Chapter 2 – The Ronin
"Who wishes to fight must first count the cost."
The drops of the freezing rain were everywhere on her skin, rolling on the soft curve of her shoulders, under her kimono, on her dirty, delicate feet, but Sakura-dono, heir of the Haruno clan, a woman whose attitude mattered more than her words, stayed here. Her shaking slender legs couldn't move as she felt the grasp of ice seize her under the pouring rain. Caged by the sight of a regal face, high cheekbones, alabaster skin and eyes of a thousand shadows, she refused to look away, as if Sasuke could disappear in the dark as he desired.
He was holding her look as if he was embracing her, and he looked as taken aback as she was, lips slightly parted, in between words. The rain was falling in his dirty black hair, droplets hanging from his straight locks, sticking to his skin. He looked in terrible shape, she couldn't help but notice. His clothes were old and worn, and his black cape was barely concealing his blood-stained and shredded travel jacket. The slashes were too thin and clear-cut to be considered anything else but remnants of battle, and, Sakura realised all of a sudden, were probably matching wounds beneath the cloth. She was about to speak, when the oldest domestic and head of protocol barged in with a red umbrella.
"Sakura-dono! You shouldn't stay outside in such an ensemble", she huffed. "The lords could see you, and if they were to witness you like that, they would…"
"I know", whispered Sakura calmly, closing her eyes briefly in acceptance.
Her maid seemed to relax a little bit, but gestured her towards the mansion.
"Let's go madam, before anyone else realises you've gone outside", she insisted.
Sakura opened her eyes, making jade and onyx clash once more. She felt enthralled like a leaf at the surface of water, sucked into a typhoon. Longingly, and with much effort, she broke the contact Sasuke had maintained in silence, to turn to her maid.
"Satsuki-san, let's provide a room and some clothing for this man. He is an old friend, and he needs shelter."
The maid barely looked at Sasuke and answered curtly:
"A ronin under your roof, him amongst all, is not good, madam. If the lords see him…"
"They will eventually. He is here to stay, as long as he wants", she whispered, starting to walk back at a more noble pace in the direction of the gates.
The maid pursed her lips in a thin line, and followed her mistress, holding the umbrella. Kakashi and Naruto were still standing by the door, speechless, their fine kimonos drenched under the cold rain, hands on the handle of their katanas, still in their scabbards. Kakashi, after a brief look at the ronin, kept his stare on Sakura as she was walking, composed, towards them. The haste and the chaos of earlier was long gone, and she was in control of her thoughts and actions once again. Kakashi knew, however, as he passed her, that she was not, in fact, in control. Her delicate perfume mixed with the wild scent of rain clung onto him as she passed by his side, avoiding his stare, concealed by the red umbrella. There she was, the heir and the stranger, the distant and the untamed. He couldn't help to fall into step behind her, part of him considering that, as her advisor, she would need him soon enough, but also to make as much distance between her and the man in black that started to follow her trail a few meters back.
Naruto watched Sakura as she walked past his side with a small, encouraging smile. She allowed herself to return it, knowing very well how he, amongst all others, felt the same way as she did. His heart was throbbing in his chest at the sight of Sasuke, alive, after so many years, and, more importantly, here. They were children the last time they parted, barely fifteen, still in training at their instructor's, legendary samurai Sakumo Hatake. Back then, there was no war, no exile, and Tsunade-hime was the fair ruler the country of Fire deserved.
They held eye contact as Sasuke walked passed him, following Sakura without a word, but Naruto, in one swift move, stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. He noticed from the corner of his eye that Sasuke's hand was on the handle of his katana, thumb at the guard, ready to draw. His smile widened – his second hand in the exact same position on his own sword.
"Why are you here?" he enquired, as they both stood facing each other.
His hand was wet from the rain and Sasuke's drenched clothes, but firm on the other man's lean shoulder. We both grew up so much, he thought. Ten years do that, broadening shoulders and hardening spirits. The ronin looked at him, speechless for a few moments, before uttering:
"It is none of your business."
