Sorry for the lengthy wait and the rushed chapter last time. I know how unnerving it is to wait on a story to be updated so I'm trying my best to update every chance I get. Again, I am so very sorry. Anyway, be sure to take a moment to leave your thoughts in the reviews. Thank you all for the support and love:) Please, enjoy!
"Walking between the raindrops, riding the aftershock beside you. Off into the sunset, living like there's nothing left to lose..Chasing after gold mines, crossing the fine lines we knew..Hold on and take a breath, I'll be here every step walking between the raindrops with you.."
Between the Raindrops, Lifehouse
Sasuke's muscles began to tense and tighten beneath his skin. His breath caught in his throat in deep scratching rasps of air. He could hear it. Sasuke could hear him coming into the room while he slept. He could feel the cold tips of the pale cool fingers as they touched the bare skin of his chest.
Sasuke growled in displeasure as his own fingers shoved the reptilian's hands off his body and circled around Orochimaru's neck. He began to smirk at the chokes the snake made as his grip cut off the reptile's supply of oxygen. He relished in it.
"S-Sasuke.."
The voice the sanin choked out was oddly feminine and lacking the slugging whisper his lisps normally dripped with.
Slowly, Sasuke's eyes began to crack open. A dream? No..
A small blur of pink graced his blurry vision as he took in his surroundings that were obviously not his bedroom in the underground hideout. P ink..?
"S-S-Sasuke..It's me.."
The young Uchiha's eyes widened in pure terror as he took in what he had done, "Sakura!"
He relinquished his hold on her throat, leaving already budding dark purple bruises where his fingers had tightened. Her own hand flung to her sore neck as she gasped for air she desperately needed. He could only watch as she composed herself. He had harmed her so horrifically that there were marks to prove it; staring back at him.
"What..What happened, Sasuke?" her bright eyes were not filled with fear as she looked up at him. Why was she not angry? Terrified? All that lingered in her emerald eyes was confusion. That was all.
He couldn't help the narrowing of his own back at her. Disgusted, he threw himself from the bed, dressed, and flitted from the room. He had to get away from her. The way she looked at him made his chest tighten and his thoughts fuzzy. He could never think clearly or logically around Sakura. That was true since he was just a genin. Even though, he technically still was one. He could not keep his guard down around her any longer. He was wrong. He was wrong about everything.
Sakura was left staring at the corner of the room Sasuke had been only seconds before. He had left her. Without a single word of parting he had darted from the room. No explanation. No apologies.
He had obviously had a horrible nightmare, which Sakura could easily understand. It was an accident. She knew what she had gotten herself into the moment she decided to stay with him in his travels, she thought he did too. She no longer had the strength to keep her tears from pooling over in her eyes.
The morning crept through the small inn window to a still lone Sakura. She had no idea where he could have gone, so she decided to swallow her pride and wait for his return. But he never came.
The sun peered at its highest when the clock on the wall struck noon. Now, she was furious.
Her stomach twisted in knots and her palms began to sweat as she thought of him just leaving her there. He was completely and utterly, without a better term, clueless. She pictured him now; just walking along to wherever in the hell he decided to go, while she stayed behind. He probably hoped she would hate him after this and ultimately just go home. But he was wrong. Her home was no longer Konoha. Her home had left her in the old inn room.
Without warning, a painful stab jammed into the pit of her stomach making her heave over the bed. Her mouth began to water and she watched as chill bumps began to rise up her arms and chest. She clamped a stony cold hand on her mouth a forced herself into the accompanying bathroom.
Sasuke found himself deep in the forest close to the inn. He perched himself on a large branch while watching the rising of the sun. His eyes closed while its warmth filled his senses. He could breathe easy when he was alone. His thoughts could finally reel in peace. He would return to her now, and explain exactly what needed to be done. She would hate him, if she did not already. But if she was safe, if he knew no harm would ever touch her again, then he could live with that. He rose with the sun from the branch but his feet would not budge. He was returning to her only to leave again. And this time, their paths may never cross again. This time, she would not follow him. She would no longer be his. She would return to her home with her family. She could continue her work at her new clinic. She would start a family of her own.
