Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto but I DO own an awesome emerald skirt.
No copyright infringement intended.
I would have dedicated this to someone but...it's disappointing. I'm really sorry if it does not meet up with the expectations after the long wait and everything.
A Fabian Policy
~platform-shoes12
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.PROVERBS.
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The moon light that streamed through the organza curtains followed a straight path to my face. It wasn't the kind of light that comes from the sun. The light that comes from the sun forces one lethargic person to squint and say 'hello!' to the world. This light—it makes one realize it's not yet time to be dreaming. It surprised me, really. I didn't count on me sleeping by the chair next to our bed after fixing that porridge for Sasuke. Judging by the elapsed time from the moment I lifted the pot from the stove and the time now, I should probably reheat the now stale porridge if I'm going to feed it to him.
I looked up from my crossed arms to check my patient. I blinked. I guess he had the idea first.
I lifted my head and matched Sasuke's intense gaze on my person. For a while he didn't speak. Then later he drawled out "What are you doing here?" His tone was devoid of any emotion.
I gulped. It felt like there was sand on my throat. "Uh..." I pushed back the chair I was sitting on and stood "the Hokage asked me to check on you."
He drew his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He looked at his hands. "You shouldn't be here."
"It's my job," I wondered when lying came naturally to me, "Uchiha-san." For that time, I actually forgot that I've already admitted to myself just moments ago that I still care.
He didn't speak anymore after that. I took it as my cue to shut up too. So, with nothing else to do, I went to the kitchen to reheat the porridge. If I'm lucky, I could probably force some spoonful down his throat.
Fifteen minutes later, I have a tray with the bowl of porridge and other solid foods he might be able to eat. I jerked the door open with my hip and entered the room. I plastered a fake smile on my face before greeting him
"Uchiha-san, I prepared—what the hell!" I almost dropped the tray I was carrying when I saw Sasuke lying face down on the bed, wounds reopened. The blood was seeping through the covers. I left the tray on the side table and immediately went to work. With a clear head I was glad I possessed, I managed to wrestle the harmful kunai from his right hand and tie a portion of the blanket on his arm as a make-shift tourniquet. Right, now I'm going to have to disinfect this again! I inwardly groaned.
"What is wrong with you?" I asked him as I gathered chakra on my hand.
His eyes shifted to look at me. It narrowed and then—widened. "Sakura?" He sounded surprised.
"Of course," I said and settled my hand and started healing his wound.
He immediately propped himself up and grabbed my hand. I paused. "What?"
"Are you okay? Did he—did he hurt you?"
"What?" I asked. I honestly don't get what he was asking. We've already had this interaction this morning. And then, Sasuke was…sobbing. And that was enough to make me panic. My heart constricted. It was painful to watch him like this. "Wait, Sasuke-kun, why are you—"
"I wasn't there. I couldn't protect you." Tears freely streamed down his cheek. I gaped. Sasuke never cried. For the whole time we were together, he's always found a way to express the excess emotions he's feeling. But he never cried. And now...
I don't know the right thing to say. "It's...it's alright now. H-he didn't h-hurt me." I assured him lamely.
"But he did! He did..." He said. His grip on my hand loosened. I took the time to heal his wounds by then. When I was done closing them, I sat opposite him on the bed and laid my hands on his shoulders. Just then, all I wanted was to hold him—to take the pain away. But somehow, my pride held me back. I couldn't just forgive him even if he did this to himself. I just can't...
Sasuke, however, took the matter into his own hands. He gathered me into his arms, my face pressed against his chest, my back bent awkwardly to cover the distance between us. For a few minutes, we just stayed like that. It was comfortable. The feeling of belonging right there in his arms returned and I all but embraced him too. Before I could do that, however, Sasuke was already holding a kunai to my neck.
"You unfaithful wife," he seethed. He pressed the kunai to my neck harder. "You unfaithful wife."
Suddenly, I was scared. Well, having a kunai to your neck does that to anyone. I almost knew that this is really going to be the end. He's going to kill me. I choked back a sob. "Please, Sasuke. Don't. D-don't k-kill me."
"You should've died. When he touched you, you should've chosen death instead! But you let him, Sakura, you let him touch you. And now you're going to pay for your infidelity to me. You're going to pay!" I felt the kunai sliced through the first layer of muscles and I couldn't see anything anymore. Tears were gathered unshed on my periphery. Everything was blurry. I couldn't even breathe. I feared the slightest movement could drive that kunai deeper. But I had to try. "Sasuke-kun?" I pleaded "Let me go, please."
