Jason/Sakura - Shinobi Themes Challenge #4: Inner Demons

Per review from a guest mentioning Red Hood.

Thank you to those who reviewed. It definitely does help and they make all the difference.

I think I have another Tony/Sakura in me further down the line.

Sakuraluver: I hadn't planned on a Bucky/Sakura/Steve but I'll try to think of something.

I'm in the process of writing a Loki/Sakura that's getting a bit steamy. Just a friendly reminder that I purposefully made this story rated M.

"Why are you always so fucking reckless?"

Sakura didn't like to swear but it was the only way Jason took her scolding seriously. Ever since he found out she had the ability to heal his wounds in the matter of minutes, he seemed to have a death wish.

His answer to her anger?

A chuckle.

After all of her previous efforts to keep him alive, it felt a bit wasteful to kill him now. So, she returned to pushing the bullet from his bicep then stitch together the muscles and tissues with her chakra. Sakura worked silently, still annoyed he was going through with his stupid plan and got shot once again.

"Sakura." She looked up at him with a glare. "You know I have to do this." She didn't answer him, instead choosing to wipe the drying blood away from his skin.

After she finished healing his superficial injuries, Sakura stood up and walked away.

Stopping at the doorway, she glanced back at him. She couldn't do this anymore. Her presence was like a crutch for him, it was making him worse and being around him was going to get him killed. It would break her.

"Do you know what I would do if you died?" Sakura sighed then averted her gaze when he didn't answer her with some smart aleck remark.

"Avenge you." She could feel his penetrating blue eyes on her, willing her to look at him. But if she saw his face, she would crumble, and she would stay.

Her voice became a whisper. "Follow you." It was as close to a confession as she would get.

Sakura walked out of the dilapidated one bedroom apartment Jason kept in Gotham, wondering why she was doing this to herself. She didn't understand why he would squander his second chance at life. Why he couldn't work past the rage.

He never fully explained what had happened, even after Sakura disclosed the story of her life. She told him more than she'd ever meant to while he remained vague.

Sasuke, Naruto, war, the deaths of her friends, and finally, how she had run from it all afterwards. Unable to return to a home where nothing was the same and familiar faces didn't roam. Sakura refused to be like Kakashi, standing in front of the cenotaph for hours on end, staring at their names.

So she left. She ran from the pain, from her responsibilities as a shinobi, and from the title of Hokage. Because that wasn't her dream, that had been Naruto's. Sakura's dream had been to be strong enough to keep her friends safe. And she failed.

Sakura had been in a remote area of the Swiss Alps for two months already. It had taken her nearly a week just to find herself some adequate shelter, an abandoned cottage, and get accustomed to the weather.

Fifty miles from the nearest person, Sakura hadn't had any opportunity to interact with anyone in this odd dimension but that had been what she wanted. She needed time alone to heal.

Her life had fallen into a comfortable rhythm and Sakura was doing quite well. Her little cabin was a mile from a fresh water source and although the weather was colder than she was used to, it was warm enough that Sakura could hunt for food and pick berries.

All in all, things were going smoothly until she came across a body on an embankment while she was checking her fish traps.

At first, Sakura had thought it was a white log or some sort of rock but as she walked closer, she noticed that it was a person covered in bandages. Looking around the area for any sigh of another person, Sakura cautiously approached the body. He was lying face up, bandaged nearly from head to toe and half submerged in the water. The only part of his body uncovered was his face.

Although his skin was blue from the exposure to the elements, Sakura could tell he had been quite handsome. Unable to just leave him to rot, Sakura leaned down, intent on giving him some dignity with a burial.

"What happened to you?" Sakura wondered aloud then gasped and recoiled, nearly falling back when she noticed his steady breathing.

Instinctively, she brought a glowing hand to his chest to assess the damage and whether she could possibly save his life. Sakura would have to work quickly but it seemed she had found him before hypothermia could set in.

It went against her medic way to simply leave him. She worked quickly and efficiently, picking him up with ease on her back and making the trip to her home in record time. It had been very touch and go, she wasn't sure how long he had been outside but it took all of her considerable effort to save not only his life but all of his limbs from frostbite.

She monitored him closely for two days but the mysterious man had yet to regain consciousness. His natural color returned and Sakura had been able to sustain him enough with her chakra. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to get him any clothes and had to get rid of the ribbons of bandages in order to adequately assess his skin for damage. Which meant he was currently naked under her sheets.

Sakura had been kneeling next to his sleeping form on her futon when he woke, startling her.

His pained gasp brought her on edge and she had been about to tell him to take it easy when his pale blue eyes, wide with shock landed on her.

