Well, this is coming along great. Trust me, there is plenty of this story left for all of you to endure. It's not even close to being done!
Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me. Sadly.
Haha, it brings absolute glee in my heart that so many of you are in favor for the Jiraiya/Tsunade pairing. Because I'm so happy, I'll see if I can find a way to imply it, though I can't guarantee that it will be in this chapter.
The song I used is 'Never too late' by Three Days Grace. I highly recommend that you listen to the song through the whole chapter. Just keep it on repeat ;P. So pull out that i-pod or bring up your iTunes and listen!
I sentence you…
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Two weeks since Sasuke killed Kabuto
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"How has Naruto been doing?"
Turning around, the former Hokage of the village smiled. "Not horrible. It could be worse I guess. Shizune is with him right now, helping him out. He's been doing okay so far."
Sakura frowned, her leg bouncing on the floor anxiously. Tsunade had forced her to take a break and she was just too eager to work. She held the cup of tea between her hands, the cup half full. "Just okay? He hasn't done anything wrong has he? Does he need more help? He's not destroying this place is he?"
"Sakura, calm down. We're talking about a boy who is going from missions to sitting at a desk and filling out papers. He's been talking to the Kazekage and asking him for advice. I can tell he's nervous, but I think he's more excited than anything." Sakura didn't look assured that Naruto was doing fine with his job. She was worried about him, more than she should be. "More importantly, how have you been?"
Sakura stared hard into her tea cup. She knew the truth, but she didn't want to show her distress. That was her plan; don't let anyone know just how bad she was feeling. She kept a busy body act on the outside, working and training harder than ever to make people think that she was just very occupied in her work. Inside she was a jumbled mess. Nothing was set right, everything was broken. But she wouldn't let anyone in on that. She would keep up her little charade for who knows how long.
"I've been alright." she answered half-heartedly. She never looked up at her teacher but knew that the expression on the older woman face couldn't be good. She knew that it would be more convincing to smile at Tsunade, but her lips wouldn't curve upwards.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I don't believe you." She said. "Sakura it's been nearly a month since he's gone. You've changed and something is still wrong. Talk to me."
Sakura didn't know how to answer now. She really just wished that everyone would stop fussing over her so much. It made her feel like a child who couldn't care for herself. Did she really look that down? Sure she could smile more often, but that just wouldn't be happening anytime soon.
"There isn't much to say you know." The pink haired medic said miserably. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed, elbows sinking onto the tabletop. "I mean, what are you supposed to feel after being used? Having someone you love just up and leave after you thought things were getting better? I think I'm acting appropriately."
True, she was acting appropriately. And most people responded to these types of things differently. Some just broke down, refused to communicate and locked themselves away from the world. Some became angry, blowing up over any little thing. Or some acted as Sakura was, working their butts off to keep occupied.
"I can't help but be worried Sakura. I knew that this would affect you but I don't know the extent of anything. I want to help but you're making it hard! Don't tell me everything is okay when I know very well that it's not!" Tsunade couldn't keep her voice down and she didn't care if she caught the attention from anyone in the hallways. She was getting frustrated by the girl's stubborn behavior and she was determined to get answers. As she looked upon her students face she could easily see that she was not going to get an answer. Her face was nearly unreadable, but Tsunade could see some for of guilt.
Sakura pushed her tea away, loosing all interest in finishing it. "I have to get back to work." She mumbled quietly and stood up, hurrying out the door.
The door slammed hard behind Tsunade but the woman never flinched. She glared sadly at the half drunk cup and sighed. Nothing seemed to go right in the girl's life. She had been through so much; it seemed like a miracle that she was even still standing. She wondered, what gave that girl the willpower to even get out of bed each day? It was unbelievable how strong she was mentally, but suddenly there were cracks forming. And the blonde didn't know what she could use to fix them. How long could Sakura really go on for?
Standing up in defeat she knew she couldn't ignore her own work either. She opened the door and walked back into the busy halls of the hospital, mind too clouded to think of anything she was supposed to do, too clouded to see the brunette running up to her in a hurry.
