.

.

Chapter 5 - The Living Shield

.

.

The sound of his bare feet against the wooden floor resonates on the high walls of his house. His heart is pounding in his tiny chest, and he lets a torrent of tears after him as he runs along the never-ending corridor. He slips on the wet ground as he reaches the living room entrance and slides before finishing his course on all fours with a loud thud. Upon his landing, his blood-shot, obsidian eyes settle on the source of his fall: a long stream of dark fluid. He brings one trembling hand closer to his face. Under the full moon, the suspicious liquid dripping from his pale skin turns crimson.

"Okaasan?"

He snaps his head up to gaze into the living room, and follow the trail of blood until he notices a giant pile of laundry. The little boy squints his eyes to discern what the dark mass implies. A cloud veils the moonlight, and he cannot see anything; he would never admit this to his father, though, because real Uchihas can always rely on their sight.

He unfolds and takes tentative steps inside the room. The floor creaks under his weight, a noise he felt reassuring before, but not today. His panting reverberates against the wall, so he tries shutting his mouth. He gulps instead and stops meters away from the mysterious mass. Body parts are noticeable through the items of clothing.

"Okaasan?"

The light comes back, uncovering the unknown bloody bundle. Starting by the far end, a hand bathed in blood lies face-up, then locks of long black hair lead to two bodies, one on top of the other.

The little child walks closer, but his legs give up, and he collapses on the wet, sticky ground. A strident scream pierces his ears, and he takes a minute to realize it is coming from his mouth. His voice cracks and he engulfs his head in his hands, his eyes shut. But even without the help of his sight, he can see the body of his elegant mother, lying lifeless in a puddle of hers and her husband's blood with her open almond-shaped eyes, pleading. He cannot discern the cause of her death, for his father is shielding everything from view except her face. A big gash rests in the middle of his back, and the woman's locks hide his solemn expression.

The boy is now nothing more than a ball of trembling limbs. After a while, he peers between his fingers, half-expecting the bodies to be gone, the nightmare to be over; a whimper escapes his lips upon seeing his dead parents again.

"Niisan?"

He rises back up and runs a hand full of blood through his hair. He fears what he will find in his brother's room. His feet are glued to the sticky ground anyway, and he doubts he will ever be able to detach his gaze from his mother's pleading eyes.

But a movement at the front window proves him otherwise. The adrenaline pumps again in his veins at the sight of the moving shadows, and without realizing it, he shifts his focus outside, tripping a little as he approaches the windowsill. When he reaches it, he squints his eyes a little in front of the intensity of the full moon. His heartbeat quickens as he catches sight of a dark shadow on a telephone pole. The person is standing against the light so no one can see their features, but one thing is still noticeable through the darkness: two almond-shaped, crimson eyes.

Sasuke wakes up with a start, his widened eyes staring at the ceiling as the rhythm of his breathing slows down. He is having the same nightmare every damn night, and yet, here he is, shaking like a leaf. One would think he would have gotten used to it by now... He exhales sharply, his fists loosening their grip around his sleeping bag, then drags himself to a sitting position and runs a hand through his damp hair. His shoulders relax a bit when Naruto's snores reach his ears. He will never admit it to them, but the nights with Team Seven are his favourites. For four years, he has been waking up alone, in the middle of the night, fearing for his life, mourning his deceased parents, neighbours, friends, and hating his traitor of a brother. But when he wakes up surrounded by his team, he always has something to distract himself with.

And when it is not the idiot's snores, it is Sakura's strange behaviour. Sasuke glances towards the girl's bed only to find it empty, yet again. He momentarily closes his eyes in annoyance before pushing himself up.

"Sasuke-kun?"

He swirls around upon hearing Sakura's voice. The girl is seated on the windowsill; the moonlight illuminates her features and gives an icy glint to her emerald eyes. She is wearing an oversize t-shirt the same colour as her eyes, and her long pink hair is tied up in a loose bun. He's never seen her in this light before. She looks so delicate.

"Sasuke-kun, is everything okay?"

Her voice brings him back to reality, and he studies her before crossing his arms and dragging himself to her spot by the window. "What are you looking at?"

