WHEREVER YOU ARE

Haruno Sakura, daughter to one of Konoha's heroes. Uchiha Sasuke, Chuunin, who might just be more of a disgrace to his Clan than his brother. Sakura knew going on this mission with him would be a mistake. That she would fall in love with him all over again, and the worst part was - she was right.

Road to Ninja Universe. SasuSaku.

Chapter 28 – What's Done Is Done
"It's taking me over,

Like rain in the sun,
I don't understand it,

But what's done is done."

The next few days went by in a flurry of document signing, meeting with Fire Country delegates and dealing with Konoha's rebuild project. It was easy for Sakura to avoid…well, everyone. She'd made an office in Konoha's intelligence building while the repairs for the Hokage Tower were still underway. The meeting with the Tsuchikage was also rapidly approaching and while she was a Jounin, Sakura knew very little about diplomacy. On top of that, the texts on the Rinnegan were supposed to arrive during the day. Sakura felt like her feet would never touch solid ground again, she just kept going and going. Keeping busy was…easier. Easier than reliving what had happened between her, Mikoto and Black Zetsu.

The pen dropped from her fingers and Shizune looked up from where she was reading some documents. Sakura frowned down at her hands. They were shaking visibly and she clenched and unclenched them a few times. It did nothing to help.
After a moment, Shizune stood, saying something about getting tea but when she opened the door she seemed to hesitate outside and then quickly closed the door behind her. Sakura heard hushed voices outside and she stood, sneaking softly towards the door.
"….can't keep me from seeing her."
Sakura's heart did a little flop in her chest and she squeezed her eyes shut.
"Now….Now just isn't a good time, Sasuke." Shizune said. "Sakura is extremely busy and can't afford any distractions."
"Is that what she's saying, or you?" he challenged and Sakura knew that tone all too well. He wasn't about to let this go.
"Does it matter?" Shizune threw back, mimicking his tone. "Sakura has a lot of catching up to do. She'll send for you. Coming here every day won't change that. You have to wait."
Every day? Sakura reached for the doorknob but all she could see was the look on his face when he thought he'd killed his mother.
"Why don't you tell her I'm here?"
Sakura blinked back tears. She could open the door and let him in. She could. But she didn't. She didn't want him to see her like this. Despite keeping busy, underneath it all – she was a mess. A wreck. She wanted him to know her as she had been. And that's why she turned away from the door, moving back to her desk. She sat there tensely staring at the door until the muffled voices stopped and she heard them walking away.

x-x-x-x

"She's avoiding me."
"Why would you say that?" Menma asked, clearly annoyed as they leaned over the rail on the bridge. The stream flowed gently below them and the sunlight glittered on the water. Things between them had been slightly more awkward since the end of the battle. Losing Hinata…had been hard for Menma. He struggled to sleep and eat. And he saw her in his lap every time he closed his eyes. Felt her rattling breaths at random times throughout the day. But he kept busy. And apparently arguing with Sasuke helped take his mind off of things. Today, like the last few days…Sasuke was whining about Sakura.
"I think she specifically told her guards that she didn't want to see me."
Menma ran a hand through his hair roughly. "I don't blame her."
Sasuke glared at him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"You're so fucking annoying." Menma pushed away from the rail and faced Sasuke, who was glaring daggers at him now. "Listen, Sakura…I don't know what the hell happened when she was alone with them, but come on, she lost an eye."
Sasuke looked away, out towards the water. "I left her alone." He said softly. "It's my fault."
"Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. But I know she would never blame you for that." Menma paused. "Sakura has been through a lot. So have you."
They began walking back towards Konoha. "She has a lot on her plate too. She hasn't even been the Hokage for a week and she's expected to facilitate a treaty between us and the Tsuchikage."
"I know," Sasuke let out a frustrated breath. "I just…"
Menma glanced at Sasuke, realization slowly dawning on him. He'd seen the way Sasuke and Sakura acted around each other before the battle and he knew Sasuke cared about her. He knew. But seeing the look on Sasuke's face now just drove it all home. And it made Menma's heart ache. Sasuke loved Sakura. He wondered if he ever looked this way about Hinata.
"Uchiha scum!" someone yelled and Menma's head jerked up in time to see a villager throw a rock at Sasuke who side-stepped it easily.
"Yeah!" Another villager yelled. "You're scum!"
Menma grabbed Sasuke's arm, dragging him out of the street as a few more rocks came their way.
Sasuke's jaw was clenched so tightly that Menma could see the strain in his cheek.
"What the hell was that?!" he growled as they walked through the alley and jumped up to the rooftops.
Sasuke didn't answer but Menma didn't miss the way his eyes went to the intelligence building.
Sasuke still looked towards it when he spoke again, "They have every right to hate me,"
Menma wasn't sure if Sasuke meant the villagers…or Sakura.

