YAY chapter 10 is finally here..Sorry it took so long but I had exams and I got a new job that requires at least some attention...don't' want to be fired!
So onto chapter 10...
Hope u like it plz review...and I'm really glad the last chappie wasn't a disappointment..it took real long to write...i hope this one will fare just as well...
ENJOY!!!
IN KONOHA...yesterday...
"Tsunade...Tsunade-same...are you alright? you haven't even touched your sake..." Shizune inquired...she's never seen her this way before. Something was definitely wrong..
There wasn't much that disturbed the current Hokage but whatever the situation was it was bad enough for her to neglect her evening ritual. Tsunade sat with her back to her most trusted assistant...looking out towards the village that lay before her..a blank expression on her face. She didn't even hear her come in...
Shizune shifted uncomfortably back and forth before taking a step towards her desk. Looking down at the wooden stand she gasped at what she saw. There were no papers that lay strewn...by some miracle Tusnade had completed her paperwork and they were all neatly piled in one heap beside her desk.
Did she clean up in here???
Looking around she took in the surroundings...everything had been wiped clean...down to the dusty windows that Tsunade had refused to let her do a few days ago. Everything was in order...the way things were supposed to be...in a Hokage's office...But Tsunade was no ordinary Hokage...she was functionally disorganised...and that's what made her unique...she needed her mess she needed her evening sake...she needed to have Shizune yell at her for not doing her paperwork...
"..Tsunade...same?"
Snapping out of her trance the Hokage brought both hands up to her head before gently massaging her temples.
"What is it...shizune?" it was barely audible but her assistant caught it anyway.
Turning to face her assistant she noted the worried expression on her face...it was no use...she couldn't hide it anymore...
Looking down at her hands she noticed that they had become white...a result of her...fear...she had been silently been gripping onto the fabric that lay in her lap.
"He's in trouble Shizune...I know it...I shouldn't of let him go...I knew the risk...but I still let him go..."
Looking down at the shirt in Tsunade's hands she gasped "you couldn't mean..."
"I..i've been having a bad feeling...Shizune...something isn't right..."
Walking over to her Shizune bent forward and plucked the shirt from her hands. She couldn't bear to see her this way.
"then you know what you have to do...Hokage-sama" she replied...giving herself a stern demeanor...
Looking up at her assistant she realized that she was right...she was the Hokage dammit!! She had no time to wallow...she had to act...and fast...
Getting up from her seat she quickly jumped up and ran out the door...she knew what she had to do.
"you understand your orders?" she asked the group of skilled shinobi who stood before her.
"Hai...Hokage-sama"
"Good...you leave now"
Present...
He laid on his back in perfect darkness and listened to the rhythmic beating of his cold heart. His body had been drained and he needed his rest in order to recuperate... but his mind stayed alert and refused to give him rest. Signing he turned his head round to gaze at the sleeping woman next to him.
It had been a long night...he wasn't able to get much sleep...every time he closed his eyes he felt himself slowly retreating to the darkest corners of his mind...that dark abyss that awaits him and slowly ebbs away at his humanity...dragging him deeper and deeper into the cavernous pit...he knew not of how long he felt this way...even after so long Itachi's words still haunted him...taunting him day and night. he could not rest until his lifelong mission has been completed...
Itachi was the reason for his madness...
But somehow this woman lying next to him made him feel not as bitter as he used to... she's somehow made him retreat from his own personal hell and back into the light...even if the rays were still too harsh...
She enthused him...even if just barely...
Looking at her now he could finally admit at least to himself his reasons for leaving Konoha wasn't solely based on him wanting power...
He left for many reasons...
...silently...for a very long time he had hoped that he would never see her again...with her came the baggage he had left behind...suddenly weighing him down...
He didn't like what he had become but he preferred it this way...at least this way he can attain his goal...he knew what he would be giving up when he left Konoha but it was a price to pay and he paid it gladly...or so he thought...
She had brought with her his past...and stirred within him emotions that lay dormant for many years...
...something that he hoped would never awaken again...it was what made him weak...
