Author's Note: Thanks a whole lot for the review, follows and favorites! And don't worry, EternalCherryBlossoms, I will definitely add Itachi soon!
Chapter 9: Fluttering Emotions
Sasuke's POV
"Did you take advantage of me last night, Sasuke?"
"I did not." I hissed out the words in annoyance as I glared at the pink haired woman in front of me. When I arrived at the castle's gate a few minutes before the appointed time, Sakura, Lee and Shino were already there. Sakura didn't waste a second and approached me with suspicion in her green eyes.
"Don't lie." Sakura took a step forward and stared deep into my eyes in an attempt to find a non-existing truth. All I did last night was carrying her to her bed and left immediately.
And perhaps I did stare at her for a very short while. It wasn't even anything indecent to begin with though.
"I'm not so despicable to take advantage of you while you're asleep. I'm not you, Sakura." I pushed away the images of Sakura sleeping soundly and looking absolutely peaceful and continued the almost pointless conversation with Sakura.
"What do you m-" Sakura abruptly stopped and blushed furiously when she finally understood what I was talking about. She seemed to be mentally scolding herself for almost forgetting what happened that night when we had no choice but to share a bed.
"You're a bastard, Sasuke." Sakura's tone came out dangerously despite the deep shade of red coloring her cheeks.
"And you're annoying." I retorted before the two of us ended up in a glaring competition.
"Oh my, it's only been a few days and the two of you are already bickering like a married couple."
A voice suddenly appeared behind me but I didn't have to turn around to find out who he was. On the other hand, Sakura was blinking in confusion as she stared at the man behind me.
I turned my head over my shoulder and glared at the person who intruded our conversation. Part of the anger was directed to his remark about Sakura and me.
"What in the world are you doing here, Itachi?"
"That's such a cold way to greet your older brother, Sasuke." Itachi faked a sad look, making me roll my eyes in annoyance.
Ignoring both my question and apparent irritated self, Itachi walked over to greet Sakura, whom he had already introduced himself to during the party back in the Haruno Kingdom.
"I hope my younger brother has not been mean to you. He barely smiles, lacks emotions and he offends people so much I have no idea how it's even possible."
I felt a strong urge to strangle Itachi to death but I said the next line instead, "Are you describing yourself, Itachi?"
Itachi ignored me once again and continued insulting me in front of Sakura. Was it really my brother's job to bring me down in front of a girl I care about?
Hang on, did I just say I care?
"You're officially screwed up, Sasuke."
"What are you doing here?" I repeated my question again, emphasizing each word to gain Itachi's attention.
Itachi was about to answer my question when Tsunade arrived along with the teachers. I looked around and saw that everyone else was already there as well.
"Who are you?" Tsunade approached Itachi, who in turn greeted her politely.
"I am Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's older brother. I'm here by the order of my father to pass a message."
"What is it?" Tsunade must have sensed the seriousness behind my brother's voice and appeared alarmed in an instant.
"Unknown creatures have appeared at several kingdoms and are attacking innocent civilians. Fortunately, there are no fatalities as of now. But we are absolutely clueless as to what those creatures were. We have a strong feeling Orochimaru is behind the attacks though."
Itachi's explanation was something I definitely didn't expect. It proved just how little time we had left in our hands.
"What are these creatures you're speaking of?" Tsunade crossed her arms in front of her as she asked for more details from Itachi.
"We don't have much information about it. But I saw them with my own eyes and I must say they look a lot like snakes."
"This is definitely Orochimaru's doing. His obsession towards snakes isn't a secret." Tsunade turned towards the rest of us, eyebrows furrowed in anger. "Head off to the Suna Kingdom immediately. We're running out of time."
"I'm also asked to join everyone on this mission. It's a pleasure to be working with everyone." Itachi smiled as he announced his participation in the mission. Naturally, nobody had any objections with that. Even though it was the first time the people from the Konoha Kingdom had seen Itachi, one glance at him and you would know he was a capable person.
However, I hoped that brother of mine wouldn't bring me unnecessary troubles during the mission. Unfortunately, knowing him, he definitely wouldn't let me live in peace.
Sakura's POV
"Are we almost there yet?" Naruto was practically dragging himself through the deserts. I understood why he looked so lifeless though.
We were warned that the Suna Kingdom was surrounded by deserts and the weather wasn't very ideal. But we didn't expect the heat to be that unbearable.
"We'll probably reach in about two hours." Kakashi-sensei made two hours sounded like it was mere two minutes, making Naruto wail in despair.
Just then, something appeared out of nowhere and landed hard in front of us, blinding everyone with swirling sand. I managed to catch a glimpse of what seemed to be snakes in midst of the sands and knew we were under attack.
