Feel the Rain
You remind me of the times
When I knew who I was
But still the second hand will catch us
Like it always does
- "Until the Day I Die",Story of the Year
"So how do you plan on finding Michi?" Miyu asked as she and Sakura washed the dishes. Sakura had insisted on helping this time.
Sakura paused, elbow-deep in sink water. "Um…I hadn't really thought about that." She had been kind of…distracted with other things (like Sasuke). She laughed nervously. "Well, aren't I just a great team leader!"
Miyu smiled knowingly. "I guess you can't help it that you've been distracted, what, with running into your long-lost comrade and all."
Sakura froze. "Um…you know?"
Shit, shit, shit! She's going to kill me!
Miyu chuckled. "Of course I knew. It's my job to know!"
Sakura gulped nervously. "So…uh…so you know I lied to you?"
"Yeah, but that's okay. You had a good reason."
Inner Sakura wiped sweat off her brow while she just relaxed her shoulders (which she hadn't even realized had been stiff in the first place). "Sorry about that."
Miyu shrugged. "Like I said, you had a good reason. And I forgive you for bringing an assassin into the house as well."
Sakura heart dropped to her stomach. "You know about that too?" she squeaked.
Miyu laughed at her expression. "Yeah, but I figured if he was going to kill me he would have done it already. I had a nice little chat to him about it while he was staring at you, so it's all sorted."
Sakura breathed an audible sigh of relief. "That's good…wait…he was staring at me? When? Why? For how long?"
He was staring, he was staring!
Shut up! For all we know, he was staring because I had something on my ass or in my teeth! It would just make so much sense for it to have been about that!
Miyu laughed. "You'll have to ask him yourself."
Sakura snorted. Like she was ever going to walk up to Uchiha Sasuke and say 'Oh, by the way, Miyu said you were staring at me. Why was that, exactly?' Yeah, that would go down real well.
"I think we got a bit off topic there…" Miyu started.
Oh, yeah. Michi.
"Now that I think about it, I really can't think of any way we can find him. If he's as elusive as you say…well, we'd just have to wander around randomly looking for leads. God only knows how long that would take us!" And she only had three months.
"Well…I do have a suggestion."
Sakura perked up immediately. She liked suggestions! "Yes?"
Miyu looked uncharacteristically hesitant. "I have a lot of connections and I'm sure that if I send word to them to look out for a man of Michi's description they would let me know if they know of him. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them hadn't already had dealings with him if what he and Orochimaru are up to what you think they're up to. I'd like to warn them to watch their backs. We look out for each other."
It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off Sakura's shoulders. Now they were getting somewhere. "That's sounds perfect!"
Miyu paused. "Well the thing is even if anyone knew him it would take at least three days – a week at most – to hear back from them. I have secure networks in place but the thing about secure is it means more time must be given to ensuring messages are sent securely."
And then the weight came crashing right back down again. This presented whole new issues. "So we'd wait here?"
"You'd be welcome to stay as long as you need. Besides, it would make more sense seeing as the messages would be coming directly to me."
Sakura bit her lip, a habit she had acquired when she thought hard. In a way, this suggestion solved a lot of problems, but it also raised a lot of questions. Should they really sit around doing nothing for up to a week? But then again, was there really any point in wandering around, aimlessly searching for leads that could quite possibly never show up?
"I'll have to talk to the boys."
5 minutes later…
"So it's agreed? We're staying?
Sasuke nodded once and Naruto nodded emphatically, looking very pleased with the turn of events. Sakura was surprised they, especially Sasuke, had agreed so easily, but when she really thought about it she realized this really was their best option at the moment. And at least here they had warm beds, warm showers and proper food. What more could they want?
Miyu clasped her hands together in front of her face. "Great!" Then her gaze turned speculative as she looked at the three shinobi. "Now, don't think you're going to be freeloading, amazing shinobi or not! You'll work for your own food, and there's a lot to be done around here! I'm sure Aiko will be happy to have a lighter load for once!"
Naruto groaned. "Sakura, what did you get us into?"
Sakura stuck her tongue out at him. "Nothing you didn't agree to, idiot!"
"Now then, shall we start with the mess out the front? I'm not really sure how you're going to clean up craters, earth walls and felled trees, but that's not really my problem anymore. I'm sure you boys will figure it out!" Miyu's smile looked serene enough but Sakura detected an undertone of steel.
Sasuke shut his eyes in what was probably exasperation and Naruto stood up and pointed an accusing finger at Sakura. "But she helped!"
Sakura gasped in indignation while Miyu shook her head in reprieve. "She created a wall. You blew craters in the ground, felled trees and, I might add, nearly blew up the house so I think she can be left out of it. Besides, Sakura is helping me peel apples. Definitely a mundane task, one I think you'd fail at miserably."
Naruto put on his determined, I-Can-Do-Anything look. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I can do whatever mundane task you shove my way!"
Miyu laughed loudly. "Well, when you've finished out there, look for me and I'll see what I can do about that."
Sakura smiled mischievously. The poor fool didn't know what he was getting himself into. She hated peeling apple or any kind of fruit or vegetable for that matter. She was used to it because of her parent's shop.
Sasuke cleared his throat from his usual position on the wall. "I just want to point out that I didn't have anything to do with Naruto blowing holes in the ground and felling trees."
Sakura raised a brow. Oh, so he talks when he wants to get out of work? Figures.