...looking at her he realized that the years had been kind...she had blossomed into...a beautiful woman...
There was only two paths to his life...one was Konoha and team seven the other was his revenge...he knew from the beginning he only had one choice and he made that decision with a heavy heart...but he held no regrets...
Then there was...Sakura...
...she's the promise of new life...one beyond Itachi...
A possible path that he could of chosen...she gave him that option the night he left when she expressed herself to him...
At that time he really couldn't comprehend his feelings towards her or Naruto...so he thought it best to severe those bonds...
Knowing he couldn't explain himself to her he left that night with only a few parting words...
Somehow..looking at her was a painful reminder of his clan...she would never know it but a single cherry blossom once held a lot of meaning to his slain clan. Their clan was the protectors of Konoha...the elite force...so to them the blossom signified the life of a warrior...the transience of their lives. He never did like that when he finally understood what it was...he wanted to be someone in life...he wanted to leave a mark on this world...become a great man...but then that fateful day came when he had lost all his hopes and his dreams...and turned him into the man he is today...just like the blossom he would only bloom for a short time...
It was only now that he realized why so many ninja's in his clan would carry a single fallen cherry blossom with them...tucked neatly into their vest before a mission.
The memory was vague but he did remember his grandmother mentioning it to him one day after he saw her gave a single blossom to his grandfather.
Flashback
"...why did you just gave grandpa a pink sakura blossom?" the inquisitive little boy asked his grandmother as he looked fixedly at her with those wide onyx eyes eagerly awaiting the answer.
Smiling at her little grandson, she couldn't help but laugh a bit before leaning over and cupping his chin with her hand. The little ones are always curious..
"It symbolizes the beauty and ephemerality of nature my dear sasuke...we believe that the souls of downed warriors are reincarnated in the blossoms..."
End of Flashback
Shoving the memory aside, he removed the hand that was protectively covering Sakura to stifle a yawn before sitting up. Looking around he noted that it was still dark out yet...he had only slept for a few hours or so he guessed. He entire body felt numb...he needed to find his way to the nearest town..maybe then he might be able to get some rest...and get both Itachi and Sakura out of his mind.
He sat there for about an hour before he reached over and shook Sakura awake. He could of easily woken her up earlier but it was just too hard to wake her up...For the past hour that he was awake he saw that every couple of minutes she would stir and whisper onto the cold mornings air.. He listened carefully and only caught a few of her sleepy mumblings...but it was enough to know that for the past years that he had been gone she had been through a lot...
...also...there was one constant in her mumblings...Naruto...
It struck a cord in him at the way she whispered Naruto' name and the way her lips would curl into a soft smile as she giggled softly in her sleep. He also heard her mention his name...he didn't catch much of what she was saying about himself but the way her bottom lip quivered at the mention of his name surely wasn't a good sign.
Feeling her stir under his hand he quickly removed it as she slowly opened her eyes.
Blinking awake everything was a blur as she half expected to wake up in her room cuddled quite snug in her plush blanket her mom had bought her for her last birthday. Instead she found herself on a cold harsh ground with nothing covering her except a haori. It was then that everything hit her...looking up at those cold eyes brought her back...looking at him she understood his meaning for waking her.
Sitting up quietly she couldn't help but wince at the pain...her entire body was throbbing as she tired to will it away..
Sasuke watched as Sakura tried to get up...he could see that it was a difficult task for her...he knew that her body would still be weak after her ordeal...after all she was within inches from her death...
Her left hand that she was using for support trembled violently beneath her as she pushed herself to a sitting position. He found himself staring at her as he made no attempt to help her...
Satisfied that she was up he removed himself from his position and mentioned to her that he was going to get something for them to eat...and she should stay there..
Shaking her head she motioned to him that she understood as she saw him disappear into the darkness.
Somehow being alone right now frightened her more than anything did. She didn't like the idea sitting here all vulnerable...she knew the feeling and knew it well... it was one emotion that she could do without..
She wrapped her arms protectively around herself as she tried to warm herself up...it was still dark out so she peered around nervously trying to catch a hint of Sasuke when he returned.
