Fire: Chapter 12 for everyone! And we are nearing the end of this story. I know that it doesn't seem like the end, but for the second book, it is. You might want to continue with Wait for Me: Searching, the third and last book in this series if you want to know what happens to them.
Sasuke: And I'm a puppet!
Fire: (sweats) I might have to run, so Kakashi will be taking over for now.
Sasuke: I'm a puppet! (eyes go sharingan)
Fire: (sweats profusely) Sasuke, calm down. We have people watching.
Kakashi: We might want to continue with reviews before you run. (pulls up the Big Bag of Reviews and pulls out a window) Read it while I stop Sasuke. Kanashibari no jutsu!
Sasuke: (entire body freezes) Hey!
Fire: And yes, Orochimaru is now a hitokugutsu. Find out why in this chapter. As for Sasori, he's going to stay alive until I say it's time for him to die.
Sasori: That doesn't mean anything.
Fire: He won't die in this book. Anyone who wants him to die will have to wait until the next book to see it happen.
Naruto: And what about me?
Sasuke: Yeah, what about my dobe! (glares at Fire with sharingan eyes)
Fire: Well, I'm going to run. Thanks for all your reviews. This is another long chapter, so please don't flame me if you fall asleep. (runs away from Sasuke)
Kakashi: Here's the next chapter. (pulls up chapter 12)
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Chapter 12: Mind of the Sakura
Swirls of discontent hovered over Sasori's head as he opened the door to the Hokage office. At the end of another meeting with the Kazekage, he had received word that the woman had wanted to see him. 'Another woman,' he thought annoyedly. Another woman was ordering him around, but at least he didn't have to listen to the Kazekage, who was still technically a kid. Women were annoying enough, but he definitely wasn't going to listen to a kid.
His hand clutched the door handle for a moment, his mind registering the cool feel of metal against his skin. He had forgotten how most things felt. Living in a body devoid of emotions as well as the sense of touch for over thirty years had that effect.
But it wasn't as if he could ignore the summons for much longer. He would have to reacquaint himself with the sense of touch later. Sasori took a deep breath and pulled the door open. Kakashi was already inside.
No one had told him that Hatake Kakashi would be here as well.
'Kuso!'
"Sasori-san, I was just going over the report from Kakashi," Tsunade said as she waved the Suna-nin into the room. "I just wanted to clarify one thing." She walked up to the poisonmaster, stopping only an arm's length away.
The blond woman shivered, her eyes fixed on Sasori, examining the face of the redhead as she poked a cautious finger at his skin. He felt real, but she was still sickened nonetheless. She had heard about Orochimaru's Edo Tensei–he had spoken of it back in Tanzaku Gai–but she had never seen it before. Shivers shook through her entire body at such close proximity.
"Sakura did this?" Another deep shiver ran through the blond woman's body and she had to take a step away from the Suna-nin. "No. Don't tell me." She waved the puppetmaster who was about to speak to silence. "I don't want to know."
Kakashi stared at the woman from across the room. She had called him into her office, and had ordered him to bring Sasori so that he could explain that strange part of his report to her, and now she was telling him that she didn't want to hear it. It was strange. She couldn't be serious about doing that now, could she?
"Is this about something else, Hokage-sama?"
The blond woman looked at the two men standing in her office. She could feel the tense air between them. They wanted to kill each other, but there was no way around it. These two men were the closest to Sakura since her return from Oto no Sato. She could only trust what these two men were going to say. "How is Sakura?" She could have had someone write a report. She could send ANBU, or assign it to one of the Hyuuga jounin watching over her. There were more than two dozen of them! Sakura was only in the hospital, doing some simple medical work to keep herself busy. She could have gone to see the kunoichi! There were more than enough people to tell her what she wanted to know, but she could only trust what these two men said. Everything else was only speculation. Even if she went, all she would be able to see was what was in front of her.
Kakashi frowned. He didn't know what to say. He wasn't able to get close to her since their return. She had barely looked at him. There was only...
He glared at the redhead. There was only Sasori. She had only listened to Sasori. She had only talked to Sasori, had only smiled at Sasori. Was it because she could control him? Was it because he had always done what she wanted him to do?
