Chapter 3: Suspicion
Sasuke planned to pick up Sakura again so he woke up bright and early. To his surprise it was raining. "Just great, it's raining. Now I have to walk in the rain." With one last growl, Sasuke got out onto the street, dressed in full uniform and headed to Sakura's with his umbrella.
"Now, I should think of an excuse. For sure she's going to ask questions about Sunday." The splashing of puddles and his feet on the wet ground were all that could be heard. "Maybe, I should just say I went to the market to get some groceries. For all I know, she could have called my house yesterday, I don't want to risk it."
Sasuke crossed the road and was soon on the sidewalk of the well known boulevard. "God, I wonder if she's going to buy that. Better make it sound convincing then I guess. It's too late to think of something right now. I'm almost there." With one last turn, he made it to Sakura's apartment.
He sighed as he looked up at the twenty storey building. "Yup, better just go with that plan." He entered the building and went up to Sakura's suit.
He knocked quietly on an oak door waiting for a response. He wasn't given one so he spoke out loud. "Sakura?" he began. "Are you in there? It's me, Sasuke." He knocked once more and then tried the doorknob. It was open. "What? Why is it unlocked?" He took one cautious step into the darkened room.
'God this isn't right. If she finds me she's going to yell.' He searched for a light switch but with no success. "Sakura?" he walked flat footed so he wouldn't wake her up if she was asleep.
He found a door that was slightly open. When he entered saw a lamp that was on and a bed. His face softened as he saw a sleeping angel in the bed. 'Oh she's still asleep. That must've been one hell of a party.' He walked into the room and knelt down beside her bed.
He stared at her peaceful face. "Beautiful," he whispered. She was on her side facing him and her mouth slightly open. She had a book in her hand. "Couldn't sleep?"
He reached over to stroke her hair. It was getting late and he had to wake her up or else they would be late for school. He lightly shook her, "Sakura, it's time to wake up. You're going to be late for school." She shifted a little bit and hummed. "Come on, wake up sleepy head."
Sasuke's hand was on her shoulder. He shook once more and unconsciously, she places her hand on his arm making Sasuke jolt. He wasn't expecting that.
"Uh, oh man this isn't working. One more time or else I'm going to pour a bucket of water on her." He pictured her reaction in his head and chuckled. "Ha, I'd get into so much trouble." He shook her one more time and to his surprise her eyes began to flutter open. "Hey, wake up we're going to be late."
It took her a while to notice who it was. She noticed her hand was on his arm and he was kneeling on the side of her bed. "What?" 'Sasuke? Why is he,' "Sasuke?" she mumbled a little bit. "What are you doing here?"
'Thank god she woke up.' "I'm here to pick you pick you up." He said not taking his hand away from her warm body. Her hand was still there. "What? What time is it?" Sasuke looked at his watch and said it was half and hour before eight. "What!" she bolted out of bed and ran for the washroom.
Sasuke just stared and chuckled. "Wow, she wakes up pretty fast if school's mentioned." He got up and walked to the bathroom door. "I'll just wait for you in the living room, okay?"
He walked to the living room and lied down on the couch. He stared at the ceiling. "God, she amazing." He shut his eyes for a bit and pictured her sleeping face again.
Unnoticed, Sakura got out of the shower and got dressed. She noticed that it was very quiet. "What happened to him?" she grabbed her stuff and walked into the living room. She found him lying down on the couch. "Hmm, guess he got here pretty early." She stared down at him and didn't want to wake him.
There was only fifteen minutes left till school bell. It took them about ten minutes to walk to school. 'I'll just get my lunch ready first.'
She went into the kitchen and started making a sandwich. When she got back he was sitting upright. "Oh you're awake already?" She headed for the door a put her shoes on. "Let's go we're going to be late."
"Yes mother." He answered, getting a playful slap on the arm.
'I'll ask him about the party later. He seems to be a bit out of it today.'
Lunch break came and Naruto and Sasuke were up on the rooftops yet again. This time they were eating and talking on the benches.
"So, how was the mission you took yesterday?" said Naruto as he took a bite of some shrimp in his lunch. "It really didn't go as planned," Sasuke replied. "Really now, how so?"
