Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...(cries)
Original Characters: Mai, Jin, Asuka, Athena, Marriallis, shinji and err the dark lord dude that i haven't come up with a name for yet.. haha!
Lady Rine: Yay! Another chapter... haha! I just finished writting this like 10 mins ago (grin).
HOPE YOU EJNOY IT!
Act 17: Mission Escort (Part 5)- Arrival in Rain.
"Master?" Piercing orange eyes fluttered open from a rather painful slumber.
"Shinji. How are you feeling?" The hovering dark figure above him asked, peering down on the red-head assassin.
"Sore, but alive." He joked.
"She broke 4 of your ribs and dislocated your jaw. And upon impact also fractured you left wrist and injured your back. Bruises, that's all. You're lucky." Shinji's private nurse explained in a clam quiet voice. Shinji tired to get up, but the bandaged abdomen he had started to hurt so he fell back onto his bed.
"You'll be fine in a few days." His master told him.
"She's strong." Shinji remembered how she had effortlessly punched him square in the jaw and sent him flying 70 meters back into the cliff from which he had pounced from. He had barely gotten a safe distance away when the pink haired woman used her "blinding explosion" technique. To tell the truth he had underestimated the Konouchi. If she alone was capable of wiping out 81 well-trained assassins with one move, what was the entire team capable of? Together? Their team would be powerful enough to wipe out their entire assassin colony. "I was lucky…" Shinji thought remembering the how much it hurt his back slamming into that cliff. He tightened his fist.
"Come nurse… let's leave him to rest." The dark master motioned to the door and the nurse nodded and left them. Before leaving himself the dark man turned to face Shinji once again. "I will not accept failure Shinji… You know the punishment for that."
"Yes master. I will not fail you."
"Then you know what has to be done?"
"Yes master. Kill the Uchiha and the Kyuubi's container. The Konouchi comes to you."
"Good. When she serves her purpose… Kill her."
"Yes master. I will not fail you, you have my word. Marriallis will rise again."
"And Rain will fall." The dark man laughed wickedly as he left Shinji's room.
Shinji reached for the Manila folder by his bedside. He opened it and three photos fell out. The first was of the Uchiha, it was taken when he was training. His Sharingan eyes glowed and seemed to be the focal point of the photo. The second was of the Blonde Kyuubi vessel, eating ramen at a local stand. His mouth was wide open gobbling up his bowl rather quickly. The final one was of the Pink haired woman. It was difficult to get a good picture of her. This one wasn't very good because it was of her back and she was standing on a tree branch in the night. Slight strands of pink could be seen from under a black cloth over her head and her figure was outlined by the light of the moon. Her face was covered with a half mask and all that could be seen were enchanting emerald eyes. He couldn't tell what she looked like exactly. Not like the Uchiha and the Blonde nin. But he knew that the woman he had encountered on the battle field last night was definitely her. The eyes and hair gave it away.
"I will get you all…" Shinji said angrily to himself. He clenched his fists crumpling the photos in his palms.
--
"We're here." Jin said as a large wooden gate cam into view.
It was already nightfall when the group arrived in Rain village. They were welcomed by Rain's on-guard nins at the gate and escorted to the main house by Rain's ANBU force.
Originally Jin had come from rain. He was born and raised in Rain. But his family had ties to Konoha's ANBU. So Jin became Leaf based ANBU when he came to age… and met Sakura.
"PAPA!" Mai shrieked. Although she was exhausted from earlier, the little one still had the energy to jump off Naruto's back and run into her father's wide open arms.
"My darling daughter, welcome home." The Rain leader lifted his daughter up in the air and hugged her tightly. He placed her back down on the ground and she took her place at his side. Smiling sweetly.
--
"My lord insists that you all stay for the night and head back to Konoha in the morning." A woman said as she lead the nins down a hallway to some spare rooms. "Rooms have been prepared for each of you already." She stopped at the end of the hall where there were 4 doors. "Please make yourselves at home. If you need anything, don't' hesitate to ask." The maiden showed them which room was theirs so they could settle down immediately. "My lord has also requested that you have afternoon tea with him in 2 hours."
The Konoha nins agreed and the maiden left them all to themselves.
Sasuke personally, was well acquainted with two of the Rain's ambassadors. They had come to Konoha on business and Sasuke was always assigned to body guard duty along with Naruto.