His fingers curled sharply and his fist met the trunk of the large tree he perched on, sending pieces of wood and debris flying through his hair and cloak. He could no longer fight the snarl that was beginning to emerge on his lips as he pictured her belonging to another. This was going to be much harder than he originally thought.
Sakura placed a cold wet rag on the back of her neck a she began to pack up her belongings. She grazed her fingers along the material of the clothing bag Sasuke had bought for her when they first began their journey together. It was so thoughtful of him to do so. Of course, he held a blank expression and offered no explanation when he delivered it to her. But it was an unerringly sweet gesture. A leftover tear found its way to the bag. She hadn't noticed it until she saw the small wet circle it left. She decided it would be the last. That would be that last tear she would ever shed for Sasuke Uchiha.
Sasuke's legs led him to the small inn he had left her in. They were so close. So close to finally building a wonderful life together. But his past proved too great. Its choke hold on him would never cease, and she did not deserve to stick around for it.
He pushed open the old wooden door to find a bed freshly made and his clothing bag neatly placed under the window seal, where hers used to sit. There was no trace of her left. Not in the bathroom. Not in the small closet. No matter how hard he looked.
His eyes settled on a small piece of paper torn from a notebook that was on the bedside table. He didn't want to read it. His chest tightened at the thought of what the words on it would say. Reluctantly, after minutes of contemplation, he stretched out his hand to retrieve it.
Sasuke,
You have made it more than clear to me that you do not want me here. I understand that fully now. I hope you find the happiness that I obviously can not give you. And please, take care of yourself.
I forgive you,
Sakura
His fingers managed to crumble the note into almost nothing. His widened eyes now narrowed and his lips curved into an angry growl. He thought he could leave. He thought it was best. But in his thoughts while his mind had cleared, he had decided otherwise. If she was only a little more patient she would have discovered him here willing and able to explain the event. And explain that he would now on live for her and her alone. If she was just a little less stubborn.
He stuck the crumbling note into his chest pocket and gritted aloud through his teeth, "Annoying."
They were far closer to the Leaf than she had expected. She ran through the day and late into the night before arriving at the majestic gates. The guards waved her good evening and sent her on her way. She prayed they had not noticed the swollen redness of her eyes. But by the looks of solemn in their own, it was obvious they had.
She walked passed a landmark in her life that was all too difficult to ignore. A small, concrete old bench stared at her through her peripheral as she entered the village. She didn't let herself look at it. She feared for her mental health if she had.
The pain in her stomach came back with a fury as it kicked and twisted inside her. She covered her mouth once more as vomit threatened to exit her. She ran towards the nearest and most thick bushes.
She pushed the back of her hand up to her forehead that was cold and damp with sweat. She lifted herself up from her crouch in the thicket and found the nearest seat next to them. She heaved and flinched as more vomit threatened to come. Her pain that Sasuke had given to her was not physical. The grip he had on her neck had not made her suffer. His reaction..the very look in his eyes made her want to crawl under a rock. He was right. She was an annoyance. And that was all she would ever be. The pain in her heart reverberated through her body, causing her sickness she told herself. She sighed, unaware of her surroundings.
The damned bench was where she ended up seeking refuge. That damn bench of all places in the village is where she layed her head first. Like Sasuke, the bench was the first to call to her heart unconsciously. Like Sasuke, the bench brought her solace.
"Oh Sakura!" Sakura had let her burning legs lead her to her parent's home. She couldn't return to her own apartment. She could not be alone right now.
She offered a small grin, "Hi mom"
Her mother brought her in for an ecstatic hug before yelling over her shoulder, "Kizashi! Get out here Sakura's back!"
"WHAT" Sakura heard loud thunderous thuds as his bare feet ran towards the front door. He boomed, "Daughter!" he accepted her for an even tighter hug than her mother's.