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"After you finish this Naruto-sama, we have to prepare more missions to assign." Shizune said as she filed more papers that now bared Naruto's signature. It wasn't the neatest, but it was legible.
Naruto let out a long breath, set his pen down and shook his right hand a bit. It ached slightly and he wanted all of the papers to disappear. It had been just over a week since he started working and he was amazed by all of the papers he had to sign. He had been so happy at the initiation ceremony, but then he hadn't known the extent of work he had to do. It was tiring. How were the Kage's able to this?
"Oi, can't we take a break. This is killing my hand." He complained, his head thumping down into the desk. Gaara had warned him about the paper work. He had just laughed and said that the redhead was delusional, but now he wasn't laughing. Gaara had glared at him and walked off, but now he could mock the blonde all he wanted. He was always right.
"You've have three breaks today already. And it's only ten thirty." Shizune said and took the new freshly signed papers. "You were warned that this wouldn't be easy Naruto-sama."
Naruto's nose scrunched up cutely at the suffix at the end of his name. It was absolutely strange to hear, it had a foreign sound to it. "You don't have to add the –sama. It sounds weird." He commented and began to read over the last document. A proposition to start a Kunoichi's Association. Heh, sounded like something Anko would write out for. Eh, what harm could come from it?
As he started to sign the paper and knock sounded at the closed door. Both occupants of the room stared at the door for a moment. "Come in." Naruto spoke in an authoritative voice, something he had recently picked up. He really did love the feeling of power that the had. Though that wasn't his main goal as Hokage, it was a nice touch.
The door began to swing open and the first thing Naruto saw was three men. All three, he knew personally. He noticed their positioning, the one in the middle seemed to be being held tight by the other two at his sides. His head was down, he had never looked at Naruto and his bangs fell in front of his face.
Kakashi was the first to speak. "We found something when we were up at the Uchiha estate."
Genma yanked on the captives arm. "We went to find a medical textbook that Sakura had left there, after she asked Kakashi to get it nearly two weeks ago." He sent a half glare in the jounin's direction. "But yes, this is what we found."
Naruto gave the last man one of the coldest looks he had given anyone. The hate that had been building up within him seemed to start to leak out. He wanted to bitch the man out, to scream at him and make him feel the suffering others had felt since he had gone. It was a hot pool in his stomach that continually built up and he could felt the pure hate course through his veins.
He didn't know what to say. Only venomous words formed on his tongue. But rather he didn't know what to do. "Sasuke." He breathed, now hating that he had to be put in position to make the decision. The man deserved a good punishment. He couldn't be let off as easy as he was last time. That obviously hadn't taught him anything. So what was he to do? How was he supposed to sentence the man who was supposed to be his best friend?
Upon hearing his name the raven haired one looked up. If he was surprised to see Naruto sitting behind the desk then he didn't show it. His face was blank and pale. He looked sickly in a way, not like his usual self. It was apparent that he needed medical attention, and to Naruto that came first. Help, then punishment.
Shizune had obviously noticed the same thing, her medic instincts kicking in. She was looking at Sasuke with a worried expression and her finger itched to help him. Naruto glanced over at the woman briefly. "Shizune, can you ask Baa-chan to prepare a room for the Teme?" Despite his will to help the man, the words had a nasty bite to them.
"Hai." She replied quickly and dashed out the door without another word.
Naruto glared heatedly in Sasuke's direction. "Where have you been asshole!" he finally shouted, not able to keep everything inside any longer. He was furious, beyond that. This bastard hurt his precious Sakura-chan and dear Kami would he pay. Leaving without a word? Did he think he was a God or something, someone who could do as he please and never thought that he would get in trouble?
Sasuke tugged his arms out of Kakashi and Genma's grips then crossed them over his chest. He glared at the floor at the stock of books that had yet to be moved for Tsunade. He was having a hard time registering that it was the kid sitting in the chair and not the old hag. Had he really been gone for that long? Whatever, that wasn't the matter at hand. He was back and he had one thing he wanted to do.
