Sakura Blossoms in Sand
Chapter 2 Disclaimer – I do not own NarutoSorry in advance to all Neji and Sasuke fans. I love Neji but he had to be a bit occ along with Sasuke to make this work.
"Knock Knock Knock"
The sound resounded through the Uchiha manor like an annoying itch.
Uchiha Sasuke, still in bed, groggily opened one of his onyx eyes.
'Damn people! Cant they let a person sleep for kami's sake'.
Slowly, he threw the covers from his body and stood from his futon. Clad only in a pair of black boxers, the heir to Uchiha shuffled out of his room.
"Knock Knock"
"Argh! Why couldn't my room be closer to the damn door- OWWW" Sasuke yelled as he rammed his shin into a low running table.
"GODFUCKIN'DAMNIT! STUPID FUCKIN' TABLE" he screamed at the inanimate incurer of his wrath. Rearing his foot back, Sasuke kicked the table for good measure only to grab the same foot in pain.
"SHITSHITSHIT! DAMN TABLE!!! KATON NO JUTSU" with that the table was no longer a threat, having been disintegrated to a pile of ash.
Still in a pissy mood, Sasuke made his way to the front door.
From behind the thin rice paper, Sakura could hear the sounds of a scuffle. Smiling knowingly, the pink haired medic waited for Sasuke to come to the door.
"Squeak".
The door slowly slide open to reveal two pinwheel red eyes. A snort resounded from the other side before the large door slide open all the way. Sakura had to stifle a giggle. There stood Sasuke, raven hair in disarray, sticking out in odd directions as if gelled into place. He wore what seemed to be his only pair of boxers (pure black); the usual pissed attitude accompanied, slumped over in a position that showed off both how annoyed he was, along with the fact that he was tired.
No matter how long Sakura knew the man, she always found his morning disposition funny. It amazed her to think about how obsessed she used to be over him.
Sakura smirked. "Sleep in again?"
Sasuke took the time to do another snort before opening the door wider for Sakura to enter.
She took the offer, stepping into his cold manor and walking straight past the Uchiha heir to the living room. She had been here so often that she knew her way around almost as if she lived in the Uchiha estate.
Sasuke stuck his head out the door to look around suspiciously before closing and locking it. He could never be too careful with the amount of enemies he had. With a final wary look at his door, Sasuke followed the path that Sakura took to the living room.
"So. What are you doing here so Early in the Morning", Sasuke asked, making sure to stress the 'early' and 'morning' parts. Sakura just turned her head to smile at the Uchiha before bypassing the living room to walk to the kitchen.
Taking out a kettle from a high cupboard, she filled it with water and placed it on the stove. Sakura then looked about the other cabinets that supposedly held some tealeaves.
'Damn it Sasuke. Why don't you ever keep you kitchen arranged. I can't find a damn thing in here unless I search for it. Kami' She froze in mid rummage.
Being a medic, Sakura could become in tuned to a persons chakra flow to tell their moods. Behind her, Sakura Felt Sasuke's aura take on an annoyed flare. She smirked.
Going back to the task at hand, Sakura found the tea she was looking for and stood up to face the annoyed Uchiha man behind her. He had followed her to the kitchen and positioned himself to lean on the doorway, a scowl on his face.
Sakura decided to lighten the mood before she answered his question.
"First off, its one in the afternoon"
Sakura paused to watch Sasuke's face take on a slight hue of pink before contenting herself to continue.
"Secondly… Cant a friend just visit another friend for kicks"
"Not many people come out to the Uchiha complex just to visit me. And you always either call before hand or come with Naruto. I repeat, why exactly are you here?"
A Playful smile was spreading across Sasuke's face as he said this. He wasn't really mad that she had come over, actually quiet happy. Ever since he had come back, and she stopped being a fan girl, he realized how enjoyable it was to spend time with her, as friends. It usually started off with some playful taunting, brought on by one and countered by the other. Then would spin into a nice conversation between old friends. She was both fiery and intelligent, a fine combination in Sasuke's mind. Plus, it just tickled him to no end about how much he could annoy the godaime's protégé.
Strangely though, there normal routine was turned off as Sakura returned to the tea that she was preparing instead of the normal wise crack. A frown appeared on the young Uchiha's face. This did not bode well.
"You want some?"
"No"
Taking her tea, Sakura walked out of the kitchen to the rumpus room to sit down, Sasuke right at her heels.
After a long sip, Sakura finally found the courage to answer Sasuke's question.
"I wont be able to attend you reinstatement ceremony"
When Sasuke didn't say anything in return, she wondered if she had spoken to quietly. Though, when his aura dropped to a miserable state, then rapidly switched to anger, she knew that he had heard.
"What do you mean you can't come? You have to!"
This was just too bizarre. Sakura had taken time off from missions, as had Naruto, for the specific purpose of attending his ceremony. Why was she suddenly backing out?
" I just received a very important mission from Tsunade-shishou. It seems that sand really needs medical ninjas and I'm the only one who can help" Sakura sadly stated.
She really felt bad for leaving him during such an important point in his life, but she was a ninja and had all the responsibilities of one.
Sasuke though, was not one to give up.
"Why… Why don't I postpone it… Until you get back?"
Sakura looked at him with a both disbelieving and angry look.
"YOU CANT DO THAT? YOU'D HAVE TO WAIT A WHOLE 6 MONTHS BEFORE THE CEREMONY TOOK PLACE" Sasuke sat in shock. He'd never seen Sakura get so angry. He could see the veins starting to throb on her head as he face to a deep hue of red.
