Sasuke's Cherry Blossom
Part 2
A/N:- Hi! I've been gone for a while, and now I'm back. Internet problems. Lotsa, lotsa internet problems. Right now I'm in my mother's work. Hopefully the glitches in my computer system will be gone for good in a week or so (Daddy's working on it) and I'll be able to update from home. I honestly had no intentions whatsoever of continuing this story, but I've had a lot of time to think, and I came up with a great idea, and on its heels was an even better one! So I have the next few chapters written up, and the others will be coming along.
I'm no longer stuck on Episode 108. In some ways, that's a yay, and in others, it's a great big depressing boo. (Sasuke, how could you? sob) Oh, well. Theatrical sigh.
To read this chapter, you need to do two things:-
1) Read over Chapter 1. I've added in something. It's small, just a phrase, and barely noticeable, but crucial to plot development. I've also changed the time setting. This now takes place eleven years after.
2) Play a game with me. It's a simple game of Pretend. You have to pretend that Sasuke went off to join Orochimaru, stayed a few months, decided it was boring there and he didn't wanna be evil anyway, and came back home to Konoha, where he was welcomed with open arms, and later trained with Kakashi. (You'll really have to suspend reality for this one.)
Warning: - There is some, what might be termed, Adult Content. Nothing much really. Also, there are spoilers for the anime, Episode 130.
Well, without any further ado, here is Chapter 2 of Sasuke's Cherry Blossom. This chapter is extra, extra long, to make up for my long absence. Enjoy it, and let me know what you think about it. :-)
Disclaimer:- Insert appropriate denial of ownership here.
She dreamt, and went nostalgic. Through her dreams, she relived those wonderful moments of her past, and revelled in them. It was always a joy to dream of the events that forever changed her life, for when she woke up and realised that they were true, it made her all the more euphoric.
She remembered that afternoon after training, four years ago…..
Kakashi was putting them all through a gruelling training series in preparation for the upcoming Jounin exams that loomed mere weeks in their future. Since Tsunade was swamped with work, and Jiraiya was off on another trip to the mountains, he had agreed to take on his old charges and prepare them along with Sasuke. He pushed them to their limits with extremely challenging missions that tested their strength, agility, intelligence and mastery of techniques. He taught them new jutsus and encouraged them to perfect the ones they already knew.
That day, Kakashi let them all off earlier than usual, around mid-afternoon, as he could clearly see they were all exhausted. Sakura was slumped against a tree, groaning, and Naruto was kneeling on the ground, gasping for breath. Even Sasuke looked winded, and his matte eyes were not as clear and sharp as usual as he bent over, clutching his knees.
Kakashi surveyed them all with his sleepy bronze eye.
"That's it for today," he said, a little too cheerfully for their tastes. "Go home and get some rest. You all deserve it. I expect to see you all here tomorrow at seven o'clock sharp." The trio of Chuunin barely suppressed their groans, knowing that if they were indeed there for seven, all they would see was the Memorial, each other, the grass, maybe a few birds. Certainly no Kakashi.
The thirty-three year old Jounin now turned to them individually.
"Naruto, that was an excellent Summoning Technique you did a while ago, though I'm not sure Gamabunta appreciated it." The mask crinkled as he smiled. The blond grinned, and scratched his head sheepishly.
"Sasuke, you are still up to par, and ever improving. Four Chidori in a day is quite impressive for a nineteen year old." Sasuke inclined his cobalt head and gave a tiny smirk at the praise.
Kakashi's droopy gaze swung to the roseate-haired kunoichi, who clasped her hands in front of her apprehensively.
"Sakura, good job healing Naruto just them. And don't worry Sasuke, I'm sure it was an accident." The eye curved as he smiled, then, narrowed slightly. "However, Sakura, your Fire element techniques are weak. You need to work on them. With your incredible chakra control, I'm sure you can do much better." She bit her lips and nodded, eyes downcast.
"Alright, you three. See you tomorrow morning." And with a cheery salute, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Naruto rolled his eyes and scowled as he got up and dusted the seat of his pants, glaring at the space where Kakashi had been.
"More like tomorrow afternoon, if we're lucky."
Sakura gave a half-hearted agreement and a forced laugh. Sasuke shrugged.
