Author's Notes: Okay, so I'm attempting to write this chapter. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, or where I'm going with this story anymore. I think I've added in a few too many elements… but hopefully I'll be able to finish this very soon, and my updates will become closer.
Sacrifice: Wilted Blossom of Spring
Chapter 11: Self Resistance
Sakura pounced from branch to branch, cautiously keeping an eye on Sasuke's movements. She saw the way he'd stiffened the further into the dense forest they traveled; that meant they were drawing closer to Orochimaru, or he was closing in on them. A shiver fell down the nerves of her spine; he was one character she didn't want to see right now. He had always given off an air of molestation and danger. The thought of being anywhere within a close proximity of the sanin frightened her into a muted state.
"Sakura… whatever you do, don't freeze." Sasuke's voice was laced with pain.
She didn't respond—all her focus was on forcing her feet to move one in front of the other. Her muscles were trying to initiate a halt. The chemicals in her body were sending mixed signals that forced extra adrenaline into her system. The overload caused her to feel light headed, and the fear did nothing to nullify this affect.
Sasuke stopped, pinching his fingers over the curse seal and leaning against the trunk of the tree. Biting his lip to repress the urge of screaming, he positioned himself so he was sitting, facing forward where he could keep an eye on anything surrounding him. Sakura landed before him, watching the pain that bit at the creases of his face. Her fear of going near him was in high alert, but she drew closer regardless.
Worried, she went to place a hand over his forehead, and instead stopped millimeters from his skin. "Sasuke…"
'I… I need to help him… I have to do something, anything to get rid of his pain…'
"Stop it Sakura." He growled under his gritted teeth. "You're not in the mental state to touch me, I know."
"I…" she couldn't respond. He was right.
"We can't out run him, not like this. He's gotten faster."
Realization dawned upon her. That was why he told her not to freeze; there was going to be confrontation he couldn't protect her from. Sasuke couldn't fight in his condition; one slip up would cost him all the time and trouble he'd gone through to slip out of the power hunger implanted in him by the curse seal. Confrontation with Orochimaru would only resurface the seal's power.
She let her hand fall back to her side. "You won't be able to fight."
"I have to. You don't have the power to stop him yourself." He answered. "I'm the only one who knows his techniques, and the best way to counter them."
"But…"
"Just don't freeze up on me, Sakura." He demanded, forcing himself to stand once again. "I'm going to need you in this fight. I can't use my chakra, but you can."
Her eyes widened. The curse seal's power was activated when he used his sharingan or chakra; if Sasuke was to fight Orochimaru, it would be taijutsu and weapons only. The snake sanin would have an easy time destroying Sasuke in that state. She had to make up for Sasuke's handicap with her own techniques.
She shook her head. "Sasuke, I can't!"
He eyed her wearily, looking for a reason to back up her statement. Sakura backed up out of protective instincts; she didn't have a reason other than she was frightened. She was more than frightened, though. The fear ran deep in her bones and blood, polluting her head with theories and outcomes far worse than death. They poisoned her muscles and limbs.
"You can, and you will." He stated coldly. "I won't let Orochimaru near you, but I need you to lend me your skills."
"I… why, Sasuke-kun?" she shuddered, hugging her body. "You're so much stronger than I am… I'm the weakest person here! I can't function correctly, so I'll only be in the way…"
He shot her a cold look. "Shut up."
Hurt, Sakura's eyes wavered with tears. She understood his anger. The situation was dire and she was whining, dropping herself down to the weak link that needed to be protected. When he needed to rely upon her, she was forcing everything onto him. Despite knowing he had every right to be angry, she still felt betrayed. Sasuke knew what had happened and the way she'd reacted in battle; why was he trying so hard to shove her into situations she wasn't ready for? He was completely ignoring the trauma she'd suffered.
As soon as the thoughts flew into her head, Sakura regretted them. Since when had she ever been this selfish?
"I know all that, Sakura—but Tsunade-sama was the only one who could defeat Orochimaru before. Seeing as you are her pupil, I assumed you would have the same ability over him she does." Sasuke responded. "Besides, I can't get too close to Orochimaru with the curse seal acting up."
"I… I understand." She nodded.
"The blood scent is overwhelming." Kiba complained, halting the second wing of Tsunade's rescue mission in their tracks. "There are definitely at least two bodies here."
"A battle." Neji corrected. "I'm guessing the first string ran into trouble."
Without hesitation, they shot off deeper into the canopy of the forest, attempting to gain an advantage via overhead assault. As the sounds of clanking metal and jutsu calls erupted throughout the forest, the group dispensed into two separate teams. Kiba and Naruto took the ground for a frontal distraction, while Neji and Tenten kept to the canopy to take advantage of the distraction.