It wasn't as if I'm scared I'd die. It was the thought that I'm leaving my daughter alone that worsened the tremors racking my body.
He looked at me. There was menace in his eyes. And for one second I thought he was going to laugh and end my life right then and there. Just one effortless slash and I'm dead. But the strangest thing happened. His eyes softened again and he recoiled from me as if he was burned. He threw the kunai as far as possible and pressed his back against the headboard. He gathered the blood soiled sheets to himself and looked at anywhere but me "I s-s-shouldn't h-have...s-sorry, I d-did n-not mean t-to h-hurt..."
My eyes widened. This depression has gotten out of hand. Sasuke is showing the telltale signs of psychosis. He's going to have to be confined. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part is knowing that somehow...I'm the root of all this. I've driven him mad.
I've driven Uchiha Sasuke mad.
I've driven...
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I screamed and left to call for help.
Sasuke watched Sakura bolt out of the room. He gathered chakra to his ears to help increase his hearing range. Sakura was asking for help. The raven-haired man smirked. She really bought it he thought happily. Things are going as planned. That's what she gets for lying to him. He's going to teach her beloved a little lesson—a lesson he'd make sure she'll never forget:
Uchiha Sasuke doesn't get mad. He gets even.
-and when he does, it's never fun to be the one getting evened out. Oh he's sure of it.
He checked his arms. She's healed it perfectly. His skin was unbroken. Well, at least he has that to thank her for, but not now. He rocked himself back and forth when he heard Sakura's quick footsteps grow louder. She's coming back.
Uchiha Sasuke wiped the smirk off of his face and resumed sobbing. When Sakura entered the room, Sasuke asked "Y-you h-hate me, d-don't you? You hate me so much."
Sakura gripped the door frame. Her eyes glossy with unshed tears. "I'm sorry too, Sasuke-kun. We're going to get help, okay? Just stay there. You're going to be alright soon."
The raven haired man inwardly smirked. How totally gullible. How easy to manipulate. Sasuke glared at her and stood "And who do you think you are? You are just a wife. You can't tell me what to do." He cornered her to the door. Sakura shrank back as far as possible. "You don't tell me what to do."
For one second, he was tempted to just kiss her senseless right there and there. He has this "insanity" to justify his actions after all—but somehow, he knew that doing that would…not be beneficial for his cause.
Some part of him broke as he watched his wife cower before him. He did not really want to do this. In fact, all of this won't be necessary if she just stopped refusing to cooperate. But no, she has to be difficult. She has to lie to him.
He knew himself. And if he must be anything…he's anything but stupid. He has easily seen through Sakura's lie the moment she said it. The time frame is just so conflicting. Despite Itachi's speed, he doubted he could travel from Rain Country to Fire in less than twenty-four hours. His initial reaction in that forest was not because he believed her and was therefore pained. It was more of the bitter realization that she could intentionally hurt him.
After that encounter, he had gone home mulling over whatever that's happening in the present. Obviously, Sakura is decidedly going to be difficult. She's hurt. She's angry. She wants to be left alone. She wants to hurt him.
Frankly, he no longer knows what to do. He tried being diplomatic and everything. Heck, he even tried to be aggressive, assertive, and pro-active. Nothing worked so far. He couldn't get through her. The shield she has put up against him is too high and too strong for ordinary means.
Desperate situations call for desperate measures.
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Then he surmised…the best defense is the best offense. He has to fight back. Sakura is playing hard to get because he's chasing after her. Somehow, he has to stop that and think of another course of action.
And that's when it hit him.
Sakura's what she is because he hurt her. She's thinking that she has the right to act like she's acting because he hurt her.
If she realized that she had hurt him too…
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Bingo.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the girl trapped between him and the door. Her eyes were glossy and her lips were trembling.
Kami, he loves her.
His resolve cracked. He pursed his lips and he finally caved in. He took her in his arms and waited for her to calm down.
I felt something shift in Sasuke's disposition after he glared at me. Then, he was embracing me. It surprised me. This wasn't like the embrace he had given me before pressing a kunai at my neck. It was more of the embrace that was…beckoning me to feel what he's feeling. And I did. It was like he was trying to reach me.
Then it dawned on me that this couldn't last long. For all I know, he may be trying to kill me again later. Taking advantage of the situation, I wrapped my arms around his neck and with one swift move; I pressed hard onto his pressure point and had him slumping against me.
Later.
I moved him back to the bed and went outside. Fresh air would do me good.
I soon found myself in our porch. Then, the memories, again, came crashing back.