"So." The Kyuubi rubbed his hands together and grinned. "I'm going to Ichiraku's for some miso ramen." The periwinkle eyes seemed to glaze over at the very thought. "I'm supposed to meet Hinata-chan there. Anybody else wanna come?"
The Uchiha declined with a shake of his head. He turned and began walking away, one hand jammed into his pocket and the other raised in a brief, perfunctory wave goodbye. The cherry blossom watched him go forlornly.
"What about you, Sakura-chan?"
Sakura wrenched her gaze away from Sasuke's retreating back and faced Naruto. She gave him a wan, tired smile.
"No, thanks. I'm going to stay here and practise a bit more."
If this surprised Naruto, he didn't say a word.
"Okay then. See you!" He took off down the path at a light jog.
Sakura sighed, long and deep. She waited until the two figures in the distance disappeared, then she pushed herself off of the tree, and stood straight. Arms planted on hips, she breathed in deeply and settled herself. She made the necessary hand seals: Horse, Tiger. She fell into a stance with one foot in front of the other, bent at an angle as she said the words. Concentrating with all her might, she drew on all the chakra deep within her and blew into her cupped hand.
A burst of fire about five feet long issued forth, burning a bright orange, before fizzling out pathetically, not five seconds after it commenced.
Sakura groaned in frustration, letting out a low growl while making a tight little fist at her side. What was she doing wrong? She certainly had enough chakra, and she was sure she was performing the seals precisely. Her stance was correct (1), and she was saying the name of the jutsu right. So what was the problem?
Yet undaunted, she tried again, concentrating harder, focusing all of her mind and body on the task. She went through the steps, and performed the technique.
With the same results.
Inner Sakura uttered a string of curses, and her outer self ran her fingers through her hair and sighed.
She practised non-stop for a half and hour, but got no better. In fact, as time passed, and her chakra depleted, it got worse. Sakura slumped against the tree, bone-weary and just about ready to give up.
"The Horse."
She whipped around, eyes widening into orbs of shock. She stared at Sasuke as if she couldn't believe he was really there, which she couldn't. The dark-haired man jumped off the tree branch and walked towards her, hands lost in the depths of his pockets. Sakura was aware that her mouth was open and she must have the most decidedly stupid expression on her face, but she couldn't help it. She was just registering what he had said.
"What?" she said ingeniously.
"The Horse," he repeated, still walking. Unconsciously, her hands went up to form the seal.
"You're doing it wrong."
He came up behind her, – she could feel his delicious body heat – put his arms around her, – oh God, she was hallucinating, she was not lucid, this wasn't happening – covered her hands with his own, – this wasn't real, she could feel his body against hers, why was he torturing her like this? – and rearranged her fingers – he was touching her, so gently, this had to be a dream….
He removed his hands and came round to her side. Sakura, trembling like a wind-tossed petal, swallowed, and made an attempt at breathing properly for the first time since she'd seen him. She stared at him, bemused, her face a portrait that depicted disbelief and shock. His handsome face, however, was impassive, and no emotions were discernable as he said,
"Two of your fingers were misplaced. You have to be careful not to make mistakes like that just because you're tired."
She stared at him blankly.
He made an impatient gesture with his hands.
"Go on."
"Ah….ano….er…."
"Concentrate on bringing the chakra from your mouth to your chest. Hold it there, and then blow it out, as forcefully as you can (2)." His arms folded in that ubiquitous gesture of his as he watched her expectantly.
"Um….er...yeah, okay."
Still trying to get a grasp on the situation, Sakura made the hand seals, correcting the Horse like Sasuke had shown her. Drawing on the last bit of her chakra, she implemented the steps Sasuke had just advised that she take, and cried,
"Katon; Goukagyuu no Jutsu!"
One last time, she blew into her cupped hand with renewed vehemence. A massive conical flame roared forth, scorching the surrounding grass and trees with its fiery intensity. Sakura stood wide-eyed in wonder for a few seconds before turning to grin at her team-mate.
Sasuke made a satisfied noise and gave a quick nod. He turned, and vaulted into the nearest tree. Before he could spring away, though, Sakura called out to him.
"Sasuke-kun, wait!"