She narrows her eyes when he avoids her question, but drops the subject. Something the Uchiha is grateful for; he wasn't planning on sharing his trauma with anyone, let alone one of his fangirls.

"Nothing in particular," she replies instead, her hands closing around her knees, up to her chest. "I prefer sleeping under the moonlight, though. It's like a window of light in the darkness surrounding me." She says that part so softly, Sasuke doubts he was supposed to hear it, so he opts to ignore it.

"You should go to sleep. We will need our full strength if Zabuza returns." Truth is, Sasuke just wants her to move because that spot under the moonlight seems like a perfect place to doze off until morning, but he won't tell her that. He knows she would give it to him, though, but that is beyond the point.

"I can't." He returns his attention to her, finally noticing the dark circles under her eyes. "I have a bad feeling."

He waits for her to elaborate, but the silence only stretches. He shifts uncomfortably and leans on the wall as he peers through the window. "There's nothing to worry about. Kakashi defeated him once. And now, we are all stronger." He can feel her eyes on him, so he shifts his gaze to meet hers. Have they always been so bright? At that thought, he admonishes himself. Why would he care?

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun." He shrugs when he notices her sad smile. "Sasuke-kun. I... I want to apologize for the other day."

He stiffens and narrows his eyes. "You mean when you cowardly left us behind and risked our lives for god-knows-why?"

Her smile withers. "Yeah, something like that."

Sasuke scoffs, then returns his gaze outside. He doesn't know what to do with that apology. What she did, he cannot stomach. It just confirmed what his father used to say about civilian shinobis, and Sasuke doesn't want to have anything to do with them if it means they are weak cowards. But he's known Haruno Sakura for four years now. And even though he prefers to think that he knows nothing about her, he still picked up a few things over the years. One thing he noticed: that girl wears her heart on her sleeve.

He can see her apology is sincere, which makes it even harder to handle.

"I hope you can trust me one day," she goes on, after a while. "I will always have your back, Sasuke-kun, promise." He hears her move and finally detaches his eyes from the moon to notice the vacant spot on the windowsill. "Goodnight, Sasuke-kun."

"Night," he whispers as he watches her dive inside her sleeping bag.

He prefers her like this, he decides, with a calming aura surrounding her and gentle eyes that seem to understand more than they let on. It's been three days since he last endured her insufferable temper, and he cannot say that he misses it.

Maybe he should have asked her what she meant the other day before losing consciousness. It was something about strange behaviours and being lost, and to tell Kakashi about it. Thankfully, he hasn't had to dwell on that too much, seeing as she definitely returned to her old self. It was a weird thing to say, though.

Not only is that girl annoying, but she is also an enigma that he is spending too much time trying to solve. Precious time that he could use on getting stronger.

His gaze wanders to the edge of the woods, and his heart sinks. It shouldn't have taken him three days to learn how to climb trees. If a civilian girl can do it in a matter of seconds, he should have been able in less than that. Instead, it took him the same amount of days as the dead last. What does that say about him?

True, Naruto spent way more time in that tree, not even sleeping in his bed for two consecutive nights. And now he is out cold for at least a day, his chakra reserves empty, according to Kakashi. Nevertheless, Naruto managed it in three days as well, and Sasuke is wondering if by getting assigned a team of losers, he is slowly becoming one himself.

An irritated sigh escapes his mouth, and he brings his forehead to the cold window. It takes him a while, but he eventually falls asleep again, the rest of his night flooded with images of the massacre, punctuated with mocking laughs and three insufferable words: foolish little brother.

He awakes with the rising of the sun and instantly notices the absence of a teammate. He makes a quick stop by the bathroom, then enters the dining room, following the smell of coffee and oatmeal. Sakura is at the table with Kakashi and Tazuna; through the kitchen, Sasuke can hear fumbling noises probably caused by Tsunami's work.

"Good morning, Sasuke." He nods at his sensei before taking a spot at the table in front of his pink teammate. The girl avoids his gaze by focusing her attention on her steaming breakfast. Sasuke finds it odd, but then again, they had a weird conversation the night before, and he doesn't really miss her over-enthusiastic mornings.

