First, I just want to say: OMG! Did you guys read shippuden chapter 627?! Sasuke's on the good side? You know, I kinda figured he'd give in and help in the end. Especially since Naruto and the others were having such a hard time. Plus, he doesn't want to be caught up in tsukuyomi, right? But what do you guys think? Will everything go smoothly and Sasuke's held as a hero in the end? Become a shinobi again and get with Sakura? Or is he up to something?
I feel like he and Naruto will work together well, but maybe he won't join the village again. I don't know, could be something totally different. I was just surprised when I read it. Plus, Uzumaki Karin? Wow…now that's unexpected. Uzumakis are popping up left and right.
Anyway, I do not own or make money from Naruto or its characters.
Not knowing where else to go Sakura ran to the first person that came to mind. Tomoe opened his door quickly after hearing the panicked pounding she gave. He stared down at the miserable, pathetic sight that she was before standing to one side, allowing her entrance. By then she'd calmed down enough to where she could talk, but he didn't ask what was wrong. He already knew. She'd said that she needed to get things settled with her room mates. He'd agreed to wait for her and he would do just that as patiently as possible. He sat and watched her as she dried her eyes, but still he said nothing. He wasn't going to pry so if she didn't offer the details then he wouldn't know them.
Tomoe climbed in his bed and continued studying like he had been when she knocked on his door, but again he was interrupted when she climbed in to cuddle next to him. He let her lay her head on his chest, holding her until she fell asleep. Suigetsu didn't return that night, but Juugo did. He didn't mind that Sakura was in their room. As long as she didn't bother him, he wouldn't bother them. Around eight pm there was another knock on the door. It was Sasuke, but Juugo answered and told him that Tomoe was out and Sakura wasn't there. He lied because that's what Tomoe told him to say. Sasuke was reluctant to leave, but he did eventually.
~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
Sasuke sat up in bed looking at the time on his clock. It was nearly ten pm and Sakura hadn't returned yet. He'd gone looking for her, but it was like she just disappeared into thin air. She was nowhere to be found. He looked up with expectant eyes when he heard the lock to their door make a beeping sound, but when Naruto walked in he just looked away.
"Sup, Sasuke? Hey, where's Sakura?" Naruto asked, walking into his bedroom as Sasuke answered.
"Don't know. She's been gone for a while."
"Oh, did she go on a date or something?"
"I doubt it," Sasuke answered.
Naruto thought about the frown he saw on Sasuke's face and sighed. It was evident that he was mad at something or, more precisely, someone.
"So what, did you guys have a fight or something?"
"Yeah, right before she told me that you fucked her"
Sasuke's words trickled down Naruto's spine like ice and froze him in place for a moment. Sakura had told him not to tell Sasuke, so hearing him say it shocked Naruto. Finally he walked out of his room and joined the Uchiha.
"Ah, she said that, huh?" Naruto asked, smiling nervously and rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yeah"
"Oh. You mad?"
"Pissed"
"Oh. Hey, uh, sorry about all this, Sasuke. I didn't mean to sneak around like that, but Sakura told me not to tell you. I guess she didn't want to hurt you."
"Yeah, well, I guess it goes both ways because she told me the same thing."
"Eh?"
"That time when I told you I had to apologize to Sakura, it was because right after we had sex I said something stupid. But the point is she told me not to tell you that we had sex. Though, you found out anyway."
So they had all been keeping secrets, Naruto realized.
"Damn. What the fuck is going on?" Naruto asked, sitting next to Sasuke on his bed.
"Sakura was pissed when she left. That was almost four hours ago."
"Did you look for her?"
"Yeah, but I couldn't find her."
"Did you try Kurosaki's room?"
"Yeah, but Juugo said he wasn't there and neither was Sakura."
"Have you been back since then?"
"No. I was hoping she'd just come home on her own."
"What did you guys get into it about?" Naruto asked and Sasuke shrugged.
