EIGHT
"Well, the problem is he was not even here."
Neji and Tenten turned their head to the newly presence. The sixth hokage stood by the door, in his Kage robe, his face looked serious.
"You can at least knock the door, Naruto." Tenten said, quickly pushed Neji from top of her, her face turned into soft pink. "just because I have seen you kissing Hinata a lot doesn't mean you have the same right to see us."
"Sorry, you guys left the door open so I thought…"
"Now what was that you've been talking about?" Neji sit beside Tenten while Naruto came into the room and close the door. Neji took that as a sign that this would be a serious conversation, if include Naruto to act all serious and even bother to close the door.
"I heard about you from Ibiki-san." Naruto sit in front of Neji. His cerulean eyes stare lightly at his ivory ones. "I know the current circumstance is not very supporting, but your sudden decision…"
"It's my fault." Tenten quietly said. "if only I hadn't break any of Hiashi-sama's rules…"
"Ne, I didn't talk about his resignment, Tenten-chan." Tenten's eyes darted surprisingly at the blonde man. "It's about his decision to make teme's new ANBU captain."
"I thought Ibiki-san didn't take it seriously," Neji raised an eyebrow.
"Ha, actually, Baa-chan have told me about it. The time Tenten-chan found out pregnant, Hiashi-sama came and told us we should postpone you from any dangerous activity. But since we couldn't come with better shinobi than you and… you know, ANBU things couldn't wait."
"I completely understand."
Tenten's eyes blink twice, she couldn't believe that Hiashi-sama actually care about their little family. So… he was a father afterall, who actually worried about his son. A warm smile crept up to Tenten's face.
"Well, I think we are all know Hyuuga's family has many things to do… "
"You agree about my resigment." Neji help him to find the point.
"Only if you really had thought about it."
Neji had thought about it. He knew Hyuuga clan have many things to do and he's been struggling so hard to put himself in between. Last time he almost ruin everything, if Shikamaru didn't come in hand and put himself. But Shikamaru has been engaged with Temari some months ago and moved to Suna. He couldn't just hung himself between Konoha's most dangerous activity and led a clan…
Neji's eyes stare at his brunette wife.
And now he has responsibility to his wife and his soon-to-born child. It's not only about his ambition to lead ANBU and his responsibility to his clan.
"I had thought about it." Slowly, he found his wife's hand entertwined with him. An assure smile played on Tenten's lips. "I am no longer ANBU captain."
"Well then," Naruto's sighed. "Sasuke-teme name come on top at today's meeting."
"And…?" Tenten hold her husband's hand in anticipation. What if they didn't come to agreement? What if Neji couldn't leave ANBU? What would happen to the man she loved the most, if this thing kept on going? She knew very well Neji almost drained everytime he led a critical mission, how her heart almost sunk everytime he come home late from mission, how hard he maintain his clan…
"We come to conclusion." Naruto sighed. "Sasuke Uchiha is the most potential shinobi to led ANBU." There was a pregnant silent after his words.
"Have you…?" Neji broke the silence.
"When he came to Konoha, I followed him and found out he's going to Uchiha manor, before heading out to Sakura-chan apartement."
"Looks like Sasuke still fond of Konoha." Tenten spoke her mind.
"He's an Otokage now, isnt he?"
"Yeah, Neji. The problem is that he run his own country now. Instead of coming back to Konoha, he choose Oto… it's kind of confusing though, seeing his action toward Uchiha manor, as if he's been longing to be there."
"Don't tell me you've been keeping an eye for him a whole night…" Tenten muttered.
"Baa-chan asked me to, if I didn't, I should work some papers for a week…" Naruto mumbled incoherently, replied Tenten's words. "anyway! So, Neji?"
"Are you going to lead another 'Uchiha retrieval' mission…?" Naruto's cerulean eyes shone brightly at him.
"Not really like that, you don't have to go to Oto and take him back here. Well… I have talked to Elders and some rookie nine…" Naruto cleared his throat.
"…in case you forget, I'm pregnant, Naruto." Tenten sent a death glare to him. "and Neji did not go anywhere to any dangerous mission."
"N-no, I mean, I have an idea to bring that teme back here, but I need you guys, all of you."
"I don't get it, how can you make Otokage become ANBU captain?"
A glint flashed in his bright blue eyes. "You know… Sasuke-teme is married with Sakura-chan."
