Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.
Hi.. as promised, this story is really kicking off now! I've got some positive feedback and I greatly appreciate it :) I'm going to warn everyone now that Sasuke is going to start sinker lower and deeper, losing himself and letting the darkness and demon consume him. I promise that some awesome stuff is going to happen in the future, though! You may/may not like it, but so be it! ;) anyways, let me know what you think so far!
Also, I'm currently trying to figure out what direction I want to move Initials in, so that's why I haven't updated it yet. I'll work on updating soon though.
Glass Heart
Bare
The sun spots speckle his face through the leaves, leaving warm patches against his skin. Once the wave of nausea washes over, he rolls his head to the side, his dark, mysterious eyes finding violet eyes looking into his, the question still hanging in the air between the two boys.
"We're traveling to another hide out," he says, plain and simple. Suigetsu's face shows confusion, as though he wants to ask something else but he's too afraid. He does it anyways.
"Why?"
"I don't need to give you a reason, you don't have to follow me," Sasuke states plainly, his eyes still looking to amethyst orbs, gazing through those windows and looking into the shinobi's soul.
If that's one thing he hates about himself, it was the ability to see everything, know everything about an individual. He didn't care how other people felt, or what they felt on the inside, yet he was able to see and understand. Sasuke simply understood things from his trained interpretation from over the years. It also gave him an advantage when it came to fighting enemies as well, though. He finally broke the contact when a slight rustle against his chest caught his attention.
A lone leave caught in the slit of his shirt, blowing lightly due to the breeze.
It was colored in vivid greens, fresh lines running through the inner layers, bringing out every detail that this simple leaf had to offer. The light yellow splotch towards the center, outlined in a lighter green, fading to the deep green that colored it as a whole. Sasuke plucked the leaf from his shirt before crushing it in his palm, envisioning it as the Leaf, his previous home.
The Uchiha finally sat up, his eyes already on Sakura. She was still lying on the ground, her body coughing while in her unconscious form. He wasn't sure when she would wake up, and he sure as hell wasn't sure what he'd do when she woke up. Sasuke didn't need anything from her, yet he wanted her there to take on this task, travel with him and whoever else he would find, take down Itachi.
He wanted her there, yet he didn't want her to shoulder his pain or misery.
"What's the plan with her?" Suigetsu's hestitant voice ripped Sasuke from his thoughts. He didn't turn his head to meet eyes with Suigetsu this time though, instead he stared at Sakura's form on the ground.
"She's a medical nin, she'll come in handy."
He tells himself this, lying to himself and lying to Suigetsu. This isn't the reason he wants her there, but Suigetsu clicks his tongue in response before standing and casting a shadow upon the girl's body. Sasuke finds his face pulling into a scowl, remembering that the white haired man is still naked after all.
"Go put some clothes on," he snaps, his voice low and harsh.
"Where am I going to find clothes, exactly?" The tone in Suigetsu's voice is sarcastic yet hard, but Sasuke matches it.
"Figure it out," he growls back. "And bring something back for Sakura."
Suigetsu throws his hands in the air before slapping them back down against his hip bones, making a sharp noise that pierced through the secluded forest, sending birds flying from the branches in the trees. Sasuke could only pinch the bridge of his nose and relish in the idea of sitting here, waiting for the idiot to return before they started their journey across the land.
Suigetsu smiles a malicious smile before melting to his liquid form, becoming clear and colored in pastel azures and sapphires, his smile still visible through the transparent water.
"I'll be back, no funny business," he jokes silently before washing away.
Sasuke rolls his eyes once more. Suigetsu reminds him of the dobe back home, how idiotic his friend was, his childish antics and loud mouth ways. The memories of Naruto were bittersweet, causing his mouth to dry up and his throat to constrict. His eyes found Sakura once more before he exhaled sharply, stood to his feet and walked his body to her.
He cradled her once more before stalking off into the cover of the greenery, hiding their bodies and presence from any wandering travelers, shinobi, or trackers. They were rogue nin, and he knew what would happen if anyone crossed paths with them; the trackers would be dead and Sasuke would be taking off with Sakura's body.
He snickered at the thought, his smirk appearing on a porcelain face with obsidian eyes sparkling in the sunlight.