"She has been depressed much more lately," Sasori said slowly as he looked around, ignoring the same glares he always received from the grey-haired jounin. The Hokage's office. He hadn't really spent a lot of time in here. Usually, he was in the conference room, where the Hokage brought her important guests, and since he was usually summoned to the Hokage tower during one of Kazekage-sama's visits, that was where they met. It was a nice change. He just hadn't thought that it would be so...messy. The Kazekage office was usually much, much neater.
"I expected that," Tsunade said slowly, her mind lost in thought. Her eyes were still fixed on the Suna-nin, watching him look around her office even as she turned back to her desk. She had taken great care to move important documents out of sight. He could still leave and return to Akatsuki at any time. She didn't want them to know about anything truly important. "She's still dealing with the death of her teammates. It's still recent."
'Although,' she reminded herself, 'Sasuke's not quite dead anymore.' And she managed to send another chill through her body.
"Just like a woman to be prey to their emo–" Sasori stopped as he realized that he was speaking to a woman. 'Chikusho!' It wasn't always easy to be himself when the woman he was talking to could smash him to pieces with one little finger.
Kakashi wished she really would smash the redhead into splinters at that moment. 'Insensitive bakayarou!'
Tsunade's eyes were hard as she glared at Sasori, although her voice still held the same easygoing, threat filled melody she had used the entire time he was there. "I'm going to be honest, Akasuna no Sasori." Her words came slowly, as if she was still deciding whether she was going to stay them or not. "I don't like you." It was nothing compared to the relief that the redhead felt at realizing she wasn't going to hit him for his remark. "I don't trust you. In fact, I would like it a lot better if you weren't here at all, if you would return to Suna no Sato with Kazekage-sama next time he visits, but..." Tsunade leaned back in her chair, her eyes closing at the thought. "...you're the only one that Sakura has really been interacting with." She hated having to rely on him, but it was the truth. She had gotten the complete explanation from Kakashi right before Sasori came into her office. Even the pink-haired kunoichi's parents knew nothing. "If you behave, I will consider allowing you to stay in this village." Tsunade paused, waiting for his answer.
But the redhead's words weren't quite what she was expecting. "You mean, act as your spy and you will consider asking Kazekage-sama to let me go." Sasori was familiar with these euphemisms. Consider meant probably not. Behave meant do as I say. They always said one thing but meant something else. "You should be more straightforward, Hokage-sama. I might say no."
Tsunade's fist shook with anger, but she didn't want to kill a potential spy. It quelled after a few moments of restrained shouting. "Keep an eye on her, and I will allow you to stay. I will negotiate it with Kazekage-dono."
Sasori smiled. 'That's more like it.' He was already keeping an eye on the girl anyway. "Then I will watch over her." It would make it much easier to do what he had in mind for her. No witnesses.
At least not any that he would worry about.
And the grin wasn't overlooked by the grey-haired man at the other side of the room. The jounin frowned at the sight. His suspicions were correct.
Tsunade had brought up the idea before, when he handed his written report to her a few minutes before Sasori's arrival; she had enough time to read over it by the time the Suna-nin came in, but she was already forming the thought a week and a half ago, when Kakashi had given his initial report. It was true that no one was able to really connect with the pink-haired kunoichi since her return from Oto no Sato. Kakashi had tried. Lee had tried. Ino had tried. Even she, the Hokage, her shishou, had tried! But he had expected that it would take more work than what they had already put in. It was all for nothing. Sakura would only open up to this Suna-nukenin.
He had agreed that it might be best to use that to their advantage, even if he was annoyed with the entire idea. Having Sasori keep an eye on Sakura for them...he still didn't like the idea of doing it. The man was dangerous. An S-ranked criminal, and they were going to allow him to spend time with an emotionally vulnerable girl! There was no telling what kind of evil thoughts he would put in her head. It might actually be worse than what she had already done.
But Tsunade had already suggested it, and Sasori had agreed. There was no turning back now. There was nothing that Kakashi could do to stop it.
'Kami-sama.' Kakashi turned away, unable to watch the eagerness of the Suna-nin any longer. 'Please don't let him hurt Sakura.'
