Okie… first of all… APOLOGIES FOR THE LONG WAIT! I had some writers block… ;
Second of all… THANK YOU FOR ALMOST FOUR HUNDRED REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU GUYS! (surprisingly I haven't been flamed once for this! O.o)
Well thanks again! Hope you enjoy this chapter! REVIEW PLEASE!
Chapter 9: Rude awakening
"You seriously think I'll tell you?"
Hikone reclined lazily in his seat, placing his feet up on the table with a loud clunk. Grey eyes met green as Gaara and Shojin began another glaring contest.
"I know you'll tell me." The Kaze Kage replied darkly. "If not, I might just crush your feet so you don't get to leave the building the way you please." Hikone chuckled and stretched.
"I know what happens in here, Kaze Kage." He drawled. "I've been in one of these places in Konoha… you wouldn't torture me."
Kankuro, Temari, Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura watched through the one-way window that viewed the interrogation room. Despite having his chakara points sealed off, Shojin Hikone seemed quite confident with himself. They had just begun and he already seemed to be grating through Gaara. Kankuro chuckled at Hikone's last statement and took a sip of his drink. Sasuke glanced over at Kankuro curiously.
"What happened that was so funny?" he asked. Kankuro smirked.
"He says they wouldn't torture him in an interrogation room in Konoha." He said as he stretched. His smirk grew as he turned back to Sasuke. "Don't forget… we're not in Konoha anymore…"
Gaara had spoken these same words as Sand began to skitter around the room. A sinister smirk spread across the Kaze Kage's face and Hikone began to look a little uneasy.
"Speak and I'll keep your heels intact." He whispered harshly. Shojin's eyes widened and his face became pale.
"Like hell I'm the stalker!" he cried. Gaara paused and frowned.
"What do you mean by that?" He asked. Hikone smirked and flicked his hair out of his eyes as he regained his composure.
"Why stalk her? I may be a bachelor looking for hot chicks, but I'm not one to go that far to get a good night in bed."
Sasuke felt his eye twitch involuntarily. "That sonova…" He immediately calmed down when he felt Sakura's hand on his arm.
"Just wait… you can beat the shit out of him later…" she said quietly. Sasuke laughed bitterly as he returned to listening to the smuggler.
"Word has been going around about Sakura's stalker… the orange letters…" He chuckled. "Do I look like a guy that writes on orange stuff to you?"
Sakura's hand tightened as she pulled out the note from her pocket. "Has he been on high guard since we caught him?"
"Yep." Kankuro replied. "Never moved once… stormed around the room a lot, but nothing else."
"So it wasn't Hikone that gave you the note…" Naruto muttered. He then snorted. "He still deserves a good kick in the ass…" He grinned. "Hey, Sakura… maybe when you get better, you can punch Shojin-bastard like you did to Sasuke!"
Sasuke and Sakura both winced at the memory. It had been during the mission to retrieve Sasuke… Sasuke hadn't expected it… he REALLY hadn't expected it… A small chuckle escaped his lips as he thought back.
It was a funny incident in hindsight… He had been battling against Naruto and had succeeded in throwing him aside for a couple moments. The shinobi had barely skidded to a halt when he heard a cry that he hadn't heard in two years.
"Sasuke!"
He had spun around, age old instincts telling him to run and save her from whatever trouble she was in. He saw her running towards him, hair still short from the two years absence… her red dress gone in replace of more compatible armor.
She had grown… he was impressed.
She had run up to him, tripping only once during the dash, eyes filled with… who knows what. Unfortunately, that innocent face had tricked him into letting his guard down… and she took that chance.
Her eyes filled with anger, her fist pulled back and he saw the chakara swirl into her fist as she hit him with the strongest punch she could muster. He was forced backwards and felt his feet leave the ground as he was sent flying backward with a bruised jaw and a bloody mouth.
Sasuke rubbed his jaw almost nostalgically at the memory. A smirk lingered on his face for a second or two until he turned back and focused on the interrogation.
"Do you know who the stalker is?" Gaara pressed. Hikone shook his head.