Sakura weighed close to nothing as he continued through the brush, stepping over roots, climbing rocks and sidling through trees. When she snuggled her face towards his chest, resting her head against his pectoral, he felt his body stiffen.
She had only ever been this close to him when he knocked her out, leaving her body to soak up the cold weather as she was laid to rest on the bench overnight. The same night that he evaded Konoha, promising to never return. Ever since his time away, he had become stronger, wiser, grown more as a human since he was able to roam freely and take on stronger enemies. It was much better than picking up garbage around the village, or finding some poor lady's lost cat. The memories angered him, causing his eye brows to furrow.
The sound of rushing water became more apparent as he pressed through the trees and bushes. The sound of lapping water against rocks calmed his mind. The closer he got, the more the air smelled of soaked moss and fresh fish and the second he arrived, he noticed how peaceful the sight was.
Rushing water, running rapidly over jagged rocks, while other parts were calm, floating along with gravity pulling at it. The water was clear, making the smooth rocks from below the surface clear as day, the different colors of tans and browns popping with intense colors.
When he finally arrived by the water's edge, he began to work his sandal off his foot. His toes pressed heavily against the heel of his left, slipping the sandal off carefully before repeating with the other foot. The wet soil and sand against his calloused feet felt relaxing, the sound of flowing water exciting his senses. He laid Sakura down gently, his mind running through the easiest way of addressing this 'issue'.
His mind washed over with thoughts similar to those of any man his age. Sasuke wanted to peal her clothes off of her body, lavish in the curves that formed her hips. The bumps of her chest that were obviously wrapped tightly with bindings, and the illustrious muscles that toned her smooth looking legs. The dirt and sweat that painted her skin hid the inviting color of her skin, frustrating Sasuke further as he began to unzip the front of her shirt, careful to not touch her inappropriately.
She stirred at his slight touches, making his mind panic and his hands tremble.
He wanted so badly to take her, take her in the calm of this secluded forest. On the side of the river, their limbs and skin rubbing in the soft dirt and sand that lined the river while their lips crashed against one another, pressing harshly and feeding upon one another's lust and hormones.
Sakura stirred once more, causing Sasuke to frown, his dark eyes narrowing in on her revealed chest, the sarashi covered in blood, sweat and dirt. His eyes began to widen the further he unzipped her blouse, revealing taut, defined abs and the small navel that was placed right in the center of her stomach. He noticed every scar, cut, bruise that lined her body, painting her skin in battle wounds and lining her like a damn tiger.
Sakura is fierce now, stronger than ever, her strength becoming well known across all the land as she rises with the title as Tsunade's pupil. She's also becoming a well known medic, one of the best in the Land of Fire, excelling at everything that's been passed down to her, and it's all because of her excellent chakra control.
Another bittersweet memory tainting his mind as he continues to unzip the shirt that isn't quite covering her body anymore. He finishes his job before sliding her arms through the holes and discarding the fabric to the left of them. It smells of smoke and blood, soaked from the sweat of her body and covered in muck. He grasps her boots, releasing the buttons of each hook and slides them from her legs and feet; a clear line of grime resting against her shin where the top of her boot came to rest.
Sasuke swallowed heavily as he began to remove the wrapping from her leg, the one that her kunai holster rest firmly against. The more his hand brushes against her skin, the more aroused he becomes at how soft her skin is against his leg. She's filthy as fuck, but he's so into the light brushes and soft stirring of her body that he begins to find himself light headed as he discards the wrapping and pulls at the buckle of her skirt.
He notices now how long her legs are, how much she's grown since he's last seen her and really looked at her. The thing that really pisses him off is that he feels his Sharingan activate and before he can stop himself, he's already engraving the view of Sakura and her taut, defined and battle ready body into his mind. Matured in every way possible, proving that she's now a woman capable of mass destruction and not a whimsy cry baby anymore.
Sasuke scoffs at the thought, seeing small, timid Sakura cowering behind him as he stands before her with a kunai poised, Sharingan activated and death shimmering in his blood red eyes.
