DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any other characters belonging to the Anime series. However, I do own the characters that were created by me – they will make their appearances in the later chapters.
Summary: Sakura and Tenten – both FBI Agents – are on a vital mission to eradicate one of America's largest and most feared Mafia Gangs. Sakura has no memory of her past. What happens as she finds the missing pieces when she encounters the mesmerizing, drop-dead attractive, Sasuke Uchiha, leader of the gang? PAIRINGS: Sasuke/Sakura with an equal share of Neji/Tenten. More pairings are included.
WARNING: This Fan-fiction contains VERY explicit content in later chapters. If sexual content, mild violence and aggressive language bother you, then it is advised that you discontinue reading this fiction immediately.
NOTE: 'Inner Sakura
'Thoughts' (Except for the short preface at the beginning of each chapter & Flashbacks)
Narrator's POV
QUANTUM OF MEMORY: PENDULUM ARC
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The Other Silhouette In Front the Fire
It was already nightfall in Oakwood City. Gaara gazed down at the busy highway through the hotel room's window. Oakwood City was nothing compared to New York City, but still, the traffic and the noise looked and sounded to similar to the ones in the city that never slept.
The CIA hardly ever approved of working with the FBI, but due to unstable circumstances, both agencies were given no other choice. Recently, Gaara – the Head of the CIA – learnt that his sister – Temari Suna – had taken up an alliance with America's most wanted criminal organization, Onikage. He had never been in speaking terms with his siblings since childhood; in fact he detested them as much as his father detested him for being born. His father always believed that Gaara had been the cause of his wife's death as she died giving birth to him. Why did he agree to go after his sister, then? Had she been abducted by Onikage, he would have left the FBI to deal with the matter. However, since she willfully got involved with the gang, Gaara knew he could not let his family tarnish his reputation as the Head of the Central Intelligence Agency; not when he was appointed by the President of the country.
"Is there anything you would like in particular from the restaurant downstairs, Sir?" he heard Matsuri ask from behind him.
"Anything you decide to buy is fine. Just let me know how much I'll owe you when you get the bill," Gaara replied.
Matsuri smiled and began her short journey to the hotel's food court. She liked that Gaara was not fussy about what he ate. It made working with him a lot easier. But that still did not change the fact that he was seemingly heartless. During the few days she had spent with him so far, she gathered that he was also a man of few words. When she had been in the Academy, she had heard many rumors of the CIA's Head – that he was frightening and vile and extremely strict. But she realized that once you warmed up to his methods of work, he was nothing to wail behind the bushes about.
The restaurant had been scanty – a great relief to Matsuri. As she walked up to the counter by the 'Take-Out' section, she fished her wallet out of her hand bag.
Tenten glanced at the clock on her way out of her bedroom. It was almost midnight. She sighed. It had taken almost two hours to convince Neji to have his dinner. He did not refuse in a childish way, but the thought of him doing so was definitely amusing to her. He kept claiming that he was not hungry, but Tenten knew that the pain from his wounds and stitches was what discouraged him.
She went down to the kitchen, soundlessly and washed the dishes before taking a quick bath. She was glad that she took the responsibility of looking after Neji since it kept her mind off the worrisome situation back at the hospital that only brought her emotional pain. When she returned to the bedroom she found Neji sound asleep on his back. Due to his injuries that seemed to be the only position he could sleep on without feeling any pain.
Carefully, she snuck under the covers on her side of the bed, turning her body and face away from his. It had been a rare occasion for Neji to sleep on a bed and even though he had done it before, Tenten could not help but feel slightly awkward.
She hated when night came since her mind would always be left to wander, bringing back thoughts of Sakura – her sister that may not survive.
She snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of a faint groan next to her. She turned to see Neji sitting up on the bed, wearing a pained expression on his face.
"Are you in pain?" she asked, using her arms to help herself sit up.
"I'm fine. Go back to sleep," he said softly and pretended that the pain was over. However, Tenten saw through his act when she caught sight of his painkillers and other medication on his bedside table.
"You can't lie to me. Sit up and take you meds," she said to him, throwing off the covers and getting out of bed.
"I don't need those to heal, Tenten. I'd like for my body to heal on its own," Neji protested. It was the truth, though.
"Well, I'm not going to have you keep me up all night because you refuse to take you meds –"
"You were already awake," Neji interposed.