Sakura jerked in surprise at his crazed look and words failed her as his hands wrapped around her neck in the next instant. He squeezed, bruising her throat instantly as he tackled her to the floor onto her back and straddled her chest.

As quickly as he attacked, he released her and stood, clawing at his head with a pained yell.

She gulped in as much air as she could, still stunned from the sudden aggression, then healed her internal bruising to be able to speak. Sakura left the external bruising to keep pretenses then carefully stood up to try and calm her patient down.

"It's okay." She whispered, her voice still hoarse. "Can you tell me who you are?" He was so tense, he trembled with the scant control he had left, his body taut.

He pulled at his hair in distress before scrubbing his hands over his face and keeping them there. "I found you unconscious nearby. My name is Sakura."

"Where am I?" His voice was deep and strained but at least he could communicate.

"Switzerland, the Alps." Sakura eyed him warily in case he attacked her again.

"Why am I naked?" Before she could answer, he touched his chest and arms. Sakura wasn't sure what he was looking for but answered him.

"You were only wrapped in bandages when I found you. I had to cut them off to look for any injuries."

They lived together for a few weeks in her cabin as Sakura helped him adjust. She should have been scared of him, should have kicked him out and continued living her hermit life away from people.

But he reminded her too much of Sasuke, broken, lost, filled with hate and self-loathing. So she let him stay as he mended his fractured mind enough to function on his own. At first Sakura thought he was still in shock from whatever near death experience had brought him to the ravine. But when he took three days to even tell her his name, Sakura suspected he was going through something much more serious.

And when she caught him training and realized he was a fighter, Sakura should have been the one to leave.

But she didn't.

When he awoke one night, screaming and scratching at his skin as though desperate to get out of his own body, Sakura tried to stop him. When he hit her in confusion, she fought back, if only to prevent him from inflicting more pain onto himself.

By then though, there was no running for her. Sakura explained how she had come to this dimension and Jason had patiently listened. She had hoped that he might tell her more about himself. But even now, all she knew was that he had nearly died and the one person meant to protect him had failed. Sakura knew she was projecting her own failures and trying to atone for herself in her attempts to help Jason but Sakura couldn't help herself.

They trained together and she liked to think that they had grown closer.

Then, one day he announced he would leave for revenge and Sakura should have let him go.

But she couldn't even do that right.

As soon as he asked if she wanted to go with him, Sakura had jumped. After going on so long without another person to talk to, then finding Jason, she couldn't go back to her lonely self-exiled existence. She was repenting, helping him find his closure so that she could go on living with herself, punishing herself by helping him punish the people who hurt him.

Looking back on it now, it had been a mistake.

Jason had been a mistake. Not her first, and certainly not her last.

What was it with her and loving broken men? Sakura would scrounge up some money and get out of here. It couldn't be too hard to buy a one-way ticket back to her cabin. Maybe she could get a cat.

Sakura had been walking down the darkened streets towards the studio Jason had found for her when the pink hairs on the back of her neck stood up. The eerie calm of the street had deceptively lulled her into a false sense of security.

A second later, a dark figure dropped down from the rooftop above her. The black cape flared out as he absorbed the impact with his knees. The streets weren't brightly lit by any means but there was enough light for her to see him clearly as he faced the streetlamp behind her.

The infamous Batman. The man who failed to protect Jason.

"We should talk." His voice was like gravel with mechanical undertones.

"I don't have anything to say to you." She announced, as she made her way around him.

It wasn't the first time he appeared in front of her, intent on getting information about Jason's whereabouts and plans.

"Red Hood is dangerous."

"Yes, he is." Sakura said conversationally in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I need to stop him."

Tell me where he is.

The order didn't go over her head. It was part of the reason why the two of them lived separately. Sakura's abilities were kept secret so it would be easier to cast a henge and meet Jason at his apartment while keeping up pretenses of not knowing where he was by keeping her own place.

Sakura breezed past him and was halted by a gloved hand around her arm.

"Look." Sakura wretched her arm out of his grasp a bit too forcefully. She nearly sighed in annoyance. "If Red Hood wants to kill every criminal in this bleak, shithole of a city, I'm fine with that. If you want to spend all of your money on prisons to keep those low lives alive, I'm fine with that too. I have no obligation to this city or its people. I was here for him, and if being here makes him worse, I'll leave."

If he felt anything at all about her words, he didn't show it. "Where will you go?"

"Does it matter?" There was a beat of silence.

He was such an asshole. "I won't be a problem." Sakura said, assuring him she wouldn't reveal his secret identity.

