Chapter 12 - Trouble in paradise
"Maybe we should talk to someone about our problem…", Sakura says tentatively to Hana, one day.
"To whom?"
The day after returning from the Land of waves, Hana regained control of their body again. Sakura had just enough time to squeeze her parents in her arms one last time before she was deprived of the possibility of this action. Again.
"Kakashi?"
"No way, he'll think we're crazy and talk to our parents about it", Hana answers quickly.
"Hana, I swear, sometimes it's almost like you don't want this problem to be fixed!"
"Well… I'm happy in this life…"
"You mean in MY life. Besides, it's easier for you to say, apart from the mission, you've always been in control while I was stuck watching you live my life and act as if it were yours."
"No need to try to make me feel guilty, Sakura. I get it. If I think of someone, I'll go talk to them. In the meantime, the Uchiha problem still needs to be fixed."
"Hm. Yeah. Whatever. It's your body now, do as you please. I am not helping you with him."
"Jealous much?"
Two weeks after their return, the girl's injury is properly healed and she can train again with her team. However, Sasuke is still acting oddly with her, never looking in her direction, not talking to her either and trying to avoid her at all costs... Although Kakashi has noticed, he has made nothing to help the girl's case. Instead of forcing them to work together, he helps the black-haired boy by always pairing his female student with someone else during sparring.
"Don't mind him, Sakura-chan. No matter how you look at it, he will always just be a bastard, that's it! He's no different, don't worry." Naruto says, one day, before being interrupted by three kids.
"Big brother, you promised you'll play ninja with us", the one wearing a scarf exclaims.
"Aa… Konohamaru… I know, but, you see… I have to go train, you know. Being a ninja is not a game for me anymore…"
The three children looking at him and pouting, Naruto begins to hesitate. Konohamaru's gaze then stops on the pinkette, after what he pulls on the older boy's sleeve and whispers to him:
"Say, Big brother, is she your… girlfriend?"
Naruto blushes and laugh a bit before wiggling his eyebrows:
"Well, of course…" And he is about to continue when Hana hits him on the head.
"What did he just say? Who does he think he is, stupid Naruto!", Sakura yells to Hana.
"Wow, calm down girl! I can't control yourself and you're scaring the little ones", Hana says, laughing.
"Naruto, that girl is scary", Konohamaru screams.
Fleeing from her, the young boy doesn't look where he's going and bumps into another shinobi, which seems a little older than team seven's member and whose face is covered in paint. The latter then begins to threaten the child, taking him by the collar and lifting him in the air.
"Let him go", Naruto and Hana demand at the same time.
"Kankuro, stop it! He'll kill you if he sees this", a girl with blond hair in pigtails says from behind.
"Gaara is not here, so I get to play a little."
With that, the older teen smiles maliciously at Konohamaru and prepares to punch him when a rock hits his hand and makes him drop the boy to the ground. All eyes then land on Sasuke, who's standing on a tree, another rock in his possession.
"You should pick on someone your size", he tells the other shinobi.
The painted guy is about to answer when another voice rises up from the tree:
"Kankuro, stop this or I kill you"
"What? I didn't even feel his presence", Sasuke thinks, his eyes wide now staring at a red-haired teen appearing on the other side of the blond girl in a swirl of sand.
"They're shinobi of Suna, the village hidden in the sand… That's weird, they can't be here if they are unauthorized… You should ask them…" Sakura informs Hana quickly.
"Who are you? You're from Suna, what are you doing here? State your business", Hana orders, frowning.
"We are here for the Chuunin exams, of course. We have our passes, don't worry, pinky", the other girl answers, flashing her card, a smirk on her face.
"Chuunin exams? What is this?", Naruto wonders.
"Of course, you don't know what it is. Only the best genins can attend to it", the guy with the painted face snickers.
"It's the exam you have to take in order to become a chuunin, big brother…", Konohamaru tells Naruto, frowning. "You should know that…"
"ALL RIGHT, THEN I'LL TAKE THEM!" The blond yells, his fist in the air.
"He never knows when to stop yelling really, we look like kids now, thanks to him"
"What's your name?", Sasuke asks, appearing beside his teammates while the older teens are starting to leave.
"Me?", the girl turns around, full of hope.
"Tch. Don't even think about it", Sakura thinks, which makes Hana snorts, at what everyone switches to look at her.
"No, the red head." Sasuke continues.
"Gaara. And you? I'm interested in you too", the boy, Gaara, answers.
"Uchiha Sasuke".
They're about to leave again when Hana steps forward.
"Hey, pigtails!" Everybody turns again, the blond girl with a frown on her face. "Don't ever call me pinky again or you'll regret it", she says, cracking her joints before jumping in the closest tree. Before she's too far away she can hear Kankuro saying : "Mmm, feisty. I like that... Pinky."
