A/N: Hello again! I was so so so happy to see that a handful of people are interested in seeing where this story goes! I didn't proof read the first two chapters very well, and plan on doing a better job from now on. I felt like I used t
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor any of the characters. Rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto, blah, blah, you know.
Chapter Three
The birds chirped as a cool breeze swept through Konoha. A young girl with curious, bright green eyes giggled as she ran, arms outstretched as if she could fly.
She stopped abruptly and bent over to pick something from the grass beneath her feet, gasping in awe.
"Mama! Mama! I found a four leaf clover!" The little girl skipped towards her mother, short pink locks bouncing as she did.
Her mother knelt in front of her to examine the clover.
"It seems you did!" She gave a bright smile before bringing a finger to her chin.
"Do you know what it means, Sakura-chan?"
Sakura brought the clover closer to her face, giving it an inquisitive look before her nose scrunched up slightly.
"Hmm… I don't know. I heard Ino-chan say that they were lucky!" Her green eyes landed on her mother's own expectantly.
Her mother's smile grew.
"That's right! But even more so, it means that you're lucky, because you found one all by yourself."
Sakura's eye grew and she squealed, throwing her arms around her mother's neck.
"Mama, have you ever found a four leaf clover by yourself?"
"I have, but I don't need a four leaf clover to be lucky." Her mother adjusted her on her hip.
"Why not?" Sakura's brow wrinkled in confusion.
"Because I have you." Her mother kissed her forehead
"Alright little one, let's get home. Daddy said something about bringing home some dango."
Sakura gave a smile of pure happiness, squealing again.
"DANGO!"
Green eyes cracked open slightly before closing again. When she opened her eyes again, she blinked several times to adjust her eyes to the light in the room. She winced at the pain in her head and throat. She felt as if she'd been screaming for hours.
You have.
She jumped a little at the sound of her name.
"Sakura, you're finally awake." Her shisou's voice filled the air.
"Shisou…" Her voice came out raw and muddled. She cringed at the pain that developed in her throat. Tsunade offered her a glass of water.
She gently took it from her hand and quickly emptied it.
"You did good keeping your attacker at bay until he could be incapacitated." Tsunade sighed.
Sakura's eyes flickered away from her direction, settling on the cloth wall across from her. Her heart sunk to her stomach and tears pricked her eyes again.
"Shisou, I-" Tsunade's arms wrapped around her as she tried to speak.
Sakura swallowed. "Whoever attacked he… came out of nowhere. I wasn't able to do any damage when I made contact he just… he just absorbed everything."
Green eyes met honey brown.
"And then I found…" She sniffled, attempting to hold herself together, but failing. Tsunade pulled her further into an embrace.
"Shhh, I know… You don't have to put yourself through this right now. Only when you're cleared from the hospital and have to file a report will you have to, and only because it's required." She ran her fingers through Sakura's pink hair when she broke down into sobs again. She knew it would be awhile before she saw any light in her students eyes again.
Tsunade let out a breath of relief as she closed the door to her makeshift office behind her. As much of an emotionless bastard as the Uchiha was, she couldn't help but feel indebted to him slightly after he not only saved her beloved student, but successfully incapacitated the intruder and turned him in alive.
Said intruder was currently being interrogated by Ibiki.
"Lucky you, Ibiki." She mumbled.
She wished she could interrogate the slimy bastard herself, but unfortunately, that was unethical, or whatever. She rolled her eyes before pulling out a bottle of sake and a glass from her desk's bottom drawer.
She smirked to herself as she opened the bottle, filling her glass. She corked the bottle before placing it on her desk. She lifted the cup to her lips and inhaled the scent deeply.
She almost let out a groan. She needed a damn drink.
She raised the glass to her lips and took a sip, savoring the taste.
She lifted the the cup to her lips a second time, but a soft knock at the door interrupted. She shot a glare at the door and set the cup down with more force than needed, jostling the stacks of paperwork that needed sorted through.
"Come in!" She snapped.
Her eyes darkened when she saw who interrupted her precious drink.
"What do you want?" Sasuke scowled at her attitude towards him.
"I have important information regarding the intruder."
Tsunade let out a bitter laugh before her eyes turned cold, face stern. "What makes you think I should listen to anything you say. You aren't instated as a Shinobi of the Leaf, Uchiha. You're currently facing the probability of extreme punishment in exchange for the acts of treason you've committed against your homeland, as well as the horrific crimes you've committed against innocent people in a multitude of different villages! You are no more than a prisoner. Shall I go on, Uchiha!?"
His eyes burned with anger for a second before a cool slate of resolve washed over his face. "All of what you stated is true. Even so… that doesn't change the fact that I have useful information. Useful information in regards to why Sakura was… is, their target."
When Tsunade's eyes narrowed and anger flashed across them, he prepared himself for an explosive rebuttal. He watched as Tsunade stared him down like a hawk. Slowly, she leaned back in her chair, then reached into the bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out an expensive looking bottle of sake and a cup. It was his turn to narrow his eyes when she set the sake in the middle of her desk, the cup on the edge of the desk closest to him, and motioned for him to sit across from her.