"We knew that already. So?" Tenten's not sure she understand the loud hokage yet.
"We'll start from there."
Sasuke was busying himself with mission and never once come back home for the next week.
Sakura took her time to heal herself at home, relaxing while the dark haired male didn't show his presence. But nevertheless, their last meeting got into her skin. After the apologize, the last Uchiha never meet her again. Not like she wanted to see him, but…
Some part of her, which she hate the most, was actually worried about him. It had been a week he hasn't here. Sasuke Uchiha did not do things just by instinct. He was by far the most calculating shinobi she ever met. She needed to know his intention. Why he chose her, why he insisted on having her while he could just point on some whore out there.
She needed a reason.
He couldn't just leave here wondering like this. An usual 'hn' grunt from Sasuke was better than a silence Sasuke. Sakura came to Kage office to leave a note for him informing she went to Konoha tonight. She needed to clear her mind, talk to Ino or Hinata maybe. She just couldn't face him yet.
"Ano, could you pass the Otokage my note?" she told the shinobi in the front desk.
"Gomen, Haruno-sama. Uchiha-sama is in a mission right now, and we haven't hear news for days." So he hasn't come back from his mission ever since. Sasuke never told her about his work as Otokage or mention something he's been working on lately. She has no idea about where he's being.
And it was frustrating her, just like he vanished from her life once again.
Ironically, he always been running from her everytime she confess her feeling. Sakura's face become warm again, at the thought of that night. Unconciously, she rub her belly. She hasn't take any test yet.
Having a baby in this circumstances was the last thing she need.
Sakura sighed, thanked the shinobi and walked away from Kage's office. Thing was getting complicated between them. It was not like she didn't think about it when she took the offer on the first hand, hell, she knew how unstable Uchiha Sasuke was. But there will always be this connection between them, that ironically brought the worst for each other. To say Sakura wasn't over him was simply couldn't contain what happened under certain situation.
Sakura stop her track in front of Oto Hospital, inhaled deeply.
Something should be done. He was not the only who can leave this cracked ship. With or without his permission, she would go back to Konoha tonight.
"I need a break." Sai loosened his arm around the blonde girl. Baby blue eyes avoided his gaze.
His hand reached to gently tuck the blonde stray from her pretty face. "What have I done wrong?" he whispered softly to her. Ino shook her head slowly, her hand reached his hand on her cheek. She queezed the bigger hand. How she will miss his warm touch…
"Nothing. I just need to be alone." She let go of his hand.
They were currently having dinner on his house. Sai set a table on his balcony, tried to cook himself. He only last one hour before gave up and let Ino do the cook. After dinner, Ino leave the table and lean on his balcony, looking toward the night sky. Sai, learnt that he had to initiated the action first, hug her gently from behind. She rest her head on his chest, savoring the moment, before she burst out her sudden decision that she needed a break.
"Tsunade-shishou ask me if I could do a mission on Oto…" she took a deep breath. "and I said yes."
"What has a mission do with you need a break?"
"Because Sai, this is undecided time mission."
"What kind of mission?"
"Well…" Ino left the balcony and sit on his bed, across the balcony. Sai followed her inside. "there's a rumour that Oto elders didn't actually run their country well… since Sasuke-kun is the Kage there and he's married to Sakura…"
"It's weird you still use suffix to him." Ino laugh softly.
"You know, old habits hard to die. So, Tsunade-sama with other elders from other country has been talking a lot about this. There could be a war or a misunderstanding if we try to make our own movement. She sent me there to spy the truth and report back continually. From there on they will take another step."
"So you'll be there with ugly and her whore-man husband?"
"Sai! Stop that kind of nickname." She knotted her eyebrow, slighty annoyed.
"Gomenasai."
"Well, I take it as opportunity to accompany Sakura. She must be lonely there. So…I'll leave next week."
"…" the art skilled shinobi didn't say anything.
Sai's black eyes stared at his bed sheet. The moon shone through his window, but he didn't find it any beautiful. Something inside his heart told him; the woman in front of him whom by these months bear the term of 'his girlfriend' just taking their 'relationship' to the whole new level.
Sai believed he had read it somewhere, that this phase was called breaking-up.