"I know that. But I'm a light sleeper and any groan or grunt would have broken my sleep."
Tenten let out a sigh. Honestly, that was not the reason she wanted Neji to take his pills, but she was not going to admit the truth to him. She was glad that he did not refuse his painkillers when she handed them to him. He slipped them into his mouth and gulped down some water. She sat beside his laying form and rested her eyes upon him; his eyes that reminded her of a full moon; his lips that she wished she could taste once more. He was beautiful even if covered in scars and blood. Her eyes continued to wander; longed to see beyond his face. How she wished she could move away the sheets that covered his bare body.
The uneasiness was unbearable when Tenten decided to sit beside him on the bed, watching him as he swallowed each pill. Even when he was finished, she continued to stare and the urge to reach out and touch her grew greater by the seconds. Neji wondered what it was about Tenten that made him this way.
"Is something wrong?" Neji asked to avert Tenten's attention to something else; and for partial fear that he might lose his senses.
"Er…no…I'm fine. I'll go to sleep now," Tenten responded, embarrassed. How long was he watching her? She knew she got caught in the act of probing him with her eyes.
Within seconds, she made herself comfortable under the covers once again. She closed her eyes and silently hoped that Neji would not notice her pretending. She kept her eyes closed for a while until she was sure that Neji had fallen asleep. His medications were also supposed to help him sleep.
After a few minutes, there was complete silence; Neji, who had been shuffling around, had become completely still. Slowly, Tenten opened her eyes.
"You shouldn't force yourself to sleep if you lack the urge," she heard Neji say before she could even meet his gaze. Inwardly, she laughed at herself for thinking she could deceive the Hyuuga prodigy.
"I guess you're right," she surrendered. It really was no use. "How come you're still up? Aren't those meds supposed to make you drowsy?"
"Yes, they are, but it would be improper of me to enjoy my slumber when you are unable to do so, wouldn't it?"
Tenten responded with a smile. About a little over one month ago she encountered a felon who was dangerously calm with an impassive demeanor; an A-rank, kill-on-sight criminal who erased his existence from the federal agents' worlds. But here, he was just a man. Human. Tenten was too lost in her thoughts to even realize his thumb stroking her cheek. Even with their faces inches away Neji looked stoic; not even his eyes revealed any thought or emotion. This man was undoubtedly dangerous…and she liked it.
Capturing her lips with his, Neji maneuvered his body carefully on top of hers, ignoring the minor agony from his wounds. That did not matter now; not when the goddess before him tasted enticingly bittersweet. Dark. Decadent.
Neji did not have to explain himself. The kiss told her everything. It was sensual, expressing just how much he had been suppressing himself; torturing himself for fear that he would hurt her. It was slow, conveying that he was willing to take the relationship step by step. Tenten struggled to stifle a moan at the back of her throat. Her hands itched to roam all over his masculine body; his half-naked body, but before she could do such a thing, he broke away and it was only then she realize she needed air. His gaze remained fixated on hers.
She wished she could stay lost in his eyes, but slowly, her vision blurred and then the darkness surfaced…
In the morning Ino hurried over to the hospital where she met up with Kakashi and Sasuke Uchiha's older brother. Sakura's condition had not changed much besides the fact that she miraculously started breathing on her own. Even so, she was still unresponsive to any activities going on, light and pain.
Itachi left when his brother arrived at the hospital. Ino noticed that he had brought along the little girl she had seen with Sakura at The Diner. It was still a shocker that the child was Sakura's daughter. She had her mother's beautifully deep emerald eyes while everything else was inherited from her father.
Sasuke pushed the door to Sakura's ward open for Kagerou to enter, and then he followed behind. He had not planned to go into the ward, but Kagerou had been awfully quiet since he told her what happened to Sakura and he knew it would be unwise to leave the child alone with her thoughts. Kagerou understood things very well for her age and she knew the possibility of survival was often slim when one ended up in a coma. He watched as she silently walked over to her mother and rested her head on the woman's stomach.
