Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto, Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-san. This is simply a fanfic.
sakura-angel113 - Thanks for the support.
Dagorwen of Ithilien - It's finally updated.Thanks for the support.
Hao'sAnjul - Well read this chapter then you'll get the idea about the mission.
But the real action starts in the next chap.
waterfox96 - It's updated.
Shikage-Tsaya - Read this chap then you'll know.
AijinMegami - Updated!
xx-Tsumi-Chan-xx - Well, Sasuke appears here.
A/N Sorry to those who reviewed in the earlier chaps. I was too lazy to respond so I only responded to those who reviewed chapter 7. But I'll respond to those who review this chap. Hope you review after you read.Enjoy.
Sakura's eyes focused onto dark cold walls as she realised that she had fallen asleep inside the cave.
She sat up as memories of the past night began flooding into her.
' It wasn't a dream... It was real,' Sakura whispered to herself as she took a last glance at the fireflies and made her way out of the cave.
The rays of the morning sun was blinding to her eyes, that had been in the dark for quite a period of time.
Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the light and she began travelling back to Konoha with the speed only a ninja could travel.
(space)(space)(space)
Sakura ran up into her room and packed the necessary provisions that she would be needing for the mission.
As she quietly crept down the stairs, she was careful not to make a sound so that she wouldn't have to face her mother.
"Sakura! Where did you go last night!" questioned her mother waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.
' Oh, shit!' thought Sakura to herself.
" Ehm...I...err...,"stammered Sakura trying to keep a calm and innocent expression on her face.
" Did you know how worried I was? I was going to report to Hokage-sama if you hadn't turned up by morning"
said her mother with a scowl on her face.
"Sorry, i just had to do a few...ehm...things...,"stammered Sakura again, thinking how her mother would take it if she told her that she had been out of the village last night looking for a cave.
' Better not say anything or mother might have a fit,' she thought to herself again.
"Sorry Mom but I have to go or I'll be late for the mission,"said Sakura trying to find an excuse to get away.
"Oh, alright. But Sakura, please be careful. I don't want to lose you,"said her mother as she gave Sakura a fond hug.
Sakura returned the hug and rushed out of the house, happy to get away from her concerned mother.
Ino and Hinata were supposed to meet her by the Konoha gates by 9.00 in the morning.
It was already 9.15 and she knew that they would surely question her for being late.
(space)(space)(space)
Ino turned around after spotting Sakura running towards them to give her a wave.
"Where were you last night?" asked Ino after Sakura had approached them.
"How did you know I wasn't at home last night?"asked Sakura a little confused.
"Your Mom came over to see if you were at our house,"said Ino stating a fact.
"Oh, I...ehm...needed to...ehm...,"stammered Sakura but before she had finished her sentence, Tsunade walked up to them to instruct them on the mission.
(space)(space)(space)
After some explaining on their client's background, Tsunade sent them off on their mission.
They left the village, heading towards a large town located at west of Konoha.
" Ehm...looks like it'll take until sunset for us to reach the town,"said Ino who looked at the map and quickly destroyed it. This was to prevent enemy ninjas from getting information as to where the princess was.
"So we'll have to spend the night in the town since it was requested that travelling in the night was not favourable to the princess,"Ino said making a face that said ' What a spoiled princess!'
"But ... at least ...we get to spend the night in the town," said Hinata shyly.
"Well I guess that' s allright then. But we can't draw attention to ourselves since we're here on a mission,"said Ino.
"I think they have a hot spring there. I can't wait to try it out,"said Ino again suddenly looking forward to arriving at the town.
"Ehm...Sakura-chan ('chan' is used for people close to you). You have been a bit quiet, is everything allright"
asked Hinata shyly noticing that Sakura hadn't said a thing since they left.
"Huh,what? Oh, Hinata-chan, sorry I was just thinking about something. No need to worry about me I'm just fine"
said Sakura as she gave Hinata a smile.
"Ehm...Okay,"said Hinata still a little concerned.
It was true that Sakura had been rather quiet since they left.
She was rather depressed knowing that they were headed West.
' Sasuke had left heading this direction,'thought Sakura to herself.
' What should I do if I see him,'thought Sakura again.
'Why do you care? I thought you gave up on him?'asked her innermind.
It was true, why did she care?
After hearing that they were heading West, the thought of Sasuke had flashed through her mind.
The times they had spent on mision, his dark piercing eyes,his sweet voice, his ...
