I'd like to thank Laura-chan, KonohaNinja93, Katherine, freak a geek, Emo Vampire Princess Bella, MoonIdiot (You didn't annoy me or anything, don't worry. . I can totally understand how Sakura being kind of two-face would be annoying), The-Trapped-Pheonix, Starlight – Wild Koneko (Yes, I'm probably going to have them get together in the next chapter or two), Me want mochi (Nah, Kiba isn't bad. He is just over eager and jumps the gun when Sakura is friendly towards him), FakeCompassion, hellopanda23 (Haha, yeah, I just realized that my chapters to tend to have that pattern. Well, I promise that the next chapter will break away from that), LifesABitchToMe, TennantFangirl, musagirl15, iFo0l (I went back and reread the parts where I say that Kakashi is like an older brother, and I see what you mean. I just kind of threw it in there. Oops! XD I'll probably go back and fix that later when this is all done), xJediJainax, AngelFire Rei, i.dance.in.the.rain (I'll read them both and give you feedback as soon as possible), HoshikoK (ItaSaku? Mmm…I'm not sure. Itachi does play a pretty important role later, but I don't think that they will develop feelings for each other. Well, at least Sakura won't for him, but the plot is constantly changing so who knows where this will go?!), and slave to the keyboard for the reviews!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.
Guilt.
This stupid emotion has been consuming me ever since last night after we left the Uchiha estate. I can't forget the incensed look on Sasuke's face; it constantly replays in my head. I've tried to distract myself, doing pointless and menial tasks to keep my mind busy, like the sewing I had been doing five minutes ago, but it doesn't work. All I seem to be able to think about is him, which is really quite annoying actually. I can't figure out why I've been constantly thinking about him because he is a noble after all. All nobles are selfish, arrogant, condescending, manipulative, dishonest…right?
Maybe I should go see him…
His enraged face flashes through my mind again.
That wouldn't help anything. He probably never wants to see my face again…
It surprises me how much this idea pains me; I never imagined feeling such torment from the thought that he wouldn't want me. Why do I feel like this? I sigh heavily and pick up the ripped kimono that I had previously been working on. I begin to mend the large rip, trying once again to put all my focus and concentration on something other than Sasuke. For a while, I succeed; I concentrate solely on my sewing. However, it doesn't last long as his hate-filled eyes appear in my mind again. Giving up, I throw the kimono angrily aside and snarl at it, upset that it had teased me with the possibility of peace of mind.
I can't take any more of this! I'm just going to apologize and get this over with!
I get up from the floor and instinctively make my way over to the table that holds all of my makeup. I reach over for the white powder without giving it much though. I almost put it on my face, but a strange feeling of resent washes over me. No…not today. I put the powder back on the table and regard myself in the mirror carefully. If I'm going to apologize, it's going to be as Sakura, not Lady Shizuka. It won't mean anything if Shizuka does it; she always spouts off cordial apologizes that she doesn't mean at all. Satisfied with my decision, I turn and walk down the hall towards the stable.
As I go down the hall, I feel all the curious stares of the other shirabyoshi on my back. They hadn't expected me to go out, and even if they had, they thought I would have made myself up as Lady Shizuka. I understand their bemusement; even I'm slightly surprised by my decision. I'm used to hiding everything behind that mask; all my emotions are protected by it. Today, I'm possibly opening myself to a whole lot of pain, and I'm willingly allowing his words to do their worst, even if they cut into my heart.
I get to the door and slide it open, but there is someone standing in my way. I glance up to find Anko-sensei staring at me with a puzzled expression; I sigh tiredly as I realize that she is going to want an explanation for my impulsive decision. I really don't feel like explaining. I just want to go find Sasuke. I give Anko-sensei a pleading look, but she shakes her head, waiting expectantly for some reason for me leaving. I groan, and she smiles crookedly at me, obviously amused by my annoyance. I guess I have to tell her…something.
"I just need to get out of here for a little while. I'm so bored that I'm going crazy. A little walk can't hurt, right?" The lie comes out of my mouth smoothly. I'm not exactly proud of it, but being a shirabyoshi makes one a good liar.
Unfortunately, Anko-sensei knows this and shakes her head, not buying my story at all. "Why don't you just tell the truth and say you are going to see Yoshitsune-sama?"
My eyes grow wide, and I gape at her, shocked that she would know about that. "H-how did you…?" I manage to stutter, too surprised to lie again and hide my true intentions.
"Puh-lease, it is so obvious that there is something going on between you two," Anko-sensei says rather loudly, a mischievous grin on her face.
