Sasuke walked with Sakura through the streets towards the Nara residence his senses scanning the area warily. He knew better than most the strength of the women in The Leaf Village. They were as strong as they came with loyalty to one another that could not be shaken. They would do all that they could to protect their own. Even so, he couldn't help but worry. After all, Sakura was the self-sacrificing type and would put herself in danger to protect the others if the situation called for it.
They arrived in front of the compound and Sasuke took Sakura's hand as she reached for the gate. "Don't do anything reckless." He warned her quietly. "If something happens, stick to the plan. Stay in a group and signal Kakashi and Lee."
"I'll be fine." She assured him giving his fingers a little squeeze. "Don't worry, just go meet up with Naruto and Shikamaru, take care of the pest and come back."
He sighed but nodded and reached out to tap her in the middle of her forehead. "I'll see you when I get back." He promised a tiny smirk pulling at his lips when she blushed at the action.
"Alright. Bye Sasuke." She said moving past the gate and up the gravel walkway to the front door.
It slid open before she even had a chance to touch it and Temari smiled at the pink haired medic. "Welcome!" she said with a smile. "Ready to try out that new face stuff Ino has been going on about for days?"
Sakura chuckled. "As ready as I'll ever be." She replied lifting her hand to wave Sasuke off as Temari did the same.
The door slid shut behind the two Kunoichi and Sasuke took a deep breath before making his way towards the edge of the village where the confrontation was supposed to take place. He didn't flinch when two familiar forms dropped down beside him as he walked past a pair of houses.
"Are you ready for this?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke nodded and then glanced at Shikamaru. "Thank you again for going along with this."
"Don't mention it. Temari is actually looking forward to some 'girl' time." The shadow wielder replied with a lazy shrug. "If she ends up looking prettier, that's just a bonus." Naruto snickered. "You better watch it Shikamaru. If Temari hears that she's liable to make you eat dirt for it."
The Nara cringed a little before shrugging once more. His eyes hardened slightly. "We're nearly there." He said softly.
Naruto tensed, the mirth leaving his features and Sasuke immediately swept the area with his senses and frowned when he sensed the one that he'd been getting snippets of all day. "They're nearby." He said softly as they walked into an open field. "Show yourself!" he commanded raising his voice.
"I believe the instructions in the letter made it explicitly clear that Sakura was supposed to come." Came a slightly nasally voice.
"Is that who I think it is?" Shikamaru said his eyes narrowing a little as a young man with straight brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail, light green eyes, and a slightly rounded figure stepped into view. "It is. En, what the Hell do you think you're doing?" the Nara head demanded.
"En?" Naruto repeated confused.
Shikamaru nodded. "He works in the cypher and archive division." He explained.
Sasuke studied the man. It was clear he wasn't a battle type ninja. He was likely a scholarly type. What was the reason he was so obsessed with Sakura?
"You better start explaining." Shikamaru said his hands sliding into his pockets. "Spying on Sakura, invading her privacy, blackmailing her. What the Hell do you want?"
"Why isn't Sakura here? My business is with her." En said firmly.
"You didn't honestly think we'd let Sakura come to meet a lowlife like you, did you?" Naruto scoffed.
En's brow cocked at that. "Low life? You dare call me what when next to you stands him?!" he spat pointing at Sasuke with a slightly pudgy digit, contempt burning in his eyes. "I'll admit that I used underhanded tactics to draw Sakura out, but it's because I want her to be happy and she'll never have that with him."
Sasuke's brow furrowed a little but he didn't say anything. He'd thought the same thing after all. It was only Sakura's insistence and patience that had finally changed his mind.
"What's the matter Uchiha?" Silent because you know I'm right?" En said with a smirk. "You probably used your sharringan to force her to become your fiancé."
"Not possible." Shikamaru said flatly waving a dismissive hand. "Sakura has an immunity to most Genjutsu. She also has a lot of exposure to the sharringan starting from her Genin days. A long term genjutsu would never be effective against her."
En's eye twitched. "She must be brainwashed then! I know all about her past with this murderer! He's belittled her, injured her, and tried to kill her on more than one occasion! Their relationship is toxic, diseased, and abusive. I'm just trying to save her from making the biggest mistake of her life."
Sasuke felt as though someone had punched him in the gut though he didn't say a word. He'd been doing his best to properly treasure Sakura. Even so he couldn't deny the fact that what the man was accusing him of was the truth. Was their relationship abusive? Unhealthy?
"Shut up." Naruto snarled. "Don't talk about Sasuke and Sakura like you know them."
"I know everything about them!" En protested. "I know he attacked her and left her alone in the cold when he deserted the village. I know about the incident in Orochimaru's hideout when he tried to stab her. I know about the incident in The Land of Iron when he attempted to rip through her heart with the chidori. I know about the wicked genjutsu he cast on her right before the two of you fought at The Valley of End. I-"
"If you know all that, then you must know about the time he used himself as a human shield to protect her from a pair of rouge ninjas when we were genin. You must know about how he pushed himself to his limits in order to protect and avenge her when we were attacked by Sound ninja in The Forest of Death. You must know how he pushed his already battered and exhausted body in order to save her from a deadly fall during the battle against The Sand and Sound Villages. You must know about how he protected her from the Infinite Tsukiomi with his Susanoo during the battle against Madara and Kaguya. You must know about the sincere apology that he offered when she saved the two of us after our fight At the Valley of End. You must know about how he came rushing here to save her when she was kidnapped by Kido and his ANBU cronies. You must know how they've been traveling together helping those still healing from the scars of The Fourth Great Ninja War."