"Tazuna-san needs to go to the bridge today, and seeing as Naruto still needs a good rest, we will leave without him."

"Isn't it, I don't know, unsafe, sensei?" Sakura asks shyly.

The man pats the top of her head before turning his attention to Sasuke. "We will do it only if you are comfortable with the idea, of course. What do you think, Sasuke?"

The black-haired boy takes a spoonful of oatmeal and shrugs. Seeing this, Sakura sighs, then nods. "Alright. If Sasuke is okay with it, then it must be safe." At the sight of her forced smile, an uneasiness instantly settles in his stomach.

They eat the rest of their breakfasts in silence, and thirty minutes later, they are gazing at the bridge again. The way things are going slightly impresses Sasuke. In a day or two, people should have the possibility to reach the Land of Fire on foot.

He casts a look at his sensei; from the corner of his eye, he can see the silver-haired man glancing left and right. At first, Sasuke thinks the bridge impressed him as well, but soon, the man falters in his steps, and the boy's hand shoots to his pouch.

A sudden fog circles them, the air around dampens their clothes, and the hair on Sasuke's arms stands straight up. He retrieves a kunai and gets closer to his client. He sees Sakura struggling to draw a weapon herself, her hands shaking.

"Still cluttered with those brats, Kakashi? Look at her, not even able to hold a kunai." The silver-haired man snaps his head towards his pink student, eyeing her from head to toe with a frown. Sakura glances at Sasuke and adjusts her hold on the hilt.

She gasps when the mist dissipates enough to show five tall figures circling them. Sasuke squares his shoulders upon seeing the deadly looks on Zabuza's faces, each of his clones looking down at them from their over six-foot-tall.

"Sasuke, show him what you're made of." Upon hearing Kakashi's order, Sasuke jumps in the air, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He draws another kunai, then uses his chakra-enhanced feet to increase his already fast speed. He tears through the two first clones, his hair dripping from the splashes of water they make as they dissipate. Then, seeing as his teammate stays motionless, he attacks the three others with renewed vigour. When he lands in front of Tazuna, a minute later, all their opponents have evaporated.

"I see…" Zabuza chuckles as he appears from the edge of the bridge, followed by a masked silhouette. "This one isn't so bad. I think I've found someone for you, Haku."

The masked boy steps forward, revealing a frail figure. "Do not worry, Zabuza-san. It will be over soon." A senbon peeks from his long-sleeve, drawing Sasuke's attention to it just in time, for, a second later, Haku lurches forward with unrivaled speed. The Uchiha raises his kunai, and the sound of clashing metal echoes around the deserted bridge as his weapon connects with Haku's.

His eyes widen when his opponent's feet near his face, and he ducks right on time. Using a hand on the ground to propel his body upward, Sasuke brings his feet up, but Haku's hand closes around his ankle, preventing him from moving.

"Your boy is fast, Kakashi," laughs Zabuza, ten feet away from the fight. Sasuke tries to ignore him, but the following words prove harder to tune out. "I've seen no one being able to dodge Haku's attacks before. But I must warn you, it will not be enough. Get ready to see your precious students die one after the other, copycat."

"Hm. I wouldn't count on that if I were you." Upon hearing Kakashi's trusting words, Sasuke throws a shuriken at Haku, who has no other choice but to release him to dodge the attack. "Sasuke, here, is the most promising genin of his year and the only survivor of the famous Uchiha clan. And Sakura-chan is the smartest kunoichi of her age. Not to mention that our third member, Uzumaki Naruto, is our wild card, the unpredictable ninja. Don't underestimate them, or it will be your downfall."

At the mention of Naruto, the masked boy tilts his head a little to the side, and Sasuke takes advantage of his distracted state to land a kick in his abdomen. The Uchiha doesn't have time to enjoy the setback, however, and soon, Haku's fist is entering his line of sight again. Sasuke blocks it with his hand, then repeats the action a second time; next thing he knows, he and Haku are hand-in-hand, facing each other.

He narrows his eyes, trying to glimpse the boy's expression through the slits of his mask, but to no avail. They have equal strength, he notices, so the fight could go on for a while. A part of him wishes Sakura would do something, but then he remembers her delicate frame and her clumsiness, and he has half a mind to ask her to leave.