Sakura just finished another check up with a patient when somebody in rush telling her incoherently about her husband having a fiasco with the medic-nin on the ER. The information need some seconds to finally getting to her brain that her long-lost husband have just come back wounded and refused to be checked.
"Sasuke!" she barely yelled at him when the first thing she saw was his left sharingan activated towards a medic-nin that freaking out near him. He got his hand covering his right eye, and his hands were covered in blood. And so did some part of his shinobi's attire. "you, get out of this room. All of you!" shout Sakura. The people there quickly get out of the room, slam the door behind them, leaft Sakura and Sasuke alone.
"You do not use your sharingan towards your own people." Sakura gritted her teeth. Sasuke stood beside the bed, his eyes still flashing red. "elders could get you into horrible situation, Sasuke."
"It's their plan." He said icily. "nobody touch my eyes."
"It's the hospital protocol to treat patient as soon as possible." She said bitterly at his barrier. Sasuke withdraw his hand, both sharingan stared at her. His right eye was bleeding, it only cause more dangerous atmosphere to look at the bloody Uchiha plus bloody sharingan activated. Sakura hold back a breath and tried to stand still when the man walked closer at her.
"They do not belong here. They aren't hospital workers." He stop in front of her, whispered in low tone.
"Nobody could perform a medical things if they aren't medic-nin, Sasuke." She raise an eyebrow at his accusation. Sakura could sense no matter how thick the killing atmoshphere in this room, Sasuke still held back his chakra. He would not changed himself to a monster… or so she hoped. "and nobody can easily work in the ER without pemission."
They were staring into each other eyes. Sasuke's tomoe spinning, but then deactivated themselves. Eventhough he said he didn't use his eyes towards her, Sakura still found it hard not to be cautious everytime those eyes came. She sighed, didn't even know she's been holding her breath. He turned around, walked back to the bed.
"I know Oto better than you."
His harsh comment made her fist clenched. Sakura knew this was not the right time to argue. He was bleeding and Kami-knows-how many wounds he had experienced.
"Lie down, I'll heal you." She managed to said.
Sasuke sent another glance toward her, finally rest his body on the bed. Without saying anything, Sakura's hand glowing green touch his bloody abs. She didn't questioned him, she didn't ask him why he came home after days covered by blood. Kami knows whose blood was it. But sensing his internal organs didn't crushed, it mustn't be his own blood. The thought of Sasuke killing people without mercy slowly crept to her mind. She bit her lower lips to prevent any useless question that could slip through her teeth.
As she healing him, she could feel his intense gaze at her. Be strong, Sakura. Don't say anything unnecessary. Don't look at him. you may say something stupid. After some time, she finished healing him and there was no other way to escape looking at his eyes. She had to healing his eyes too.
"You can sit." The male followed her order without saying anything. Black eyes stared bodly at her. "it'd be a great help if you tell me what happen with your eyes." Sasuke averted his gaze to the wall across behind her.
"Mission."
"You're overusing your eyes." Instincvely, Sakura use her own handkerchief to wipe out the blood in his face. Sasuke flinch back the time it meet with his own skin, especially around his eyes. But he didn't retreat.
"I had to."
"Do you travel alone?"
"Hn,"
"You didn't tell anyone about your mission." she wipe all the blood clean, leaving his handsome face with some bruise around his right eye. "you've been missing almost a week." She didn't know she just tell him the fact he wasn't there in Oto without new for a week, or she just missed his presence so much for a week. With Uchiha Sasuke, every feeling mix into one, creating a whole new feeling she can never name.
"It isn't anyone concern." He said hastily. Sasuke didn't like how Sakura accuse him for everything he had done. It's not like he had to inform everyone what he do, where he's going or what. Nobody give a damn about his life anyway.
Sakura watched his expression turned into annoyed one. She knew he never like it when she acted like his babysitter. She didn't want to argue his personal principle. The Uchiha had damn annoying stupid, stupid pride. There was actually a reason why she persistently asked him; because she care. The fact she hated about her was she could never not care about this man. Sakura didn't say those words out loud, cause the last time she showed she care, that man left her cold in bench.
She took a sit beside him, her glowing fingers slowly darted around his right eye. "I'm planning to go to Konoha tonight."
"…why?"
"It will be okay." Sakura put the bloody handkerchief away. Unconsciously, Sasuke fist clenched the sheet when her hand touched his eyelid.