It was then she noticed her fallen piece of garment that still lay haphazardly on the cold mossy floor.
Seeing her bra lying there served as a reminder as to what happened last night...she couldn't believe that it happened again...and that this time was no different...that the girl had drugged him again and once again she was the one that had to have her heart broken once more..
Reaching out she let her fingers graze the wispy fabric as she gingerly picked it up and the broken clasp before she shoved it into Sasuke's pack. She felt slightly embarrassed over the whole situation, but she was after all grateful for what he had done for her..if he hadn't done what he did she would of been dead.
Wiping the sleep from her eyes she looked out towards the area he disappeared too.
What's taking him so long?...
Still clutching his bag she instinctively ran her fingers along the Uchiha symbol that was neatly sewn onto the bag. Then before she knew, she was soon emptying the contents onto the floor before examining each item that fell out.
There was nothing special that she found...kunais...exploding notes...rope...wait what's that??
Something had fallen out onto the grass below her and was now neatly embedded between two stones. Reaching down she pulled it out...folded neatly in her hand was a tiny envelope... with a quick survey of her surroundings to make sure she was alone...having Sasuke catch her going through his personal stuff wasn't going to be pretty.
Satisfied she quickly opened up the envelope and peered inside.
In It lay a tiny wallet sized photograph of a young beautiful woman...she was a captivating beauty and sakura could help it but stare in awe at the picture...
Sensing movement behind her she quickly shoved all the items back into his pack...before pocketing the tiny photograph.
Whirling around to face Sasuke she gasped at what she saw...
Staring into the eyes of the man who faced her she couldn't help but swallow hard as realization hit her...
oh god...she was in trouble now...
Sakura crouched back as she held onto the bag with a trembling hand. She knew that no matter what happened she couldn't fight. Her body was still almost completely drained of Chakra and her movements were limited because of it.
Even though she had put some distance between him and herself he still managed to reach out and grab the bag that she was holding onto so dearly.
Realizing that she was caught she reached out and quickly grabbed onto his wrist and held on fast with what little strength she had.
She knew it was her only option as she saw daggers in his eyes
Shrugging her off easily he reached inside her hideout and yanked her out and with one swift motion and dropped her onto the wet floor as she shrieked out as she landed.
Using her hands she quickly fought back the blinding pain as she pushed herself off the ground and swung at him connecting him in his jaw as it made a sickening crack.
Stumbling forward she made another attempt, only to have her efforts blocked as he quickly recovered and stopped her strike in mid air.
Fear gripped her as she stared into those malicious empty holes grimacing at the way they had sunken into his head.
.."Aw come on Suigetsu...you can't have all the fun.."
Without even realizing that someone else was present, she turned towards the direction it came from.
Sakura could not help but feel the rage burning inside her as her eyes landed on the source of her newfound hatred.
Karin..
Sauntering over to him Karin couldn't help but smile as she looked at the woman in front of her. Sure enough she was disappointed that she was still alive...but it gave her the opportunity to finish what she had started..she wanted her death to be a painful one...and she was sure to get away with it...especially with Sasuke not being around
to see her do it.
Then to her disappointment, she saw Suigetsu release the girl as he nervously ran a hand through his hair.
"Suigetsu? What the fuck!? Why did you let her go?"
It was too early to be dealing with him and his foolishness...god she had already spent four freaking hours huddled under a makeshift tent with these two losers trying to wait out the heavy rains.
And to make matters worse was that she was afraid to fall asleep lest one of the two psycho's with her decided to slit her throat..she wouldn't put anything pass Suigetsu...and well Juugo...you never know what might trip him off...
Right now she was running on pure adrenaline...she was lucky enough to pick up the trail of both Sasuke and the girl...granted how tired she was.
She knew that he had found her after she sensed both of their chakra signatures...but she waited until the opportune time to strike because she knew that Saskue lad left her alone and vulnerable.
Glancing at the two in front of her she made her way over to Sakura as she went in for the kill. She could no longer see fear in her eyes..it was now replaced by something sinister as she saw a flicker in the girls eyes and she could of sworn she saw a shadow move across the girl's round jade orbs...