En blinked and took a small step back. "But… but he still-"
"I know exactly what he did to her! I watched her cry over him when she thought she was alone. I heard her scream herself awake in the middle of the night over him! I saved her with my own hands when he tried to kill her." His hand balled into a fist. "I love her. You don't think it tore me up inside to see what his selfishness was doing to her? Even so, I know that no one has more confidence, or faith in her abilities than he does. I also know that Sakura has never been happier than she's been since returning with Sasuke to the village as his fiancé." Naruto said smiling at his best friend. "If you truly cared about her, you would be able to see that just by looking at her."
En's jaw clenched. "She's too good for him." He growled.
Sasuke blinked away the wetness building in his eyes before anyone had a chance to notice it. Naruto's words had damn near brought him to tears. Not that he'd ever let the loser know that. He took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"If you wanted Sakura, you should have come at me from the beginning." Sasuke said firmly finally calm enough to speak without his voice cracking. "Blackmailing her and invading her privacy was a cheap, disgusting trick. What kind of weak man uses such deplorable methods to force a woman to do what he wants? Sakura is my fiancé. The only ones with the power to terminate our relationship are Sakura and myself. Outside parties should stay out of it."
"We're not going to let you get away with this." Naruto added.
"You can turn yourself in, or we can drag you by the hair. Your choice." Shikamaru said his hands slipping out of his pockets to form signs if needed.
"I don't think so!" En cried out throwing a series of flash paperbombs at the gathered ninja.
"Bastard!" Naruto hissed as he covered his eyes.
Sasuke quickly activated his sharringan, the onyx pool shifting to blood red as he leapt to the nearest treetop tracking the man's chakra signature as he dashed towards the village center making a beeline for Naruto's home, the place that was being used as the decoy location. His eyes widened when the man suddenly teleported and appeared near the Nara compound.
"Damn it! He's headed towards the safe house!" he called out to the two ninja tailing him before increasing his speed.
His jaw clenched as he watched the man shift forms, his pudgy body slimming and heightening until a copy of himself stood at the Nara gate and called out to Sakura using his voice.
"Sasuke?" Sakura said walking out into the yard to meet his doppelganger. "That was faster than I expected." She said smiling that sweet smile that made his heart jump a little every time. She glanced around. "Where are Naruto and Shikamaru?" she asked.
"Oh, they're coming." En replied. "I was just in such a hurry to see you, I couldn't wait for them to catch up."
Her jade eyes narrowed slightly before she laughed lightly. "Oh Sasuke, you're so adorable!" she said reaching out to lightly touch his arm. "Let's get home then. Ino made some tri colored dango. Let's hurry home so we can enjoy them together."
En smiled. "My favorite." He said slowly reaching into the holster on his leg. "Let's get going."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed and then widened as he caught the glimpse of a syringe and needle. The tomoes in his amethyst eye rotated as his red eye shifted into his mangyko sharringan. He needed extremely controlled destructive power and there was no way in Hell he was going to risk Sakura getting pricked with that needle with an unknown substance inside it. The only attack that would accomplish both tasks perfectly was a little heavy handed, but he wasn't going to risk her health or safety over some idiot's crush. Focusing on the syringe he kneaded then focused his chakra.
"Amaterasu!" he snapped.
Black flames flared to life on the syringe headed for Sakura's thigh and En yelped as he dropped it to the ground. Singing his fingers was the least he wanted to do to the creep but it was a bit satisfying regardless. Sakura was already moving and her fist connected with the man's solar plexus sending him flying across the yard through the trunk of a tree.
"Sakura! Is everything alright!" Hinata and Ino shouted pouring into the yard with Temari hot on their heels.
"Sakura!" Sasuke called out dropping to the ground beside her. "Did it touch you?" he asked eyeing the smoldering remains of the vial of liquid before his gaze focused on her arm his fingers and eyes sweeping the limb in search of any damage.
"No. I'm fine thanks to you." She assured him. "This is the scum bag that sent the letter?"
He nodded. "He seems to think you're making the biggest mistake of your life by marrying me."
Sakura snorted. "Please. The biggest mistake of my life was not knocking you out and tying you to a tree the day you left the village." She said with a shrug and waved of her hand.
"How-" En gasped his form fading back to his own softer form. "How did you know?"
Sakura glared at him. "First of all, even if Sasuke had left Naruto and Shikamaru behind because he was in a hurry to see me, there's no way in Hell he'd say it out loud, especially not out in the open where anyone else could hear." She said stalking towards him. "Second of all, he's left handed, in fact that's the only hand he has, so there's absolutely no way he'd have his holster on his right leg. Third of all, he would have given me a death glare for calling him 'adorable' especially in public. Last of all, he hates sweets."
En stared at her. "You… you really are amazing." He breathed. "Why? Why is it him? You could have anyone you wanted, why him?"
Sakura sighed. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?" she grumbled raking a hand through her hair. "I love him. That's all there is to it. No amount of blackmail, humiliation, or hordes of people screaming at me to leave him is going to change that." she pulled the pendant with the Uchiha crest out from underneath her shirt and touched it lightly. "Being with Sasuke makes me happy, truly happy and being with me makes him happy. I don't need or want anything more than that. I appreciate that you're worried about me, but it doesn't give you a right to try to control my actions. If you come after either of us again, I'll put chakra in my fist." She vowed ominous green light emanating from her fist as she lifted it threateningly.
"That's a threat I wouldn't take lightly." Came a slightly sleepy voice from the nearby gate. "Her punches are so legendary that even the First Hokage himself mentioned not wanting to get hit with one. I must say, I feel the same."
"Kakashi." Sasuke said glancing at his old teacher.
"I take it everything turned out ok?" the Hokage said striding forward with his lazy gait.
"Yes." The Uchiha replied simply.
"Alright then." Kakashi said turning as Naruto and Shikamaru landed in the yard. "You two, get him secured and brought in for questioning. Sasuke, Sakura, you two head home. I know you both have early mornings ahead of you… today actually." he said glancing at the moon.