"That was... a little intense, don't you think?", Sakura remarks mentally.
"No, not at all. That's how you make people to respect you, Sakura. You have to gain more attitude, be more fearless."
"Well… that's one way of seeing it…"
When she arrives at her favorite training spot, Hana hears someone landing behind her. "Sasuke. Great.", she thinks, turning around to face him.
"What was that?", he asks her with narrowed eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"… You've changed…"
"And is this a problem?", she responds, defiantly.
"Yeah, it is, actually. It's like you have a split personality or something. Sometimes, I don't recognize you at all."
"Shit", Sakura thinks. "He knows something…"
"How can you say that? You've never tried to get to know me anyway… For all you know, I've always been that way."
"You're my teammate, so I know you. And it's not because I didn't talk to you that I never noticed you, Sakura. I know you since the academy. There has been something different about you for weeks now."
"Oh. You want to talk about differences, Sasuke? So please explain why this is the first time you have spoken to me since the Land of waves?"
"Wait. Did he say he had noticed me?"
"Sakura, now is not the time to become a fangirl again."
"I don't know what you're talking about", Sasuke answers after a while, frowning.
"Oh. Something's wrong for real. I knew it! Be gentle with him. He seems… odd."
"Tch. I'll never be gentle with that prick."
"Then let me handle him. Please."
"So much for not helping me with him, mmm?" Hana answers, before letting go of the body.
"Sakura?"
"Mm. Sasuke-kun? What?" Sakura says, recovering her senses.
"Where were you?", he asks, a smirk appearing on his face as he sees her blushing.
"Stop mocking me. Actually, I was trying to think of the reasons why you would be mad at me."
"…"
"So you are indeed mad at me!" she exclaims, pointing at him. "But why?"
"No need to know. It's over now. Just drop it." Sasuke then turns to leave.
"Sasuke-kun! Wait!"
At her order, Sasuke stops on his track, his back still facing her. Silence fills the air until the boy speaks again:
"Why would you do that? Risking your life like that? It was stupid." He finally whispers and Sakura has to strain her ears to understand.
"You mean with Haku? … I thought it was clear… It was to save you of course! And it wasn't stupid, since it worked."
"But you almost died", he says louder, turning around and locking his eyes with hers. Shock is now written all over Sakura's face.
"Looks like he cares about you…"
"Aa. Then, I think I understand a bit. I never had the privilege to know specifically what happened to his family, but I'm aware that he lost everything. Maybe… Maybe he's mad at me because…"
"You were afraid of losing me." She realizes.
"Tch. Don't flatter yourself, it's not like that."
"Really, that guy can't be nice for more than one minute… I don't know what you see in him… other than his looks of course." Hana observes mentally.
"That's not what I was thinking, Sasuke-kun…" she sighs and continues: "Sasuke… I truly care about you and the others, and so it would have been against my nature to let you suffer alone, you know. This also means… that I will do it again, if needed… risking my life, that is. I hope you can understand that… that selfishness, that's how you called it back then right? Well, I can't control it. I need you to live." Now, her face is a dark shade of red, but she keeps her eyes on him.
"More than you want to live". It's not a question, she observes.
"Mm. I don't know if you can say it like that… It's just… I don't think I could have lived with myself knowing I could have done something to save you… So, in a way, yeah, I guess I'm selfish… but, I'm really sorry… I never thought you would care for me enough to be shaken by this… I know you lost so much… I'll do my best to stay alive, if not for me, then for you. What do you think?"
"…You should live for yourself and yourself only." He answers, taking aback by her selflessness.
"Mm. Someone already tried to teach me that lesson…" she chuckles. "Say, Sasuke-kun", she continues, "if you need to talk, I'm here… As I said, it's not in my nature to let you suffer alone, you know…"
"Aa."
Sasuke stares at his pink-haired teammate for a minute, then turns and says, his back facing her once more:
"Sakura. I prefer you that way." And with that, he disappears in the woods.
"What does that mean? Tch. I don't like you either, Uchiha!"
"Hana, calm down, that's not what he meant! No need to be jealous, he doesn't even know you are here."
"I'm not jealous. I don't want someone who prefer their woman weak. That's pathetic."
"And what's that supposed to mean? You think I'm weak?"
"Well… yeah… After a month of practice, I'm already stronger than you in fighting skills… And you never stand up for yourself… And there is a reason why it's almost always me in charge, you know."
"What? Then, tell me, who's the one who defeated Haku?"
"You didn't defeat him… Actually, Sasuke and Naruto saved your ass."
"I hate you. You're like Ino, but worse. I can't wait to have you out of my head."
"Fine. Me too."
Now, it's over with the chit chat! Chuunin exams start next chapter! I have plans for them, I hope you will like them!