Chapter Four: Philosophies
"We are still stuck in this house, aren't we?" Sakura mumbled as she lazily sat up and sauntered over to the snow covered window. "I mean-really stuck, huh?" Her arms closed protectively over her chilled body.
"Obviously." Sasuke retorted dryly. "I would have kicked you out for demolishing my tomatoes and vandalizing my other food." He let out a huff of annoyance as his arms interlaced, his back coming to lean against the creamy wall.
"I did not vandalize your food." The pink haired girl held up her hand to defend herself against the onslaught of verbal abuse. "I do admit that I demolished it, though." She shrugged precariously. "You have a good choice in tomatoes." An impatient sigh passed through her lips as her eyes darted to the side to examine the still boy. Honestly-couldn't the man just move about a bit? He just stood there, his right leg in a ninety degree angle and his arms crossed with his breathing rhythmic. An impulsive question came to her lips, "How do you stand so still?" Sakura crossed the room, poking out her lower lip in concentration as she tried to imitate the stock-still boy. Her leg fumbled to get in the precise angle while her arms clumsily clashed together tightly. She examined herself thoughtfully and decided she looked nothing like his signature stance.
He let out a snort and came out of his reclining position. "You, Sakura, are undoubtedly weird."
"Hey!" She stuck out a finger towards him. "Being weird is good! It means you give the world a little diversity."
"Diversity?" He repeated and rolled his dark eyes. "All men are corrupt, waiting for the next pay check so they can buy that new house and live with their whores in their billion dollar houses."
"But-not all men are rich." She gave him an inquisitive glance at his philosophy. "So not all men are corrupt."
"Don't tell me that shit. Money makes the world spin."
"True-" Sakura agreed nobly. "money does make the world function. But I believe that somewhere-out of the 6.1 billion people we have-there is a man that will say no to money over values."
"Women sell their bodies for money." He gave a side glance to the woman beside him. "And priests claim they will use the money wisely that you give them at church while they sell it on booze and crack the minute you turn your back."
Her head tilted to the side. "You have a very negative opinion on the world, Sasuke."
"I tell it like it is."
She smiled at him wistfully, happy that she actually got something out of him than his normal brooding mood. "So does that mean you're corrupt? If all men are corrupt, and your part of the male population, would you sell your soul for that little bit of money to come your way? Or would you break your own philosophy and turn it away?"
Sasuke stood silent for a few moments, his thoughts gathering until he had a formulated opinion in his mind. "I believe-" He chose his words carefully. "-that I would take the money, if it were given to me freely. And the chances of that happening are slim."
"Yes." She agreed with him once more, her shining eyes finally finding his as she studied his acutance of the situation. "So-do you believe I am corrupt, then?" Turning around in a circle with her arms spread out, a curious stare fixated upon him when she finished. "Do I fit the part?"
As his onyx eyes traveled over her form, confusing thoughts kept blurting out randomly in his mind. She's beautiful. His lips pursed tightly as he forced his eyes to remain on her emerald gaze. "I don't know you, but I believe you would do anything for money."
The green gaze momentarily flicked towards the wooden floorboards before coming back towards him full of curiosity. "How so?" She inquired lightly.
"For one, your clothes." He stated as if it was painfully obvious. "Two, your pink hair. Three, your looks."
Instead of the haughty and spiteful gaze he had expected, Sakura's eyes held humor and amusement in them. "Explain all three. First, clothes."
He rolled his eyes at her oblivious nature. "They're horrible. And the outfit you wore in the flower shop wasn't helping you, either."
Her eyes flared up before sizzling down as a forced smile took to her face. "My hair?"
"It's pink. The color is not natural, so you must die it." He lightly scrunched up his nose at the girl before him. "And your roots are pink, have been for the last few days. Obviously you must die it frequently."
"Alright." She tightly replied, her hands griping the hem of her shirt tightly. "My looks?"