Listening to Hokage-sama didn't take that long, but Sasori was still annoyed that she had to instruct him in so many things. He wasn't that much younger than her. He knew how to do his job.
But the turbulence in his chest had subsided by the time he walked beneath the cloth flaps of Ichiraku Ramen. Sakura was already sitting there with her usual dazed expression, daydreaming about dead Akatsuki members, a live and happy Sasuke, and a house filled with pink-haired Uchiha children. But those were the same thoughts that she always had these days.
Sasori shook his mind free of Sakura's thoughts before walking up. If he didn't do it, he might not be able to remember what he had wanted to do today. It was a nuisance to deal with her thoughts within his own mind, but he was beginning to control them. They weren't running wild, controlling his every movement like they did back in Otogakure no Sato.
"Sakura," he said as he bent down to look at the girl. For a moment, the image of a long forgotten fangirl bending over him dropped into his mind. He hadn't dwelt on fangirls since he left Suna, and he was beginning to think that he would have to worry about them again...until he realized that it was Sakura's thought.
"Do you want to..." Her words trailed off as she tried to remember if those were her words, or Sasori's words.
"I think we need some time apart." Sasori could feel fear rising in her chest, choking her, choking him. Was he Sakura, or was she Sasori? His mind could barely remember.
"You've been gone for a week. We've had enough time apart." Sakura's words were soft, as if she had been waiting a long time to say it. Her mind was still on what he had said the week before. "How was your trip?" Did you really bring it?
Sasori looked away as he grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her out of the ramen stand. The number of Hyuuga guards had diminished slightly since he left, but there were still plenty of them around. He couldn't just say that his trip was successful, that he had it. He couldn't just hold out the urn for her to see. There were two visible Hyuuga jounin standing not far away, and many hidden around them. He could feel where they were. It was difficult not to feel their locations when he had tried so hard to avoid detection from these kinds of people before.
And he was suddenly disturbed by a strong semblance of married life. However, Sakura wasn't his wife. Sakura was his master. And she never hesitated to remind him. Even though her manner was soft, even though her words held no strong command, even though her eyes were cast down like a shy girl's, he could still hear the question in her mind, pressing him.
Did you bring her?
Sasori set the girl down on a secluded bench at the Dango Shop. The scent of sweets were slowly bringing the girl back to her senses. It was good to keep her sane, even though the Hyuuga were still around to witness it. "Sakura, I'm going to hug you now," he said so that only she could hear.
"Okay." Her reply was flat and indifferent.
"Here," he said as he wrapped an arm around her, covertly handing her the urn with the other. The mark of Suna was branded across the clay body, the name Akasuna no Chiyo inscribed beneath it. There was no mistaking what it was.
'The urn... Chiyo-baasama...' Sakura took the jar slowly, her heart still its same unbeating, unfeeling self. She couldn't understand why it wouldn't feel, even when she held someone so important to her in her hand. She had thought that she would feel more at that moment, but there was nothing. There was no pain. There was no sadness. There was just the depression in her heart, knowing what Sasori expected her to do.
And knowing that it would probably be Sasori who would do it.
"You're hesitating," Sasori stated, his eyes fixed on the girl's downcast eyes. The jar lay in her lap where no one could see it. And there was no reason for the Hyuuga jounin to use their byakugan. They weren't doing anything really suspicious. "I guess you don't really want–"
"I'm not hesitating." Sakura's voice was unwavering, even though she knew he could read it in her mind. Doubt was forming. It was hard, having to do this again. She really didn't want to use that evil technique again. She really didn't want to kill anyone like that again. It would only disappoint Kakashi-sensei, Tsunade-shishou, Lee-san, Ino...herself.
But she had to do it. She tried to convince her mind to do it.
"Maybe tomorrow?" Sasori took the jar from the kunoichi's lap and stuck it back into his cloak. She didn't really have anywhere to put it anyway.
"Okay." Sakura was glad. She didn't have to say it. Her mind really was undecided at that moment.
"And if you need a sacrifice..." He held up a scroll and smiled as understanding crept into Sakura's mind. He had a human sacrifice in that summoning scroll.
"I don't need one now," Sakura snapped annoyedly as Sasori stuffed the scroll into his cloak once more. Her mind was still undecided, but she knew what she wanted. She knew that she didn't want to do it now. And... "Let go of me, Sasori!" ...she wanted him to stop hugging her.