Naruto's grasp tightened, both on his katana and on the other man's clothes. The rain was falling freely in his blond locks, rolling down his cheeks and his neck without him paying any attention. His stare on Sasuke was intense, and they were facing each other, different in all the ways but never closer.
"Did you know, what Danzo did to her father and brother?"
Sasuke let his black orbs trail down on Sakura's back, lost somewhere in her locks, fixated on the small crimson bow she wore, the Haruno emblem proudly displayed on her luxuriant kimono.
"I do not wish to hurt her", he said after a while.
"She needs us", the blond stammered. "We need to be able to trust you. You think coming here was hard? Wait until we have to convince every single lord in the room to still follow her if she welcomes you here."
Sasuke didn't answer, and Naruto carried on, strengthening his grip as if he was afraid that Sasuke could turn away now.
"She will fight for you. I will fight for you. But we know nothing of the man you have become, and despite our longing for your return, you have to understand that if you walk in here with us, it will not be an easy ride. This is why I need to ask you. Why are you here?"
The sound of droplets falling around them was like the echo of old whispers, a thousand of tenuous voices from the past, of stories as old as time.
"My Clan", Sasuke uttered then stopped.
Every word seemed difficult, and his rough, rumbling voice was raw and heavy with grief.
"It was Danzo too."
Naruto's hand fell limp at his side, remembering the smell of blood and iron as if it was yesterday. He could still hear the feral cries that racked his friend's body, could still feel the blood on the tip of his tongue, insidious and unforgiving. Sasuke's eyes landed in his, and all of a sudden he understood a little bit of the ronin, the fallen heir, the man with nothing left.
With his brother gone god only knew where, his estate shredded to pieces, his family and his future ripped away from him, Sasuke had been so very lonely, he realised, lonelier than he could've imagined. However, with this new information, a ten year run for vengeance had found a purpose and turned into something greater. For the first time in years, a flame long smothered had started to ignite.
Sasuke craved for justice. Redemption. And most of all, a revolution. And with the recent demise of the Haruno clan, he found in his oldest friends brothers of misery and anger.
Naruto turned in direction of the mansion just in time to see Sakura's silhouette going through the doors, followed promptly by her maids that had waited for her. Kakashi stood for a moment outside, looking at the ronin, then entered. He left the sliding door open, and Naruto grinned.
"Follow me. You need a bath and new clothes. You look awful", he waved as he started walking, his back turned to the man.
Naruto could not see, but the Uchiha, underneath the grime, the blood, the rain and the mud, was softly smiling.
Sakura came back to her private office once changed from her clothes at the pressing demand of her maids. Naruto and Kakashi were waiting, the first with a drink in his hand and the latter anxiously pacing the room. The door slid without a noise but both looked up to face Sakura as soon as she slipped in, silent as a shadow despite her lacquered wooden shoes. Her hair was left flowing, the little crimson bow still at the small of her back, holding the end of her locks, and it was as if spring himself had entered the chamber.
She looked around and let a quiet sigh escape her lips, noticing the Uchiha was not –yet- here. Closing the door behind her, leaving her maids in the hallway, she walked straight to the liquor cabinet and poured herself some shochu. She downed the glass in one swift gulp, set it back on the wooden surface and faced her two companions, her pale cheeks with a newfound colouring and her running heart soothed for now. Naruto emptied his glass in a chuckle before setting it next to hers, and fell in an informal, cross-legged sitting position on the floor. Sakura sat by his side, her legs on the side of her body, while Kakashi sat more formally in front of them. The three of them stood in silence for a while, before Kakashi stepped in.
"Many lords will not follow you anymore if they know that you are welcoming the last Uchiha under your roof", he said quietly, his voice laced with concern.
"I know", she answered calmly.
He looked in her deep green eyes, aware of the storm rumbling behind her pupils. Seeing her so contained and calm certainly fitted her position, once again proof of her perfect control, but he knew her and her spirit of fire. Yet here she was, closeted and calm, refusing to open herself to him as if she was still in the presence of samurai lords and not friends, and the thought disturbed him more than he wished.
