So there I was, in the middle of Covid Quarantine, reading Fanfiction when I suddenly remembered that I used to write this stuff.
And I was like, "Oh man I bet my writing was crap back then." So I decided to look at my old fanfics, just to cringe at myself, and that's when I remembered that I never finished this story.
What surprised me was that, after reading this story, I was actually pretty amazed by how much I liked this story that I wrote so long ago. I think it's a solid Fanfic, you know? And then I got to the last chapter, by that I mean the last one I wrote at which point this story became 'Discontinued' and I was like, "Why did I end it there? What was I thinking?
I can't tell you why I never continued this story, I can only say I'm bored enough in Quarantine to finish it now. If no one reads this because everyone forgot about it, that's fine. I mostly want to finish it just to see what my dumb brain can come up with.
If you do remember this story, and you're like, "Finally God Damn it," then sorry. I can only say that life got in the way, I forgot things and I'll finish it now. Here we go!
Sasuke's idea of a date was not like anything Sakura would've guessed.
He took her to a park close to the college campus. They sat on a bench beside a duck pond, where small children were throwing bread into the water for the birds. The first few minutes of the date were very awkward. They spoke about school, Sasuke complimented her high marks in class. He was seeking a degree in criminal justice, which required some courses in the medical field, to understand human biology and psychological processing. The class they shared fulfilled this criteria, but he had no other interest in medicine.
"What are you going to do with your degree?" Sakura asked. Discussing school was a safe topic for them. The elephant in the room, which was Sakura's career and their mutual connection with Itachi, was clearly avoided.
"I want to go into the protective forces," he answered.
"Like police?" Sakura almost laughed. Imagine, Itachi the assassin and his brother the cop. It would make good TV.
"More of a private security direction," Sasuke explained.
The conversation dipped after they ran out of school things to discuss. Talking with Sasuke was very one sided. He didn't ask Sakura any questions, or seem to have any interest in her life at all. For a long time, they watched the ducks swim across the pond and the children run around the park.
Being around Sasuke was very different from being around Itachi. Silence with Itachi was comfortable, easy. With him, Sakura didn't feel the need to talk. They just enjoyed each other's presence. Silence with Sasuke was heavy, tense. Sakura struggled to find something, anything, to talk about. The air between the was so tight, she fidgeted nervously, waiting for something to burst.
"Can I ask you something, Sasuke?" Sakura looked at him.
He didn't look at her. "Hn."
"Why did you ask me out?" she asked.
Sasuke shrugged. "Itachi speaks highly of you."
"He does?" Sakura was surprised. "He talks about me?"
"He never mentioned your name, but only said the new girl in his office is very talented," Sasuke explained. His brows pinched together, conflicted. "He says you're smart, capable, strong."
Her heart fluttered. It was good to know Itachi wasn't just humoring her when he complimented Sakura to her face. He also sung her praises when she wasn't around too. Still, the more Sasuke explained, the more confused Sakura became. She asked, "What does Itachi's opinion have to do with you and me?"
Sasuke took some time to respond, and for a while Sakura felt she'd said something wrong. She was discovering Sasuke was very moody, if a little awkward. His mysterious, dark persona that initially attracted her was off putting now. Itachi was also quiet and reserved but, unlike Sasuke, he would open up when pressed. Getting Sasuke to open up was like cracking a coconut, and Sakura wondered how long she would have to hammer away before Sasuke let her in.
"I admire Itachi," Sasuke finally answered. "Since our parents passed, he's taken care of me. He does what he has to, he never complains, he's strong."
"He is," Sakura agreed. Itachi was the strongest person she knew.
"I admire him," Sasuke repeated. For the first time, he looked straight at her. "He admires you."