I feel warmth rush up to my face, and I glare at her angrily. Great! The whole house heard that. "There is nothing going on between us, Anko-sensei," I growl.
"Sure there isn't," she laughs, clearly not believing me.
"Can I just go?" I ask exasperatedly, my patience wearing thin.
Anko-sensei doesn't answer but simply pushes past me, making her way into the house. I hear her obnoxiously loud laugh ring out as she walks down the hall, causing confused stares to transform into hushed gossip. Still scowling, I tramp into the stables without a single bit of regality; my clamorous entrance startles the other horses, but I ignore them as I storm to Yuki's stall.
I hurriedly saddle up Yuki, ignoring her discontented snorting as I roughly throw the saddle on her back and let it thud against her back. After I tied down the saddle, I jerk on the reins to get her out of the stall, but Yuki won't budge. Buddha damn it all! Yuki, move your ass! She snorts and shakes her head, obviously upset by my unreasonable harshness. I give the reins another hard tug, but Yuki jerks her head away from me so that the reins slip from my fingers.
I glare at her malevolently, and she holds my eye contact although uncomfortable doing so. She shifts her weight nervously as she senses the irritation in my stare. My expression softens slightly as I watch her helplessly gaze at me. I tentatively approach her, but Yuki begins to back up so I cease all movement. When she seemed relaxed again, I move forward very slowly, and she lets me do so.
"I'm sorry, Yuki," I whisper as I put my face to hers.
She nudges me gently to indicate to me that all is forgiven. I smile slightly at her gesture before lightly tugging on the reins. This time Yuki obediently steps out of her stall and follows me out the stable. Once outside, I climb onto her back in one easy motion, not even bothering to sit side saddle like I normally do. I lightly squeeze her sides, and Yuki willingly gallops away from the house.
I ignore all the stares as Yuki tears down the streets. It doesn't really matter if they think I am crazy for riding around like this; they will forget my face soon enough. As Sakura, I'm not anyone of significance that requires remembering. But seriously, don't people have anything better to do than stare at me every damn time I pass by?
I somehow end up at the Uchiha estate without getting lost at all. How the hell did I manage to do that? I dismount Yuki and thrust her reins into the shocked hostler's hands; I'm sure that the Uchihas weren't expecting company, and even if they were, it wouldn't be some common person like me. Ignoring his attempts at protest, I walk towards the doors and its guards with a false air of confidence. How the hell am I going to get past them? I'm just Sakura, so they have no reason to let me in. What will I do if they turn me away? I do my best to push my doubts aside and continue to move towards them. I see them eye me warily, unsure of what I would be doing here.
"I'm here to see Yoshitsune-sama," I announce staunchly, surprising both the guards and myself with my brashness.
After overcoming their astonishment, the guards chuckle when they hear this, and I raise my eyebrow to question their mirth. What the hell are they laughing about? I quell my anger with great effort, clenching the fabric of my kimono in my hands.
"Yeah, you and ever other girl in Heian," one of them snickers.
"I really need to see him so let me through the damn doors," I say curtly, my voice still smooth and unruffled by anger.
"What language, little lady!" The other guard exclaims, finding my vulgarity hilarious.
He did NOT just call me little lady. He is so going to get it!
I shift my weight forward to launch myself at him, but one of the doors opens, stopping me from beating the moron who called me 'little lady'. I see a head with unruly, silver hair pop out from the opening with a sheepish expression on his face. Kakashi-san! He will let me in!
"Where were you, Kakashi-san?" One of the guards asks, very irritated. "You were supposed to take over my post hours ago."
Kakashi brings his hand up to the back of his head abashedly. "Well there was this…"
"I don't even want to hear it," the guard says, cutting him off.
Kakashi looks slightly disappointed, as if he had thought of a very witty and creative excuse. Reluctantly, he trades spots with the guard, and the guard disappears inside the house, mumbling incoherently. I stand in front of Kakashi and the other guard impatiently, waiting for them to say something. Finally, Kakashi glances down at me, and a look of realization spreads across his face.
"What are you doing here…Sakura?" He inquires coolly, his voice completely devoid of astonishment that would typically be on someone's face.
This takes me surprise; I didn't know he knew my real name. "I'm here to see Yoshitsune-sama."
"Look here, girl," the other guard puts in, finally frustrated with my persistence. "You can't get in and see him."
"Of course she can," Kakashi says stolidly, ignoring the guard's confused expression. "He required that she be present today."