"Thanks." Sakura said lowering her head slightly to the older man. "Sorry about your tree Shikamaru, Temari." She said looking guiltily over at the snapped trunk.
"No worries." Shikamrau said with a lazy shrug. "Yamato's back in town, I'll have him take a look at it. Besides, better a tree than the house."
She rolled her eyes at that. "Alright. We'll be off then. Thanks for everything." She said waving at their friends.
"You know you don't have to thank us." Naruto said with a grin.
"Yeah. We should do this again, only for fun this time, instead of for a covert operation." Ino said with a smile.
Sakura nodded and then waved one last time before walking down the road with Sasuke by her side. The silence between them was companionable and pleasant. Sasuke was thankful for her quietness as his mind went over the things En had said about their relationship. There was certainly a degree of validity in his claims. Sakura and his relationship certainly didn't follow the norms of most others. He had tried to kill her on more one than one occasion. She had suffered immensely because of his actions but he'd apologized for what he'd done and was trying his best to treasure her. It wasn't as though he'd been surrounded by great examples of healthy relationships during his adolescence. Orochimaru used people's feelings of affection and devotion to further his own agenda. Obito had started a war because the girl he liked was killed in battle. Kakashi had refused to love anyone after killing Rin.
"What's on your mind?" Sakura suddenly asked bringing him out of his thoughts.
To his surprise, they were already at her front door. He walked inside, slipped off his sandals and walked with her to the living room. She stopped him and wrapped his arms around his waist holding him close.
"Is something wrong?" he asked wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
"You tell me." She replied. "Something's bothering you. Just tell me what it is."
He sighed and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Is our relationship… Abusive?" he asked.
She stiffened in his arms and then sighed herself. "Is that what En told you?" she asked.
"Yes." He replied.
She nodded and pulled him by the hand into her bedroom and quickly removed his cloak before pushing him towards her chest of drawers. "Get changed. We'll talk about this in bed." She said before walking into her closet and pulling out a mint green nightgown.
Sasuke did as he was asked and slipped into a black long sleeved shirt and a pair of knit grey pants with little trouble and laid down. Sakura crawled in next to him and laid her head on his chest, her fingers linking with his.
"Sasuke, in the past when you hurt me and tried to kill me, did you get any sort of pleasure from it?" she asked softly.
His eyes widened. "Of course not." He replied. Even in that state of madness his heart had ached, it was just that he knew that as long as she was alive she'd come again and again to stop him.
She nodded and then continued. "Have you raised a hand against me or thought about doing so since we started our romantic relationship?" she asked.
"Absolutely not." He said firmly.
Her lips pressed lightly to the edge of his jaw. "Then you have nothing to worry about. You haven't abused me and have no desire to. You respect me in every way. Our relationship isn't abusive at all." She assured him. "I've seen more than my fair share of toxic relationships. I've treated those who were abused and even abusers. Neither of us exhibit any signs of being either." She slid up his body and hovered over him her fingers tracing the contours of his face. "That man who tried to use blackmail and threats to get me to do what he wanted, he had the potential to be an abuser. You on the other hand do not."
"But I-" he protested.
"You were lost. Under the influence of devious men and dark jutsu." She said cutting him off. "Besides, you've saved me many more times than you've hurt me." She touched her pendant. "I'm marrying you because I love you and I want to be by your side to support you. No one has the right to meddle in our relationship."
"You're right." He replied leaning forward to kiss the pendant that hung from her neck.
She smiled down at him before she leaned down and kissed him with such passion he couldn't help but wrap his arm around her waist and crush her to him. "Sakura." He breathed running his nose down her jaw. "I.. I truly do-" he choked, the four letter word seeming to lodge in his throat.
"I know." She replied kissing his temple. "You don't have to say it. Let's rest now. You have training with the team leaders tomorrow. You'll need your rest."
He reluctantly loosened his grip as she lowered herself to the pillows next to him and curled up against his side. Realizing she was much more tired than he'd thought, he smiled and brushed a section of hair away from her face.
"Goodnight Sakura." He said softly.
"Goodnight Sasuke." She replied snuggling closer to him.
Sasuke looked out across the men and women gathered in the training field and felt irritation skate through him. Most of them were yawning and talking casually with one another clearly unconcerned about what was about to take place. It was disgraceful, almost like they'd all forgotten that the world had been nearly brought to ruin by genjutsu just a few years ago.
"See why Kakashi wanted you to do this?" Shikamaru muttered looking across the crowd himself. "They're all so relaxed, you'd think they were here for a picnic instead of training."
"Not for long." Sasuke promised before stepping forward. "Excuse me! I'd like to get started!" he called out.
The crowd slowly quieted and his brow nearly twitched when he heard whispers still moving through those gathered but he chose to ignore it for the moment.
"I was asked by Lord Hokage to give you first hand genjutsu training." He explained. "As all of you know, Genjutsu is when the chakra in your brain is manipulated by another. A form of mind control. If you get caught in it, the effects can be a simple as tricking someone into wandering aimlessly, to a severe as breaking the mind to the point where the victim has no way of recovering. The better you become at recognizing genjutsu the better able you will be able to counter it and experiencing it first hand is the easiest way to do that."
"We're not stupid." A cocky voice called out. "All of us were taught to recognize and counter genjutsu in the academy."
Sasuke smirked. "Is that so?" he said. "Then tell me, who are you looking at?"
"You of course." The man, a tall blonde said with a smirk.
"Is that so? Are you positive about that?" he asked.
"Is this a joke?" the guy countered.
One of the members of the group, a young woman with light brown hair suddenly raised her hands and closed her eyes. "Release!" she cried out firmly.