Sasuke was winning the award as the most confusing person Sakura ever met, which was saying something because she worked with assassins for a living. It was starting to feel like this date was less about Sasuke and Sakura, and more about Sasuke and Itachi. Did Sasuke desire her because Itachi did? Or was he just curious about her because Itachi spoke so highly of her? Either way, Sakura couldn't stop comparing the two Uchihas. Everything Sasuke did reminded her of Itachi, and she found herself missing him.
"Sasuke, I don't think I can do this. Whatever this is," Sakura said.
Her rejection didn't upset Sasuke. He stared at her calmly, collectively. "Are you and Itachi together?"
"We can't date right now, because of work," she explained. It felt wrong to say the two of them weren't together, because their feelings for each other were very real. It was more accurate to say Sakura and Itachi's relationship was on hold before it even started.
"Then why did you say yes to me?" Sasuke asked.
"You're his brother," she answered simply. "I want to get to know you."
Sasuke looked away again. The park was empty now, people gone home for dinner. Sakura herself had to leave soon, to eat and study and sleep a little before work. Her mind was a list of things to do, work to be done. The longer she worked at Akatsuki, the more her thoughts were preoccupied with them. She wondered if Kisame had caught the Yonbi yet, if he was back and needed medical attention.
"I feel the same," Sasuke replied. "I want to know this person my brother admires so much."
"Friends?" Sakura suggested.
"It would be nice to have intelligent conversation for once. Naruto is exhausting sometimes." Sasuke looked a lot like Itachi when he smirked.
Sakura made a mental note to stop comparing Sasuke to Itachi. If they were going to be friends, she had to separate the two brothers in her mind. Being the younger, Sasuke was used to being compared to his brother, and Sakura didn't want to make any assumptions about Sasuke based on Itachi. The two were very different, and she felt differently about them.
She stood from the park bench. "Well, this was the shortest date of my life."
"Right? I didn't even get laid." Sasuke stood next to her.
"Excuse me? I'm a classy lady. I don't put out of the first date," she scoffed. They walked together to the bus station. The air between them was clear now, the tension gone.
"But you have no reservations about dumping someone on the first date?" Sasuke smirked at her. "Very classy."
"Was that a joke? Are you secretly funny, Sasuke?"
His reply was to try and trip her footing, a trick he picked up from Naruto. Sakura easily side stepped his foot, laughing at his attempt. Training with Itachi was definitely paying off.
A new face was waiting at work, or rather, two new faces.
The Matatabi and Sanbi. Or, well, their puppets.
It was impossible to tell the puppets apart from humans. From head to toe, they looked completely real. Their chests moved to imitate breathing, their eyes blinked and fingers twitched. The Matatabi puppet was identical to Yugito Nii, down to the sharp nails and cold stare. The Sanbi was just as flamboyant and flashy as Yagura, dressed in forest green with a green flower pinned to his shirt.
"Impressed?" Sasori was very smug. "Go on, talk to them."
"Hello, my name is Sakura," she said to the Matatabi.
The puppet woman gave Sakura a cold glare. She sneered, "So?"
"Now, kitten, let's not be rude to our new friend," the Sanbi said. He was every bit as smooth and extra as the real Yagura was.
"Do with her what you please, I care not," the Matatabi snapped. She was cold as ice, sharp as a knife.
"Jealous?" Yagura smirked. He wound an arm around her waist, reeling her in. "You know you're the only woman for me."
"You're impossible." Yugito huffed but did not pull away from him.
"This is crazy," Sakura said. She couldn't look away, trying to find the puppets in these people.
"I think you mean genius," Sasori said. A permanent smirk spread across his face, a clever gleam in his eyes. He'd managed to make two perfect copies of the Matatabi and Sanbi at the same time. Deidara had helped with the wiring and finishing touches, but everything was to Sasori's design. The puppets obeyed his every command, but otherwise formed comprehensive thoughts by themselves. They needed little direction on what to do, and reacted just like the Matatabi and Sanbi would.
