Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
A/N: Hi Hi! OooooOOO…Thanks for all those reviews! You guys make me a happy little author! Just let me remind you one more thing! Then I'll shut up…J ! Remember, this story is mostly told through memories or flashbacks of past experiences to give our characters more significant relationships to each other! Thanks again!
Autumn Leaves
Chapter 5: A Shinobi's Promise
The air was warm…she was warm.
She was light as I held her and walked through the falling cherry blossoms. Her rhythmic breaths were slow and shallow, her pink hair tickling the skin on my exposed skin on my neck. Her arms were tightly wrapped around my neck as I carried her.
Sasuke snapped his eyes opened from his sleep and looked around.
His eyes saw the remains of fire and wood from the previous night, and the walls of the caves now entirely visible from the sunrays shining through the mouth of the entrance. He felt the wet dirt beside him from some of the water that had leaked through from the precipitation that had occurred yesterday.
He sat there gazing, thinking of the memory that came as a dream.
It was a windy day in Konoha, surprising the villagers since it was summer. The sky was clear, yet gray, and there were no specs of cloud in the sky…but the winds blew fiercely. There were hardly any people outside, the residents retreated as soon as possible to their respective houses after accomplishing their tasks they had to do outside. Besides that, one team of Chunnins patiently waited for something, or someone, on the nearby Konoha bridge.
"What's he taking so long?!?…and where's Sakura-chan?!?"
"…"
"Hey! Are you ignoring me?!?"
"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke quietly replied.
"Why you— huh?"
Naruto looked at the running figure that slowly approached them.
"Aa! Sakura-chan!"
Sasuke's head slightly turned to the direction Naruto was staring at. It was Sakura, and she looked like she was using a lot of effort to get here as fast as she could. Just then, a blur of orange past by Sasuke, and whizzed toward the approaching figure.
"Ohayou, Sakura-chan!" Naruto happily greeted her.
"O-Ohayou cough Naruto…"
Sasuke saw Sakura panting as she was trying to breathe. She was in her usual red outfit, but she had a pink cotton jacket around her…and she didn't look so well. Her face was red, and her eyes looked as if she had been crying.
"…S-Sakura-chan…daijoubu desu ka?" Naruto asked worriedly.
"H-Hai…" Sakura gave Naruto a reassuring smile as she started walking towards Sasuke. "Ohayou, Sasuke-kun." Sakura said meekly.
Sasuke acknowleged her by giving her a slight nod.
Naruto followed Sakura as she went to her usual spot on the bridge muttering,
"I wonder how late Kakashi-sensei is going to be today?"
"Kakashi-sensei…I need your advice."
Kakashi chuckled. "You want MY advice?"
Naruto nodded meekly as he crouched before his former teacher as Kakashi took note of his seriousness. 'Naruto? Serious? Now there's something new…'
"Hmmm….something is actually bothering my student, Uzumaki Naruto?" Kakashi said as he smiled.
"Not something…
"…someone."
Sasuke walked through the forest that was now drenched from yesterday's storm. Everything smelled of fresh nature and wet dew. Sasuke's strained face was now relaxed as he breathed in the fresh forest air. This was his second day traveling…he should get to the Mist Village in no time.
After all…Tsunade had told him that Sakura was last seen there.
"You're late!"
"Aa…gomenasai, minna." Kakashi said, his right eye twinkling. "Jiraya and I lost track of time when we were training…"
"Yeah right! You and Ero-senin train?!? I bet you two were looking at some girls!"
Kakashi jumped from the branch faster than the blink of an eye towards Naruto. His hand was all of a sudden covering his student's mouth.
"Now, now, Naruto…you should respect your teacher."
Naruto tried to pry his hand off but Kakashi had it clamped shut on his mouth. Kakashi then noticed that his other two students were silent. He looked over and saw a surprising sight.
His male student, Sasuke, was sitting down arms crossed, Indian-style, staring directly at him, leaning on the rail as his female student, Sakura, was sleeping, with her head leaning on his shoulder. Kakashi's other male student saw what he was looking at and tried even more desperately to make his hand off of his mouth, muffling:
"HrrEy!…Greeet Ophh, Saakara –chan!"
While Kakashi, decided to say something.
"Did I miss anything?"
Kakashi's face darkened. He knew exactly where this was going to get at.
"I-It's about someone, Kakashi-sensei." Out of habit, Naruto still addressed him as "sensei."
"…"
"Kakashi-sensei…I need your advice about Sakura…" Naruto pleaded.
"I can't."
"You can't what! Whenever I ask you I always get the same answer! What do you mean you can't?!?"
"Naruto…you don't understand." Kakashi sent Naruto a piercing gaze that made Naruto stiffen.
"Please…she's too important to me."
"You don't understand." Kakashi still kept his stoic face as he faced his student. "I failed as her teacher…"
"What are you talking about?"
