"Naruto…" Sakura said rolling him over
He was alive, but wouldn't last much longer at this rate. Sasuke made a sigh of relief and ran to the phone to call an ambulance.
"Who could have done this," he could hear Sakura mutter.
She was right, who would try to murder a 13 year-old genin ninja? Was it because they had something against the nine-tailed fox? But he was obviously alive, why didn't they kill him then. That was when he heard Sakura say, "Could it have something to do with…"
"Sakura, do you know anything that could be related to this?" he said, putting down the phone after he'd called the hospital.
Sakura looked at Sasuke, and then at Naruto covered in blood. "I didn't think it would lead to something like this," she said. "Well it may still have nothing to do with this anyway, but I guess I should tell you."
"What is it?" said Sasuke getting irritated.
"…Someone's following me, stalking me I should say," she whispered. She tried to look at him but she just couldn't. What would he say? Would he just think it was a stupid hallucination or something?
"What? You were being followed all this time and you didn't tell anyone?" He was mad. She didn't have to look up to figure that out, she could hear it in the tone of his voice.
"I told my parents, they said I'm a shinobi so I'd probably be stronger than any stocker, so I thought it wouldn't be nece…" She was interrupted.
"Sakura you're a shinobi! Who knows who could be following you! They may have even been after your life, how could you not tell me something like that! Someone could have… hurt you."
Sakura had gone a little red from this, she knew it wasn't the time, but she could hear her heart beating. Had he actually been worried about her? Just when that thought had come into her head the ambulance had come. Naruto was quickly rushed to the hospital, and Sakura and Sasuke were left standing in front of Naruto's house. "We have to tell Kakashi," said Sasuke. "C'mon."
"O, ok," said Sakura, still a little red from what he had just said. When they had arrived at the meeting spot they found Kakashi alone, of course reading his book.
"Hmm… What were you two doing alone so early in the morning?" he asked looking up. "Leaving your poor old teacher by himself."
"Someone tried to assassinate Naruto," muttered Sasuke.
Kakashi froze.
"And someone's been stalking Sakura," he added.
"This isn't good," said Kakashi. "And where's Naruto now?"
"The hospital," muttered Sasuke. "We should head over there to see if he'll be ok."
"I agree," said Kakashi putting his book in his pack.
The three of them headed to the Konoha Hospital to find that Naruto's operation had not yet finished. After talking to a doctor they had become aware that none of the Shuriken had gotten any of Naruto's weak points, but because he had been hit by so many he overall was in quite a bad state.
"Sasuke, this will mainly affect you, so I want you to listen calmly," said Kakashi when they had all sat down in an empty room.
Sakura sipped the tea that she had been served and looked up at him.
"Orochimaru's back in Konoha village…" he said.
Sakura nearly spat her tea out. Sasuke was staring wide-eyed at their teacher. Back in Konoha? Was he after Sasuke again? Sakura suddenly felt a chill run down her spine; she wouldn't be able to stand it if something happened to Sasuke again. "What does he want this time?" she asked lowering her voice.
"It's quite obvious isn't it?" asked Kakashi. The answer she had dreaded, she looked at Sasuke to see his reaction, but he looked calm as usual.
"He can't get me without having this curse take over my will," said Sasuke, sneering almost like he was challenging the guy.
"That's right, so we probably won't have to worry about him doing anything to you," announced Kakashi. "But from what you just said Sakura. He may be plotting something, you should have a bodyguard for a while, it's too dangerous."
"Um, ok," said Sakura.
"And I'm appointing you as that bodyguard Sasuke."
"What!?" screamed Sakura and Sasuke together.
"C'mon, what do you mean what? To tell you the truth I think you would even be strong enough to keep off a Jounin, if they're not too high class. And like they all say, when you're trying to protect someone important to you, you can become you're strongest." He said, sort of winking at Sasuke.
The both of them went red, and even redder when Kakashi announced, "ok Sakura, you sleep over at Sasuke's house tonight."
"But sensei…"
"No buts, you don't want to put you're family into danger, I'll have someone else stay at your house just in case, but there is more chance if he's stalking you that he'll find where you are. And when he does the less people involved the better."
"Kakashi, what if Orochimaru himself comes? Did you consider that?"
"He wouldn't do something like that, he's too busy with his own affairs, besides he's got loads of men to spare."
So it was somehow decided, leaving Sakura and Sasuke a little suspicious about Kakashi having some sort of ideas. But coming to the conclusion she would be safe Sakura got her sleepover stuff and marched down to Sasuke's house. She'd never thought she'd be able to see his house, she was nervous to tell the truth.