The hairs on the back of her neck started to prickle as she felt a cold sensation suddenly wash over her...
Shaking it away, she stopped abruptly a few mere feet away from her. …trying to survey her opponent.
The girl was facing her now and she could see her clenching and unclenching her fists...she was ready to fight...
Taking a quick one over of the girl she noted that there was something strange with her...she could of sworn that every time the girl clenched her fists she saw a faint blue shock wave emanating from the veins on her hands...and when she unclenched it would disappear...It was a little unnerving for Karin but she knew that she had the upper hand.
Shrugging the feeling off Karin faced her opponent.
The two women stepped forward ready to engage in battle...
"What's going on here?"
Stopping halfway both women snapped their heads around to see Sasuke...the source of both their lust standing next to Juugo with arms crossed.
He seemed none too pleased...
Relaxing a bit Sakura breathed in a sign of relief as she stared at the man in front of her...half expecting to see Karin run up to him and throw herself at him she was surprised to see that the woman stayed rooted in place as she mumbled out 'nothing'.
Then before she knew it her legs gave away beneath her as she collapsed onto her knees on the cold floor. The pain was instant as she clenched her teeth and tried to hold it all back. Leaning forward she placed both hands onto the ground and took in a deep breath as she felt the pain slowly subside.
Suddenly feeling a presence she turned her head slightly as she noted that Sasuke was now next to her. Turning in his direction she let her eyes fall on his feet before she let them travel up and settle on his face. Her eyes came in contact with his as she watched him slowly stoop to her side...all the while his eyes never leaving her own.
Now comfortably resting on both feet he extended out a hand towards her...both locked in a never ending trance.
She felt her cheeks tinge with color as she reached out him...only to realize that he was not offering a helping hand. Looking down at his outstretched hand she saw in it he held a few berries.
"Eat.." he demanded as he held it out to her...breaking their moment.
But instead of taking it from him all all she did was stare at the fruit in his hands as she made no attempt to take it.
Irritated Sasuke repeated himself…… then after a couple of seconds without her making a move one way or the other he instinctively reached out and took her hand and placed the berries in it...it was little but is was all he could find...
Not wanting the other three to think he'd gotten soft he quickly stood up and walked away from the girl.
Sakura looked down at the berries in her hand before she brought it up to her nose and took a quick whiff at it before devouring them all in one gulp. Its not like she didn't trust Sasuke but she still needed to know if the berries were contaminated...
It did nothing to satisfy her hunger but it did help her a bit as she felt some of her strength returning to her as she pushed herself up off the ground...and dusted off some of the dried caked up mud that was on her leg.
Karin looked on as the situation unfolded right before her eyes...when she saw the girl fall to her knees she felt a moment of victory before her eyes landed on that familiar family crest that was neatly embroidered onto the back of the girls clothing. At first she thought that her mind was playing tricks on her but when she took a second look it was clear. It was indeed the Uchiha insignia...
Upon closer inspection of the haori she realized that it was Sasuke's...his old haori the one he used to wear all those years ago...
oh god...is the little whore not wearing a bra??
She couldn't believe it...she had to make sure...stepping closer Karin took another look...as the girl before her stood up and straightened herself out she saw the haori press itself momentarily against her chest...pulling itself taut against her revealing her constricted hardened nipples as it pressed itself up against the haori.
Gasping loudly Karin quickly covered her mouth before turning away from the girl. She could suddenly hear the sound of her heart beat loudly as it pounded harshly against her ears in an attempt to drown out her thoughts of what might have happened last night.
Only a few hours...I was gone only a few hours...he couldn't have...they couldn't have..how?how?...arghhhhhhhh
Turning around slowly she caught Suigetsu looking at her suspiciously, as she quickly avoided his glare lest he make some sadistic remark to her. She decided to keep quiet for now...but that doesn't mean she's going to let this girl get away from her...
Keeping her eye on the girl she watched as the she lumbered over to Sasuke and spoke a few words to him before turning her back to him and disappearing into the woods. Confused she watched as the girl slip away into the woods. …Alone...