Ino rolled to the right, barely managing to miss the attack directed toward her jugular. Her eyes scanned the area; it had been a while since she returned to her body, and neither she nor Shikamaru had seen the other two members of their team. It was worrisome, but they had to face the enemies at hand and ignore the possibility that their comrades were in trouble.
Turning on her heel, Ino raced out in front of Shikamaru. Considering they were once team members, they had discovered it was easy to implant their techniques into one major attack. Using Ino's shadow to extend his own, Shikamaru managed to create a long range version of Kage Nui. With the confusion brought about by that technique, Ino would have an opening to use her Shinranshin no Jutsu, and confuse the opponents into attacking each other.
"Ino... keep your guard up." Shikamaru stated, moving himself out of a defensive position. "Something doesn't feel right."
She nodded. "It got quiet too fast."
Sakura let the plan Sasuke had formulated flow through her mind. There didn't seem to be any holes in his plan to attack Orochimaru. The amount of close range battle was daunting, but she knew better than to complain over her position in this fight anymore. She had spent years trying to get the recognition Sasuke was giving her now. She felt some pride that he was relying on her; but more than anything else, Sakura was frightened. She'd already been the cause of enough trouble for her team members. She had to stop herself from freezing in battle before it killed someone.
"He's here." Sasuke remarked. "Go to your position."
Nodding, Sakura disappeared into the canopy of the forest. It was her job to hide in the shadows. They'd created a code out of techniques for when she would bring about her own assistance. Sakura was supposed to stay to the rear of Orochimaru while Sasuke occupied the front. It was going to be difficult to mask her chakra from a sanin, but that could be dispelled with a few shadow clones. Naruto taught Sakura his Kage Bunshin no jutsu technique a year before the Jounin exams, convinced she would need the skill in order to pass along with himself and Sasuke.
Considering each clone had its own chakra supply, it would make it more difficult for Orochimaru to identify where she was. She had not run this idea by Sasuke, but she assumed it wouldn't affect the original battle plan—she was playing a supporting role, and having more than one of her might help. Unlike Naruto, she couldn't withhold an expansive amount of clones for long periods of time, and her limited chakra had already been tapped into when she attempted to heal one of the ANBU members. It was a risk to extend her chakra like this, but there wasn't much else she could do. First and foremost, she needed to hide. Orochimaru was skilled enough to detect her, even if she was to mask her presence. The best option was to try to fool him into believing he was surrounded.
With the jutsu initiated, Sakura sent her clones off in different direction to surround the battle area in a circular shape. Her body tingled with anticipation. It had been years since she'd last laid eyes upon Orochimaru, and it was doubtful she would recognize him upon their reunion in battle. Since he didn't use Sasuke's body as a container, there was a possibility he had used at least two other bodies since their last encounter. The only way to distinguish Orochimaru was by the aura surrounding him, and his elongated black hair.
Sakura didn't need to hear the clashing of kunai to understand that the battle had begun. She could feel the cold air that entered the forest before the sound reached her ears. Her eyes darted down toward Sasuke, keeping a close watch on his movements as she traveled closer to the battle. She needed to be close enough to hear the conversation between both of them.
"I'm not here for you, Sasuke-kun." The sanin hissed.
Sasuke glared. "Then why are you here?"
"I'm sure you haven't forgotten everything from your time with the Sound, Sasuke-kun. There are plans we never finished." He responded nonchalantly.
He glared. Of course he hadn't forgotten his time with Orochimaru; nor had he forgotten the things he'd learned while with the snake sanin. There were aspects of his life within the Sound he had suppressed from memory, but most of the plans, power and ideals of the village remained in his conscious mind. Sasuke hated to admit it, but he still withdrew power from those thoughts during battle and training. Although he'd redeemed himself, it was impossible to deny he learned many skills there that he still used and practiced since returning to Konoha.
"You mean... you're still going to attack Konoha?"
Orochimaru's sadistic laugh filled the forest. "I may have given up on you, but overthrowing Konoha has always been our ultimate goal."
Gripping his curse seal, Sasuke fell once more to his knees; Orochimaru was toying with him. "So what are you doing now? I would think you'd take advantage of the lack of ANBU and capable jounin within Konoha. Instead, you followed me."
There wasn't much of a response as sweat dripped down Sasuke's face. The pain from the curse seal was coming in waves which varied in intensity and length. Discomfort made it difficult for him to focus on the matter at hand. All things considered, there was a bigger lack in conflict than he originally expected. It caused his senses to go into a hyperactive mode, looking for an ambush while attempting to sense Orochimaru's true intentions. Rule number one when dealing with Orochimaru was to always expect the unexpected.