"Here it is," said Sasuke pointing to it. It was quite small, obviously because he lived alone. It was a white house with a blue roof, and apparently he lived only on the second floor, even of that small thing. There were four rooms, a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, and what looked like a study/training room.
"There's only one bed, but you can take it," Sasuke told her. "I'll take the couch."
"Thanks," she said. "Oh, you haven't eaten right?" She opened her bag to take out a Tupperware container. "My mom told me that we should eat this, because you live alone she was worried you weren't getting enough vegetables. Mothers get so worried sometimes." She laughed.
"Tell her thanks," he said. Seeing Sakura smile made him relax a bit. He needed as much comfort as he could get now, especially because the thought that Orochimaru was after his friends because of him was crossing his mind.
They ate what was inside the Tupperware, a sort of vegetable rice thing, and got ready for bed, it had gotten quite late. The phone suddenly rung and Sasuke picked it up. It was from the hospital, apparently Naruto was going to be ok.
"Really!" cried Sakura. "That's a relief, we can sleep better now."
Too bad that wasn't what was going to happen.
Sakura got into "Sasuke's bed". It faintly smelt like him, and made her feel warm inside. "I'll be in the living room so call me if there's anything wrong." Sasuke told her leaving.
Sakura told him she would and closed her eyes, although the covers were soft and the pillows were fluffy, although she felt comforted by the smell of the young boy that filled the room, she couldn't be eased. She was still thinking about what had happened the past few days, noticing someone following her and then finding her friend half dead. It certainly wasn't the best time she could have. And most of all she dreaded Orochimaru coming to get Sasuke, what could she do if that happens? Would she be able to do anything? Just then she saw a shadow in the window.
* * *
"Come to me, use my power," bellowed Orochimaru. "Use my strength or else your friends will die."
"Yeah right," said Sasuke. "I'm strong enough to protect them without using your senseless powers!"
"What? This is not right! You are supposed to start depending on me to save your friends. I see what the problem is! It's the girl isn't it? For the first time in years you have something more important to you than your revenge. Well than I guess she will have to pay."
"No wait, don't touch her!"
Sasuke was awakened from his nightmare by a scream. He sat up on the couch, taking a second to get a hold of himself, then he suddenly became conscious.
"Sakura!"
He continued screaming the name as he ran down the hall, as he flung open the door, as he burst into his room and ran to his bed.
Only to find that it was empty.
To Be Continued
He was alive, but wouldn't last much longer at this rate. Sasuke made a sigh of relief and ran to the phone to call an ambulance.
"Who could have done this," he could hear Sakura mutter.
She was right, who would try to murder a 13 year-old genin ninja? Was it because they had something against the nine-tailed fox? But he was obviously alive, why didn't they kill him then. That was when he heard Sakura say, "Could it have something to do with…"
"Sakura, do you know anything that could be related to this?" he said, putting down the phone after he'd called the hospital.
Sakura looked at Sasuke, and then at Naruto covered in blood. "I didn't think it would lead to something like this," she said. "Well it may still have nothing to do with this anyway, but I guess I should tell you."
"What is it?" said Sasuke getting irritated.
"…Someone's following me, stalking me I should say," she whispered. She tried to look at him but she just couldn't. What would he say? Would he just think it was a stupid hallucination or something?
"What? You were being followed all this time and you didn't tell anyone?" He was mad. She didn't have to look up to figure that out, she could hear it in the tone of his voice.
"I told my parents, they said I'm a shinobi so I'd probably be stronger than any stocker, so I thought it wouldn't be nece…" She was interrupted.
"Sakura you're a shinobi! Who knows who could be following you! They may have even been after your life, how could you not tell me something like that! Someone could have… hurt you."
Sakura had gone a little red from this, she knew it wasn't the time, but she could hear her heart beating. Had he actually been worried about her? Just when that thought had come into her head the ambulance had come. Naruto was quickly rushed to the hospital, and Sakura and Sasuke were left standing in front of Naruto's house. "We have to tell Kakashi," said Sasuke. "C'mon."
"O, ok," said Sakura, still a little red from what he had just said. When they had arrived at the meeting spot they found Kakashi alone, of course reading his book.
"Hmm… What were you two doing alone so early in the morning?" he asked looking up. "Leaving your poor old teacher by himself."
"Someone tried to assassinate Naruto," muttered Sasuke.
Kakashi froze.
"And someone's been stalking Sakura," he added.
"This isn't good," said Kakashi. "And where's Naruto now?"
"The hospital," muttered Sasuke. "We should head over there to see if he'll be ok."
"I agree," said Kakashi putting his book in his pack.