He stared at her for a long moment before apprehensively extending his remaining arm to slide the chair out of its neatly-tucked position. He sat before her, his eyes flicking to the bottle of sake and then back at her questioningly. She continued to stare back at him, studying him, her face blank, before finally choosing to speak.
"Have a drink with me, will you?" She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow, lifting her hand to grasp the bottle of sake. Her face continued to portray no emotion.
He wondered about what she was thinking, what her endgame was. She called him out on his sinful wrongdoings, labelled him a prisoner. He was positive the thought of him or anything involved with him made her angry, yet here she was, wanting to chat over a drink like good friends. He lifted his arm and grasped the cup, sliding it towards her. To hell with it. His interest had been piqued.
Her face shifted, a smirk in place of the mask that stood before. She filled his glass and pushed it back towards him. He lifted it, smelled it, and took a sip.
"You of all people could use a drink." She took a sip of her own.
"Tch, whatever."
"There's always something up your ass, eh?" She snorted, chugging the rest of her drink before refilling it. She took another gulp.
"You're wasting time." He sighed and took a sip of his sake. He really did need a drink.
Her eyes narrowed at his words. "Wasting time? What should I be doing, Uchiha?"
"They'll attack again." He leaned forward, eyes locked with hers. "I don't know when, but they will. I know them. They're from Amegakure." Her eyes widened at this before she became serious.
"Are you saying that they're out for some form of revenge against you?"
"Yes and no." Her eyes became angry again and she slammed her fist on the desk.
"Explain everything, Uchiha! Now!" She gritted her teeth wondering what sort of trouble he'd be bringing to their front doorstep.
"Although my time served working alongside Akatsuki was short lived, I got wrapped up in the inner-workings of the organization fairly quickly. I served as an eye for the Akatsuki, gathering intel on potential clients, reconciliation with the current clients. One mission I completed detailed a reconciliation of sorts with a client named Genkishi. My mission was simple. Force him to pay his overdue balance with the Akatsuki, or murder his wife in front of him."
Tsunade's eyes were slightly wide as she listened to him speak.
"The client didn't pay up. I don't blame him for the hate he has for me, it's well deserved."
Tsunade knitted her brows together, "What about Sakura? What does any of this have to do with her?"
"Before the fourth war, rumor had it that Genshiki had fallen ill after becoming a victim to poison. Sakura is not only the ex-teammate of the man he hates, but an expert in poison. Am I correct?"
She scowled a little at having to admit that he was, but she nodded. "I see." Her thoughts were crowded as she took in the new information. She didn't like it, but maybe the Uchiha was useful. After all, the score stands: Leaf 1, Genshiki 2. She smirked.
"Ok, Uchiha, good work. I'll assign some of the very few men I have to re-enforce our lookout teams stationed at the walls." Or what's left of them. "In the meantime, I'll pass your information on to Shikamaru and have him do some digging. As for you…" She tapped her chin, and he didn't like the look in her eyes. "I'll be assigning you to watch over Sakura until this threat is dealt with. Since she is an apparent target and your visual prowess has been proven effect, it will be the safest option while our defenses are being rebuilt. Got it?" She snapped the last couple of words at him and rubbed her forehead. She refilled her glass and took a gulp.
Sasuke's face remained stoic as his mind reeled. He thought of cherry blossoms blooming during the springtime and then Sakura's face appeared. A bright smile, her eyes were closed but if they weren't, an endless sea of green would be revealed. He willed her to open her eyes so he could catch a glimpse. The next thing he saw was green eyes, tear-filled and fearful as his chidori penetrated her chest.
He willed the thoughts away, jaw clenching, fists tightening. He owed this much to her.
"Yes."
She hadn't slept since she initially woke up, and she hadn't moved since Tsunade retreated from her tent to her office. She sat up, back propped against the headboard, eyes dull and staring at a focus point on the cloth wall across from her. Every time she tried to close her eyes in hopes of sleep she see's him. She wanted to unsee it all, to scrub the memory from her brain completely.
She didn't feel him approach because of the daze she was in. Instead, she jumped a little at the sudden movement in the corner of her eye, her hand flying to her heart. She was relieved when her eyes met onyx and purple, and not red. She stared at him, waiting, before turning her head straight once more.
"The Hokage sent me." Sasuke's voice split the tension, his voice calm and emotionless.
Sakura looked away from him, and she felt a different pain than the one that was currently wrecking her spirit. There was no question of her wellbeing, and there were no pleasantries. There never was with Sasuke.
She turned her gaze back to him. "Why did Tsunade send you?" Her voice was quiet.
He reached into his cloak and pulled out a scroll, extending it to her.
She stared at it outstretched towards her for a minute because gently taking it. She stared at it in her hand before unraveling it. She read through the scroll which was descriptive albeit being short. She wrapped it back up and then set it on the small beside table to her left. She laid down fully on the small cot, turning her back to him. "I'm going to try and sleep now." He heard her voice carry through the air, soft.
Sasuke stared at the back of her head as he fought with himself. He knew the pain she was feeling, but words never came easy to him. He let out a soft sigh and settled into the only chair in the tent, which sat in the corner, facing the entrance.
He inclined his head and closed his eyes.
A/N: Oh boy, I'm finally done writing this chapter! For some reason, it took me nearly all day put this chapter together. I hope everyone enjoys it!
- fishily