x-x-x-x

Late into the afternoon the window behind Sakura slid open and Menma jumped in.
"You know you can use the door, right?"
"That's no fun." He shot back and sat on the desk next to her.
"You look like shit." She told him, not unkindly and Menma shot her half a grin. "You're one to talk."
Sakura shrugged. She didn't ask how he was and he didn't ask her. Because they both knew the answer.

Instead, she hesitated. "Did you…"
Menma sighed, giving her a pointed look. "Did I what? See Sasuke?"
Sakura glared up at him. "Yes."
"Oh, I saw him."
She glanced away. "And…how is he?"
"You'd know. If you allowed him to see you."
"Menma…please."
"Well, he's not doing great." Menma began counting on his fingers, "Between dealing with what his family did, his parents, guilt about what happened to you and basically-"
"What?" Sakura interrupted.
"Come on, Sakura. This can't be news to you. Of course he blames himself."
Sakura covered her face with her hands. "I didn't want that."
"Shall I continue or have you heard enough?"
Sakura tried to swallow her tears. "There's more?"
Menma nodded. "Some villagers threw rocks at him today."
Sakura leaned her head back against the chair and closed her eyes. "Itachi said this would happen."
"Wait. You've been talking to Sasuke's brother?"
Sakura nodded. "Yeah, he came by the hospital."
"What did he want?"
Sakura told him about her conversation with Itachi and Menma frowned slightly. "Well? Are you going to send Sasuke with him?"
"I don't want to." Sakura admitted. "But…"
"It might be what Sasuke needs? Time away from Konoha?"
Sakura looked up at him. "What do you think?"
Menma gave her a pointed look. "Have a discussion with Sasuke first. Don't make the decision for him. He won't forgive you."
Sakura sighed. "I know, I just-"
A knock at the door interrupted them and Menma stood, giving her a wink as he moved back to the window, squeezing her shoulder as he went.

Sakura waited a second before she straightened. "Come in!"
The door opened and Minato stepped inside, looking around the office suspiciously as if he expected to see his son there. Sakura kept a straight face. "Thank you for coming."
Minato nodded. "Of course, Hokage-sama."
Sakura shifted awkwardly in her chair. She still wasn't used to people calling her that. "Please take a seat."
He did. "What is this about?" Minato asked.
"Because you are one of the most accomplished shinobi in the world as well a genius, I would like to ask you for a personal favor."
Minato nodded. "Of course, Hokage-sama. Anything."
Sakura took a deep breath. "As you're aware, during the battle…" Sakura hesitated, still unable to say it. She cleared her throat. "The eye."
"Yes, the Rinnegan."
Sakura nodded. "I received these texts from some of our ally nations." She pushed some files and books toward him. "I read through it, but to be honest…nothing seems relevant. Or…able to help."
"Would you like me to look over the texts?"
"I would." Sakura told him, "I would also like you to assist me in training the eye."
Minato readily agreed to help and they set up a meeting time in a week to discuss what he found. After he left, texts in hand, Sakura stood and went to the bathroom. She bent over the basin and splashed water on her face as if mentally preparing herself for her next meeting. When she straightened, Sakura stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked thinner, paler. But what bothered her the most was the headband covering her eye. She reached up slowly and pushed it up to reveal the Rinnegan. The change was immediate and jarring, stealing her breath. Something behind her caught her attention and Sakura spun, pressing herself back against the basin as fear clenched her heart painfully. She closed her green eye, using the Rinnegan to look around but there was nothing there. Her shoulders slumped and Sakura slid the headband back into place, taking deep breaths to slow her heartbeat down.