Tsunade jumped up as the door to her private study threw open. Her entire body dropped to the ground before she sat up to see who it was. It was only a short drop from the couch to the ground. "Kazekage-dono?" She was surprised. He had left for Suna no Sato only a few days ago. She hadn't expected him to be back so soon.
"Sleeping again, Hokage-dono?" Gaara looked down at the woman sitting on the ground. Even though this wasn't the Hokage's usual office, it was more comfortable to sleep here. There were couches to sleep on, and the setting was more casual. He could see why she preferred to use this room to train her apprentice.
"Yes. Yes," Tsunade said a little nervously as she stood up. Allowing someone in the tower to see her sleeping on duty was nothing, but to have a visitor from another hidden village see her napping in the middle of the day was embarrassing. "Wh-what are you–"
"I have urgent business." Gaara's cold green eyes were still indifferent. He didn't care that she was sleeping. "Akasuna no Chiyo-sama's ashes are missing."
'Kuso.' Tsunade knew that it wasn't going to be good.
Sakura knew that it was horrible of her, but she couldn't help herself. She really wanted to bring Sasuke-kun back. But she still couldn't allow herself to do it! The feel of ashes beneath her hands just wouldn't go away! She just couldn't do it calmly anymore.
'How? How was I every able to do something like this?' Her hands shook with just the thought of killing someone again.
Then, her mind trailed to Sasuke-kun again. She really, really wanted him back. She really wanted to be with him again.
"Make up your mind already," Sasori said, annoyed from the far corner of the kunoichi's room. If he sat any further away, he would be outside, on the balcony.
"Why won't you go away?" Sakura was annoyed. She gave him no chakra. He should have run out a long time ago and vanished. And she would never summon him again.
"I'm not an average summoning." He looked very smug. "I'm special."
"Like you're retarded?"
"That's not a nice thing to say to me, Sakura-chan."
"Urusai, kuso-Sasori." And her mind was brought to Sasuke-kun again. "Shannaro!"
"You want him back." But she doesn't want to kill anyone to do it. Sasori could clearly see the agitation between these two thoughts. They pulled her in opposing directions, their hands gripping tightly onto her limbs, unable to let go. And she could only cry out in indecision. Soon, they will tear her apart.
Sasori couldn't help but enjoy it.
"If you don't do it, you just don't want him enough." And the puppetmaster could feel a new dimension of pain in her chest.
Kakashi knew that he shouldn't be sitting outside her window like that, but he was worried. The most recent Hyuuga report had said that... It had said that...
'Why was Akasuna no Sasori hugging her! Chikusho!' It was really annoying him.
He hadn't really seen Sakura or Sasori over the last week. He was busy with little missions that the Hokage thought would get his mind off his problems. But...what problems? He didn't have problems!
The grey-haired man sighed inwardly, allowing himself to sink a little further to the secluded roof beneath his feet. He didn't know what could be giving them ideas like tha–
"Kakashi!"
The jounin spun around, his finger to his lips to silence the man who had suddenly appeared at his side. "What is it, Gai?"
"I challenge you to–!"
"Kakashi-sensei!" Lee accidentally pushed his sensei aside as he landed onto the rooftop from below. "Gai-sensei, gomen nasai!" And the roof suddenly became several times louder.
Kakashi sighed. "Please be quiet. We are standing outside a girl's bedroom."
Lee was immediately silent. He had forgotten that he was standing outside Sakura's bedroom window.
"Kakashi, my ETERNAL RIVAL!" Gai sprang to his feet once more. "I must challenge you–"
"That's not why we're here, Gai-sensei!" Lee cut off his sensei before he could speak again. "We have confirmation of a missing person, Kakashi-sensei!"
The masked jounin stared at the boy for a moment before turning to the window again. "Why are you telling me this?" He was confused. Someone else could handle it.
Lee stared at Kakashi with a trouble expression on his face. He didn't know how to explain it. "It just does, Kakashi-sensei!" That was the best thing he could think of to say.
