As two reviewers have pointed out, "Orochimaru should be the obvious choice" – yes, it's true, except that he is dead. It's totally my fault for not specifying. This takes place after the war, and in my mind, all of the major bad guys would have been taken care of in some way. Hence why Sasuke didn't immediately think of Orochimaru.
So, I apologize for the confusion. It's not Orochimaru they are looking for.
Because I Did Not Stop For Death
.: Chapter 3 – In Which There Is Much Death:.
'Death isn't cruel - merely terribly, terribly good at his job.'
– Terry Pratchett (Discworld series)
"It seems as though death is cruel. He took this young man at the height of his career. He was a good ninja and a great man. His contributions to our hospital are immeasurable…."
Ino leaned over to whisper in her ear, interrupting her old teacher's speech, "Uncle Haru told me he hated half of these people, and now look at them." Ino squeezed the hand next to her, "Thanks for coming, forehead."
Sakura nodded absentmindedly – the funeral she had promised Ino she would attend was hitting too close to home for her comfort. Instead of the Yamanaka's photo, Sakura kept seeing Sasuke's.
Sakura squeezed Ino's hand back.
"…Death is unavoidable, especially as a ninja, but it is especially hard with someone so young…"
Death is unavoidable. As a medic, she especially knew this. Yet, Sasuke had defied this concept. She herself fought with death on a daily basis in her hospital (and won a lot of the times, thank you very much). She often pictured death as cruel and unjust. Now, she wondered if there was more to it than that. Maybe death was just another tool to fate.
But was there such a thing as fate? Sakura briefly glanced at her best friend. Was their friendship planned? Was Sasuke supposed to die? Does that mean that he was going to be taken away? Would Death even keep its promise once they found the person who had angered Death so? Questions begot more questions and Sakura was getting a headache.
Beside her, Ino stepped foreword. The funeral had finished and it was time to pay their respects. Sakura waited on the sidelines, watching as Ino placed a white flower onto the casket. The air was somber and tense. Sakura wondered if Death was here. Did death care? Did it revel in such times? Or was it merely a job?
Sakura winced, a hand rubbing at her forehead. Maybe now was not the best time to have promised to attend a funeral.
When Ino returned to Sakura's side, the blue eyes were dry and smile was back on her face. "You okay, Ino?" Sakura asked, pushing the dark thoughts back.
"Yeah. It sucks, but we weren't that close to begin with, really. I just hate funerals and Shikamaru and Chouji are on missions."
A picture of Sasuke's dead body in the hospital flashed in her brain. She forcefully shoved it away for the hundredth time sine the funeral started. "Speaking of missions," Sakura turned away from the casket and its meaning, following the crowd of people leaving the area. Ino followed. "I have to get going to start on mine. Sasuke-kun is waiting for me."
"It's not dangerous, is it?" Ino frowned. Her eyes drifted over Sakura's currently flat stomach. "You have to be careful."
"Yeah, I know." Sakura said shrugging out of the black jacket she had worn for the funeral, "We are just investigating Orochimaru's old hideout. Sasuke-kun doesn't really need another person," Her knuckles turned white as she squeezed the material. "But I don't want Sasuke-kun to go alone – especially since he almost…" Sakura trailed off, unable to finish. Her teeth bit into her lip.
"Yeah, yeah." Ino waved her hand and took the jacket from Sakura. "He's too stubborn to die. Just make sure both of you keep up your lucky streak and come back safely."
Three days into the journey, Sasuke snapped at his wife. He had tried to hold it in, tried to understand her needs and concerns, tried to be as patient as possible. She was pregnant and pregnancy wrecked havoc on the hormones. He'd read that in a book. He tried everything he could to keep his annoyance in check. He would glare, ignore her, look elsewhere, or make noncommittal sounds and grunts that she normally had no problem translating. When none of that worked, he finally snapped.
"Will you shut-up?"
Sakura was never a particularly quiet person, but as she'd gotten older and they'd gotten used to each other in the house, she'd learned the art of silence. Or at the very least, learned that Sasuke liked the occasional silence.
She had continued talking from the moment they left the gate up until the moment he had broken. That brief moment of silence was worth the spite and anger that was heading his way.
Sakura paused on a tree branch, her hands fisted at her sides. Sasuke noted that she looked a bit weary. Her hair didn't seem to shine as much and she was breathing heavily. "Excuse me?" Sasuke frowned. She was angry – he'd expected that, but he'd also expected some fire and punches along with it.