"Dang, did Orochimaru find out we're going after him?"
I drew my sword and was about to attack the enemy and I saw some others doing the same too. But before I could do anything, the snakes created a strong sandstorm, completely blinding us from everything including ourselves.
"If we get separated, find your own way to reach the Suna Kingdom as soon as you can!"
Those were the last words I heard from Kakashi-sensei before my consciousness was wiped away from me.
I woke up with a throbbing headache and a stinging pain on my forehead. I gently touched the source of my pain and found out that I had injured the right side of my forehead. I groaned upon seeing the blood on my hand and proceeded to slowly remove myself from the sands underneath me.
With half-opened eyelids, I dragged myself to lean against a nearby tree. I looked around and saw that I was in the middle of nowhere. All I could see was sand and only sand, with a few trees here and there. The trees were dried up though, giving off a rather depressing atmosphere.
Luckily for me, I still had my bag with me and I quickly took out bandages for the injury on my head. After resting for a while and the headache was almost gone, I slowly stood up to start looking for a way to the Suna Kingdom.
"How in the world am I supposed to find my way?" I grumbled in frustration as I walked aimlessly around, trying to find a clue as to where I was. I stopped on my tracks when I saw someone lying on the sand a bit further in front.
I rushed towards that person only to find that it was actually Sasuke.
"Hey, Sasuke, are you alright?" I shook his shoulder but it didn't wake him up. I carefully carried Sasuke on my back, sighing as I guessed how many more times I needed to do that. I spotted a cave nearby and decided to seek shelter in there.
Once I was away from the direct heated sunlight, I sat on the ground and placed Sasuke's head on my lap. I shifted him gently, trying to make him more comfortable.
I brushed his raven hair away from his face, trying to see if there were any injuries. I sighed in relief when I saw none. But then I noticed several cuts on his left arm and went to retrieve bandages from my bag for his wounds.
After I was done tending to his injuries, I leaned against the wall on my back as I stared at the man on my lap. If someone was to see how soundly he was sleeping at that moment, they wouldn't have expected he had just faced an attack.
I was so drawn by his peaceful form that I couldn't help it but caress his face, tracing his strong features. A blush crept onto my face when my finger came into contact with Sasuke's lips. I panicked immediately when he suddenly shifted in his sleep.
I hastily removed my hand and awkwardly hid it on my back, as if it held certain dark secrets I didn't want Sasuke to see. I forced myself to stop the heat radiating from my cheeks but my heart ended up beating rapidly instead.
I took in a sharp breath as I watched Sasuke slowly opening his heavy eyelids. Fortunately for me, by the time Sasuke fully regained his consciousness, I was no longer acting like I had just did something indecent.
I jumped a little when Sasuke looked into my eyes. But what surprised me more was what he did next. Without a word, Sasuke reached for the bandage I had on my forehead and gently stroked it.
"Does it hurt?"
My eyes widened a bit, not expecting Sasuke's first words to be a show of concern towards me. I smiled a little before answering, totally forgetting the panic I was in a few moments ago.
"I'm alright. Are you feeling better already?"
"My head feels heavy."
I placed a hand on Sasuke's head and massaged his temples, hoping it would ease his headache a little.
"Thanks, Sakura."
I swore my heart skipped a beat when I saw an almost unnoticeable smile on Sasuke's face.
Sasuke's POV
It felt so comfortable under Sakura's care. Her tender touches and caring words were warming and I got better soon enough.
I placed a hand over Sakura's, which was on top of my head. I wanted to tell her I was feeling much better already but my voice was ripped off from me upon the contact. Sakura's soft hand under my touch sent a shiver down my spine.
My whole body grew still and all I could manage was to stare into Sakura's eyes, which were filled with emotions I couldn't seem to make out. The heat between our hands intensified and the thumping of my heart grew louder by the second.
"I remembered asking everyone to find a way to reach the Suna Kingdom as soon as possible. Why are the two of you in here being intimate and all that?"
Sakura and I quickly let go of each other's hands when we heard Kakashi's voice coming from the entrance of the cave. I awkwardly sat up from Sakura's lap and turned away from where Kakashi-sensei was, hiding the much too obvious blush coloring my cheeks.
The tense silence was soon broken by the man who happened to be with Kakashi and it was a voice I was way too familiar with.
"I didn't know my younger brother is incapable of controlling himself."
I snapped my head towards Itachi, who appeared to be very amused with what he had just witnessed. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Sakura's face blushing furiously, which made my own face heat up all over again.
I stood up while trying to keep an indifferent face. I offered my left hand to help Sakura get up and that was when I realized the bandages on my arm. I thanked Sakura for treating my wound once she was already standing beside me.