Haku interrupts his thoughts by suddenly linking their fingers with chakra. Sasuke's eyes widen as he witnesses his own hand forming signs without his consent.

"Hijutsu - Makyou Hyoushou." A sinister voice comes from behind the mask, and Sasuke shifts uncomfortably as the surrounding temperature drops. Haku finally releases his hold and retreats a couple of steps back. "No hard feeling, Sasuke-san, but I have someone dear to fight for, and I would never let him down."

Sasuke prepares to lunge but halts in his movements when Haku jumps and disappears inside a big ice mirror that slowly ascends in the air. The Uchiha swirls around, his eyes landing everywhere he looks in another glass. With horror, he realizes he is now trapped inside a prison of ice.

Fog is escaping his mouth, and goosebumps rise on his pale skin. This is unheard of, Sasuke thinks, analyzing the ice, bewildered. He applies a hand to the wall before him, then brings it to his scrunched face. Chakra... This must definitely be a Kekkei Genkai. Sasuke lifts his hands in front of his chest and closes his eyes. He can see only one way out of this.

"I am sorry, Sasuke-san. There is nothing you can do now. There is no way out of here. And the sooner you die, the sooner I can assist the person I love most."

The glint of a senbon appears in every mirror, but Sasuke waves the familiar hand-signs of his Katon before Haku's attack. After a big inhale, he unleashes a burst of flames, which come crashing against the wall facing him.

"You are proving to be an intriguing opponent, but such a feeble fire could never melt my ice."

Sasuke draws back his kunai when he sees the first senbon approaching. However, even with his impressive speed, he only blocks half of the weapons thrown at him. He lets out a cry and falls on one knee, his widened eyes staring around, bewildered. Inside every mirror, a masked boy watches him, a senbon waiting in his hand. When he speaks, a different reflection voices each word, and Sasuke's head becomes dizzy trying to follow.

"There is no way to predict my movements, no way to evade my weapons. I can see your heart, Sasuke-san. You are lacking the only thing that could make a difference: love. You will die today because you do not care enough."

Another volley of senbons comes crashing down on him, and he has to focus on protecting his vital organs, so weapons inevitably embed themselves in his calves and arms, making him cry in pain a second time.

It pisses him off the fact that he cannot hold his ground against a stupid masked boy. His vision blurs under the frustration. Who is he to make that kind of assumption about him? Who is he to pretend he understands his suffering? To say he doesn't care, doesn't love? Sasuke cares. More than he would ever let people know. And if he doesn't love anymore, it is because his precious people are doomed to die a tragic death anyway, so why bother?

Sasuke jerks when Haku sends flying another wave of senbons. But through his blurry eyes, he still sees clearer than he's ever seen, if that makes any sense. He comes out of this round with only one fresh wound.

Of course, Sasuke cares about Kakashi and Sakura. He doesn't love them, but they still are the closest thing he has to a family. They don't deserve to suffer, to die; they are good people. Even Tazuna deserves to be saved. He has a daughter and a grandson to go back to, after all. And just at the thought of Sakura standing alone in front of the old man, like an expendable shield, makes him want to finish early with his fight to go back to her, to them.

Two other rounds of weapons fly at him, but he escapes most of them. His eyes are hurting like hell, but he can see, he realizes. "I can see your movements, Haku," he whispers with a smirk.

"Intriguing, you turn out to be, Sasuke-san. However, I have no more time left to play. Forgive me."

More senbons are thrown at Sasuke, but this time, Haku laces them with chakra. The black-haired boy collapses on the ground, unable to move a muscle. Stupid acupuncture! Sasuke knew he should have read Sakura's medical textbook.

As if summoned by his thoughts, Sakura's voice suddenly echoes from outside the prison. "Sasuke-kun!? Sasuke-kun, do you hear me? I am here now. Don't worry, I'll take care of him! I have your back."

He hears her punch the walls, and again and again, but the surface doesn't budge.

"It is of no use, little girl. No one can break these walls except for me. You are useless."

"Shut up! No! Sasuke-kun!" She punches again, and Sasuke can see the ice turning red at one particular spot.