Deciding to take the opening to attack, Sasuke bit his thumb, and started the hand seals for a summoning technique. It was Sakura's cue to attack from the rear, rendering Orochimaru incapable of movement by slicing his leg muscles. They had estimated the precise timing of her appearance, the angles—if everything flew into position correctly, this would be a sure-win attack.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "It wasn't you I was following."
The moment Sasuke's hand hit the ground, Orochimaru spun. He took a hold of Sakura's wrist, below the chakra glowing palm and stared into her face. The light ebbed away slowly as her fear overtook her.
"I was after her." He smiled, extending his tongue to taste her skin.
Sakura's body started to shake, and her eyes widened. Her knees were starting to buckle, and her concentration on her clone jutsu disappeared. Smoke floated into the air. The fog it created pushed a gray shaded blanket between Sasuke and herself. Having lost his view of them, Sasuke strained to listen.
Orochimaru's free hand went toward Sakura's cheek, caressing her skin softly.
"It's not everyday I get such a beautiful woman after my life."
Nishi held her wrist, waiting for the syringe to fall from her grasp.
"Hm… it's not everyday I get such a beautiful kunoichi after my life."
"Let me go! Let go of me!" Sakura screamed, transferring her chakra into her other palm, and with her eyes closed, she swung toward Orochimaru.
She felt his tongue wrap around her neck. She placed her chakra into both hands and placed them on the over stretched muscle. Her body jerked, and soon she was sent flying through the fog. Landing spine first against a tree trunk knocked the wind out of her. Sasuke appeared by her side as she coughed to regain her oxygen supply.
He didn't take the time to think of what he was doing—it was pure instinct to activate the sharingan and stand his ground now. The red ring surrounding her neck was infuriating him. Why was Sakura Orochimaru's new target? He would die before he let that happen.
"What do you want with Sakura?" he growled.
Orochimaru smirked. "She killed Nishi Kyo. If she has the power to defeat him, that is a power I wish to gain."
'That assassination mission…' he thought.
Turning back to look at Sakura, Sasuke barely ducked the kunai chucked at his head. He watched Sakura's eyes shake as she tried to stand up. She gripped the bark of the tree tightly, cutting into her hands to keep a good hold. The anger welling up inside of him from seeing her so spooked was starting to reach the brim.
"We need to get out of here, Sakura. Can you stand?" he whispered, trying to keep a calm tone.
She nodded lightly, her strength diminishing as fear began to weigh down on her muscles.
"I don't see an escape happening."
Snakes came flying out of Orochimaru's sleeves, poised to attack. Sakura and Sasuke jumped in separate directions, avoiding the collision of reptiles and the explosion of their contact with the tree. Tripping over a wire, Sakura activated a trap she hadn't noticed before. She could smell the oil that as it dripped onto the wood surrounding her; out of the corner of her eye, she watched Orochimaru begin the hand seals for a fire-style jutsu.
"Sakura, don't just stand around!"
Flames erupted into an explosion, igniting areas of forest.
"Oi, Ino?" Naruto inquired. "What are you doing here? Where are Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme?"
Shikamaru shook his head. "We lost radio contact a half hour ago. Did you find any other ANBU members?"
Tenten shook her head, and then started inspecting the battlefield. "Are you two injured?"
They both shook their head; they had obtained injuries, but they weren't life threatening. With a wave of her hand, the group followed Ino toward the only known survivor of the ambush. The man was still pale, but the bleeding had slowed. He was speaking incoherently as Ino tried once more to make him drink the water Sakura had handed her.
"We need to get him back to Konoha." Neji remarked. "Tenten, you and Kiba carry him back."
Naruto stood beside Shikamaru, looking over the fallen ninja. "They're all earth shinobi, like the ones who attacked Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan before."
"They were the ones who ambushed the ANBU as well." Shikamaru remarked. "I believe the Godaime knows something about this we don't. We've had too many skirmishes with this village for it to be a passing event. My guess is a war is brewing. Judging by the power they used to destroy the ANBU… we're in a lot of trouble."
A loud booming noise caught everyone's attention.
Sasuke's head bobbed above the rough lake water first, his eyes searching frantically for his frail teammate. He had had a hold of her when they had plunged into the water, but now she was no where in sight.
"Sakura!" He called, hoping she had popped up already somewhere further away from him.