Miyu smirked. "Don't even think about trying to get out of this, Uchiha. Naruto wouldn't have been destroying things if you hadn't been encouraging him.
Sasuke muttered something under his breath and turned his head to the side, indicating that his participation in the conversation was at an end.
Ten minutes later, Sakura found herself sitting on the kitchen table peeling apple after apple with Miyu. She hadn't even known Miyu had an apple tree orchid somewhere on her vast property.
"How'd you get all this land, anyway?" she asked, desperate for conversation. She never could stay in silence for extended amount of time.
"When the Third granted my husband's leave, he gave him this land in thanks for his hard and dedicated work in Konoha."
"Oh, okay. Cool."
End of conversation.
She sighed.
Her hand was cramping and little pains were shooting down her back. And it was so boring. She found her gaze wandering to the window. Through it she could see the boys cleaning up the mess they'd – err, okay most Naruto - had made.
After constant nagging from Naruto, she'd gone out there and punched her wall down so all they had to do was cart off chucks of hard-packed earth, which was what they were currently doing. Naruto was using his shadow clones. There was at least fifteen of them and now and then Sasuke would get pissed off with one and stab it with a kunai, causing Naruto to yell at him and just make more.
And Sasuke…well, what could she say? Her mind had gone blank as soon as she'd laid eyes on him. He was carting off loads without using any shinobi tricks, probably trying to build his strength. Whatever, that wasn't what had her so utterly distracted.
He wasn't wearing a shirt.
And from this vantage point she could see the way his toned muscles bunched and clenched as he picked up the heavy rocks. Her mouth went dry as the layer of sweat that coated his flawless skin shimmered in the sunlight.
Oh, my…
"What's the deal between you too, anyway?"
Sakura snapped out of her Sasuke-induced trance and blinked to attention. "Huh?"
Miyu smirked. "You were staring at him…and you're drooling," she replied, not taking her eyes off the apples.
Sakura wiped her mouth. She had been drooling a little bit, hadn't she?
How embarrassing!
And there was no need to ask who Miyu was referring to. It was amazingly obvious.
"So…?" Miyu prodded while nodding her head in Sasuke's direction.
Sakura laughed nervously, but the sound got caught in her throat and it sounded more like she was choking. "Deal? What deal? There's no deal!"
She knew her voice was way too high pitched for that to sound normal.
Miyu's smirk grew more pronouced. "So tell me."
Well, there's no fooling this woman, is there?Not counting the fact that she had done a really bad job in trying to fool her. What was the harm in answering, anyway? It's not like there was anything between them now. Well, there wasn't really anything between them back then either. It had always been painfully one-sided.
"Well, I used to be in love with him back when we were genin. It was always unrequited, but that didn't faze me. It was always 'Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke!' I annoyed him to no end. It was pathetic, really. Thankfully, I got over him a few years after he left, but he'll always remain dear to me…as a friend. Like Naruto." Her voice was light and flippant, like it was all a silly little part of her life that was laughable…which it was, really.
Miyu frowned thoughtfully. "So that's why you were staring at him just then?"
Sakura laughed and even she knew it sounded ridiculously fake. "Well, he is insanely good-looking, of course. You kind of can't help it." Hopefully that would explain everything.
It didn't.
"So you're not in love with him anymore?"
Sakura shook her head just a little too emphatically. "No, I'm not."
Miyu nodded slowly. "So maybe you weren't in love with him in the first place. Maybe it was just infatuation if you just got over him like that."
Sakura immediately went on the defensive. Not in love with Sasuke? How could she not have been in love with him? Hadn't she waited for hours by that gate so she could try and stop him from leaving? Hadn't she pleaded with him to either stay or take her with him? Hadn't she, after he'd left, cried for so long she felt sick? And what about that gnawing emptiness that had eaten away at her insides for months upon months until she decided enough was enough? How could that not have been love? If it wasn't love, what had all that pain been for?
Her hands shook slightly as she peeled the next apple. "Wh-What makes you say that?" she asked softly.
Miyu shrugged. "Well, I suppose everyone has their different views on love and I have my own, but the one thing I've always noticed that is constant is that love never stops. Love isn't just some fluttering feeling you get when they touch you, though that is part of it. Love isn't the anxiety you feel to be around them all the time, though that comes into it too. Love is…indefinable, really. But one thing I do know, from experience, is that it never, ever just goes away after a few years. It's not just something you can get over in time. It's there. You can suppress it, or try to, or deny it, but in the end it's always there. So either you love him now or you never did."
She felt the anger rise in her chest, that familiar warm rush of adrenaline that started in the pit of her stomach and kept rising. How did she know? Just because she had a dead husband she couldn't get over didn't mean Sakura had never loved Sasuke! What did Miyu know of that situation anyway? Sasuke had left. He had abandoned her. What else was she supposed to do but get over him?
She told Miyu as much (leaving out the dead husband bit - that was a bit insensitive) and Miyu smiled sadly but knowingly.
"Then tell me what it was like."
Suddenly a wave of dread washed over Sakura like one of Kakashi's annoying water jutsus, taking all the life out of her with it. She thought about that night as little as possible because as she did, all those feelings of utter helplessness returned and the one thing she could not stand was being weak, and revisiting that unwelcome memory made her feel weak like nothing else.
