I don't own Naruto! - VZ
Sakura slowly opened her eyes, revealing a brilliant hue of jade. Her eyes glanced at the sky, which was inky and devoid of any trace of sunlight. Black and free of any clouds, numerous stars dotted the heavens and the moon was full and bright. Its glow gave light to the dark night, the silver contrasting brilliantly with the darkness. It was a very pretty sight, one that she would love to enjoy if it weren't for the throbbing in her head or the stinging of her limbs. She lifted her head gingerly and noticed that her body was hidden under a thick blanket.
A part of her worried that her appendages were mangled and hurt. It most certainly felt that way. Although, the aching discomfort in her entire body could not compare to the throbbing agony that was her head. It felt the contents of her skull had just been given a chakra-laden punch by Tsunade on a very bad day. In the end, curiosity got the better of her and she knew that she had to look and survey the damage. She brought up her arms gradually, afraid of the pain if she hurried her actions. The grey sheet fell away to reveal a sight that the pinkette never wanted to see again.
What met her green eyes shocked her beyond belief. Her arms were covered in white bandages, the gauze was stained a brilliant red. This was a sure sign that she was still bleeding, if not than the blood would have dried and crusted over, maybe even turning into an unsightly shade of muddy brown. However, it wasn't her injuries that frightened Sakura, it was her limbs. They were short and petite, something that was fairly impossible. A strangled sob left her mouth as she took note at the rest of her form. Not only were her arms wrapped in gauze but also her legs, and they were tiny as well. Her hands patted her entire form, hoping that what she was seeing was not the truth. Unfortunately, it was. Sakura hung her head down in complete and utter frustration. But once she did so, incredibly long pink locks of hair fell to her lap.
Not again….
As much as she wanted to mope and sulk about her unfortunate situation, she knew that there were much more important matters to attend to, her injured body for example.
Sakura tried moving her fingers and toes, carefully. Once she made sure that all her body parts were still moving and functioning correctly, she attempted to stand. Sadly, it wasn't the best try. The mattress shifted under her weight falling back onto it. The medic-nin knew she had to leave this foreign place soon.
There was no way that she would lie around in the middle of nowhere, confused and injured.
Another throb of her pained head disagreed and begged to stay put.
"Oh Kami…. my head." A disgruntled groan escaped her lips, testifying her discomfort and pangs at the moment.
"You're awake."
The girl jumped at the sound of someone speaking, the voice was obviously a man's. Unless there were women around who spoke in such low timbres. The tone of the mystery man's voice was soft and slightly tense. But it was very subtle that you can hardly notice it, yet Sakura did.
"Who's out there?" she called out, her voice slightly hoarse because of her dry throat.
"….Not your enemy." He hesitated before coming out of the shadows, appearing before her under the light of the silver moon.
"But obviously not my friend, how can I trust you?" She questioned the man with dark skin and a head of wild, untamed orange hair. His stance was strong yet he seemed weary somehow, as if he was simply tired of something. Sakura's first instinct was to ask what was wrong but she suddenly realized that he could kill her. True, the guy wasn't charging at her with shuriken or kunais. But it didn't mean he could easily overpower her, considering the circumstances. Which were her bruised and battered body, a body that looked to be a ten year old's.
The man shrugged his shoulders, giving her a rather sheepish smile.
"You can't."
Well that was helpful.
"…wonderful." Sarcasm coated her voice like frosting on a cake.
To her surprise, the guy's lip twitched upwards. As if he was about to smile but refrained himself from doing so.
Sakura tried lifting herself up again, but she'd always stumble and fall back onto the cold, hard soil of the earth. The man didn't utter another word, merely stood there and watched with something akin to sympathy shining in his eyes. This went on for a while, her almost standing then weakness would overcome her and she would simply crumble. He would just watch and sometimes step forward to help her, however, her eyes would stop him in his tracks. They were filled with so much determination and fire. Those green orbs would swirl with so much emotions that it made him dizzy.
"Little girl, I think its best if you just rest." He finally spoke after seeing the pinkette stagger and drop once more.
"I have a name you know, its not 'little girl'." Her voice was just as tenacious as it was the day he met her.