Silence.

She hated this man the most.

"Switzerland. I'll be a nice little neutral in your turf war with Jase."

There was a muffled 'pop' and a whizzing sound. Batman moved to the side but the direction he dodged had been anticipated and something hit Batman in the back of his shoulder, dropping him to a knee with a grunt.

There was a dull buzz as the electrical current went through the older man while Jason landed next to her before straightening. His red mask firmly in place, he slid a casual arm across her shoulders.

"Don't touch my girl, Bruce."

My girl?

Sakura shrugged his arm off even as a blush appeared on her cheeks when he instead dropped his hand to her waist, tucking her into his side. He never teased her this way. She felt his weapons and gadgets dig into her side and thigh but said nothing as Batman stood to his full height, flicking the tag off his cape as though it were a minor annoyance.

"Jason." It was said in a warning, Batman didn't like having his secret exposed to people he didn't know.

Sakura knew they wouldn't fight while she was so close. While Jason knew she could take a hit, Batman's code prevented him from placing 'civilians' in harms way.

"I won't tell you again. She's off limits." A chill settled over her at the dark edge in Jason's voice.

As if sensing the same, Batman gave a small nod. "Alright. Tomorrow, 7 o'clock, Batcave. And I'll leave Ms. Haruno alone." Sakura froze at that, wondering how in the world he knew her surname.

"Tell Alfred to bring out the biscuits." Sakura wasn't sure if that was a joke or meant to be serious. At the confirmation that he would be there, Batman took out his grapple hook without another word and shot up to the rooftop before disappearing from view.

The hand on her waist tightened as though Jason feared she would take off.

"He was going to leave me alone anyway." She said, instead rooted to her spot. If this was some ploy to keep her around to act as his personal medic, she was going to punch him into the building across the street.

"You're not going back to Switzerland, babe." It was authoritative and the term of endearment only sent a sharp ache to her chest.

She could feel his eyes on her though Sakura purposefully avoided it. "Sugar? Honey? Flower?" His voice was light, teasing, and each word twisted something in her heart as he goaded her for a reaction.

"Stop." She murmured, stepping away from him, her eyes were shining with pained tears. Her pink hair fell in front of her as she looked down, willing the tears back.

"Sakura."

She flinched and shook her head, still unable to look at him. Sakura thought it would be cathartic to help him but it was only hurting her. There was only so much loss one person could take and she was at her limit.

"I didn't think you would ever-" He trailed off, his voice growing a bit unsure. Sakura waited for the rejection, for the pleas to stay, if only as a friend.

The sound of his mask coming off confused her but she had to be resolute for her own sake.

"Damn it. You don't get to leave after saying something like that." He growled at her, turning her shock to confusion as she span around to face him. His Robin mask was still on but being able to see the emotion on his features made all the difference. He was also wearing his blood stained clothes from earlier, letting her know he had gotten dressed immediately after she left.

He wasn't teasing her.

"Where I'm going..." He ran his free hand through his hair with a sardonic grin. "I don't want to lead you there."

Her breath hitched.

"But I don't want you to leave." His voice was raw. Sakura could tell he barely refrained from reaching out to her by the way his knuckles turned ashen on his red mask.

Don't leave me.

Disbelief on her features, Sakura stared at him and understood that he had always been holding back because he thought he was undeserving. This was the closest he would get to a confession.

But they didn't need superfluous words to get their point across.

The weight in her heart lifted as hope flared and took its place. Her resolve crumbled, as she knew it would.

Telling herself she wouldn't fail this time, that she would be strong enough to keep Jason alive, Sakura nodded as her tears finally bubbled over and ran down her cheeks.

Jason scowled. "Don't cry. I'll feel like a fucking piece of shit." She let out a choked laugh as more tears fell in relief.

He immediately took a step towards her and leaned down to press their foreheads together. Her eyes fluttered shut as she soaked up this moment and the feel of his arms wrapping around her smaller form, bringing their bodies flush together. Her tears dried slowly as their breaths mingled in the small space between them.

"I guess I can stop getting shot in order to get you in my room." Incredulous, Sakura jerked back, her hands coming up to push his chest but Jason's arms prevented her from getting too far and her cry of outrage was silenced by his lips. He held the back of her neck possessively, angling her to deepen the kiss.

I quite like how this one turned out. I'm trying to think of different AUs instead of just the "Sakura gets hit by enemy jutsu."

Please review as it motivates me and gives me ideas. Such as whether or not to have this chapter in Red Hood's perspective.

Some of my inspiration for this one was the song I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Death Cab for Cutie.

Thank you!