But she found herself talking anyway. "It was in the middle of the night. No one was around; no one but me. I…I had waited there in the cold for hours…waited for him because something in me just knew he was going to leave me. And when I saw him with the backpack, I thought I was going to faint or puke or something worse. I was frozen to the spot for a moment as it hit me that he was actually leaving me. Then as I heard him walk away, I turned and we talked. Well, I talked. And begged. And pleaded. And cried. I tried everything, but he just stayed silent. And then he said I made him sick and when I threatened to scream he…he knocked me out and left me on the bench. He just left me."
Her voice had broken into a haunted whisper as all-too familiar tears pricked in her eyes. But she refused to let them fall. She'd promised never to cry over him again.
"When I was woken up, there was this emptiness in my chest that hadn't been there before. Every day he didn't come back, it got worse. For about two months I woke up at the dead of night and stood at that same place waiting for him. At first I'd been waiting for Naruto as well, as he had gone after him. He promised he'd bring him back so I waited because Naruto always fulfilled his promises. But he didn't fulfill this one. He couldn't. I didn't hold it against him. I blamed myself instead…for being so weak. I thought that maybe…maybe if I was just that bit stronger I could have convinced him to stay or at least convinced him to take me with him. Maybe if I had been stronger he would have seen that he could get strong here, too. But no, I wasn't enough. So the self-loathing set in and soon after Tsunade became Hokage, I begged for her help. I was desperate. Maybe she saw this - I don't know - but eventually she agreed and I got stronger. As I got stronger, I didn't start to hate myself so much and once Naruto came back from his own training things started feeling right again. Life continued on. It didn't just stop like I thought it would. Life kept going and there were things that needed to be done, things that I was needed for and I guess all those other things filled that emptiness and that was that."
Sakura chuckled. "Then I saw him again. I could barely move. Part of me couldn't believe he was actually there, but then suddenly everything felt so right again. I felt more right than I had ever felt since he left. I had forgotten how right I had felt when he was there, so after that I was determined to get him back once and for all. So here I am. So here we are, together. Sometimes I can't believe he's actually here again, with me. But at the same time it's so…natural that sometimes I forget he left in the first place, more like an extended vacation or something. But he's a bit more distant than usual. He doesn't fight with Naruto as much, but from what judging from what happened last night that's going to be happening a lot more. Those two can't help it."
She sighed. "Sometimes I envy Naruto that. He can just worm his way into people's lives without even trying to. And with Sasuke he's just like he was before. Naruto almost immediately reverted back to the way they were before, like Sasuke had never left. But I can't seem to do that. I never say the right thing and it's like he's keeping me at more of an arm's distance than he was before. I know before it was because I was in love with him and wouldn't leave him alone, but now? I just want to be his friend…but he doesn't want to let me in. Well, I guess I should have expected that. He never lets anyone in."
Sakura finished her monologue with a huge sigh of relief. She had needed to get that off her chest and Miyu had done nothing but listen. She hadn't interrupted or caused Sakura to lose her train of thought. It was just what she did to her friends back in Konoha, just sat back and let them vent.
"I needed that!" Sakura exclaimed with a bright smile on her face.
Miyu smiled back at her. "I know. And Sakura?"
"Yes?"
"You're still in love with him."
Five days later…
Sakura hummed to herself as she hung out the washing. She was used to doing a lot of washing back in Konoha so she had offered to do this for Miyu seeing as it was three times her usual washload.
Back home she did Naruto's washing once a week. That boy was completely hopeless when it came to all things domestic. Sakura usually just let him go, but when it came to his personal hygiene she put her foot down. She had tried to teach him how to wash his own clothes, but that had resulted in a broken washing machine and an apartment flooded with bubbles and soapy water. After that unforgettable experience Sakura had given up and decided to do his washing for him instead.
Now she was doing her washing along with Miyu, Aiko, and Naruto's (when she had asked Sasuke he'd said he'd do his own and walked away). She and Naruto didn't have a lot as they had only brought one other outfit - they didn't have room to carry anything more. Naruto usually didn't bring a change of anything (including underwear) on missions, but Sakura always forced him to when he was on missions with her.
Her first outfit was in dire need of cleaning so she was wearing her second one, which was identical to the first. She saw no need for variation. Neither did any shinobi. If they found an outfit that suited their style and comfort, why bother finding another when they could just buy copies of that same outfit? No one thought it was unstylish or weird because the majority of those in Konoha shinobi.
These past five days had been perfectly relaxing. Though the boys hated the chores Miyu forced upon them, Sakura reveled in them. It was so nice to not have to worry about completing this mission and healing this person and saving this person's life for once. Sure, she loved her job but it did get a bit overwhelming at times. She loved just being able to be normal for once. Normality was such a novelty and normality meant everyday chores, so she did everyday chores and she was happy about it, hence her awesome mood.
That awesome mood was also accredited to the fact that she no longer had to share a bed. When they had figured out that they were going to stay here for a while, Sakura knew she couldn't share a bed with Naruto for that long, so they had constructed a makeshift bed on the floor next to the double.
Then that had resulted in a massive argument between the three (it still baffled Sakura how Sasuke managed to argue without really saying anything) about who slept where. After a painstakingly long discussion, Miyu had popped in a suggested they rotate, that way they all got a turn on the most comfortable spot and the worst spot. Tonight she was due to sleep on the bed, Sasuke was sleeping on the floor next to the bed and Naruto was on the couch in the other room.