"I don't know. I guess I said something she didn't like and she flipped. It's like she was already pissed about something and was just waiting for a reason to explode."
"Man, we have to find her. She could get lost again and I really don't want that. Come on. I guess we'll just have to settle things once we find her."
Naruto and Sasuke headed down the stairs to the second floor where Tomoe's room was. They knocked on the door and at first no one answered, but after Naruto nearly broke the door down, Juugo opened it. Sasuke asked if either Sakura or Tomoe were there and again Juugo said no. But Naruto didn't want to hear that. And he wasn't stupid. He noticed that Juugo had only opened the door far enough for them to only be able to see him. So being the stubborn person that he is, Naruto quickly pushed it open as far as it could go. When they saw Sakura and Tomoe asleep together in his bed they wanted to click.
"What tha hell?! Sakura?" Naruto yelled
"She's been here all this time?" Sasuke asked, giving Juugo a dirty look. But neither of them went any further than where they were. Juugo was a big guy and when he didn't want you to move you didn't move. He placed his arm in front of them and spoke.
"She's been here for a while. As far as I know she cried until she fell asleep. Kurosaki san didn't want to bother her so he let her sleep there. He just fell asleep not long ago."
"Step aside, Juugo," said Sasuke.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Uchiha san. I can't allow you to come in here like that."
"Like what?"
"You need to calm down first; both of you"
"We just want to get Sakura and leave. Let us by," Naruto said
"No"
"Hey, you big ape, if you don't move now I'm gonna kick your ass!"
"It's okay, Juugo san. I'm awake now anyway so I'll take it from here"
All three men turned when they heard Sakura speak. Naruto's quick burst of anger had woken her from her sleep. She stood from Tomoe's bed careful not to wake him and walked towards the door. Reluctantly, Juugo moved aside and allowed her to go out with Sasuke and Naruto. She closed the door behind her to give them some privacy before speaking.
"I really need some time so I think I'm going stay the night down here with Tomoe and Juugo san, you guys"
"Are you sleeping with that bastard?" Naruto asked
"Don't call him that, Naruto, and no I'm not sleeping with him….in any sense of the word," she said, but the look on their faces showed that they weren't convinced. She sighed. "Look, Suigetsu isn't coming back tonight so I'll just barrow his bed. I'll be back soon. My head should be clear by then."
"But Sakura," Naruto began, but she held up her hand and cut him off.
"Please don't make this anymore difficult than it already is, you guys. I'm just really confused right now and I need time to myself. I promise I'll be home soon. I'm sure we all have lots to talk about, especially me. Okay?" she asked and they both nodded.
Once they were gone Sakura went back in Tomoe's room and climbed back in his bed. Yes, she lied to her friends about not sleeping in the bed with him, but they didn't need to know that. She wasn't lying about having sex with him though. It's just that Tomoe was the only person she was comfortable being around other than them. She was comfortable lying in the older man's arms as he slept. However, she didn't get much sleep herself.
Sleep evaded them all that night. Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto all caught a case of insomnia as they thought about all the things that had happened up till now. Sakura was right; they all had a lot to talk about. Things had certainly gotten out of hand. By the time Sakura finally fell asleep it was almost time for Tomoe to wake up. He had basketball practice. During that time, though, Sakura felt at peace. It was nice to be able to lay with a person and not have sex with them. Cuddling was nice, too sometimes and Tomoe had held her all night.
Sakura stayed with Tomoe and his roommates for three days, but on the third morning she decided it was time to go. She woke around eight and looked over at the clock. There was a note from Tomoe stuck to it. It just said for her to sleep as long as she wanted to and not to worry about locking the door if she decided to leave. It was very sweet of him to think of leaving a note, but she wouldn't be sleeping in today. Sakura had to go.