"Well, Sakura was there and my target was killed before I could get anything out of him." He stuffed a beef piece into his mouth. As he expected, Naruto almost choked at the mention of Sakura. "She was there? Why? Were you caught?" Naruto questioned, taking a long drink of water.
Sasuke chuckled, "I almost got caught. It was actually really really close. She chased me. Man can she run." As he remembered that night, he smacked Naruto on the head.
"Hey! What the hell!" Naruto rubbed his head. "I didn't do anything this time!"
"It was an 'in the moment' type thing." He chuckled and ate the rest of his lunch. "Hey, I need to inform Kakashi about the mission so can you take care of Sakura today?" he inquired while packing his lunch away. "Sure buddy. You owe me though. I'm taking Hinata out today." Naruto blushed. "Wait, that didn't come out right. What I meant to say was--" he was interrupted by raven-haired boy. "Shut up. It came out perfectly. Don't deny it." He smirked at his tomato faced friend.
After school, Sakura searched for Sasuke. The bell had rung a few minutes ago so the place was crowded. When she spotted him, she ran straight for him. "Sasuke!"
"Hey Sakura." He turned around so he was facing her. "Hinata and Naruto as me to go out with them today, wanna come?" she asked. "Well I--" he was interrupt interrupted by his cellphone.
"Hello? Oh hey. Uh yeah I think I can meet you there. Yeah be there in a couple of minutes." He flipped his cellphone shut and looked at Sakura. Hey Sakura sorry I have an important meeting with someone. I can go somewhere tomorrow if that's okay."
Sakura shook her head. "It's okay, I see you're busy. Well see you tomorrow?" he knew what she meant and agreed. "Bye."
He walked off in the direction of the nearest café.
Sasuke and Tsunade were sitting next to the window of a café that was just a couple blocks away from the school. They were talking about what to do next since they almost blew their cover back at the party.
"Uchiha you little ass. You almost got our cover blown. Well your cover." Tsunade stared ferociously at Sasuke. "Sorry old lady, but I really couldn't get away. Your 'niece' is really good at running." He took a sip of his coffee.
"Well of course, she plays sports, actually volleyball. Wait wait, that's not the point here." She glared at her coffee and then stared outside. "I've grown attached to the girl. I've known her since she was very young. I can't let anything happen to her." She looked back at Sasuke. "It's your job to keep her safe. I'm entrusting her to you for the time being. I need to go to Kakashi and explain this."
On the other side of the café, Sakura along with Naruto and Hinata were talking about the mysterious man at the party. Sakura took a quick glance around and saw her aunt with Sasuke. 'What the hell?' she said with much surprise. 'What's going on? I didn't even introduce him to my aunt yet.'
"Sakura? Are you okay?" it was Hinata who spoke up. In the middle of something, she turned her head. "Oh sorry, what?" Sakura was snapped back to reality. "You were saying something about the mysterious man looking almost like Sasuke."
"Oh well, that's what I think. He really did look like him, the hair and everything." Naruto choked and started coughing a bit. "Naruto are you okay?" both of the girls asked.
Coughing a few more times Naruto answered, "Yeah yeah I'm okay." Naruto had spotted Sasuke with Sakura's 'aunt.' 'Aw damn.'
"Anyway Sasuke, you promise right, to protect her? I've been doing that job for the past eighteen years, now I pass it down to you." Tsunade's last words were still stuck in Sasuke's head while leaving the café. He was right outside the doors now. He sighed, "Oh boy," he stuffed his hands into his pockets and began to walk, headed for home.
Little did he know, Sakura was following him. She was actually trying to catch up to him.
Sasuke just kept walking still lost in his thoughts. He didn't notice Sakura right beside him. "So, I was meaning to ask you," Sasuke jumped at the sound of someone else so close. She was staring up at the cloudy sky. "Where were you yesterday?"
'Crap here come the questions.' Sasuke thought. "I was grocery shopping." He was fidgeting with some loose thread in his jacket. "Are you sure?" she eyed him carefully, trying to find something that would indicate that he was lying.
The questions continued as they walked towards Sasuke's house. The questions began to become stories about that night and how she really wanted to see that guy. "He was cute though. But I really don't now if he's trustable. I mean I saw him hovering over a dead man's body." She said looking up at the sky.
'She thought I was cute? Wait wait, stop it Uchiha.' He thought still staring at the ground while they continued their walk.