At this question, Sasuke hesitated slightly, but it didn't go unnoticed to the woman. "You have the looks like you want money. You're beautiful, and the looks could be used to your advantage. Close to a whore, but not quite."
The statement of "you're beautiful" went soaring through her brain without making a connection. "Close to a whore?" Her fury gave a slight edge to the words. "So you believe that I would sell my body for money?"
His eyes gave her a glance over, and then nestled deep into the emerald orbs. "No. I said close to a whore."
She took a few steps towards the calm male, her eyes blazing and her fist still in a tight ball on the hem of her shirt. "So I sleep with men to get their money, then dump them?"
"You fit the type."
Her teeth were gnashing and grinding against one another. "You, Sasuke Uchiha, are prejudiced to the point of being unbearable." She tried to get her temper to simmer to a boil. "Would you like to hear my opinion of you?"
His eyes regarded her own fury-filled ones lazily. "I don't really care what you think." With a slight drawl to each step, he arrived at the door to her room and turned back towards her, still seeing the furious image of a pink haired girl standing with her fist clenched and her jaw tight. "Goodnight, Haruno." A click of the door signaled his departure.
"S-Sasuke," Her voice rang clearly over the other Genin's ears. "Maybe you should quit, too!" Her gaze nervously landed on the boy of her affections.
The dark haired boy gave a shocked look to the girl as their teammate stared at them both, a look of perplexity coming to find his face. "Hunh!" Naruto exclaimed to get her attention, but the pink haired Genin did not acknowledge.
With her voice trembling, she went on, "Ever since that Orochimaru attacked you, you haven't been yourself!" Her tone softened. "That mark on your skin is hurting again, isn't it?" Her eyes filled up with salty liquid threatening to pour down her pale cheeks.
I left him with a parting gift… The words echoed through her already muddled mind. Eventually Sasuke will be forced to seek me out…in the quest for power. Sakura's heart wrung tighter at the thought of losing him to Orochimaru. She wouldn't let it happen; she wouldn't just stand by and let Sasuke ruin his whole life over a stupid Chunin exam!
"Please…" She whispered, her hands coming to clasp around her collarbone, her head slightly bowed and her lip still punctured by her teeth.
With a hand still on his throbbing curse, he looked at the girl before him as if she was a new sight, fresh and doleful to take in.
"Please withdraw…" She whispered painfully to her teammate. "I-I'm afraid…" The tears that were burning the flesh in her eyes broke the dam that was holding them back, leaving wet, salty trails to be visible. The pink haired ninja vaguely heard Naruto mutter something before her head snapped determinedly to Sasuke. "You're in no shape to fight, Sasuke!" She yelled out over the stunned onlookers.
"Shut up!" The boy viciously whispered, fully aware of the other Genin.
She looked at him with the trails still on her face. "Sasuke, I know…" The voice faded off before coming back again, full force, "that you've barely been able to contain the pain all this time!"
"I said-" He growled out, his frown darkening.
"You leave me no choice. If you won't listen to reason…" Her eyebrows furrowed at the slightly slouched boy. "I'm going to tell all the teachers about that mark! And then…"
Before she could go on anymore, a desperate state of hysteria grasped her as she went to move towards him, but the latter's wrists swung forward to grasp hers before she could move any further. Her jade eyes opened wide at the contact he was initiating.
"Keep your mouth shut! Not a word about the mark!" He muttered dangerously to her with narrowed eyes.
A sob escaped her lips pitifully, "Why do you always have to act so strong! I can't bear to watch you suffer, Sasuke!" She yelled out to him, desperate to do anything to keep him from participating in the exams.
"It's my decision…" His eyes seared into her wet ones. "And it's none of your business!" He rebuked.
She slightly jerked away from him, but her wrist was still in his tightening grasp.
"This is my burden to bear alone…" Sasuke muttered to the doleful girl as her eyes widened. "Remember what I told you, Sakura?" A burning glance was sent her way. "I'm an avenger. This is more than just a test for me…" His statement didn't catch her off guard. "And I don't care whether I achieve the level of Chunin or not."