"Where's Sakura?" he asked in a harsh, weak voice that sounded nothing like him. Naruto gave him a curious look when he heard the tone. How sick was this guy?
"No." Surprising, Naruto hadn't opened his mouth. Instead it was the brown haired man who said this. Genma bit down on the senbon in his mouth, determined not to shove it through the man's ear. He glared furiously at him, holding onto whatever control he had left. "I'm sure she doesn't want to see you, and personally I don't want you to."
Sasuke scoffed at the man's possessiveness. Who was he to decide anything? Up to this point, Sasuke was still confused about the relationship between Genma and Sakura. "You're not in any position to decide if I can see her." He said heatedly.
"I have every damn right!" Genma shouted. Kakashi made a smart move and stepped between the two others, trying to prevent punches from being thrown.
"Genma calm down." He said calmly. His friend looked at him, as if he had been betrayed.
"Come one Kakashi! You've seen how Sakura's been; there is no way you wouldn't want to kill him!" He argued. He wanted, so badly, to hurt the Uchiha. To bring him immense pain so that he could feel only a sliver of what Sakura has felt. He wanted the man to live in anguish, just to pay the price.
"Kill is taking it a bit far Genma." Kakashi said. "But I do believe that he deserves some punishment for the pain he has invoked. But punishment," the man said, now turning his head up to the new Rokudaime, "isn't for us to decide."
Naruto glared at the desk, his head in his hands. What was he to do now? Sasuke demanded to see Sakura. Of course he would allow that unless Sakura truly wanted to talk to him. Then there was the fact that he had to punish his 'best friend.' How was anyone supposed to do that?
Suddenly the blonde's fists slammed down onto the desk, causing papers to rustle and his pen to roll off the side. He didn't bother to pick it up. "Damnit Sasuke." He hissed angrily. His mind was jumbled and he could think of what to do. He needed help, but he wasn't getting any. Then again, he was the Hokage. He had to do this, with or without help.
The door opened, no knocking necessary. Tsunade strode in with a face that said it all. She was in the mood to kill. She walked right past the three men and they could all swear that there was an unnatural chill when she walked by. All three looked off in different directions.
"Finally decided to show up?" she asked, not facing any of them. She stared out the window, her face hard, and her hands behind her back, fingers gently laced together. She received no reply, something she expected.
Tsunade turned around. "Where the hell did you go Uchiha, and you better have a good excuse!"
At first Sasuke said nothing and the room fell silent, everyone else waited impatiently to hear what he had to say. If he had anything to say. Sasuke knew that he was in dangerous territory now. How would they react if he told them his story though? Would they believe him? He was doing this for Sakura, and he knew she would get hurt. He didn't intend to hurt her, just protect her. But would they take that as a valid excuse?
"Out." He stated simply.
"Bastard! That's not what we want to know! You have a good reason for leaving for a month! Where were you?" Naruto shouted, standing up from his chair.
Sasuke resisted the urge to sigh. That would make things even worse. They would think he didn't care about anything. Really, he would tell them all eventually but at the moment he wanted to talk to Sakura. Fix things that he knew needed to be mended.
So he kept shut.
The room filled with silence. Multiple eyes glared at Sasuke who stared at the floor before him. He had no desire to start a glare war with anyone. He felt horrible at the moment, weaker than he normally felt. He knew there was something wrong with him and the wound that Kabuto had inflicted on him was infected. He hadn't taken care of it properly. He was swaying on his feet slightly.
Naruto slowly inched back down into his chair. He had finally, after glaring at Sasuke for so long, remembered that the man needed medical attention. "Go get healed at the hospital and we'll talk later. If Sakura allows you to talk to her, she's more than likely there." He said grumpily, once again setting his head on his hand. "Ne, Baa-chan?"
Icily, Tsunade nodded. "I'll take him there." She said coldly and walked forward towards the door.