She pulled herself up and out of his bed and walked back to her own room as slowly as she could. As slowly as she walked to get back to the room, Sakura couldn't help but feel that she should've taken a little longer. Apprehension and reluctance racked her body. Really she just didn't want to face reality. Why couldn't she just hideaway in Tomoe's room for the rest of her school career? Did she really have to face them? She didn't want to have to talk with her roommates, but she knew she had to. She'd made her bed and now she has to lie in it. No matter how much she wanted to turn tail and run.
The moment Sakura walked through that door she heard Naruto's bed squeak. He wasn't asleep and was headed towards her. The sound of her footsteps was enough to wake Sasuke also. She watched with dread as he turned to look at her, though his bed made no noise. Naruto emerged from his room with dark rings underneath his eyes. He walked over to Sasuke's bed and took a seat. Sasuke propped himself up enough to see her clearly and Sakura stood silently before them both. She didn't know what to say or where to start so she just said what she had to say.
"Before either of you say anything I just want to start off by saying I'm sorry. I really am sorry that I've caused so much confusion for the both of you. You two have been friends for so long and seemed to make that friendship work. But ever since I came into the picture things have just been blurred. I've been very selfish towards the both of you and I even made you keep secrets from one another. I really feel bad about, everything especially since I was the only one jumping to conclusions. Sasuke, I apologize about flipping out on you the other day. I was already angry and what you said hurt me, even though it's the truth, but that still doesn't justify how I handled it. I hurt you, I know it and I'm really sorry."
"What were you so angry about that made you shoot off anyway? Why'd you flip out and leave?" Naruto asked.
"See, that's the thing. Like I said before, I was the only one jumping to conclusions and getting jealous"
"?"
"After we did what we did, Naruto, you just up and left me. It was like you didn't care that you were going to see another girl even though we had just had sex, and that really bothered me. It felt like I was being treated like one those other girls, the ones you really don't like, and I was pissed. Then to hear Sasuke say what he said made me feel cheap; like I'm just some worthless slut that you can both have anytime you want. But it's the truth and knowing that made me feel really dirty. Because….because I slept with you both knowing that neither of you really give a damn about me."
"We do care about you, Sakura."
"No you don't, Naruto, not like I care about you. Sasuke doesn't love me because there is no room left in his heart for me. He only liked that we had sex together, but that's as far as I'll ever get with him. And you, though it seems that you like me more than just a friend, you don't treat me any better than any of the other girls you've slept with. I feel like I'm the only one who wants something more than just sex.
"Is that why you always run to that guy?" Sasuke asked and Sakura shrugged.
"Maybe, I guess. Tomoe seems to genuinely like me for me. Even after I turned him down he still treats me the same. I don't know. Maybe that's what I should've been looking for all along."
"I'm….really sorry, Sakura. I really didn't mean to make you feel that way. It's just that you told me you didn't want anything between us to change. I thought you wanted it to just be a sex thing. If I'd known I would've done things differently. I'm sorry," Naruto apologized.
"It's fine now, Naruto because I've decided that," Sakura stopped and looked down. She couldn't look them in the eyes because she knew they wouldn't like what she was about to say next. "I, I'm moving out."
"What?" both Naruto and Sasuke yelled.
"How can you afford to live anywhere else? You said it yourself, you're a fulltime medical student so working is out of the question," Sasuke added.
"I know, but I was talking to Tomoe last night and he offered to help me out until my mother can start sending me money. She just got a promotion at work in Suna so she'll be able to afford to help me out now. I won't have to work and I'll continue going to school fulltime."
"But why, Sakura?"
"Because, Naruto, I can't continue living… here. My priorities are all fucked up and my grades are slipping. I can't concentrate when I'm in class because my mind is always stuck in this room. I can't stop thinking about everything going on with us long enough to get my damn work done."
"Can't you stay until the end of the school year and then move?" Naruto asked
Sakura looked up at them for a moment and then back down. "I don't think I can"
"Stay. Please, Sakura? We can work this out."
