Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Rise

Chapter 5

Days go by and Sasuke becomes restless. It's been months since he returned to Konoha, and over time he became accustomed to being restrained within the village's walls, but now the urge to be outside—to be free—slowly starts gnawing at him again.

For the hundredth time, he passes by the large gates leading out into the village's surrounding forest and his mouth twists into a deep scowl. Glaring at the ANBU perched on the wall above, always watching, Sasuke turns and forces himself to walk away from the gates and to the training grounds beyond.

If he couldn't do anything to the ANBU, at least the training grounds were at his disposal.

His apartment is empty, as always. Even Naruto, who usually comes to bother him at least once every few days, has been absent, busy with his Hokage training. He has a long way to go, and it'll be a good number of years before his friend will take his place as their village's leader, but still Kakashi is wasting no time in preparing Naruto for the role.

Sasuke leans back in his chair and snaps the book he was reading shut. He glances out the window, where the night is young and people mill around the streets, laughing and talking.

His index finger taps against the book's cover once, twice. Restless, indeed. Sasuke feels the urge to move, to get out of his apartment and be doing something other than this.

But what would he do? Where would he go?

For a brief moment, he wonders what Sakura is doing, and if she wouldn't mind his company as she usually doesn't if he were to see her.

But Sakura is probably busy with her own life, her own friends. And if him speaking to her surprises her at all, he can't imagine what her reaction would be to him showing up at her doorstep with no other motive than to simply be in her presence.

He lets out a breath of a laugh, opens his book, and continues to read.

There are times when Sasuke is alone—alone as he has been for so many years, alone in the way he's preferred ever since his family died—and he despises it.

Because when he is alone with no one else there to distract him, he thinks of everything he's done, all the pain he's caused, all the times he betrayed those close to him.

And he hates himself just a little more each time.

But today—today he gets out of bed, changes, eats breakfast. He stares out the window where the streets are deserted and heads out of his apartment with intent.

Today will be different.

Five minutes later he finds himself at Sakura's doorstep. The sun's just barely risen, and there's not a soul on the streets. Everyone's sleeping in for the weekend, it seems. For a moment Sasuke considers turning around and going back home—there's no doubt that Sakura is fast asleep as well, and who is he to wake her up at such an hour?

But he's already here, and if all he did was train by himself and sit around his apartment for the rest of the day as he always does, he might just lose it.

He knocks on her door, not bothering to be quiet with it. He waits a few moments—listening intently—and when he doesn't hear a response knocks again, even louder this time.

There's grumbling from deep inside Sakura's apartment, and Sasuke's lips curve upward as he listens to her undoubtedly curse him under her breath.

She swings the door wide open and glares at him, only for her eyes to widen when she realizes who is standing before her.

"Sasuke-kun?" she says, puzzled, and looks down the street on both sides, as if there's something else that might pop out to greet her. "What are you doing here?"

It's only been a short few seconds since she opened the door, but Sasuke can't help but notice that the air outside is quite cold. And that, he thinks, must be the reason why his gaze is drawn to the teal green t-shirt she's wearing.

The fact that she isn't wearing a bra becomes glaringly obvious to him. The outlines of her nipples, hard with the early-morning chill, pressing through the thin material of her shirt, draw his eyes immediately.

The tips of his ears grow warm, and he quickly averts his gaze, nearly drilling holes into the empty space beside her head.

"Sasuke-kun?" she questions, obviously confused.

He hasn't responded to her previous inquiry, and Sasuke clears his throat before forcing himself to meet her gaze.

She's yawning now, eyes squeezed shut, with her arms reaching toward the sky as she stretches. It doesn't help with his struggle to focus, and his eyes fall to her shirt once again.

He curses inwardly and his ears flare even more. When Sakura finally opens her eyes to look at him, he's nearly glaring at her in his attempt to regain control of his composure.

She blinks. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes," he responds, voice low and curt.

Another blink. "Well, that's good. How can I help you this morning, Sasuke-kun?" She offers him a small smile.