"Oh, well I guess that changes things…" the guard says reluctantly, "but he does have some balls to bring his slut to the house in the middle of the day."
That bastard is going to regret ever calling me a slut!
"Ignore the idiot, Sakura," Kakashi tells me lightly, stopping me from beating the shit out of him with a hand. "Go on in."
I nod to him gratefully and stick out my tongue childishly at the other guard before entering the house. My feeling of triumph fades almost instantly as I stare helplessly at the hallways before me. How the hell am I going to find him? Finding him in this will take forever! Well, I better get started… So where to begin? Hmm… eeny meeny miny mo…
"What are you doing here, Sakura?" A deep voice that I recognize almost instantly asks aloofly, interrupting my extremely complicated choosing process. Well, at least I didn't have to search for him through this maze of hallways.
I turn slowly to face him, but I can't bring myself to look at his eyes. I'm too scared to see the hate that is probably burning in them. "I wa-want t-to…apologize," I stutter timidly, afraid of his harsh reply.
"Apologize?" There is a slight interest in his voice that causes me to look up at him.
I wince slightly as I stare directly into his eyes. They weren't what I was expecting; they are worse. There is not a single ounce of emotion in his onyx eyes. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves, and it works just enough so I can stop stuttering. "Yeah, I want to apologize for believing Inuzuka and accusing you like that. It was wrong of me." His face doesn't change at all as he hears this. React! Say something! Anything! "I'm so sorry," I whisper as I drop my eyes ashamedly to stare at my feet. There is still silence. Damn it, just say something! I don't care what it is!
"Hn," he finally responds. I guess that is all I am going to get.
I start to turn toward the door, but a hand wraps around my wrist tightly and stops me from leaving. I twist my head around to look back at him, and his lips turn up slightly in that annoying smirk. This time, however, the irritation was quickly replaced with a strange feeling of being breathless. Instead of annoying the hell out of me, his smirk enchants me. No…what am I thinking? I hate that smirk more than anything.
"You're not getting away so easily, Sakura," Sasuke informs me. "Your apology is accepted, but I still believe you owe me."
What the hell?! Not this again!
He notices the rage that was starting to boil up inside of me and quickly commands, "Let me finish."
I relax only slightly and glare at him for his strong, authoritative, yet emotionless tone.
"As I was saying, you still owe me. So to pay me back, I've decided that for today you are mine."
Instead of making me livid like I anticipated, I am pleased when he says I am his. "Just for today?" I ask suspiciously, making sure wasn't some trick I was missing.
"Hn," he grunts in response, and I assume that is a confirmation.
I sigh in defeat and shrug carelessly. One day won't kill me. "You're wish is my command," I reply flamboyantly, pulling my hand away from his so I can drop dramatically to my knees to bow.
I feel a gentle kick to my side, and I grunt at the dull pain. Bastard. I stand up slowly as I rub my tender side, glaring at him sulkily. Ignoring the look I gave him, Sasuke quickly grabs my hand and barely intertwines his fingers with mine before dragging me off somewhere. I stare at our hands, quite stunned by this, but I like the way my hand feels in his. I've never felt so warm and safe before. I begin to blush furiously at this thought. Buddha damn it, Sakura, stop thinking like this!
He leads me to the stables where a hostler stands with Yuki and a chestnut mare already saddled. Sasuke releases my hand, and I am quite disquieted by this; I want his hand back in mine. Sasuke grabs both horses' reins from the hostler and nods silently to him. The hostler bows deeply before trotting off to do some other chore. Sasuke silently thrusts the reins in my hand before leading his mare out of the stables. I hurry after him, feeling that if I don't keep up he might leave me behind.
"Hurry up," Sasuke orders indifferently, already on the mare's back. When did he do that? Damn he is fast.
I slide my foot into the stirrup and swing my leg over Yuki's back. I barely have enough time to get into the saddle before Sasuke nudges the mare into a canter. "Keep up," he calls over his shoulder. "That is, if you can," he adds, that obnoxious smirk on his face again.
I feel an unattractive snarl form on my face, but I don't bother to hide it. I give Yuki a hard, swift kick, spurring her into a gallop almost instantly. It isn't long before Yuki catches up with Sasuke's mare and I'm riding along side him. Sasuke glances over at me briefly before a smirk forms on his formerly blank face. What is he thinking? He turns his focus ahead of him again, and the rhythm of the mare's hooves increases slightly. As he pulls ahead of me, I give Yuki another kick, and she complies by speeding up to match the mare's pace again. Ha, Sasuke. No matter how much you try to outrun me, I will always be able to keep up.