"Kazekage-sama came with news from Suna that one of their strongest shinobi had vanished. There are few people in this world who can defeat someone of that status. Hokage-sama believes that it is either Sakura or Akasuna no Sasori's doing, or both." Gai was serious now, much to Kakashi's relief. "But she specifically said to keep an eye on Akasuna no Sasori," Gai added covertly, "off the record."
However, Kakashi was reluctant to believe it. "Sakura?" He wasn't going to believe that Sakura had kidnapped someone, just because the Hokage said she did. "Is there evidence to back up this accusation?" There was no reason for her to...
But Sasori. Sasori was capable of anything.
"And the ashes of Akasuna no Chiyo are missing from Suna."
'Chikusho! They wouldn't!' Kakashi wasn't stupid. The thought had come together with those words. Ashes. Chiyo-baasama's ashes!
Kakashi shunshin-ed away before either Gai or Lee could continue with their trains of thought. He already knew. His mind had already understood. They were trying to resurrect Akasuna no Chiyo. But he still refused to believe it. He wasn't going to believe it until he sees it with his own eyes. Sakura couldn't do something like that. She had promised she would return. She had promised to leave vengeance behind!
They hadn't gone far. Konoha no Sato was big, and there were plenty of places to hide. The canyon. The forests to the north. The shelters in the monument. The waterfalls and rivers. There was more than enough foliage to cover their trails for a thousand years.
But Sakura still didn't know why she was sitting in the middle of nowhere.
Sasori had said to take a walk, and she hadn't really thought that it would be any different from the other walks he suggested before. They usually just walked around the village. She didn't know that he would take her all the way into the forests of Konoha...then leave her alone.
'He said he'd be back.' She was sure that he was up to something. The feeling that had appeared when they were still in Oto no Sato was still there, and it had only grown stronger. 'Shannaro!'
But her thoughts returned to reality as her fingers stopped, her skin registering the soft black hair to either side of Sasuke's face. His empty eyes stared at her with none of the malice and heartlessness that she used to receive from him, and she wondered what it would be like to have him back again.
She had almost forgotten what he was like. He was gone for almost three years, left to be with Orochimaru, and he was around for only about four months before he died. She hardly had time to become attached to him again. But she still loved him.
She remembered when the fangirls swarmed around him. She would run ahead just to see him, but that was only for the sake of pride. She wanted him to say something to her, anything, anything nice or possessive. She wanted to show the other girls that she was the only girl, the one girl closest to Sasuke even if he never allowed himself to show it in public. She was his teammate. She was his friend. That was a bond that could never be broken, even in death. She knew. She always knew that he would come back to her.
She still wanted Sasuke back. She really wanted Sasuke back. She wanted the chance to see his smile, that cold smile which held only contempt, and hear his voice even if it was filled with insults. Even if it was painful, that was her strongest memory of Sasuke.
"I'm dead inside, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said slowly as she moved her hand away, allowing the hair to glide through her fingers and away from her touch. 'If I'm dead, can I be with you?' Even knowing that she was deader than the dead man at her side, her eyes refused to cry. She knew that the answer was no.
She looked out into the trees around her. The tall trees, thick with the passing centuries, reminded her of her days as a genin, the five days spent in the Forest of Death. Except Naruto wasn't here. And without Naruto, they were incomplete.
'Naruto...' She hadn't thought about him in a long time. His ashes still sat on her desk surface, the red Uzumaki swirl smudged with neglect. She had brought it with her from Oto no Sato only because she didn't want to leave him behind. Sasuke would never forgive her if she had left him there. Even if she missed Naruto, she couldn't help hating him. She still hated him. 'Naruto...' But she still missed him too.
Her mind trailed off as she passed into sleep, her weary body collapsing beneath the roots of a giant tree. But even in her dreams, her memories were relentless. The red bridge above which they had met so many times before, the place where they spent the most time together, waiting for Kakashi-sensei.
The bridge. It was simply referred to as the bridge. It must have a name, but they never used it. There was no better way to describe that place. It could have easily been called the archway, or the arches, but Sakura preferred to think of it as the bridge. That was the only place that mattered. She didn't care if there were arches or not as long as the bridge was there.