Finally his jaw unclenches and he breathes evenly through his nostrils. "Are you free today?"

She stares at him.

He waits patiently for her to register the words in her head, watching the grogginess in her eyes slowly give way to realization.

"Um, I don't have any concrete plans, no," she replies carefully. "Just a night shift at the hospital later on. I was just going to train today, if anything."

"May I join you?"

She studies him warily. "You woke me up at the crack of dawn just to train with me?"

He nods.

"You are something else, Sasuke-kun," she muses, and then grins at him. "Come on in—I'll get ready and we'll go."

She's fierce. Extremely so.

Sasuke doesn't know what he was expecting coming into battle with her. It certainly wasn't this.

He assumed she would be on the defense most of the time, but she's ruthless in her attacks, never giving him time to gather himself before she's whirling on him once again.

And when she is on the defense, he's barely able to touch her.

"Shit," he mutters under his breath as the ground beneath his feet gives way. He nearly becomes enveloped in the rocks rising around him, but makes it out just in time to avoid any serious injuries.

"Shannaro!"

He looks up and she's in the air above him, chakra swirling around the foot she has poised at his chest. Her green eyes shine with adrenaline, pink hair a crescent of color.

Sasuke dodges neatly and not even a second later the earth explodes behind him, dust and debris chasing him as he disappears into the trees surrounding the clearing.

He stays still for a few moments to catch his breath. They've been at it for nearly half an hour, and by now the sun bathes the village in a warm glow. Sweat beads at his brow and his chest heaves a little more than he would like to admit.

Sakura is an opponent unlike any other he's fought before. She's extremely powerful and intensely destructive, yet at the same time precise and graceful—a contradiction in and of herself. He can see the constant calculations running through those bright green eyes. Every move she makes is purposeful, the byproduct of many different scenarios and plans she's put together in her head.

Sasuke watches as she rises in the still-swirling dust. Her face is matted with dirt, and there's a small tear in her red shirt from where his kunai slashed. She breathes heavily as her narrowed eyes scan the clearing.

He feels his lips curve upward the slightest degree. Her gaze moves past his hiding spot, and he strikes.

Familiar sparks of electricity claw up his arm, jumping and twisting amongst each other. The chidori screeches in the air, and he launches himself at her.

Her head whips toward him at the sound. She stiffens and in the span of mere milliseconds, her eyes lock on his, then on the mass of electricity blooming from his palm.

His intent was never to actually harm her. They might get a couple of scratches and bruises and the occasional broken bone whilst training, but never would they inflict critical damage on each other.

Sasuke knows she is fully capable of dodging the attack. He's seen her speed and agility firsthand the past thirty minutes. He knows she will be okay.

But Sakura remains still, and his heart drops in his chest.

There's horror in her eyes. Bright green flashes with unrestrained fear as she stares at the chidori in his palm.

He knows then that she's not with him, that she's back on that godforsaken bridge, meeting his black eyes that have hazed over with nothingness, watching as he aims to drive his chidori straight through her heart. She's with the past him that would have ended her life in a heartbeat.

It's something he wishes he never had to remember, something that haunts him everyday. His nightmare has become reality once again.

Tears well in her eyes, her jaw clenches. And she does not move.

"Sakura!" he roars.

He's able to cut off the stream of electricity mere seconds before he crashes into her. The force of his momentum has them both spiraling downward. He cradles her head to his chest, wraps his arms around her small frame, and slams into the ground.

For a moment, black spots are all that cross his vision. The back of his head throbs, and his right arm pulses with agony. The rest of his body aches with the severity of their fall.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Her frightened voice echoes in his skull and he winces.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun," she whispers.

Warmth encases his head. Her chakra weaves into him and he feels himself falling into unconsciousness as she heals him.

A/N: Leave me a review if you enjoyed this chapter at all! I sure had fun writing it, even though it broke my heart a little to picture Sakura so paralyzed.

With love,

Shannon

P.S. In this particular story, Sasuke accepted his prosthetic arm, so that's why he has both. :)