Poker Face
Sasuke followed behind Sakura, partially annoyed with the way she was treating him, he hadn't done anything bad to her except shove her back, she's a trained ninja, and can't she just grin and bear it? While he was walking behind her, he noticed something about her, the way she walked.
He allowed himself a small smile, he had to give her credit though. 'It seems as if she's the only girl that I've rejected a fair amount of times and yet, hasn't given up on me. It's not like she hasn't had any good offers, besides that Naruto Idiot.' He thought and looked up to the parts of the forest where the sun escaped through bits and pieces of the leaves.
'Itachi..' His thoughts drifted looking to Sakura. 'What...went on between those two? Is that one of the reasons she's so down?' He thought, something unfamiliar came to him, a feeling that he hadn't experienced in along time, not since he was very young, not since his teamwork days in team 7. He sped up his pace until he was next to her.
"He didn't….hurt you did he?" Sasuke asked suddenly, he didn't get an answer right away, and then looked to her, expecting an answer. Her eyes were glassy and half lidded from crying, her cheeks were rosy covering her body with that depressed glow. Her pink hair covered some of her face.
He felt a sudden urge to take some of that pink hair and tuck it behind her ear, something inside him began to beat, with alarm and panic as he pulled back, turning away. Sakura watched this, 'it's happening again.' She thought and continued to walk. 'First sign of any type of emotion, and he pushes away…. goes back in his little protective shell.' She thought and continued to walk, depressive anger bubbling.
"Would you even care if he threw me to the ground and told me a thing or two?" She said to him making him stop walking, she continued her slow and easy pace. "Would you give a damn if he had hurt me?" She said and stopped, looking to him. "You don't care about anyone, obviously I go under that category." She spoke then turned and continued. "it's not like you would but, either way, don't worry about it." She spoke this time leaping up into a tree and continued that way, he followed.
"Sakura..." He spoke as he continued, following beside her. He didn't want to show his emotions to anyone, he knew this but watching her hide form him, did something to him. A feeling that bothered him beyond anything, he didn't know why exactly, maybe it was because she always told him everything about her, what bothered her, who was bothering her. She was always so open even when he didn't tell her anything.
"What happened?" He asked once more, he tried his best to use a soft tone, she didn't stop and didn't turn, for some reason she knew herself that if she looked at him she would brake down and tell him everything. All of what he said, how Sasuke only lives to defeat the very person that ended his happiness. She hated Itachi for it, hated him with all that she was for hurting the only person that she couldn't stop caring about.
Sasuke continued to follow Sakura while she continued to run, he didn't know why the meeting affected her so much, she wasn't herself, then again he wasn't being the best of anything to her, he couldn't be like any guy that would confess his love to her……….his cheeks flamed. 'Not that I do care for her.' He reassured himself as he followed.
'It's just that, she's my partner in this, this mission… and for what it's worth, she's always seen me and helped me heal. Commented on anything I was doing wrong, even if she came off as a weak person, it wasn't true, Sakura had perfect control over her chakra… like the hyuuga clan, she has perfect control, even though she can't see the flow quite the easily, but her skills are impressive.'
He caught himself and what he had been thinking, he stopped for a few seconds, he was still a bit uneasy over that ugly beast that had told him she was going to be taken away from him, he didn't see why all these things were coming to him all at once. First it was the beast and now… his damned brother.
He turned to Sakura and noticed her look, she was just as deep in thought as he was, but he wondered what she was thinking, usually it wasn't very hard to figure out. She was usually looking at him, with an adoring expression, it made him secure and able to continue, and knowing how annoying it was… but he knew that she was interested in him. It fueled him with confidence to know that his team mate liked him, even in the ways the he didn't… find suitable but, he knew that she accepted him, for whatever he might come off as.
No matter how cruel or mean he was to her, she never once told him anything about it, until today. "Plus…" She spoke out weakly; her voice wasn't as strong he noticed, strained, thirsty…. She didn't eat yesterday; her skin seemed a bit paler by a small amount. "?"
"It's not like he didn't tell me anything I didn't know already." She said to him, forcing a smile and scratching her head. "I know how you feel about me or anyone that tries to get close to you. We'd just.. hold you back, pull ya down." She said and continued to scratch. She halted and took out the letter, handing it to him. "Listen, I'm going to stop for now…" She said looking up to him and smiled.
He noticed she seemed as if she was forcing herself, her smiles were fake, and farce… this wasn't her being happy, her happiness …. When she was, he could tell. It radiated from her, annoyed him, and eased him.
"I feel a bit dirty so I'm going to take a bath in one of the lakes, you can go on ahead, and I know the way so I'll catch up soon enough." She spoke giving him the letter and adding him a small push, he blinked slightly as the wind blew over her features.
"…..We can't separate." He spoke out to her shoving the letter back to her. "If you go and bathe, I'll wait till you finish, but I can't very well go on my way when you and I are a unit." He spoke making her blink in surprise. "S-sasuke..?"