He turned, his dark gaze penetrating her. Blushing, she smiled slightly.
"Arigatou."
There was the barest hint of a smile, come and gone in a moment. Then he nodded, and was gone.
Sakura shifted, still in the throes of her dreams. Subconsciously, she stroked her husband's chiselled chest, and gave a soft smile. A dark shadow fell across her form, but of course, still in deep slumber, she was not aware of it.
She remembered the time they first kissed………..
It was Sasuke's 20th birthday, and she was carrying him his presents, a new set of weapons and some home-made tonkoro ten(3). She had discarded her usual Jounin uniform to don something akin to her vestments of old. It was short and red, with a mandarin collar; a little flirtatious, but casual. Beneath it she wore a pair of blue tights to cover all that the two daring slits up the sides revealed.
Her stomach was aflutter with butterflies as she entered the Uchiha complex. She hoped he was at home. It would be such a hassle if she had to run all over Konoha: the training grounds, the Memorial, Ichiraku's, looking for him. Of course, nothing was much of a hassle when doing it for Sasuke. But anyway, she wanted to give him his gifts in private.
Sakura looked around her. The streets were dusty and deserted. Not a living soul walked. Most of the houses had long fallen into disrepair. Evidence of the massacre that had taken place there twelve years ago lay in broken windows and rusty discarded weapons. Shuriken marks and kunai gouges marked every surface. The ambiance was eerie and chilling. Despite the hot sun, Sakura shivered, and hurried on.
She came to Sasuke's house soon after. She went up the front steps and knocked tentatively on the front door, heart racing. She had only come here a few times before, strictly by invitation. She hoped he didn't mind.
Five minutes later, he hadn't come to the door. The kunoichi frowned, and knocked again, a little harder this time. Two minutes later there was still no reply. She sighed, disappointed. She was about to walk away when a soft hiccoughing noise oozed out of the walls.
The frown deepened. Furtively, she pushed open the door and stepped inside, taking off her shoes.
"Sasuke-kun?" she called. No answer. Only another soft sound.
The Jounin in her kicked in. Pausing briefly to tie her hitai-ate around her forehead and slip out a kunai, she made a quick perusal of the front room. Satisfied that it was unoccupied, she progressed into the kitchen, then the hallway.
With each passing second that she found nothing, Sakura's worry mounted. Was Sasuke-kun being robbed? Was he lying somewhere in the house, hurt? Both seemed highly unlikely, but they were the only things she could think of to explain away the noise she had heard.
Upon entering the hallway, she made a left, walking stealthily with kunai in hand.
That's when she heard it.
Heart-breaking, gut-wrenching sobs that raked her from head to toe with their sharp knife-like quality. The agony and grief in those cries were palpable, and it saturated the air. They were not loud, but excruciatingly piercing. Alarmed, Sakura broke into a run and turned into Sasuke's room.
That's where she found him, at the foot of his bed, clad in only a pair of pants, head cradled in hands, crying as if he hadn't cried in a millennia. She immediately blanched, and the pall fused with her astonishment. It very nearly did her in, the sight of the normally cool, impassive Sasuke outwardly expressing his grief in such a shattering way.
Flinging her packets on the bed, she dropped to her knees beside him and draped an arm around his shoulders. She stroked him lightly between his shoulder blades and whispered soft, crooning words, encouraging him to get rid of whatever demons he was harbouring. She didn't know what was going on, but she hoped her commiserating would help. She hoped he wouldn't get angry as she suspected Uchiha Sasuke would become if someone barged into his house unexpected and witnessed him in his angst.
She kept up a steady stream of consoling words, but went mute with shock when, without warning, he turned in her arms and began sobbing on her shoulder. His tremors echoed throughout her body, and the pain she felt in his heart made her want to weep too. It was the debilitating anguish of a lifetime of hurt. Through his tears and sobs, she could just barely make out his words.
"He killed them; he killed them all and there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't protect them, couldn't save them, not one of them. And now, I am unable to avenge them." The sole Uchiha survivor choked on a sob as he clutched his friend's dress. "He was right; I am weak. Twelve yeas have passed, twelve years, and I still cannot kill him. I am a failure. A failure." He ended on a soft, throaty whisper.