Before I could end up staring, or almost gawking, at Sakura, I hurriedly took my bag and headed over to the entrance, walking pass both Kakashi and Itachi.
"I'll prove to Itachi that I have a lot of self-control."
But there was something about Sakura that seemed to be always pulling me into her. Before I knew it, I was even attracted to her violent tendency. And whenever she showed me so much care, I couldn't ignore the tingling feeling inside me.
Honestly, I doubt I had much self-control left inside me.
Sakura's POV
"What was all that about just now?"
Not a single word was exchanged during that brief moment when our hands touched but I felt so much emotions flowing throughout me. There was something behind Sasuke's eyes that I couldn't quite understand.
But somehow, I just couldn't get enough of him.
I was so lost in my own thoughts that I couldn't remember how I ended up in front of the main gate of the Suna Kingdom. I would still be in a daze if it weren't for Kakashi-sensei who announced our arrival.
"We're finally here. I hope the others found their way as well. All the teachers know how to get here. I just hope everyone is with at least one teacher."
"And now that it's highly possible Orochimaru already know about us tracking him down, it could be dangerous out there." I looked at the never-ending deserts and hoped everyone was alright.
"Let's enter first and check if the others have arrived." Kakashi suggested and walked towards the huge gates, which opened on its own when we were close enough.
Two guards whose heads were wrapped in bandages were behind the gates. They had forehead protectors around their heads, with what seemed like a time sand symbol on it.
They relaxed a little when they saw Kakashi-sensei, probably recognizing him as an ally due to the Konoha Kingdom head protector he wore. Kakashi-sensei walked towards the guards and the rest of us followed as well.
We were led by the guards to the castle and were told that everyone else were already there. The guards also said that some of them had minor injuries while Ino and Kiba were still unconscious.
Once we reached the castle, we went directly to where Ino and Kiba were to see if there was anything I could do. We entered a room where there were two beds with Ino and Kiba lying on either one of them. Asuma-sensei and Shikamaru were also there along with two medics.
Asuma-sensei walked over to us to brief us with the current situation while Shikamaru stayed by Ino's side. If Ino saw how worried he was, I was sure she would scream due to excessive joy.
"The others are with the king discussing about Orochimaru right now. Ino and Kiba were already unconscious when I found them together after the first attack. Judging from their injuries, we assumed they met the enemy for the second time after we got separated."
One of the medics attending on Kiba approached us and seemed distress, "We're not sure what's wrong with them and everything we have been doing isn't improving their condition."
"Let me see what I can do." When I got closer to Ino and Kiba, I saw that both of them had a similar wound on their right upper arm. However, it didn't seem like a normal cut and it looked almost as if it was glowing.
"I think I know what to do." I murmured to myself as I thought back to one of my training sessions with Tsunade-sama. She told me that Orochimaru fighting style often involved the use of poison. She informed me about some of the poisons Orochimaru made use the most and also the way to heal injuries caused by them.
It was during the trainings that I found out that Tsunade-sama and Orochimaru used to be close friends. That was why she was familiar with the way his mind worked. But it was because of that, she suffered a lot when he chose to betray the Konoha Kingdom.
I walked over to Shikamaru and placed a hand on his shoulder, assuring him that everything was going to be alright soon enough.
"Don't worry. The two of them will be fine."
Sasuke's POV
We left the room to give more space to Sakura and the other medics. Shikamaru seemed reluctant to leave but complied at the end.
There was a strong and confident aura around Sakura, making her seem more admirable than she already was. It was obvious that Tsunade's training did nothing but good for her.
The guard led us to the main hall, where the others were with the king. Although I didn't show it, I was surprised when I saw the king.
He was very young, most probably around my age. His most unique feature was definitely the tattoo on his forehead, which was the kanji of 'love'. The dark rings around his eyes were rather unusual as well.
We made eye contact with each other when he noticed new presences in the room. And for once, I felt like I had found someone who was harder to read than me.
After some pleasant greetings and introduction, the young king, whose name was Gaara, briefly told us the progress of their discussion.
"We have found out the location of Orochimaru's hideout and we can set off once everyone is ready. After further analyzing the blueprint on that machine of his and the recent events, it's safe to assume that those snake-like creatures are created by that machine. However, we believe that he has yet to maximize its power. That is why we must head over to his hideout soon and stop him before things get any worse."
"Sakura is currently treating Ino and Kiba. It seems like their wounds aren't ordinary ones. We'll wait and see what he has to say about it." Shikamaru was in full professional mode which was completely different from his earlier worried self.
Gaara nodded and turned towards a man and woman standing beside him, "My older brother and sister, Kankuro and Temari, will assist you on this mission."
