'Fairy-God Father'
Thoughts
"Speech"
"Flashbacks"
Lost Year
Possessing!
Forget the risk and take the fall,
if this is what you want then it's worth it all.
"I've found a great spot to get some woods." Shizune said happily to herself as she marked the spot where she noticed all the fallen branches that was greatly suitable for making a fire later on.
Skipping back cheerfully like a happy-go-lucky child, she finally reached the clearing that they had decided to stop for the night. And easily, Shizune noticed the pinkette leaning against a tree with her legs sprawled out.
"Saku-"
Before Shizune could even finish calling out for Sakura's name, a certain redhead suddenly appeared into the view while holding onto a large leaf with a couple of fishes piling up on top of each other near to his chest. The young girl stopped her tracks and quickly stepped into the shadows, hoping that Sasori didn't notice her presence.
He set the leaf on the ground and slowly squatted beside Sakura who was still dozing off and oblivious to the close distance between herself and the redhead. Sasori stared at her for quite a while, and sometimes he would then comb her long fringe behind her ears when the breeze blew it across her face.
As courage slowly came back to him, he started leaning forward, making sure that he wouldn't wake the pinkette up while doing so. Even after their lips had met for a few seconds, Sasori had failed to notice that another person was actually standing less than a hundred meters away, staring in amazement at what was going on.
Shizune released the basket of collected herbs as it dropped with a soft thud, loud enough for the redhead to realized that someone other than him was at the scene,
Flinging open his caramel-colored eyes, his head turned to the direction of the sound before he raised his eyebrow in surprise while staring calmly at Shizune's back view as the medic continued praying that the puppeteer didn't see her at all. Sasori just gave a soft scoff before moving away from Sakura to pick up the food he collected.
After standing up from place, he stared at Sakura for a few more seconds before turning to the younger medic again. Sasori just frowned at Shizune's stupid and obvious behavior before trudging away quietly and away from the clearing they were in.
Right on the cue when Sasori stepped into the shadows, Sakura slowly stirred in her position and finally woke up from her quick nap. She blinked a couple of times and stretched, looking around confusingly afterwards before touching her lips and mumbling some incoherent words that Shizune couldn't hear from the distance.
Shizune was always there to witness her uncle and Tsunade-sama acting just like a couple when they were together, yet she didn't know why was she so stunned to see Sasori kissing Sakura secretly under that beautiful sunlight.
She gulped inwardly for a few times before walking out from her hiding and picked up the basket before strolling towards Sakura who had stood up from her position when she had spotted the younger medic coming towards her.
"Getting some firewood?" Sakura beamed, oblivious to everything that just happened to her.
Shizune glanced warily at the last place where she seen Sasori before forcing a smile in front of Sakura.
"Yes, let's go!"
0o0
They had travelled for two days, and their distance from the town was getting further and further and they all knew they would be getting higher and higher chances in endangering their life if they were to get ambushed by Orochimaru and his people. The four of them could handle themselves perfectly, but having Orochimaru as an opponent served Tsunade and Sasori a major problem, and having a casualty by their side could lead to a possibility of holding their companion as a hostage.
For the past one hour while they were resting in a small spot they found to have a break and eat, any attempts to start a discussion were given up, excluding Sasori who was mostly responsible for killing all the conversations.
The redhead would often shot glares at the raven-haired girl who looked away quickly, finding some medical subjects to talk to Tsunade. She would be glaring back if it was at any other occasions, but really, she was the one at fault for staring at him in the first place and his glares could actually rivaled with her master's terrifying ones.
"Bathroom." Sakura often declared when the situation between the four of them was too tense to ignore. She then stood up steadily and wobbled towards one direction without waiting for anyone's consent. To be around with Tsunade who preferred peace and quietness during her break and Sasori who loved silence when he's still alive and breathing, Shizune knew it's better if she were to stay in her position with her mouth shut.
And only when Tsunade finally speak, her apprentice dared to lift her head from the ground to stare at the two well-respectable Shinobi who were sitting opposite her.
The blonde glanced at the redhead with a stern look that made Sasori serious along with her. She casually lifted herself from the ground and looked down at Sasori. "Come with me. I have something to speak to you." That wasn't a suggestion but an order.