Her smile began to grow into a true one, "I'm so glad to see you guys."
"So?" her mother pressed as she ushered her only daughter in and shut the door.
Sakura met her stare questioningly, "So what?"
"So Kakashi said you were with that ol' Uchiha boy you've always been so obsessed about. Where is he? How was it?!"
"Yes tell us all about it! Do tell him to come visit us." Her mother happily chimed in.
"Traveling around with a man I haven't had the pleasure of properly meeting! Come on I won't bite!"
Their banter was met with a teary eyed daughter. She lost it. She had finally broke. Her vow to never let Sasuke take tears from her again shattered as her family talked of him so gleefully. They had no idea. They didn't know him like she did. They didn't know him at all.
And now they never will.
"Oh dear.." her mother took her into an embrace as she read exactly what was wrong in her eyes.
The sun crept in to the sweet-smelling bedroom far too soon. The young kunoichi felt the warmth hit her cheeks as her lids struggled to stay sealed.
Sakura groaned, "Sasuke close the curtains please.."
He didn't move. She couldn't feel his breathing. "Sasuke?" She slowly lifted her weight up on one arm while using the other to rub her tired eyes and protect them from the bright morning.
Eyes still half-closed she stretched her curled arm out straight, letting her fingertips search the blankets beside her for the man in question. The pale white sheets beside her were cool to the touch, showing a lack of any heated presence.
Her memory slowly become clearer, coming back in small fragments behind her eyes. Deep onyx eyes narrowing at her in the dark. A pale hand's fingers circling around her throat..
Her eyes immediately widened despite their exhaustion at the flood of emotions that enveloped her as the memories of the night before came swimming back. She felt the burn of hot tears beg to pour as her shaking hand found her aching chest. She loved him so much. He was going to be the death of her. She could not let him have such a hold on her. He didn't love her. He didn't care. The hands..the hands that found their way around her body and into her hair didn't cherish her. And the fingers that stretched out to the most intimate parts of her, the ones that made shivers creep down her spine in waves of chills, did not need her. Not like she needed him.
Sakura's trembling stopped. She pulled back her arm, and let her fist find the bedroom wall.
She was so undeniably stubborn it made his temper boil. His fists shook as nails cut into palm while he flitted through the thick forest.
It took almost no time for him to reach the gates of the Leaf. He desperately hoped for no small talk at the entrance. He had no time for that.
"Well would you look at that."
Sasuke stopped his advance towards the only entrance into the hidden village, "Kakashi"
His old sensei granted him a masked smile and crinkled eyes, the only parts of him visible.
"Hey! You can't speak to Lord Sixth in such a way! Who do you think you are!?" A kunoichi closer to Kakashi's age than his own yelled out form beside the Hokage. She was obviously upset with his actions, her extremely long dark blue specked black hair swayed in her eyes as she spoke. He hadn't the time for this.
Kakashi chuckled nonchalantly at her banter, "Calm down Kora, he's an old student of mine. Sasuke Uchiha."
The woman's light eyes widened in understanding before quickly looking towards the ground in sudden embarrassment. The two must be much more acquainted than he previously thought. Much more accustomed to each other than a guard and Hokage. Sasuke had to force his eyes from rolling.
"It's good to see you, Kakashi, but I've got some things to attend to."
The Hokage sent him a coy glance, "Things? And by things, you mean Sakura. Am I right?"
Sasuke's left eye twitched at the realization that Kakashi knew exactly what he was here for. How?
"The clinic wasn't busy today so Tsunade reluctantly gave her the day off. She should be at the park, at least that's where I last saw her."
In a dust of light dirt, Kakashi's old student was gone.
He came across the only park her remembered the village having. It was small, only possessing a few jungle gyms and two rickety swing sets too weak for someone over toddler age. Finding her was easy. Almost too easy. The pastel color of her hair shone in the sun like a beacon as he approached the small clearing. Her back was to him. She must have came there right after being sent away form work due to the fact she still wore her white uniform. A soft musical sound hit his ears as he approached her.