He was her protector after all, the boy that took pride in caring for such a small girl. He knew now though that she didn't need saving, or help. She would kick the shit out of someone, and he just knew it.
Her body presents itself in front of maroon eyes, her chest rising and falling with the small breaths that she takes and as Sasuke falls back to his rear, he pulls his hands to interlock under his chin, considering if he should put her in the water as she is, or remove the rest of her clothes.
All that's left are those skin tight spandex and wrappings that cover her breasts, and Sasuke finds his mind is troubled by stripping her clean of everything, or leaving the dirty clothing on her. He snarls in protest before pushing up from the soft ground and grabbing hold of the wrapping in the front, square in the center. He pulls roughly, ripping the bindings in half, the ripping of cloth making a horrendous sound as he's greeted with the sight of her rounded breasts, fair skinned like the rest of her body and her nipples small and pleasant, colored in a light pink.
Sasuke finds himself dumbfounded now as he's face to face with Sakura's breasts, taking in the sight and how she has truly grown up in the past three years. His fingers tremble as he's still holding onto the torn wrapping, while Sakura's eyelids begin to open slightly.
She looks confused at first, still asleep the more he thinks about it, but the scene that's about to play out between the two causes his mind to run through the possible outcomes and what he should do.
Fuck, he tells himself as she coughs once, twice, three times. She rolls her head in the sands, cherry blossom tresses picking up the separate grains of sand and carrying them with her motions.
Sasuke now notices the soft expression in her eyes, the shimmering of yellow and lime green flecks catching the different rays of sun as she focuses in on him. He can still tell that everything is still hazy for her by the way she looks at him. He knows it's from the smoke and fumes that she inhaled from the room that she had passed out in, too.
He doesn't say a word though, only looks at her with a scowl on his face while she lies topless in front of. He notices how she begins to move her fingers around in the sand the more she comes through to her senses.
It's when her eyes drop from his and trace down his body, and to the object in his hand that her eyes focus in, narrowing, her lips parting, that he sees the panic course through her body, her face, flashing in her eyes.
Those perfect eyes widen, vivid green and lively as ever that she realizes exactly what he has in his hands. And it's when she screams and begins to scramble that he slams both his hands over his ears and his teeth are clenching together that he remembers exactly how annoying Sakura Haruno can be.
. . .
Sakura can't feel the courage in her chest, her bare chest that is presented to the boy she's spilled her heart out to and has always had feelings for, and now she's presented in front of him, half naked. She doesn't know what to think, or do, but she wraps her arms around herself, concealing her breasts from his hungry eyes.
"What the hell!" She chokes out, coughing lightly as her brows knit themselves together.
She knows damn well she shouldn't yell at him, knowing that Sasuke is a criminal, but she also knows that he wouldn't do anything too rash to hurt her. Or would he? He mirrors her look, brows pressed tightly against one another as he brings his hands away from his ears. Her shriek probably would've attracted enough attention, and she knew that he'd reprimand her for that.
"Shut up, Sakura."
He begins their day by ordering and bossing her around, great.
Then it all begins to come back to her. She's sitting outside, in one of the most beautiful places she's ever seen and she's covered in filth, while Sasuke Uchiha stands in front of her with his sandals removed and they're outside. Not in the hideout. Where everything was on fire and quickly filling up with smoke.
"What happened?" She asks, her eyes scanning the trees as he fingers brush lightly against her light skin.
"Nothing that concerns you. Get washed up, you're filthy," his face doesn't change, but his tone does. It's light, soft as a feather and Sakura can hardly hear it over the running of water. She swallows the saliva from her mouth, moistening the dryness of her throat.
"Then go away," Sakura commands, filling her voice with a hardness much like Tsunade does.
"No."
His refusal baffles her, frustrates her, yet she knows she can't argue with him. He's too stubborn, too stuck in his ways.
Sakura feels her skin crawl from under his eyes, knowing that his Sharingan will remember exactly what she looked like and the thought spreads a furious blush across her cheeks. The heat scorches her skin, sending a wave of fire through her veins and angering her that she would let herself get knocked out so easily. It's at that thought that the quick pulse of pain rides of her spine and ends in the nape of her neck.
Her back colliding with the wall and knocking the breath from her lungs.