She had only slept in the same room as Sasuke once so far, when he had been on the bed and she on the floor. She hadn't been able to get much sleep that night because she had been ultra-aware of Sasuke the whole damn time and it didn't help that his annoyingly masculine scent had filled the room so every time she breathed, she breathed in him. And it also hadn't helped that the floor wasn't the most comfortable place ever. She was hoping tonight she'd be able to sleep because she was on the bed and he was on the floor.
"Sakura!"
She paused her humming and turned to Miyu. "Hey, what's up?"
"I was wondering if you and Sasuke could pop into the village and pick up some things for me."
Sakura frowned in confusion. "Why me and Sasuke? I mean, I don't mind going, but why Sasuke?"
Miyu smiled innocently - far too innocently (she never looked innocent) - and shrugged. "I already have Naruto carting horse manure and I have to stick around so he doesn't end up dumping it on the wrong stuff like he's bound to. Aiko's at a friend's house. I thought it would be nice for her seeing as she never has the chance to get out much. So that leaves you and Sasuke."
Sakura narrowed her eyes in suspicion. It sounded like she had purposely created alibis for the others just so she and Sasuke were the only ones free, but it was probably just all in her head. What purpose would Miyu have in doing something like that? Sakura just wasn't looking forward to the thought of spending all that time alone with Sasuke…but then again, it wasn't like he talked or anything so she probably wouldn't notice him anyway. Still…
"I could go by myself!"
Miyu shook her head. "You can't. I know you can full take care of yourself, but you wouldn't be able to carry everything back, even with your strength. You don't have enough hands. And besides, the Uchiha isn't doing anything so he can get off his entitled ass and do something."
Sakura shrugged. "Fine with me. Have fun convincing him, though."
Sasuke gritted his teeth in annoyance as he walked alongside an annoyingly happy Sakura. He didn't know why she was in such a damn good mood, but it was seriously starting to get on his nerves. She shouldn't be this happy. They were sitting around doing nothing while Michi was running around God-knows where.
But that was the whole problem - they didn't know where he was. What choice did they have but to wait for a sighting? But it was just that this waiting and inactivity had him on edge.
Granted, they weren't exactly inactive. The woman had them doing all sorts of unnecessary chores that had nothing to do with them anyway. He could have been training these past five days but no, she had them working from dawn to dusk. She wouldn't let him spar with Naruto because of what had happened last time. He had protested that he could exert self-control, but she had replied that around Naruto he couldn't….
…Which was probably true, but that hardly signified.
And now he found himself doing another pointless chore with Sakura, whose incessant humming was starting to get on his nerves. It'd been easy to avoid her for the past five days. It happened without trying. They had always been working on different things at different times, which was fine with him. He didn't like the way he felt when she was around, because when she was around he was suddenly painfully aware of everything he'd forgotten a long time ago.
Plus, those legs were driving him to the point of distraction. He sincerely wished she'd remained a shapeless, annoying twelve-year-old because he'd mastered the art of ignoring that. But this new Sakura was a bit more difficult. Not only did she have a much different body shape, her ways of annoying him were more subtle now, more understated, so he couldn't prepare himself beforehand. He was still trying to master ignoring this new Sakura, but he had a ways to go.
Like when they had slept in the same room the other night he had simply not been able to sleep. Her scent filled the room and it was like every time he breathed, he breathed in her. And if he breathed in her, that meant he thought about her…and her legs, which he could have clearly seen had he rolled over to his side. He had resisted the temptation (which shouldn't have been a temptation in the first place) and stayed on his back, staring at the ceiling while he listened to her breathe. Tonight they were supposed to do it again, except this time he was on the floor. Even worse.
And that humming was really annoying him.
"Would you stop that?"
She smiled sweetly at him. It was so fake it was ridiculous.
"Maybe I would if you talked to me. I have to entertain myself somehow!"
He wasn't quite sure he liked this Sakura much. Maybe the obsessive, weak one was better after all. At least that one listened to what he said with an almost unnatural reverence and immediately did anything he asked of her.
She continued humming and if she didn't stop soon he was going to force her to stop. Why was she so damn happy? It was unnatural. Now she was probably doing it just to annoy him. It's something she normally would have only reserved for Naruto.
Women. They were so…annoying.
Just as he was about to forcibly shut Sakura up, they rounded a bend and the village was in view. He breathed a sigh of intense relief.
Finally…
When they reached the outskirts of the village Sasuke noticed people giving them strange looks. That was to be expected. In a village as small as this, outsiders were bound to be noticed, especially outsiders that looked like them. Sakura's pink hair stood out among any crowd and he…well, he just plain stood out.
Sure, Sakura had convinced him to leave his katana at the house. He'd said he didn't like being defenseless, but she had scoffed at that and said he was hardly defenseless, which was true, and he knew the katana would bring attention of the wrong sort so he'd finally relented. But compared to these simple villagers he was definitely dressed more…sophisticated. He still wore his shinobi outfit as it was the most comfortable. Besides, he hardly cared if people knew he was a shinobi.
But it wasn't just the clothes that made him stand out. He just stood out, period. It didn't matter where he went or what he wore, people just noticed him, especially girls. He knew he was good-looking; he'd have to be a half-wit not to notice the way they looked at him, and he didn't really mind either way, but sometimes…sometimes he just wished he was unnoticeable. He knew most guys would kill for his looks, but there were times when his looks got in his way. It would be so much easier to gather information or complete a mission if he didn't have girls trying to throw themselves at him, which was why he had reverted to the cloak. It didn't help much.