And Sasuke was waiting there, his dark eyes filled with life that he just didn't have in reality. He was waiting there...for her. Not Naruto. Not a fantasy girl who was a thousand times more beautiful and a thousand times more capable than her. Not anyone else. He was just waiting for her.
But before she could get near, the Uchiha fell through the bridge into a screaming river of fire. And Sakura rose from its nightmare to look around, cold sweat matting her clothes to her body. It was dark. Sasuke was gone. And Sasori hadn't returned.
A cold shiver ran through the girl as memories of her dream returned to her mind. Thoughts of that nightmare, thoughts of Sasori, thoughts of Sasuke, thoughts of the bridge...she hadn't thought about that bridge for a long time. Why tonight?
But her mind already knew what her heart refused to believe. They were at the bridge. Sasori was at the bridge. And...
'Shannaro!' She knew that he was up to something! She knew!
She needed to get to that bridge. She needed to get there before Sasori did anything she was going to regret.
Sasori was bored. He knew that it was going to happen sooner or later. Someone who had tortured–and killed–more than a few thousand people in his lifetime was bound to grow bored of something so trivial. He just didn't think that it would happen so soon. He already had to move on with his plan. Sakura just wasn't going to do it herself.
"So, Orochimaru," Sasori said as he watched the puppet work. "You came in handy after all."
It wasn't as if he couldn't do it himself. The kinjutsu that the Sannin had invented wasn't a mystery to someone who had helped him develop it. But...
'If I do it, I might vanish.'
When summonings run out of chakra, they return to the spirit world until they are needed again, and even then, they needed new chakra to fill their bodies. And Sasori doubted that Sakura would want to summon him again.
The redhead's mind was occupied with that thought. He should have enough chakra to summon the old woman on his own, but he just didn't want to take the chance. Besides, he wasn't against using his former partner like this. Orochimaru was never as easy to control as he was now. He was almost surprised that the puppet obeyed him, although there was no reason for him to feel that way. It was a puppet. There was no other way for him to behave. Orochimaru was dead.
The flash of a panicked thought brought Sasori's mind back to reality. Sakura knew what he was doing. She was trying to stop him. But it was too late. The orders have already been made to his puppets.
The redhead turned, his eyes fixed on the distant figure of a pink-haired girl. Her aqua-green eyes shone out from the approaching darkness beyond to stare at the wide bridge on which the puppetmaster stood.
Sakura's feet were fixed to the ground, frozen at the sound of body hitting wood. Her eyes widened at the sight of an unmoving body on the wood bridge surface. "Ch-Chiyo-baasama..." Her words came strangled from her throat. "Chiyo-baasama!"
Sasori felt the girl grown numb as she ran forwards, her entire body falling to the side of the disintegrating woman. Ash blew from the body, the dirt crumbling to the walkway, the arm of a dead woman uncovering from its burial. For a moment, the Suna-nin thought that the pink-haired girl would cry at the sight, but there were not tears, even though there was pain in her eyes, even though there was only the pain of regret holding the ashes of a dead woman.
There was a strange sense of accomplishment growing inside Sasori's chest as he looked down at the huddled girl, a sense of satisfaction as he dropped a bound notebook to Sakura's side. It was still too soon to go on with the next part of his plan, but this book should have everything ready for then. "Here." The paper flapped in the light wind, ruffling the neat black handwriting of the Suna-nin. "This is what you wanted, ne, Sakura-chan?"
"Just die, Sasori."
Sakura's hands grasped the grey powder threatening to melt into the wind, smearing it into the jar with the Suna crest. Ashes were never meant to be strewn around like useless cinders from a fireplace. 'I promised. I promised I wouldn't do something like this anymore.' Her thoughts couldn't help repeating itself as her fingers tried their best to get the remains of a cherished person out of the grained wood beneath her knees. She had promised. She remembered making that promise.
They were resting at Otakame Sato not too far from Konoha. They had travelled almost nonstop from Otogakure no Sato, and they were exhausted. But that wasn't why they had stopped. They were so close to Konoha that it wouldn't have mattered if they were exhausted.
There was another festival in this city. They couldn't say no to Ino when she whined about going so badly. It wasn't as if it was a rare festival–Otakame Sato had festivals monthly–but there was no stopping Ino once her mind was made up.