Sasuke nearly smirked at her shocked reaction when she realized that she, along with the rest of the class gathered had been facing the opposite direction staring at nothing but empty space while Sasuke and Shikamaru stood behind them.
"How?" she sputtered. "When?"
His mismatched eyes fell on her and she swallowed noisily. "The moment you made eye contact with me I placed you under my Genjutsu." He replied. "You were the first one to figure it out. Well done."
She blushed "Thank you Sasuke." She said quickly looking down at her toes.
After another twenty minutes, another four students realized that they were under gentjutsu bringing the grand total to five out of twenty five.
"What a disgrace." Sasuke muttered.
"I agree." Shikamaru replied shaking his head. "This is embarrassing."
"Alright then. At least I know where they are." The Uchiha said before releasing his illusion.
Shocked gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Where the Hell did that bastard go?" the blonde cocky ninja exclaimed.
"Turn around." Sasuke said simply.
The group turned and stared in shock at the Uchiha and Nara standing behind them.
"You were all placed under genjutsu when you first arrived and none of you noticed. Five of you were able to recognize it and break the illusion yourself but the rest of you could have stared at nothing all day and never realized it." Shikamaru explained.
"That's a dirty trick!" The blonde exclaimed. "We came her for training not for you to make fools of us!"
"You made fools of yourselves." Sasuke replied. "Training is best done when you experience things yourself." He explained.
"Don't talk like you know what it's like." A black haired ninja called out. "Uchiha are impervious to Genjutsu."
"That isn't true." Sasuke replied. "I've been subject to Orochimaru's genjutsu, Itachi Uchiha's genjutsu, and Donzo's genjutsu as well as a few others. I didn't emerge victorious from all of those encounters either."
Whispers filtered through the crowd at that. "You weren't effected by the Infinate Tsukiomi." One called out.
"I used my Susanoo to block out the moonlight. If I hadn't done that, I would've become enslaved just like the rest of you." He replied. "You need to learn how to protect yourself from genjutsu attacks. An enemy can immobilize you making you an easy target, make you snap your own neck or even attack your comrade without you knowing anything until it's too late."
"Whatever." The blonde grumbled.
"What's your name?" Sasuke asked. He was getting sick and tired of the guy's attitude and decided he'd make a good first victim for him.
"Kai, Kai Yamanaka." He replied easily.
"Ah." Sasuke replied.
His attitude made sense now. The Yamanaka clan were skilled at manipulating the chakra in the brain as well. Invading their minds was a bit more precarious compared to an average ninja. They naturally had a higher immunity to genjutsu than others but it wasn't impossible. For someone as proficient in Genjutsu as himself, their minds were just as easy to manipulate as any other. He looked forward to knocking the arrogant punk off of his high horse and scaring straight the others who were grumbling as well.
"Well then Kai, are you volunteering to let me demonstrate a more aggressive form of genjutsu on you?" he asked.
"Do your worst." The blonde challenged.
"I refuse." Sasuke replied as the blonde approached the small platform where he and Shikamaru were standing.
"Why? Afraid it won't work?" Kai asked.
"His worse will leave you in either a coma or a body bag." Shikamaru replied with an almost evil gleam in his eyes. "He doesn't want to create any extra work for his fiancé either."
Sasuke nearly rolled his eyes at that but refrained and instead began laying the blueprint for the illusion in his mind. Since he didn't know the man, he decided to go with a scenario that he knew every team leader had experienced. All Chunin had to spend time in the Forest of Death during training at one point or another.
"Whatever, let's get this over with." Kai said.
"Alright. Everyone pay attention." Sasuke called out as Kai stepped onto the platform. He looked at the man and immediately immobilized him using a mildly aggressive genjutsu that pulled the man into an illusion of fighting in the forest of death. The man froze in place his body going completely still as his mind fought opponents that weren't there. "This is the most common form of combat genjutsu. Immobilizing your opponent by snaring them in an illusion that is not connected to their surroundings." He explained. With a flick of his wrist he drew his sword and pointed it at the ninja's heart and the crowd gasped. "He is literally inches from death and doesn't have a clue." Confident he'd made his point, he released the man who yelped when he saw the sword so close to him.
"You could've killed me!" he exclaimed in horror.
"And you were so caught up in my genjutsu you wouldn't have even known until my sword was using your chest as its sheath." Sasuke replied simply.
Kai's eyes widened before he sat down on the ground. "Why am I so tired?" he grumbled.
"Genjutsu is exhausting both mentally and physically both casting it and being caught up in it." Sasuke explained. "Generally speaking, the victim ends up worse off because the illusion is fed by their own chakra.
"Can it really put someone in a coma or worse?" the brown haired girl asked.
"Yes." Sasuke replied easily. "I myself was in a coma for weeks after being placed under a malicious genjutsu as a genin by Itachi Uchiha. Without Lady Tsunade's intervention, I surly would have been in that state for much longer. Lord Hokage was also bedridden after being placed under the same Genjutsu though he recovered much faster due to his experienced in both casting and fighting off other Genjutsu."
"So genjutsu can be broken by medical ninjutsu?" another asked.
"With most genjutsu, yes. The way to escape most genjutsu is disrupting the flow of chakra within your mind. The most effective way to accomplish this is to have someone else give you chakra." He explained.
"Are there others who are able to use the same genjutsu you can?" The brown haired girl asked.
"No." Sasuke replied.
"Alright. We'll wrap this up for today." Shikamru said glancing at the sun. "We'll continue tomorrow. Study up on your genjutsu basics! Most of your questions are things you should have learned as chunin." He grumbled.
As the group dispersed Sasuke sighed and contemplated taking Sakura to lunch. It was nearly that time and he was fairly certain if he didn't show up and entice her into taking a break with him, she'd work right through her lunch time. He could write up his report to Kakashi later.