Something started clawing at his leg; it took all of Sasuke's self control not to kick whatever it was. It climbed up his body until hair started to float on the surface. Not many things had magenta hair. Hoisting Sakura up by an arm he had instinctively wrapped around her waist, he watched her face as she bent over his shoulder to cough up blood and water. The muscles in Sasuke's face refused to listen to his brain and contorted at the heart wrenching sounds Sakura was making; every hack or wheeze caused a twitch in his normally impassive facade.
Without a second thought, Sasuke began the swim back toward shore. Sakura's eyes were drooping but she fought the fatigue and helped him paddle, which he was grateful for. Once they were close enough, the duo stood and began to walk through the water toward the shore, leaning against one another until they collapsed on the grass beneath the trees.
"Are you alright?" he asked quietly, turning to look at her.
Sakura leveled her breathing, coughing occasionally when water would surface from its dormant position in her lungs. Her eyes opened a bit, glazed over with the same fear he had seen right before they had been sent from the forest and into the lake. Hesitantly, Sasuke lifted his arm and reached over to touch her shoulder in an attempt to get her attention.
The way Sakura flinched and closed her eyes, tipping her head down and squeezing her shoulder close to her neck did not go unnoticed and caused him to pause in his movement, withdrawing the hand that was supposed to comfort her. Sasuke turned his gaze away and instead focused on sitting up and looking toward the sky to calm his heart and mind. After what had happened... he should have known she'd react as if he was a vile poison bent on destroying her.
A soft, moist sounding ruffle caught his attention. Sakura was moving. Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke watched her stand; it didn't go unnoticed how she stood, covering her chest with wet, shaking arms. Bowing her head, silent sobs began to escape her lips as she began stepping away, her feet numb to the movement and making her retreat difficult.
'Not like this... I can't let Sasuke-kun see me this way... he'll do the same thing...'
Her back hit a tree.
Sasuke stood up and turned his eyes toward her, allowing her to see through him. The anguish he felt for her, the guilt, the anger, the hatred... the compassion. Taking a few steps toward her, Sasuke stopped when he was within arms reach, his eyes never leaving her as he watched her fidgety movements. Sakura's gaze flew all around her, obviously looking for an escape before she allowed her gaze to fall on him.
There they stood, both entirely soaking wet, in the middle of the forest at well past midnight, one staring in fear and the other as if he was looking for forgiveness.
Tugging on her sleeves, Sakura dropped her eyes to the forest floor. She hugged her arms more over her chest, trying to protect herself from this new gaze.
"You never answered my question, Sakura."
Her voice came out quietly. "I... I'm fine."
Sakura's eyes flew wide open and up toward Sasuke's face the moment she felt his hands gently pry her arms away from her body. The fear in her gaze flew off in vibes, and she shoved her body as far up the tree trunk as she could. Sasuke's grip was gentle but firm, telling her she was not going to be getting away from him. Tears began welling up in her eyes, silent whimpers escaping her lips as she gazed at him, pleading for him to leave her alone and let her run.
Setting her hands on his arms, she tried vainly to force him to release his grip by pinching the nerves near his elbow, but it proved to be fruitless. He wasn't going to let go, and he wasn't going to release his unrelentelss gaze from those obsidian eyes. Sakura felt her knees going weak in her fear; Sasuke couldn't... he wouldn't do that to her, would he?
"Please... let me go..." she begged, her voice breaking up with the sobs she refused to release.
Sasuke looked toward the ground. "I... I'm sorry, for what happened. It should have been me doing the assassination instead of you."
"Please..." Sakura's voice cracked, the tears falling down her face now. "Sasuke-kun... stop it..."
A small smile fell on his lips—it was the first time he'd heard his name with the –kun suffix from her lips in a while. He hated to see the fear in her gaze; she thought he was going to hurt her. She was afraid he'd rape her too. There was as much regret in her voice as there was in his eyes. Sasuke could tell she'd given up. All those years she had fought for him, and right when he finally started to realize how much she meant to him, how her priceless support had brought him this far... she had to lose everything.
He wasn't going to lose her.
"Don't hurt me... please..." she pleaded, allowing her eyes to fall back to the side, trying to hold back her tears that were already falling.
"Sakura..."
She looked at him.
"Trust me, Sakura." Sasuke looked into her eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you."
He leaned in slowly, waiting for Sakura to stop fidgeting before his lips landed softly upon hers.
Author's Notes: Alright, this was a longer chapter… and as you can see, I tied a lot of things together with this baby. And the SasuSaku moment of greatness has finally appeared! Review, everybody. Lots of reviews means more updating, and more SasuSaku goodness!
Love and hugs-
Crystal Renee