Sakura seemed blissfully oblivious to the attention they attracted and was busy studying the list Miyu had given her. She bit her lip and Sasuke's attention was immediately drawn there. He wished she'd stop. It was annoying.
"Well, it seems most of the stuff on the list is food. We can get that from the grocery shop over there." She pointed somewhere but he didn't look. He didn't care. "And there's some linen we have to pick up from the seamstress and that's about it!"
She smiled up at him and he blinked back. Why did she have to smile all the time, anyway? What was the point?
"Okay! I think we should go to the seamstress first because then there's a greater chance the food won't spoil on the way back."
"Whatever." He wasn't really planning on helping. Miyu had said 'Help her carry things back' so that's what he was going to do, nothing else.
He wordlessly followed her to the seamstress, ignoring all the curious (and, in some cases, not-so-curious) looks directed their way. They walked into an average-looking shop that had linen draped over everything linen could possibly be draped over. He seriously didn't get what was so important about all this crap. Clothes were clothes, who cared what they looked like? He did, however, have some reservations - like Lee's spandex. He'd never forget about that as long as he lived.
At first the lady in the shop completely ignored Sakura and went to him.
"Hello! And what can I do for you on this fine day?" she said in a way that implied she'd be willing to do anything.
What was wrong with these women? And it wasn't a nice day anyway. It looked like it was going to rain any time now. He hated rain. How was that fine?
"I don't know, ask her," he intoned, indicating to Sakura with a nod of his head. Sakura was practically seething at having been ignored. He smirked.
The lady reluctantly turned her attention to Sakura, who was as curt as possible without being outright rude. He didn't listen to a word they said as he was too busy wondering if the rain would hold off until they got back. He'd been expecting a storm for a while now - all the signs of the weather had indicated it. He'd be able to hear when the rain was coming, but he couldn't really predict further than thirty seconds ahead with his enhanced hearing and sight.
When Sakura had finished with the shopkeeper she had a bunch of linen that was wrapped around a cardboard cylinder. There were three and of course she shoved them on him. He scowled. She had free hands and she was certainly strong enough, not that these things were heavy or anything.
He followed a smiling Sakura to the grocery store amid more stares. He figured either Sakura had no idea people were staring at her or she was just ignoring them. It was probably the former. He didn't think she'd be used to people staring at her in Konoha. People with unusual hair colors were everywhere, from what he could remember. Hell, you got off lucky if you just had weird hair color. He remembered what Kisame looked like. Bastard. Any physical misfortune bestowed upon his countenance served him right.
When they walked into the grocery store, a little bell tinkled, indicating their arrival. Like they needed it. People stopped and stared anyway. But did that faze Sakura? Nope. She just walked in with that smile on her face calling out a 'hello' to an old man who was probably the owner.
Sasuke sighed in annoyance as he saw a group of girls look in his direction and giggle, then whisper among themselves with secretive smiles on their faces, like it really wasn't obvious they were talking about him. He didn't want to follow Sakura around like a lapdog, so he told her he'd wait outside. She just nodded listlessly and wandered off to do her shopping like the normal girl she wasn't.
It was getting colder. Tura had said it was hot during the day and near freezing at night. He'd noticed. He should have brought his cloak, but it didn't really matter either way because he could handle a little cold weather. Actually, he could handle a lotof cold weather. He'd trained his body to survive in extreme conditions, but that didn't mean he liked it.
And then the inevitable happened. The group of girls tried to talk to him. It really wasn't his day.
"Hi…" one started shyly and blushed for no reason while the other two girls giggled, also for no reason.
He didn't reply, just turned his head in the other direction, hoping they'd get the message and get lost. There was no point in trying to be polite to girls like that. Anything that came out of his mouth just encouraged them.
But she didn't give up.
"Um…my friends and I were wondering if that pink-haired girl in there is your girlfriend," she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and bit her lip nervously. She reminded him of Sakura back in their genin days, which made her even more annoying.
He didn't even acknowledge that she'd spoken and prayed to whatever god he remembered that Sakura would finish soon. He didn't think he'd ever actually want to see Sakura in his lifetime, but he supposed there was a first for everything.
The girl was about to ask him another question when the grocery door tinkled again and out popped a smiling Sakura. "Hi, Sasuke!"
Now they could get out of this hellhole. He didn't think he'd ever been so relieved to see her. He didn't he'd ever been relieved to see her, period.
"Let's go," he said to Sakura.
The girls giggled when he spoke and he almost felt like laughing at them, but they were hardly worth the effort.
Sakura smiled. "Okay!" She turned to the three girls who were currently eyeing her. "Who are you?"
Sasuke wanted to groan. She wasn't supposed to talk to them, they were supposed to leave!
The girl who had spoken to him smiled cockily. "Well, we were just wondering if you were his girlfriend, but now that we've seen you close up, we don't think so. He'd never pick a girl like you. Your forehead's too big."
Sakura's eyebrow twitched and her eyes narrowed. He could feel her anger radiate off her.
He sighed. This was getting far too troublesome. The girl had already started talking about him like he wasn't there and like they knew what he would like. It was so…pathetic. Insulting Sakura had just made it worse. Now she wouldn't leave it alone like he wanted to. God only knew what she'd do.
And what she did do was the last thing he'd ever expected.