Pein was pleased. By this point, the Aktatsuki had captured three Jinchuriki. Gaara was under contract to obey the Akatsuki's orders, give them a portion of profits, keep the Hidden Sand out of their way. The Matatabi puppet would run the black market for them, the fake Sanbi would handle overseas training. Kisame had not returned with the Yonbi yet, but Akatsuki had complete faith in him.
The Jinchuriki mission was going smoothly. Everyone was in a good mood. Even Kakuzu was pleasant, actually taking the time to thank Sakura when she finished organizing his accounting files. Kakuzu was in charge of Akatsuki's finances, monitoring all their spending and income. At first, the Jinchuriki mission put them in a bit of a decline financially. They stopped taking other assassination jobs until all the Jinchuriki were captured, which was straining on their income and put Kakuzu in a foil mood. Now that they had three Jinchuriki under wraps, the customer who ordered this mission, whoever they were, had paid generously for their work.
"All done." Sakura finished organizing the files, packed away in the cabinets along the office wall. Kakuzu was very neat and tidy. Every paper had to be in its place.
"Good job," he said.
"Excuse me?" Sakura was surprised.
He looked up from the computer. "Don't make me say it again."
She laughed, closing the filing cabinets. She asked, "Does it bother you? Not knowing who our client is for the Jinchuriki?"
"Nope. As long as they pay, I don't care who they are." Kakuzu was back to typing away at the accounts.
"What if they don't pay?"
"Then I will find out who they are, and they will be sorry," he promised to the universe.
Over the past few months with Akatsuki, Sakura adjusted to the strange, dangerous people she worked for. In her heart, Sakura knew she liked them, even if her mind was constantly worried about the very illegal, very immoral things they did. Even Kakuzu, who was the most terrifying in her opinion, Sakura was fond of. She understood why Hidan liked to tease Kakuzu so much. Unlike Hidan, Kakuzu would never hurt Sakura. She was learning to use her cute, sweet demeanor to wrap her coworkers around her finger.
"So how long do I have to work here before you give me a raise?" Sakura perched on the edge of his desk.
"No one's received a raise since the day I joined Akatasuki, and I'll keep it that way," Kakuzu grumbled. He refused to look at her.
"Not even for poor, little me? I'm a broke college student you know."
"You forget, I make your paychecks every week. You're not broke anymore."
"Excuse you, medical school is expensive. Plus, I have to keep buying red clothes to work here." Sakura gestured to her red dress. Most of Akatsuki chose to wear black clothes with red details, but Sakura was the other way around. Red suited her. Over the course of her assistant career, Sakura accumulated a whole closet of red clothes.
"Women are wasteful," Kakuzu scoffed. "Just buy one red shirt, one pair of pants, and be done with it."
"Men are boring," Sakura retorted. "You have no imagination, no variety."
Kakuzu stood from his desk. At full height, he easily towered over her, even as she sat on his high desk. He leaned close, glared down at her. "You don't want to see the kind of imagination I have."
"You'd never hurt me," Sakura said. It was almost a dare, but she was confident with the odds. No one in Akatsuki would hurt her, either because they liked her or because she was loyal to them. Kakuzu wouldn't dare.
"Do I have to call human resources on you two?" Hidan asked, smirking at them from the doorway.
"We have a human resources department?" Sakura slid off the desk, easily passing under Kakuzu's shadow. He didn't move to stop her.
"Technically, it's Konan. But Jashin knows she doesn't give a fuck," Hidan said. He didn't move when Sakura passed through the doorway, even as she turned awkwardly to keep from touching him. Her discomfort amused him. "Only weaklings get others to fix their problems. We're adults here, right?"
"Right. I fix my own problems," Sakura said to him, because Hidan was always a problem for her and he knew it.
He was much more tame around her though. Ever since Itachi trained her in self-defense, and Sakura quite literally flipped Hidan's ass the last time he was too touchy, the struggle between them was less straining. These days, Hidan never touched Sakura. He defiantly stood in her way, or came within an inch of her skin, but never touched her. Honestly, Hidan had a kind of respect for Sakura, or as much respect as someone like him could have.