Sakura purses her lips before clicking her tongue loudly. Not only would Sasuke give her the privacy that she needed, but she also wanted to heal her back and rid the pain. She couldn't do that if she didn't have her hands available. Instead of arguing further, Sakura stood from her spot and faced away from Sasuke before letting her hands fall from her chest.
The kunoichi inhaled deeply, ridding her mind of the embarrassment and the uncomfortable feeling of Sasuke's eyes on her body as she grabbed the elastic of her spandex and began to peel them from her hips, down her thighs, and kicked them off to the side with a quick flip of her foot. Sakura continued her breathing, focusing solely on the pain in her back, the cool liquid against her toes as she entered the water, and soon, the comforting embrace of the water as she wades to one of the deeper spots of the river.
Once she was in, she could already feel the dirt pulling away from her skin, the water entering each cut and scrape as it cleans each of them out. When she dips her head back, Sakura feels her breasts escape the clutches of the water as her scalp submerges into the cooling embrace, soaking in the relaxation of the calm. When Sakura feels her ears disappear under the surface, she finally feels calm, transparent in a world of hate and constant fighting, she feels free.
Free of her body, free of the hungry eyes that are locked onto her naked body, free of the worry of returning to Konoha.
She could breath.
Once she finished wetting her hair in the river, she finally pulled her hair back from the water, whipping the rose quartz hair forward and creating a bridge of water drops from the body of water, to the sky, creating a glistening and shimmering show made of water.
It was when her hair came to rest over her left eye that she was looking into dark eyes, shimmering with fascination as he watched Sakura with a content look on his face, his hands clenched on either side of his body.
"Look away," she calls from her spot in the water, her arms crossing over her chest once more to conceal the view from Sasuke. The look on his face washed away and was instantly replaced with his usual scowl, but he did as she said and focused his eyes on the birds that jumped against the rocks, plucking and picking at the small bugs that scurried across the rough surfaces.
Sakura went back to scrubbing her body, ridding herself of the sweat and dirt, scrubbing at her scalp and washing the sand, blood and whatever else resided within her thick locks of hair. The matte red that colored the water startled her at first, but she found peace in the way her fingers brushed through her hair, massaging the tension from her body and ridding the filth.
Once the knots of dried blood finally released, Sakura turned her back to Sasuke and began to focus chakra to her hands. It was there that she felt at home, pressing her sore hands to the base of her spine and heating it with chakra, soothing the pain that transpired and reverberated throughout her body as a whole.
The calming and warm sensation created a smile on her face as she continued to concentrate her chakra in her spine, kneading and threading through sore and tired muscles, all while she stood bare in front of Sasuke.
It took Sakura all of five minutes before the chakra flowed freely from her hands and entered her body that she felt the pain lift. She knew it was much harder to heal herself, rather than heal someone else, but once she was finished, she turned to Sasuke who was now watching her with brooding eyes.
She could only smirk, knowing that he watched her the entire time she bathed herself in the clear river.
"Are you done?" He snapped before inching towards her.
"Yeah... What am I going to wear?" The question startles her, panics her mind.
Sasuke's lips pull into a firm line before he pulls the bottom of his shirt from his pants and slides it over his body, revealing washboard abs alongside well defined pectorals. Sakura feels her body tense up at the view of his amazing physique. Evergreen eyes scan the lines, the contours of each muscle, how his biceps move when he pulls the remaining cloth from his head and holds it out, a smirk painted on his gorgeous face.
"Here," he offers with a sarcastic tone.
She glares now, knowing damn well that she's not playing this perverted game of his.
"You're joking," Sakura says flatly, not amused one bit.
"I'm not," he reassures her, a dangerous flash behind his obsidian eyes.
Sakura grunts, a harsh shade of red filling her face but she refuses to play this dangerous game, refuses to show him more of what he wants. He left her after all, after she promised him a life filled with happiness. She feels her heart flutter in her chest as she replays the memory in her head, pain filling the hole that Sasuke had created when he left her that night.
"I need to talk to you, anyways. Come here," his voice pulled her from her thoughts and created a new tinge of panic within her chest. Her heart pounded against her rib cage, pulsing and sending worry through each vein in her body. He sounded pissed, his voice deep and covered in darkness.