' STOP! I can't think of him anymore. He has already brought me so much pain,'thought Sakura to herself.
' But, I can't seem to forget him. It hurts so much, I just want to see him,' thought Sakura again.
It was true that Sakura had spent the last six months trying to forget him. It was hard at first but as time went by she occupied herself with training rather than thinking of him.
Then the dreams started to appear. Sakura had always loved Sasuke for as long as she could remember but then how much did she really remember?
The time when she had moved to Konoha was only a blur to her with only fragments of memories of her years when she first started the academy.
At first she really couldn't bother about it but as the dreams and the memories began to unfold, she began questioning herself.
Sakura knew that she had always wanted to be loved but Sasuke never showed her any of that.
She knew that she had been forgetting something important but what was it?
Sometimes she felt so close to Sasuke although she barely knew him but in her heart he felt rather distant to her.
It was like she knew him but she didn't.
Sakura's mind often pondered on these questions but she never found the answer.
(space)(space)(space)
As she pondered on them, the memory of her dreams began flashing through her mind.
Her mind had only given one word to her as an aswer...
'Itachi'
(space)(space)(space)
They had finally reached the town known as ' Soraten' by sunset.
Sakura walked throught the town with her team mates as the blue horizon turned to the colour of gold and autumn coloured leaves.
Sakura had always loved the sunset. It reminded her of the times when she was a child, when she would sit under a tree to watch the sunset before her mother would chase her to get back into the house.
The thought of that brought a smile to Sakura's lips.
" What's so amusing Sakura,"asked Ino who turned to her left to see Sakura smiling.
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking,"said Sakura who was relieved to get to the town after all the travelling and running she did earlier.
"Of what?" asked Hinata who was too tired to be shy when she realised that she had been so straight forward ot Sakura.
Hinata quickly apologised for being 'rude' if she was.
Sakura giggled a little seeing Hinata act that way.
" Hinata-chan, you don't have to be formal in front of us. Just be yourself,"said Sakura said Sakura giving Hinata a fond smile.
" Sakura's right. But just don't be like 'big -forehead' over here when it comes to chasing after guys,"said Ino referring to Sakura while giving Hinata a wink.
"What's that I heard Ino-pig!" asked Sakura while glaring at Ino.
"You heard me correct, 'big-forehead'-chan,"said Ino glaring at Sakura.
The people around them seemed to have felt the tension arise between the two of them and quickly walked away.
After a two-minute glaring contest, Sakura and Ino burst out into a fit of laughter.
"Ha...Ha...I...can't...believe it...ha..ha...still works,"said Ino.
"Your right...ha ...ha...,"said Sakura feeling a little more herself again.
By that time Hinata had already gotten used to their antics and giggled along with them.
They finally found the hotel they were staying in.
To Ino's pleasure, the hotel has it's very own hot spring.
"Yippee, I can't wait to try it out,"said Ino as they unpacked their things and changed to the hotel's hot spring robes.
(space)(space)(space)
They had finally finished their baths in the hot spring.
Hinata and Sakura were as dead tired as the corpses in a grave yard but Ino seem to have plenty of energy left.
"That was a great bath. Too bad tomorrow we have to leave,"said Ino enthusiastictly.
"Where are we meeting the princess again?"asked Sakura who was on the verge of falling into dreamland.
"At the shrine just outside the town. I think she's staying there,"said Ino looking at a scroll.
"Why would she be staying at a shrine?"asked Sakura again.
"It's not exactly a small shrine you know.It's huge and I think she went there to pray,"said Ino as she went on about how huge and magnificient the shrine is.
What Ino didn't know was that both her team mates were already asleep.
"And then the halls were renovated after there was a raid during..."Ino said and sighed as she realised that they were both asleep.
(space)(space)(space)
It was rather early in the morning and the whole town was still asleep.
The pale morning rays shone down on Sakura's face making her look like an angel.
A dark figure crept unto the ledge where Sakura's bed was facing.
Careful not to wake any of the sleeping ninjas in the room, the figure crept silently towrds Sakura's bed.
Watching her sleeping and looking so angelic was breaking his heart. He knew that he would never be able to harm her. But he knew he alrady had. He had broken her heart.
'Sakura, why are you here? I would never be able to hurt you, you're making me soft. Like you always did'
whispered Sasuke to the sleeping Sakura.