"The heathens want to see you," Hidan said, gesturing next door. "Don't let them corrupt your innocent mind."
Sakura found the artists behind the Sei door, in Deidara's office. The puppet Matatabi and Sanbi were there too, but they weren't moving like humans anymore. The fake people were in a kind of standby mode, eyes closed, standing still in the corner. Seeing them so motionless was bizarre after seeing them so alive earlier.
"We need you to drop them off at their respective houses," Deidara said.
"Wear this." Sasori gave her some blue clothes. "You'll be the late night delivery service, dropping off a package at each home. If anyone asks, tell them the Jinchuriki need this delivery as soon as possible."
Sakura put on the delivery service uniform. Wearing blue after wearing exclusively red and black for months was jarring. She didn't feel like herself outside of Akatsuki colors.
"Hot," Deidara commented, giving her a cheeky once over.
"Agreed," Sasori acknowledged, as if they were agreeing on the weather. "Wear these."
He gave her a pair of black gloves, but once she put them on Sakura realized they weren't ordinary gloves. The fabric inside poked at her fingers, like tiny ticklish needles against her skin. Sasori touched a button on the gloves and, when Sakura moved her fingers, the fake Matatabi and Sanbi moved too.
Unlike before, their movements were less human and more fractured. Their joints stuck out awkwardly, their arms raised as if being held from above. Every time Sakura moved her fingers, the puppet people moved too.
"Relax your hands," Sasori advised.
Sakura let her hands rest at her sides, fingers down. The puppets stood like normal people, both watching her for instruction.
"Move your pointer finger forward."
She did. The puppets stepped towards her, moving in a straight line.
Sasori walked her through how to move her hands so the puppets followed her directions. After ten minutes, she was able to make them sit down, stand up, pick up objects and walk in every direction. If she kept her hands clenched in fists, the puppets moved on their own, but still followed her like baby ducks to a mother.
"Why don't we just let them move freely, like before?" Sakura asked. Sasori hadn't used the gloves earlier, when the puppets were acting identically to the Matatabi and Sanbi.
"It's easier for you to transport them this way. I programed them to listen to me without question, but they won't listen to you without the gloves," Sasori explained. "After you drop them off, turn off the gloves and they'll act like the real jinchuriki."
Sakura walked the puppets down to the garage, twitching her fingers to get them into the car. The two puppets were motionless in their seats, and Sakura tried very hard to forget they were replicas of dead people. A large part of her job was to forget what she saw, suppress it.
To protect the Akatsuki, and her own sanity, she had to ignore her moral compass. Instead, Sakura focused on her favorite parts of this job; the way Sasori bragged about his puppet accomplishments and Deidara teased him endlessly, how Kakuzu would never hurt her and Hidan respected her a little more each day. She thought of Pein, who was in an endlessly good mood now that the mission was going well, and Konan, whose compliments were rare but lit up Sakura's whole world.
Driving to the Matatabi's house, Sakura reminded herself to feed Kisame's fish when she returned to the office and, hopefully, sneak in some time to chat with Itachi. They hadn't spoken privately in a while, both of them making an effort to keep their relationship professional for now, but Sakura missed him. Itachi was easy to talk to, and she was constantly on the hunt to steal a little time away with him.
After dropping off both the Jinchuriki doubles, Sakure picked up Late Dinner for everyone. The restaurant cashier gave Sakura a very lewd look over, eyeing her mail uniform closely. He leaned over the counter and asked, "Are you here to pick up my package?"
"Order for Akastuki?" She ignored his flirting.
He took his time handing over the takeout boxes. Sakura moved to collect the order, but the cashier captured her hand, stroking her skin with his greasy fingers. "So, do you ship overnight?"
"Let go of me." Sakura frowned.