As usual, Sasuke decided to talk a walk just to kill time. He went out side just to talk a walk along the outside… porch if you'd call it that, and it encircled the entire min house. His hands were shoved into his pockets as he walked silently along side the banister. His gaze fell upon his feet. He was lost in his own thoughts that was random and conflicting with the steady pitter-patter of his shoes against the wood beneath him.
"Sasuke-kun?" a young feminine voice called.
Sasuke turned around "Sakura?" he thought. The voice was much like hers as it was many years ago… sweet and cheerful. He faced the mystic voice's owner only to realize that he was wrong of whom it belonged to.
"Asuka-san"
"It's been a while Sasuke-kun." Mai's older sister stood in front of him.
Her hair was dark, much like his and she had baby brown enchanting orbs. She skipped along the wooden boards with her hands behind her back. Her hair flowed freely in complete contrast to her light baby blue kimono with a darker blue obi. Asuka was quite and attractive young woman. During her visits to Konoha, Sasuke often had to get her away from her fan boys, when he wasn't getting himself away from his fan girls. She was almost the exact same build as Sakura. They were the same height, although Sasuke always though Sakura was short. They both had tall torsos and long legs, the same size bust (almost, he'd say Sakura was bigger), heck even the same shoe size. But the main difference remained in their hair and eyes… the lips, the cheek bones, even the nose looked remarkably alike. Yes, Asuka reminded Sasuke very much of Sakura… the way Sasuke remembered Sakura to be. Happy-go-lucky, sweet, caring, and always emotional… now days Sakura was, well, like him… cold.
"It has been a while…" He replied bowing slightly out of respect of her title. After all, she was the daughter of the Mizukage and a treaty ambassador.
"It's so great to see you again Sasuke-kun." Asuka said with a happy smile.
"She sounds so much like Sakura…" Sasuke thought to himself as he gave her another respectful bow. He had pictured Sakura smiling in his mind.
The two talked a little more. Well, Asuka did all the talking; Sasuke just nodded, said "Aa…" or remained silent for pretty much all of the one-sided conversation. Sasuke perched himself on the banister railing looking at the water beneath him.
"Neh Sasuke-kun?"
"Hum?" He didn't even look up at her.
"Can I tell your fortune?"
"Huh?" He looked at her kind of confused. But before he could say anything she had taken his hands into her.
"Hold your hands like this!" She said turning his palms up to the blue Rain sky. She placed her palms down onto his and closed her eyes. Sasuke looked at her in confusion. She acted like Sakura… everything about Asuka reminded him of the Sakura he knew from 5 years ago.
--
Sakura decided to take a walk as well and she had bumped into the Mizukage's middle child, Athena.
"Neh Sakura-san…" Athena looked up at Sakura with ocean blue eyes; she tucked some of her loose black strands of hair behind her ears. She was an older version of Mai. Sakura knew that Athena had a huge thing for Jin, but she also wanted to see Sakura and Jin together because it made Jin happy.
"Yes Athena-san?" The Konouchi kept her head straight ahead as she walked with the only daughter that was not and Ambassador.
"Why don't you want to marry Jin? I mean, he'd make such a wonderful husband. He's sweet and kind and he has a pure heart…" Her voice seemed to fade rambling on an on about how much of a great husband Jin would be. As Athena kept going on and on, Sakura entered a trance of her own…
She gazed down for a moment taking in everything about Jin that Athena was saying.
Yes Jin was sweet; yes he was kind and had a good heart. Yes he was hard working and determined and yes Jin would gladly die if it meant Sakura's safety. But so would Sasuke. Sasuke was sweet… in his own way.
Sasuke was kind… in his own way.
And he's protected Sakura so many times when he didn't have to, that she's lost count of them all. So what was the difference? Why choose Jin?
"Jin will always pay attention to you Sakura-san." Athena's words broke her trance.
"She's right" Sakura thought.
"Jin will always mind your opinions and thoughts. And pay attention to your feelings."
"She's right"
"Jin will never leave you."
"She's right" Sakura admitted it. "Jin always took notice of me, he's never brushed me off before. He's always asked 'what are you thinking?' and he has never played on my emotions. Jin has never left me… Never… Sasuke has. I know I care for Jin… very much. I'd even say..." Sakura paused for a moment. "I'd even say I love him…"
Sakura lifted her head and looked at Athena with a big smiled on her face.
"You're right Athena-san."
"Demo I kind off… still…"
"But I'm not quite ready yet."