"I can't, Naruto" Sakura wiped at the tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
"Yes you can. All we have to do is get everything out in the open. We just have to come to some kind of agreement. We know the pact didn't work so maybe limiting ourselves was the wrong way to go. I believe we can go back to how we were."
"I'm sorry, but I've already made up my mind, Naruto. My decision is final."
Naruto looked away in defeat. He really didn't want Sakura to separate herself from them. He'd made an honest mistake, but it seemed that she'd been pushed to her limit.
Sasuke sighed."Where would you go?" he asked.
"I haven't really thought about it, but Tomoe said we'd go apartment-looking later on today after he gets out of class."
"I have swim practice this morning, but my schedule is open after that so I'll go, too."
Naruto looked up after hearing Sasuke's words. "Me too," he said, "I only have one class today and it isn't until later so I'm definitely going."
"You guys, this-"
"Just give it up, Sakura. We're coming. I don't give a damn if your little boyfriend likes it or not."
"He's not my boyfriend, Sasuke."
"Tch, yeah, whatever you say."
"Do you like him, Sakura?" Naruto asked. She looked at him for the longest time because she wasn't sure of her answer. Did she like Tomoe? Kind of, but did she want to say that to them? Definitely not.
"I don't know. I haven't really had a chance to get to know the real him."
"But you almost had sex with him," Sasuke added.
"But I didn't, remember?"
"I know because you were too busy trying to seduce me."
Sakura blushed and looked away. "You see? That's what I mean. We, the three of us, can't go even a day without including sex in some way, form or fashion. We're all bad influences on one another. If I'm not thinking about having sex with Sasuke then I'm thinking about having sex with Naruto, and if Sasuke isn't thinking about having sex with Naruto then he's thinking about having sex with me. And Naruto is just always thinking about sex, period. I'm afraid to think about what will happen if we stay together any longer."
"You're making this out to be something much bigger than it is, Sakura. You worried so much about what we would think of you after having sex with both of us that you tried to hide it. But now everything's out in the open, the world still hasn't ended and we still don't look down on you. We're all still here and Naruto and I haven't tried to kill you or each other. So I don't get it."
"I know that, Sasuke. It's not just about what the two of you think of me, but what I think about who I've become. And that's just it; I don't know who I am anymore. What have I become?"
"You haven't become anything or anyone other than Sakura."
"It's easy for you to say, Naruto, but I don't feel that way. I've become the type of girl that has sex with two different guys in just two weeks. That's not who I'm supposed to be."
"So who do you think you're supposed to be, then?" the raven-haired man asked. "Who said that a woman can't have multiple lovers? Who makes the rules for your life? No one can tell you what's wrong and right, Sakura. You have to decide that on your own and only then will you know who you are or whether your actions are wrong or right."
"Maybe you're right, but right now I feel like I've made some very bad decisions. Until I come to terms with all this I think I'll just stick with my decision. As soon as I find an apartment I'm moving out. Anyway, I'm late for class so I have to go. Tomoe and I are meeting up at the east entrance of the campus at around three. I guess I'll see you guys then." With that, Sakura turned to leave.
When she was gone Naruto lay back on Sasuke's bed and ran his hands over his face. "We fucked up, Sasuke. Big time"
Sasuke looked over at him, but said nothing. He only stood and started preparing for practice. Naruto watched him with disbelief. Wasn't Sasuke the least bit affected by everything that was happening?
"Don't you care that Sakura's leaving?"
"If she wants to leave then let her leave. She's an adult and this is the decision she's made."
"Yeah, but doesn't it bother you that it's our fault she's leaving?" Naruto asked.
"I don't have time for Sakura's games, Naruto. Either she stays or she goes, but it's her choice alone. We're not making her leave."
"But she feels like she has to. I don't want her to leave."
"Well, too bad. Your fuck buddy is leaving."
"What the hell is your problem, Sasuke? If you really don't give a damn about her then why are you so pissed?"