She was left speechless at his sudden words, slightly trembling from the adrenaline rush she had experienced.
"Am I strong? Finding that out is all that matters to me now." A sharp needle pierced her emotional stronghold. All that mattered was revenge… All that mattered was Itachi. "I'm here to test myself against the best of the best." The best of the best…All he wanted was murder, bloodshed. "And the best opponents I could find are all around us, here and now." The opponents that he wanted to kill? No. They were outside the boundaries, waiting and watching for the one day he would join them. "Not even for your sake will I turn away from the path that leads to my dream!" His dream? Of crimson and clans?
Sakura woke up crying, a heart wrenching feeling tugging deep inside her chest. Rejection. She didn't want anymore dreams of him; she didn't want to see him haunt her eyesight even in the daylight. She wished…she wished she had never met an Uchiha Sasuke. Her body broke in erratic paces, a slight sob escaping her lips as the feeling wouldn't go away. She pulled the covers over her head, pushing her bloodshot eyes closed so tightly that crow's feet were settled next to her eyes.
She didn't want to think of him anymore. A vision of the black haired boy came to her mind in a searing flash while Sakura rolled on her side and clenched at the skin just below her collarbone. She just wanted to sleep… Uncomfortable with her new position, she turned on her other side as a flash of him holding her wrist came bright and fresh to her mind. "Stop it!" She screamed and slammed her fist down into the warm comforter of the bed. Another defiant image seared into her brain, this time it was of the Uchiha slightly smiling. "Stop!" She screeched out of the empty room, her eyes painfully throbbing. The image faded away slightly, the slideshow finally over. The same salty, wet trails that had appeared on Sakura's face in her dream were now skillfully gliding towards the white sheets of the bed. A sob broke the already shattered silence before the pink haired girl curled into a ball and willed herself to sleep.
He sauntered through the kitchen, taking a sip of his coffee before setting it down and heading to his tomato-or what was left of them-laden fridge. With an audible grunt, he tugged open the refrigerator door and the welcome sight of red filled his vision. I'm afraid… A dark frown tugged down on his lips as he slammed the slightly chilled door shut unmercifully. He had been so straightforward with his feelings in that dream, and he honestly didn't know if he would ever again be able to summon up the courage-or interest-to tell of his innermost thoughts.
True, he thought as he scuffled out of the kitchen (tomato in hand), looking at the image of an exhausted rosy haired girl through the slight opening in her doorway; he had been sucked into telling that Sakura girl his philosophy on men and money, and yet she had not scoffed at his ideas or ridiculed him for thinking so deep. She had actually welcomed his ideas as if they were her own, but mingled and shaped them into a question to fire right back at him. The florist shop worker was intelligent, he gave her that.
The girl in his line of vision stirred and mumbled something inaudible to normal ears. Then, without warning, a flash of Sakura looking desperately at him came into view. With a jolt, the male stepped away from the doorway, only to have another image of her grinning and spinning around happily dig itself into his brain. What was happening? Was it because of that girl? The one that seemed to be in every single corner of his dreams?
He gave a defiant huff to the image before successfully wiping it out for good. The door to Sakura's room swung open as the irritated boy sauntered in and looked silently at the sleeping girl. "Oi, Sakura." He said loudly, but his only response was a slight moan of laziness and to watch her form turn away from him. The coffee cups handle looked about ready to crack as his hand tightened painfully about its creamy coat. "Listen, girl: if you don't get out of bed, then I will do something drastic." That should have been enough to have her crawling on her knees to him with horror-filled eyes. Sakura idly dropped her hand across her eyes and buried deep into the pillows. "Drastic it is then." He muttered to himself.