Taking a deep, calming breath, Sakura continued.
"I mean, you cant just do that for me. Konoha needs you as a ninja right now and I can't let you do something like that. If you back out, people like Hyuga Hiashi or Danzou would make sure to use this as a reason so you could never become a shinobi again. I won't allow you to postpone this just cause' IM not going to be there. Understood"
Sasuke gave a very deep sigh. Sakura had changed. She could get him to do almost anything now; mostly because of the fact that she was always right.
'How annoying' he thought bitterly.
"O...OK. Just promise to see me when you get back" He said, instantly chastising himself for sounding so weak.
Sakura must have not noticed for all she did was give him a warm smile.
"See ya"
"Are you leaving so soon"?
"Sorry. I got to pack and all. I'm leaving tomorrow morning. How about you come to dinner with Naruto and me. We'll be at Ichiraku at 5"
Sasuke gave her a small nod. "I'll be sure to come"
"Uggg" Sakura sat up from her bed, clutching her head in pain.
'Damn Naruto' she thought bitterly.
Letting go of her head, Sakura looked over at her clock to see a smear of neon red.
'Damn Hangovers'
Quickly forming some hand seals, Sakura cleared her system of the imposing alcohol.
'Ill have to thank Tsunade for teaching me that' Sakura thought idly before looked back at the clock. She had to choke down a gasp.
"7:50! SHIT"
Flinging the covers off her body, Sakura ran to her bathroom, turning the knob of the shower while ripping the clothing from her body. She jumped into the freezing water and yelped before bearing with it. She had to hurry.
Sakura arrived at the gate at 8:10.
'Damn! I was suppose to leave hours ago' Sakura lamented. Walking through the desert, midday wasn't exactly the way Sakura had planned to travel. She was now glad that she had packed as much water as she had.
'Damn Naruto! I shouldn't had let him talk me into having that sake'
As Sakura took to the road, she remembered why she was now in the predicament she was.
After Ramen, Naruto had insisted on going to the local bar. Sasuke had left a while back, claiming that he wasn't the drinking type. She had first refused, but the puppy eyes Naruto had given her wore Sakura's nerve down until she could do nothing but nod as He dragged her off.
When the heir to the Hyuga clan came into view, it was clear why Naruto had urged her to come. The Kyubi vessel had become quiet taken with the meek Hyuga Hinata over the last few years and wished to seek her at any given moment. The problem lied in her protector and cousin, Hyuga Neji.
Neji and Hinata had both become rather close since their first Chunin exam. Neji had even taken the opportunity to watch over her when her father, Hiashi, had asked him. Neji seemed to see Hinata very much like a little sister, and even if he had respect for Naruto, he still didn't like the idea of the former pupil of both renown perverts, Hatake Kakashi and Jiraiya, around her at all time of the day. He even went to the point of dragging her away from said ninja.
So, after doing some conspiring of his own, Naruto decided to have Sakura distract Neji while he had some quality time with Hinata. Sakura did not like the idea.
Its not that Sakura didn't like Neji; it was more of the fact that he didn't seem to like her. While Sasuke had thawed over time, becoming bearable at most, Neji had only begun the defrosting process. He was nice to the few that he liked and ignored the rest. Simply put, a jerk in Sakura's mind. Sakura saw this plan as a disaster waiting to happen.
Naruto, though, saw it as an opportunity for Sakura to maybe find a boyfriend in the cold Hyuga. Both had never held steady relationship so it seemed plausible to him to set them up while he got time with his Hyuga. A win-win situation.
Neji left only 20 minutes after Naruto made his move, figuring the blonde haired jounin out when he realized that Hinata had disappeared. This left Sakura at the bar, depression starting to sink in. Even though she had Naruto and Sasuke, she still had no boyfriend, or any man who would try to consider her that way. As this train of though continued, Sakura found herself downing more drinks.
Now on the road, she wondered how she had gotten home. She didn't remember leaving the bar. Sakura decided not to dwell on those thoughts, placing them in the back of her mind for later.
Traveling fast, Sakura only had to run two days before the trees of the fire country began to thin and the grass lengthen as the Savannah border between fire and wind became apparent.
Looking ahead, Sakura could see the outpost tower that marked the true border. Slowing down, Sakura reached back into her backpack, wrenching her passport free from the contents of her bag. Taking no time to stop, Sakura flashed her pass to the ninja in the tower before speeding out into the desert.
An annoyed sigh escaped from between her lips. It must have been around one in the afternoon and the sun was high in the sky. This left Sakura struggling through the heated sand of the desert. As Sakura stared out into the endless sea of grainy torture, she cursed herself for being sent to Sand in the middle of summer.
With another sigh, Sakura's head fell, her chin coming to rest against her own chest. Scrunching her eyes for a brief second, Sakura opened them, looking down at her arm, the flesh starting to pink from the abusive sun. Sakura found her eyebrows furrowing at the sight. She had just applied that sun salve not over four hours ago. Sakura growled in contempt. This was the last time she would trust anyone else to make her sun protection.
Sakura trekked through the desert for another day before she finally saw the towering structure that was Sunagakure. A large natural wall of rock protected the city from harm; surrounded on one side by a vast desert.
When she became close enough to see the guard standing up on the cliffs, she took the passport from her bag. The shinobi seemed to get that she was an ally, letting her pass on through a narrow valley into the city of Sand.
Sorry that Gaara hasn't made an appearance yet but he will for sure in the next chapter.
Review if you wish