"I'll join you. I'll take Sakura home. She never came back last night, so I'm sure she needs to rest." That plus the fact that he had to make sure Sasuke got to the hospital still alive. Whether he dropped dead (which he was sure Tsunade would just leave him on the side of the road if he did) or if the woman inflicted any causes of death upon him, he wanted to be there to stop it.
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Sakura was a busy body, constantly on the move throughout the hospital. Checking on patients, helping the other nurses, taking short breaks so she could grab a quick cup of coffee from the break room or steal a sugar and carb induced snack from the vending machine. She couldn't stop, no matter what her body said to her.
So when she found Kakashi walking up to her, strangely, in the hallways she knew that the answer she was going to give him would obvious be a 'no.'
"Sakura." The man said when he had reached her. She had a half eaten energy bar in one hand and her clipboard in another. "You really should come home with me and rest."
Obvious. "No." she said, trying not to sound bratty or selfish. She was doing this for herself, working for herself. Keeping her mind set and free from horrible intruding thoughts.
"Well, at least come with me. Someone wants to talk to you. He's getting treated, but I'm sure you can step in." the jounin looked at her intently, waiting to see if she would go with him or turn around claiming she was too busy to visit someone.
Hesitantly she took a step in his direction. "Who?" she asked.
Knowing she wouldn't react well if he told her, he simply said, "A friend."
Sakura looked at his back suspiciously. Kakashi came to get her to see a friend? That was unreal, especially if it was any of her friends. And if it was Naruto or Sai he would say so. So who could he mean? Who was waiting in one of the rooms, wanting to talk to her?
She had a good idea though. And no, she didn't want to see him. But she had to. She had to face him because they always said;
you have to face your fears to get over them.
Still, she knew that there was that chance that it wasn't him. And again she couldn't imagine who it could be. What if something bad happened? What if they were horribly injured or deathly sick all of a sudden? The thought made her cringe inwardly, not liking to think of any of her friends hurt.
They reached the room and Kakashi stopped. He stepped to the side, allowing Sakura to walk in first. But the girl hesitated. She peeked in through the small window of the door but couldn't see who was in the bed due to the nurse blocking her view. It took a few moments in which Sakura was growling in her head for the woman to move. Then the nurse did move and she could see his unhappy face perfectly clear.
And then it all went out the door. Facing your fears be damned! She could feel her emotions lump up in her throat. Her stomach tightened and she felt relived, yet at the same time angry as hell. She twisted the sapphire engagement ring that sat on her pink uncomfortably. She didn't want to go in there. She couldn't face him just yet. She wasn't ready; she had no time to prepare herself. To make sure she was mentally prepared.
Slowly she backed away from the door. "I can't." she whispered pathetically. She wanted to turn, to run off. Cold chills washed over her, freezing her from the inside out. "I don't want to see him."
Kakashi had expected two things. The first would be this kind of reaction, her unwillingness to talk to him. The other was her storming right into the room and beating the shit out of him. "You really should Sakura. This is something you have to do." He spoke in a fatherly tone. He knew she wouldn't listen, but there was no point in not trying. He did truly believe that she should talk to him. Either solve things between them or move on.
"I can't Kakashi." She whispered again. No tears were forming in her eyes but the way her voice sounded, you would think she was already crying. She turned to face the man, giving him a pleading look. "I'll go home with you now, just don't make me go in there." She pleaded. She didn't want to see him.
Sighing loudly, Kakashi inclined his head slightly. "Alright Sakura. But at some point you are going to have to talk to him."
Sakura nodded in a silent agreement and began to walk off, not liking the feeling of being so close to him. She couldn't believe it though. He had come back.
For once, he kept his promise.
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It had been two days since Sasuke's arrival. Sakura hadn't been seen around the hospital which came to many of the nurse's surprise. It was strange not having the pink haired girl taking over their duties and skipping out on work. She had been a workaholic this past month, so her absence became something to talk about.
Meanwhile, Sasuke had the okay to leave the hospital. He simply had gotten sick because of the infected wounds. After being observed for any other problems and taking plenty of antibiotics he was allowed to leave.