Only Kakashi, Sakura and Shikamaru were left in the room. Everyone else–including Sasori who was on a tight enough leash with Sakura delving into his mind every few minutes–had gone out to see the sights. And Shikamaru was asleep.
Kakashi had worried that Sakura was planning something. Since they had left Oto, he had felt that she was keeping something from him. She had agreed to go with him too easily. It couldn't possibly be this easy. That was why he had to talk to her. He had to know if she had something else hidden beneath that wide forehead.
"Sakura," he said cautiously, not sure how to begin. It wasn't a usual topic for a sensei to say to his student.
"The weather's really nice today, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said calmly, her eyes fixed on the world beyond the glass windows of their temporary room. "If Ino hadn't wanted to see the festival, it would have been a good day to travel."
And Kakashi could only feel that she was avoiding his words. "Sakura, I–"
"You're worried about me, Kakashi-sensei?" Her voice released the weighted air pressing down on them. "I said I'll come home."
For a moment, there was only the sunlight streaming in from the window and the muffled sounds of the street vendors and the passing crowd below. Sakura couldn't understand what must be going through her sensei's mind.
"I promise I won't do anything to make you regret it."
That included this! That included what Sasori did...because she was supposed to be his master. She was supposed to control him.
"I never want to see you again!" Sakura screamed at the redhead, her chest tightening with anger.
And Sasori vanished. She never wanted to see him again, and he knew it. He felt it. He read it clearly in her mind. And he had no problem with it. As long as she didn't see him, it was okay to be around her. As long as she didn't see him, she wouldn't know that he was around to watch her suffer. The next part of his plan didn't really need his input anyway. All that was needed was for her to read that book.
Sakura's mind was filled with uncertainty. For the last week, she had switched from one state of mind to the other. Should she bring Chiyo-baasama back? Should she not bring Chiyo-baasama back? Was it worth it to bring Sasuke-kun back? Was it the right thing to do? She was thinking about it over and over again, the repetition of the words filling their two minds.
Now, there were new words filling her mind. New words repeated themselves, and this time, she wouldn't be able to stop them.
Only one place came to mind when Kakashi realized what Sakura might do. It was the same place that he had fond memories of, the same place that was still clear in his mind whenever he thought about Team Seven, even though it had been over three years since they were all last there together. The bridge. Where else could she be?
But as he came to the familiar bridge, his body detached from himself and fell back at the sight. As he approached, the pink-haired girl dropped to the ground, her face buried in her hands. He thought he would hear her sob. Her body was at the edge of breaking under the pressure of emotions that swirled around her. But there were no tears. There were no signs of the inner whirlwind threatening to tear her apart.
'Chikusho!' He didn't need the sharingan to see Sasuke watching her. 'Sakura!' The grey-haired man ran forwards, his uncovered eye wide with worry. He couldn't bring himself to do anything else. If he had allowed himself to shunshin there, to take his eye off her, she would be gone. If he had allowed his eye to blink, she would disappear.
The girl's name caught in the jounin's throat as he neared. He couldn't say her name...because he didn't know how to say it. He didn't know what to say to her. The missing shinobi from Suna that he had thought to find alive–who was alive not long ago–lay half-uncovered at the kunoichi's feet, and he couldn't think of what to do.
Kakashi was never good at comforting people. He wasn't good with emotions like Obito was. He wasn't good with people like Obito was. He never had the skills that he knew he needed for normal human interaction. He didn't need them to become a good shinobi...although he had never thought about using them to become a great shinobi. No one had really asked him for his feelings before.
He remembered only staring at Rin's back, back then. Her thoughts went out to Obito, wherever he was. Her overwhelming sadness was as strong as these emotions that now attacked his heart. They were the same. Rin and Sakura's emotions. Sakura's sadness. Even now, all he could do was stare at her back with that same blank stare.
"Sakura." The silent name hung in the air before sending the girl's gaze to him. Sasuke. Dark eyes, dark hair and the unmistakable voice of a dead shinobi...Sasuke had called out to her, and for a moment, Sakura was silent.
"Of course," Sakura said slowly, her eyes downcast as she ran her hand through the last bits of ash on the wood by her side, smoothed as much of it as possible from her hands back to its jar. She should have known that Sasori would know about the promise. "He really would..." ...break her promise for her. He was that kind of man.
