22. In the middle of the forest, close to the borders of…..

In the middle of the forest, close to the borders of Fire Country, was a large empty space, the result of a violence-driven force of nature. The centre was occupied by a tiny figure with pink hair, panting and covered in sweat, dirt and blood. Nothing stood erect in the vicinity of a few miles, the landscape completely levelled out.

Her steps faltered, blood dripping from her hands, her left shoulder was severely hurt, due to dislocating her arm twice. Her legs were smeared with blood from two large gashes, the result of kicking trees out of the ground.

Destroying the land and damaging her body seemed the only sane thing to do within the chaotic torrent of her mind. The emotions that swept over her were just too much to process, her body and mind too small to contain them. She was not in control, she could only ride the waves of emotions helplessly. She needed release to survive this overload and using her chakra to her utmost limits seemed a solution of some kind. But it did nothing to ease her anger. An anger that was all consuming, unfamiliar and alien.

She felt betrayed. Betrayed by the one person that she trusted with her life. The one person that she loved utterly and completely.

She deducted that in his insufferable arrogance, he had rationalised the situation until it was no more than an equation, calculated until love was dead. He must have done it devoid of emotion or common sense. It had not crossed his stupid mind to confront her. He did not trust her! Their vows held no truth for him and that hurt her the most. Why did he forget their marriage vows? How. Could. He.!

She cursed while she smashed stone and ripped roots from the earth. She yelled inaudible words when she felt the bones in her hands break time and time again, hitting solid rock again and again. How could he hurt her like this!

The crushed bones send pain signals like hot iron through her limbs. She did not need to assess her body to know that her chakra levels were dangerously low and her body was dangerously broken. But her anger and spite held her upright, a dangerous boiling pitt of rage keeping her from collapsing where she stood.

Then, suddenly and silently, she felt the weight of a hand on her shoulder. A push of moving air sent her hair in all directions, whipping up the grass around her wildly and she knew. She knew with absolute certainty who was standing behind her. But instead of intense joy, his presence caused only bitterness in her heart.

She stood there unable to move for a while. The warmth of his hand penetrated her dress, touching her skin. God, he always felt so warm. A part of her wanted to give into his warmth, to disappear into it. But her anger would not allow it, she did not even want to lay eyes on him.

With her eyes cast down, she pivoted sending a chakra enhanced fist towards his face with all her might, intent on breaking that damn face that haunted her, mocked her every step through the village. She put her entire weight into the movement, her feet slipping in the earth beneath her by the sheer force that she used.

But when she expected her fist to hit him, he caught her hand with ease. She stared at the hand locked around her wrist furiously. Shaking in anger she slowly cast her eyes upwards, finding only detachment in the red depths. His face was passive but as handsome as she remembered. His features, as if etched in marble, were sharp and painfully beautiful.

Tobirama assessed her quickly, noticing with concern her injuries and her chakra depletion. Out of sheer self protection, his emotions shut down tightly. He registered her yelling at him, her anger stealing the words from her mouth. She was shaking, her eyes like fire while she wrenched her fist out of his hand.

He released her, jumping backwards swiftly while she tried to kick him. He skidded backwards over the broken earth. Then he stared up at her from a crouching position.

Her voice was raw but so familiar it hurt. "You fucking stupid Senju! Why?"

She jumped with lightning speed at him, kicking him in the face, sending him flying this time. She knew he had not tried to defend himself and she screamed at him: "Why did you not trust me! Why did you betray me like that!"

He got up slowly, silently letting her kick him again and again. He deserved it, he knew it and he did not move.

She was kicking him again and again, trying to find some closure for the anger she felt. But it was not good enough. She screamed in frustration. Hitting his face from the side with a particularly forceful hit from her shin. But he did not move. Her hits were lacking her usual chakra enhancement due to her exhaustion, but it still took him some effort to stay standing nevertheless. So he stood there, adjusting after every impact, arms crossed, staring at her, impassive, waiting.

Sakura's first coherent thoughts were that his face betrayed nothing while she had thought he would show a myriad of emotions. She had thought he would talk to her, cry, be mad at her, anything! She should have known better. She was not facing her husband or lover, this was Tobirama-sama, the Nidaime Hokage, cold and calculating.

Nothing prepared her for his emotionless face and she wondered if this was what it felt like to be facing him in the battlefield as his enemy. The absence of emotion was horrible, making him less like a person, more like a mechanical fighting machine. More like the inhuman betrayer that was once her lover.

Suddenly she realised that this was getting her nowhere. Her body stilled, her arms falling next to her body. Her emotions stilled and she started to cry in desperation, staring at him: "All this time Tobi! All this time! You were here! Why? Why did you not find me?"

He slowly unfolded his arms, and she had the urge to hit him again. But she faltered, casting her eyes downwards she said softly; "Did you forget our vows? Did you forget our love?"

He stared at her shocked. Her silent demeanour seemed to penetrate his carefully built control. But instead of being hurt he suddenly felt angered by her words. With his low gravelly voice tight he said: "I saw you. I saw you with that Uchiha."

She raised her head, blinking at him.

"I saw you blush at his request at the gates. Then I felt him in your apartment that same night."

The subtle anger in his voice was familiar. The effect of his voice on her body was instant. It seemed a lifetime ago that she felt it vibrating on her skin. She had missed him so much!

His words slowed her down until she was staring at him, frowning, her anger tucked away, processing his words. Her assumption that he saw her with Sasuke had been correct. But Sasuke, he could not have felt in her apartment that night. It was impossible. She knew it was impossible, but his certainty almost made her doubt herself. His sensory skills were legendary, this was Senju Tobirama for kami's sake!

Still staring at him, a revelation dawned upon her. Could it be that…?

No. That idiot!

She grabbed him by his fur collar, pulling him towards her face. His sharp features inches from hers, his breath on her skin. He still looked so angry while they stared at each other. But then suddenly she could see past his shield and hurt and pain were clearly visible in his eyes.

"You asshole! Are you that arrogant? You think you can judge me without confronting me? How dare you?"

Emotion stirred in his eyes. Something forceful stirred inside him and suddenly he said with a raised voice: "What do you expect from me? You were with that Uchiha!" he spat the words.

And then, she slapped him in the face. It was not a chakra punch, but an old fashioned womanly slap. It left his cheek tingling. He bared his teeth at her, growling.

In a low voice she said: "I was not with Sasuke. You think I'm a whore?"

Suddenly he grabbed her shoulders in turn, squeezing painfully, shaking her, anger, hope and desperation fighting in his eyes: "I felt two signatures!" he was yelling at her now, teeth clenched.

"Think! You bloody Senju! You are smarter than this! Think with that brain of yours and not with your guts. Your prejudice of the Uchiha clan is clouding your intellect!"

Tobirama fell silent, releasing his tight grip instantly, almost pushing her away. He tried to get his brain to process her words but was not successful in the least. He must have missed something important. Two signatures? And she was alone? Why could he not think clearly? What did he not see?

Sakura was still grabbing his collar, yelling at him, but he could not hear her words. His thoughts occupied, chewing on the impossibility of what he sensed that night. And then slowly, somewhere deep within him, it dawned on him. That he might have overlooked something important. He might have, for the first time in his life, let fear get the better of him.

He spoke softly, barely a whisper: "Are you…..?"

She closed her eyes.

"Sakura….."

She felt her anger evaporate within a few fleeting seconds and she couldn't help but smile. And then all went black and her chakra depletion finally got the better of her.