Knowing it wouldn't be smart to ask the reason behind this action now, Sasori did what the famous medic told him to do and followed her into the shadows of the tall trees that were swaying along with the breeze. Tsunade's apprentice just watched them go, and by observing Sasori's back view vanishing into the shade made Shizune recalled that very incident which only the redhead and herself knew in the world.
Shizune broke the twig into half and threw it away, mindlessly reaching for another long branch that was a meter away from her.
She continued poking onto the black patch that was on the ground, previously left when they started a fire for roasting their fish. Now Shizune was lazily complaining about having to go and find some more woods to set up another fire in a few hours time just for the night.
"Where's Sasori?" Sakura appeared back to the large space after she was done with her business, searching for any sign of the redhead before realizing her master was gone as well.
Shizune gave a shrug before snapping the stick into two.
Sakura sighed, slowly limping towards her before sitting back on the ground.
Sasori had been acting weirdly for the past two or three days, and when Sakura tried to ask him what was wrong, he either shrugged indifferently or just waved the question off and asked her to keep quiet, and it was already quite nice of him because he had never ordered her to shut up instead.
"Do you mind a question?" The younger medic scooted herself closer to Sakura as she placed both of her hand on the other teenager's arm. Shizune's hand then glowed with green chakra as she started healing some of Sakura's minor scratches.
Sakura had been secretly healing her other injuries a few times, and to think that Tsunade and Shizune were proud of her fast healing when the pinkette was practically cheating behind their back.
She inclined her head and shifted her head nearer to Shizune's face so they could both see each other's eyes.
"What is it?"
There was a hesitant pause, but Shizune easily covered it with her tone tainted with confidence. She lifted up her head and their eyes met. Black and green.
"Are you and Sasori a couple?"
Sakura straightened her posture, but both of their eyes were still locked together.
"No." She started glancing around nervously, hoping to find something for her to stare at so she wouldn't have to meet Shizune's questioning gaze.
"Really?" Shizune gave an unconvinced snicker, moving her healing hands towards Sakura's ankle.
"I'm not lying. We're just companions using each other during our travel for our own benefits." The pinkette's tone sounded a little more serious.
Shizune started chortling. "Still unconvincing. You know you need to buck up your acting skills if you want to be a really great ninja."
Sakura huffed.
"So you two are a couple."
"Shizune-san. Must we really talk about this?" Sakura said uneasily.
"Why? You don't like him?" Shizune's face turned solemn.
"No…"
The raven-haired girl bit her lips and blinked carefully, certainly hoping that Sasori wasn't able to hear what Sakura had said. Even if her answer was fake or not, hearing such an indirect rejection was still very hurtful no matter what.
"Really?" She asked again, inwardly hoping that this could annoy Sakura.
"I don't know, and that's the truth."
Shizune hunched her back and narrowed her eyes. Sakura tried to ignore her gaze but it's been getting very uncomfortable. Sakura would have scolded her for looking at her like that if it wasn't the fact that Shizune was her respectable senior in the future.
"Tsunade-sama." Shizune called out, her full attention turning towards the blonde who was approaching them with that calm looking expression. Shizune had stopped her healing abilities as Sakura turned to look at her master too.
Noticing that Tsunade was in a good mood meant that she couldn't have an argument with the redhead, Sakura sighed inwardly and pushed her worries aside.
Knowing them inside out, Sakura noted that both Sasori and Tsunade would never be on good terms because of their attitude that could easily caused a conflict, and the incident when the two of them were arguing about a trap they had set up just yesterday proved her point.
"Where did you and Sasori go?" Sakura tilted her head and glanced behind Tsunade's back, but no redhead was found.
"To talk about things." The blonde replied. Judging by her short answer and tone, both of her apprentices knew that the conversation about what she had really done a while ago didn't want to be mention again.
After a few minutes of other conversations, the blonde turned to Sakura and spoke. "You can go and find him if you want." Tsunade suggested, noticing Sakura's shifting restlessly in her position. "Just don't strain your injury too much."
"I'm not going anywhere." Sakura rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, glancing at the direction Tsunade had come back from unintentionally.
Oh, you're so not obvious, Haruno Sakura. The pinkette reprimanded herself, moving her eyes away quickly and tried her best not to make herself stupid in front of them anymore.