"Answer me." Sakura took her time to study the man before her, her mind race to find the right words.
"You know, things are getting complicated." Unsurely, her hand reached to touch his cheek. Before it collide with the skin, she took it back. Do not mix your feelings right now. She reminded herself.
"Why you did that, Sasuke…?" Sasuke opened his eyes. The woman before him stare at her. Big, emerald eyes challenging his orbs ones.
"I don't know…" Sakura didn't respon at his answer. "…the reason." He conclude. More like a statement than question.
"People didn't do things for nothing. You do not married me for no reason."
"What do you want me to say?" he began to annoy at her reaction. Inhaled deeply, Sakura tried to regain her patience.
"I mean, look at us! You clearly aware it's not gonna work between us. Why you choose me in the first place? Why not Ino or somebody you know here?" Sakura wake from the bed, her green eyes burning with emotion toward the men before her. "why you have sex with me?"
She just dropped the bomb.
Sasuke's thin lips formed the words. "You're my ex-teammate."
"And so what if I'm your ex-teammate, Sasuke? It didn't bring any good for our relationship anyway."
"…"
"We are not gonna work this out." She muttered. Sakura walked away but Sasuke hold her hand.
"Sakura." His words sent chill through her spine. His face as stoic as ever. He didn't show any emotion. She wanted to give everything just to know what's going on inside his head. "Stay."
Sakura didn't know what's the best thing to do. Stayed here only added more confusion. But running away wouldn't solve anything. There was no way out. Only one way through; go through this hell alive.
She doesn't have a choice anyway.
"What happened yesterday… happened yesterday." She finally said, tried her best to forget about their awkward sex. Forget about how awful her first time. Ironic. Sasuke clung to the past, to how his clan haunted him. Sakura clung to false hope of the past, to the old Sasuke she loved. And they both just have to let go what happenned in yesterday.
Wasn't it just the same asking for Sasuke to let go of his past and Sakura for finally waking up from dreams about old him?
In some point, Sasuke was right. If they kept walking away from each other, this was really not going to work out.
"What do you want from me, exactly, Uchiha?" Sasuke knew the pinkette was mad and hurt from the moment she called him by his last name. And just by her gesture and expression, he could tell she was in the verge of giving up. He never asked someone to love him. He never demand someone to understand him. He never were.
"I don't talk about feeling."
But this plan he had been arrange, a plan that would include the great nation of shinobi, force him to be in a marriage. And the first and only woman could come up was her. True, Sasuke always had this goal of revive the Uchiha clan. But since things happened ever since great shinobi war, the Madara, he was not the same man as before.
"Why you keep me here if it hurts both of us?" her voice barely audible.
Sasuke never like talk about feelings. The only woman he could picture himself with was her. Should there be a reason, he would put up, it'd because…
He took her suddenly to his chest, taking chance of her surprise yelp by kissing her senselessly.
…he wanted her.
Sakura's heart racing faster when his lips collide with hers. He pushed her closer to him, his lips ate her in desperate, angry, and those raw emotion Sasuke would never show in his perfect stoic face. He always talk his emotion by his action. And rude, arrogant, harshly were just the perfect way to portrait his emotion now.
"What…" Sakura tried to catch a breath when he finally let go of her plump lips. His hand still hold her arm, kept her in close distance.
"I never kiss a woman but you." His dark eyes bore to her. "how would you translate that for me?"
"That… that you only kiss me?" he didn't move an inch. "but you and those whores…" Sasuke chose not to answer her, leave her puzzled. "but how can you didn't when you sleep with them… when you…w-why?"
"…"
"Sasuke!"
"You are annoying." He woke from the bed, left her once again puzzled. There, deep down inside, Sakura want nothing but to punch the Uchiha, hard. Regained her breath, Sakura knew punch him until he's dead wont help anything. There was this hole, that will forever lay between them. Always so far, distant, unreachable Ucuhiha Sasuke.
Sasuke walked to the door when she mouthed the same word he said before;
"Stay." Sasuke didn't turned around yet. Sakura reached for his back, give him a light tap. "I'll take some blanket. You are not going anywhere with those eyes right now."
It hurts to love him under current circumstances. To knowing he will never try to love me.
"…thank you." He reply dryly. Sakura walked past him to turn off the lamp and closed the door.
But it hurts more to leave him behind.
