Homeless Chapter 4
To say that the ramen was good was an enormous understatement to Sakura. She had never really eaten anything good or decent lately, but the ramen was out-of-this-world-delicious. Sakura slurped up her noodles so fast she was on her 2nd bowl before Kakuzu had finished his Sake. A small flashback of her noodle-loving friend Naruto slowed her pace.
After the meal, Sakura and Hidan patted their stomachs simultaneously. They both grinned widely and Hidan motioned for them to leave quietly, trying to sneak away from Kakuzu. Sakura nodded and slid out of her seat as Kakuzu finished his bowl of ramen. They both snuck outside the stand and crept quietly into the forest. When Kakuzu finished and paid, begrudingly I might add, he left the stand and looked around in confusion. Where were Hidan and Sakura?
He closed his eyes and focused, and sensed their chakra a few meters away in a tall tree. A spruce, actually. What the hell are they doing? Kakuzu furrowed his brows before creating a shadow clone, and sent it walking in the general direction of the base before he walked to the back of the tree the two were in. He climbed using his chakra silently and stood behind them. They were both giggling at the shadow clone, who was pretending to look confused and search for them. Kakuzu cleared his throat loudly. Hidan stiffed visibly, and Sakura yelped, losing her footing on the branch.
She felt the wind scream past her in agony, as if it wept for her. Maybe I was meant to die after all. Her hair flew about her face, and her arms reached out to nuzzle with the emptiness around her. Kakashi, Sasuke, I'm coming, you guys. Wait up.
The sound of the tear hitting the water was serene. It was as if someone was playing bells, letting the sound wrap around her in an embrace. The silence after was nearly deafening. She stood above the clear water effortlessly, finding it impossible to just drown herself in it. A hand sat on her shoulder, warm and comforting. Not to mention, familiar. His scent was everywhere, as soothing and pristine as the water she stood above.
"S-Sensei?" her voice cracked and she found herself unable to say his name.
His chuckle rang through the silence, enveloping her in security. "My name is not 'Sensei.'" his tone was playful and sweet.
"I-" she started, turning to hug him. "I'm so sorry, Kakashi."
His arms wrapped around her. "I died for you, and that is something I'm happy with. You're worth it, Sakura. I had promised to protect you, and I did."
"B- but- you..."
"Shit!" Kakuzu said and launched himself after the falling girl. He wrapped his arm around her waist to support her as they fell; Kakuzu pulled her to his chest and braced himself. He whirled in the air so that he was on the bottom as they impacted the earth. He grit his teeth and the pain shot through his entire body. "Damn…" was all he could say before he passed out.
Kakashi's smile resonated quietly in the darkness. "It's not your time, Sakura." And then he was gone.
Kakuzu awoke several hours later in a small hotel room, and when he opened his eyes Sakura was hovering close to his face; there were tears pouring down her face. She noticed he had woken up and wiped away the tears quickly, but a few stragglers remained. He wiped them away with his finger. "Were you crying for me, Sakura?" he asked.
"Y-yes... I'm so sorry, it was a stupid joke… I'm sorry, you got hurt because of me… It's my fault you're hurt." She stuttered before bursting into tears once more. Too many have died for me. Unable to form any sort of words,Kakuzu pulled her to his chest again. It had become a familiar gesture by now, he figured, so he did it anyway.
Sakura blushed slightly before wrapping her slender arms around his waist and constricting him to her. Kakuzu wrapped his huge arms around her shoulders and pulled her head to his chest and set his chin on her head, inhaling her sweet scent.
They remained in the embrace until Hidan entered the room. Sakura wiped her eyes and turned to Hidan, who was standing at the door with a faint blush.
"Er…I'm sorry I wasn't disturbing anything, was I?" he asked.
"N-no… You didn't." Sakura said and grinned at him sweetly.
Hidan breathed out a sigh of relief. The last thing he needed was to walk in on them making-out… He chuckled at the thought. It wasn't like Kakuzu couldn't use a woman, and Sakura was just right for him. She is quiet, calm, and sweet, all to overcome Kakuzu's grumpiness, impatientness, and insecurity. After all, she didn't even flinch at the sight of his scars. She had even seemed curious. Even Hidan had reacted badly, and afterwards he felt terrible about it, but he couldn't take it back. Ever.
Kakuzu stood on his shaky legs, and before he could fall, Sakura slid her arms underneath his to support his weight. "Thanks." He mumbled, uncomfortable about needing help.
"No problem." She replied with a grin that eased his nerves slightly. It's nice to be relied on for once, she smiled slighlty to herself.