He did not repeat himself. He continued to silently observe her while she huffed on top of her branch until she pouted and turned her head to the side, refusing to look at him. His frown grew. "We'll stop here."
She didn't argue as they both dropped from the high tree branches to the ground below. She didn't argue when he irritably nabbed her sack and went about setting up camp while she set the fire. She didn't even argue when he told her to wait while he caught some fish. She didn't say a word.
When they were younger, Sakura was an open book. She wore her emotions on her sleeve and was often reprimanded for it. As she grew older, she learned to hide those emotions better, but not so much that she was completely unreadable to her teammates – she had never quite mastered that. Even now, Sasuke knew his wife, knew her habits, twitches, and little tells (often times more than he would have ever liked to have known) But there were other times when he simply did not get her – or women in general for that matter. And so, despite finally getting the silence he so desperately wanted, he decided to ask her, "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"What," She paused her ravenous desecration of the cooked fish to respond in a bitterly calm tone, "Now you want to hear me speak?"
Sasuke's teeth ground together hard enough that he swore they chipped slightly. "Don't be a child." He hissed. Vaguely he noted that the patience he had fought to hard to hold on to for his pregnant wife's sake had not only left, but seemed to have fled for Sand.
He watched as Sakura's chomping began to dull down as the tension in her shoulders lessened slightly. Ah, yes, he was more familiar with this process. She was thinking now, contemplating. Her anger was there, but it was seeping out as her rational side brain began to push through the emotional. The eyebrows bent downwards while her lips were pressed tightly together. Then the pink brow began to lose tension as she blinked many times – probably an epiphany of sorts before finally letting a resigned sigh escape her lips and speaking, "Sorry." The admission was soft and not completely penitent, but Sasuke took it.
And by taking it, he grunted and shrugged before continuing his food like nothing was wrong. He waited to see if she would continue.
"I know I've been talking a lot." Sasuke couldn't stop the scoff he knew would earn him a glare. "Shut up. Yeah. But…" She paused and put down her fish. "I'm worried about you." Sasuke raised a questioning eyebrow, also pausing his eating. "We're going to Sound." Sakura continued. "I know it has bad memories for you, so I guess… I guess I was just trying to distract you."
Distraction. Sasuke thought back to the past three days. All he could remember thinking about was Sakura, family, and the constant nagging thought of 'when the hell will she stop talking?' Indeed, it hadn't actually crossed his mind – or at least, not on a deep level, that he was returning to Sound. The tiniest of twitches tugged at his lips and his eyes softened just slightly. It was a small change, but Sakura caught it. "You're annoying." His voice held no anger or malice. Amusement, wondering, and even some slight exasperation perhaps, but no form of true annoyance and no small amount of total fondness and adoration.
His special phrase for her was rewarded with a beaming smile – a smile that was only reserved for him.
They ate in a thoughtful and peaceful silence. Sasuke relished it. His thoughts strayed once or twice into the darker territory that is his past, but he would blink and his eyes would stray over to his wife and the present would then be forefront in his head.
"Do you think…" When Sakura had finished eating, she placed the stick that once held a fish onto the ground, "Well," She looked down at her fidgeting fingers, "I wish there was a way to see if we are going the right way."
Sasuke snorted lightly. As if Death would be that helpful. "Don't worry about it." He said.
"I know I shouldn't," Her fingers continued to circle around each other and Sasuke could see the gears over working in her head. "But I don't want to needlessly-"
"Sakura." He waited until she lifted her face to look at him, "Stop worrying about it. You are dwelling on it more than I am."
A corner of her lips perked up a bit before she turned away in a fake huff and folded her arms, "It's what I do. I'm a dweller."
"Well, stop." He stood up and made his way to his pack. He fumbled around inside only for a moment before pulling out a tightly rolled blanket. It was small, but it would serve its purpose. He took it over to Sakura and rested it on her shoulders. "Get some rest, I'll take first watch."
He watched her eyes soften and a hand touch the rough blanket. She opened her mouth to argue before she sighed and shook her head. "Wake me up this time," She warned. "I may be pregnant, but I can pull my weight around here too!"
Sasuke grunted. Sure.
"I'm serious, Sasuke-kun! You won't be any help when you're exhausted!"