She wasn't alone. She was with a few other ninja he knew as a genin. Naruto, one of them, a dark haired Hyuuga girl, Ino, and a commoner he had not the pleasure of meeting. He did not stand tall; he stood only an inch higher than Sakura. He had short brown stalky hair and bright grey eyes. He wore an extremely pleased look on his face. He was pleased about something.
He heard the musical voice again. It was her. She was laughing. She was laughing at him.
Sasuke felt his muscles tighten and tense as his fingers curled into tight painful fists. His sharingan began to twirl and focus.
No.
He let his muscles slowly relax, and his fingers hesitantly release their curl.
She was happy. She had safety.
She had everything he could not give her. She was everything he would never deserve.
"I told you Kyo! You can't just come up to a girl yelling at her like that." Sakura burst into laughter as her old patient spilled over how he attempted to ask Ten Ten on a date the day before.
He rubbed his head, "I-I just don't know how to do this."
Naruto slapped his hand over the back of the young man's shoulder's, "Look at me and Hinata, I didn't even know she liked me whenever I hit on her! Turns out she did the whole time!"
Poor Hinata turned a blood red as Sakura gave the ninja a much needed light punch to the shoulder.
"Sakuraaa oww" he rubbed his throbbing joint as she continued, "What did you do exactly?"
"Well..I just ran up to her, told her she was beautiful and then asked her to date me. Actually, it came out 'you I dinner eat'."
They all burst into laughter at the story, Sakura bellowed the loudest. Suddenly, she stopped.
Quickly, she turned her back to the group and looked out towards the path beside the small park.
She ran.
Hot watery eyes narrowed as Sakura ran through the village in search. She felt it. She felt his chakra.
He was here.
She searched for what her muscles thought was hours, ignoring the pain in her limbs. Defeated, she headed toward the front gates, afraid of what the guards might tell her.
She struggled to catch her breath as she ran. She had trained her body over the years to bear such a long exertion. She must be rusty.
"K-Kakashi sensei!" she waved towards the hokage positioned at the gate with his new flavor of the week, Kora.
He wore a saddened look as she hurriedly approached them, "Sakura."
"Where is he?"
He didn't answer. She could see in his eyes he had information he was not sure she wanted to have.
"Tell me!"
"Sakura.."
"Please!"
He sighed, and watched her expressions change as he spoke, "He's gone."
"Why..why was he here? I know you know." Her voice was almost inaudible.
"He was here for you." He answered nonchalantly, noting her surprise, "I'm guessing by your look of awe you didn't speak with him."
"No..I didn't even see him..I felt his chakra for a second.."
He answered her with a soft stare, he worried about her. he knew the hold Sasuke had on Sakura. The hold he would always have on her.
"He said, 'I will never forgive myself,' does that mean anything to you?"
Sakura stared up at her sensei with eyes completely overridden with tears. He had come for her, but changed his mind. He did care. He cared so much he couldn't come to grips with what he had done. Sakura let her sobs roll of her eyes and the moans break from her throat. Kakashi stretched out a hand in empathy, but was retracted by a much louder sound coming from her. Her face was frozen in incomprehensible pain. Her hands clawed at her stomach as she heaved over and fell to her knees.
She was screaming.
"Sakura! Sakura what's wrong?" Kakashi knelt beside her as she clutched at her aching abdomen.
"M-ch…ch…M-my..s-s-stomach.."
"Kora! Get Tsunade. Now!" with a violent nod, the long haired kunoichi ran for the sannin.
Kakashi let his hand rest on her shoulder as he pressed for more information, "Sakura, you've got to listen to me. You have to tell me what's happening."
"K-kakashi..my stomach..it's tearing apart.."
The Sixth Hokage's eyes widened in understanding.
"I've..been throwing up a lot..I think I caught something..while traveling..w-with..with.."
"Sakura, you're pregnant."