He turned away, and took her hand, leading her to a nearby hot spring; they had been doing this for a few days. He understood that she had been pushing herself a bit too far, even he was tired, let alone a female such as her…. so small and delicate. Well at least in his eyes that what she seemed at the current moment. "We'll be there soon, if we keep up at this pace we might get there in a few more days, but I think it's best if we bathe and eat." He spoke out in a low tone, her eyes were wide.
"Sa….su..ke?" She asked seeing him continue to walk, his hand firmly holding hers while they walked, she noticed his palms were sweaty; tears escaped her eyes as he walked her to the hot springs in that he had caught sight of while they were traveling. It was warm steamy water, surrounded by a wall of rocks, wet and smooth. Sasuke led her to the entrance and motioned the waters. "I thought you'd like your privacy, so I was thinking of this place, I knew it was a bit off from our trail, but….." Sasuke looked to her, seeing her eyes glow, she was happy.
"You need to relax." He spoke reached and put his hand on her head, not knowing what else to do, the awkwardness inside him was growing, making him uneasy. "I'll wait for you to finish." He spoke and walked off, she tightened her hold on his hand reminding him that he had taken hold of it.
"Bathe with me Sasuke…?" She asked a crimson blush on her cheeks. He turned to her in shock. "What?" She looked to him and looked down. "I understand if you don't, I'm use to you saying no…. but I guess it was worth a try." She said and then let go of his hand. He stood there looking to her; thoughts entered his mind, 'what if that beast returned… or Itachi came to pay her another visit...I can't leave her alone. ' He thought, while she turned her back on him and reached for her shirt he stopped her hands short of what she was doing and made her face him.
"I'll stay with you." He spoke his voice coming out uneven and strange. Something the Sakura hasn't heard before from him, 'acceptance maybe?' She thought as he reached to take off his shirt. "OH!" She said and turned, covering her eyes. He smiled to her and then gave out a small chuckle. "You seem different from that day in my apartment." He spoke making her flinch and look up, still not facing him.
"Well I-"
His chuckle cut her short. "You don't have to act like that to get my attention." He spoke to her. She froze. 'Why is he….acting this way? Is his guard finally down….?' She thought and reached to him, afraid he might slap her hand away. "Sasuke…?" She asked seeing him blink to her, his tone hasn't changed, he still seemed secretive, his eyes and skin… his hair. She reached and wrapped him in a hug, one that he made no attempt to push her away from. He inhaled her scent, closing his eyes. He had yet to know why girl were so into cleaning themselves daily, Sakura still smelled nice, she always did.
"I thought you were angry with me." He spoke to her, his voice soft and soothing. She looked to him and sighed. "I was angry with you." She spoke her eyes going hollow again. "Sometimes I feel like you don't want me around, like I'm bothering you." She spoke. He held her tightly to him. "That's because you are bothersome to have around sometimes Haruno." He spoke making her stiffen, but before she tried to push away, his arms were around her, pressing her to him.
"You're my partner." He spoke making her look to him. "You are part of a team, me and you." He said and then smiled to her cockily. "Don't get all depressed on me." He spoke and then leaned on her forehead and sighed. He still remembered how she felt underneath him, how he tried to control himself, but it was becoming…difficult on his part. He had to kiss her…soon.
Sakura noticed his tormented sigh and smiled weakly. "He didn't hurt me." She said as she reached to remove her clothing. "He told me things about you, things that I know." She spoke moving back, making him turn around till she was inside.
"Like what?"
"He said that you care about nobody, that you are his. He rules your mind and your physical body, you train for him." She spoke as she dove under and submerged. "That's not true." He spoke and looked to her, seeing her in the water, hair wet, and body warm and flushed.
Then looked away blushing. "Oh..?" She asked looking to him, she noticed his stance. He was trying to open up, for once he was trying, to make her feel better.
"Sasuke are you worried about me?" She asked. He turned to her blushing. "It's nothing like that." He said suddenly. "Oh." She said but not sounding as if she believed him, she noticed his cheeks catch that pink glow that she had given him a few days before in his apartment.
"Liar…" She spoke and went under again. He looked to her, seeing her go under. Then he smiled again. "Maybe a little…..Sakura." He said watching her burst up. Gasp slightly as she went on and asked him to hand her some soap form the back she was carrying, he obliged and handed it to her, as she swam to him she pulled him in.
"HEY!" He shouted being dragged in.
Splashes were heard as Sasuke stood up, anger in him all over as he made his way out, then something soft cam up behind him. "Get off!" he shouted attempting to shove her off. As He was about to, she flipped him over to he fell back in the water.
"I heard you." She spoke holding him, running her tongue along his neck, her breathing a bit labored. "What did you hear?" He asked his thankful that the water was shielding his growing need.
"I heard you say you care about me, you do worry about me. Not only as your teammate but as myself, you worry for me. Me…Sakura." She said, he attempted another shove, but this time she took possession of his mouth making him stiffen.
"!!!!"
"I care about you too Sasuke." She spoke holding him tightly. His eyes had gone wide. "I care about you too…"
'Sa-sakura..'
To Be Continued.