Gathering as much courage as she could Karin walked over to Sasuke
"what's going on here? did you let her go?" she inquired whilst trying not to sound too hopeful.
"No"
"What? Then where did she go?" she shrieked out before realizing the tone in her voice
Ignoring her Sasuke moved to walk away only to realize that she was now holding on to his arm. Pulling away from her he shot her an angry glare then walked away.
Insulted Karin looked in the direction Sakura went and followed her without a word to anyone else. If she wanted to know what was going on she needed to ask the girl herself...sakura was is it? yes...she needed to have a little talk with Sakura...
She had been walking for about five minutes before she stopped to rest by a large oak that was brilliantly hovering above her seeming to stretch out far beyond what she could see at this early hour.
Leaning against the tree, she rested her head back before letting out a brief sigh. She had gotten herself into a lot of trouble from the moment she decided to leave everyone behind to pursue Sasuke. She was glad that she did find him...but he was not the boy she once knew.
The one who stood before her now was only a mere mask of former love. The years had changed him immensely...even though she could still sense that a few fragments of his former self were alive she could see that his passion for murder had taken control and was now driving him towards his lifelong ambition. If she let this happen then he would be lost to her altogether...because in the end if he do succeed...then what? There would be no more meaning to his life...
Would he come back to Konoha then??no...she already knew the answer...In her heart she never saw him returning...
Looking down at the haori she was wearing she gripped the front of it tightly right over her heart. She could feel it beating through the fabric..whump whump whump...even now she could still smell him on the haori and on herself...
He had that natural musky scent that instantly grabbed her in a fierce clench never wanting to let go. She hungered still for him but she knew that he didn't feel the same way about her. Pulling the shirt up a bit to her nose she took in a deep breath before she melted away and slipped away into her world where his hot savory mouth would come crashing down on her's again.
The sound of running water snapped her out of her trance before she realized that she didn't have long before she had to return. She'd promised him that she would be back in a few minutes. All she had to do was find a place to wash herself off a bit...she had remembered that she had seen a waterhole not too far away from where they were. Even though she had been pretty much out of it she was getting back bits and pieces of her memory of what happened after she had passed out the first time.
Dragging herself up and away from the tree, she quickly made her way to the spot stumbling every few feet. Reaching the spot, she quickly dropped to her knees and instantly reached out and splashed some of it on her face. The cold water stung her face harshly as she felt refreshed and... clean for the first time in awhile...she couldn't quite remember the last time she took a bath..
Sensing someone behind her, she got up as fast as she could but before she could turn around, she felt someone press against her back before her entire body lunged forward into the cold icy water.
Karin huffed her way through the woods right behind the pink haired wonder...staying a good distance away from her to make sure that the girl did not sense her presence. All the while, she could not help but wonder what Sasuke saw in her.
She had pink hair and the ugliest pair of eyes she had ever seen...they were ghoulish to her and seem to stick out even more so than her bright pink locks.
If Sasuke wanted a real woman who didn't look like some made up chi doll he would definitely choose her over...sakura...
She of course had the skin as soft as silk and her skin was the pale creamy shade of a true redhead...she was what a real woman was.
Almost lost in her rant she almost made herself known to the girl who was now resting beside a tree. Quickly concealing herself she watched the girl huddle herself deeper into Sasuke's' shirt.
Watching her closely she tried to gather what might of happened last night..and by the way the girl was acting she was sure that something had occured.
Just then, the girl moved away from the tree and made her way to a waterhole.
Not being able to hide her feelings towards her anymore Karin made a beeline towards the girl and before she knew it...
All her skills as a ninja was just thrown aside as she resorted to mere school yard violence...reaching out with both hands...Karin pushed her...
The sound of the water making a splash was like music to her ears as she watched the girl catch herself halfway down her descent into the water. Buried up to her knees the girl straightened herself out before she slowly turned around to face Karin.
"Bitch" was all Karin heard her whisper before she brought her eyes up to meet Karin's.