"I'm going to the hospital." He told Shikamaru.
"Good idea. She has a nasty habit of working herself into the ground." The shadow wielder replied. "I'll let Kakashi know how things went today so no rush on the report."
"Thanks. I'll see you later." Sasuke replied before walking away from the training field his focus on the hospital.
Just a block before the hospital gates, a young woman he recognized from the class appeared.
"Sasuke? I was wondering, could you help me study?" she asked her eyelashes batting as she flipped her dark brown hair. "I just don't get any of this genjutsu stuff."
"No." he replied annoyed by her obvious attempt at flirting. "If you need one on one tutoring, ask Kurani sensei. My genjutsu techniques cannot be taught and anything else you need to know can be found in the library."
"You're so cold!" the girl whined.
He nearly rolled his eyes before continuing to the hospital. He caught the kick aimed at his knee and lifted Zen up by the ankle.
"You're too loud." He told the boy as he flipped him right side up and continued into the hospital.
"Tch!" The boy grumbled. "I'll defeat you one day." He vowed. "Are you here to see Sakura sensei?"
Sasuke nodded and nodded to the blushing secretary before making his way up the stairs and down the hall to Sakura's office.
"She's been a little busy today." Zen said as they walked. "A couple of kids came in with really high fevers." He explained.
Sasuke nodded and approached her door and knocked. When he didn't get a reply he closed his eyes and felt for her aura. Finding it a few doors down, he headed in that direction. He stopped at the doorway and watched as Sakura cooed quietly to a dark haired infant in her arms, her hands glowing green. The child relaxed and babbled happily before falling asleep.
"Here you go Mrs. Saito." She said handing the infant to a middle aged woman. "She should be just fine now. I'd like to keep her overnight for observation, just to make sure that her seizure was just a reaction to that mineral powder but it's up to you."
"May I stay with her?" the anxious woman asked.
Sakura nodded. "Of course. I'm sure she'll rest better with you nearby."
"Thank you so much. I'm grateful." The woman said with a little smile.
"I'm happy to do it." Sakura replied. "I'll come to check on you two later." She walked out of the room and her smile brightened when her gaze fell on Sasuke. "How did training go?" she asked him.
"They're all softer than I'd like but there were a few who showed promise." He replied. "Would you mind going to lunch with me?" he asked.
Sakura glanced at a nearby clock and nodded. "Sure, I have a little time but I won't be able to get the shopping done."
He nodded. "You invited Yamato over for dinner didn't you?"
She nodded and walked into her office exchanging her lab coat for a light green jacket.
"I'll pick up what you need in the market." He told her. "Just give me the list."
"Are you sure?" she asked.
He nodded. "I've lived on my own for more than a decade, I know how to do my own shopping."
She chuckled. "That's true." She admitted.
"Can I come to dinner too?" Zen asked in a chipper tone.
"Not tonight." Sakura replied. "My house is too small for another guest. Another day though."
"Alright." The boy said with a long suffering sigh.
Sakura chuckled and ruffled the boy's head. "You should head over to the cafeteria. I little birdie told me that they're serving curry today."
The boy's eyes lit up. "Really!? Alright!" He exclaimed throwing his arms around her waist. "See you later!"
She waved the child off and then walked with Sasuke down the stairs and out into the main yard of the hospital. A few of the other children called out a greeting as they left and he glanced back at the building.
"Sakura, why hasn't Zen been moved to the orphanage?" he asked as they walked.
Sakura sighed. "Because I'm paranoid."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Zen possesses rare chakra. It enables him to take control of others minds and bodies if he shares it with them." She explained. "Given Kabuto's history and association with Orochimaru, I'm not willing to throw the boy to the lion's den. I also want to keep him close to me so that I can observe his powers and help him learn to control it. He doesn't even realize the kind of power he has let alone how to use it."
Sasuke's brow furrowed. "That makes sense." He agreed. "Who are you going to entrust his training to when he gets older?"
They arrived at a small restaurant and sat down. Sakura ordered omelet rice and he ordered beef stew before they returned to their conversation.
"I'm not sure." She confessed. "His power is dangerous. He could be a huge asset to The Leaf or its downfall if he ends up in the wrong hands. If I had my way, he'd never even enter the ninja academy, but he's a fighter. I won't take that from him." She raked her hand through her hair. "I was thinking that Naruto might be a good choice since he has experience with sharing his chakra with others and should be able to counter Zen's chakra control with Kurama's but I'm honestly not sure."
Sasuke noticed lines of worry in the corners of her eyes and touched the corner of one. "Don't worry about it too much. You still have time to figure everything out."
She smiled at him and closed her eyes leaning into his touch and he slid his fingers along her cheek bone until he was able to cup her cheek. It always fascinated him how much she enjoyed his touch. Her skin warmed beneath his hand and she looked so happy he couldn't help but smile at her. When she opened her eyes and smiled back, he felt an overwhelming urge to kiss her. Unfortunately they were in public and so he reluctantly pushed the feeling away, promising himself to kiss her the moment they were in private and dropped his hand as their food arrived.
"So did you have any trouble makers in your class today?" she asked as she ate.
"Kai Yamanaka." He replied remembering the blonde haired man.
"Ah." Sakura replied. "I know him. He's one of Ino's cousins. He thinks he's God's gift to mankind."
"I get the distinct impression that he doesn't like me." Sasuke said.
The medic chuckled. "He doesn't." she confirmed. "He had a crush on Ino back in the day, he still does actually. He hated you because you were the one she was interested in. He must not have gotten the memo that she's with Sai now."
He nodded. Dealing with jealousy was something he was quite used to. Except for his own of course that would flare whenever a male that wasn't one of their classmates or their former teachers approached Sakura.