"I'm not pissed"
"You are"
"I'm not pissed, I'm fucking furious! Can't you see? He won. Without even trying, that bastard downstairs got Sakura. And we pushed her right into his arms. What do you think will happen once she moves out? Kurosaki'll take our place and she'll forget all about us… Just like everyone else did"
"Sakura's not like that, Sasuke. She won't leave us behind"
"Yes she will. Just like your mother and father left you, just like my family left me, she'll do the same. I'm not going to sit around and allow myself to fall back into that darkness again. I've already made a big enough fool of myself by trusting her in the first place. After I help her find a place to stay that's it. I'm done."
Once again their door was opened and slammed shut, as Sasuke made his exit, leaving Naruto all alone. He hated that both Sasuke and Sakura was pushing themselves away, but at this point what could he do? Sasuke was being stubborn and Sakura was giving up. How was Naruto supposed to hold them all together?
~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
The look on Tomoe's face showed just what he was thinking as he approached. Sakura stood at the entrance with Sasuke and Naruto at her side. When she finally noticed him she walked up to meet him. He hugged her and she apologized.
"I'm sorry. They just wouldn't take no for an answer. It's fine since they both agreed to help me find a place."
"So they're not here to try and stop you?" he asked
"No. They… want to help."
"Definitely didn't expect that"
The two of them walked towards Naruto and Sasuke, but they didn't say anything to Tomoe. Sakura could sense the tension between the three of them and tried her best to ease it.
"Well, you guys, I guess we should be going."
She started walking first and the three guys followed. There was nothing but silence between them at first, but Sasuke finally spoke which surprised everyone.
"How much are you willing to pay on an apartment for Sakura?"
"Whatever it takes, until she gets on her feet at least," Tomoe answered.
"Where will you get the money for that?" Naruto asked.
"I've been working fulltime for a while so I've saved up a good amount of money."
"What if you run out before she's financially stable?" this from Sasuke.
"Then I'll just have to pull some strings or borrow it from my parents. Since I work they know I'll be able to pay it back."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "If you're not able to pay her damn bills out of your paycheck then how will you be able to afford to pay them back?"
"They're my parents so they'll understand"
"What if you get mad at her? Will you stop helping her?" Naruto asked.
"No. I'm not that kind of guy. If I say I'm going to help someone then I'll be there for them no matter what"
Of course Naruto thought that was corny as hell and rolled his eyes.
"Why are you helping her? It's not because of the sex. That's a definite," said Sasuke
"Why are you even here? It's not because she wants to be around you. That's a definite," Tomoe returned and Sakura had to push the two of them apart before things got too serious.
"Stop this, please? I just want to find an apartment that doesn't cost an arm and a leg that's close enough to the school for me to walk there and back every day. Can we do that without breaking out into a fight, please?" All three guys nodded and she continued. "Okay. Now, Tomoe, where is the apartment complex you were thinking of showing to me?"
"It's just straight ahead. It's not the most spacious apartment, but it's affordable and conveniently close to the school."
"Okay, let's try there first.
Though Naruto and Sasuke had agreed to come along for the sole purpose of helping Sakura find her own place it seemed that nowhere they looked was good enough. If it wasn't one thing it was another with them, and after looking at four different apartments Sakura still hadn't found one. Then, finally, on their way back towards the south entrance of the campus, Sakura spotted another place sitting back off the road. At first it didn't look like somewhere she'd want to live, but the closer she got to the apartments the more she liked them. The sign in front of the place notified them that the apartment buildings had just recently been built and that they were looking for tenants.
After speaking with the property manager Sakura found out that the rent was affordable, but because they'd just recently opened there was also a move-in sale going on. Lucky! The four of them took a tour of the apartment and, much to Sakura's surprise neither Sasuke nor Naruto could find a single thing to complain about. It was only about a five minute walk from campus, it had a fully furnished eat-in kitchen, a living room, one bedroom and a bathroom. It wasn't much, but it was clean and just enough room for a single person. Plus, the student discount the property manager threw in on the deposit made it even better.