As I gloat inwardly, I notice Sasuke lean forward towards the mare's ear. I see him whisper briefly something that I cannot make out, and the mare's ears twitch back abruptly to hear him. Instantaneously, the mare's pace increases substantially, and she speeds ahead of me, gradually increasing the distance between us. I vainly try to quicken Yuki's pace, but she is at her limit. He's not going to let me live this down. Grumbling, I watch as the distance between me and Sasuke continues to grow.
I keep Yuki at the same pace, knowing that there is no use in pushing her past her abilities. I sigh unhappily; I really don't like losing, and the fact that I lost to Sasuke makes it about ten times worse. He really has this knack for rubbing things like this in your face. Definitely one of his more endearing qualities.
Suddenly, Sasuke's mare is brought to a smooth stop. The mare turns its body towards me, and I see Sasuke smirking triumphantly; he really is a pompous ass when it comes to winning. Rolling my eyes, Yuki gallops to the mare's side. As I gently pull her reins to stop her, I give him a menacing glare that doesn't faze him at all.
"You're pathetic," he comments casually.
"Well, you're a bastard," I snap lividly.
"Aa." Great Buddha, he is so annoying!
"I hate you sometimes, you know that?" I inform him tiredly.
As his nature dictates, he doesn't respond but nudges the mare into a relaxed walk. I lightly kick Yuki to get her into an easy walk, and she follows the mare's pace. There is a silence between us, and it is extremely awkward unlike the time in the cherry blossom grove. I shift uneasily in the saddle and try to break it with some conversation.
"So do you mind telling me were the hell we are going?" I inquire conversationally.
Sasuke doesn't reply; he doesn't even bother to look over at me to show that he is listening. Well, that definitely worked…
"How about a hint?" I suggest desperately.
Silence. I sink back disappointedly into my saddle, pouting like a small child that can't get her way. He could at least say something. I wouldn't even mind an insult or a sarcastic remark; I would even welcome that grunt of his. I glance at him in the corner of my eye, and he isn't even smirking; his face is totally devoid of any emotion, which is slightly unnerving. I avert my gaze back to Yuki's mane and stare blankly at it, ignoring Sasuke and everything else around me.
"Dismount," Sasuke suddenly ordered indifferently.
I wake up from my trance and tear my eyes away from Yuki's mane to look at him bemusedly. I notice that Sasuke was standing on the ground with the mare's reins in hand, waiting for me to obey him. I continue my observations by moving on to my surrounding that I had been oblivious to until now. To be honest, I had been expecting something amazing, spectacular even, but all I see is a lot of trees. Why did he take us here…? It looks so…boring.
"Sakura," he calls a little sharply, breaking the cool tone he had been using.
I sigh and sit up out of the saddle, swinging out of it stiffly and landing on the ground with a thud. Sasuke without warning makes his way into the trees, and I quickly follow after him, my curiosity ever growing. However, the scenery does not change, and I feel my inquisitiveness slowly dwindle.
"Sasuke, are we there yet?" I whine, but he turns back quickly and glares at me, ceasing further complaints from me. Great Buddha, he is in a bad mood. I was just asking.
Without a word, Sasuke grabs Yuki's reins from my hands and begins to tie up both horses. I watch him silently until he is done, and he then grabs my wrist, dragging me roughly behind him. I scowl at him for manhandling me, and I swear that I started boring a hole in his back with my glare. He doesn't take notice but continues to pull me along like some dog. He could have just asked instead of towing me behind him like this.
This continues for who knows how long, but he eventually stops in his tracks, causing me to run right into him. I groan as I rub my forehead, but he silences me with another look. I settle for glaring at him, but it doesn't last for long as he direct me attention by pointing at something ahead of him. I peer around him and gasp with surprise; I definitely wasn't expecting this.
A small river with a slow-moving current flows close by us, and snow-white cranes balance gracefully in the clear, blue water, watching us regally from their spots amongst the reeds. Trees such as maples, black pines and Japanese plum trees surrounded the area as if to shield it from the world, making it like a secret world where only Sasuke and I existed. The petals on the plum trees floated gently to the ground, creating the appearance of slow falling snow. It was even more breath-taking than the cherry blossom grove outside the Uchiha estate. I manage to tear my eyes away from the scene before me to look back at Sasuke, a ridiculous grin on my face.
"Sasuke, it's so beautiful," I whisper thickly. "I've never seen anything like it. Do you come here often? I…"
"Sakura, shut up," he commands curtly as he releases my wrist and sits down in the grass.