"Oh, I better give this to you before I forget." She said pulling a slip of paper from her purse. "This is the list of things I need for tonight." She said passing it to him.
He glanced over it and nodded before sliding it into his pocket. "I'm looking forward to meeting him again."
Sakura smiled. "Yeah, I'm excited too. I've missed him."
"I need to thank him." Sasuke said softly.
"Thank him? For what?" she asked.
He looked at her chest, where he'd once aimed his blade in a fit of childish, vendetta induced rage. If Yamato hadn't taken that blow for her, would she have die by his hand?
"I'll tell you later." He replied. "You said you didn't have a lot of time for lunch remember?"
"You're my top priority." She reminded him. "If you need something, just tell me."
He shook his head. "I know. I'll tell you later, I promise."
She nodded and they soon finished and walked back to the hospital together.
"I'll be by to pick you up this evening." He told her at the gate.
"Alright. I'll be done around five." She said smiling at him.
He nodded and made his way to the market place ignoring all the stares he felt on his back as he focused on the list in his hand. He was almost positive she was planning on making pork cutlets and he was looking forward to seeing how her cooking had improved over the years. He walked about collecting her ingredients and nearly laughed at himself. For years he'd lived as a fugitive, focused on nothing but honing his battle skills and getting his revenge. Now he was strolling through a busy market place for his fiancé in preparation for a dinner with a man that he'd once tried to kill. He never imagined that his life would be anything close to normal but here he was. It was all thanks to Sakura. As his thoughts floated to her, a smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. She was truly one of the most remarkable women he'd ever met. Strength, intelligence, beauty, compassion, and a will of iron. There was no one in the whole world that could compete with her in his heart. He was knocked out of his musing by a shrill voice.
"It's Sasuke Uchiha!" a girl shrieked. "Let's hurry and take a picture! He's so handsome!" she gushed.
Missing the days when people left him the Hell alone because he was so 'scary' he leapt to the rooftops before the click of the camera could capture his image. Being the pupil of Kakashi the Copy Ninja had taught him many things. One of which was avoiding uncomfortable situations. He arrived at the window of Sakura's apartment and slid it open with ease. Making a mental note to chastise the girl later for her lack of vigilance, he slipped inside and walked through her bedroom to the kitchen putting away the items that needed to be kept cold in the fridge and the rest in a bowl sitting on the counter.
Alone in the apartment for the first time since arriving, he decided to take the time to thoroughly explore the space. Her little quirks made him chuckle. All of her books and medical supplies were in perfect order and organized with precision. Her kitchen, though clean was a bit more disorganized. The bathroom was clean and screamed female with all of the potions and products that lined the walls of the tub and dominated the counter space. Though she didn't use the chakra of her hundred healings mark to maintain a youthful appearance the way her teacher did, it was clear she took care of her hair and skin.
"How girly." He said quietly to himself a little smile on his lips.
He was learning more about her every day. There were so many things he'd missed over the years. He grabbed some paper, ink, and a brush from her home office and knelt at her coffee table to write his report. Writing was so tedious especially with only one hand but it was certainly easier with a table to sit at. His brush glided over the paper with precision and soon, his report was written and ready to turn in. Setting it aside, he looked at the television set at the front of the living room. Watching television was something he hadn't done in years and though he wasn't about to start wasting massive amounts of time with the 'mind numbing light box' as Orochimaru had once called the device, he was curious to see what Sakura watched if anything.
He moved over to sit in front of her video collection and was impressed by the variety in her collection. Everything from documentaries on rare diseases, to romantic comedies. A copy of the movie that they had unwittingly become a part of during a mission to protect a famous movie actress and now princess caught his eye and he picked it up as well as the prequel they'd watched just before that mission. A little smile touched his lips as he remembered hanging upside down watching the film with a captivated Sakura and overenthusiastic Naruto.
"Idiot." He muttered remembering the ruckus Naruto had caused with his loud mouth.
He also remembered getting annoyed with Sakura's infatuation with one of the actors in the film. He couldn't even remember which one it was she liked but it was irritating to listen to her gush about the pretty man. He snorted and shook his head as he realized that even then he was developing deeper feelings for who. Who wouldn't be at least a little attracted to a girl who could go from gushing over a movie to taking down hired thugs twice her size with a single punch? Realizing he hadn't seen it or the prequel all the way through. Maybe he and Sakura could watch them together. Leaving them out to remind himself to ask her about it later, he rose from where he knelt and stretched before looking at the clock. Seeing he had a bit of time, he picked up a book from Sakura's shelf, one written about the Pain incident and began to read.
Pleasant sounds and mouthwatering scents tickling his senses and woke him some time later, the book open on his chest, soft evening light bathing the living room in warm golden glow, and a blanket covered him from the chest down. Realizing he must have fallen asleep he quickly sat up and scanned the room for the clock. His eyes however locked onto the blush haired beauty who stood at the counter. A pair of headphones were covering her ears and she was singing along with whatever song was playing as she cooked and he strained his ears to listen to what she was singing.
"All you have to do is stay a minute. Just take your time, the clock is ticking so stay. All you have to do is wait a second. Your hands on mine. The clock is ticking so stay." She swayed to whatever beat the song was played to as she slid a pan of vegetables into the oven. "I won't say what I already know. I've never been the best at letting go. I don't wanna spend the night alone. Guess I need you and I need to make it on my own but I don't wanna grow up, we can stay forever young. Living on my sofa drinking rum and cola underneath the rising sun. I could give a million reasons why. But you're going and you know that all you have to do is stay a minute, just take your time. The clock is ticking so stay. All you have to do is wait a second, your hands on mine. The clock is ticking so stay." She sang wiping her hands on her apron and twirling a little to the beat. "All you have to do is stay."