In the middle of the meeting, the door to the hall opened and everyone turned to see who it was. A small smile unconsciously appeared on my face when I saw Sakura standing by the door. From the confidence surrounding her, it was obvious she had successfully treated Ino and Kiba.
Sakura greeted Gaara and introduced herself before explaining to everyone Ino and Kiba's conditions, "Their wounds are infected by a type of poison which will knock them out of consciousness. And if they are not treated within a day, they will lose their life. Tsunade Jooheika knows about this poison and taught me how to create the antidote for it. Ino and Kiba are awake now and their other injuries aren't serious. They have confirmed that they were indeed attacked by those snakes after they got separated from the rest of us. Apparently, those creatures were the ones who had poisoned them."
"Those snakes are also capable of producing such a strong poison?" Naruto grumbled in disbelief, running his hands through his blonde hair in frustration.
Sakura frowned as she continued explaining the situation, "I will teach the Suna Kingdom's medics how to create the antidote, just in case someone else will get hurt from the same poison. It's better to be safe than sorry."
Itachi seemed to be in deep thoughts before he spoke, "I think we should inform other kingdoms about the antidote as well. We must act quickly before anyone will get hurt and get treated too late."
Gaara nodded in agreement as he took Itachi's word into serious consideration, "I will send my guards to send the information to other kingdoms."
Upon hearing Gaara's decision, Sakura left the hall and get to work with the other medics. I watched her leave until she was completely out of sight.
I was snapped out of my thoughts when Itachi suddenly got closer to me and whispered something I wished he didn't.
"She's gone, Sasuke. Don't be such a creep, little brother."
It was times like those that I hoped Itachi knew how to keep his mouth shut.
Sakura's POV
"You seem to be in a very good mood, Ino."
"Is it that obvious, Sakura?"
Ino was completely healed but I knew the antidote wasn't the main reason for that. The best antidote for Ino was a certain Shikamaru Nara.
After the meeting with Gaara ended, Shikamaru rushed to where Ino was immediately. He was totally out of character as he bombarded Ino with questions to make sure she was indeed alright already.
I saw how surprised Ino was to see a terribly worried Shikamaru. And probably for once in his entire life, he didn't say the word 'troublesome' in more than ten minutes of speaking.
"It feels nice to know that Shikamaru cares so much about me." Ino was living in her own world as I helped her change her bandages. Kiba was bored out of mind and was long gone from the room so it was just Ino and I inside.
"I care about you too. Do I mean nothing to you?" I faked a pained look and pretended to sob. Ino rolled her eyes at me and playfully flicked my forehead.
"You're such a drama queen, Sakura."
"Speak for yourself, Ino."
The two of us giggled as we spoke, enjoying the lightness in the air surrounding us. As I listened to Ino talking about how everything seemed like a dream come true for her, my mind began wandering around as well.
"It definitely will feel nice to have someone caring for me as well."
My hand froze when Sasuke suddenly crossed my mind. I blush furiously as images of him continued appearing in my head. At that time, I was glad Ino was too busy living her dream-like reality to notice how flushed I was.
The sun has already set when I left Ino's room. Shikamaru had came back to accompany her and being the considerate friend I was, I gave them some alone time.
I would be lying if I said I wasn't envious though. I sighed as I walked through the hallways, not really sure as to where to go.
I was staring on the floor and stopped on my tracks when I noticed someone else's shadow. I could sense that it wasn't an enemy so I casually looked up to see who it was.
But my heart began fluttering uncontrollably when I saw who it was.
It was Sasuke, who was leaning against the wall with arms crossed in front of him. When he glanced over at me, my heart began thumping even harder against my chest. The heat radiating from my face wasn't helping me calm down too.
"What in the world is happening to you, Sakura?"
"You have been working for hours. I assume you haven't eaten."
It was then when I heard my stomach grumble and my blush deepened due to embarrassment. I hid my face with an arm as I looked away from Sasuke.
"It's decided that we will leave tomorrow at dawn. For now, you should rest."
"Is Sasuke showing care towards me?"
I was beginning to understand how Ino felt, to be showered with care and concern. It was like I was pulled towards Sasuke, who looked absolutely mesmerising when basked in the soft moonlight shone onto him.
But when I heard what Sasuke said next, I actually thought I was going to burst from overexcitement and overflowing emotions.
"I'll take you out to dinner."
At that moment, it actually felt like there was hope that I could one day live in my own dream-like reality.
Author's Note: If you're curious about Sasuke and Sakura's little date, look forward to the next chapter! Please leave a review on your way out. Your opinions mean a lot to me! And reviews make me super duper happy. Do keep up with the follows and favourites as well, everyone. Thank you for reading!
