~*Sexiest Ninja of Konoha*~: Thanks to helpful comments on this, I realized that the initial plot is moving too fast… man but I'm working on correcting that, so bear with me :D
Also, a warning: This chapter contains slight sexing xD and a little gore, I suppose
I don't own Naruto because… I've run out of excuses why
Sasuke stormed up the stairs of the hotel. He had to get away from... her. Naruto watched him go sadly. Sakura frowned at his retreating back.
"What the hell is his problem?" she asked off-handly. Naruto turned to her.
"You," he said simply. She looke dup questioningly. He hadn't said it maliciously; just a statement. A true statement.
"Dammit," she muttered after a pause. She climbed the stairs, following Sasuke's footsteps. She opened the door to the hotel room with her own key. She removed her shoes by the door before continuing slowly towards their bedroom. Their bedroom. It sounded so... right.
'No! No it doesn't!' Sakura told herself firmly. She opened the door without knocking. Sasuke sat on his bed, his back to the door. He had taken his jacket and shirt off, but Sakura didn't really care.
"Spill it asshole," she said, her hands on her hips. She tapped her foot impatiently. He turned his head slightly towards her. His face was eerily calm.
"No, there's nothing to tell you," he said. She frowned. She wasn't liking his sudden calmness. She shrugged.
"Fine them, I'm leaving," she said simply, turning around. He spun around wildly. She smirked.
"Where?" he snarled. She clicked her tongue. This man was bipolar, she was sure of it.
"Out... who knows where, maybe another club, a bar..." she said vaguely. She moved to walk out the door, but it slammed in her face. She gasped as something grabbed her arm and spun her around, pinning her to the wall. Sasuke was standing over her, his features contorted in rage.
"You aren't going anywhere!" he yelled. She regarded him coolly.
"And who are you to tell me I can't?" she asked simply. He slammed his fist into the wall above her head.
"Dammit Sakura! What the hell is wrong with you? You have to have a little more self-respect than this! Out in public whoring with men to get what you want! You aren't some cheap slut, so don't act like one!" he screamed at her. She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head.
"Let go of me! You don't know me; you just assume!" she shouted back. Naruto knocked on the door from behind them.
"You guys? You guys! Open up," Naruto called. Sasuke answered him by locked the door.
"I know you well enough to know that you're better than this, that you want better than this!" Sasuke said in disbelief. Sakura's mouth trembled as she tried to hold back the unshed tears. The tears she had wanted to cry for years, but wouldn't let herself.
"And who are you? Why the hell are you so worried about me when you obviously have something deeper, some deeper wounds than I do! You should take care of yourself and forget about me! There's nothing you can do for me, I'm a lost cause. My parents thought so. My friends thought so. My teachers thought so. The whole damn world has given up on me, why the hell shouldn't you!" Sakura lashed out. Sasuke shook his head.
"You're wrong. You aren't a lost cause, you're so much more than that! You have a purpose in this world, don't throw it away because you don't have the courage to face it!" Sasuke said desperately. He had to make her see, make her understand. He just didn't know why. Sakura turned her face away from him.
"You don't know what you're saying," she spat. She wouldn't let him get inside her head! No man could do that, no woman, no one! Sasuke's face was so close to hers.
"I don't? You think you're the only one with problems? The only one whose awoken by those dreams? The only one who regrets the past, loathes the present, dreads the future?" Sasuke hissed. Sakura looked into his eyes. And then she saw it. The years of hurt. The years of loneliness. The yearn, the longing for... something more. What she saw was a mirror of her own eyes. They were so alike and yet... so different.
"I... Sasuke I..." Sakura whispered. His head inched closer to hers. What was he doing! He had lost control of his body. He leaned his forehead against hers, inching forward slowly, ever so slowly.
"I'm going to break the door in!" Naruto shouted from the otherside of the door. Sasuke pushed himself up off of Sakura. She blinked, her body trembling. She turned shakily to the door and unlocked it.
"D-don't worry, Naruto, we're... we're fine..." Sakura whispered. Naruto's wide eyes were the last thing she saw before she closed the door, locking it. Sasuke had retreated to his bed, his back to her. She walked to her own bed, shaking from their own encounter. Sasuke intrigued her to no end! She glanced at a crumpled blue jacket on the floor. She stopped, looking at it again. The fan. She sat down on Sasuke's bed, placing a hand on his still-bare shoulder. It was then when she felt it. She frowned.
"What is this?" she whispered, running her hand down the beginning of the scar on Sasuke's shoulder. He shrugged her hand off.
"Nothing," he muttered. Sakura sat back.
"Then what is this fan?" she asked. Sasuke didn't answer her, his shoulders haunched. She could see the muscles on his back clench as he stiffened. She put a hand on his shoulder again.