"Look whose talking." He muttered. She must have heard it, because he felt a slight punch on his shoulder, but she said nothing in response.
It wasn't until Sakura was safely in her sleeping bag and her breath had evened out that Sasuke finally let his mind wander into darker territories.
This time the blank whiteness did not startle him. He was relatively irritated to find himself here again, but not startled. The deep resounding voice that echoed all around him only made him flinch on the inside. "How is the search?" While it seemed to resound inside of him, the main source was coming from behind. Sasuke turned his head to address the being.
"You aren't watching? I thought I was your amusement." He turned fully, revealing crossed arms and a slight frown.
"I was trying to be polite." The dark raised and dropped shoulder like shapes. "I suppose basic human etiquette is lost on you."
"That's rich coming from you." Sasuke scoffed.
"I may not be human, but I can appreciate." Death pointed out. He switched his scythe from one bony hand to the other. "Your attitude has been noted. I will not use etiquette again for you."
Sasuke found Death's observance and attitude annoying. It vaguely reminded him of his replacement that Sakura was so fond of. He found himself snapping despite the great being he was in the presence of, "Why am I here again? I didn't die."
"You did die, Sasuke Uchiha," Death noted, as calm as ever. "But you have not died again recently, no."
Smart-ass. Sasuke glowered, not amused in the least. He stared into the darkness wishing that Death had eyes to meet. Death merely cocked his head to the side, and continued. "I am told that humor is supposed to alleviate tensions, but it always seems to make things worse. Perhaps it is another human aspect that I am unable to fully grasp." Death's hood turned to the side while he began to fiddle with the scythe in his hand, "I believe your wife had request my assurance on your path."
Sasuke could not restrain the twitch of his fingers at the mention of his wife. It was one thing to mess with him – play with his mind and follow him. It was a whole other thing to speak of his wife. He ignored the guilt tugging at him that blamed him for getting her involved in the first place. He didn't notice how hard his hands had fisted until he felt them pierce his skin.
"You are not wrong, nor are you right. I cannot give you direct answers, but it is a good place to start."
"Can't or won't?"
"My rules, Sasuke Uchiha." The tone of the echo became slightly darker. The black void began to make its way back to Sasuke.
"I don't play games." A face was not visible, but Sasuke continued to stare into what seemed like the empty space where a head should be.
"I have heard some people say that life is a game." Death finally stopped in front of Sasuke. They were inches apart, yet even at that distance, Sasuke did not see any facial indications – only a deep ink-like void.
"Some people are idiots." The air was cold. It penetrated down to his bones. He willed himself to not shake
"I can neither deny nor agree with the statement as neither you nor I are the official judge of what is idiotic and what is sane. However, I do sometimes share a similar sentiment for all of humanity." A skeletal finger slowly raised and connected with Sasuke's forehead.
Death's darkness spread and Sasuke was left in nothingness.
Their quiet steps seemed like blaring tambourines in the stillness of the underground facility. Sasuke's eyes moved continuously while his chakra senses extended as far and as carefully as possible. Outside of the flickering circle of light was complete darkness. Sasuke allowed himself a three second glance towards his wife from the corner of his eye before resuming his vigil.
"I don't sense anything." The whisper was had barely touched her lips, but Sasuke heard it.
He nodded, affirming her statement. He also felt nothing – and that was what was worrying him.
Their footsteps were slow and careful. Sakura followed closely behind Sasuke. The light was solely for Sakura's sake. Sasuke knew the tunnels like the back of his hand. Its memory resurfaced and tugged at his brain like an unlucky coin.
Finally, Sasuke came to a halt. His hand stretched out to his side, palm facing towards Sakura. Once he felt her stop, his hand moved to point at a door ahead of them.
Sasuke took a cautious step foreword when all of his sense began to tingle. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, goosebumps on his arms and legs raised. One glance told him that Sakura was having a similar reaction. Both ninjas froze, trying to find just what their senses were telling them.
A frown formed on Sakura's face as she shook her head. Sasuke grit his teeth. He couldn't pinpoint the tingling senses either. Something was wrong, but what? Should they go back? Black eyes narrowed. Orochimaru's door was right there in front of him, taunting him, but… the piercing eyes wandered over to his wife again. Could he risk it now?
As though she felt his indecision, Sakura met his gaze with a determination and stubbornness that he knew so well. Doubt left his mind as they continued towards the room – as long as they were together.