"Now now...you are not in the condition to be calling people names, now are we?"
Straightening herself out Sakura faced Karin on...stepping out of the water and right up to Karin she stood a mere feet away from her before crossing her arms over her chest.
"hmm...then how about whore?" Sakura snapped back at her
Shocked at Sakura's brazen move Karin took a brief moment to make her reply.
"you of all people shouldn't be calling other people whores...after all, we know who is the true whore between us" Karin said before gesturing to Sakura's bosom.
Instinctively Sakura's hand went to her bosom area..she hadn't realized that the shirt was so thin...but she now understood the meaning behind Karin bloodlust this morning. Wanting to taunt her a bit Sakura let her hand linger over her breast a bit before frowning a bit
"oh..this??...hmm Sasuke's so into it that he forgets his own strength sometimes...i mean with ripping off my bra and all that."
Smirking a little Sakura watched as the smile on Karin's face melted away as her jaw dropped in astonishment at Sakura's words.
"You're...lying.." she stammered
Visibly noting Karin's disappointment Sakura decided to kick it up a notch.
Pouting a little she brought a hand up to her chin "hmm...wonder where it went?? I woke up this morning and had no idea where that darn thing disappeared too...think Sasuke took it?"
Karin shifted uncomfortably before taking off her glasses and wiping it on the edge of her shirt before putting them back on.
"stop lying you dirty whore...as if Sasuke would ever touch you of his own will"
Sakura couldn't believe what she said...storming forward she in turn shoved Karin with all her strength as the girl stumbled backwards and landed square on her butt.
Scrambling to get up Sakura watched on as the girl rose to her feet...pulling out a Kunai she held it threateningly towards Sakura.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Sakura told the girl
"What? are you scared? You can't tell me what to do"
"Scared? of you?? a pathetic woman who has to resort to drugging a man so that he can sleep with you?"
Shocked Karin lowered her Kunai...
"what??..I would never.."
"Save it...I no what you did Karin...don't even try to lie your way through this. You're lucky I haven't told Sasuke about it yet..but don't have your hopes up cause i will tell him..and soon.."
"what makes you think he's going to believe you?"
"Cause no matter what Sasuke will trust whatever I say to him..why do you think he brought me along?"
"you..you don't belong here...with us...with hebi...leave now...I will just tell Sasuke that you escaped...GO!!"
It was all Sakura could do but laugh...
Walking up to Karin she sidestepped her before stopping abruptly at Karin's side...
"No Karin I'm not going anywhere...you leave...if you want to live...cause when he finds out...I'd hate to be you"
Turning her head slightly towards Sakura's direction Karin spoke through clenched teeth
"What makes you think I won't kill you now?...Sakura.."
"Cause we both know...if you do that..your death will come sooner.." and with those final parting words Sakura walked away from Karin.
Karin stood there for a few seconds that seemed to drag on forever...trying her best to weigh her options...
Finally deciding about what course to take she turned heel and ran as fast as her legs could carry her.
Almost reaching the clearing where Sasuke and the others were Sakura paused for a brief moment before turning around. There standing right behind her was Karin with her arms crossed across her chest.
"I'm not going anywhere.." she spoke through clenched teeth
"If you were going to tell him your lies you would have already...and my guess is that he's not going to believe you..cause face it...you're the only one who's been alone with him..and the only one who would of gotten the opportunity to...drug him...so go ahead, tell him...it'll save me the time to kill you."
And with that Karin shoved her way past Sakura...stopping just a moment to whisper
"This...is war"
YAY..CHAPTER 10
I know its been so long since i updated...2 months? crap...somehow i haven't been getting the time...but I'm gonna start working on the next chapter right away...
So question: Do you think Sasuke should find out about Karin's dirty little deed next chapter? And what should his reaction be???
I really want your input..i'm wondering how to put it in..i have a few ideas how to write it but I will still like to know what you guys think...also any juicy ideas for me??
Next chapter: A Sasuke sakura confrontation...its hopefully gonna be worth it...
READ AND REVIEW...ITS THE BEST PART TO ANY FANFIC!!!