Juugo shifted his weight nervously as he contemplated how to subdue the child. Sasuke wouldn't like it if he lost their prisoner. Not that she would get far, especially with her depleted strength. But then again, was she their captive? Yes, he had seen the calculating and intrigued look in the Uchiha's usually stoic eyes. And above all, He was curious to why he had ordered them to bring and dress her wounds. Their master had commanded him to watch over the girl as she slept. While he was standing guard, Karin and Sasuke left for the village where the red head had sensed the older Uchiha's chakra signature. And Suigetsu was busy gathering supplies and more bandages for the girl.
"What is it? Your name I mean." he wondered aloud, hoping to at least keep her distracted so she wouldn't practically crawl on her belly to escape. Where would the child go anyway? It really was odd, to find a pink haired girl passed out in a crater in the middle of the woods at the border of fire country. Not only that but she was finely dressed in a blood red yukata that was much too big for her. Had she stolen it? No, Juugo could tell that she wasn't the type to rob. He didn't know how or why, he just knew that the girl before him was good.
More and more questions popped into his head, and he had no doubt that Sasuke would find the answers soon. Speaking of the Uchiha, how had the girl known about him? Was he that popular? Juugo wouldn't put it past him. Yet the pinkette spoke so differently to him. It was a far cry from Karin's shrill voice and love struck expression that screamed desperation and longing for the dark haired male's attention. No, the green-eyed girl was the complete and utter opposite of his teammate. Her eyes sparkled with emerald fire and her tongue was sharp and witty. Although she looked young, there was a certain way that she spoke and held herself that seemed mature and confident. Oh yes, she was a mystery indeed.
One that (he had a feeling) many desired to solve.
Juugo waited as the child hesitated, her movements came to a halt. She seemed to be pondering on something. He watched as she tilted her face upwards to the dark night sky, the moonlight highlighting her childish features.
"Mitsuki." She said after a lengthy silence, her green eyes were no longer facing the sky but clashing with a vivid, familiar shade of red.
Sasuke was a patient man; he was perfectly capable of waiting. Especially if it's for the most opportune moment to strike. Like a deadly snake, his body was ready and coiled to jump into action. However, after countless weeks searching for his brother and coming up empty handed every time was starting to grate on his nerves. And just when he thought that this time he would catch Itachi at the inn Karin had located, his hopes for revenge was lost.
The youngest Uchiha had to keep his anger in check, if not, who knows what could happen. As he and Karin quickly made their way back to the campsite (well, he was on his way back while Karin was trying to convince him to stay a night in the inn with her) Needless, to say, they were a bit behind schedule thanks to a particular clingy red head.
"Oh Sasuke-kun, isn't this so romantic?" She squealed, twirling a lock of bright red hair with her finger.
"Hn.."
"Under the stars and moonlight? Just the two of us." As they sped through the trees, she moved towards him, making sure to brush her body against his suggestively ever so often.
If Sasuke was the type to let his emotions show on his face then the look he would be giving right now would be one of mild disgust. The odd sensation of her breasts against his left arm was, to put it frankly, quite gross. Yes, he was a male in his prime that lusted for women. It's just that he always put killing his older brother before that. Needless to say, there were many offers from young and beautiful women who were desperate to spend a night with him. However, he never paid them any attention. The most important thing he had to accomplish in his life right now was to avenge his clan and kill their murderer, his own brother.
A few minutes and rather sad attempts at flirting by Karin later, they both arrived at the campsite. Him feeling disappointed and her upset that absolutely nothing happened between them that night. As Sasuke was pushing a few branches away that covered their hideout, he stopped. Hearing a very familiar and pained voice, he froze.
"What?" With an annoyed sigh, he covered the red head's mouth with his hand. This action caused the girl to flutter her eyelashes and give him what she thought was a sexy look when in reality she looked constipated. The younger Uchiha almost gave in to the impulse of rolling his dark eyes at Karin's reaction. As if he wanted to lay a hand on her voluntarily.
"…wonderful."
He glanced around and finally saw her, the girl with the familiar pink hair and haunting green eyes.