He did not look at Sakura. He could not bring himself to forgive her so easily. But that did not mean he wished for her to die, no. If he had that kind of thinking then that would mean he had no care if Kagerou was to lose all her respect for him. People had said she looked like a female replica of him, but somehow he believed he saw more of Sakura in her. Her face had the same kindness her mother's held; the same confidence in her eyes that resided in her mother's. Consumed in the comparison, Sasuke unconsciously found himself admiring the woman he was upset with. Quickly, he discarded the thoughts and left the ward out of annoyance…
xXXXx
SIX YEARS AGO…
'Orochimaru…' Sasuke thought as he scanned the list of contacts his father received and made calls from and to. Shikamaru had done an exceptional job. After discussion the matter with Itachi, they had concluded that their father was being threatened in some way or the other. It was no wonder his father seemed so detached and distant from the family lately – he was trying to prevent questions from arising; to leave the family out of his mess. Most of the calls were from a man by the name of Orochimaru. Other recurring names were Aidou, Jinta and Yoshimaru.
There was a knock at Sasuke's bedroom door. He placed the document into a file and stored it into his cabinet before answering the door. It was Sakura. She was in a white chemise and in her hand was the drying cloth from the kitchen.
"What do you want?" he asked uncouthly.
"There's a man outside. He says he wants to see you," Sakura responded. She stepped aside so that Sasuke could exit his room and make his way downstairs. Then she returned to the kitchen where she began packing the dishes from the rack where it had been left to dry as she needed to make room for the ones that needed to be washed. Suddenly the sound of raised voices caught her attention. They belonged to Sasuke and the man who came to see him.
Sakura was never a girl who pried into people's business. Their business was theirs once it did not concern her. If she believed so, then why was her curiosity at its peek at the moment? What if Sasuke had gotten into some sort of trouble? Maybe her father had sent someone for her? No…not after such a long time…
Quietly she walked across to shoji door which separated the kitchen from the living room. The shoji door had been slightly opened, so Sakura was able to hear everything…
"Answer me!" Sasuke demanded once more, but this time both his hands were tightly clutching Aidou's shirt collar. "Why's it so important that you contact my father? You're no member of this gang; I don't recognize you. What's your business with him?"
The man hesitated before responding. "That's not your business, little boy."
Sasuke's patience had completely vanished and he felt his temper past his skull and now burning his flesh. The restraint he put himself under in order to prevent himself from killing the man before him was no more. But as he was about to swing his fist at Aidou's head, the cocking of a gun made him stop in his tracks instinctively. The sound came from behind him – there was another person in the house.
"Don't move," the other man said. His voice was muffled as if his mouth had been covered by a mask of some sort. "Release Aidou and put your hands behind your head," he ordered Sasuke. He hated that the gunman had the upper hand but he had no other choice than to obey. But if they only tried to go upstairs or laid so much as a finger on his mother, he would crush them with his bare hands. Fortunately for them, though, they were backing away and heading for the exit. When the men completely left the building, Sasuke alerted the security in hopes of catching the trespassers. Then he turned towards to shoji door beyond which, led to the kitchen.
He stopped walking when he noticed the outline of a female body. He knew it was not his mother since the woman's hair was shorter. Sasuke could not believe that he had completely forgotten that Sakura was in the kitchen while all the commotion had been going on. If anything had happened to her, he knew his father would never forgive him…but more than that, he knew that forgiving himself would be impossible. Staying angry with the girl was nearly difficult. How could he when she had been taking care of his family so well? Sighing, he slid open the door…
From what she had heard, it was apparent that a fight had broken out during the man's confrontation with Sasuke. Things seemed to quiet down a level, but still, Sakura listened on, holding back the urge to burst through the door. That was when the door slid open; and before the person was revealed, with a fright, Sakura's fingers grew numb, and her grip around the glass plate weakened. In that moment Sakura experienced the worst type of fear she had ever come across in her life so far. In that moment her mind was a black, blank page. But as quick as the moment came, it was gone, when the sound of shattering glass filled the walls of her ears and echoed in her mind.
"Hn…clumsy as usual," Sasuke commented monotonously as he watched the girl snap out of her shock and got to her knees to gather the scattered shards. She grimaced and when she carelessly attained an injury beneath her foot.
"And you're a doctor-in-training…" he commented further on how much of an endangerment she was to herself, as he stooped to look at her wound.
He always made such comments – as if his expectations of her were so high. Sakura learnt to ignore him. He often used the fact that she was an intern to provoke her whenever she got injured and childishly whined about it or did something clumsy. It was as if he was indirectly telling her that she was a weakling. But she did not mind…because then Sasuke would not be Sasuke. The day he stopped annoying her with his narcissistic attitude would be the day Hell froze over and Marilyn Manson (who inspired Sakura in particular ways) decided to host a Sunday school.