Grumpily he had sat up in his bed and thrown the sheets off of himself. He still hadn't talked to Sakura and it frustrated him. Time was being wasted and whenever he had asked for her, no one would say anything.
"I'll escort you to Hokage-sama's office." Shizune said with a nervous glance towards him. She felt uneasy being around the Uchiha by herself. His blank expression was uncomfortable, though not creepy like Sai's. She could tell he was not at all happy, but she had never really seen him in a good mood.
When they were walking down the hallways towards the office, loud voices could be heard, progressively getting louder as they approached the door. Shizune sighed when she heard that one of the voices belonged to her former teacher. She hadn't been keeping tract of the woman like she should be, and it seemed that she was going to have to up the monitoring.
She knocked on the door, loudly so it was able to be heard, but with a gentle force that abided to her nature. She was a soft spoken woman and her actions reflected on that.
The door was opened and a smirking Jiraiya stepped aside so that the two could enter. Once Shizune moved past the man she was greeted with the sight of Naruto, his head on the desk with both of his hands covering it, and Tsunade, over towering him with her fists shaking.
"They're having…punishment discussions." Jiraiya said. Walked over to his old teammate and took hold of her shaking fists, forcing it out of the balled up position and willing her to calm down. "We have company." He said to her.
Looking up, her face flushed, she narrowed her eyes, and she pouted slightly. Her teeth were clenched together and she stiffly moved away from the desk and over to the window.
Naruto picked his head up. His eyes looked tired and worn out. He was confused as to what to do at the moment when he saw Sasuke. He knew he had to do it, but it just seemed like too much. What Tsunade had suggested was going a bit over the top, but then again, it seemed reasonable. Even though Naruto was pissed at Sasuke for everything he had done, he was still his friend whether Sasuke thought so or not.
"Don't go easy on him because he's your friend Naruto!"
Tsunade had shouted that at him. And he knew she was right. He couldn't let any bonds get in the way of his decision. He just wasn't ready yet though. He needed more time to think. And they still needed the whole story from Sasuke.
Looking up, Naruto's eyes met Sasuke's briefly. At that moment, he could have sworn he saw something different about Sasuke. He couldn't pinpoint it, but there was just something. The look wasn't cold, or not as cold as it used to be. There was something, some light in his eye.
The blonde's stomach clenched in discomfort.
"You can either tell us what happened right here, or I'm sending you in for interrogation." He growled as his eyes wandered off to the two pictures on his desk. The old team seven and the new. It made him wonder why he had such a dysfunction team. They weren't kooky like team Gai. Instead they were the broken team, the heartbroken team that just couldn't seem to get anything right in their personal lives.
There was a long pause. Shizune had long since left, having to go back to work for herself and filling in for Tsunade. The latter was glaring at the avenger, her arms crossed and her hands gripping dangerously at the skin on her arms. She felt tense as can be and was keeping herself in check, knowing that killing Sasuke wouldn't make anything better. She knew Naruto would go soft on the man, but she didn't agree to it. He had deliberately broken her rules, left the village illegally, and had hurt her student. The girl she had come to think of as her own.
Jiraiya could feel the angry pulse in Tsunade's chakra. He had his hand on the small of her back, moving it gently in a soothing motion. Though his face was hard, his eyes narrowed in Sasuke's direction. He didn't know Sasuke personally, but there was no mistake about it. He could see his last teammate in the man. The eyes that had once held nothing but drive for power. The act of doing whatever he could to gain said power. Leaving the village and calling his home pathetic. He didn't like it once bit.
Sasuke knew it was time. "Fine." He spoke finally. Smoothly, without hitch he relayed his story, his purpose for leaving, to kill Kabuto. He said nothing about wanting to protect Sakura, knowing that they would roll their eyes and say he was just a liar. He informed them that the man was indeed dead, and that he was one less problem to deal with.
None of their looks changed besides the fact that Naruto was now looking at him. He finished off on a note of finality and then closed his mouth, having nothing more to say.