Pivoting on his right foot, the male darted to the kitchen and grabbed as many tomatoes as his hands could hold. The placid look still on his face (although a sinister sneer had wormed its way in there), he returned to the room and with a huge swing, landed the tomato straight on the pink haired girl's face. She screamed and sat up straight, her back like a board being nailed down. "What the hell!" The irate voice seemed more irritated than he was, but that was a long-shot anyways. "You." She pointed at him with a menacing finger. "Look, you addictive-compulsive tomato eater: you do that again, and I'll-" A splat resounded through the barren room as fresh tomato juice rolled down Sakura's face in seeds and drops. "You're dead, Sasuke." She hissed before winging the covers back and storming towards him. A tomato hit her forehead dead-on before she was able to reach her retreating target. "This is so gross." She muttered as the new tomato's peel slipped off her nose. "How do you have such good aim, asshole?"
"It's actually quite easy to hit a large forehead. All you have to do is-" The male didn't get to finish his sentence as Sakura charged for him again with a battle cry. Actually, that battle cry wasn't too fond of the ears; Sasuke winced as he was tackled into the wall, the air coming out of his lungs in a rapid motion.
She was pressed tightly against him, her hand coming up to snatch a tomato from his crimson filled hands and lift it up to attack the obsessive tomato eater. Suddenly, a thought came to her, "Why would you waste your precious tomatoes to wake me up?" With the tomato still above his head, he regarded her inquisitive eyes and lack of concentration amusedly.
"I said drastic measures; didn't I?"
The comely girl frowned slightly at his proclamation, only to lose her grip on the hovering tomato. The seeds rolled equally down the face of Sasuke as they had done with Sakura. A slight giggle formed on her lips before she pursed them tightly and let out a polite smile. "Well, drastic measures always do backfire, ne?"
Getting slightly afraid when he didn't blink or break eye contact with her, she laughed nervously as her body released his and stepped quietly away. "Well, goodbye!" She hurriedly let out before giving a squeak of fright as he suddenly lunged out for her, barely missing her shirt by an inch. "Now, Sasuke!" She chided, "You shouldn't attempt to hurt a lady of my social standing." Another squeak filled the room as she dodged him again. "It really isn't-" He lunged for her again, but this time caught her by the wrist. "-nice." She finished weakly as she was thrown forcefully towards the bed, blazing onyx coming to hover above her with a nice, juicy tomato with them. "Um, did you know how nice your eyes are?" He drew in a forced breath through his flaring nostrils. "And that nose! So perfect that I could just kiss it!" Acting on her words and instinct, Sakura quickly lifted up and pecked him on the nose.
The tomato was still laying dejectedly in the dark haired boy's hand as he looked at her in shock. "Did you-" He tried, but failed immensely. "Did you just kiss me on the nose?"
Her eyes darted about and her teeth came down upon her lip, "Err-no?" She squeaked out with a nervous laugh. "I mean honestly-your nose was just so kissable!" Fumbling along with her words, she tried again, "I mean it isn't! Well, actually, when I do look at it from this angle it kind of does look all nice. Not saying that you have a nice nose or anything. I mean honestly-who would want a nice nose? It is so-"
"Shut up." He rolled his eyes and smashed the tomato in her face with a triumphant grin etched into his mouth. "I suggest you take a shower and wash your bed sheets." He idly got off of her gaping form, his feet clunking against the wooden floor as he fished for the handle to the door. "I won't do it for you, and you do reek of tomatoes."
A/N: Oh well that I didn't get five reviews. I have decided that I'm doing this story for the sake of it not popping into my head anymore! shrugs
A big thank you to:
-Sya0ran: A faithful reviewer! Honestly, I always look forward to your reviews and opinions on the chapters! Thank you so much for sticking by my story and reading my extremely long paragraphs! (I'm trying to get better at that.)
-neu chi no nai u: Ah, another faithful reviewers! I also look forward to your reviews. Thank you immensely for actually reviewing and reading my story. O.O
-Readsinsilence: The dreams will be revealed, but in due time. You are free to make as many predictions as you would like, though. Seeing a lot of hints were in this chapter, you will probably be able to figure it out.
Until next time...