Sakura could not bear to see him in such grief; her proud, self-assured shinobi. With one finger, she forced his chin up so that he would look at her. Those sharp eyes were red in a way they never were before. The lips were grim, thin, and chapped, trembling every so often. She cupped his face in her hands and brushed back a lock of navy hair.
"Sasuke-kun, listen to me. For whatever reason it was, Itachi murdered those people all those years ago. You cannot blame yourself for that. You were eight years old; there was nothing you could do about it. And don't you dare start with this nonsense about you being a failure. You are one of the strongest ninja in Konoha, a Jounin at nineteen! And don't even say that I am too, because it was only with your help, and Naruto's, that I passed that exam. Sasuke-kun, you have an incredibly bright future ahead of you. Let the events of your past help you, not hinder you. Draw strength from the memories of your loved ones. Don't let Itachi taunt you, especially when he's not even here."
"He will return one day," he said tonelessly.
"And you will be ready!" she cried. "You and the whole of Konoha. Sasuke-kun, I know this will be hard for you, but you have to forget your brother. You have to live, free of him and the pain he has caused. Do it, for yourself."
They knelt there, clutching each other's shoulders, willow eyes colliding with onyx. For a moment, Sakura thought that Sasuke was going to push her away in anger, and she tensed apprehensively. But soon that calm, distant look came into his eyes. He let go of her and sat on the bed, running his long fingers through his hair. Sakura doubted that she had even gotten him to entertain the idea of forgetting Itachi, but at least he was getting back to himself. Sakura stayed on the floor, looking up at him, waiting for him to fully collect himself.
"So," he said a few minutes later, clearing his throat. "Why are you here?"
"Oh." Blushing a delicate shade of azalea, she joined him on the bed, retrieved the gifts and put them on his lap. "Happy birthday, Sasuke-kun." Hesitantly, she placed a feather-light kiss on his cheek.
Sasuke only arched a brow at the gesture. Opening the first packet, he stared down at the gleaming kunai and shuriken. He put that aside, and uncovered the second one. Steam rose up to meet him, enveloping him in the spicy-sweet scent of the tonkoro ten. He set that aside also, and turned to the kunoichi. He sighed, started to speak, and then faltered, as if struggling for words. Finally, he said,
"Arigatou, Sakura."
She smiled.
"You're welcome, Sasuke-kun. It was no problem at all."
"No," he said, shaking his head. "I mean, thank you for…for everything."
She beamed, pleased by his gratitude. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words stuck in her throat when a calloused palm reached out and cupped her cheek. Those sharp eyes flitted over her face, as if committing each detail to memory, as his thumb stroked the line of her cheekbone.
She saw it coming, saw his visage drawing nearer, felt his warm breath, but it only registered when their lips touched.
It was a short, chaste, simple kiss, but it affected them both like nothing ever before. Sakura felt her bones liquefy, and tears sprang to her eyes at the pure joy his touch evoked. She had wanted this for a long, long time…. A violent shudder shook Sasuke, and it was as if he could feel her warmth seeping into him. Drawing apart, they stared at each other in absolute wonderment for a few seconds before delving in for more.
His lips danced over hers hungrily, his tongue stroking and tasting her. Waves of sensation spread all over Sakura, and she moaned into his mouth, fingers spread eagle on his chest. She opened her mouth to invite him in, and he came willingly, discovering and plundering her sweet secrets. Her tongue slipped out shyly to meet his, and he captured it greedily, sucking and nibbling.
Pleasure abounded. Sakura explored the angles and planes of his hard chest, teasing and caressing. A finger stroked low down on his stomach, and he sucked in a sharp breath, and let it out on a groan.
"Sakura," he breathed.
His hands were buried in he geranium locks, massaging her scalp. One hands snaked down to brush the side of her breast. Sakura's breath came in short
little pants, and bright lights exploded behind her eyes. She sighed her pleasure.
Drunk on the heady flavour of Sakura, Sasuke's hands roamed to her front zipper, pulling it down. This time, Sakura's intake of breath was one of shock, and her eyes opened, filling with panic. She shook her head and pulled her lips away from his, pushing on his chest.