I'm slightly taken aback, but then I become indignant as I sit down next to him. "Why the hell do I have to…?"
"Sakura," he says tiredly, not bothering to look at me, "you don't always have to fill silence with pointless babbling."
"I am not babbling," I object, quite disgruntled.
"You do all the time. It's a Lady Shizuka habit."
I open my mouth to protest, but I realize that he is right. I'm used to conversing with my customers about small, insignificant things so much that I tend to do it all the time. Sasuke turns his head slightly to look at me and smirks slightly at my expression.
"It's okay to sit and just be by someone's side, Sakura," he continues calmly, his eyes seeming to uncharacteristically light up with something I am unable to read.
I don't respond but think carefully about what he said. He is right; like at the cherry blossom grove, like right now, I am simply happy just to be sitting next to him, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I wonder if he feels the same…Ha, probably not. I bet he is just glad I finally shut up. As discontent as I am about that idea, I push it aside and simply enjoy the moment with him, knowing that something will probably have us insulting each other quite soon.
Abruptly, Sasuke composedly leans toward me, and I feel my heart pounding erratically in my chest. My breath becomes short and uneven, and my face warms as a blush matches my face to my hair. Is he going to kiss me? What do I do? My body takes over, and I feel myself lean slowly towards him. Great Buddha, I'm going to kiss him. I close my eyes and anticipate his lips on mine.
I feel my body tremble at his slight touch, but it wasn't his lips that were touching mine. I open my eyes to see his hand on top of my head, brushing something away. I feel my blush redden as I realize he never intended to kiss me. I feel foolish and completely ridiculous for ever thinking that he would. What would the great noble Uchiha Yoshitsune ever see in a girl like me? Why does it even matter? I wouldn't want a noble to ever feel like that for me…at least I think so.
"You have petals all over you," Sasuke comments languidly as he continues to brush them from my hair.
"Oh," I whisper quietly, dropping my head slightly while trying to hide the disappointment in my voice but failing miserably.
However, Sasuke doesn't seem to notice and finishes getting all the flowers out of my hair. He drops his hand down, but he stops near my cheek, pushing away the pink strands of hair away from my face. His touch is almost electric, and I muffle a gasp that wants to escape me. I quickly turn my head away to move way from his hand, to stop the torturous feeling that comes from his touch. Once again, he pays no attention to my reaction and stolidly turns his attention back to the cranes. I really don't know if I can take much more of this, whatever "this" is.
I get up from the ground, deciding to leave, but I feel a hand wrap around my ankle and pull me back to the ground. I land ungracefully on my ass, and I glower at him menacingly as I start to feel pain. I hear a strange sound come from Sasuke, one that I've never heard before. If I didn't know any better, I would say that he had just laughed, but Sasuke doesn't laugh. Did he seriously just laugh?
"You aren't going anywhere," he informs me with a wide smirk on his face. "We had a deal. You're mine for today so you do what I want."
"So then what do you want?" I ask in annoyance.
"I want you here with me," he states impassively.
I'm shocked as his answer, but I force it aside, maintaining my annoyed expression. "I can't imagine why. I seem to just annoy the hell out of you."
"True," he agrees, "but the joy I get from mocking you and kicking your ass at everything makes it all worthwhile."
"Bastard," I hiss under my breath.
"Language," he warns with that damn smirk on his face.
I just roll my eyes at his response and lay back in the grass with an exasperated sigh. He really is a pain in the ass. I can't imagine what made me feel how I did early. It was probably nothing.
I don't stay annoyed for long as we sit in a comfortable silence. The rays of sun bathe my body in warmth, and I feel quite relaxed laying here. I yawn loudly and close my eyes, shifting my weight slightly so that I lay in a more comfortable position. I hear a soft humming that must be coming from Sasuke; it is a tune that I don't recognize, but it soothes me nonetheless. Both the sun and Sasuke's quiet melody lull me into a light sleep full of dreams. Dreams about him.
A/N: Well, I updated a little sooner than I have been, but I'm not really that satisfied with the way this turned out. It didn't go exactly the way I had planned. I was kind of hoping this chapter would have more SasuSaku fluff in it, but every time I tried to write it, it just didn't fit. I kept having Sasuke say things that he would never say, and it just wasn't right. I do my best to keep him in character, but even in this final version, I'm not so sure I did the best job of that. sighs Oh, well! Any feedback is really appreciated. So, please review[They always make me smile and keep me motivated.