Sakura began to wade through the water, her legs pushing through the current until she had the water resting against her hips, only feet away from Sasuke.
"Closer, Sakura," he warns, and at those words she swallows her pride and builds up her dignity before inching closer to him.
She can see the small smears of dirt on his face now as she stands only inches away. She gathers the soft cloth of his shirt in her arms and pressing it against her chest firmly, letting it snake to cover her hips and conceal her pelvic region. Sasuke's hand stays in the air between the two of them, nearly touching the skin of her arm and when she looks back up to his face, she sees the softness in his eyes.
"I need your help, Sakura."
. . .
The confusion in her raw and uncut emerald eyes hurts, hurts the iced over heart - or so called heart - in his chest. She says something, but he doesn't hear through the blood rushing to his head and cutting out all the sounds around them; chirping birds, leaves rustling against one another, the calm rush of water nearby.
"Sasuke?"
The shrill tone in her voice brings him back, reminding him of her previous scream not long ago, when she was pure and exposed in front of him.
"You're coming with me," he feels the words leave his lips, filling the space between them. Sakura scrunches his shirt between her fingers as she clenches it tighter within her fist. He can see her knuckles turn white, reminding him of his own bruised knuckles that pulsate with a bit of pain when he thinks about them.
"No," she clicks her tongue with a smug look.
And it's in that moment, that one second, that the world turns from happy go lucky, to fucked.
He has the two of them on the ground, his body on top of hers and pressing her into the sand and water.
And it's in that moment that fear overtakes her expressions, turning that vivid green of her eyes to a matte emerald, glossy with fear and frustration.
Her skin feels amazing against her own, the way her round breasts press against him beneath his shirt, and how her hip bones press against his own. The feeling is exhilarating, enticing, inviting. But the voice within him presents itself once more that day, darkening his mood and reminding him just why he had asked Sakura for her help.
"I'm not asking," Sasuke's voice is hoarse, his breath running across Sakura's skin, causing her to break out in goosebumps. "I'm telling you."
The uneven stutter in her throat entertains Sasuke, making him all too aware that she's still a pawn, still under his spell, still his Sakura. Her looks might've changed, but there's that one thing about her that never changed; her love for the Uchiha.
Sasuke trails a finger up her arm, tracing the goosebumps and leaving more in his wake until he reaches her collarbone, tracing the gorgeous and stunning shape with his dirty finger nail.
She's so fucking beautiful, he yells to himself, but warns that she's not worth it, he's only using her.
Her startled jade eyes are still looking into his, revealing the fear that lies within them, yet he sees a certain softness that she's always had there and it pisses him off. She can do so much better, yet she's still head over heels for a guy that knocked her out and left her behind. When he finishes running his hand across her clavicle, he finds her neck, the pulsing vein there and it's there that he feels the nervous beat.
She's terrified; he's excited.
She deserves the best; he deserves nothing of the sort.
When she swallows, he presses his palm firmly around her slender neck, wrapping strong fingers against the skin there and lavishing in the terrified look that lies within her eyes. He feels guilty, oh so guilty that he finds pleasure in her parted lips and short exhales.
"Sasuke," she forces out as his grip tightens on her throat, promising an unspoken promise.
"Come with me."
For a second, he's lost to the darkness in his heart, trapped in the ice and for a second, it's not him talking. It's that fucking demon that's taken over his body, and now he's comfortable with scaring Sakura, making her feel terrified; forcing her to agree to something she doesn't want. "If you don't, I'll just have to kill you," he whispers quietly, his onyx eyes melting to a deep red.
Their noses are mere inches apart now, and when she nods softly, he releases that capturing smirk of his. Sasuke can only swallow hard, swallow down the guilt of knowing Sakura is still his and no one else's, but it pleasures him, knowing that she's waited for him and she always will wait.
"Good," he whispers, matching the tone of her last words, loving the way she spoke his name last.
He feels the twisting in his stomach when she readjusts, one leg coming up to rest on the side of his thigh while his finger traces up her neck, lining her jaw and coming to rest on her chin. Sasuke notices that Sakura no longer looks scared. Her evergreen eyes shimmer with promise, shimmer with hope, a lightness that he's only seen come from her eyes.