"Not a clue." He replied. "I don't think this guy wants to be very well known… it would ruin him for sure. Its clear he's keeping quiet for that reason alone." A small smirk appeared on his face. "I mean he still wants to get closer to little Sakura, right?"
"I'm gonna kill him…" both Naruto and Sasuke had vowed at the exact same time. Sakura glanced between the two, still a little anxious as it was.
"Just relax, you two…" She pleaded quietly, clasping their arms. Naruto's growling ceased as he slumped back. Sasuke, however, wasn't so obedient. His eyes focused on the silver haired man with pure anger and hate and he vowed silently that Hikone would not leave the Sand alive.
"Sasuke!"
The Uchiha felt a sharp pain in the back of the head and turned to see Temari glaring down at him.
"Would you calm down!" she snapped. "We don't need you acting like some crazy three year old just because of this prick. Sure, we all want to kill him, but he's TRYING to grate through us! Think about it! If he didn't know you guys were watching, would he really continue with this bullshit!"
Sasuke sighed. Temari was right… he was trying to get to him. The Uchiha closed his eyes, calming his nerves down. His eyes opened again as he began to watch the interrogation once again.
"You should at least have links to the ones who gave you the smuggled crap, fool." Gaara continued. Hikone shook his head.
"They don't let us get that close… seeing as something like this could happen to them." He chuckled. "They're smarter than you think."
Sasuke paused. "Sakura… what about the photographer you mentioned?" he asked. Sakura glanced over at him.
"I was actually planning on finding him…" She explained. "But he moves around a lot... and I never got his home address because had mailed it from the Sound at the time."
Sasuke frowned. "I wonder if they sell his book here…" He said quietly. Sakura's eyes widened.
"You know… he might actually have them here!" she cried. She made a move to stand up but started to topple forward. Naruto was the first to catch her, pulling her back in her seat.
"You're still not fit to walk, Sakura." He said quietly. "Please don't do anything just yet… we'll find it before we return to the leaf. Okay?"
Sakura gazed into Naruto's pleading eyes and nodded, smiling gently. It was no wonder that Hinata loved him so much. Who could resist such pleading eyes?
& & & & &
The rest of the interrogation didn't go so well. Gaara suggested keeping him in the sand for a little longer, which team 7 thoroughly agreed to do.
"We don't want to drag the bastard back." Naruto explained with a grin. That seemed to be just fine with Gaara, whose eyes had become much more sinister at the mention of more interrogation and possible torture.
"So now all we have to do is find the book!" Sakura smiled as she walked through the town on crutches, Sasuke close beside her.
"Yeah, but where do you find a book like that?" he asked. Sakura rolled her eyes.
"A book store of course." She laughed. Sasuke smiled slightly, happy to see Sakura acting like her old happy self again.
The two of them had gone to search for one of Tobe's famed books. They eventually stopped under a tree for Sakura to rest, still not able to use her legs just yet.
"I don't think that you'll find his book in a regular bookstore, Sakura…" Sasuke said with a frown. "Maybe a souvenir shop… or a place that deals with photos like that…"
Sakura pondered quietly, her arms wrapped around her crutches as she stared out into the crowd.
"I don't know, Sasuke." She admitted. "I think we should just look around for now. I'm not entirely sure where to start myself."
The two sighed as they continued to rest under the shade of the tree, leaving themselves stuck just as they had been before.
"Well…" Sasuke started, standing up straight. "We may as well start looking while we have the chance, right?" Sakura looked up and nodded, taking his extended hand as he helped pull her up. He quickly placed the crutches in their respected places and let Sakura get a hold of supporting herself again.
"I agree." She replied with a smile.
The two of them together wandered around the unfamiliar town, going in and out of stores as they searched for Tobe's book, and each time they left empty handed. They spent a good part of the late morning and early afternoon just searching for the book, continuously having no luck whatsoever.
"Now what?" Sakura sighed as they exited yet another store. "We've been through every book store in the town and they don't sell it. What do we do?"
Sasuke frowned as he walked beside her, making sure that her crutches didn't give way. Sakura frowned as well, glancing around at buildings. How could it be so hard to find one little book?