When they stood before the door, Sasuke again extended his chakra, feeling for whatever had set off their senses. Nothing unusual. Sasuke's hand rested on the wooded door. He pushed. It creaked opened much easier than he originally planned.
The couple paused, waiting for something – anything to pop out. Not a sound was heard – not even their breathing. Sasuke looked over his shoulder to his wife. Her eyebrows were drawn in concentration. She met his eyes and gave a firm nod. In her hands she held a kunai. Sasuke stepped back and raised a leg.
The door banged open with little resistance. Sakura and Sasuke dashed in behind it – their weapons ready to be thrown and plunged into whatever awaited them.
Nothing.
Sasuke fought off the surprise and disturbing amount of disappointment. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. The room was without any signs of life. Sakura lowered her weapons and began to shuffle around the room looking for anything. Sasuke watched her from the corner of his eye – his nerves still on edge. He stepped towards some glass tubes on a table. They were on their sides resting on papers.
Sasuke noted that some spots on the table her darker than others. He rubbed the pad of a finger on a darker part of the table before bringing it back up to be examined. A frown tugged at his lips. It was clean – or rather, it was absent of dust. Something had been moved recently.
"Sasuke-kun, looks at his." Sasuke swiftly wiped his fingers on his pants and made his way over to his wife. Sakura had stepped over to the stone desk built from the wall. She was bent over the area, scanning its contents. A finger hovered over an open book. "Some of the pages are torn out." She frowned and she pointed to the ripped edges in the seam of the book, "I bet this is what we are looking for. Now if we can just figure out what specifically was torn out and who…" Her fingers bent around the notebook and lifted.
They had little warning. The meaning of their tingling senses earlier became clear as sizzling was heard. Sasuke went on automatic. He wrapped his arm around Sakura and yanked her back while twisting so that he was shielding her with his body. He was vaguely aware of her shout. He heard something drop behind them just before the sizzling stopped.
In an instant, their world was filled with light and fire.
With her eyes still closed, Sakura assessed the situation in seconds. She had blacked out – but only for a brief period as she could still hear the world around her settle from the blast. She breathed in only to cough out whatever dust entered her lungs. Something was weighing on her body. It was heavy, but not crushingly so. She coughed again, moving her arm to cover her mouth. Everything was beginning to quiet again when Sakura finally opened her eyes.
Her eyes met black. She shuffled slightly, weighing her surroundings. Something hard was rested on her legs, but she could feel it shifted. She pushed on the object covering her vision. It was hard, warming, and thumping against her hands.
Sakura forgot to breath – only remembering when her heart, lungs, and medical instincts kicked in, "Sasuke-kun." She whispered, desperately waiting for a reply. The only response she received was the slight shifting of the debris around them as it continued to settle.
Sakura reached out her arms to feel above Sasuke. There was some debris, but nothing she couldn't handle. Feeling around her, she determined that the clearest spot was to the right. As seamlessly as possible, Sakura wiggled out from underneath Sasuke. With more space and little patience, Sakura gathered chakra in her fists. She pulled her balled up hands and leaned over Sasuke before shoving the chakra-laced fists into the debris. It had the desired effect and the debris went flying away from the two.
Even before the various objects found a resting place on the ground, Sakura was over Sasuke praying to whoever would listen that he was still with her. Her fingers pressed into the side of his neck. It was steady. She only allowed herself a slight sigh of relief. Her hands slid over his spine, feeling for any abnormalities. She checked twice and had to choke back tears. They got lucky again.
She ran her hands through his hair before gently turning him over, searching for any major injuries or any sign of why he was out cold.
Something was making her senses tingle again. Quick reflexes kicked in and she turned, letting her kunai clash with the metal threat. The offending kunai dropped harmlessly to the ground.
From the still settling dust, shadows were emerging. Five, six, no, seven could be counted. A thick slash was embedded in each of their forehead protectors.
Sadistic chuckles could be heard from some of the missing nins. Sakura held her kunai in front of her as she positioned herself over Sasuke. She quickly went over her options. She could handle each one easily, but all seven at once with the possibility of more and an injured Sasuke? That would prove to be more difficult.
"You're pretty good to get past us." One with brown hair, a bandaged nose, and a wide grin showing sharp teeth stepped foreword. The sand symbol was crossed out on a band around his forehead. "We wouldn't have noticed you if there wasn't such a convenient explosion."