It took a good couple of minutes, the new information registering in each other their heads. "Why didn't you tell us this before?" Naruto asked in a hushed tone.
Not having an answer, Sasuke shrugged his shoulders.
"So…Kabuto is dead." Tsunade stated flatly. His eyes trailed down off of Sasuke and to the floor where they zoned out of reality. Sasuke said nothing.
Unable to take it, Naruto reacted by shouted randomly. "You make this so difficult!" Now how was he supposed to punish the man knowing he did something that was beneficial?
"Sasuke, you never stated why you had gone to kill Kabuto." Jiraiya said, finally responding.
"He had sent those men who attacked Sakura so they could find me. He obviously wanted me for something, so instead of having trouble caused for the village I went to him. It seemed that he had planed on killing me, but I turned the tables on him."
It was half true and believable.
The Rokudaime was finally fed up. "Teme I have no idea what to do with you! How can I trust you? You had said you wouldn't leave, but you defiled Baa-chan's orders and left anyways! There is no trust there! How do I know you aren't going to run out? Obviously your word won't account for it! And what will you do now? How can I be sure that you won't run out to escape punishment? How can I be sure that you won't run out every time that there is a threat to you?
"And you don't think do you? What about how you leaving will affect those around you! The people who care for you? Sakura-chan teme! You have no idea what she's been like! I swear she's like a zombie! She works and barely talks! It's your fault bastard! You did this!"
His breathing was harsh and he had knocked his chair over when he stood up. His fists were balled, his nails digging into his palm hard enough to draw blood. He had to control his anger though. If he got to angry, then the Kyuubi will begin to leak out, taking advantage of his state of mind.
Sasuke wanted nothing more than to walk right out of the room. Naruto had hit the nail on the head, every word making its mark. He was right and there was no point in denying it.
"I have no choice." Naruto said his voice now calm with lingering venom. It quavered slightly with the next few words, sounding as though he wanted to cry. "Sasuke, you are to be kept locked up in the police headquarters prison until I have called for you to trial."
And that was his final word.
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Genma gently opened the door to Kakashi's room, seeing the small lump hidden beneath the covers. Despite the time of the day (nearing nighttime) he had a mission to leave on soon. His team would be gone for a long time and he wanted to make sure that he saw Sakura before he left, whether she was awake or not.
He pushed past the door and quietly crept into the room. The poor girl had been in bed for half the day, just sleeping or staring blankly at the ceiling. Or she would keep herself busy with a textbook, practicing techniques that she found in there.
He sat on the edge of the bed, right where he knees bent. He knew that she wasn't fully asleep. He smiled and brushed the hair from her face. She had to have been having a good dream because there was a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. With a gentle voice he cooed out to her. "Hey."
She didn't move at first.
"Sakura." He shook her shoulder a bit.
She began to stir, groaning from being disturbed. Her emerald eyes opened, blinking a few times as the remaining sleeping sand fell.
"I have a mission to go on. I won't be back for a while." He said. That caught the girl's attention and she sat up. "You'll be okay with just Kakashi here with you?"
She didn't say a word nor did she nod.
Genma frowned. He could help but worry about her. He had grown to love the girl like a little sister. He hated how she had been over the past month and he couldn't do anything but be there for her. But for him, it just wasn't enough.
He dared to ask, wanting to have a serious talk with her before he left, "You haven't talked to Sasuke have you?"
She shook her head no, sinking back further under the covers. Genma chuckled and pulled the sheets back down. "Well, no matter how much I hate to say it, you really should. Even if you don't want to." His voice level dropped. "Even if it hurts Sakura, it would be for the best. Shizune told me he kept asking for you."
She still didn't utter a word, having nothing to say that responded to his suggestion. Still, she knew he was right.
Genma leaned down and kissed the girl's cheek. "Just try it, please. I hate seeing you so down because of a guy. And you might want to do something before I wring his neck." He chuckled softly and stood up off the bed. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
Just as he was about to leave her voice reached out to him. "Please be careful."