"Let's get something to eat." Sasuke sighed. Sakura glanced over and nodded in agreement, following him to the nearest food stand. She sat down on a bench in the shade as Sasuke ordered them some dumplings. He paid the merchant and came back, handing a plate with three sticks of dumplings to her. She gratefully accepted them and picked one up.
"We're leaving this afternoon." Sasuke said as he ate one of the dumplings on his plate. Sakura nodded in understanding.
"That means we'll have to try harder after the break." She said with a smile. Sasuke chuckled as he pulled one of the dumplings off the stick. Sakura laughed and leaned back, glancing around at the surrounding people. Her wandering eyes soon stopped on what looked like a large black book with a beautiful photograph of a waterfall on the front. Below the photo was the title of the book written in white letters.
TRANQUILITY OF THE CONTINENT
Sakura's eyes widened. "There!" She cried, pointing a shaky finger at the book. "That's it! That's Tobe's book!"
Sasuke glanced over to where she was pointing. Sure enough, resting beside a random customer was Tobe's book. The two could only stare in shock before (with a bit of effort due to Sakura's crutches) They walked over, looming over the customer. The owner, being a small woman, glanced up curiously.
"Uh… excuse me, miss… but could we possibly borrow that book quickly to find the address for the publishers?" The lady blinked, glancing between the pink haired girl and the gloomy, raven haired boy. She nodded quickly and handed the book to her. Sakura thanked her profusely, pulling out a piece of paper from her pocket and writing it down. Once done, she thanked the woman again as Sasuke helped her walk back.
"It's in Konoha." Sakura said with great confidence. Sasuke nodded, walking beside her deep in thought.
"So I guess we're leaving this afternoon." He replied. Sakura nodded.
"I'll have to go thank the Kaze Kage again." She smiled. "Not to mention Kankuro and Temari. They've all done so much…"
Sasuke didn't reply. She was right. That's all that needed to be said.
"You know what, Sasuke?"
"What?"
"I'm going to leave the crutches behind."
Sasuke turned to look at her, surprise clear on his face. "What?" Sakura smiled and stopped momentarily.
"If I'm going to start walking again, I need to start soon, right?" Sasuke sighed.
"I'm not going to argue with you." He said. "But you're not ditching them here."
"I know…" She sighed. "But when I get back, those crutches are STAYING!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Don't kill yourself on the way home." He muttered. Sakura merely giggled and continued on ahead, the male ninja following after her with a small smile on his face.
& & & & &
"Geez, Gaara must really hate the guy." Naruto muttered, helping hold Sakura up as they headed back to Konoha. The four of them had left as soon as Sasuke and Sakura had returned. Gaara requested that he stay a little longer for further questioning. Without Sakura there, he couldn't get under her skin.
"No doubt about it." Sasuke replied with a smirk. "It'll be great to see what state he comes back in."
"If he comes back at all." Naruto grinned. Sakura laughed lightly between the two as they tried to help Sakura regain power of her legs again as they walked home. She had started to move them slightly, but they were still not strong enough to hold her own weight.
"Hmm, its getting dark." Kakashi muttered as he glanced over his shoulder at the setting sun. "It looks like we might have to stop for a bit."
"No way!" Naruto cried. "The sooner we get to Konoha the better!"
Kakashi frowned. That was the problem. With Sakura's sudden influence on the male population, there was no clue on what they might find there.
He glanced over at the three as they continued to get Sakura steady on her legs. He smiled slightly at the sight. Ever since Sasuke returned, the three had bonded closer than ever before. They showed more teamwork together than anyone else he had ever seen.
But no… they weren't just team mates anymore. They were friends… the best of friends… inseparable. Just the sight before him was proof enough.
The sun soon fully set and the group found themselves on a familiar path home. His smile grew as Sakura began to take her first couple unsteady steps on her own, Naruto and Sasuke watching closely to make sure she didn't trip. She stumbled once or twice, but soon got the hang of it again as Team 7 walked towards the gate together.
"Sakura!"
The three slowed to a stop as three familiar faces came into view. Members of team 10, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji stood before them, protecting the gate. Ino glanced at Sakura with a pained expression and walked forward.