The three of them headed to the Konoha Hospital to find that Naruto's operation had not yet finished. After talking to a doctor they had become aware that none of the Shuriken had gotten any of Naruto's weak points, but because he had been hit by so many he overall was in quite a bad state.
"Sasuke, this will mainly affect you, so I want you to listen calmly," said Kakashi when they had all sat down in an empty room.
Sakura sipped the tea that she had been served and looked up at him.
"Orochimaru's back in Konoha village…" he said.
Sakura nearly spat her tea out. Sasuke was staring wide-eyed at their teacher. Back in Konoha? Was he after Sasuke again? Sakura suddenly felt a chill run down her spine; she wouldn't be able to stand it if something happened to Sasuke again. "What does he want this time?" she asked lowering her voice.
"It's quite obvious isn't it?" asked Kakashi. The answer she had dreaded, she looked at Sasuke to see his reaction, but he looked calm as usual.
"He can't get me without having this curse take over my will," said Sasuke, sneering almost like he was challenging the guy.
"That's right, so we probably won't have to worry about him doing anything to you," announced Kakashi. "But from what you just said Sakura. He may be plotting something, you should have a bodyguard for a while, it's too dangerous."
"Um, ok," said Sakura.
"And I'm appointing you as that bodyguard Sasuke."
"What!?" screamed Sakura and Sasuke together.
"C'mon, what do you mean what? To tell you the truth I think you would even be strong enough to keep off a Jounin, if they're not too high class. And like they all say, when you're trying to protect someone important to you, you can become you're strongest." He said, sort of winking at Sasuke.
The both of them went red, and even redder when Kakashi announced, "ok Sakura, you sleep over at Sasuke's house tonight."
"But sensei…"
"No buts, you don't want to put you're family into danger, I'll have someone else stay at your house just in case, but there is more chance if he's stalking you that he'll find where you are. And when he does the less people involved the better."
"Kakashi, what if Orochimaru himself comes? Did you consider that?"
"He wouldn't do something like that, he's too busy with his own affairs, besides he's got loads of men to spare."
So it was somehow decided, leaving Sakura and Sasuke a little suspicious about Kakashi having some sort of ideas. But coming to the conclusion she would be safe Sakura got her sleepover stuff and marched down to Sasuke's house. She'd never thought she'd be able to see his house, she was nervous to tell the truth.
"Here it is," said Sasuke pointing to it. It was quite small, obviously because he lived alone. It was a white house with a blue roof, and apparently he lived only on the second floor, even of that small thing. There were four rooms, a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, and what looked like a study/training room.
"There's only one bed, but you can take it," Sasuke told her. "I'll take the couch."
"Thanks," she said. "Oh, you haven't eaten right?" She opened her bag to take out a Tupperware container. "My mom told me that we should eat this, because you live alone she was worried you weren't getting enough vegetables. Mothers get so worried sometimes." She laughed.
"Tell her thanks," he said. Seeing Sakura smile made him relax a bit. He needed as much comfort as he could get now, especially because the thought that Orochimaru was after his friends because of him was crossing his mind.
They ate what was inside the Tupperware, a sort of vegetable rice thing, and got ready for bed, it had gotten quite late. The phone suddenly rung and Sasuke picked it up. It was from the hospital, apparently Naruto was going to be ok.
"Really!" cried Sakura. "That's a relief, we can sleep better now."
Too bad that wasn't what was going to happen.
Sakura got into "Sasuke's bed". It faintly smelt like him, and made her feel warm inside. "I'll be in the living room so call me if there's anything wrong." Sasuke told her leaving.
Sakura told him she would and closed her eyes, although the covers were soft and the pillows were fluffy, although she felt comforted by the smell of the young boy that filled the room, she couldn't be eased. She was still thinking about what had happened the past few days, noticing someone following her and then finding her friend half dead. It certainly wasn't the best time she could have. And most of all she dreaded Orochimaru coming to get Sasuke, what could she do if that happens? Would she be able to do anything? Just then she saw a shadow in the window.
* * *
"Come to me, use my power," bellowed Orochimaru. "Use my strength or else your friends will die."
"Yeah right," said Sasuke. "I'm strong enough to protect them without using your senseless powers!"
"What? This is not right! You are supposed to start depending on me to save your friends. I see what the problem is! It's the girl isn't it? For the first time in years you have something more important to you than your revenge. Well than I guess she will have to pay."
"No wait, don't touch her!"
Sasuke was awakened from his nightmare by a scream. He sat up on the couch, taking a second to get a hold of himself, then he suddenly became conscious.
"Sakura!"
He continued screaming the name as he ran down the hall, as he flung open the door, as he burst into his room and ran to his bed.
Only to find that it was empty.
To Be Continued