She smiled sweetly at the girls then took his hand with hers. He flinched at the unexpected contact. Her hand was cold and he'd never really noticed how small they were until one was dwarfed in his. And it didn't escape his noticed that it fit perfectly.
Wait, what the hell is she doing?
It was all he could do to keep his expression blank while a plethora of alien emotions coursed up his arm, through his chest and pitted in the base of his stomach; emotions that were both pleasant and unwelcome.
"Well, as a matter of fact, I am his girlfriend so I suggest you leave us the hell alone and be on your merry way, okay?" Sakura said with a fake sweetness.
The girl narrowed her eyes. "Then why didn't he say you were his girlfriend before?"
Sakura's smile didn't falter for a second. "Because he doesn't talk to little girls like you." Then she smiled up at him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Is that right, Sasuke?"
Well, if this was going to get them to go away…
"…Yeah."
The girl huffed. "Whatever. He's not that hot anyway." With that said she and her friends walked away, finally leaving him in peace.
Sakura promptly let go of his hand. It immediately felt cold without her warmth.
She turned to him. "Sorry about that, but they were just such brats! I mean, my forehead is not that big!" she said while she smoothed her hair over said forehead. "And at least I got them to go away."
This was her subtle was of apologizing. Well, whatever. He didn't care as long as they went away…and it hadn't been exactly unpleasant…
"We should go before it starts raining," was all he said.
Five minutes later…
It was going to rain. He could just feel it. And it put him in a worse mood than before. This was seriously not his day.
He picked up the pace, not bothering to check if Sakura was keeping up. That is, until she decided to make it known that she did not care for the change of pace.
"Hey, wait up!"
Sasuke shut his eyes, counted to three, and turned around to face her. She was carrying two grocery bags. Nothing she shouldn't have been able to handle.
"What?" he bit out. The longer they stopped the greater the possibility that it would rain on them.
"Could you please walk a little slower? What's your big rush anyway?" she huffed.
He ignored her questions. "What's your problem? Don't tell me those bags are too heavy for you?" he asked in a condescending tone, knowing it would annoy her and then she would have to prove that she was strong by carrying the bags all the way back faster than he was carrying the linen.
But she only looked exasperated. "Do you know how heavy these bags are?"
This time he did groan, albeit quietly. "Consider it training. Just hurry up."
Sakura groaned. Loudly. "Why are we in such a rush anyway?"
Give me patience.
"Because it's about to rain and I don't want to get soaked through," he ground out impatiently, despite his silent plea.
Sakura laughed out loud. He scowled. Now what?
"Oh, is the great Uchiha Sasuke scared of a little rain? He will fearlessly take on shinobi far and wide, but give him a little rain and he's running for the hills!" she mocked.
Sasuke's scowl deepened. He definitely liked the pathetic Sakura more at the moment.
He opened his mouth to reply when (surprise, surprise) it started raining. He shut his eyes and clenched his jaw as he felt the cold drops slowly start to wet his clothes, hair and bare skin. Fortunately it wasn't heavy…yet.
Sakura laughed louder. "How about that?"
He glared at her and wordlessly walked for cover under the nearest tree. He didn't know about her, but he had no plans of getting completely drenched.
Once Sakura realized she was standing on the road by herself, she trudged under the tree to stand next to him, placing the grocery bags on the ground. They silently watched under the natural canopy of branches and leaves as the rain grew heavier and heavier around them.
It was then that he noticed Sakura was smiling. He almost groaned again.
What could she possibly be smiling about now?
Without another word, she walked out from under the cover into the rain and spread her arms out, face to the sky.
Sasuke raised a brow in surprise. What was she doing? She was going to get soaked. It seemed as though she didn't care. Suddenly she started laughing and twirled around in circles as the rain continued to pelt at her skin.
He didn't know why, but something about the sight made his chest tighten and suddenly it was a lot harder to breathe. Again, the word 'beautiful' popped into his head before he could stop it and it stayed there, teasing the edge of his consciousness. However not only did she look beautiful, she also looked carefree and innocent and pure and happy. Everything he wasn't.
He wondered what it would be like to be able to happy for no reason at all; to be happy because it was raining. He wondered what that kind of freedom would feel like. Maybe that was why she was so happy over rain, because she could be.
Sakura was as free to do pointless things like that. She was free to make her own choices, do what she wanted, whereas he…he was not. He was weighed down by what his brother did like it was a shackle and chain dragging him to the bottom of the ocean.
Sure, he could ignore what had happened to his clan and attempt to lead a normal life, but it would always, always be there, a shadow blemishing what would otherwise be a bright existence. And after what Itachi had done what else was left for him other than revenge and hate? How could he ignore what Itachi had done and not avenge his clan and parents? He couldn't. He just couldn't. He was a slave to his own fate and all because of his older brother.
Just one of the many reasons he hated him.
Sakura's laughter brought him out of his thoughts. She was thoroughly wet now and it was utterly distracting. He could see every curve of her body, every dip and bend and it certainly wasn't sore on the eyes. Usually he'd be disgusted that he'd think such things, but at the moment anything was better than thinking about Itachi.
"Sasuke!" she exclaimed with a laugh as she stopped twirling and looked at him, letting the rain drip down her face.
Her hair was plastered to her head; her clothes were plastered to her body. She should have been cold, but it seemed all she could do was smile. For reasons unknown to him, a small smile touched Sasuke's cold lips.
He walked forward until he was under the very edge of treed canopy, only barely protecting his body from the offending downpour.