"I can take care of my wound myself, Sasuke…it's alright," she said as she tried taking the bandages from him.
"You can barely even see the wound Sakura," Sasuke scoffed. It was true and if she could not see it, then how exactly would she wrap it?
After, he helped Sakura up the stairs and into her room where he set her on the bed. The slightly intimate actions reminded him that he needed to fulfill his father's wish. Yet even if the moment seemed the most appropriate, Sasuke could not bring himself to do it. Instead, he said, "Tell me exactly what you heard from what Aidou and I were…discussing."
Sakura caught the seriousness in his tone but from the beginning, she understood that Fugaku's behavior and situation was severe.
"I heard everything," she answered, "I know that your father has some kind of dealing with that guy…and he probably owes them something so they came looking for him."
"I want you to forget everything you've heard tonight. Forget everything that's happened. If my mother asks who came to see me tell her it was Shikamaru. Understood?" Sasuke said to her. He was looking into her eyes with such a ferocious warning that she became incapable of speech. Instead, she nodded rapidly as if agreeing under the force of a threat.
With that agreement made, Sasuke stood up and made his way to the bedroom's exit, but stopped when Sakura called after him.
"Wait," she said. He stopped walking, but he did not turn around. She continued, "Thanks, Sasuke…"
Then wordlessly, he left the room, closing the door behind him…
"You are very good at hiding, Uchiha," the snake uttered, his words slithering through the air. Orochimaru continued to speak.
"I should have known that you would've had your own intentions."
At this moment, more than a million things were flashing through Fugaku's mind. All this time he had been lying, cheating and even killing in order to protect his family and his business. He remembered his father telling him once that family was nothing but a mere hindrance. He had never believed those words until today. Still, he had no intention of not caring and leaving them to die because of him.
"What is it you really want Orochimaru?" Fugaku asked the man dressed in black who chuckled coldly.
"It was always my dream to become the leader of the highest ranking gangs in the Mafia industry. It was always my dream…And you happen to be the gateway; the key that will make my dream into a reality," Orochimaru responded, walking closer to the cell in which Fugaku was held captive.
"You can keep dreaming because even when you kill me, there's no way you'd magically become the leader of Onikage. And no matter how much you threaten the heir – my son – he won't be fazed. Once he finds out that I've been murdered, he won't rest until he finds you…and mark my words, Orochimaru, he will," Fugaku said. He knew that his words were true. He knew his son. He was an avenger…
At the last minute, instead of breathing; instead of praying for his soul, Fugaku hoped that Sakura would become Sasuke's wife. It was his only wish…and he knew the good that would come out of Sakura's presence in his son's life.
At a very young age Sasuke had been taught the meaning of the word 'death'. At the tender age of four, he understood, basically, the cycle of life. In the first stage, a human is born; and with the help of his parents or guardians, he is taught to say words; to eat and to eventually endure on his own. During the second stage he begins the process of survival, making the decisions that will shape his future, bit by bit; attaining his own beliefs; establishing his own lifestyle. He continues his bloodline and teaches his young to follow in his footsteps, just as he had followed his fathers' before him. Through the second stage, the lifestyles of each individual; their personalities; hobbies; beliefs – all of the things they establish during their time on this hell called 'earth', defines just how different each human is to the other. However, in the last stage, they all end the same way – death…
Sasuke understood that his father's body, lying still and pale in a coffin, was bound to happen. But never had he thought, it could be so soon. It was a fact that his father had been murdered, and being the new leader of Onikage, Sasuke was going to ensure the brutal death of his father's killers.
At his right, dressed in dark was his fiancée. Sasuke knew Sakura would accept the proposal in order to fulfill his father's wish, but mostly because she thought it was the least she could have done to repay him for all he had provided her with; for giving her a life – one that her own father was incapable of providing.
To his left stood his older brother – the previous heir to the throne of 'Leader of Onikage'. It was a pity that he could only be reunited with his family on the day of his father's funeral. Sasuke had made up his mind to work with his brother only to find their father's slayer. After that, they were willing to part ways like they had before. The reasons Itachi had left Onikage were unclear. Not even Fugaku knew the real reasons. Sasuke thought he at least deserved a reason; at least before his passing…
On the third day after the wedding, Sasuke's mother called the newly weds over the phone. They were staying at Sasuke's new house in California. For the past two days, living together as a married couple was awkward. Unlike before, words were barely spoken between Sasuke and Sakura. Sakura did not like the idea of having a wedding just after Fugaku's funeral, but Sasuke insisted on getting over and done with it.