"That time…during the Chuunin exams…I gave you Ebisu…and then you got Jiraya. I mentored Sasuke and taught him most of the things that he needed…but…" Kakashi looked away, his one eye gazing over the distance shown in the window. "…I completely ignored Sakura…and that was the time she started changing…she became more secluded…"
Naruto looked at Kakashi intently. He remembered…Sakura was getting more and more reserved, her attention not so much on Sasuke anymore. It was obvious that she still liked him…but…she was still…different.
"I only concentrated on you and Sasuke…I made a stupid mistake."
"…"
"I can't help you Naruto." Kakashi said, turning back to look at him.
"He was the one who knew her best, and she was the one who knew him best…"
"She's sick."
Kakashi walked towards the two casually.
"What!?! Get off her, bastard!"
"Shut up, dobe!"
Sakura stirred as her eyelashes fluttered open. "S-Sasuke-kun?"
"Aa."
"Sakura…you're burning!" Kakashi said as he felt her hot forehead.
"Ahh…I'm fine, Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura shakily tried to stand up. "I just need—"
Sasuke grabbed her. "Don't be stupid, Sakura…you're sick."
"Get off her!"
Kakashi once again put his hand where it belonged.
"Right!" Kakashi said smiling. "That's why you're going to take her home, Sasuke-kun."
Naruto walked into his small apartment that he had been residing in since he graduated from the ninja academy. Though he made a large sum for being an ANBU, he wasn't able to part from this unpartable niche.
Naruto sat down on his bed, thinking, or more like trying to remember the past. As he looked around, a memory of Sakura appeared in his mind.
"Come in, Sakura-chan!"
Naruto led Sakura into his small apartment. It wasn't much, but Sakura knew that he wasn't able to afford more. She quietly looked around the room. The bikini girl calendar, the kitchen and the dirty dishes in it, and the picture frame on his shelf, which was of team 7.
"What do you think, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked as he happily grinned.
"It's cozy."
"Hahaha…" Naruto said as he scratched his head. "Do you want some ramen?"
"Sure, Naruto."
Naruto walked over to the kitchen and took out two packages of ramen and started heating the stove. Sakura watched him as he poured the contents of ramen into the boiling water.
"So…Sakura-chan…what have you been doing?"
Naruto asked, to try to break the silence. He suddenly frowned…it wasn't always like this. At least there was always something to argue about between her. But now…she was so quiet…like the bastard.
"Nothing." Her voice held no emotion…like she didn't care if he was even there. Naruto gave her a slight glance and saw her sitting quietly on his bed. Her hands were on her lap, and her eyes were looking at the picture of Team 7.
"Ooo…" Naruto chuckled forcefully. "Well…you're lucky, Sakura-chan! Me and the bastard have to train every single day with Kakashi-sensei and Jiraya!"
Naruto saw her flinch as she tightened her fists.
"Well…it's better than having nothing to do, neh?" Naruto heard Sakura ask, she was trying to sound happy…but it was obvious she wasn't.
"I guess!" Naruto said as he smiled nervously at her as she turned to look at him. 'Since when was it this hard to talk with Sakura-chan?'
"Is something wrong, Sakura-chan?"
"No." Sakura said as she turned back to look at the photo frame.
"Yes there is…" Naruto said worriedly. "Do you want to train so you can let it all out?"
Sakura looked sadly at him which broke his heart. That look…he never expected to see it from Sakura…who was always the happy person of Team 7.
"There's no point."
"What do you mean, Sakura-chan?"
Naruto heard Sakura sigh as he approached her and sat next to her on his bed.
"You and Sasuke-kun have potential, Naruto…the only reason Kakashi-sensei didn't give me a personal trainer is because I'm weak."
"That's not true!"
"Yes it is, Naruto…you and Sasuke-kun will have great futures…but it's okay…" Naruto watched Sakura bite her lips. "I don't mind being left alone anymore."
"S-Sakura-chan…"
"The water's boiling, Naruto."
"Sakura-chan…"
Naruto sat solemnly on his bed.
'How could I have been so ignorant?'
"What?!?"
"I said, that's why Sasuke-kun should take her home." Kakashi said as he smiled.
"But why does the bastard get to take her home?!?"
Sasuke and Sakura watched as Kakashi took out his Icha Icha Paradise from his pouch. Sasuke noticed Sakura grasping tighter on his shirt. He saw her trying to keep her eyes open, her eyelids fluttering up and then down.
"Kakashi. I'm going to take Sakura home."
"What?!?" Before Naruto could say anything more, Sasuke darted off with Sakura on his back.
The air was warm…she was warm.
She was light as I held her and walked through the falling cherry blossoms. Her rhythmic breaths were slow and shallow, her pink hair tickling the skin on my exposed skin on my neck. Her arms were tightly wrapped around my neck as I carried her.
"S-Sasuke-kun…"
"Hn?"
"D-Don't forget…your promise."
Sasuke looked at the entrance sign of the village. In giant gray kanji letters, the sign said: The Mist Village.
Sasuke walked in the entrance casually, only one thing on his mind.
'I won't forget.'