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He had been stripped down, checked over for any weaponry, had a drab grey prison uniform shoved at him, had a chakra suppression bracelet slapped on his wrist, and was led, in a pair of handcuffs to his cell.
He felt weak, he felt horrible, and he felt like a real criminal. What shocked him the most was that the one person he had considered a friend had put him there. He knew he deserved punishment, but he had never expected this.
Four days after Sasuke had been placed in jail he could already feel his sanity run thin. Possibly from his cellmate who had the constant need to announce his presence with boisterous words. He, like Sasuke, was awaiting trial for something Sasuke hadn't bothered to listen to. He simply lied on his bed facing the wall and willed his self to drown out the annoying voice.
"Uchiha Sasuke."
Great, what did they want from him now? Weren't they were making him miserable enough? Perhaps it was to announce his trial date. He didn't bother to move and he heard the clang of keys as the door was unlocked and opened.
"You have a visitor. Come with me." The guard said his voice deep and coarse. Sasuke rolled over and stood up off the bed. He was put into handcuffs and taken from his cell. He had no idea who had come to visit him. And at this point he was too miserable to care.
He was led through the hallways and to a room that they used for visitors. Here, they allowed the inmates and the visitors their own space to talk face-to-face under heavy supervision from the side walls. Tables were lined up for the people to sit. There were a few occupants already.
The cuffs were taken off of Sasuke when he and the large guard were in the room. The guard pocketed the handcuffs and directed Sasuke in the direction of someone sitting alone at the end of one of the tables.
Sasuke sat down across from his visitor, his face hard. "You two have fifteen minutes." The guard said to them both. "No shouting, no foul language, and no physical contact." He gave Sasuke a look and back away to stand guard at the door with his partners.
Sasuke looked forward at Sakura who was pointedly avoiding his gaze. She looked down at her hands that were laced together rather than his eyes. "I heard you wanted to talk to me." She said very quietly.
Up until now, Sasuke had never thought of what he was going to say to her. He had always been concerned with seeing her. He knew he had to tell her of his feelings, but he found it hard to come right out a say it. Even if he was a direct action person, he couldn't find it within himself to do it. And he had to fix this problem, the one that he started.
Unknowingly, his eyes had been focused on the ring on her pinky. "You kept it." He said as his eyes burned into the ring. That was a good sign at least.
Sakura followed his look to the ring and placed her hands flat against the table. "Yes."
Words failed them both now, and the awkwardness of the silence made Sakura begin to doubt about coming here.
This world will never be
What I expected
And if I don't belong
Who would have guessed it
"Sakura," Sasuke began, not able to take the silence. It was nice after staying with his cellmate, but between him and Sakura it was a sign that nothing was being accomplished. "I know it isn't enough, but I'm sorry about leaving." The words sounded unusual coming from his mouth but he pressed on, not caring. "I know I hurt you, but I had a reason for leaving. I was just trying to keep you safe."
All senses returned to Sakura and she felt the hot anger flood her body. "Safe?" she snorted. "Safe? I sure as hell felt safe coming home to an empty house!" her words were quite yet sharp. "You left me alone for my own good, yet it did more damage than you had expected I'm sure."
I will not leave alone
Everything that I own
To make you feel like it's not too late
It's never too late
Sasuke bowed his head very slightly. Just like Naruto days before, her words were perfect. They were right. He had no excuse. "I know. But I couldn't help the feeling of insecurity. I wanted to hurt the ones who hurt you and at the same time keep you safe. Sakura I…"
Even if I say
It'll be alright
Still I hear you say
You want to end your life
Now and again we try
To just stay alive
Maybe we'll turn it around
'Cause it's not too late
It's never too late
"I just don't understand though. I thought everything was better between us. I thought you were actually starting to…to like me. Maybe I was just stupid? I don't know anymore, but you just up and left without a word." her voice shook but she refused to sound weak. She refused to shed anymore tears for him. It just wouldn't happen. He didn't deserve any tears.
No one will ever see
This side reflected
And if there's something wrong
Who would have guessed it
"I understand. I'm sorry okay?"