"Hi Mikoto! How are you?" Sakura said into the phone.
"Yes honey, I'm fine. But what about you and Sasuke? Everything's good – I hope…"
"Of course…it's kind of awkward, but everything is fine," Sakura responded, hoping she said words that were convincing enough.
"That's good to hear. Itachi and I were talking…"Mikoto continued. She had been able to spend more time with her eldest son since her husband's passing. Even if Fugaku had taken away the privilege of seeing Itachi, she never wished for him to die. Mikoto was told that Fugaku died of a heart attack while he had an important meeting. Sasuke did not want her stress herself over worries and fear since her health was slowly deteriorating.
"…And we've decided that you and Sasuke should have a honeymoon," the widow said excitedly.
Sakura tried her best to object gently, giving excuses that Sasuke was too busy for such a thing, but to no avail. Sasuke was furious when Sakura broke the news to him. He immediately contacted Itachi who assured Sasuke that during his absence, some investigation of the murder would be done. After much convincing, Sasuke eventually gave in and in two days he and Sakura were set to leave for Japan for a honeymoon.
Sasuke and Sakura were both descendants of Japanese heritage. But even so, the beauty of the country; the culture and the people still amazed Sakura. When Sakura said, "This place is just breath-taking; so serene, don't you think, Sasuke?" Sasuke simply said, "I've been to Japan countless times. It's no surprise for me…"
She hated that Sasuke was so boring. Discarding Sasuke's monotonous attitude, Sakura let her gaze wander around, gaping at the beautiful surroundings of Kyoto, Japan. The place was irriguous; there were tall, straight patches of bamboo in neat arrays. Sakura – who preferred busy cities and the daily smell of rich, black coffee – never thought that nature could be so astoundingly picturesque.
The hotel they stayed at had the exterior of a shrine however the rooms were modernized. The walls were wooden but polished and exquisitely decorated with paintings of geisha and Japanese flowers. In the bedroom, there was a huge painting of a Sakura tree near a river – the flower from which Sakura was named after. Sakura remembered her mother telling her that it was her father who decided on that name. But he did not choose the name because Sakura was born with unusual pink hair – he chose it because of its symbolism. The Japanese Cherry Blossom was a flower that bloomed for a very short time – a beauty that did not last very long; one that needed to be cherished. The flower represented the evanescence of life, and to Riku, that concept itself was beautiful.
Her father had thought so much about her. He was an icy man whose emotions were – in the rarest moments – only shown to his wife when they were alone; so for him to put so much thought into what his daughter's name would be, it was clear that he really loved her. Sakura had forgiven him a long time ago, but she was certain that he had not forgiven her – for shattering his pride; tarnishing his reputation…
Her thoughts ceased when Sasuke said, "It's a possibility that your father is behind my father's murder…"
She could not believe she just heard those words. For a moment she forgot how to speak for her mind was wavering with doubt. It was a possibility, but then again why would Riku do such a thing. He was never a man known to destroy his enemy's family just for revenge. And she knew he would not do it for a trivial person such as herself, because she was certain that she had become exactly that after all she had done.
"And I believe you're wrong, Sasuke," she replied defensively.
"Hn…"
Sasuke was relieved to get a response out of her. She had just been sitting, staring at the painting on the wall, soundlessly. Suddenly her expression changed – she looked as if she was about to cry. That was the last thing he wanted to deal with on this so-called honeymoon, so he thought of a simple accusation that would bring her back to her senses. He watched as she unpacked her clothes into the wardrobe. Then he caught a glimpse of the name tag on the suitcase.
'Sakura Uchiha…'
It had a nice ring to it.
She was his wife. His.
Unconsciously, a smirk plastered across his lips as he watched her work, unaware of the thoughts running through his head; thoughts he never thought was possible to come to his mind. Surely he had slept with many women, but never had he felt this sense of possession. Knowing that she could only submit to him; be kissed by him; touched by him – it did great things to his pride; made it go up a notch.
"Sasuke, can you put these suitcases away somewhere for now?" he heard the petite woman ask and he snapped out of his egotistical contemplations…
After they had lunch, Sasuke said he wanted to meet his old Martial Arts teacher who lived nearby. He managed to convince her when he revealed that there was a waterfall where his teacher lived. Along the way, Sakura enquired about his training with Kenji Kuchiki – his sensei.