"Because I'll pay extra for a speedy delivery." His smile was yellow stained.
Sakura squeezed his hand, an audible crunch crumbling from his knuckles. The cashier shouted, but before he could pull away, Sakura twisted and slammed his hand down onto the counter, repeating the action Sasori had down all those months ago when he defended her from the creepy weapons dealer. Sakura held his hand down, her inhuman strength capturing him.
The cashier yelled, but the restaurant was empty. It was very nearly dawn, and they were alone, and he underestimated Sakura, just like everyone does, but she wasn't having it. Sakura leaned down, coming close to his face, and said, "If you touch me again, I'll break it for real. Finish ringing up my order."
She let go. He fell back, clutching his swollen hand to his chest. Sakura handed over the Akatsuki credit card. The cashier quickly rang up her order, processing the payment and handing over a receipt with all the urgency of someone who wanted to be far, far away from her.
Sakura gave a generous tip and left with the takeout, not a single concern for the man who touched her when she didn't want to be touched.
Back at Akatsuki, Konan was waiting in the garage.
Sakura parked the car, but Konan stopped her from collecting the takeout from the backseat. "We have to hurry," Konan said. She was as frazzled as Konan could be, which wasn't very much by normal standards but was alarming to Sakura. Anything that could shake up Konan was definitely something to be taken seriously.
"What's wrong?" Sakura followed quickly to the elevator.
"Kisame came back with the Yonbi," Konan answered. It was then that Sakura noticed the blood on Konan's hands. "It's not good."
They went to the floor designated as Sakura's medical wing. All the Akatsuki members were in the little waiting room, each frazzled in their own way. Deidara was pacing around Sasori, who was meditating to keep calm. Hidan was ranting and raving, cursing the Yonbi for messing with the Akatsuki and swearing Jashin would make sure the Jinchuriki rotted in hell. Kakuzu was the calmest, reading a book of accounts in the corner, but he stared at the page with eyes unmoving.
Everyone looked up with Sakura came in. After a breath, she walked through the little waiting area and to the operation room, bracing herself for whatever was inside.
Pein was there, standing beside the surgical table. His arms were covered in blood. Closer inspection found blood splattered all down his front too, blending into his red shirt. He looked at Sakura expectantly, hovering off to the side, watching the scene unfold.
Itachi was there, closer to the table. He was the most blood covered of them all. His eyes were red, even though there was no threat or movement to track. Every day, Sakura was learning more and more about him. One of the surprising things was how, despite his very calm presence and collected appearance, Itachi was a deeply emotional man. He was protective, fierce, sympathetic. When the emotions overwhelmed him, Itachi lost some control of his eyes. The red creeped in, outwardly displaying his conflicting emotions.
"Can you help him?" Itachi asked. He kept one hand on his partner's shoulder, braced over the surgical table like a guardian.
Kisame's body was limp, large and spread out. Someone had attempted to stop the bleeding, pressing cloths and bandages against his chest, blocking the blood from seeping out. His breathing was slow, completely unconscious from the pain and blood loss. His blue pale skin was almost translucently white. Burns covered his legs and arms, wrapping around him like dark clouds.
"I can try." Sakura tied up her hair. "Give me the room."
(End)
I wonder how different my writing style is from how it used to be.
It's funny to see how my ships have changed. I used to ship Sakura with Akatsuki so much, but honestly I hardly think of those couples at all anymore. I'm the kind of shipper who will ship anything. If two characters even share a single second on screen together, I can ship it. I'm like Fedex. If it fits, it ships.
Strangely, I can't think of a single gay ship in Naruto that I like. Which is weird because in literally everything else I'm gay all day. And I totally understand the NaruSasu shippers; I mean, they're practically obsessed with each other in the anime! But I just can't ship it. No idea why. Maybe I was exposed to Naruto too young, and my innocent mind wasn't ready for the gay? How young and dumb I was.