"Pretty inconvenient if you ask me."
"Fortunately," A masked ninja on her left spoke up, "We didn't ask you." He was missing from Mist.
"Why are you here?" Sakura had to stall. Maybe she could give Sasuke a chance to wake up. Maybe she could actually think of a plan.
"I think it's us who should be asking the questions since you're the one trespassing." The sharp-toothed one snapped. "So, pretty lady, why are you here?"
Sakura snorted, "Really? Trespassing? Last time I checked this place was Orochimaru's hang out."
"And since he and those who were in command are either dead or bailed out, this place belongs to us. And so you two," He slid out a sword and pointed it in her direction, grin easing into a frown, "Are trespassing."
"Well then, guess you'll be on our way then, won't we?"
"Not so fast, pinky." Pointy Teeth took a step foreword. Sakura pressed her lips together and held out her kunai. "You didn't answer our question."
"I'm aware." Sakura began to eye the group with greater suspicion. Did any of them take the notes? Were any of them who they were after? It would be lucky – if she wasn't in such a difficult position right now. "We were looking for Orochimaru's notes. Some of them were missing, do you have them?"
Mask Man snorted, "Orochimaru was smart, but he was a sick bastard. We may have taken over his place, but not his research. Don't lump us together."
"Why do you need to know?" Pointy Teeth asked.
"Unfinished business."
"Well," Pointy Teeth changed into a battle stance, "I guess it doesn't matter. We need to make an example of whoever tramples on our territory. Plus, it's not like we can let you leave now that you've seen us."
The tension rose. The others were ready to pounce the moment their apparent leader gave the order. Sakura gave it one more try, "We are both important people of Konoha. Killing us will only bring attention to yourself."
"Or," With a nod of his head, the rest of the missing nin pulled out their weapons. Sakura cringed, her fingers twitching – waiting for the first movement, "We could just kill you now and hide your bodies!" Pointy Teeth launched himself off the ground, sword twisted and ready to be swung. The others shortly followed, but Sakura wasn't watching. Chakra formed in her fist and was thrust into the ground.
In the confusion and dust, Sakura picked up Sasuke and jumped out of the rubble. She placed him a distance away and adjusted some of the debris over him so that he was hidden before returning to the scene.
No long in the center of the fray, Sakura could start to pick them off one by one. She felt the proud smirk on her lips when she noticed that two of the seven were already out for the count from her punch.
Laughter could be heard as the dust finally settled. "Damn, pinky!" It was Pointy Teeth. "You're good!"
Those who had recovered were running towards her. Sakura's fingers moved and formed signs she knew in her sleep. Two ninja appeared in her line of site just as she finished. Her words were whispered and carried into the area, filling their ears. As they drew closer, Sakura dropped her arms to her side. She did not stop the grin that spread on her face as they sped past her.
"Hey!" A blonde girl also from Mist shouted after the two, but they continued on.
Mask Man put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from continuing on towards the disappearing ninja. "Don't bother." Sakura could not see his face behind the painted mask, but she could feel his eyes watching her carefully. Her cocky grin fell into a tight-lipped line. He would not be as easy to fool. "They are under a genjutsu. Do not underestimate this woman."
Pointy Teeth caught up and stood near the two that were left. The confident grin had been replaced by a slight growl. "She's playing with us."
"Don't' be so confident!" The blonde shouted, "We won't be so easy!"
Mask Man nodded over to the leader. He nodded back and all three disappeared. Sakura cursed under her breath spread out her senses. There, the blonde flashed in front of Sakura. Sakura stopped her with a kunai. They pushed their strength at each other for only a moment until Sakura used her chakra to blow the girl away. With no time to breathe, eight shuriken were already coming at her. Sakura flew into the air, just missing them. She flung her kunai in the direction she sensed movement. A deep curse told her she hit her mark.
More shuriken, and Sakura, coming down from her jump had to deflect with her kunai. She could not deflect them all, and some hit their mark. Followed closely behind the shuriken was Mask Man. As her feet touched the ground, he flung a kunai at her from close range. She knocked it away and responded with a chakra filled punch aimed at his shoulder. It missed and he disappeared again.
"Bitch!" Was her warning and Sakura flipped to dodge Pointy Teeth's sword poised to slash down. She dodged the sword, but missed the sword sheath that followed coming from the other side. It hit her stomach at full force causing her to skid back a several feet.