"The whole world knows that both of you like each other, yet the only people who are still in the dark about it is the two of you." Tsunade gave a small smile.
"What?" Sakura's cheeks started to burn in embarrassment. Seriously, What on earth had she done to make them think that both of them should be a couple in the first place?
"Yes, the whole world knows." Shizune nodded her head enthusiastically, couldn't believe Tsunade's words could waver Sakura's true thoughts for the redhead. This entire romantic relationship was certainly none of their business, but both of them were just not willing to see such a couple like them could be perfect for anyone else.
"Believe this..." The blonde stared calmly and sincerely into Sakura's eyes, like how she always did when she asked Sakura to be safe in a mission behind the Hokage's desk. Before the kunoichi could argue, the Slug Princess interrupted.
"I've been your age once and I know what does it feel like to be confused in love." Tsunade closed her eyes wisely.
"Where's Sasori anyway?" Sakura asked, hoping that this could help to change the subject if they were to start talking again. Something about what both her two closest members in Konoha had said was making her feeling nervous and embarrassed.
"He said he want to cool himself down somewhere." Tsunade shrugged, absently grabbing the air just above the ground. Damn, she really missed her sake.
There was a long silence afterwards and none of them said anything. Not that they wanted to be quiet because they were tired or anything, it's because both Tsunade and Shizune just wanted to give Sakura some peace to think through before deciding on the matter.
Sakura abruptly stood up and gave a stretch before glancing around, pretending not to care what her teacher had told her before.
"I'm taking a walk. My legs are getting stiff for not moving around lately." The pinkette pointed at a random direction, not sure of where she was planning to go too.
"Don't wander off to far." Tsunade warned just like a mother to her child. "Signal us if anything goes wrong."
Sakura nodded once and went ahead.
Knowing how much Tsunade cared for her even though she didn't know the truth to their relationship in the future made Sakura heart fluttered with gratitude. For once, she didn't know if she was happy that she was in the past with Sasori and the rest or actually in the future with all her friends and family, who actually knew who she was instead of having to be someone who did not exist in this foreign world.
Maybe both. Sakura thought as she continued her slow pace through the forest, her mind often straying to the redhead who she had travelled with for a few months.
0o0
It took the kunoichi quite a while to locate him because he had hidden his chakra signature on purpose so that no one could find him.
But something inside Sakura made her wander off aimlessly and towards the lake she had never seen before in the fire country, yet she seemed to know where exactly to go to find the redhead who she was searching for the past twenty minutes.
Sasori was sitting with his legs crossed and hands dangling on his thigh. Although Sasori had never turned to acknowledge Sakura's presence, she knew he had noted that the medic was already there.
"Sasori."
"…"
"Do you mind if you could turn around so I can speak to you, face to face?"
Sakura could hear a soft scoff and a few doubtful movements made by the skilled puppeteer before he finally decided to turn his head to stare at her with his dull eyes.
"What?" He softly growled.
And because Tsunade and Shizune's words had to start sounding in her mind now, Sakura was not aware of Sasori's irritated expression but instead some other details that she had failed to notice even when they were together for the past few months.
Like how his long and black eyelashes fluttered whenever he blinked at her for saying something stupid.
His messy red hair that seemed like he had got out of bed and he was just too lazy to comb them, yet this hairstyle didn't seem inappropriate to be walking around anywhere in the public at all.
And how weird it seemed when his cold eyes suddenly weren't as emotionless as Sakura thought it always was as her perspective about his gaze instead was distant and lazy, but not cold anymore.
His lips that always appeared a single line no matter what kind of situation they were in. Supposing during a happy or an upset situation, he would always give that standardized unhappy look that made him looked much more stricter even when no one knew his personality well.
"What?" He repeated.
Sakura was immediately snapped back to reality after Sasori had called out for her, maybe twice since he still hadn't sounded too irritated to be calling her thrice or more.
"I was wondering for quite a while..."
"What?" For the past three times when Sasori opened his mouth, the only word he had said was what and it's starting to annoy Sakura.
"You seemed distracted ever since your came back from your fishing adventure few days ago. Is something wrong?"
"I've said before, it's none of your concern." Sasori went back facing the water.
And there she was, wishing that she could lend Sasori a listening ear if he had any problems that needed to tell some one about it. But Sasori, the future-S-ranked criminal definitely didn't need any comfort from anyone, and definitely not from a certain pink-haired girl.