"When did you start training?"
"At four. My father had some business meetings here and brought me and Itachi," Sasuke answered.
"Oh…What type of Martial Arts did you perfect?"
"Jujutsu; Kenjutsu and Ninjutsu…"
It was surprising to Sakura that she could actually get Sasuke to converse with her like a normal person. That was what started her fiery belief that they could actually be together…as a husband and wife. She thought that maybe she could get him to start loving; to open up to her emotionally. She knew that it would be hard, but she was willing to try; and she was not going to rest until she broke that mask of his.
It had been two hours since they left the hotel. Sakura was beginning to feel tired. She was never accustomed to long drives. She yawned. Her eyes were becoming heavy. She felt a bit dazed…then slowly her mind was drifting, thinking of things that were not real; travelling to places she had never been. Then everything faded to an empty black. Somewhere in her sub consciousness, she felt an arm drape around her shoulders.
She smiled. She knew it was a dream…
Sasuke never thought Sakura would shut up. Ever since the trip began, she had been asking questions about his childhood. He did not even know why he bothered to answer them. Now she was asleep…like a child. Then, come to think of it, he did not even understand why he brought her along. It was a rare thing for him to be unsure of things. He realized that it happened only when the situation concerned Sakura, the woman he felt strangely obligated to hold as she drifted into a slumber.
Honestly, Sasuke did not want to be here. He wanted to be in Oakwood with Itachi, carrying out the investigation to his father's death. But how could he say no to his mother? Besides, it was best to agree with her to avoid suspicion.
Sakura awakened when they arrived at the home of Sasuke's sensei. Kuchiki Sensei was a man that looked around the age of his late forties who maintained an impassive façade. Sakura wondered if the Uchihas only associated themselves with people similar to themselves, but then she realized that Kuchiki Sensei was not entirely cold – he was rather affectionate to his Akita Inu who seemed to be his only companion in the lonely place.
When he spoke, his English was fluent and flawless.
"If my calculations are correct, you are twenty years old, Sasuke-san?" the man asked as he set the green tea on the table for his former student and Sakura.
"Hn…"
"I see. You haven't changed a bit – same speech and attitude. I trust that your formidability in Japanese Martial arts is the same as well Sasuke-san," Kuchiki said before sipping his tea.
"No…I've gotten better," Sasuke responded, his ego sounding in his tone like whispers.
"And who is this feminine beauty?" the teacher asked, taking a glance at Sakura.
Sasuke answered without even looking at her as if he were ashamed to have her in the presence of his teacher.
"Sakura Uchiha, my wife…"
Kuchiki congratulated them and when he heard of Fugaku's death, he expressed his condolences, uttering something in Japanese tongue. Sasuke surprised Sakura when he responded in Japanese. She never thought he would be the type to learn a foreign language and that he would consider it to be such a trivial thing in his life. It made her think of all the things she did not know about him – this man she called her husband. Kuchiki continued to enquire about Itachi and the rest of the Uchiha family. It was apparent that he was quite familiar with them.
After tea, Kuchiki took them outside where the waterfall flowed endlessly; free. For that, Sakura envied Kuchiki – not everyone was fortunate enough to have a waterfall or any grand piece of nature in their back yard.
Soon enough, it was time to leave. Kuchiki and Sasuke expressed silent goodbyes while Sakura just verbally thanked him for his hospitality. By the time they arrived home, it was already nightfall and Sakura was beyond tired. She felt drunk; could barely walk in a straight line. She began – Sasuke noticed – to babble in incorrect sentences about silly things. He had to help her up the stairs and onto the bed. Then, he quietly got under the covers of his side of the bed and willed himself to sleep…
On the third day of their honeymoon, Sasuke and Sakura visited the Okinawa beach on Izena Island. Sasuke hated the idea, but refused to hear her utter another annoying plea, resulting in his surrender. Since their visit was not part of their planned schedule, Sasuke did not have time to arrange for a beach house or any other form of luxurious accommodation, but Sakura promised that they would not stay very long.