"I still love Sasuke."
"It's ok Sakura-san, I understand." Athena smiled at Sakura and the two of them walked on.
Sakura seriously started to consider turning down Jin for the final time… then she turned the corner…
--
"Aww! Sasuke-kun! You're in love!" Asuka jumped for joy clasping her hands around his, although he did not do the same. She had read him like an open book, and he still could not admit it.
"I'm in love?" He was so confused.
--
"I'm in love" Sasuke said it.
He was in love.
Sakura's eyes widened in shock. There he was, Uchiha Sasuke, holding the hands of the eldest Rain daughter and she had just heard him say "He's in love… He said he was in love!" Sakura's heart shattered into a million and one pieces. Her entire childhood she had spent trying to gain his attention. All of that time he had pushed her away, saying he couldn't love because he was an 'Avenger', he had hurt her, pained her, rejected her! She though it got better as they grew older, he hadn't totally shoved her away anymore, and she started to feel more comfortable around him.
"Wake up SAKURA!" She scolded in her head! "He left you remember! When you needed him at your side all those years ago he left you! REMEMBER THAT!"
She wanted to cry, but she didn't dare to, she's come past that. What about those very few but significant times when he showed he cared for her in some miniscule way? What about the past 3 weeks that she's been living with him in his house? What about the stupid daffodil he gave her that day? What about all those unreadable looks he gave her every time she was near Jin? What about that morning she woke up in his bed!
"Was it all nothing? Was it an act? All of this time… was he toying with me!"
She was furious, and hurt, and heartbroken all over again. Just like 5 years ago… "That right… I left because of that."
She sighed.
"I give up…"
She hasn't been noticed yet…
"I give up on Uchiha Sasuke…"
--
"She couldn't possibly mean Sakura could she? There's nothing between us… nothing." He kept telling himself that, he half believed it, half wanted to be totally wrong. Truth be told, he couldn't get the pink haired woman out of his head. He was even starting to see her face within other people's. "Do I love Sakura?"
--
"ATHENA-CHAN!" Asuka screamed out at her sister as she spotted her younger sister and a pink-haired lady turn the corner. Athena walked over and Sakura close by. "Athena-chan, I want you to met Uchiha Sasuke-kun." She said smiling with joy.
"Konichiwa Uchiha-san." Athena said with a smile, bowing slightly. Sasuke took note of Sakura who didn't bother to look up at him.
"Konichiwa Athena-san." Sasuke answered with a bow, trying not to make it obvious that he was looking at Sakura. "Why is she not looking at me? Is she mad or something?" He wondered "I bet Jin did something stupid to tick her off again."
"Who is this?" Asuka asked looking at the pink-haired Konouchi.
"My name is Haruno Sakura." Sakura said bowing to Asuka. "Pleased to meet you Asuka-san." She smiled sweetly.
"Like wise." Asuka replied bowing too. "Haruno Sakura…Sakura…Sakura…OH! Are you Jin-sempai's fiancée?" She seemed to beam with excitement. Sasuke cringed.
"Ehh, well…" Sakura tried to think of something to say.
"Who's my fiancée?" He walked up behind Sakura.
"JIN-SEMPAI!" The two sisters chimed.
"Hello ladies." He greeted with a soft sweet voice. The two of them blushed. He looked at Sasuke. "Sasuke-san…" Jin tried to hide his jealousy as he nodded at Sasuke to acknowledge his presence. "Hello to you too Sakura-chan." Jin smiled as he reached for her hand, taking it into his and lifting to the meet his lips. Kissing her gently on her knuckles.
Sakura blushed and the two girls squealed with delight.
"Jin…" She managed to say without stumbling. She nodded with a small respectful smile.
"Show of…" Sasuke scoffed in his head. He turned away, he couldn't bear to watch. "How can she fall for that?"
"You're very sweet Jin" Sakura said.
"Thank you my dear… and you are lovely." He was surprised to hear a compliment from Sakura. But over the past 5 years he's learned to take whatever he can get from her whenever she gave it. This wasn't that often. Jin just gave her his infamous smile.
Sakura had always found comfort in that particular smile. In battle, when she couldn't think of a strategy or when she felt like she couldn't do it, he'd give her that smile and it would always make her feel better. She loved him for it. And it, the smile, made her smile happily as well.