Sasuke seemed unduly flabbergasted to find his hand in the valley of her breasts, and his lips quickly following. He let go of her instantly, and the action was so abrupt that she almost fell off the bed. He looked at his hands in utter disgust, before dragging them up his face and through his hair. Sakura thought she could sense why….he'd never lost control of a situation like that, lost control of himself. He muttered a few curses, voice holding none of its former passion. He turned away from her and spoke in a low tone.
"Sakura….I.…I'm sorry. I think you should leave."
She could see him battling his demons, and despite her small bout of momentary fear, she was damned if she was going to leave him in this vulnerable state.
"No, Sasuke-kun," she said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I think I should stay."
He turned to face her, and the surprise and gratitude she saw on his face was all the apology and thanks she needed.
"Come on, the tonkoro ten is getting cold. I brought enough for two for a reason, you know."
Sakura tossed and turned, feeling the slightest bit uncomfortable. When the next dream came on, however, she settled.
She remembered watching him train…..
She would sit behind him, leaning against a tree, reading, cleaning her weapons, or just watching him practise his taijutsu on a tree trunk. He never spoke, just practised kicks, punches and combos. Every once in a while, he would turn around, as if checking to make sure that she was still there. She would send him a bright smile, and he would nod absently before turning back.
One day, while in the midst of a complicated combo, he spoke. His voice was decisive, as if he had mulled over this for a long time, and had now come to a decision.
"You're going to have to marry me." He sounded belligerent, as if daring her to argue with him. He turned. "You know that, don't you?" She opened her mouth to tell him that she had known for years, but he hurried on.
"You're my sanity, and if I lose you I'll….I'll.…I'll.…So it's settled. I love you, and we're getting married." He gave a quick nod, as if to confirm, and turned back to the tree, delivering a kick that sent quite a few cracks up the side.
The soon-to-be Uchiha Sakura smiled widely at her future husband's back. I love you too, Sasuke-kun, she thought, but didn't think it necessary to say it. He had had nine years to get used to it, and had a lot more coming.
The dream fizzled away, and the sleeping Sakura smiled. It was most certainly the strangest proposal in the history of mankind, but she wouldn't have had it any other way.
She remembered their wedding…..
They were married in the autumn, in a small outdoor ceremony amidst a rain of cherry blossoms. He wore a simple black suit, sandals, and he did not comb his hair. She couldn't remember him ever looking more devastatingly handsome.
Haruno Mitayo had crowed with delight upon hearing that her daughter had roped Uchiha Sasuke, and was quick to lend her her old wedding dress. It was a white strapless gown with a full skirt and a diamond studded train. Sakura looked gorgeous in it, which Sasuke whispered to her as they exchanged rings.
The reception was a light, happy affair. Kakashi and Naruto, well on their way to becoming drunk, walked around telling everyone that the union was all thanks to them; all those times they had been late had provided the couple with ample 'bonding time'. Tsunade gave her protégée heartfelt congratulations while pointedly ignoring Jiraiya's suggestions that they too should get hitched. Of course, quite a few glares were sent Sakura's way, but she was blissfully oblivious to them all.
Ino asked Sasuke to drop Shikamaru a few hints on how to propose. Lee offered his congratulations to Sasuke, surprisingly without any animosity, invitations to compete, ludicrous challenges or dramatic rivers of tears. Gai begrudgingly conceded to Kakashi that he had won this one; Sasuke and Sakura had wedded before his own students. But, he added smugly, Neji and Tenten had realised that they loved each other years ago; they were just waiting to get married.
Anko tried to crash the party with one of her famous entrances, but she was unsuccessful. No one paid any attention to her. They were too busy watching Asuma and Kurenai necking in a tree. Kakashi murmured, "About damn time," and whisked Ayame off to dance. Naruto and Kiba soon got into a brawl, (Naruto found dog hair in the punch) and Sasuke and Shino took great pleasure in breaking them up, along with a few bones. After scolding her husband and the Aburame heir, Sakura performed some emergency healing jutsus.
Chouji got in trouble with Sakura's mother for hogging the chips. When he protested that he was a growing man, she said that he couldn't possibly grow any more, and snatched the bowl away. A few minutes later though, he had stolen it again, and was happily munching away. Hinata spent most of the evening sitting down talking to Shizune. She was visibly delighted when a drunken Naruto, hiccoughing out of control, asked her for a dance.