Sakura enjoyed walking along the shore, feeling the water and damp sand beneath her feet. It was like soft, wet carpet – very soothing. She did not feel so relaxed in a long time and with Sasuke walking right beside her, she felt safe and secured like she did from her father, when she decided to take refuge at the Uchiha Manor. She detested the fact that she had been thinking of her father so often lately. Surely she loved him, but that was before he tried to kill her. Even so, she felt to some extent, guilty that she must have brought disrepute to her family by eloping, but then again it was for her survival.
Sakura wondered for a moment if her father regretted his actions, his arrogance and abusive attitude toward her that night. A part of her hoped that somewhere in his soul, he still loved her…
Sasuke could not help the feeling of being watched as he strolled along behind Sakura. There was a piercing feeling to the right side of his head for one minute, and then it was gone. And then an odd color of red on Sakura's lilac shirt caught his eye…
The last thing Sakura remembered was being pushed onto the wet sand at the sound of an earsplitting rattle, echoing throughout the sky.
"What's going on? Sasuke? Are you alright?" Sakura asked frantically soon after recovering from the shock. People had already started screaming and scampering away.
"Someone just tried to assassinate us…we need to get out of here now," Sasuke replied as he quickly helped Sakura onto her feet.
They did not go back to their hotel after leaving the island. Instead, they spent a sleepless night at an inn in a small town called Sakihime, near the coast. Sasuke discreetly kept watch while Sakura tried to calm herself by taking a shower.
The Uchiha had a gut feeling that Sakura was not meant to be the main target, judging by the movements of the laser beam that would have guided that assassin's aim.
He needed to talk to Itachi, feeling as though what happened earlier was somehow related to their father's business.
Sasuke leaned off the bedroom wall and walked towards the bathroom. Then after banging on the door three times with his fist, he said to his wife, "Be prepared to leave Japan tomorrow, Sakura"…
xXXXx
PRESENTLY
Itachi waited for little Kagerou to exit the ward before going back in again. He felt like he was going insane. Since Sakura had been in the hospital, he had sleepless nights and felt edgy during the day. He found it hard to eat anything and concentrating was as difficult as grasping a shadow. Inside he felt hollow; not hungry, no hunger was impossible to be felt and even if he forced himself to eat, the food seemed tasteless.
He looked at the pale woman lying on the bed, on life support.
Massaging his temple, he said to her, "My brother was a man with a hard heart…and that worsened after father died. And through your marriage to Sasuke, I've realized just how strong you are – for putting up with his arrogance; with a relationship that lacked the love of a husband. But then, you did something that highlighted an even greater strength – you changed him: you gave him a beautiful daughter, a little piece of you and him and in doing that you made him see the world differently; you made him open his eyes so that he could see you and respect you for what you did for him. And…I believe that has never changed about you…so please, continue to fight…"
Itachi did not even realize that tears were streaming down his face until he saw his reflection on the glass door before leaving the room. Quickly, he wiped them away and hesitated to leave for a moment.
"Your strength is so great you can reduce one of the most powerful men in this country, to nothing…"
He muttered those words, clenching his fist as if to fight back a frustrated cry…and then he left…
Sasuke dished out Kagerou's lunch and placed it before her on the large dining table and made his way upstairs to his room.
Fighting to keep Sakura out of his mind, he grabbed his towel at the last minute decision to refresh himself, when some writing on a notepad caught his sight.
They were a list of names – Ayame…Kagome…Aoi…Sano…Mifune…Kikyo… and they were written in Sakura's handwriting. It did not take long for him to realize that the list was a suggestion of names of what she wanted to call the child that was growing inside of her.
'She was hiding everything from me…'
Flinging the towel aside with a frustrated grunt, Sasuke slopped down on the bed with his face in his hands. He blamed Sakura, mostly, for his loss, but there was another silhouette in front of the fire – another person responsible for the cause of the destruction…
'Orochimaru…now I remember…'
A/N: Hello guys! I know it's been a very long time and this chapter doesn't even begin to make up for the long wait. I had a little free-time in my hands, so I managed to finish up this chapter. However, I didn't get a chance to proof-read, so I apologize for all the errors you must have encountered. Also, I want to thank you all for sticking with me and putting up with my lack of dedication to the story, but I do happen to have very understandable reasons (laughs)…
I can't say exactly when the other update is going to be, but I'm certain that starting from 13th June, you'll get frequent updates since my exams will be over…
Once again, thank you guys!
-Izzie
P.S: 503+ 15 = 518 reviews. I really love feedback from my readers; let me know what you guys think of this chapter. XD