"Tell me about you, and I'll tell you about me," she said simply. He turned around, glaring. His eyes were red.
'So this is the Sharingan...' Sakura mused.
"Why should I?" he spat. She shrugged.
"I want to know all about you; you're the first person whose ever acknowledged me as something other than a lost cause, a slut... a murderer," she said quietly. Sasuke turned around the face her. Her eyes travelled from his face to his body. They rested on his his scar.
"You can start with this," she whispered, running her hand down the length of it. It was long; fatal, she guessed. Or it should have been. He grasped her hand so tightly, it was as if he was drowning. She looked sadly into his eyes.
"It... was so long ago... so long..." he began. She waited patiently. It couldn't be easy to tell her what had happened, but the first step to healing would have to be to talk to someone.
"I... was a new shinobi. I had only just entered ANBU; but I was only a Genin. I had to become stronger, stronger, stronger. I pushed myself to the limit, trying to get stronger. I wanted to prove to my parents and my brother that I'm strong, that I can become a leader in ANBU, just like Itachi..." Sasuke trailed off at the name. Sakura frowned.
"Itachi?" she asked. He looked up.
"My brother... he was always the prodigy, the pride of the Uchiha Clan, my father's favorite. I had to prove... had to prove I was just as good, if not better. And in my arrogance, my naievity, I failed to protect them... I failed to prove that I was equal to my brother. Because I wasn't. I was weak, I was a fool. I brought tragedy to my family, tragedy and disgrace to my name, that's all I ever did to them. All I ever proved to them," Sasuke said, his voice rouch with emotion. He released Sakura's hand, clenching his fist angrily. She took it in her own hands, holding it.
"The man... I had been ordered to kill him, as my survival mission to become a Chuunin rank. In my haste to finish it, I overlooked it; I overlooked his survival. I thought he was dead, but he wasn't, he was as much alive as you and I; and he wanted revenge. I wish he had taken it out on me, but no one's wishes ever come true. He took revenge on me alright... and my family paid the ultimate price," Sasuke said emotionally. He squeezed his eyes shut as the memories flooded in like rainwater.
The ground was slick with blood. Sasuke raised an eye in horror. His other was swollen shut, and the cut on his forehead was leaking blood into his good eye. He shook his head, shaking it out. baka yaro?" the man asked, amused. Sasuke , you-" Sasuke began, but a sharp pain in his shoulder stopped him. He cried out as a blade sunk deeper into his skin. The man chuckled.
"Do you see now, baka yaro?" the man asked, amused. Sasuke grunted. "
"You should respect your elders," the man scolded. He dragged the katana across Sasuke's body. He screamed in pain. The man did it painfully slow. He stopped every minute to let Sasuke catch his breath, then continue on.
"Leave him alone!" a voice called desperately. Sasuke groaned as the man paid it no heed, dragging the katana all the way to his hip. He left it there thoughtfully as Sasuke panted, the blood soaking through his shirt rapidly. Finally, the man removed it slowly. Sasuke grunted in pain, coughing up blood. The man then walked over to the one who had yelled at him. It was a woman. Her raven-black hair and pale skin showed her relation to Sasuke. She stared up at her captor in defiance. Her husband lay dead at her feet, his blood soaking her feet. She dared him to do more.
"Perhaps I should teach you some manners," the man said, sheathing his katana. The woman glared.
"Shut your dirty mouth, you son of a pig!" she cried. Sasuke groaned and looked up. His mother was crying.
"Do what you will to me, but leave him out of this," she spat. The man grabbed her by her neck, pulling her up, as her hands were tied. She choked a little, her airway cut off. He smiled.
"Fine. It's a deal," he said. Sasuke looked up as the man walked over, dragging his mother behind him. He knelt her down in front of him. She caught her son's eye and put a smile on her face.
"Sasuke, be brave," she whispered. A tear slipped down his face.
"Okaa-sama... forgive me," he wimpered. Her mouth trembled as she tried to smile brighter.
"Nevermind that; remember Sasuke, I love you, your father loved you, no one will take that away from you," she told him. The man smirked. They would see about that. He raised his katana. His mother gave him one last grin before the man cut off her left arm. Her smile was frozen on her face as her pupilas shrank. The sweat ran cold down the side of her face. Sasuke screamed, as if his arm had been cut off. The man grinned and cut off her right arm. Mikoto hung her head. She wouldn't let her son see her in pain in her last minutes of life. The man grabbed her by the hair and raised her head. His katana lay against her neck. The tears were pouring down Sasuke's facing, mingling with his mother's blood.
"Say goodbye to your okaa-sama," he said maliciously. Sasuke shook his head. The man chopped, and Mikoto's head flew. It came to rest in Sasuke's lap, the white pupils staring up at his face, all at once seeing his face but not, her smile still frozen in time. And he knew nothing more.