And I have left alone
Everything that I own
To make you feel like
It's not too late
It's never too late
She glared at him. "Sorry doesn't cut it. You have no idea how bad you hurt me. You don't deserve to be forgiven Sasuke!" Her voice was louder than she meant for it to be.
Sasuke could feel the eyes of the guard glaring daggers at his back. He didn't care if they were louder than they should be. Screw the rules.
"Sakura, listen to me. I'm sorry for what I've done. I just want to fix this alright. I didn't mean to hurt you as badly as I have. I mean why would I purposely hurt the one I love?"
Sakura looked to be in shock. Her mouth hung open slightly. Her eyes were wide and she didn't know how to respond. "W-what?" she couldn't believe what he had just said.
Even if I say
It'll be alright
Still I hear you say
You want to end your life
Now and again we try
To just stay alive
"Sakura, I love you."
Maybe we'll turn it around
'Cause it's not too late
It's never too late
Sakura backed her chair away from the table slightly and gave Sasuke a look of curiosity mixed with confusion. "Why are you saying that Sasuke? You don't love me." She shook her head.
He had never predicted this reaction from her. "I do Sakura. I didn't realize it until recently, but I really do love you." He sounded out of character with his somewhat pleading tone of voice. He was begging her to believe him.
The world we knew
Won't come back
The time we've lost
Can't get back
The life we had
Won't be ours again
"No. You're just saying that. The Sasuke I know isn't capable of loving anyone, especially me. Onegai…Sasuke, please stop trying to use me." Now she sounded like she wanted to cry. She was confused from the sudden behavior. Though he seemed sincere with his words she was having a hard time in believing them.
This world will never be
What I expected
And if I don't belong
Even if I say
It'll be alright
Still I hear you say
You want to end your life
Now and again we try
To just stay alive
Maybe we'll turn it around
'Cause it's not too late
It's never too late
Suddenly she stood up from the table. "I should go." She said rushed. Before turning to leave she said, "Your trial has been scheduled. It's in six days." She said breathlessly and took her leave quickly.
Sasuke sat at the table and watched her leave, her pink hair swinging down her back as she walked with hurried steps to leave. He couldn't believe that she didn't believe him. It shouldn't shock him as bad as it did. She had valid reasons not to believe him, but he had never thought of it. She had always seemed to be the type to openly accept any form of love he showed. And him pledging his newfound love should have her jumping for joy!
Gruffly, the guard shuffled towards him taking the handcuffs out.
But Sasuke wasn't ready to leave. He wanted Sakura to come back. He wanted her to run back to him, to return to his arms and for everything to go back to how they were supposed to be. He really had fucked up this time and now it seemed like change for the better was impossible.
Maybe we'll turn it around
'Cause it's not too late
It's never too late (It's never too late)
It's not too late
It's never too late
------------
Six days later Sasuke found himself standing before his friend in a small court room. The room was empty aside for Kakashi, Sakura, Sai, and Tsunade, all out of their normal ninja attire and dressed appropriately. Usually they had a judge for court issues, but Naruto insisted that he did this. He made the decision and he wanted to announce it.
Sakura sat between Sai and Kakashi, gripping both of their hands tightly. She was having trouble getting over Sasuke's confession and she could feel the pain in her heart as she watched the love of her life being sentenced.
Naruto choked down the rancid feeling in his throat as he announced the punishment. His hands reached for the small gabble the resided on the judge's desk before him. After his announcement he slammed it down.
"Uchiha Sasuke. You are being sentenced for defiling the Godaime's orders and taking an illegal leave from the village. How do you plead?" he said professionally. Despite the professionalism, the raw emotion leaked out with his words and it was obvious he was having a hard time.
Sasuke said that one word. "Guilty."
Sakura suddenly gripped Kakashi and Sai's hands even harder.
"Then I herby sentence you to three months confinement in the police task force prison."
BANG.
So how do you like it? I think I did a pretty good job! It came out how I wanted. Now keep reading to find out what is in store for everyone!