Sakura recovered quickly, dodging the next strike and landing a chakra-filled punch of her own. He went flying a lot farther than she had.
The blonde came again with a shout. Sakura ducked and kicked the legs out from underneath her. Still crouched on the ground, Sakura spun on her legs and kicked Mask Man who had just come up behind her.
As her leg connected with his knee, she noticed that his mask was slightly askew and the tip of a grin could be seen. Then she heard it before she saw it - a familiar sizzling. Despite the pain in his knee, Mask Man shoved a burning kunai and its tag into Sakura's arm. Sakura wrenched it out and threw it - but she did not have enough time. The blast was small, but close enough that Sakura could feel her skin burning as she was thrown and hit the ground with a thud.
Wincing and trying to shake the ringing out of her ears, Sakura pushed her knees up ready to launch back into the fight, but a sharp prick at her neck made her pause. She looked at what she could from the pointed edge of the sword to the hand that held the object and up to meet the face of the missing nin from Sand. The grin that was one present on his face when they first met had long since gone and was replaced by a scowl slightly marred by a cut lip.
Both were breathing heavily. Sakura could feel her body burning and ache. She had small cuts and it hurt to breathe. The ringing in her ears was beginning to dull down to a hum. He was dirty and slightly bloody. The hand that wasn't holding the sword was wrapped around his stomach. The wheezing in his breath and the blood on his lips told Sakura that if he didn't have a nicked lung than at the very least his rubs were bruised if not broken.
"Bitch." He scowled. "I got you."
"No. I got you."
Belatedly, Sakura realized that at some point, the humming had melted into something sharper and crackling.
And then the sounds of squishing, an ear piercing shriek and chirping birds took over.
Blood splattered onto Sakura's face as a glowing, crackling blade was pushed through the ex-Sand nin's stomach. The sword that he had been holding seized in his tightening grip. The light began to fade and the skewered body moved with the sword until it was flung off in another direction to collapse in a heap nearby.
Sakura followed the convulsing body until she felt hands on her arms.
Sasuke was kneeling over her, eyes and hands roaming her body for serious injuries. She blinked for a few moments, allowing the situation to sink in before she relaxed slightly. "Sasuke-kun."
"I'm sorry." Sasuke faltered for only a moment as though even he was surprised by his outburst. Quickly recovering, he ripped off a piece of fabric from the bottom of his shirt and began to wrap it around her arm.
Sakura cocked her head to the side. "Sorry?"
"I didn't get here fast enough and you were injured." Sakura noticed for the first time that his hands were shaking slightly. She felt as though she should be angry, indignant that he thought she needed protected, but the miserable guilt and fear she knew he was feeling melted it all away.
"Sasuke-kun, I can take care of myself. I'm fine. I beat all seven…" She was aware of Sasuke cringing at the number, "well, almost."
"Almost will get you killed." He snapped. He finished and leaned back on his feet. He still had yet to meet her eyes, "Is the baby fine."
"Yeah… Sasuke-kun…" When he didn't respond or look at her, Sakura put her hands on either side of his face and gently pulled it towards her. Their eyes met and she could see the relief, guilt, and anger swirling in their depths. She was sure that he could see the relief and assurance in her own.
His tense shoulder relaxed slightly and Sakura let go of his face. With closed eyes, Sasuke pushed himself to his feet and held his hand out. Sakura took it and he pulled her to his feet. She wobbled slightly. A strong arm immediately went around her waist.
"The others?" She asked.
His head jerked to his left and Sakura could see two bodies lying on the ground a good distance away. She could see blonde hair spread about like a halo. She wasn't moving. The mask of the other was mostly gone and she was able to catch the wide-eyed open-mouthed gaping from where she stood.
"You!" He struggled to push his tired and burnt body up, but the knee Sakura had previously kicked was not supporting anything.
Sasuke's arms slowly removed themselves from Sakura's waist. She could not see his face, but she knew from his tenses shoulders, the white knuckled clench around his sword and the growing horror on the missing nin's face that Sasuke was pissed.
She turned her head, unwilling to watch. It was simple and a part of their ninja life, but Sakura was a healer by nature and career. She could kill when the time called for it, but it did not mean that she enjoyed it.
Sasuke was by her side again in an instant, his arm returning to its supporting hold.
