Notes:
Hi everyone how are you, guys?
Twisted Musalih: Thank you!
Thymoondragon: I hope things get better, it's not easy, I know that. It's like I say to myself, today is already better than yesterday.
Let's go to another chapter!
The three of them – Sasuke, Suigetsu, and Karin – were sitting in a circle, eating in silence.
After Juugo woke up and found out what had happened, Suigetsu got scared of him getting out of control again, but Juugo only offered himself to spend the night watching over Sakura until Sasuke returned.
"When are we going to leave? Juugo is already awake and I don't mind leaving today." Karin said looking at Sasuke.
She couldn't wait to get away and get rid of Sakura. Argh, just remembering her name made Karin angry, was because of Sakura that all that shit was happening and the worst part was that Sasuke became her babysitter.
"But it wasn't you who couldn't even get up a few hours ago to get a glass of water?" Suigetsu mocked. "Now you want leave?"
Since Suigetsu had taken Karin back to the hiding place she had stayed in bed all the time, complaining of nausea and headache trying to use Suigetsu as a slave to fulfill her wishes. She even tried to get Sasuke's attention to fulfill her whims, but only gained a few minutes of Uchiha's attention until he returned to his room where the kunoichi was.
Karin glared at Suigetsu, who only grinned at her.
Sasuke deposited his empty plate along with his hashis.
"Let's leave as soon as Sakura got better, we can't stay on that destroyed base." he said rather seriously, looking at the other two teammates.
At the same time Karin frowned, her mouth opened in a perfect O to complete her revolted expression and Suigetsu just raised both eyebrows in surprise.
"What?!" Karin stood up, shouting. "Is she coming with us?!"
Sasuke looked up at the fierce face of the redhead, completely indifferent to her outburst.
Suigetsu rolled his eyes.
"Can you be less scandalous?" He muttered to her and looked at Sasuke. "How long do you think it'll take for her to be okay? We are an easy target for Akatsuki if they decide to return."
Sasuke was already opening his mouth to answer it when Karin interrupted him.
"You can't be serious!" She said angrily, clapping her palms on the table.- She'll slow us down! – Karin looked at the Uchiha. "Sasuke, I never thought you would give up the quest for your revenge just because of a stupid girl."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, grinding his teeth, the air around him shifting completely, becoming dense and somber. Both Karin and Suigetsu shivered, the redhead's shoulders immediately bowed and she cringed at the Uchiha's gaze.
Suigetsu almost felt sorry for Karin.
"Never doubt my focus, my revenge, my purpose in life." Sasuke said between his teeth. "If I want to keep her with us, it's because in less than a week she did more to track down my brother than you have done so far." His head tilted to the side leaving the onyx eyes more threatening. "If anyone had to be left behind, it would be you, Karin."
Karin gulped dryly slowly back to sit down, Sasuke continued to stare.
"Sakura will stay with us until I decide otherwise." he said looking at the two emphasizing that this wasn't something that he would accept further discussions on the subject.
After a few minutes in silence where Sasuke stood staring at the two of them waiting to see if either of them would say anything, he rose from the room without looking back.
Sasuke walked to his room, finding Juugo sitting on the floor beside the bed where Sakura slept, the redhead staring at her unblinkingly.
"Juugo." Sasuke called out in a low voice, not wanting to wake the girl.
The other boy stood up immediately, going to Sasuke's side.
"Sasuke. He bowed slightly." She ended up sleeping as we talked, I think she'll just wake up in the morning
Sasuke nodded, looking at the girl in bed. She had the arm, the shoulder, and the top of the trunk bandaged.
"You can go now, I'll stay with her the rest of the night." Sasuke said without looking at him.
Juugo looked up at the Uchiha, his eyebrows knitting, unfamiliar with his behavior.
It had not been too long since the two of them had changed their lookout, and Juugo hadn't expected Sasuke to return until at least the next day, not just a few hours later.
"I've rested too much, I don't mind staying with her until tomorrow." He said, standing firm. "If it's because of the room, I can transfer her to my room..."
"She stays here." Sasuke interrupted him. "I'll keep her, you can go." He continued, repeating himself without leaving any gaps for Juugo to insist otherwise.