He moves his index from her chin to the outer corner of her lips, lining the bottom with the padding of his thumb now. He presses his forehead against hers, looking deeper into her orbs, through her outer layer and really looking at her.
She's scared, lost in her own mind, yet she's so fascinated with how close he is that she's put her fears and worries aside, and she's consumed with how he's looking at her that she's lost. Lost in this make believe world that he's seen before, been invited to join before, and it upsets him. Upsets him deeply.
"Hey!"
The sudden voice startles him, makes Sasuke jump to his hands, yet his pelvis is still pressed against Sakura's, shielding her from their trespasser.
"I was gone for a hour and you're trying to take a nap?!" It's Suigetsu, fully clothed unlike Sasuke or Sakura now. Sasuke's thankful that Sakura is hidden, rocks and bundles of grass blocking his view of Sakura.
Along with his clothes, is a rather large sword, one that Sasuke's seen before. And in the water user's hands, more clothing.
"Shut the fuck up," Sasuke snarls from his position above Sakura. She's now pulled his shirt to conceal her body, hiding it from the strange human that broke the moment between the pair. Sasuke looks back to her before running a smooth hand through her damp, wavy curls of pink tresses, and leaving his current position on Sakura and hoisting his body up. He grabs his sandals from the shore and walks towards Suigetsu, the white haired shinobi throwing the clothing to Sasuke.
He glances at the particles in his hand, noting that there's a black tank top made for a man, a black, rather tattered obi from a kimono, and a pair of black leggings. He shrugs before sliding the tank on over his head and tucking it into his pants and fastening his rope around his waist.
"I also got these, just in case," Suigetsu pulls the sarashi from his pouch, something else he had found while terrorizing a nearby farm house. Sasuke nods before taking the cloth from his hands and turning his back to slide the sandals on over his sand covered feet.
"Where did the lady go? What's her name? Sak-"
"She's bathing, go wait by the road."
The soft groan from Suigetsu irritates Sasuke, drives him to a darkening mood. "Whatever you say, boss."
Once he feels Suigetsu far enough away, Sasuke returns to Sakura and finds that she's hunched over in the water, ridding her back and hair of sand. Her curves appear through the water's surface, emphasizing the way her slender yet toned body that she now possessed. Sasuke stood on the shore, his dark eyes watching with interest as she would cup the water and pour it lightly down her raised arm.
Sakura moved with such graceful, fluid movements, like she was dancing, yet she was just casually moving. She moved in silence, much like a shinobi should, and Sasuke couldn't help but smirk, clearing his mind and finally seeing that she may just compare and be equal to him some day.
He didn't feel like sticking around, instead he gave her the privacy she yearned. He set the clothing down softly against his shirt - which was laid out on a rock nearby - and rest them there before turning on his heel and heading in Suigetsu's direction.
Sakura's scent still lingered on his skin, invading his nostrils and reminding him just how dangerous this game can be. It was nostalgic, how she smelled. Her scent wasn't as strong as it used to be, more so from their adventure earlier that day, but she still smelled fresh, like fruit, like the flowing water from the water.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, trying to focus less on Sakura and more at his goal on hand. He found himself growing frustrated, much like he was when he was a genin in Konoha. Frustrated that he was letting Sakura get in his way of his revenge, his goals, frustrated with how pretty she is, how beautiful she is, much like a blooming flower.
Frustrated with the smirk that Suigetsu was giving him now.
"You've totally got the hots for her."
"What did I tell you earlier?"
"Umm-"
"Shut the fuck up," this man reminds Sasuke so much of Naruto that it hurts. Hurts what's left of his heart, stings the back of his mind, and he just knows how stressful the next few weeks, months will be with the endearing Sakura and annoying Suigetsu.
And it pisses him off so much to be reminded of a past that he cut loose, released from his grip, forever to be forgotten.
. . .
She can feel her fingers tremble as she runs them through her hair, plucking the last pieces of sand from wet, wavy locks and it makes her upset. Upset to know that Sasuke still has that much power over her mind, her heart. Still upsets her that after all the training she had endured, that she was still the little girl that was infatuated with the youngest Uchiha.