"Please don't come in tonight, Sakura." She pleaded quietly. "At least until morning…" Sakura frowned
"Why can't we go in?" She asked, slightly worried about the state of her hometown. Ino shook her head, glancing at the ground. Sakura immediately scowled.
"Ino if this is about popularity, I didn't mean for it to happen! I never WANTED it to happen!"
"I know." Ino replied. "Just listen to me… as your friend… I don't want you to see what's inside."
"I'd have to agree with Ino on this one." Shikamaru said, walking up beside her. "Its for Sakura's own good. She would not be happy with what she saw… none of you will be…"
"We can tell you, it isn't good. Everyone's trying desperately to stop it." Chouji added.
Sakura closed her eyes. "I've been put in an a hentai comic book against my will… sent notes by a perverted stalker… had to run to the sand to get my ass of a billboard, got drugged and paralyzed and had to learn to walk all the way home!" Sakura cried. "Surely I can handle one more thing!"
With that, she brushed past Ino and walked towards the gates, slipping through the small crack that was open. Sasuke glanced over at Shikamaru.
"Is it that bad?" he asked. Shikamaru nodded sadly. "Shit…" With that, he ran in after the young Haruno, stopping by her side when he too saw the sight she had discovered.
There before him was the night group of Konoha… perverts and prostitutes littering the street. Unlike the usual hookers around at night, the females had all dyed their hair bright pink to match hers. They wore skimpy red costumes with her family symbol clad on them while the men wore dark red shirts with the white ring and an arrow pointing downwards towards their groin.
Sasuke immediately caught Sakura's hand, feeling her legs give way and sink to the ground. He crouched down beside her, trying to tear her eyes away from the sight before her,
"Sakura." He breathed, placing his hands on her shoulders. He winced slightly when he saw tears stinging her eyes as he pulled her up into a standing position. Naruto, who had come up to see the sight as well, gaped at it in sheer horror. Just as Sasuke had gotten her up, a man walked over to the Uchiha, glancing at the girl in his arms.
"Hey, that's a nice girl you have. Mind if I borrow her when you're done?"
Sasuke finally felt himself snap. His free fist clenched as he swung a punch at the man, sending him to the ground.
"Stay the hell away from her, you bastard!" he snapped. With that, he lifted Sakura up in his arms and leapt up onto the buildings, heading away from the area with her as fast as he could. Behind him, he could see Naruto finishing the job with the man as he headed back to his house.
He slowed to a stop once he entered the Uchiha manor, cradling the little Sakura in his arms. He glanced down and whispered her name, quickly noting that her tears had finally started to fall.
"Sakura…" He said again, letting her stand. As soon as her feet touched the ground, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her close. He felt Sakura cry into his shirt as he continued to comfort her under the stars. He placed his hand on the back of her head, continuously comforting her as he picked her up and led her back to his room.
He placed her down gently on the bed, letting himself down beside her. Sakura immediately curled up in his arms, crying her heart out.
"I don't get it, Sasuke…" She whimpered. "Why does this all have to happen to me?" She looked up at him, her eyes still filled with tears. "I didn't want this to happen! You believe me, right?"
Sasuke glanced down at her in surprise. Why wouldn't he believe her? He nodded gently, holding her close in reassurance. Sakura's crying soon ceased as she rested against him, still clinging to his shirt as she fell asleep.
Sasuke kept his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. His eyes widened immediately as realization dawned on him.
This was the first time he had held Sakura like this…
… and he enjoyed it.
TBC…
THERE! Complete! X3 Apologies again for the wait. I'll get the next one up sooner. Strange way to end a chapter in my opinion… but you can live with it, right?
Number one excuse for my lateness, my friend kept bugging me about playing his acoustic at school (which I couldn't) so I asked my dad to just teach me a song so I could get him off my back. Unfortunately, my friend was so impressed, he wants to teach me more. Not to mention that this kid is the second guy my ex-friend tried to hook me up with! ITS STRESS I TELL YOU!
Also, I'm making a doujin based on the fic The Uchiha Sweetheart. That's a fic I totally recommend
Now OFF TO BUY ADVENT CHILDREN! AWAY!