The redhead still hesitated for a moment, interjecting a worried look to Sakura and a hesitant to Sasuke, before retiring.
Sasuke stood for a few minutes staring at the calm way Sakura slept.
After everything that had happened he didn't expect a reaction like that of Sakura, he thought she would be terrified, that she would cling to him for comfort and a safe haven as she did on the old missions when they were still a team.
He expected anything, unless she reacted so calmly and earnestly, even in times of pain during the bath, she had kept her cool and tried her best not to show how much it was really hurting.
Sasuke stared at the ninja's white skin, noticing old scars he hadn't noticed before, wondering what battles she had won.
He knit his eyebrows together.
How many of those scars had left her life by a thread?
Sasuke sat on the floor, his back in the wall against the bed that Sakura was lying on while keeping his eyes on the girl, but at some point he fell asleep only waking up in the morning as the sun's rays entered through the window illuminating and increasing the room temperature.
He blinked a few times, focusing his vision. He looked at the bed, seeing that Sakura was already awake and staring at him with narrowed sleep.
"Good Morning." She greeted him with a sleepy voice.
Sasuke said nothing, just rested his elbows on his knees, interlacing his fingers.
"How are you doing?" He asked, feeling his neck complain by the way he had sleep.
Sakura pressed her pale pink lips into a small beak.
"Better than I look, I assure you." She said, smiling weakly, using her good arm to lift her trunk.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, finding it ironic she says that, but having such difficulty in doing a simple thing as lifted her body to remain seated.
"I thought Juugo was staying the night." She remarked as her good hand, glowing in a tone of neon green, passed the bandaged arm for yet another treatment session.
"It's my room." Sasuke said as if it was obvious why he had stayed and Juugo had gone.
Sakura shook her head still focused on her arm.
"I'll get you something to eat." Sasuke said getting up after a while observing the careful movements, remembering that the medical ninja hadn't eaten anything for almost a day.
The green glow went out and she took her hand away from her bandaged arm.
Sakura bit her bottom lip and turned her face toward the small window.
"I really appreciate everything that you have done, Sasuke, but don't feel obligated to take care of me." She narrowed her eyes, pressing her lips together. "I don't want to be a burden to anyone."
They were both silent for a moment.
"Even a person like me wouldn't leave you alone being that way." he murmured in a low voice also not facing her, not wanting to prolong the situation even more he turned ready to leave the room. "I'll get your breakfast, the faster your strength comes back, the faster we'll go."
Sakura frowned in confusion.
"We?" She asked before Sasuke left.
Sasuke turned his face, looking over his shoulder.
"As soon as you're well, you go with us." He reshaped the sentence, making it clear what he meant.
"No, I won't." Sakura disagreed immediately not giving Sasuke time to leave the room and think he would have the final word.
Sasuke raised his eyebrows irritated at her refusal, turned once more to face her. His head fell to the side, as if he had heard it wrong and challenged the girl to repeat.
"I said that meeting you was a fate of fate, I gave my word that I wouldn't follow you." Sakura reminded him of the moment that now seemed so distant when he told her that he was free of him."My way is not by your side."
As soon as her words reached the ears of the Uchiha, Sasuke sucked in his breath taking a small step back unconsciously, his eyebrows knotting together and he gritted his teeth. The words had come as slaps in his pride.
"That's not what you said when I left Konoha." He spat the words in the most acidic way that he might want to hit her in the same way Sakura had done to him.
Sakura swallowed hard and looked away into her hands, her gaze flickering as she tried to contain the urge to cry.
"And yet you gone." She answered so low that if the room wasn't in absolute silence Sasuke wouldn't hear. "I can't go with you."
Sasuke took a deep breath, swallowing his anger, swallowing his will to break everything through the room.
"If you think I'm going to let you go alone to hell you want to go after knowing that you're an easy target for Akatsuki, you're far wrong." He continued to spit out the words, controlling himself as hard as he could so to not scream how angry he was. "You can talk as much as you want, but I'll protect you even if you don't want to."
Sakura widened her eyes in shock at Sasuke's surreal words, any argument disappeared in her head for a moment which was enough for Sasuke to leave the room without looking back.