Sakura swallows hard, swallows the tears that threaten to prick at the corners of her eyes, swallows the built up emotions, the fear, the love. All of it, she swallows it down to the pit of her stomach where it can rot and be forgotten about for the remainder of the day.
What does he even want with me, she thinks to herself, frustrated with the fact that he's never wanted anything to do with her before. But now, now he wanted her help, wanted her to come along.
Or else he would kill her.
The dark look in his eyes frightened her, the way his pupil clouded over with an eerie yellow, his lower water line rimmed with a red, until she could see the rubber band snap within him. Something awoke from behind those precious, deep, dark obsidian eyes, and it frightened her.
This wasn't Sasuke.
This was that fucking curse mark that Orochimaru had placed on him three years ago; the demon within.
Sakura cupped one last ounce of water in her hands before splashing it against her face, ridding any tears that might've escaped from the corners of her eyes. Washing away the misery that lined her eyes, the sadness that formed her frowning lips.
When she finally finished wading through the water and saw that there were more clothes than just Sasuke's long sleeve shirt, she felt at ease. She made quick work of the outfit, knowing exactly what would go where.
Sakura slid the sarashi on first, adjusting it to a comfortable place and then sliding the long sleeve over her head. It smelled of smoke, alongside the deep scent of Sasuke. She consumed the smell, becoming intoxicated on a how a damn human being can smell so inviting and comforting, yet be one of the most scariest and dangerous humans in the world. Her body swam in the shirt, her shoulder hanging out a bit, while most of her body was revealed in the front. She shook it off though, knowing this was better than her torn and useless clothes from earlier.
Next came the leggings, and finally the obi. She found it odd that Sasuke would give her this of all things, but she figured it would be better than traveling around naked with not only Sasuke, but whoever he was talking to before he pushed away from her body. Once she placed the obi in it's position, she readjusted Sasuke's shirt a bit, having it hang lightly over the tied obi, yet still bringing out the curves and round of her body.
She felt that she looked all right.
Finally, her boots slipped on and everything felt right. Everything except...
"My fucking headband!"
Frustration swept through her body, alongside it, disappointment. She searched the area around her, finding her old set of clothing and found that the corners were frayed, burnt, stained from blood and soaked with sweat. The stench made her nose crinkle, and she was thankful that Sasuke made her bathe now. A slight wave of embarrassment took over, but she shrugged it off. Sakura tied her kunai holster firmly around her thigh, knowing that she would find a weapon to place in it soon enough.
The last thing she needed was a medical pouch, the familiar bag that wrapped around her waist, carrying the supplies that she was familiar with.
"Let's go," the sudden voice of Sasuke startled her, causing her to turn around.
He now had a black tank top, a large slit running down the middle, much like the long sleeve she now had on. His onyx eyes scanned her new look, an approving smirk presenting itself against his lips. Sakura couldn't help but meet his smirk with a glare.
She hated him for giving her an ultimatum, hated him for asking for her help - telling her that she'll help him - but most importantly, she hated him for acting so casual and so into her, when before he never wanted anything to do with her.
"Right," she mumbled softly to herself, trying to reassure her mind that she would escape.
Escape and return to Konoha, even if it killed her.
Even if she did love Sasuke, this wasn't the kind of help that she wanted to give him. He wanted help with something dark and the only help that she wanted to provide, was the help to return him back to the light, return his mind back to being pure and innocent.
He was lost in the darkness, lost to a demon; Sakura could be the light, could be his guidance from the Hell that he'd placed himself in.
As if, the thought doesn't even lift her mood, only drags her down further as she follows him from the greenery and face to face with the individual from earlier.
"Nice to see you're alive and not dead," he says with a sly smile and nod of the head.
Sakura smiles her fake smile known by many, but recognized by none. She can only nod, the depression from within eating away at the core of her body, reminding her just how upset, just how low she had become the past years, and this was something she never would've expected.
And as if she never would've thought she'd be following a shark like man, alongside Sasuke, through a beautiful forest, colored in vivid greens, dark blues, soft yellows and welcoming oranges.
As if.