As they turned the corner onto another empty street, a dark figure a few feet away from them began to speak. "So, I see you two really are inseparable. Even during out of school things too." He lifted his head and stared at them both with cold, dark, life-sucking eyes that were hidden behind a pair of glasses.
'Crap! Not now. What the hell is he doing here! He's going to spill it,' Sasuke put a protective arm in front of Sakura and put on his fighting stance. "What the hell do you want?" growled Sasuke.
Kabuto chuckled, "Oh, the famous Uchiha, protecting a girl? That's amazing. But then again," he paused and stepped a few feet forward. Sakura was getting freaked out. The last time she saw this guy, he gave her that evil look and it still haunted her.
Sasuke put his whole body in front of Sakura now. Kabuto was getting too close for comfort.
Kabuto put his head down so that they couldn't see his eyes. "You are just protecting her because it's your job right? I mean, do you get paid for these things? I should consider that job, getting paid for easy stuff like this." He laughed. 'Damn I need to end this now or else I'm dead. W-what!' Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted when a kunai came charging at Sakura.
Sakura screamed as she saw the sharp weapon headed for her. She shut her eyes waiting for the worst but it never came. She cautiously opened her eyes and saw Sasuke facing her with his back to Kabuto.
His face cringed a little bit as he felt the kunai pierce into his left shoulder. 'I promised Tsunade I wouldn't let anything happen to her.' He opened his eyes slightly and forced a smile on his face. "Are you okay?" he said softly.
Sakura just stared. His body was protectively around her, arms wrapped around her waist, his head on her shoulder trying to fight the pain. Then she heard another scream from him as Kabuto shot another kunai at his right leg. Right then and there, Sasuke collapse from the pain.
Sakura just stared in disbelief as she tried to keep him on his feet. "Sasuke! G-get up! Please." When she looked again, Kabuto was right behind Sasuke, laughing. "I'm enjoying this. It's fun seeing Uchiha fall to his knees." Then he took out the kunai from Sasuke's shoulder and pierced it into his other shoulder, twisting it a little bit.
Sasuke screamed yet again, body trembling. 'I'm not letting go of her. Not now, not ever. Keep trying asshole you're never getting her.'
Kabuto pulled out the kunai and looked Sakura right in the eyes. "Now that I've had my fun, time for you to come with me, Ms. Haruno." He shot a hand out and grabbed Sakura's arm.
Sasuke didn't like this one bit. He grabbed Kabuto's hand and tightened his grip on it. "Don't ever touch her,"
"Ho ho! Uchiha has some fight left over." When he was about to punch Sasuke, he heard two people calling their names out. "Sakura! Is that you? What's going on?" It was Naruto who was speeding towards them along with Hinata.
"Stupid interruptions," Kabuto mumbled to himself. "I'll be back for you Haruno. Better watch your back." With that he ran, disappearing from sight.
Sakura couldn't take it anymore. Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground crying, still holding the now unconscious Uchiha in her arms. "S-Sasuke, wake up please."
"Sakura! What happened? And," Naruto gasped. "That's Sasuke! Who was that?" Naruto helped pick up Sasuke. He put Sasuke's arm around his shoulder and he grabbed onto his waist so that most of the wait was on him.
"Let me call an ambulance." Hinata was about to pull her cellphone out when Naruto intervened. "No, I can handle his wounds, whose house is the closest? Sakura?" he looked at her as if asking for permission to go to her house. She just nodded with her eyes still filled with tears.
They sped to Sakura's house as fast as they could with a bleeding, unconscious boy with them.
Since Naruto was one of the many assassins in Tokyo, he knew how to deal with injuries like the ones Sasuke had. Although, he didn't really have much of his supplies at the moment so he had to improvise. It took him about three hours to bandage Sasuke up.
"I think he'll pull through. The wounds are pretty deep and he lost quite a bit if blood." Naruto said looking at the blood pressure meter that Sakura had in her closet. It was Wilson's although he never wanted to admit it or show it to anyone.
Sasuke was on Sakura's bed all bandaged up and sleeping peacefully. Sakura and the others took a chair each in her room and sat there, waiting for him to wake up.