Her smile grew as she saw he'd responded to her. She threw up her arms once more and turned her face up to the sky. "Don't you just love the rain, Sasuke?"
He turned what was fast becoming a smile into a smirk. "No. It's cold…and wet."
She didn't change her position but started twirling around again, so her words kept on varying in their volume. "Yes, but don't you think it's beautiful?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, trying to contain his amusement. "No."
She stopped twirling, but still didn't look at him. She was looking up at the sky instead. "Rain washes away all the dirt and grime that accumulates on the earth and not only that, it brings new life. People always say rain is sad because it's like Heaven's crying and maybe that's true, but haven't they ever thought that maybe Heaven's crying because it's happy?"
He didn't answer because he didn't think he could past the strange pressure that was building in his chest at her words.
"I've always liked to think that maybe the rain could wash away all the dirt and grime on me too. I don't mean on my body. Just like it washes away all the rubbish on earth, it can wash away all the rubbish in me and create new life." She finally looked at him and when she did, her face was aglow. "I don't know, it's probably stupid, but I can't help but feel just that little bit better when I'm in the rain, even if I do get cold and wet."
Sasuke stared at her as he thought of her words. New beginnings? He wanted to squash the seed of hope that was starting to form in his chest, but he found he couldn't. Maybe he wanted her to be right just this one time because even if she was wrong ultimately, he felt the mere shadow happiness for the first time in a long time and maybe if this made her happy, it was true after all.
"It is stupid," he replied, but both of them knew he didn't mean it.
Sakura shivered as the house came into view. It was still raining, albeit very lightly, and she was cold and wet and her nose wouldn't stop running. To put it plainly – she was miserable. And she was seriously regretting her spontaneous tryst in the rain earlier.
She just hadn't been able to help herself. Sasuke had put her in such a bad mood and she just wanted to get back to that happy place she'd been in before and whenever she was in the rain she just felt…renewed somehow.
But it was strange. As she had been talking to Sasuke, saying the first things that came to her mind, something had shifted between them. Now the silence wasn't strained or uncomfortable, it was natural with a sense of comradeship about it. It was like they were more comfortable with each other now and she had no idea why.
And she had noticed that Sasuke didn't look upset for the first time since they'd been reacquainted. Sure, he wasn't exactly smiling and laughing, but he looked…peaceful. And just seeing that made her happy, despite the fact the she was wet and cold with an uncontrollable nose.
As soon as they trudged through the front door, they were met with a scowling Miyu, a snickering Naruto and a blushing Aiko.
She couldn't blame Aiko for the blushing. She'd done the exact same thing every time she'd looked on the wet Uchiha.
After Sakura's little rain dance moment, Sasuke had just stepped out into the rain and started walking, which was a bit weird, but she hadn't been complaining. It wasn't long before the rain started to soak through that damn white shirt of his, therefore defining every little muscle that needed to be defined and damn near making her drool every time she looked at him (not that he would've been able to tell through the rain anyway, but still).
Now said shirt was still clinging sexily to his toned torso and Aiko had joined the ogling parade. And, oh, what a parade!
Sakura wasn't exactly feeling comfortable with her own wet shirt. Because it was wet, it was clinging to her. Because it was wet - and cold - her body had starting reacting in ways she didn't really want it to and because her hands were full she couldn't do a thing about it but hope that Sasuke didn't look at her general chest area. Talk about embarrassing.
"I was hoping you wouldn't be caught in the rain! Oh well, I hope the linen isn't ruined." Miyu mumbled as she took the linen out of Sasuke's arms.
Sakura gaped at her. What, that was it? No 'Are you fine?' or 'Would you like some dry clothes?' That was it?
"Um, hello! Two wet, dripping people here!" Sakura pointed out as though it weren't obvious enough.
Miyu rolled her eyes. "If your cold, do something about it! What are you, five? Get some dry clothes and stand in front of the fire!"
Sakura groaned as she wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't have any dry clothes! I washed my other pair and they're probably still hanging out to 'dry'!"
"I don't have any either," Sasuke added.
Naruto laughed loudly. "Then it looks like you're just gonna have to go naked then!"
He was promptly glared into silence by two very wet, very grumpy shinobi.
Miyu groaned. "Aiko, get them some blankets. You two get out of those clothes and wrap yourselves in the blankets otherwise you'll be sick. Then stand by the fire until I find you some more clothes."
Two minutes later, Sakura found herself in front of the fire with nothing but a blanket wrapped around her, feeling incredibly exposed though most of her skin was covered. It was just the thought that there was nothing underneath the blanket that made her skittish.
And then it was made a hundred times worse when Sasuke walked in with nothing but a blanket wrapped around him.
To say it was awkward was a gross understatement. It was like they were in some mutual agreement to look anywhere other than each other. And all Sakura could think about was the fact that Sasuke had nothing under that blanket.
What is wrong me with! ARGH!
But still the images didn't stop and the awkwardness escalated to the point where Sakura wanted to scream or do something to break the unbearable tension.
But Sasuke beat her to it.
"This is why I hate rain."
It was not better than she thought it would be. It was much, much worse.
Maybe it was because of their shared rain ordeal that afternoon or the fact that he seemed a lot more relaxed ever since. Maybe it was because she'd seem him in nothing but a blanket no more than three hours ago.