It wasn't until they were a good ways away from the blown up base that Sasuke released his protective hold of Sakura and allowed her to lean up against a rock to heal her wounds.
Of course, that wasn't her first focus.
"Are you alright?" She asked. "You were walking strangely. You hurt your ribs or your stomach somehow, right? Or is it your back?" Sakura pushed off the rock to step towards Sasuke, but his hands immediately went to her shoulders and pushed her back against the rock. "Sasuke-kun!"
He stared at her with what he expected was quite an exasperated expression, unwilling to say anything. Frankly, it didn't need to be said. He kept his arms in place, staring at her with an eyebrow raised and lips tilted downward until she finally relented. She puffed out airs and relaxed. "Fine." She mumbled. Even has her hands began to glow and heal her body, she said, "As soon as I'm done, I'm healing you, understand?"
Sasuke grunted and leaned back against his own rock, contented to watch her. Yes, he was sore all over and probably had a few decent bruises and burns here and there along with a concussion, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let Sakura know that. Especially not with his bruised ego, guilt, and the spike of fear he felt when he saw the sword held so closely against her neck.
So for now, he was content to watch her hum and chat as she healed herself.
He observed her carefully all through the healing. It didn't take very long, but he couldn't always tell with her. She was chatting away about something, probably complaining about the missing nin she just fought. Her smile and tone were tired but steady and her green chakra was strong. By the time she finished, he was satisfied that she had simply looked worse than really she was and that she wasn't pulling one of those, 'I'm-worried-about-you-so-I'm-going-to-half-ass-my-healing-so-I-can-heal-you' or the 'I-don't-want-to-burden-or-worry-you-so-I-will-lie-through-my-teeth-and-deny-deny-deny' stunts.
When she sat beside him to assess his injuries, he didn't push her away. He only closed his eyes and relished the warmth of her touch and voice.
"Thank you." She whispered.
One eye opened as he observed her. She was still healing him, but she was also biting her lip and avoiding his gaze. There was no need to thank him anymore, so he closed his eyes again and grunted.
"For shielding me." She added. "You don't have to do that, you know."
He grunted again. She was his wife and she was pregnant. What did she expect?
"I was scared." Her voice was small and shaking slightly. Both eyes opened this time as he watched her. "When I woke up and you wouldn't." Her tear-filled green eyes met his once before they turned away again, concentrating on his healing. "Stop having so many close calls."
Sasuke sighed and shrugged his arms. He looked away from her, "I'm-"
"Don't say it." His head snapped back around and he glared at her, "Don't say you're a ninja and it's part of the job." She continued.
Sasuke opened his mouth to protest. He could have said that he wasn't going to say that – but she knew him well enough, so he shut his mouth and waited for her to continue.
"I know it's your job. It's both of our jobs, but you should have died before and I-" Her voice was becoming shaky. She pressed unnecessarily roughly on a bruise that made him wince. When she continued, her voice was steadier, "I can't handle loosing you, you jackass."
He didn't say anything – what could he say? He was scared too? He couldn't handle loosing her? He thought she was far more worthy to live? He didn't even actually think about it when he shielded her? That he would do it again even if he did have time to think about it? Really, he knew she probably wanted to hear all of those things, but he didn't think they needed to be said.
Instead, he rested a hand on her own and said, "Me too."
They held hands until Sakura finished healing him.
(A.N.)
So, I've discovered something about my writing after discussing stories and creativeness with a friend: I sometimes have trouble writing stories because I tend to write with a comic/manga in my head rather than a book. This could be because I read far too many mangas and not enough books, or simply because that is how my mind works. For example, I zone in and concentrate a lot on the eyes. Eyes show a lot of emotion in comics and manga. When I picture what I'm writing. Does anyone else have this issue or notice this in others writings? Like it was meant more for manga? Anyway, it was an interesting discovery on my part.
This chapter was difficult. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's because I go through phases of interest. Perhaps I should have just waited to see if I wanted to finish the story before I posted it. Or maybe even I just suck with transitional and beginning scenes. Who knows. Either way, I'm really really sorry for the wait. Here hoping it was worth the wait :D
Questions for you:
Were Sasuke and Sakura in character?
What did you think of the fight?
How is the SasuSaku scene?
Thoughts on Death as a character so far?
Any of course, any other comments you'd like to make would be super fantabulous.
Please review ^-^
