle finger never left the card as she spun it three times and activated a seal.

Words began to appear out of the smoke and revealed what looked to be a character card with the photo of a wiry looking old man with glasses and a very serious hardened face.

Hidden Rock

Hiroto Ren

Herbalist

Underneath his name was a series of coordinates, a list of gambling tells, and a basic summary.

"Ren is a poker buddy of mine from Iwagakure in the Land of Earth. He's an herbal specialist with a greenhouse full of rare and at times, illegal plants. I have an order I need you to pick up, and I'm going to advise you to do some shopping on your own because it's rare he agrees to a meeting but I need you to figure out his price. A lot of the plants I need are very, very illegal." She said softly, handing me the card. "I placed this order with him two years ago, before he embarked on an excursion over seas. I don't know how difficult these plants were to obtain, or maintain so I'm expecting the price to be steep, and unconventional."

"The Land of Earth is weeks away, how long will I have to negotiate the transaction without corresponding with you?" I asked. Surely she didn't expect me to front the money?! "What kind of price are we talking about?"

"He's a businessman, Sakura. I know exactly what he's going to want: something more marketable. I'm sending you in my place because poisons and antidotes are your specialty. I'm hoping that you can be resourceful. He has high standards, and I will give you all the information you need on the plants that I've requested from him."

Tsunade pushes the rest of my deck in front of me and I fanning them out on the table. These were my information.

"Sakura he is going to want salves, teas, poisons, hair care products if you have to. You are my most talented student, and this type of problem solving has always been your most passionate skill. These plants have so many different uses."

I gathered the cards back up and stacked them in a deck, placed my middle finger on top of the whole pile and released the seal, revealing photos of different flora, and descriptions for the properties of each one. I grabbed a handful and looked over the cards. Most of the names I didn't recognize, and at least half of them had markings on the top right corner, declaring them as illegal substances.

"Just because something is illegal, does not make it bad. Many of these plants were made illegal by corrupt businessmen looking for a monopoly on medicine and resources." She held out her hand and I returned the deck to her. After sifting through the deck for a moment she pulled out a card labeled Mitragyna speciosa.

"This plant is a potent painkiller, with no addictive side effects and even has an antidepressant effect. Guess who made it illegal?"

"Someone in charge of a more addictive painkiller, like opium?" I suggested.

"Exactly. These are all very useful for medicines, antidotes, and treatments. Their uses can be beneficial in so many ways for people who need them. I need these plant seeds to grow and cultivate our own supply here in Konoha; so I need you to help me get them and make sure that they're well taken care of. I will provide you with a transport scroll to house them so they won't be in your way during your travels. Do not let them out of your sight until you can get them back to me. Do you understand?"

"Hai, Shishou."

"Uchiha." Tsunade barked over at Sasuke. "You let my precious student get a single scratch I will be donating your body to science so I can rip you apart and put you back together again forever." She threatened. I opened my mouth to stop her-

"Sakura is not weak." Sasuke said.

My mouth hung open. I felt a blush creep into my face. Before I could process his compliment Tsunade chimes in.

"You're damn right she isn't. So don't underestimate her and trust her as a teammate. I don't need your arrogance fucking up in a battle where you underestimate your opponent. She could run circles around you when it comes to cooperative strategy and your lone wolf tendencies are a strategic disadvantage."

Sasuke nodded and looked at me. "I trust her." He said.

Pinch me I'm dreaming.

"Then you two are dismissed. Safe travels you two!" She toasted her glass, took a sip and shooed us away to order another drink from the waitress. I swiped the deck of cards from the table and watched as the ink faded back into the blank henge. I tucked the deck in neatly into my hip holster and clicked the snap shut at we walked out of the bar into the busy street.

—-

-Sasuke Uchiha-

"Sakura, I need to brief you on our mission," I said, hanging my cloak on the coat hanger by the door. I slipped off my shoes and started walking towards the couch. Sakura lingered behind me, undoing the clasp of her sandals at her ankle and putting her shoes away neatly next to mine.