But whatever it was, she wasn't able to sleep. She was just lying on her back, staring at the ceiling, breathing in his scent. Damn that scent. He smelled even better after getting soaked through with rain! How was that even possible?
Okay, Sakura. Try to forget that the hottest guy you've ever known is laying not two feet away from you and sleep.
Easier said than done!
She did need sleep, though. After walking all the way back in the rain, her body was susceptible to viruses and she had a better chance fighting off any virus if she was asleep.
Resolve renewed, Sakura shut her eyes tightly and turned to her side, back facing Sasuke's direction, trying to focus on anything but him.
That position obviously wasn't working.
She turned to her other side. That was worse, seeing as she was facing his direction this time. The longer she stayed in that position the more she wanted to peek over the edge of the bed and see what he looked like, what he was doing, how his limbs were arranged in his slumber, which was super creepy even thinking about it.
So there she went, twisting and turning and twisting and turning, trying to get in the most comfortable position possible when the worst thing that could happen, happened.
It wouldn't have been so bad if she had fallen off any other side of the bed. She could have simply blushed in embarrassment, been grateful no one saw her clumsiness, and climbed right back on the bed like it had never happened.
But of course she had to fall off the side Sasuke was sleeping on. And of course she fell right on top of him.
"Eep!"
"Urgh…"
"God, I am so sorry!"
"…Sakura?"
Sakura blushed three shades of pink as her body immediately heated to what it was feeling - all hard muscle and all Sasuke.
As soon as she had touched him, Sasuke, ever aware, had flipped their positions and she was now pinned under him with a kunai to her throat.
His face was inches from hers; one elbow was propped by the side of her head while the other arm held the kunai at her throat. And as for the rest of his body? Well, it was pressed inch for inch against hers. All that sweet, sweet body weight…
"What are you doing?" he asked with a very impatient tone as he moved the kunai knife. He still didn't move from on top of her, though.
She tried to answer past the burning desire in the pit of her stomach that threatened to overwhelm her at any second. She hated it. She hated that he still had this effect on her after all these years, after all he'd done. It shouldn't have been that way at all!
"I…I fell," she whispered, trying to ignore the way his body was pressed so intimately against hers.
Damn! This is not good! This is not good!
Cha! This is freaking awesome!
He finally moved off her, but the shockwaves of desire still coursed through her body nonetheless. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will the feelings away but it didn't work, of course.
Damn it!
Sasuke ran a hand through his tousled hair as Sakura sat up slowly, still a little shaken.
"Is this going to be a regular occurrence?" he asked with a condescending tone that she absolutely hated.
Sakura felt her anger grow. Not so much at him, because he really did have every right to be angry, but at herself - at the feelings that were still assaulting her body in every way she didn't want them to. And that was all because of him, even if he couldn't help it.
"Look, I'm sorry, alright? Let's just forget it and go back to sleep. It won't happen again!" she snapped impatiently.
Sasuke sneered at her. She could see it through the darkness. "I think I should get something in return for that."
"What?"
"You did wake me up and all."
Sakura narrowed her eyes, even though she knew he probably couldn't see her. "Something like…?"
"The bed."
"Over my dead body!" she whispered harshly, so not to wake anyone up.
She could see Sasuke smirk in the moonlight. "Well, I'm sick of the damn floor and I'm sleeping on the bed." He stood up. "Feel free to join me," he mocked as he slithered under the covers, obviously thinking she wouldn't want to.
And she didn't. If simply landing on top of him caused such a riot of reaction in her body there was no way she'd survive a whole night in the same bed.
But she couldn't stand that he thought he had her pegged so perfectly. She couldn'tstand that he thought he could just take what he wanted because he wanted it without any thought for anyone else.
Well, she'd show him that he wasn't always right and he couldn't always get want he wanted, rebellious hormones be damned.
With a smirk of her own, she stood up and lay down under the covers on the other side of the bed, trying to ignore the fact that Sasuke was now less than a foot away from her. She had to do this to prove her point and show the bastard up! That's definitely all it was about!
"What do you think you're doing?" his cold voice came from the other side of the bed.
Sakura's nervousness fled and her triumphant smirk returned. "You said feel free to join you, so that's what I'm doing," she replied innocently. "Feel free to return to the floor anytime," she added, just for good measure.
Sasuke turned under the blankets so his back was facing her. "Whatever. Just don't touch me."
Not to be outdone, Sakura turned in the opposite direction. "Same for you, buster, or you'll be getting the same treatment as Naruto."
Sasuke scoffed. "Last I saw, that was absolutely nothing. Actually, you seemed quite comfortable."
Sakura blushed and her body went hot with embarrassment. "You saw that?"
"Yes."
Damn it!
"I was just tired," she lied feebly.
"Whatever. Just shut up and go to sleep."
Sakura rolled her eyes, feeling defeated once more. Could she never get the upper hand with Sasuke?
Man, Sasuke sure is grumpy when he wakes up!
Yeah, no thanks to you. But who cares! You're sleeping in the same bed as Sasuke! Score!
No, not score! This sucks! I just did it to win!
Yeah, you did it to win a game you weren't even playing and lost in the end anyway. Nice going.
No, I'll lose if I get out of the bed, which I don't plan on doing.
Of course you're not going to get out of the bed! Sasuke's in the bed!
Shut up, I'm trying to sleep!
Oh, real ingenious!
Shut up!
Sakura shut her eyes and willed herself to sleep. For some reason it was a whole lot easier this time.