Sakura understood the hatred that the Suna-nin must feel. She felt it with every movement, every action that the Suna-nin had done so far. It wasn't in the scrolls that Orochimaru had given to her, but it could be because Sasori was a strange case. She didn't always feel them, but slowly, it was seeping through. She heard his strongest thoughts and emotions. She had a good reason to suspect that he was up to something. She just never thought that it would be so simple.
And as the sound of footsteps grew closer, Sakura's mind wondered. Was Sasori just going to kill her now? Those were his footsteps, right?
However, as she looked up from her grey hands, she only saw her sensei standing there, staring at the boy standing in front of her. "Sa–" Kakashi's uncovered eye widened as it took in the Uchiha, and she could hear what was going through his mind. He was dead. He was dead! So why was he... "Sasuke!" Why was he breathing?
Sakura could already hear him scold her. She had broken her promise.
The dark-haired shinobi looked around the bridge, the dark atmosphere of evening encircling him. He looked down at Sakura–the girl collapsing unconscious to the ground–before walking away, not a word on his breath.
In his heart, he knew that she called out to him, to the mind that used to hear every whisper of her thoughts, but he no longer heard her. Now, there was only one voice. There was only one name. Only one person called out to him. Naruto. There was no room for anyone else.
"I'm back," he said softly to himself, a little surprised that it was true. The last thing he had remembered was dying. But he was back. He turned from the girl, walked past his sensei, walked beneath the arches into the quiet village. The streets were all empty but for a few unimportant people. The dobe's apartment should be nearby. 'I'm back, Naruto. Did you wait for me?'
End Chapter 12
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Fire's English tidbits for those who care:
Informal English is much simpler than formal English. Unlike formal English, which is very structured, informal English is more casual, although not as casual as colliquial English. Contrary to what you might think, informal English is not like everyday speech, although it is very close to everyday speech. It's the relaxed English found in magazines, newspapers and personal letters. Where formal English avoided the use of first person singular (I) and third person singular (you), these restrictions are not necessary for informal English. When writing stories, it is best to use informal English since it's casual enough to draw in the reader and not so stiff—like formal English—so as to push readers away. Yay! This one is short. I'll try to keep the tidbits short like this. Next time, colliquial English.
Fire's babbling:
Sasuke: I can't believe you managed to do it.
Fire: Do what?
Sasuke: (points to the tidbits) That.
Fire: I hate you.
Sasuke: Good. Now that we're on an equal footing, I'm going to find Naruto. (leaves)
Sakura: Why didn't you tell him that Naruto's still dead?
Kakashi: You wanted me to do it?
Sakura: I'm unconscious!
Fire: Um…souka. This might be a problem.
Sasuke: Naruto!
Fire: Uh… (sweats) I think he just found out. (turns to the audience) Review and please tell me if everyone's still in character. Everyone seems OOC to me, especially Sasori. Is he too nice or is he evil enough? I seem to be mixing him up with others. He just wasn't around enough in the manga! Arrgh!
Kakashi: This isn't the time for a mental breakdown, Fire.
Fire: Arrgh!
Sakura: If anyone wants me to kill Sasori, please send me a re—
Fire: The reviews are addressed to me!
Sasori: I'm in the next book, so there's no way you're killing me.
Sakura: Maybe later?
Fire: Just send me a review! Is the storyline getting too long? Am I dragging it out? Is it boring? Are you confused about the timeline? You know that a week has passed between the last chapter and this chapter, right? Waah! Someone tell me what's going on!
Sasuke: Fire! I'm going to kill you!
Kakashi: Fire's in an important meeting with mental breakdown. We'll call you when there's a timeslot open.
Sasuke: You're not going to work as Fire's secretary, are you?
Kakashi: (slumps) I don't get paid enough for this.
Sasori: And I'm still looking for hitokugutsu. If you have any special kekkei genkai, kinjutsu or hijutsu, please call me at— (Sakura smacks Sasori in the head)
Sakura: I told you to stop advertising, baka!
Kakashi: Ja ne! See you next chapter.
Fire: And don't forget the review!
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