"Sakura. Stop it. Go back to Tazuna."

The next punch she lands produces a small crack in the ice, and a deep sound follows. She stops and chuckles. "Kakashi-sensei was right. I can do it!" She lands one last blow, and the ice explodes in a myriad of pieces.

A second later, he sees her kneel in front of him, and her shaky hands try to lift him.

"I can't move" is the only thing he says, his mind still occupied trying to figure out how she broke the ice.

"It's because of the senbons. Here." She takes out the ones laced with chakra. "You should be able to move again in a minute or two. That's what the book said, anyway."

"How did you..."

"Your love is strong." Haku's voice resounds behind Sakura, interrupting Sasuke's query. The pink-haired girl swirls around. "No one ever broke my ice before. How did you do it?"

Sasuke watches powerless as Sakura pushes herself up. "It's none of your business." She lifts her chin and takes a defensive stance in front of the paralyzed Uchiha. Haku takes a step forward, and Sakura draws a kunai at this sight. "Stay where you are!"

"I can see that Sasuke-san is dear to you. But are you willing to sacrifice everything for him?"

"What do you mean?"

"You are not powerful enough, Sakura-san. If you don't step aside, I will have to kill you."

The girl's shoulders stiffen at that, but she doesn't budge. Sasuke tries again to lift himself, but his arms give up under his weight. "Sakura. Just go."

His pink teammate completely ignores him. "I am not weak, Haku-san. And I won't let you hurt Sasuke-kun again."

"You are so devoted." Haku tilts his head to one side. "And yet he doesn't care."

She shakes her head, sending her long hair flying left and right. "I am not doing this to make him love me. I am doing this because I care for him no matter what he thinks of me."

"Then, Sakura-san, you are deserving of my time." Haku suddenly lunges forward, and, by his spot on the ground, Sasuke can clearly see the senbon sticking out of his long sleeve. Sakura's chakra brightens around her feet, and she jumps, but she misses speed, and blood sputters all around Sasuke as the weapon leaves a deep cut on her bicep.

"You are too slow. Maybe Sasuke-san isn't that important to you after all."

With a hand holding her bleeding arm, Sakura quickly places herself in front of Sasuke again. If he could see her face, he would see a fierce look of determination usually only seen on Naruto's features. But he cannot see anything except her back and the white circle in the middle of it. At the sight of the civilian crest, he tries to stand up again. If she dies protecting him, it wouldn't feel right; it wouldn't be fair.

And then, it dawns on him; Why would they put a civilian raised shinobi in his team if not to be used as a shield? The elders probably knew of Sakura's infatuation and expected her to protect the last Uchiha from any harm, not caring what would happen to her in the process.

Feeling disgusted, Sasuke watches, helpless, as Sakura jumps forward, her fist green. The masked boy easily avoids the blow, and the pink-haired girl lands on all fours with a yelp. Upon her landing, the ground underneath her fist shatters.

"Your actions are noble, Sakura-san, and I respect you and your strength. However, I, too, have someone dear to protect. Forgive me."

The boy suddenly spins on himself, letting a volley of senbons flying towards Sakura. She uses her kunai to deflect the weapons the best she can, but the masked boy uses her distracted state to charge at her. Haku's figure suddenly blocks Sasuke's view, but by the cry of pain escaping Sakura's lips, the Uchiha can tell something went horribly wrong.

He faintly hears his name being called and gets on his knees. His burning eyes catch a movement; Haku's hand, holding a kunai, is suspended in mid-air, and blood is dripping from it. When the boy takes a swing, Sasuke's body jerks forward. He dives and pushes Haku before the weapon finds its target. Then, he drops on the ground again, his head dizzy, and turns to assess Sakura's state.

"Shit! Sakura!" Something has torn her dress in the middle, revealing her open stomach. He instantly applies both hands to the wound and watches, appalled, as the blood seeps through his fingers. When he looks up to meet her eyes, his heart sinks.

"Sakura! Hey, Sakura! Stay with me. Please."

Her green eyes, now dull, flutter open, and a sad smile stretches slowly on her pale face. "She is already gone. Sorry, Sasuke."