"We will make them understand. Sasuke has lost his clan because of Danzo. We are on the same side here", the blond samurai argued.
"Naruto … I know that when it comes to Sasuke you loose all reason, and even if I am inclined to believe in you two, I just …"
"He is here now, isn't he?" Interrupted Sakura in her restrained tone. "So it is not a matter of "if" but a matter of "when". I chose sides the second I let him walk through that door."
"I am just dreading the moment when you'll have to explain to a room full of men that agreed the day before to renew the vows they made to your father that you already changed the rules of the game", growled Kakashi. "You have to understand that this will not go smoothly."
"I accept whatever consequences come along", she carried on, looking in the direction of the garden still damp from the heavy rain.
Naruto was silently approving, obviously unaware –or uncaring- of the consequences. Kakashi felt a pang of jealousy course through his veins. After years at her service, all it took was a certain pretty face to make her turn her back to him. It was so unfair it made him want to walk away for good, just run away from her and her smiles, her words and everything that made her so distant and excruciatingly close. Honour, however, expected more of him. He slammed his fist in the tatami next to him, making Sakura and Naruto flinch. She finally fixed her eyes in his, startled.
"You don't understand!" he exclaimed. "You could loose everything! We could loose everything! And not just your estate, not your titles, your honour or the wealth of your family, but your life, Sakura! You need to understand how dangerous it is to…"
The door behind him slid shut in a thud, and his words hung in the air, as a new silhouette had walked in, silent as a shadow.
"She knows, Kakashi", Sasuke simply said as he walked in.
Sakura looked towards him. The room was heavy with the humidity of the rain and the heat of the stove, the smell of alcohol lingering in the air, and it felt like time itself had stopped to take a breath. Sasuke, finally, poured himself a glass of shochu and sat beside her and the silver-haired samurai, closing their little circle. Naruto snickered and poured three more glasses, handing them to his friends. Sakura took hers gracefully, contemplating what was inside as if she didn't had any before, before dipping her lips, one hand under the glass. They were all silent, fighting traces of smiles on their lips, eyeing each other. Kakashi sighed deeply.
"You realise the situation is nothing like your old shenanigans back at my father's estate, right?"
"Kakashi, stop worrying. We are back together. What could happen?" Naruto said, his smile widening by the minute.
"It was ten years ago. We are adults now, and I did not loose sight of my duty, nor my father's", Sakura pointed out. "I am glad, however, to count on such precious allies."
Sasuke snorted before taking a sip of his drink.
"Kakashi is right you know. By welcoming me, you are taking a risk."
"A calculated one." Sakura said, raising her hand at Naruto before he intervened.
"We might end up alone," Sasuke whispered before finishing his glass in a quick gulp.
"Then we will do just fine. I need people I can trust, not people that will question my every step. Besides, we all know that you three combined are worth an army", she added with a sly smile.
"That's for sure!" Naruto exclaimed. "But we all know that I could defeat Sasuke in a blindfold."
Sasuke glared at his childhood friend, while Sakura let a chuckle escape her lips. Kakashi unwounded, looking at them. There was no going back, anyways, and tomorrow was another day to worry about.
"Seeing the three of you sure brings back old days", Kakashi said with a soft smile.
"Do you remember when we were children?" Sakura asked. "You and Naruto would always bicker at the silliest things. Who had the best training sword, who got to demonstrate with Sakumo sensei… I thought you were so lucky, to be taught how to fight, while I had to stay indoors with the girls", she sighed.
Sasuke, as the second son of the extremely powerful Uchiha Clan, and Naruto, son of General Namikaze, were sent to be raised at his estate, with the finest warriors and children of their generation at 7, as arranged by tradition. Sakura and other girls her age were here as well, sent, as samurai daughters, to be taught literature, poetry, and submit to the strictest etiquette and honour codes. They were, under the patronage of Kakashi's father, supposed to perpetuate samurai tradition in the finest way, to grow to be an instructed and disciplined elite.