He's Sasori. And people named Sasori would not go around chit chatting about feelings and stuff.
Sakura scratched her head and took a deep breath, not wanting the long walk from the forest to the river to be wasted. At least she should try something and make Sasori to talk about things. Anything.
"Was it because of that day-" Sakura bit her lips, making sure to phrase her sentences properly. "That day when you brought me to Tanzaku Town."
"No." Sasori stiffed. "Go back. I want my peace and I presumed Tsunade had already directed the message to you."
"Why do you have to always push me away?" Sakura ruffled her pink hair in exasperation while glaring at his back.
The point where Sasori's attempt to piss her off with his rude answers was driving her entirely insane, not to mention the things that Tsunade said had also been occasionally repeating itself in her mind like a broken recorder.
She wasn't directing her frustration at Sasori, but she was just sick of being unable to comprehend Sasori anymore even when she knew the reason he had left Sunagakure, why he had sought this path and what he was trying to turn himself into.
Sakura was trying to stop him from turning into someone she had met in the future when they battled, yet for some odd reasons, she didn't want to do this all because she wanted to change the future, but it was because she wanted to truly help someone she cared about and stopping him from going to places where she couldn't follow.
"I-I just don't understand what's with you!" Sakura finally yelled out loud.
"Oh really?"
She took in by surprise at his fast response.
"Neither do I understand you too." Sasori slightly turned his whole body and stared back at her. His eyes were not freezing cold or flaming with hatred. He was just staring at her with his pair of empty eyes that was filled with no emotion; nothing.
"You might think why would I even bother to waste my time to figure you out, to know what you are thinking and feeling. However, something deep inside me is dying to know everything about you." Sasori jabbed his thumb into his chest, his brows slowly turned into a frown as he continued.
"Why do you always laugh and smile so openly at every little things around you, yet sometimes you always had that sad gaze whenever you think no one is looking your way."
"You-"
"And the point where you like to squeak like a chipmunk when you sleep while your growl like a tiger when you're awake."
Sakura blinked.
"Nor do I understand the fact that you dislike getting some tan yet you are not afraid of being so spontaneous in fights and getting yourself all injured and bloodied when we are ambushed by some thefts or hunters."
"Sasori..."
"But the most confusing thing I wanted to know from the very first day I met you is, what the hell do you possessed to make myself, fall for you?"
At that moment, Sakura's heart scrunched up and her chest tightened with a sort of pain she couldn't describe. The words that left Sasori's mouth was as though she was just given a tight slap.
Sasori's closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breathe before he turned back and face the water again, his back straightened and both of his hands on his lap, seeming to be meditating.
The only sound that both could hear was the sound of the water flowing down the riverbank and towards the waterfall a few kilometers away.
"Sakura-san! Accept my youthful love for you!"
"Sakura-chan! Would you like to go for a date with me? I'll treat you Ramen!"
The number of times the said girl had been asked out for a date was almost as uncountable as the times when she had to explain her hair color was natural, although finding just one excuse was enough to indirectly reject them all.
"I'm sorry. I have other things to settle in the hospital."
One of the many reasons why Sakura didn't want to go down the romance path was she was afraid she was going to get hurt again even though she was sure no one else in Konoha would treat her the way Sasuke always treated her. When her very first love heartlessly refused to accept her affection other than being kind enough to leave her on the bench, it killed her so much that she could have sworn her heart and feelings were all melted away, leaving only the will and perseverance in becoming as strong as her two other teammates.
"Feelings do sway, Sakura-san."
The kunoichi could remember tons of encouragement given by some of her friends and classmates who she awkwardly didn't recognize when she was sitting alone on the bench by herself after Sasuke's disappearance.
"You'll find a better man."
"Forget Sasuke. One day you'll definitely find someone out there who will treasure you like how you would appreciate him one day."
How ironic. Sakura smile humorlessly as she continued staring at Sasori's back.
No one had mentioned time travelling.
For so long that Sakura could have thought it was years, Sasori gave a soft sigh before he added one last sentence after their five minutes of silence.
"I'm trying my best to push you away because I know the ending that I wanted can never happen, yet I'm such an idiot for having such hope and wishing that everything could end up like what I wished for."