Neji and Tenten sat on a bench, talking quietly. Every few minutes, he would touch her cheek, or play with her hair. Eavesdroppers and onlookers 'oohed' and 'awwed' at the public display of affection by the stoic Hyuuga. Sasuke approached Shikamaru on behalf of Ino. The shadow manipulator considered a moment, and then said that maybe Ino should propose; it was really just too troublesome for him. Sasuke shrugged, and went back to diligently dodging Sakura's father, who was fixing to give him a lecture on a wealth of embarrassing things. Asuma and Kurenai finally came down from the tree and endured some good natured ribbing from Genma, Kotetsu and Izumo.
Soon, it was time to throw the bouquet(4). Sakura stood in front of her friends and family, suffused with happiness, and waited for all the young ladies to jostle to the front of the crowd. (Tsunade went to the back, much to Jiraiya's consternation.) When everyone was in position, Sakura turned, and flung the arrangement of flowers over her head.
It flew straight at Tenten, who caught it, and threw it right back with perfect marksmanship, saying that she and Neji had already decided to get married, and someone else should get a chance. So there was a re-throw. This time, the bouquet fell into Hinata's unsuspecting arms. She went scarlet, while everyone else turned to look pointedly at Naruto, who looked up from his bowl of ramen, mouth over-flowing and said,
"Wha?"
Later, on the walk home, Sakura told Sasuke that it had been the most wonderful, amazing day of her life. To which her husband replied that she had a lot more of those days coming.
Sakura rolled over. Sasuke had certainly made good on that promise. It had been a great three years. Yet again, her mouth curved upwards in sleep. She was ready to wake up now, and face her living dreams. She swam through the hazy images of the familiar phantasmagoria. With considerable effort, she pried open her sleep-heavy lids.
Sea green eyes met obsidian.
……………
A/N:- I seem to be accumulating an affinity for cliff-hangers. Tee hee.
(1) – Is stance even important in performing jutsus? Feh, I don't care.
(2) – Anyone recognise these words? It's almost the exact same thing that Sasuke's dad told him in Episode 130 when teaching him the jutsu. And now Sasuke's telling it to her. How kawaii. :-)
(3) – Transparent noodles eaten together with black honey and vinegar.
(4) – Yes, yes, a Christian custom. Ditto the ring thing, yeah.
Okay, so what this chapter really tries to do is give you all an idea of how Sasuke and Sakura came together at last, in a few scenes. You know, how she thawed him out until he warmed up to her and realised how much he needed her in his life. I didn't want to just start off the story and wham! They're already together and stuff. So I just needed to give you all the background. I hope it didn't come across as too melodramatic, especially that scene where Sasuke cries. I wanted to portray him as being very hurt, confused, lost and losing his grip on his feelings. I hope I succeeded. And with the reception for their wedding, I wanted to make it clear where all the other couples stood and stuff. I had a lot of fun writing the wedding scene actually, and imagining what everyone would be doing. So I'm glad everyone seemed to like that part.
Just so you know, I would have posted this earlier, but during the time I wrote this, I was going through one of my writer phases. I don't know if y'all are familiar with it. I call this one the Everything-I-write-is-shit-complete-shit-just-shit-oh-God-did-I-actually-write-this-crap-it's-just-so-much-shit-my-God-this-actually-came-from-my-mind-oh-Lord-its-like-a-pigeon-with-diarrhea-it's-just-so-much-SHIT-phase. Yeah. I really hated this, and was going to trash it, but my little writing demon saved it. He's the one that pops up every few months, squeezes a couple hundred thousand words out of me and then leaves me hanging dry. He wouldn't let me get rid of everything he had laboured over. That said, I have up to Chapter Five written up, but Six and onwards might have to wait until the demon shows up again. Just FYI.
One more thing.
To all of the lovely, lovely people who have reviewed thus far, gave kind comments and constructive criticism, and encouraged me to further this story, thanks a million¡Muchas gracias! Merci bien! Arigatou gozaimasu!
Okay, I'm done now.
See that little purple button? It's begging you to go click.