Sasuke could sense the sarcasm in her voice and was inwardly surprised at the child's response. Wasn't she the least bit afraid of being alone with Juugo? He could snap at any moment, killing her without a single feeling of remorse or mercy. The pinkette was getting more and more interesting. In all honesty, he couldn't exactly pinpoint why he ordered his teammate to bring her. She was simply dead weight that was another mouth to feed, provided that he wanted to keep her alive. But was that what he wanted? Or was he merely curious to why a girl had been lying, injured and alone in a massive crater in the middle of the forest. Unless it was because of her most striking features, hair pink as cherry blossoms and eyes green as emeralds. Of course, his curiosity also stemmed from her greeting to him. Not only was it exceedingly rude for a child to say but also it was as if she knew him, and found him worthy of cussing over.
Sasuke had felt the sting in his pride after being insulted by a child that looked too young to even curse. Nevertheless, his interest was piqued. Despite her harsh words, he had found the fire in her eyes transfixing. Why did the Uchiha find her jade gaze so captivating and enthralling? It was because of the hardness within those green depths.
When she opened her eyes, they were innocent and pure. But once she focused on him, they hardened into viridian jewels that simply pierced him. Cold yet hot was her gaze. It was chilling yet burning at the same time. Freezing like she felt nothing but cold hate for him, hot fire as if she wanted him to burn for his sins. Her gaze was smoldering, the kind of heat that he imagined hell would feel like. And he was more than intrigued by it. No, he was fascinated by it beyond comprehension. It was odd really, how this interest had sprouted from simply looking at her.
"Little girl, I think its best if you just rest."
Juugo's calm voice sliced through his thoughts like a hot knife through soft butter.
Sasuke brought his dark eyes up to the girl who was struggling on the ground, finding her strength admirable. Foolish yet admirable. As he watched her squirm on the forest ground, he was reminded of a crying Sakura Haruno. Yes, the girl looked exactly like her but with much longer hair. Although it didn't explain why she looked like his old teammate. The youngest Uchiha had pondered and came up with nothing. There must be an explanation, he just needed to analyze the variables and look at the entire equation. Without it, how can he find an answer?
"I have a name you know, its not 'little girl'." She snarled at Juugo, her eyes flashing.
After a moment of silence, the large man spoke once more.
"What is it? Your name I mean."
At this, Sasuke paid closer attention; trying to ignore the flirtatious looks Karin was sending his way.
He observed the pinkette look up at the sky, finding her childish features quite pretty under the light of the moon. He hated to admit it but he was more than curious to know her name. Would it be Sakura? If it were then it would be even more confusing to how she had shrunk down into the size of a ten year old.
"Mitsuki."
But after she answered Juugo's question, he now knew the truth. Even if it was impossible, he just knew.
He narrowed his eyes, his sharingan blazing as he appeared before the girl, leaving the red head behind in the trees.
He reveled in the slight fear in those green depths that he found oddly alluring, not that he'd admit that to anyone of course.
Sasuke crouched down to her level and used his pointer finger to tilt her chin upwards. And even though he dropped his voice into a whisper, his voice could be heard throughout the entire clearing.
"You're lying, Sakura."
Two dark figures cloaked in red and black flew through the trees at incredible speeds. They didn't bother stopping for breaks or rest, it wasn't important. Not when a certain pinkette was involved.
After a while, they both stopped. The taller man dropped to the ground, where a large crater took up most of the forest floor. The dark haired man remained in the trees, finding something much more peculiar on a branch that appeared to have snapped. Red eyes snapped to the ground where a broken tree branch was lying near the crater. His eyes narrowed into slits, grabbing the pack he frowned.
It was Sakura's bag. A meow was heard and he peered into the bag, where a tiny clay kitten was whining in a pile of yukatas that he himself had bought for the medic-nin. There was no doubt that the clay creation was Deidara's work. The red eyed man growled menacingly at the fact that the blonde had given a gift to his blossom without his knowledge. But before he could think of more ways on how to torture the bomber, his partner appeared next to him. Looking very disturbed and worried, much like himself but of course he wouldn't show it, he was an Uchiha after all.
Kisame held up a something in between his forefinger and thumb, a long and pink strand of hair.
No words needed to be exchanged, they knew their mission. All they needed to do was accomplish it, for her.
Hope you liked it! SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY! I was busy with some stuff but I'm back! Lots of love and thanks for those who reviewed last time. I absolutely love hearing from all of you. Almost 350 reviews! If only I can reach 400…ohhhhh a girl can dream right? Anyways, till' next time!