Sasuke coughed and Sakura snapped out of her trance. She made the mistake of glancing back up at him. All the feelings of regret, disappointment, pain, suffering, anger, sadness… heart ache. All of it came rushing back to her all at once. Sakura's smile faded quickly. Her flushed cheeks turned pale and the shine in her eyes became dull once more as she looked down at the floor. Sasuke quickly noticed Sakura's sudden change of state.
But did he do anything?
No.
Did he want to?
He couldn't tell… He was Sasuke! Sasuke didn't know how to react in this kind of situation, so he did what he's good at… not reacting at all. He just turned away.
"Sakura? Are you ok?" Sasuke wasn't the only one who noted Sakura's sudden change, Jin noticed it as well. But Jin was no Sasuke. No. He reacts. "Is something wrong?"
Sakura shook her head, her gaze not lifting from the floor. "No Jin. Just thinking that's all…"
"Oh… What are you thinking about, you seem down?" He was concerned about her.
"It's nothing Jin, really."
"If it was nothing you wouldn't be like this." He replied. He knew her pretty well; when she got like that something was really wrong. Although she never really told him anything when she got like that.
"Really it's nothing." Sakura replied trying not to gain more attention.
"If anything upsets you it's not 'nothing'" Jin replied. His words lingered in Sakura's mind for a moment longer.
She looked up at him. "My God… he cares." Sakura smiled weakly at him. "He really cares…"
"I'm ok." She said. Jin didn't believe her entirely, but because she smiled, he felt more at ease.
--
The entire Nin-team, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Jin (and they're sitting in that order just for clarification) were escorted to a rather large room to have tea with the Mizukage and his daughters.
"Thank you all for bringing Mai-chan home to us safely. Please my regards to the Hokage." The Mizukage said gratefully. His daughters sat at his sides, to the left of him was Mai and Athena, and to his right, Asuka.
"Hai. It was our pleasure to escort your daughter home." Sakura said with a bow on behalf of the group. "I will see that the Hokage receives your graces." The Rain leader bowed his head in acknowledgement.
The evening was rather pleasant. The Mizukage seemed to be acquainted with Jin and Naruto and Sasuke. More with Jin of course because he was from Rain. He, like the older two of his daughters knew about Jin's pending relationship with Sakura, but he's never had the honor of meeting her. He's even heard great things about her medical abilities and rumors of her strength as an ANBU commander. And from what Mai has told him he was even more interested to know more about the Konouchi who sat quietly and reserved in front of him.
"Haruno Sakura…" The rain leader started. "Remarkable pastel pink hair and youthful emerald eyes that only see truth. You are everything people describe you to be."
Sakura blushed; she was not used to such appraisals. "People say things about me?" She became timid.
"They do… don't worry, it's only great things that I hear. Even from my youngest here." He said patting Mai on the head. She gleamed with pride.
Still flushed, Sakura bowed in respect. "Thank you… sir…" She didn't know what else to say.
"I also hear about your relationship with this strong young man here." He motioned to Jin who was flattered by this, but also scared because he didn't tell them about his rejection and what Sakura would do to him if he gave anyone the wrong idea about him and her. But to his relief Sakura didn't do anything but tense a little bit, for a brief moment, then relax again. He was puzzled by her reaction, and so was Sasuke.
Lady Rine: (grin) i hoped you liked it... alot of emo stuff there...
hehhehe, ok i guess i'd like to take this timt to answer some of your questions. I know i haven't really interacted with my readers ...errr my "regulars" haha! lately... so yeah i guess now is as good a time as any! OK! here i go... (plays cheezy superman music)
Saki-16: No i don't think Jin is a bad guy... or is he! dun dun dun! And yes there will be some lemon soon (grin) i'm not telling when or with who! muahahha!
AllyLuv: Aww yeah i want Sasuke and Sakura to get together too but i'm having too much fun playing on misunderstandings (grin) tee hee, i'm sure we'll find someone for allt he singles in the story (grin)
Ashwings01: Actually... when i was on writters block for this story i started writting another fic.. i'll be posting that one up too so look yout for that (grin) I hope you enjoy that one too.
DeMoNIcANgEL-NeLLe: haha i love you too.
PrincessChii tekken is fun! Eva confused the hell out of me(confused face)
Jaques Rico:the battle between Itachi and Sakura is vague in ther earlier chapters because...muahaha! don't worryall will be revield soon.
if you have anymore questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I have no problem answering them but i'm not going to give any spoilers (grin) tee hee! until next time!
(heart) always
lady rine