"Oh, yeah of course," she said, tucking some stray hair behind her ears. Some the shorter strands came loose and delicately framed her face. She walked past me and I watched as she began to prepare a kettle on the stove. "Would you like some tea?" She asked. I nodded yes and took a seat on the far side of the couch, looking at her the whole time. As much as I told myself to look away from her I couldn't. My eyes observed everything about the way she moved, the way her calves flexed as she stood on her tiptoes to grab a mason jar in the cabinet above her head. She took three jars out and turned around to grab a couple of mugs from the cabinets behind her. Her shirt slipping up with her reach just enough to show the small of her back, where there was the barest hint of a larger scar…

That's odd…

Sakura's body wasn't covered in many scars. From what I could tell from a few feet away, I could tell her arms were pristine and smooth. Her neck was flawless and her face as innocent and untouched by any thin white lines. Her flawless chakra control allowed her to heal any major injuries on herself as soon as they happened, preventing the development of scar tissue. She could probably even eliminate scars she already had if she wanted to. She reached up again and her short sleeve slipped back to reveal the tail end of another set of scars, three parallel lines…

Like claws…

"I know you don't like sweetener in your tea Sasuke-kun, but would you like any milk?" She asked, pulling me out of my daze. She had her back to me as she poured the tea into a coffee mug. As she poured, I walked over to her and waited until he set the kettle down to grab her shoulder and turn her towards me. She gasped a little in surprise as I grabbed the fabric of her sleeve and lifted it up and looked at the three jagged scars cutting through her bicep. Sakura stood frozen and confused as she looked down at the long forgotten scars she had hiding under her shirt. Her eyes widened and softened as she realized what I was looking at. Her hand lifted slowly and she placed her hands on my forearm, lowering it from her shoulder and says,

"You've missed a lot."

I lower my hand for a moment before Sakura hands me a mug of tea. The drink is warm in my hand and she smiles up at me. "I'll tell you my stories if you tell me yours." She teases.

My chest aches at her words. My story is long and full of darkness. I'm not sure what she would think of me should I tell her some of the things I have done…but I find myself wanting to tell her anyway. I find myself on the brink of crumbling in front of her and wanting her to listen to my stories because I know she would stay and listen and hang onto every word of it and still love me…

I know she still loves me. She isn't screaming it in the darkness to try to convince me to stay, but I know she does in a way that no one else will. She sees right through me and I was always so terrified of the way she did that. The way she could anticipate my actions in a way no one else could. How if I let her in any more she would see every bit of the sadness and darkness I tried to hide from her…and everyone else…

I take a sip of the tea she made, earl grey, lavender and chamomile. It was very good.

"We'll have time to catch up on the road ahead," I said instead. We moved over and sat down across from each other on the couch. She sat on the left and tucked her legs up on the cushion, placing her mug on her thigh to rest.

"So whats the plan?" She said, taking a sip of her milk clouded mug. Her hair fell from behind her ears as she leaned over the hot drink to blow on the steam before taking another sip.

"We know that Kaguya was trapped within the moon in this dimension a long time ago, when Hagaromo and Hamura first sealed her into its core. When Naruto and I sealed her this time, we sealed her in another dimension, where hopefully Zetsu doesn't find a way to access her or accumulate chakra in these other dimensions to revive her." I set my mug down onto her coffee table.

Sakura looked over at me with a serious look in her eyes. She nodded for me to continue.

"However, with what happened with Hinata and Toneri raised so many more questions. I've been investigating some of the other dimensions, looking for more clues but the dimensional travel is draining. I will sometimes get stuck in one dimension for days trying to recover and be low on resources. There is so much out there that I cannot do alone…I need you to help me." Sakura perked up and blushed a little at that. "I need your Byakugo No In and your medical expertise by my side so we can assess the threat more effectively."

"So we will be traversing through several of the dimensions and looking for clues about the Otsutsuki clan and assessing wether or not they remain a threat?" She asked, setting her mug down on the table. "How long do you think we will be traveling to cover all that ground, there are so many dimensions…"

"It will take years, Sakura." I said. She looked pensively at the tea settling in her cup. "You will be away from Konoha and your clinic for a long time…"

"I could use the vacation." She said smiling. Her head turned and looked at me with a determined look in her eyes. She leaned back on the couch and said, "I want to get out of here for a while and see the world more. You and Naruto did so much traveling for your training I feel like I've been cooped up for way too long in my books."

She stretched her arms above her head with an eager grin on her face. A blush scattered across her freckled cheeks. She looked excited and suddenly full of energy. Suddenly I found myself thinking about places I wanted to show her…places I think she would like. Sakura likes things with history or with stories attached, her knowledge of the world in books would lead her to a natural curiosity of exploration. One of her more annoying traits on missions I remember. She would get easily distracted by the details of a place just long enough that she'd find herself in trouble.