"You broke out anyways", Naruto remarked.
"And trained with us and Kakashi in secret", the Uchiha added.
"And kicked our butts!"
"Your butt", Sasuke corrected before pouring more shochu in their glasses.
Naruto squealed, while Kakashi and Sakura giggled in unison. Conversation came back to the four of them like an old friend, and they carried on talking until night started to turn to dawn. Satsuki, her maid and head of protocol slid the door open after a few hours, a severe frown painted on her face.
"Sakura-dono. You should take some rest and leave the men to their … business", she said, staring at the glasses between them. "You are meeting with the lords tomorrow and the preparations will start early in the morning."
"Oh, come on baa-san! You can't even see her behind the panel!" Naruto fussed.
Kakashi slapped him on the back of the head.
"Sakura-dono is the heir and head of the clan. She has to act as such."
He turned to the young woman.
"She is right. Take some rest. We will do the same. Come on Naruto", he said while lifting the blond despite a yap of protestation.
He bowed deeply to Sakura, a spark in the eye, while forcing Naruto to do the same in what appeared to be a sluggish hold but, as she doubted, was as hard to break from as iron. Both men took their leave, and Sakura got up. Sasuke was still sitting, his face turned to the gardens where the rain had stopped to pour. Droplets were indolently sliding on the leaves, and only the faintest echo of rain remained in the silence of the night. She looked for a moment in the same direction as him, both peacefully silent before he got up in a sign of respect.
"Sasuke?" She asked soflty when he straightened up, his eyes opaque as the sky in the gardens fixed on her for the first time in the evening.
He did not answer, nor looked away, and merely moved, engulfing her in a feeling she thought was long gone. She could feel the pull towards him as if their bodies were held together by the thicker rope, and the sight of his chest slowly rising, barely concealed by a black kimono, was enough to confirm to her that she was not the only one in this situation. It has always been like this with him, in-between words and half-excuses, nothing more than lingering looks and telling silences, but after ten years, she could hear, for the first time, all that the man could not state himself.
"I missed you."
"Sakura-dono," the servant interjected for the second time.
She reluctantly turned away from him, peeling her eyes away from his unforgiving look, and started to move after a shy smile. A hand grasped hers firmly. It was callous and rough, so hard against her pale, delicate one, but she felt a spike of electricity course through her arm and all the way to her lower back at the contact. She turned to face the man once more, his lips pursed in a thin smirk.
"It doesn't suit you," he said.
"Excuse me?"
"This," he gestured at the maid and the rich ornaments of her kimono. "You are a warrior, just like us."
"War is a matter of men. My duty lies elsewhere now", she whispered a bit too quickly, trying to avoid his eyes.
"You can fool everyone, but not me."
"Sakura-dono", Satsuki insisted.
Sasuke glared at the woman, but his grasp on her hand lessened.
"This is my duty. With my brother and father gone, I am all this estate has left", she said in a murmur. "No matter what I want, the estate must prevail."
Sasuke looked at her for a long time, and gave one last, tiny squeeze at the tip of her fingers before letting her slide away from him.
"Sakura", he called before she could walk away.
She held out a yelp of surprise when she saw him bow deeply. In this instant, as every other moment, she knew what it meant.
"I'll follow you."
She was about to turn away to hide her smile, when she heard him murmur, his voice full of raw, sore emotion and his eyes firmly set on the tatami under him:
"Thank you."
The feeling that burst over her nearly took away her restraint. It was so much, so pure, every little bit of something she, as always coming from him, did not expect. It took every ounce of energy she had left not to throw herself at him, in his arms, regardless of all decency. She left the room, biting the inside of her long sleeve to keep the tears that were threatening to escape her eyes. As she walked away, Sasuke straightened up, and kept his eyes on the old crimson bow in her hair, dangling at the small of her back.
It was the exact shade of red displayed on what used to be the Uchiha crest.
Ten years did not make it lost any colour.
Hey everyone. Thank you so much for your first reviews, it means the world. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did.
xxx