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Flashback
The newly weds were having breakfast on their front porch.
"Hey. Sasuke-kun!" Sakura piped.
Sasuke looked up. "Hm?"
"Did you sleep well last night?" She stuffed her mouth with a pancake.
"Sakura," Sasuke shook his head, "we hardly slept last night. What are you talking about?"
Sakura blushed. "Oh."
He smirked. "What? You forgot already? I'm sure the neighbors can't. You were screaming so l—"
Sakura tackled him to the ground. "Stop!" She looked so red in the face. "Besides," she started in an attempt to compose her self, "we don't have neighbors. The next house is five miles away."
He chuckled. "I'm sure they still heard."
Sakura punched him playfully. "You're making fun of me." She pouted.
"No, I'm not. I was just stating facts."
"Embarassing facts, you mean." Sakura sliced up the pancake and stuffed it into Sasuke's mouth.
"I didn't say anything like that." He said with some effort.
"Well, you were teasing me about it so it must be embarassing."
Sasuke finally swallowed the huge chunk Sakura's fed him. "What should be embarassing is that you're not wearing shorts."
She blushed harder and immediately stood up. "Pervert." She was only wearing his shirt.
"You're still embarassed about it?"
"Well it was my first." He was about to add and second and third and so on but refrained from doing so.
"But I've already seen everything." Sasuke smirked. Understatement of the year. He did not just see...he touched everything.
"You pervert! Stop harassing me."
"Harassing? But I thought you liked it?"
"I did not." She blushed and crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. Sasuke stood opposite her. He was so close they were almost touching. Then he lifted his hand and tilted her chin, forcing her to look at him.
"Wanna bet?" he asked and kissed her.
"Mmm, Sasuke," she murmured before pulling away, "breakfast..."
"can wait," he finished for her and shoved her back to the house.
End of Flashback
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I smiled. If only things were still as simple as that. Then again, I realized it was my fault it had gotten this bad.
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Right.
I looked back at the house. He wouldn't wake up until a few hours later. For now, I have to get help.
I gathered chakra to my legs and began jumping from tree to tree.
I have to get to Tsunade-shishou.
After the meeting with shishou, I dropped by at my apartment to check on Mikomi. In all the haze of recent events, I have forgotten about my daughter—again.
I stepped into the apartment and was greeted by the sight of the darling little girl sleeping on the couch. I was immediately hit by the irony of the situation. Most families have mothers waiting for the daughters to return home. In our case…well, we are not most families.
"Ai?" I gently woke her up.
"Hmm?" She squinted. Then her crimson eyes narrowed at me. "Where have you been?" she asked.
"I'm sorry. I was…taking care of your sensei."
"Uchiha-sensei?"
I nodded. "Why are you sleeping here?"
"I was waiting for you."
I smiled and gathered her to my arms. "Let's get you to your room." I felt her head rest comfortably on my shoulder.
"What's wrong with sensei?" She asked.
"Your sensei is not…well. Okaa-san was asked by the Hokage to tend to him."
"I want to see him."
"Fine…but later. He's not fit to be interacting with anyone at the moment."
She pulled away and looked at me. "Why? What's bothering him?"
I was very much tempted to say me. "Nothing you should know about. I already told shishou I couldn't help him much." We finally reached her room. I tucked her in her bed. "Have you had dinner?"
She nodded.
"Now, sleep." I kissed her forehead and smoothed out her blanket. "Goodnight, ai. Sweet dreams."
I smiled at her peaceful face and proceeded to the door. Just when I was about to exit the room...
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"Kaa-san, you've been away a lot lately. Could you…you know, tell me a story?"
I paused and smiled. I walked back and sat on the edge of her bed. "Why, of course!" It wasn't everyday my daughter asks me to tell her a story. "So," I sat beside her and lifted her to my lap, "what story should I tell you?"
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"How about," she paused and looked at me earnestly,
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"the story how my sensei happens to be my father?"
TBC
Platform-shoes12's note: Oh I'm sorry if the transitions for this chapter are…eeky. I was really forcing myself to write and uhm, I don't think it worked well for me.
Oh and I re-wrote chapters "prologue" to the third chapter. If you're interested and you have the time, you can re-read them and tell me if they improved.
Sorry this came out late! I was thinking…oh, it's been days since I posted the chapter and there's no review yet. Then I checked and realized I uploaded this to the document manager only! I was half embarrassed when I realized how stupid that is.
Thanks to all those who posted a review, placed this story on alert and on their list of favorites!