He was enchanted by her soft, sweet singing voice, the way her hair swayed in beat with her hips, the passion in her eyes, the way she moved her hands like she was performing on stage. She was so lovely, so innocent in this moment. Not the battle hardened ninja with monster strength in her hands. Just Sakura Haruno in all of her feminine glory. He couldn't stay away from her a moment longer. He'd already promised himself to kiss her when they were finally alone after all.
Silently, he rose setting the book down on the coffee table and slipped across the room to where Sakura stood tossing a fruit salad for dinner and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her to his chest. She jumped in his hold but relaxed when she realized when she realized whose arms she was in.
"Sasuke." She said in that breathless tone that set his heart racing.
He nuzzled her ear and pressed a kiss to her neck. "I'm sorry I didn't come to get you." He said.
She covered his arms with her own and leaned her head back to give him better access. "Don't be. You must have been tired." She assured him.
He turned her in his arms and kissed her his hand sliding into her silky hair as he pressed his body to hers trapping her between him and the counter. A soft, breathy sigh left her lips and his desire for her sparked into a raging fired. His tongue traced the outline of her lips and she parted for him with no resistance. He stroked her tongue with his own and wished he had another hand to touch more of her. His hand slid down her neck making her shiver when he traced the curve of her shoulder. He slid it down over her ribs, past her waist to her hip and thigh before taking the same path again in reverse. Her arms locked around his neck as he moved his mouth from her lips to her check and when he moved to her jaw she threw her head back offering her throat to him and moaned ever so softly.
"Sakura." He groaned skimming the column of pale flesh with his mouth.
He'd held her slim neck between his hands before ready to squeeze the life out of her. He'd been ready and willing to slide a blade across it and he knew she knew that. Even so, she offered it to him without reserve. It was humbling, and beautiful. A testament to just how much she trusted him and had forgiven him. He'd never deserve her, he knew that but he also knew that he'd never be able to let her go. He'd fight off anyone who tried to take her from him. She had been born for him, to be his refuge, his resting place, his home. He hadn't believed in Gods or fate until he'd met Gods in person. Kaguya, The Sage of Six Paths, learning that he and Naruto were the incarnations of long deceased brothers. There was no way to deny that some higher power had a hand in what happened here. Sakura meeting him, loving him, never giving up on him, accepting him, his clan, and their history completely had to be some sort of divine blessing. He could feel something gushing up inside him, a feeling that was stronger than any he'd ever felt before. It stole the strength from his legs and he found himself on his knees before her.
"Sasuke!? What's wrong?" Sakura asked dropping to her knees in front of him. "Are you in pain?"
"No." he replied his voice cracking as Sakura's hands cupped his cheeks and turned his face up. Her concerned Jade eyes met his and he felt wetness fill his eyes. "Sakura. I love you." He said leaning his forehead against hers. "I've never… Never felt something this strong." He confessed gripping her arm. "I never want to lose you. I want you to be safe and happy. I want to be with you always."
Sakura smiled and kissed him gently. "I feel the same way about you." She said stroking her fingers through his bangs.
He wrapped his arm around her and held her close. It was like a part of himself was opening and growing as knelt there in her arms. A part of his heart he'd cut off and shoved to the side felt like it was knitting itself back together and not just with his own heart, but with hers. He'd always heard Naruto talk about how feelings were unbreakable bonds. The blonde had prattled on and on about their connection and he'd felt it, whenever they fought either together or one another. Even when he was just in Naruto's presence, he felt a strong desire to stand by his side and help him reach for his dreams. This was different, warmer and perhaps even deeper. A bond that had always been there but he'd stubbornly pushed away. Never again. He'd treasure and deepen this bond himself. He wanted more of her he just wasn't sure what that 'more' was.
The sharp sound of knocking at the door snapped the couple out of their tender embrace.
"It's Yamatao." Sakura said pressing a kiss to Sasuke's temple before she stood and extended her hand to help him up.
He nodded and squeezed her fingers lightly before releasing her so that she could answer the door.
"Yamato!" Sakura exclaimed when she opened the door smiling warmly at the brunette ninja. "Come in. Make yourself at home."
"Thank you Sakura." Yamato replied with an easy smile of his own. "It smells good."
She chuckled. "You say that every time." She replied walking with him into the dining area. "Yamato, this is Sasuke Uchiha." She said motioning to the raven haired man.
"It's a pleasure to meet you again." Yamato said extending his hand to the younger man. "These circumstances are much better than the last ones we met under."
"Definitely." Sasuke agreed shaking the seasoned ninja's hand. "Sakura and Naruto speak highly of you."
"They speak highly of you too." Yamato replied smiling at him. "I'm looking forward to getting to you better."
"Dinner still has a few minutes." Sakura informed them. "You two can wait in the living room while I finished things up."
"Alright Sakura." Yamato said moving into the comfortable space and sinking into the couch with a sigh.
Sasuke sat down near him and studied the wood style ninja with curiosity. The man didn't look like much with an average looking face, brown hair, and dark eyes. He didn't have the lazy yet dangerous presence of Kakashi. He was more approachable in every way but he knew first hand that the man was a formidable opponent.
"So Kakashi told me that he wants to help you train in tracking." Yamato said glancing over at him.
Sasuke nodded. "Yes. It's not one of my strong suits." He admitted.
Yamato chuckled and nodded. "That's alright. We'll get you there." He assured him. "So how are you adjusting to life back in the village?" he asked.
The Uchiha shrugged. "It might be a little more annoying than I remember." He admitted.
Yamato laughed at that. "I can image that going from a solitary journey to a place where everyone wants to know everything is exhausting. Particularly with that bombshell you dropped." He said glancing over at the pink haired woman plating food. "It makes me happy to see that you're finally returning her feelings. She cares so deeply for you."