Since they were just having their grand opening there weren't many people living in the apartments which gave Sakura the choice of a first, second, or third level apartment. For some reason, the number three came to mind first so she took an apartment on the highest floor. After filling out the application and with Tomoe as a co-signer it was approved right on the spot. He paid the first three months in advance, but it had been Sasuke who paid the deposit. Sakura really appreciated it and thanked him. Her apartment would be ready for occupancy in just a few days so as soon as she had her things packed, which wasn't much, she'd be on her way.
Sakura realized that if it hadn't been for pure luck and some really helpful people she wouldn't have found her own place in just one day. By the time they returned to the dorms Naruto had to leave. He really didn't want to go back to class until after Sakura moved no matter how long from now that would be. He wanted to spend as much time with her as he could, but Sakura promised him that she wasn't going to leave without saying goodbye first. Plus, she still had her own classes to attend. Even if he missed class, his time with her would still be limited.
Before leaving, Tomoe told her he'd help her pack and move her things. She knew she didn't have much she'd need help with, but she agreed anyway. With both Naruto and Tomoe gone, Sakura was left all alone with Sasuke. He told Naruto he wanted nothing else to do with Sakura after she found her apartment, but he hadn't counted on it happening so fast. He thought it would take at least a week; long enough to give him time to let her go. But it didn't.
Time crept by slowly. What had only been a few minutes felt like hours as Sakura and Sasuke sat in their room without a word. He tried to occupy his time with studying and Sakura slowly packed what little she had to pack. Both wanted to say something, anything to the other, but neither knew what to say so they said nothing at all. Sakura always knew that getting involved with her roommates would change everything between them, and it had. Now there was no turning back. She had no choice but to look forward. Sasuke's words replayed in her mind over and over, and he was right. No one could tell her what choices to make or what was right or wrong in her life. She had to figure it out on her own. Everyone lives by their own set of rules. She just had to figure out what hers were and not worry about what others might think of them.
As Sasuke watched Sakura over the edge of his book he thought about everything that had happened. Not far from where he sat the two most important people in his life had had sex. He knew she kept it a secret because she didn't want to hurt him, but even now he wasn't sure how he felt about it. He didn't know whether to be mad at Sakura for having sex with Naruto or mad at Naruto for having sex with Sakura.
While he could admit that he liked one more than the other, he still liked them both. Plus he would probably have more of a chance with Sakura than Naruto. Maybe it was because he didn't take more of an initiative in pursuing Naruto. Or maybe it was because deep down he knew that Naruto would never love him the way he loved Naruto. Either way he'd probably get more from a connection with Sakura. Though, he knew that going after Sakura would be doing things the easy way. He'd regret it if he let Naruto go. He didn't like having regrets so he knew he'd never let Naruto go. Not even for Sakura.
Wasn't he doing the right thing by pushing her out of his life? Wouldn't that bring him closer to Naruto if she was out of the picture? Wouldn't he forget about her if he didn't have to wake up to her sleeping face every morning and go to sleep to her smiling face at night? The answer to all of the above was easy: No. But he was stubborn and even with such a clear answer he would ignore it.
Sakura chose to walk out of their lives. She wants to become a stranger to them. It was her choice to leave them so who was he to stop her? He'll continue to be a strong Uchiha and continue to live the life he had up until the day she stormed in. This is what he repeated to himself again and again as his eyes followed her every move.
Naruto returned about four hours after he'd left and spent almost three hours trying to convince Sakura to stay. Sasuke listened to the blond beg, but didn't join the conversation. He knew it was useless. Naruto apologized again about what he'd done to her and even confessed his feelings for Sakura, but she still felt that her place was not with them. Sasuke disappeared from the room after he'd had enough of Naruto's constant begging and didn't return for the rest of the night. She and Naruto ordered takeout, which he paid for, and that was it. Sakura went to bed early and Naruto was left on his own again.