Sakura gasped inwardly, her eyes widened as she realized how her question could have hurt Sasori like how Sasuke could have hurt her before.
'This boy… had made a same wish as you did 17 years ago before he betrayed his village and left in search for something to forget his loved ones.'
What had I wished for? Sakura lowered her gaze to her feet.
"I wish, things could be different."
She turned her head away and closed her eyes tight. Maybe the reason why both of them were chosen to change this ridiculous future was because the two of them could be responsible in making things different for each other.
"The whole world knows that both of you like each other, yet the only people who are still in the dark about it is the two of you."
"You're… not an idiot…" Sakura said bitterly, slowly opening her eyes while staring at the ground beside her.
Sakura could use some extremely obvious and fake reasons to tell Sasori he should stop having these delusions like what he said a few seconds ago, but she just didn't know what else to answer or speak.
Was it because she didn't have any excuses to tell him or was it because she didn't want to reject him after all?
That means... what Tsunade had said was actually-
Even if you're an idiot, Sasori… You're not the only idiot after all…
"Sasori..." Sakura muttered, loud enough for him to hear only. She was still standing a few meters away from his back and all she could see from her view was a lonesome redhead sitting by the river.
There was a long silence before Sasori finally decided to reply. "What? We're already done with the conversation."
His tone was enough for her to understand that if she were to leave him behind, the next time when they were to see each other, he would not be the same Sasori she met in the past again.
Though no matter how cold and hurtful his words were to her, the pinkette still courageously trudged over to him and slowly fall to her knees, wrapping her arms around Sasori's warm shoulder.
Sasori never flinched or growled at her movement, he just remained still while Sakura heavily rested her chin on the redhead's shoulder.
"I'm sorry." Sakura whispered into his ears, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks as she often tried to stifle her sobs but to no avail.
He didn't turn back to look at Sakura who was just inches away from his face. His legs were crossed and his chocolate-brown eyes were still looking down at the stilled water.
"Why are you crying?" He asked softly, just like an innocent child.
"I'm sorry." Sakura repeated, shaking her head furiously and biting her lips miserably. Her knees were already screaming in pain for kneeling down on the rough terrain with sharp rocks all over the place despite doing it for just a couple of seconds. But no matter how painful it was, she wouldn't budge away from her position.
The point why Sakura was willing to let her knees be scalped with cuts and scratches was because she noted that this was the very first time Sasori didn't push her away when they made such a close contact with each other. So that means she didn't have any reason to let go of him either.
"Stop crying." His tone sounded slightly impatient as he gave a sidelong glance at the kunoichi.
"I can't." Sakura whimpered. "I can't stop."
Sasori turned away, and looked back at the golden-colored water that was casted by the sunset. "Why is that so?" He couldn't help but asked.
"Because I realized that I'm in love with you too."
No matter how fucked up Sakura felt right now, she couldn't explain how delighted she was to feel so in love. It had been long enough for her to feel so numb and fresh to know how it was to love someone again.
After Sakura had cried a thousand rivers because of her old crush, she knew she had to learn to grow up and face the truth that Sasuke had left for power and may never came back unless he was forced to. As time goes by and four years passed quickly, her love for that Uchiha finally turned into nothing but a sign of kind affection for a squad mate who she should care like a normal friend.
All these while, Sakura thought she would never have the courage to officially love anyone anymore. But finally, someone had proven her wrong, someone that she never even dared to think about before.
'You're in love with him.'
I know.
'I've warned you.'
I know.
'Never to fall in love with him.'
I know.
'You'll suffer the consequences, my dear Sakura.'
But in return, I've finally found the person who I had been searching for. He's not in the future. He's in my past.
'I know.'
And I love him…
'I know.'
I love Sasori.
Author's Note:
Like I said, I'm a failure in romance, that's why I have been spending a lot, as in A LOT of time editing this before deciding that this standard should be fine, since this is actually written by a girl who had never once been in a romantic relationship before. Forever alone.
Don't worry guys, I'm keeping this story under 20 chapters and I don't plan to exceed it at all unless it is really necessary. I'm trying to update whenever I'm free so my update timing would be irregular from now on. Keep track of my profile if you want to know more :)
Thanks to all those people who reviewed, favorite and put this as alert too! :D