Back in her office, she sat behind the desk and laid her head down against it, trying to put what happened in the bathroom out of her mind and steeling herself for what she needed to do. It would be easy to make the selfish choice here. Refuse Itachi's request. Have Sasuke stay. But after what Menma told her, she knew she couldn't. The villagers hated the Uchiha. They hated Sasuke. Sakura did not want to admit it. The fact that Itachi was right. But so was Menma.
There was a knock at the door, two clear raps against the wood and Sakura braced herself.
"Come in."
The door opened and Itachi entered first but Sakura's eye went straight to Sasuke. Those dark eyes looked her over, pulled her in as they always did. He stopped in front of her desk but Sakura couldn't look away. And neither did he. Her hands gripped the desk tightly and her muscles clenched with the effort not to move. Not to stand. Not to go to him.
"Hokage-sama." Itachi said after a moment and Sakura blinked and closed her eye, trying to regain control of the situation. She cleared her throat.
Sakura turned her gaze to Itachi. "Yes, Itachi. You requested to see me?"
"I did." He said. "I'll get straight to the point. I would like permission to pursue and kill Black Zetsu."
Sakura nodded and folded her hands together. "Why?"
Itachi had an answer ready. "Because I believe an Uchiha needs to end this."
"To make amends?" Sakura asked frankly and in the corner of her eye she saw Sasuke look away.
"Yes."
Sakura nodded. "I can understand that. The reality is that unfortunately, Konoha has no funds to spare. We can't afford the Akatsuki at this time. We need to focus on rebuilding."
"This has nothing to do with the Akatsuki. I want to handle this independently."
Sakura looked at him for a long moment. "Why ask me for permission then? Since you are no longer a shinobi of Konoha."
"I'm not, but he is."
Sasuke's head whipped towards his brother. "What?" he hissed.
"Send Sasuke with me. Have Konoha deal with the threat."
"With all due respect, Itachi, considering how Konoha feels about the Uchiha…"
Sasuke shot her a surprised look, one she couldn't decipher.
"Dealing with Black Zetsu might help with that."
Sakura nodded and looked down at the desk before her eyes went back to Itachi, surprising even herself with her next words, "Let me speak to Sasuke alone for a moment."
Itachi gave no reaction but he did look at her for a long moment before nodded and stepping out of the office.
Sakura rubbed her hands over her face, letting out a heavy breath and when she looked up, Sasuke was closer to the desk, staring down at her.
It took her a moment before she could speak. "I'm going to be honest with you. Itachi came to speak to me while I was in the hospital."
"So you knew he wanted me to leave Konoha with him?" Sasuke sounded too calm, but Sakura knew he was angry.
She nodded.
Sasuke's hands slammed down on the desk, "So that's it? That's why you've been avoiding me?"
Sakura blinked. "No…I-"
"So you admit you've been avoiding me?" he asked and Sakura stood.
"Yes. I have. Because I'm a coward, okay? But that's not what we're discussing now."
"That's all I want to discuss." Sasuke threw back.
Sakura made a frustrated sound. "I just…I need time, okay?"
Sasuke swallowed, leaning back.
"How I feel…about you," Sakura said, her voice breaking. "It hasn't changed."
"I get it, Sakura." Sasuke shook his head. "I need to apologi-"
"No," Sakura said fiercely. "You have nothing to apologize for. I don't blame you for one single thing." She walked around the desk and grabbed his arms. "Do you understand?"
Sasuke nodded.
"Good."
Sakura seemed to freeze, realizing that she was touching him, caught between wanting to slide her hands up his arms and pulling him close and…breaking down completely. She squeezed her eye shut and stepped back.
"Do you want to go with Itachi? Do you want to kill Black Zetsu?"
"I do," Sasuke said immediately. "But I don't want to leave you."
Sakura felt the same and when she looked up at him, she knew he understood that. They stared at each other for a long moment and then something in him changed and he reached up, his fingertips brushing her face.
"I want to do this for you." He told her, hand dropping to his side.
Sakura nodded, expecting to feel anything but what she felt – sadness.
She walked around the desk again and sat down, calling for Itachi to return.
"Very well. I accept your request. You leave tonight."

x-x-x-x-

Thanks for reading!

Here's a teaser for the next chapter: Self Control –

"Don't." he whispered.
"What?"
"Don't ask me not to go."

- Zana-Lee