"She cares for you too." Sasuke replied. "Whenever she came to visit me with Naruto, I could always hear them talking about your condition when walking to my cell." He smirked. "You're the reason she still bears a grudge against Kabuto."
Yamato chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "I know. She's forgiving though, I'm sure Kabuto will redeem himself in her eyes eventually."
"The food is ready." Sakura said walking up to them. "Let's eat."
The three sat together and soon the conversation and food were flowing freely.
"So how was your mission?" Sakura asked passing a fresh bowl of rice to Yamato.
"It went well." He replied with a nod. "It was nice to get back to what I do best."
Sakura shook her head. "What you did best was keep us brats in line when we were chunin." She said smiling at him. "I hear Kakashi gets Naruto to work on time by threatening to send you over to wake him up with one of your signature faces."
Yamato laughed heartily. "I can't count the number of times he's said 'that face of yours is creeping me out'"
Sakura grinned. "As long as it kept him from doing something stupid, I don't mind."
"The fear of your fists did that too." He reminded her.
"Really?" she replied.
He nodded. "He told me that there was a moment during the war when you chased down one of ten tails' fission beings and took down over a hundred with one blow and his first thoughts were 'I am never talking back to Sakura ever again. She'll destroy me.'"
Sakura smirked at that. "I bet."
Sasuke smirked himself. He'd been there too after all but his reaction had been less innocent. He'd thought she'd looked incredibly desirable in that moment. There wasn't a flicker of fear in him.
As the evening wore on, he found that Yamato was very easy to get along with. He was considerate, intelligent and had many interesting stories to tell. Listening to his tales of Naruto's shenanigans while they were keeping him away from the war as well as stories about Kakashi and even Itachi during their ANBU days was a treat he hadn't expected.
"And then Naruto started heading over to the wall and I told him the story about Lady Tsunade beating Jairaya senseless when he spied on her in a hot spring and he stopped and didn't move for hours." He explained with a smile.
"That little twerp." Sakura hissed cracking her knuckles.
Sasuke smirked. "The last time I was in a hot spring with Naruto was when we were trying to get Kakashi's mask off."
Sakura's eyes lit up. "I remember that! You told me that he wore the mask even in the hot springs and you and Naruto almost passed out from the heat hoping he'd take it off but gave up because you didn't want to pass out."
He nodded. "I can't believe he managed to talk me into doing all of those ridiculous things just to see what was under Kakashi's mask." He said shaking his head. "Dressing up in those stupid outfits was the worst."
The blush haired ninja laughed and held her stomach. "Oh my gosh! I couldn't believe it when you actually put that thing on and then asked why we were dressed like that. Kakashi caught on to us so fast."
Sasuke shook his head. "I'll never live down the shame of being tied up like that."
"Better than getting trussed up like a yoyo like those other idiots." She offered. "Did we ever find out why they were stalking us in the first place?"
The Uchiha shook his head. "They said something about getting revenge on Kakashi but he said he didn't remember them when we asked."
Yamato chuckled and shook his head. "That sounds just like him." He admitted.
He glanced at the clock and his eyes widened. "It's this late already? I should get going."
"Alright." Sakura said smiling at him as they stood. "I'm glad that you were able to come over. Let's do this again soon."
He nodded. "Yes. It's been far too long. Thanks for having me. It was a pleasure to spend time with you too Sasuke." He said smiling at the Uchiha. "I'm looking forward to training together."
Sasuke nodded. "So am I." he replied. "Please come again."
Yamato's eyes widened in surprise before he smiled and nodded. "I will. Thank you both."
Once he was gone, Sasuke helped Sakura clean up the kitchen but stopped her before she could retreat to her bedroom to read like she normally did in the evenings.
"Would you mind watching this with me?" he asked gesturing to the movies on the coffee table. "I haven't seen the first one all the way through thanks to that blonde idiot and I never saw the sequel that we were a part of at all."
She smiled at him, her jade eyes lighting up. "I'd love to." She replied.
In minutes the movie was playing and Sakura was curled up on the couch next to him in a way that reminded him of a cat with her head on his shoulder, her legs tucked up on the seat next to her. The movie was just as entertaining as he remembered and he rolled his eyes when he noticed Sakura staring at the male actors with just as much glitter in her eyes as he remembered from their genin days. When he looked down at her later, he was surprised to see tears in her eyes. He glanced at the film and his brow furrowed, the movie was overly emotional so he couldn't imagine why she was so emotional.
"What's wrong?" He asked reaching over to touch her gently.
"It's stupid." She replied quickly wiping away her tears. "I've dreamed about doing things like this with you since we were children but now that it's actually happening." She gave him a watery smile. "It makes me happier than I ever imagined it would."
"Sentimental nonsense." He replied.
She laughed and nodded. "You're right." She replied. "Even so," she stretched up and kissed his cheek. "thank you. For being here with me like this."
He smiled down at her and tipped her face up with his fingertips. Their lips met and the movie was forgotten as they lost themselves in warm feelings and electric sensations. He'd never get tired of kissing her. She melted under his touch and he loved having such power over her, knowing he was the only one to have such an effect on her. So many loved, admired, and desired her yet he was the one she was kissing. He was the one that shared her bed at night.
When they broke apart, breathless and warm he couldn't help but pull her closer as they once again returned their attention to the movie. He was happy and content, a set of feelings he was experiencing more often and as Sakura dozed off still curled up at his side, he became even more determined to hold onto the home he'd found in blush colored locks and jade eyes.
Author's Note: I'm back! Finally! I apologize for the long delay. I didn't like where the story was going and decided to take a break to figure out how to get it back on track instead scrapping previous chapters. Now that it's headed back in the direction I want, you can (hopefully) expect weekly updates. Thank you for all of your patience and loyalty. I appreciate every single reader. You guys keep me going.