"Do you want to say goodbye to your parents?" I asked. Her face suddenly fell a bit at the mention of her family. I never understood why she hated the topic so much growing up. She always complained about one thing or another…

"I'll swing by my moms place…" she sighed, placing her chin in the palm of her hand. I reached for my tea and brought it to my lips. "She can just tell my dad I guess." She reached for her mug and took a big hasty sip of it. Her face was solemn and contemplative… she turned and looked at me for a moment before turning her gaze at the sliding glass door to her porch. "Hey…Sasuke…"

I watched as she bit her lower lip and furrowed her brows, looking for the right words.

"I'm not trying to say that I'm jealous that you don't have parents, but…" she looked down at her hands and started to pick at her fingernails, "Sometimes I wish mine were…better. Moving out was the best decision I ever made. And I love them I do…but…Nothing is ever good enough for my mother. I'm not even good enough for her all she does is point out my mistakes. She is controlling and spiteful and it drove my dad away. And my dad is an idiot who doesn't even know how to talk to me since I surpassed him and mom. He started acting weird, feeling unfulfilled or regretful…or ashamed. I don't know. He drinks his weight in liquor and loses his money on karaoke girls and maid cafe's. As if thats going to earn him any respect…" She took another big sip of her tea, "I'm sorry I'm rambling on and on about my family issues I know its not my place…"

"It's alright." I said. Her stories felt so far away. She held her mug close to her lips and sat in thought for a moment.

"You need to listen more. Set aside your emotions and listen to someone else for once." Juugo said. "Everyone carries pain with them, even if you don't understand it. Even if you think that your pain is worse. They are still feeling it." He looked over at Karin who was crying behind a pillar across the training coliseum. Juugo and I stood on the balcony above as we watch the aftermath of the battle unfold.

Orochimaru had made her heal one of his prized experiments after he went into berserker mode. He was not gentle with her.

Karin healed herself and walked away with her head down, shaking with each step.

"Her pain isn't the same as yours. But it is still pain."

"What happened to your arm?" I asked instead, shaking the memory off. Her right hand moved to trace the scars under her sleeve. She looked lost in memory as she ran her fingers down the jagged keloid scar it left behind.

"When Naruto was training to control the Kyuubi's chakra with Yamato-taichou, we ran into Kabuto and Orochimaru." She set her mug down and shifted herself so that her left arm was towards me. Lifting up the sleeve to her shoulder I could see three parallel lines that looked like burn scars up close. The skin was dark and raised.

"Naruto could only get to three chakra tails while maintaining control but this time he slipped into a fourth tail release," she let go of the sleeve and sighed, "He was terrifying…It wasn't even Naruto anymore it was just this primal untethered chakra running around with Naruto's body as it's anchor. He didn't even remember striking me with one of the tails. I was sent backwards from the impact and landed at Kabuto's feet. He actually healed it for me…" she leaned her head back, "It feels like a lifetime ago…"

Sakura began to get up from the couch and clear our mugs from the table. I watched her hair fall into her face as she got up and leaned over. "I'm going to go to bed, Sasuke-kun." She placed the dishes in the sink and smiled over at me. "Oyasumi."

"Good night." I said. Sakura walked over to her bedroom door and closed it softly behind her. I guess I'm brushing my teeth in the sink then.

I got up from the couch and made my bed for the night, grabbing the pillows and blankets from the end table from last night and spreading it across the couch. It wasn't terribly uncomfortable, but it was a little stiff.

I pulled a new pair of sweatpants from one of our shopping bags. Sakura advised me on buying them during our errand running so I could have something clean to wear while I wash my other clothes. They were comfortable. I decided to forego the shirt and walked over to the sink with my toothbrush in hand. No sooner did I put the toothpaste covered brush in my mouth did Sakura open her door frantically.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I forgot to ask you if you wanted to shower and stuff before bed I just- I'm not used to having you here and- shit! I'm so sorry!"

She covered her eyes and walked back into her room, leaving the door open.

I finished brushing my teeth and walked over. Sakura was laying on her back with her hands over her eyes and blushing furiously.

"Sakura," I said her name slowly. She lifted her hands to look over at me, a deep red blush on her cheeks as she looked over at me. I gazed down at her on the bed and watched a strand of hair fall over her cheek as she turned her neck.

"Do you want to train tomorrow?"

—

End Chapter 2

Thanks so much for all the likes so far! I"m overwhelmed and excited to continue this story.