He knew he had a mission to finish but would he be able to? When the person he was up against was the one person he had always loved.
Not that he would admit it. He had always had a fond feeling for the pink haired ninja ,which had grown into something more. Something more than friendship, more than ...fondness.
Without even realising it, Sasuke had been stringing her hair.
'She smells nice...WHAT! GET A GRIP!'thought Sasuke to himself, keeping a cool demeanor.
As he looked down his sleeping former-team mate, he realised that they were so close.
If he wanted he could have lowered his lips a few centimetres to kiss her soft rosy lips.
'STOP!I have to leave before she wakes up,'argued Sasuke with himself although his face remained expressionless.
' Sayounara(goodbye), Sakura,'whispered Sasuke into her ear.
(space)(space)(space)
Sakura was the first to wake after having a dream about someone saying goodbye to her.
'Weird, it sounded a lot like Sasuke's voice,'said Sakura to herself a little depressed.
'Sasuke...'
(space)(space)(space)
Sakura and her team mates left the town and made their way towards the shrine.
The shrine was indeed huge. It looked more like a palace.
Shirika-hime(Princess Shirika), was sitting in the guest hall.
They approached her and introduced themselves.
"Ohayo gozaimasu(Good morning) Shirika-hime. We will be guarding you until you reach your father's palace"
Sakura said politely to the princess.
"Very well. But I remember requesting for STRONG ninjas,"said the princess with an air of arrogance after seeing the three female ninjas which were of her age.
Ino looked like she was about to yell at the princess but luckily Sakura interrupted her.
"Shirika-hime, I assure you that our team is capable of protecting you. After all this is a B-rank mission and we are required to only protect you and not to assasinate anyone,"said Sakura calmly to the princess although she was offended as well.
"Very well then. But I do hope that you do not screw this mission up,"she said still looking doubtful.
(space)(space)(space)
They left after saying their prayers in the shrine.
Her bodyguards trailing behing her.
" It should take us two days to reach your father's palace,"Sakura said to Shirika-hime who was sitting in her coach ( pulled by horses) looking rather bored.
They travelled through many forests and stopped at a small clearing.
"It's going to be nightfall. We should make camp here,"said Sakura to the party she was travelling with.
"WHAT!Here?Ewwww...in this forest?"screeched the princess.
"We don't have a choice,"said Ino who rolled her eyes clearly irritated by the princess.
"I'm afraid that my team mate is right.We still have another day ahead of us before we reach another town,"said Sakura to the princess.
"But what about assasins? Isn't it easier to kill someone in the forest,"asked the princess again clearly distressed.
"Don't worry about that. We'll each take turns to guard the camp. My team mate has already put up the traps while we were talking," said Sakura indicating to Hinata who had been setting the traps while they were making camp.
"Oh, well then I guess it's alright,"said the princess again who went inside her coach to turn in for the night.
(space)(space)(space)
" It's alright Hinata I'll take the first watch. You and Ino head to bed. I'll wake you up for the next watch,"said Sakura to her exhausted team mate.
"Okay Sakura-chan. Be careful,"said Hinata shyly as she and Ino went to sleep.
(flashback)
"Sasuke-kun, it's alright I'll take the first watch,"said Sakura sweetly to Sasuke.
Sasuke simply walked away coldly indicating that he was going to sleep.
"Sakura-chan, why do you offer to take the first watch when it's his turn and not mine?"asked Naruto.
"You never do it for me,"said Naruto again.
"Urusai,(shut up) Sasuke's going to sleep so be quiet,"said Sakura to Naruto.
"Sakura-chan..."Naruto said making a 'sakura-is-so-mean-and-she-only-loves-sasuke' puppy dog face.
(end of flasback)
Sakura smiled slightly at the flasback.
Oh, how she missed those days.
' I wish that Sasuke didn't leave.'
Just as she thought about that, a kunai aimed for her hit a nearby tree just as she moved in time to avoid it.
Then a dark figure appeared infront of her.
A/N Ha Ha, a cliffie. Mwuahahaha I hope that you all will review. And please tell me if Sasuke is OOC or not cause I'm not sure. Actually I'm not really sure if this fic is gonna be a Sasuke/Sakura or a Itachi/Sakura.
But most probably a Itachi/Sakura story,(sorry to all Sakura/Sasuke fans).But I can assure you that there'll be Sakura/Sasuke parts in this story as well. Till next time. Ja ne.