"Why is he after me," she heard herself say. She was still playing that event over and over again in her head. She was that guy's target and she knew it but why, she didn't know. "It's my fault that Sasuke is in this state. He just tried to protect me."
'Good thing we got there before Kabuto could spill anything. Or maybe she was too shocked to notice any clues.' Naruto thought looking at his 'partner in crime' lying peacefully. He really did hope that he would wake up soon; he didn't want to do the mission without him. It also seemed like Sakura would kill herself if he didn't wake up.
They all stayed at Sakura's house that night. Naruto stayed so he could keep an eye on her and Hinata stayed to help keep her company. It had been almost six hours and yet, Sasuke didn't even open his eyes for a second. What touched Naruto's heart most was that Sakura never left his side.
Hinata slept on the couch while Naruto slept on the floor. Sakura on the other hand, fell asleep by Sasuke's side. She was sitting in a chair while her head was on top of her arms on the bed.
Later that night, Sasuke's eyes opened slowly. "Huh?" He found himself on a comfy bed, but had a hard time getting up. He felt all of the injuries on his body. 'Damn, it never hurt this much before. Kabuto probably put something on the dagger or something.' He scanned the room. His eyes fell upon a girl sitting in a chair with her head on the bed.
When his eyes began to get used to the darkness, he noticed he wasn't at home, but at Sakura's. His body softened. Then he looked over to the open door, which lead to the living room. 'Naruto,' indeed, he saw a blonde head sticking out from under some covers.
With all of his strength and will power, he brought himself up to a sitting position. He examined himself. There were bandages on his right leg, his right and left shoulders and to his surprise, Sakura's hand was grasping his shirt. 'Ha, I'm shirtless.' He put his hand on hers.
'Maybe I shouldn't wake her,' it was too late. That one touch broke Sakura out of sleep. She brought her head up slowly and as her eyes set upon the boy, they grew wide, seeing him awake and sitting up. "Sasuke!" she jumped and hugged him so tight he could barely breathe.
"S-Sakura, ow," he finally said and he felt his shoulders ache. When he saw her face again, there were tears. "I'm sorry," she said softly still looking at him straight in the eye. "I," she paused. "No it's my fault you got hurt. He was after me, I'm sure of that." She looked down at his shirt that was in her hands.
"No need to be sorry, I did this to myself. I could have just let him get to you now couldn't I? But I didn't do that." She brought her head up and saw a faint smile on his face.
There was silence for a moment. Sasuke soon noticed the time, it was very late. "Hey, you can sleep here now. I'll just," She grabbed his arm as he tried to get off the bed.
"You stay." She said.
"Are you sure? Where are you going to sleep?" to his surprise, she lay down on the other side of the bed, put the covers over herself and lay on her side facing away from him.
"I'm sure you don't bite," she replied.
'Ha, I'm never going to get her let me sleep somewhere else.' He lay down next to her and stayed there for a moment.
Sakura had just shut her eyes for a few minutes when she felt two arms wrap around her waist. "What," she was about to protest but, "Like you said, I don't bite." Sasuke didn't let go. He said it before and he meant it. He would never let go of her, not there, not ever.
'He could never have been the mysterious man; he isn't the type to kill.' Sakura thought before she drifted off to sleep.
Preview for Chapter 4:
Sasuke couldn't believe his eyes; fire was controlling his every will. Fire covered his hand but yet, he couldn't feel the burn. He looked up at the mirror before him and saw his eyes turn red.
'What's going on? What's happening to me?' When he turned around, he knocked a vase over. He was amazed by what he saw. Step by step, in slow motion, he saw the vase fall. Before it fell he caught it but he still couldn't believe what he just did. That vase must've been falling at a great speed, considering how heavy it was.
He placed the vase carefully back down, hoping it wouldn't explode or do something weird. 'Okay, I can manipulate fire and I can see things before they happen,' Sasuke stared again at himself through the mirror. 'This is some stupid dream, I just know it.' He half-heartedly wanted this to be a dream, half of his loved having the power.
REVIEWS. Ha, yeah can you take a wild guess at what just happened to Sasuke in the preview? It was in this chapter, not that hard to find. Heh. "Is Sasuke really out of his mind? Find out on the next episode of : The Life of an Assassin!" (oh and I forgot to edit this one. ; sorry if there's any typos or errors.)
- --writingzeaL