Sasuke opened his eyes as he tasted salt. Sakura was leaning her head on his shoulder and grasping his arm, which was wet with her tears. He raised his other ahdn up to his face in wonder. Tears? He hadn't cried in years.
"Sasuke..." Sakura whispered shakily. He wiped the wetness from his eyes. Sakura raised her head, her watery eyes boring into his. He blinked, looking away. She touched his scar again in wonderment, in awe of the hurt and pain Sasuke had carried with him for years. It made her own life look like one of cowardice and selfishness. How could she ever face herself again? She laughed bitterly to herself. Just one more thing to add to her list of regrets...
"Your turn," Sasuke said simply. Sakura looked up. He was gazing at her meaningfully.
"I..."
"No, I told you my story, it's time to hear yours," he insisted. He grimaced. His voice was shaky. This had been harder than he thought. But it was is if he had shed a thousand pounds off his soul. Maybe... Sakura was what he had needed all along.
"You're right. But... well... anyway, I... was born into wealth and privilege. My parents were wealthy and successful business people. I... was an only child, only because I was a mistake in the first place," Sakura murmured. Sasuke gazed at her levelly. She looked up into his eyes.
"I could never compare to you, Sasuke, but it was as if I grew up without parents. They were never there to teach me right from wrong, never there to hold me after a nightmare and tell me it would be ok. Never there for me. I learned to fend for myself in the streets of Tokyo. No one ever tried to hurt me or touch me after..." she trailed off, lost in remembrance. Sasuke stroked her cheek tenderly.
"What?" he asked softly. She was shaking.
"After that man... on the streets... once when I was twelve... he... but it doesn't matter, it's not important," Sakura said quickly, not finishing her thought. But she didn't need to. It was obvious what had happened to Sasuke. She was raped; plain and simple. Something in him snapped, much as it had at the club earlier. It was a strong sense of protection over her, over this stray cherry blossom. He wanted to hunt down all those who had hurt her, he wanted to hold her and never let her go, always protecting her from the realities of life. But he couldn't. He could only listen helplessly.
"I learned to fight; I suppose that's why ANBU took such a notice in me all together. I was doing fine on my own; I could live by myself, I could cook for myself, I could do everything; I didn't rely on anyone. All I lacked was money, money and place. I was stuck on my parents' sympathy. It was as if we were just roommates. They rarely acknowledged me. And then my grades in school began to fail. I cared less and less about school, and life in general; what was the point? I was an outcast, an unwanted child. What was the point of getting an education? Who was there to impress? We lived this way until I was thirteen. And then they decided they didn't want to take care of me anymore. I woke up one day and my parents were gone. Moved away, gone forever, never coming back. I had a month to find my own way, my own place in the world. And that was when it started; the sex. I slept with other men, sometimes for money, sometimes to forget. Forget what a burden I was on my parents. Forget the years of loneliness, without someone to love me. And that's what I found in sex; someone to love me, even if it was temporary and fake, it was more than I had ever had. Had ever hoped for. And then, all of a sudden, they contacted me again. We want you back, terrible mistake, will you forgive us?" Sakura laughed bitterly at her own stupidity. Sasuke looked soberly at her.
"So I went back. They were living in a nice condo in the outskirts of Tokyo. It was nice for a while; they talked to me for once, actually got to know me. I thought we could be a real family. But I was wrong. The only needed me for insurance purposes; for money. I was an investment to them, nothing more. When I realized their betrayal, I finally realized their fake smiles, their fake love, their fake acts. I suppose I owe it to them, though, that I can lie so easily. I learned from the best," Sakura looked away, not daring to meet Sasuke's eyes.
'I know it's nothing compared to your story, Sasuke, but it was an equal amount of loneliness and hurt...' Sakura thought. Sasuke cupped his hand under her chin, raising her eyes to his. They were warm on her skin. He knew what she was thinking; her pain was insignificant to his. But it wasn't. Everyone's pain mattered, no matter how small or large. He leaned forward slowly. Sakura found herself melting at his touch. She closed the gap between them, pressing her soft lips to his. She rested her arms around his neck, pressing herself harder against him. He gripped her waist tightly, running his hands along her sides. She surrendered to his tongue, which was fighting it's way into her mouth. A moan of pleasure escaped from the back of Sasuke's throat as he advanced on her. He broke of for seconds before returning for more. He layed her down on the bed, lifting her dress simultaneously. Not rushed and hurried, like men usually were with her. He was slow, gentle, treating her as if she was a person, not a thing. Everything she had always wanted in men, everything she could have dreamed for... was him.
~*Sexiest Ninja of Konoha*~: I suppose I should explain my usage of Japanese :D
Baka Yaro: Stupid bastard
Achike: Fuck off
Arigatouu :D don't forget to R&R
